Doomed by design: The SuperFail Committee
It was all doomed by design from the start.
What I wrote in July about the Reid-Boehner-Obama fake bickerfest over the debt-ceiling hike deal:
Fast-forward past the sound and fury…The debt ceiling is going up. Government is getting bigger. Real spending cuts are getting kicked down the can. Entitlement reform is going nowhere. Reid and McConnell will dilute Boehner’s already diluted plan behind closed doors. And everyone in Washington will rush to take credit for nothing much.
And:
Fiscal conservatives fought the good fight.
But after all is said and done, we are getting another debt ceiling increase with the bare minimum of spending controls and another bogus commission with a balanced budget amendment bone thrown to the base.
And so it has come to pass.
The gesture BBA failed on Friday. Today, the “Super Committee” is expected to announce its gobsmackingly obvious Super Fail:
The congressional “supercommittee” stumbled its way toward failure Sunday, with final staff-level discussions focusing mostly on how the panel should publicly admit that lawmakers could not meet their mandate of shaving $1.2 trillion from the federal debt.
Rather than making a final effort at compromise, members of the special deficit-reduction committee spent their final hours casting blame and pointing fingers, bracing for the reaction from financial markets that are already jittery over the European debt crisis.
The only winners in the game?
The lobbyists. Flashback:
The only thing “super” about the so-called budget control super committee is the size of lobbying muscle exerted on its members. Almost 100 registered lobbyists who are former employees of super committee members are now “representing defense companies, health-care conglomerates, Wall Street banks and others with a vested interest in the outcome of the panel’s work,” the Washington Post found in September. This includes two dozen former staffers to Democratic Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, including three former chiefs of staff.
On the other side of the revolving door, 10 out of the panel’s 12 members have now raked in donations from foreign registered agents totaling more than $50,000 in direct campaign contributions during 2011 alone, according to government watchdogs. The additional amount raised through fundraisers held by these lobbying firms is unknown, according to the Project on Government Oversight. Moreover, all 12 super committee members have been contacted by foreign lobbyists, eager to secure targeted exemptions, loopholes and protectionism.
Super committee co-chair Patty Murray, who refused to step down from her fundraising duties as head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, recently met with South Korean lobbyists employed by D.C. powerhouse firm Patton Boggs. Roll Call reported that while the panel’s negotiations wouldn’t have direct bearing on free-trade deals, Murray “could have access to information about how the timing of the debt deliberations could affect passage of the free-trade agreements.”
Patty “Pork Chop” Murray’s in-your-face embrace of influence peddlers has her populist Pacific Northwest constituents cringing. Mind you: Murray’s office boasts no fewer than 17 revolving-door staffers turned lobbyists. That’s on top of her DSCC fundraising conflicts of interest.
This week, the Seattle Times disclosed that Murray held a two-day staff retreat at heavyweight lobbying outfit Strategies 360, which was founded by Democratic political operative Ron Dotzauer. The group donated meeting space to Murray’s team and skirted ethics rules by offering similar deals to nonprofits. Murray’s former deputy state director, Karen Waters, is now a senior vice president at the firm. Another of its lobbyists, Melanie Mihara, used to work for Murray’s Democratic colleague Sen. Maria Cantwell. According to OpenSecrets.org, Strategies 360 has conducted $985,000 worth of lobbying targeting more than a dozen government agencies this year.
A spokesman for the senator (who made her name attacking the Beltway insider culture) sniffed that the report was a “non-story.” Given Murray’s status as the second highest recipient of lobbying money among all members of Congress behind Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, her staff is right:
This little perk is chump change compared to her career haul.
Lobbying, of course, is perfectly legal. It’s Murray’s pretense as a white hat public-interest crusader that should gall both sides of the aisle. One left-wing Seattle blogger rather generously called Murray “tone-deaf” and spelled out the rank hypocrisy of Murray’s entrenched and unrepentant lobbying ties: “This while members of her own party are up in arms over the increasing influence of money in American politics. This while a giant hunk of the liberal electorate is “Occupying” the streets to protest corporate greed and disproportional representation. This while the very term ‘lobbyist’ has come to represent all that is bad about special interest influence.”
Yep, all that and a bag of back-scratching chips.
Murray’s backroom meetings come as business as usual as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi grandstands over the need for more “transparency” in the super committee dealings. After ramming through Obamacare in secret (with the help of top staffer Brendan Daly, who is now a lobbyist for groups opposed to the law he helped pass), Pelosi has now called for televised debt panel hearings. On publicly broadcasting the debt panel members’ meetings with lobbyists, Pelosi will no doubt remain mum. Remember:
The “K” in “K Street” stands for “Kabuki.”
The disease: Entrenched incumbency.
The cure? Fresh fiscal conservative blood.
Remember in November.
