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PoliGAF 2011: Of Weiners, Boehners, Santorum, and Teabags

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D

Dr. Pangloss

Member
ToxicAdam said:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs...ajor-defense-cuts-reid-obama-plan_577638.html
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Sounds like Defense is being treated like any other agency. A cut of $16 billion the next year and another $10 billion the next and held at that level for the next decade. I thought that was what the cut, cap, and balance amendment wanted to do. It sets our spending at 18% GDP, something we haven't had since the 1960s. I guess Defense spending should go down to 1960s levels as well. Why should defense get special consideration over other agencies when a ton of money is dumped into it? I'm sure they could cut a couple of weapon programs like Star Wars and save that money. I mean we have been working on that problem since Reagan.
 
G

GhaleonEB

Member
quadriplegicjon said:
They didn't pass the debt limit increase earlier because it has never ever ever been a point of contention like this.
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That's not what I was responding to. He was citing this:

59% staying yes to raising taxes on oil companies, 72% for people with incomes over $250,000, 64% for hedge fund managers, 61% for raising Medicare premiums on "wealthier retirees," and 66% favoring an increase in the amount of Social Security taxes paid by people with over $107,000 in income per year.
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And my point was, Democrats can't pass stuff like that because too many in the party are beholden to those interests. What's the point of voting them in on the basis of those issues if they won't pass them either?

(The solution, within the two party framework anyway, is to get better people in office. More Frankens, less Liebermans.)
 
A

Averon

Member
It's fucking insane that defense is treated as some holy relic that must never be touched, even if it costs the rest of the nation.
 
A

A Human Becoming

More than a Member
ToxicAdam said:
House Armed Services Committee chairman Buck McKeon has just sent around a memo to fellow Republicans on his committee, warning that Harry Reid's debt ceiling budget plan (which has been endorsed by President Obama) drastically and dangerously slashes defense spending.
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Oh no! Not our defense spending, anything but that. How will we fight terrorism (aka all Muslims) without a constant presence in the Middle East? How will we fund two wars and air strikes that have killed thousands of civilians? Cutting even $1 from defense spending puts national security at risk. Harry Reid is putting America in jeopardy for partisan reasons.
 
O

Oblivion

Fetishing muscular manly men in skintight hosery
Michelle Bachshit wanted to eliminate mortgage lending program after receiving the maximum loan amount from them:

GOP presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann’s (R-MN) political platform is built on the idea that people should rely on neighbors and God, not government. In that vein, the existence of the government sponsored mortgage enterprises (GSEs), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, is practically heretical. A “fierce critic” of the mortgage-lending programs and their role in the financial crisis in 2008, Bachmann has repeatedly called to abolish the GSEs, wanting them to “wind down and file for bankruptcy.”

Thus, it is somewhat surprising to learn that “just a few weeks before Bachmann called for dismantling the programs,” she and her husband actually took advantage of a home loan backed by those very same entities. According to the Washington Post, the Bachmanns received the maximum loan available from either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac to help finance a “5,200-square-foot golf course home”:

Just a few weeks before Bachmann called for dismantling the programs during a House Financial Services Committee hearing, she and her husband signed for a $417,000 home loan to help finance their move to a 5,200-square-foot golf course home, public records show. Experts who examined the loan documents for The Washington Post say they are confident that the loan was backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. [...]

The experts said the Bachmanns bought a more expensive home using typical strategies during a time of easier credit. With their existing home still on the market, they assumed liability on the same day for the $417,000 mortgage and a $249,999 secured line of credit backed by the residence, records show.

The $417,000 mortgage was the cap of what Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would loan at the time in her region.

While hypocritical, the Bachmanns’ situation is not uncommon. In fact, “millions of other home purchasers” and “other members of Congress” took advantage of the lower interest rates that occur due to government backing. Indeed, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac back more than 90 percent of the mortgages in the U.S.