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Most, if not all, of us saw this for what it was when it was first presented. My take, a way to save the RINO face in the wake of the Debit Deal – that did nothing except delay the inevitable – 15 Trillion now in how many months? The second was – the Democrats laying another trap to the Idiot Republicans in such a way that either way it turned out – the Repubs would take the fall.
It was thoughtful though of John Kerry to stop by F & F this am and further poison the watering hole w/ disinformation, spin and gross misrepresentations.
That’s how you know it’s Monday.
I agree this is all disgusting to watch unfold but i blame the Republicans for agreeing to this debt ceiling/super committee deal in the first place! When are we ever going to get true conservative leadership in our party?
Marshall, when Kerry said the rich need to pay more, I was disappointed that Gretchen didn’t mention licensing yachts in states other than your own to avoid taxes.
$1.2 Trillion over 10 years and they couldn’t pull it off. They could save that much by reducing office supplies by 10% per year for 10 years.
I think Rand Paul had it right, this is the ONLY way Congress will ever “Cut” anything. And according to Sen Paul, the Defense cuts are actually a reduction in the increase, not an actual cut in spending.
Kabuki Theater indeed.
Are you better off now than you were $4 trillion…um, I mean $5 trillion, err…six you say?…uh…well you know what I mean!
The cure? Super majorities of fresh fiscal conservative blood, but, the Democrat blame machine has a lot of power.
Its an uphill job but the alternative is Mordor.
Thank you. It takes two Democratic parties to stage the kabuki we are witnessing. We need conservative voters to remember to vote conservative in next year, not LOTE. There are no good crooks. Throw the crooks out! ALL of them!
The Republicans will NEVER get their plans approved by the Radicals in Congress. NEVER. I don’t know why they would ever agree to a “bi-partisan” super committee made of up 6 from each side. There is no way that would have ever worked. Of course, John Effing Kerry is out there saying, ALL THE REPUBLICANS NEED TO DO IS REPEAL THE BUSH TAX CUTS AND WE WILL AGREE TO EVERYTHING ELSE THEY WANT. I put that in caps because words look so much bigger coming out of that pompous a-hole.
Let’s see, we have a completely absent POTUS (actually a blessing) who hasn’t taken a leadership roll in these discussion as a LEADER would have, if he actually was a LEADER. He also hasn’t said one word to calm down the rioting masses, another role of a POTUS. Instead, he is frolicking around the world in his favorite toy, AF One, giving our country away and telling everyone on the globe how bad we are, then visiting his relatives in his homeland. When he gets home, he will probably hit the links, or get on his Canadian-made multi million dollar campaign bus and travel once more.
Obama HATES being in DC, it obvious.
But I don’t even blame Obama totally at this point. One person is truly the culprit here and is holding up this country from going forward. Harry Reid. The House has given him hundreds of bills that would do a lot of good for the American People, and Dirty Harry just throws them under his desk in a junk pile. He refuses to even put the bills up for votes. That’s because he knows many of the bills would likely pass.
Thanks, Nevada! Spit.
Completly agree. As for the Seattle Times and NW Liberal bloggers complaining about Murray now they need to STFU and deal with it. Conservatives in WA ST made that exact point in the 2010 election, but both the papers and the liberal bloggers didn’t want to hear it.
I was literally screaming at the TV for Gretchen to ask that very question!! But Gretchen knows if she said that, no liberal would ever appear on F&F again. It takes courage to call these people out, and few people have that courage. Gretchen has been lacking lately in good come-backs and questions. I have a feeling she has been “reined in” by the powers that be. There is probably LOTS of pressure from the mafia thugs, and maybe even some threats. By the time the campaign gets going next year, F&F and other shows on FOX might be just as bad as the rest of the media. I pray I’m wrong!!
Pathetic. All 12 should be forced to resign immediately.
We sent them to kill the tiger.
The tiger consumed them.
Now the tiger is coming for us.
This is how a government works that cares nothing about the people. These clowns worship themselves.
People voted for hope and change and we got a lying dope and change that brought us czars that do nothing but spew out more government rules and regulations and lobbyists with more power that congress.
What we need is a super duper special committee, that’ll get er done.
Will a Repubican ledcongress get the cuts? I don’t know for sure, but my guess is they wouldn’t cut much.
I’m not convinced at all that liberal Republicans want anything but to compromise with their brethern on the left.
I’ve been trying to think of a good analogy. This will do. Two very bad football teams play every week. Dropped passes, penalties, and fumbles make up the games highlights.
Boehner, McConnell, and Cantor ate minimum needed to be primaried.
Speaker Bachman (if not the presidential nominee)
Senate Leader Rubio
House Majority Leader Ryan
Everyone of McConnell’s and Boehner’s Committee Chair buddies should get removed.
walterc, happy,
The whole approach of Liberal Spin (TM) is to get your talking points in, then stun your opponent into a paralyzed state by offering up several inaccuracies so they’re not sure which (1) to address first?
In GC’s defense, we’ve got a nation dangling by a thread, this may not be the time to get personal. However warranted. FWIW, I addressed Jawn’s 100 footer ( I have a 16′ built in 1966 ) over at Doug’s blog.
My gobsmacking moment came when Kerry had the audacity to dredge up the BTC’s. Like Michelle says “taxes are like duct tape, the only tool in the Dem’s toolbox. It fixes everything!” ( para )
I think we need to start asking all Congress members at every public venue one question. Repeat it often.
Where’s the budget?
It is direct, concise and precise. No wiggle room. Could begin to resonate.
What is really so sad, a large number of American’s will blame the r’s totally for this mess thanks to bhopress! The r’s do, I am not giving them a pass, for this also. I can not begin to tell you how mad it makes me to have such brain dead elected in dc! It is the voters fault too. They just keep re-electing the same crooks for decades. Come election time, the crooks want our money and votes to send them back to stick it to us again. I feel so helpless to make a change, but I do all I can everytime it is time to vote to try to make a change.
God please give us courage to make the US the great country it once was come 11/12. Amen
L
Correction:
When the DEMOCRATS controlled everything from 2008 to 2010, they refused to pass a budget
And throught it all conservatives are being criticized for wanting to elect people who would actually do something about the budget problems rather than a bunch of spineless moderates who supposedly would be better at getting the independent votes.
The offset is that “conservative” commenters will blame the “d”s.
We are facing an entrenched corrupt government at war with citizens and yet we eagerly fall into the trap of fighting each other. It’s like Michelle Bachmann keeps saying, we don’t have until 2016 to fix the problem. If we vote LOTE in 2012, it’s all over.
This wasn’t just set up to fail, it has the additional feature of being able to blame the GOP as the bottleneck.
Just plain stupid.
That wouldn’t even begin to address our problems. And we would be thowing some good conservatives out with the bathwater. The radical regressives have to be defeated! Until then, there is no point throwing out our conservatives who are swimming against a very strong current. I believe the true conservatives are the only ones who can save us. We need to KEEP the ones we have and ADD to their strength. ONLY by getting enough of them to actually give them POWER will we make headway. If you throw out the ones who are kinda “helpless” right now, you are losing good people!
We need a majority of conservatives. How do we get that? By keeping the ones who are already there and sending in some help for them!!
If Republicans in the House of Representatives had refused to raise the debt limit, it would have
I wish they had understood who elected them and why. I wish they had understood that they are sent there to REPRESENT US!
Even good men like Colonel Allen West decided it was better to follow John Boehner’s lead than to REPRESENT the desires of his constituents.
REPRESENTatives are not sent to Washington, D.C. to decide that they know better than us.
They are sent there specifically to REPRESENT us in a REPRESENTative Democracy (the House) within the larger construct of our Constitutional Republic.
That’s 20 people in the House and 4-5 in the Senate. And everyone seems to want to remove them by making them run for president.
Throw them all out works for me. These few will survive that tidal wave of voter outrage, especially in the House, because elections are local, not national.
Something we all knew would happen.
Once again the brilliance of GOP leadership on display getting duped into owning this mess by negotiating with themselves during “debt crisis 1″.
Now they can own this “failure” everyone knew would happen when the committee was formed.
Where is that stick figure banging it’s head against the wall when we need it?
I agree. The Republicans had a much stronger negotiating position when inaction would have resulted in hitting the debt ceiling an forcing a de facto balanced budget.
Republican “leaders” stupidly negotiated against themselves and gave away a strong negotiating position in favor of a DemonRat-designed trap.
I maybe nit picking here but why throw out the good with the bad. We need to have something to work with when congress changes hands. And I don’t mean the worthless Repukes in leadership positions now in the Seante and House.
—————
I blame the neutered Repukians as much as the liberals demonrats. These clowns that cannot control their greed and put themselves 1st are not Americans, they are traitors to America, plan and simple.
————–
I’ve said before and I yell again, when conservatives gain control of congress they need to making lobby illegal PERIOD! It’s not free speech, it is paid for speech and we the unwashed pay for it.
I agree, Phil, that Rubio should stay in the Senate and become Majority Leader. That is where he is needed and that is where he wants to be. Being a VP would diminish his power and influence. We need to elect a POTUS that is outside DC.
As for our current candidates. Sigh. Anyone of them would be better than Obama, but I’m not liking any of them very much at this point.
Re-read my comment #25. “Throw them all out” doesn’t appear on the ballot. I assume that voters for the “House 20″ will vote them back in as will Rubio’s voters. But it is up to them not me.
We are being overrun in a RINO stampede so we don’t have the luxury of picking them off one by one. We need to think bigger and with more determination.
Was there ever any doubt from the start? My first question was “Why is such an important matter left to a “Super Committee” that I DIDN’T elect to represent ME?
Next question: Why has there been NO budget for almost THREE years? Is that so the socialists can spend money we don’t have on worthless ‘green companies’ that go bankrupt almost immediately after receiving half a billion dollars of taxpayer money?
Where else but the ‘best little whorehouse on the Potomac’ could this happen?
Croney capitalism my ass… it’s bold faced theft of taxpayer money at best.
If you want something else to blow your skirt up, check this out!
One other question: Why do these circus clowns keep touting trillion dollar cuts in spending over the next TEN YEARS when they know damned well future congresses aren’t bound by budget cuts the present congress makes? How stupid do…. well, I won’t finish that question. The answer is as plain as the ears on O’Mulligan’s head.
Michelle, you need to write a “Culture of Corruptiop, Part Deux“. Heck, make that the second in the Encyclopaedia of Corruption set.
Agreed. The GOP leadership has been in DC too long to understand how things work outside of DC. They went along with a stupid plan out of fear of being blamed for doing nothing. Now they will take the brunt of the blame for when the automatic cuts go into effect.
wonder how many more folks like Ann Barnhardt, formerly of of Barnhardt Capital Management, will “Go Gault” now?
My belief? Never. Add together the number of government employees, government contractors, medicare/aid recipients, social security recipients, government contractors, knee-jerk liberals, union thugs, lobbyists, corporate welfare recipients, individual welfare recipients, etc., and I think you may just get well over 50% of the voting public.
They will not vote to kill their “income”, ever. As clear and present as our present danger is, and even with the minority that is vocally fighting the slow loss of freedom, when is come time to vote, the above list WILL vote their pocketbook.
Doom and gloom? yep.
actually it was #24, in this post you didn’t say what you said in #7. Where you commented “Throw the crooks out! ALL of them!” that implies all of them, good and bad. Say what you mean or mean what you say. Don’t leave it up readers to reference other comments you’ve made to understand what you said in another comment.
Pasadena Phil said:
Then ask ourselves, if they were such great, indispensable Conservatives ( how did they allow this mess to happen in the first place? ) We understand the effects of the housing bubble, the bank bailouts etc. Not a lot can be done about it now?
But 3 years without a budget? C’mon.
I’m afraid you may be right. I am increasingly avoiding Fox except for comic relief while getting ready for work. The Saturday financial shows are infuriating because of the liberal socialists who know nothing about financial matters spouting their Keynesian crap.
We get political opinion on the radio throughout the day and by the time we get home, I have no interest in O’Reilly or his sanctimonious blather. I can take Hannity is small doses but GRETAAAAA! is a non starter. She asks the same question several times in different ways and interrupts each and every answer to ask again in yet another different way. Lawyers! (Spit)
Makes me want to pull out the .45 ACP and let loose a couple of rounds. Then I’d have to buy another ‘big screen’ which I can’t afford due to buying big screens for the entitlement parasites. Can’t win for losing!
Black Conservative, I think the little stick figure banging his head finally got a concussion, and is lying down somewhere in deep shock…
Super Committee, Super Lie
By Major Garrett
When I left the White House beat to cover Congress, I told people what the biggest difference was between the two beats. People in the White House and Congress lie to you, I would say; the difference is that on the Hill it’s not the same lie told by the same seven people.
That was true until the super committee was created. Now, instead of politicians lying to their constituents and reporters, they are lying to themselves. Not rationalizing, or trimming the truth, or speaking in euphemisms. Lying. Bald. Faced. Lying.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/columns/all-powers/super-committee-super-lie-20111115
***
The Tipping Point and the Crossroads
The United States finds itself at a crossroads, facing a stark reality it can no longer ignore or leave to future generations. We are presently on an irreversible path toward inevitable failure and second-class status.
President Lyndon Johnson, shamelessly exploiting the nation’s shock over the death of its youthful president, steered the nation onto the course of massive government intervention into the day-to-day lives of all Americans and unbridled social spending, as exemplified by his “War on Poverty,” the passage of Medicare, and expanded welfare programs. The inexorable transfer of unbridled power to Washington and the political expedient of unsustainable promises to the American people, in exchange for their votes, had begun.
Over the past 48 years, the Democratic Party has become the unabashed promoter of these policies, while the Republican establishment, with a few exceptions like Ronald Reagan, have become the enablers. The United States is now on the verge of national bankruptcy, accelerated dramatically over the past three years by Barack Obama.
Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/11/the_tipping_point_and_the_crossroad.html#ixzz1eMGPvUSf
***
On November 21st, 2011 at 11:24 am, Whirled Peas said:
Michelle, you need to write a “Culture of Corruption, Part Deux“. Heck, make that the second in the Encyclopaedia of Corruption set.
Michelle, please tell your friend Laura Ingraham, that this is what Boehner had in mind all along. It was his end run around the Tea Party members of the House. Yet all Laura did was blast the Tea Party for being unable to govern. She quickly abandons conservatism in favor of keeping her cozy GOP relationships.
We knew that the committee was never going to produce any results, not with Patty Murray and John Kerry on the panel. But go no further than the GOP leadership (or lack of leadership).
Many American’s hoped that some good would come out of this Committee of Capitol Clowns, but I think most of us knew, once we saw the composition of the panel, that it was destined to fail.
I don’t believe there was any intent from the left to be serious about finding a solution for debt reduction, but there was one for crafting a “blame Republicans” campaign for the upcoming elections. Why would the Dems otherwise load their half of the committee, NOT with economists, but with partisan progressives?
What experience did Patty Murray bring to the table, other than her penchant for demogoguery and pork products? How has Becerra’s policies helped anyone, much less the Hispanic community? John Kerry-Heinz, Max Baucus insider trading gurus, they bring in experience for gaming the system, do they not? How about Chris Van Hollen, the vocal anti-conservative, who offers nothing but villification? And, Clyburn…really…Clyburn?
The Democrat Party has at least exposed their strategy thus far. It will, of course, fail. Republican’s, having repeatedly offered their own ideas, wait fruitlessly for the Democrats to product something, anything for which they can initiate compromise, but it will not come.
Republican’s will not negotiate against themselves, and their own ideas. There are no ideas forthcoming from the Democrats (that they will put on paper,) because ALL their ideas have already been tried, except for the one big one…total statism.
Things have to change, or this country is doomed. Progressive ideas are proven to be regressive, expensive, and oppressive. Conservative ideas will to take us back as well…to the idea of a Constitutionally limited government, whose only necessary job it is, coalesces around national defense, and the security of Americans worldwide, and NOT directed toward socialization, and Marxist experimentation.
Right-on, well put.
Dobby the house elf: What we need is a Super Duper Uber Pooper Scooper Committee! Then we’ll really get stuff done!
LOL, on a morning when a good laugh is sorely needed!
What you said…every word!
+2,500
It is more than that. The Dem’s looked at the super committee as a win win for them. They were not going to budge without a massive tax increase from the get go. If they got the increase the would please their base and beat the GOP over the head with it during the 2012 elections (just think of Bush 41 and the “no new taxes” pledge). If they did not get the tax increase they let the automatic cuts kick in. Half the cuts are in defense (again makes the D base happy)while the other half is found elsewhere (except social security and medicare were exempt from the automatic cuts) and they will blame the GOP for the whole thing (and the press will dutifully report it).
I am getting very angry at people who are blaming the FEW conservatives in Congress who just got there, and are fighting the POWER already entrenched there. WHAT THE H DO THEY EXPECT?? These true conservatives need our SUPPORT, NOT OUR BACKSTABBING. This is getting ridiculous!! They are completely outnumbered. Until we vote in some reinforcements, they are powerless to accomplish anything. They are out there speaking truth to power and getting nowhere. It is OUR job to get help to them! And if Laura Ingraham is complaining about their performance, she is being totally unreasonable, and is not the Laura Ingraham I have grown to love. I pray she is not losing her common sense!! This really is a no-brainer, folks. They are outnumbered by RINOS and radical demoncrats who are CORRUPT CHEATERS. I think of them as very brave heros trying to make a difference while being attacked from all sides by a pack of wild rabid animals.
Murray is a classic. She went into office with less than $50K in assets. She now is a millionaire, all the while espousing left wing ideas, often sheer nonsense, as cover for her graft.
And now the GOP (lead by McLame and Graham) are making maters worse:
So instead of the automatic cuts happening the GOP is going to undue the legislation with new legislation going back to the status quo. Yep that is going to go over real well with the voters.
I am not happy about the Defense cuts in the automatic cuts, but at least we get some acutal cuts done. All this new legislation will do is to show the American people that Congress was never serious in the first place.
When we stop voting for people like Eric Can’tor/won’t.
But don’t worry, electing the human weathervane Romney will cure all!!
Romney/Obama 2012!!
Debbie Downer is already trying to think of clever names for the upcoming downgrade.
The mindset in DC right now is to sit tight and deal with it in 2013. Big mistake. These issues have to be placed back in play right now for resolution. If you were a general in the field planning ahead for 2013, the status quo is unacceptable and unworkable.
I don’t like McCain and Graham but this is exactly what needs to be done with the entire budget. It was a big mistake not nailing Obama and the Dems balls to the wall during the lame duck session.
Did anyone on here really think that another dopey committee was going to solve anything?
Personally, I’ve been waiting for this to happen and knew it would.
Off Topic…For a great example of how OUT OF TOUCH these regressives are with the American People…
Michelle Obama and Jill Biden were Grand Marshalls this weekend at the last NASCAR race of the season. They were introduced and soundly BOOed!!
How can that be surprising to anyone?? Rush is talking about it right now. Those old unintended consequences of far left socialist elitists who look down their noses at middle America, presiding at a NASCAR race and expecting applause? They are SOOOO STOOOOPID!
How much do you want to bet Moochelle was wearing $1,500 jeans and $1,000 boots?
As soon as Democrats were added to this group, it was doomed to fail. Few, if any, Democrats have shown the nerve to do what is necessary – cut SPENDING.
Now bho and mo will be having C/W groups to the wh! Guess they think they will get people like our home that loves C/W music to vote for them? Funny thing, most C/W singer/groups are conservative! I have a feeling Hank Jr. will not be there or had been asked to come!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/country-music-gets-its-day-at-the-white-house-obamas-to-showcase-legends-contemporary-stars/2011/11/16/gIQA215ESN_print.html
L
As the official MM scorekeeper I would of course never question your judgment, but dispensing these scores could lead to a deficit in points available for future profound prose. That said, WP did indeed nail it.
Never Forget the RNC PURPOSELY LOST THE SENATE IN 2010 BY LOOSING CA, CO, DE, NV AND WA (they’d rather have dems instead of TEA PARTY folks). This SOBs don’t care about the country, they only care about THEIR OWN POWER. Next year, we need REAL CONSERVATIVES, not RINOs.
There is certainly a pecking order when Freshmen come to Congress, both in Senate and House of Representatives. Most have to fall in line to get any kind of committee, much less to be a leader of a committee.
I would assume it is like college fraternity hazing that goes on. It’s not about the country, after all; it’s about THEM.
Aww, gee….. it failed? Were we supposed to be surprised? This continuation of the dog and pony show was less effective than digging holes to bury newspapers. This is further evidence that those in congress are too stupid to have these jobs. Instead of cutting the spending, there are meetings held to preserve the status quo so that members can get reelected. What about the country? What about the Constitution? What about ethics? Principles? Honor? Instead, we get lies, talking points and spin! I don’t want to hear another word out of a politician’s mouth until there is a concrete plan to cut spending, reduce the size and scope of gov and a total end to progressive/socialist programs. The elites from both parties need to pack up and go home!
Maybe true in most of those, but not with the WA ST race. Dino Rossi was not the Tea Party candidate he was more along the lines of an establishment type with some Conservative leanings. The actual Tea Party candidate was Clint Didier, who would have had a future posiibly against Cantwell this time around until he got caught plagerizing the William Wallace speech to Robert the Bruce from the movie Braveheart.
Check this out, Happy...
http://bigjournalism.com/dloesch/2011/11/21/the-double-standard-on-booing/
The debt committee was a sham from the start. It was set up to get concessions from Republicans and if/when they do not get them , they will blame it all on the Repulicans.
This is so easy. Liberals control the media. They want to put a story out there, they do it. Fox is the only counterbalance and it is not enough.
BHO knows it and his decision making is derived from that fact. He has openly stated he will take his case to the public knowing he has the ground troops ready and available to assist.
Only elections will solve our problems and if Nevada’s ridiculous vote to keep Harry and Ohio’s recent selfish vote to keep the big paychecks coming when they can’t afford it is any indication of the furute, all hope is lost. Throwing out conservatives to elect liberals is a naive response.
The Tea Party freshmen were elected to fight the establishment from day one, not play along so as to become entrenched themselves.
Of the “House 20″ that stood the entire government on its head, only two were members of the fraudulent Tea Party committee. Even the highly over-rated Alan West can only carry the ball to the one yard line before fumbling the ball. This freshman class was at least as bad as any that preceded it.
There are some 50-something members of Michelle Bachmann’s House Tea Party committee. The only two reliable votes were her own and a congressman from Virginia whose name I forget.
The real conservatives are members of Jim Jordan’s Republican Study Committee and he almost got booted out of THAT so we know he was actually working hard.
Last November’s historic victory was pissed away by these people. We can’t let them get away with it.
Yes, defeat them all! Those dirty rotten Republicans!
How dare they not fall on their swords and throw the country into an extended government shutdown and subsequent economic collapse the People would have blamed them for causing?
How dare they??
Throw them out! Let the Democrats win. That’s the ticket! Teach those dirty Republicans a lesson!
Get with the program or get the eff out of the way!
Did I read somewhere that those 12 never actually sat down together in the same room?
That is what he specializes in.
Well, it’s a small bathroom….
How about the right? There are some 10 trillion pound gurrillas in the room no one will even talk about. Who – in an election year – is going to seriously discuss fundamental sacrifices needed in Social Security, Medicare, unemployment etc? Well, for all his foibles and creepiness – Ron Paul. That’s about it.
How are these politicritters going to do anything of substance when 75% of the budget is not even on the table:
Social Security – $695 billion – 20%
Defense (including Overseas Contingency Operations) – $663 billion – 19%
Unemployment/Welfare/Other mandatory spending – $571 billion – 17%
Medicare – $453 billion – 13%
Medicaid – $290 billion – 8%
Interest on National Debt – $164 billion – 5%
Social Security is broke – in deficit THIS YEAR – not 2016 as projected. Unemployment has grown out of control with the blessings of GOP in Congress. Medicare/Medicaid? – Unsustainable in anything like its present form.
This is no surprise. We’ve known for decades the Boomers are coming, and when we arrive SS and Medicare are unsustainable. They could only work if future workers will fork over 45-50% of their earnings to keep them afloat. Seen any pigs flying lately? How’s that woekin’ out in Greece and Italy?
We need leadership with guts, vision and wisdom – not politics. Super committee my royal arse.
Must be tough, seeing how most of them squat to pee.
You DARE to question my judgement? I am Teh One of scoring! Be gone!!
Oooops! I gave her more points than I gave you, didn’t I? Actually, you are correct. I am overspending and will soon go bankrupt.
I AM NOW OFFICIALLY STARTING OVER AT +100.
Don’t forget that knowing full well that the boomers were coming, congress chose to spend all the funds and replaced them with IOU’s. Now that was prudent thinking. It was from the Corzine school of investment. Spend, spend and spend now to get reelected and at some point the problem of unsustainable SS benefits will magically be fixed by itself.
The president has been out of town all week, the “super” committee has accomplished nothing, and the stock market is tanking. Hey, let’s see what the president is doing today:
10:30AM- Up early for daily briefing.
11:10AM- Signs 1 bill.
4:25PM- Meeting with Sec Treasury
7:15PM- The President and First Lady invite music legends and contemporary major artists to the White House for a celebration of country music.
Well, whew, after a hard day of intensive work like that, our problems should be well on their way to being solved.
Yeah right – like that’s gonna happen.
America’s forgetful electorate is possibly a bigger problem then the two-party dictatorship running Washington, D.C.
Just watch Republicans flock to the polls to vote for Barack McRomney next year for proof.
RWR ’12
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
Along the lines of our wonderful government and all involved, check out another krappy thing that happened to a fisherman dealing with the feds! This man doesn’t get the money, the feds does it seems? Or as one posted on the thread, it’s probably is mo’s freezer?
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/feds-confiscate-fishermans-881-pound-bluefin-tuna/
L
There are people much more powerful than any so-called super committee that are controlling this. The same people pulling Democrat strings are also pulling Republican strings. It’s all theatre. They are purposely forcing the US into unrecoverable debt in order to sell us out to a world government.
Two words: Bilderberg Group
Why am I reminded of the old Dudley Do-right cartoons:
“I will save you, Nell!”
I am disappointed…disappointed that REAL conservatives haven’t risen to lead the charge to protect our military, whose sole purpose is to protect us!
Is it lost on everyone that whenever the left demands cuts, it’s always the Defense Budget, the only thing that the Constitution tasks for government?
Likewise state and local governments. They don’t ever cut the fat first, it’s always police and fire.
Why do progressives so badly need the reduction of national defense, and police protection? Are there plans in the work that might require military or civilian police intervention? Revolution perhaps? Riots by progressive supporters like the unions, which include numerous socialist/Marxist groups now taking to the streets masked by this OWS distraction?
Lock ‘n load may become the war cry of American patriots. Ultimately, we will have to rely on ourselves for personal defense…you see, those so-called lofty ideals of the socialist-progressive will accellerate our demise, not protect us from it.
Sigh! Once again, you just don’t get it! The true Conservatives in Congress are so far outnumbered, they have NO POWER! What were they supposed to do? I am serious. You criticize them, yet I believe you would do the exact same thing if you were in their shoes. They have to deal the hand they were dealt. I’ll say it again…until they get reinforcements, they are under heavy fire and have to stay safe until they know they have a fighting chance!!!
Who thinks we can get 535 conservatives elected? Yeah, nobody because it is unrealistic. We look for control. 51 in the Senate and approx 218 in the house. 269 total men and/or women of character needed.
Rule # 1- You can’t spend more than you have. Since we have already done so by $15 trillion, now we must spend less than we have until the debt is cleared. Who will pay the price for that? The poor? The children? Illegals? minorities? police? firemen? teachers? public union workers? private union workers? government workers? the middle class? rich people?
Someone will have to be burdened when the belt is tightened. Dems want rich people to pay but they will also expand the population of poor people needing rich peoples money until there is not enough to go around which means failure. Bad plan.
Repubs want to grow the economy so more people are working and more people are paying taxes so the deficit can be made up by more people paying in. Good plan.
Where are our 269 people coming from? Can they withstand the inevitable character attacks from the left including access to sealed divorce records? Sleazeballs are allowed for Dems but not for Republicans per the Bill Clinton rule.
Hegelian dialect…
dialectic even…
Paging Mr. Jackass-In-Chief??? Paging Mr. Jackass-In-Chief?? (HMMM.. must be AWOL like the rest of the Jackass Party…)
I don’t remember any sane person saying this ‘supercommittee’ would be able to work. And they will legislate around the mandatory ‘cuts’. It is and was a joke. There will be nothing happening unless/until conservatives have a majority in the house and the senate.
There is no stoppng this train wreck brought on by democraps and enabled by rinos.
By not doing anything to further screw up the economy, I consider this committee a resounding success.
Now if we could get congress to take a hint from some of those other third world countries and resign en mass in shame. Then we could start getting our country back on track.
Why don’t you re-read my comments and try to grasp what I actually said, not what you seem to be programmed to hear. The Tea Party freshmen were AWFUL! They didn’t vote conservatively as a group even once. Not once!
We didn’t elect them to replace the old entrenched corruptocracy with a new entrenched corruptocracy. We elected them to take on the corrupt establishment from day one. They failed.
The “conservatives” you allude don’t need reinforcements, they need replacements. Like Rogue Cheddar said, either they get with the program or they get lost.
You really need to make a distinction between “conservative” and “Republican”. They are not interchangeable. “Democrat” and “Republican” ARE interchangeable.
So now Obama has come out and said he will veto any legislation the doesn’t cut the defense budget. On Chris Matthew’s show, Fineman was blathering something about Obama saying “NO” was finally some leadership in this budget fight. I thought the GOP was the party of “NO”, and that was a bad thing. Now it is a good thing because Barry does it? These people are dispicable.
The “Super Committee” was extra-constitutional to begin with. There is no constitutional authority for the committee to increase taxes. Only the House of Representatives has the authority to initiate taxes.
Not one Tea Party freshman voted nay on the BBA atrocity last week, not one, Tea Party in their districts need to go to work and either enlighten them or replace in the primaries. Didn’t take long for them to learn how to be established RINOs.
Of course the SuperFail Committee is doomed by design.
There are too many Marxists on it.
And hear I thought ILMC was an idiot, keep giving him creds.
That is right. But seems to be both parties to me; bunch of royalty that care about nothing but keeping their job, and enriching themselves, during and after. I’m more disgusted with Washington then I’ve ever been in my 52 years. Nobody is driving the bus.
How log has Pork Chop been in office? Seems like she warmed to the game real quickly. Though she did have some very adept corruptocrat mentors to call on.
The working American Taxpayer is a perpetual blood meal for the lobbyists and the corruptocrats. Locked in a “legal cage” they seemingly have no recourse but to suffer and be consumed in silence. This is truly what revolutions are made of.
Is Randy Cunningham still in jail? Just asking.
It seems with these people, as long as the government can get credit or print money, it’s all good.
Really? What recourse does one have if your bus driver has lost his mind and is heading for the cliff at 90 mph? We do what is necessary to avert disaster do we not?
Keep in mind that, for all their criminality, this criminal class are virtually untouchable – they are surrounded by an impenetrable force field of bureaucracy and privilege. No wonder they carry such hubris and disdain for their victims. Absolutely unconscionable.
I still don’t buy this. Mexico is rife with corruption, and their entire congress is different at the start of each term, because by law they cannot serve consecutive terms.
This is a voter problem. There is no clever legal trick that will make up for lazy and ill-informed voters.
10% approval rate and 80% re-election rate. Doesn’t make sense does it. It all boils down to business as usual.
We have our Fearless Leader vowing to Veto anything that will stop the mandatory cuts. We have Sock Puppet and his Fat Canned Mooch playing up how much they love our Vets and Servicepeople – but Fearless Leader vows to Veto anything that will stop the massave Defense Cuts that he and his filthy ilk have been pushing for for at least 50 years.
If the sheeple come out in force like they did in 2008 (added to the dead who vote Dim every time and the union thugs voting at least twice) we could end up with the entrenched Dim and RINO incumbents still in place, along with more of their ilk taking the place of the few conservatives we have now.
The Usurper is counting on the foreign vote for his reelection.He won’t need all those foreign and dead voters.
The Stupid Party is going to make it easy for him by suppressing their own vote by nominating Romneycare.