This is essentially why Bachmann’s demand to gut Fannie and Freddie Mac “would cause significant uncertainty among the investors in GSE-issued mortgage-backed securities,” thus “threatening the primary source of mortgage credit we have.” Such a serious blow to the already-fragile housing market would severely hinder economic recovery and shove housing policy back into the 1930s. As TP Economy editor Pat Garofalo pointed out, “removing all government support for the mortgage market would take us back to an era when only the very wealthy had access to homeownership.”

Earning $174,000 a year, that might work for Bachmann. But for the millions of Americans who still dream of owning a home, her hypocritical ideology shouldn’t make it past the front door.
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Once again, do as I say, not as I do.
 
mckmas8808

mckmas8808

Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
ronito said:
surprised that the DOW is doing as well as it is. Was expecting it to tank today.
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It's been down about 1.5% in 2 days. That's not good in anybody's book.
 
P

PhoenixDark

Banned
Take it for what it's worth, but according to a new Washington Post/ABC News poll
released Tuesday finds President Obama's support among liberals and African Americans has tanked.

So why the drop? Isn't it obvious? It's the president job policies or lack thereof. The percentage of Liberals who strongly supported the president's job policies has dropped in the past year, from 53 to 31 percent, the poll shows. The drop off among African Americans is even worse: support for his economic policy has gone from 77 percent supporting his record on the economy last year to just over 50 percent in 2011.
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http://wpost.com/business/economy/m...economy-jobs/2011/07/25/gIQABJ9sZI_story.html
 
B

besada

Banned
ronito said:
I can't be the only one that's thought

EJl37.jpg


Let the motherfucker burn. Today.
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Nope. But I'm on new meds, so that may have something to do with it.
 
D

Dr. Pangloss

Member
ToxicAdam said:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs...ajor-defense-cuts-reid-obama-plan_577638.html
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Also who the hell are we fighting? The Soviets?
U.S. officials believe al-Qaeda on brink of collapse said:
U.S. counterterrorism officials are increasingly convinced that the killing of Osama bin Laden and the toll of seven years of CIA drone strikes have pushed al­Qaeda to the brink of collapse.

The assessment reflects a widespread view at the CIA and other agencies that a relatively small number of additional blows could effectively extinguish the Pakistan-based organization that carried out the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks — an outcome that was seen as a distant prospect for much of the past decade.

U.S. officials said that al-Qaeda might yet rally and that even its demise would not end the terrorist threat, which is increasingly driven by radicalized individuals as well as aggressive affiliates. Indeed, officials said that al­Qaeda’s offshoot in Yemen is now seen as a greater counterterrorism challenge than the organization’s traditional base.

Nevertheless, the top U.S. national security officials now allude to a potential finish line in the fight against al-Qaeda, a notion they played down before bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in a May 2 raid in Pakistan.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta declared during a recent visit to Afghanistan that “we’re within reach of strategically defeating al-Qaeda.” The comment was dismissed by skeptics as an attempt to energize troops while defending the administration’s decision to wind down a decade-old war.

But senior U.S. officials from the CIA, the National Counterterrorism Center and other agencies have expressed similar views in classified intelligence reports and closed-door briefings on Capitol Hill, officials said.

“There is a swagger within the community right now for good reason,” said Sen. Saxby Chambliss (Ga.), the ranking Republican on the Senate intelligence committee.

“Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is nowhere near defeat,” Chambliss said, referring to the Yemen-based affiliate. “But when it comes to al-Qaeda [core leadership in Pakistan], we have made the kind of strides that we need to make to be in a position of thinking we can win.”

Even those who winced at Panetta’s word choice agree with his broader observation. “I’m not sure I would have chosen ‘strategic defeat,’ ” said a senior U.S. counterterrorism official, who cautioned that even if al-Qaeda is dismantled, its militant ideology has spread and will remain a long-term threat.

“But if you mean that we have rendered them largely incapable of catastrophic attacks against the homeland, then I think Panetta is exactly right,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence. “We are within reach of rendering them to that point.”

Beyond bin Laden, “we have eliminated a number of generations of leaders,” said the senior U.S. counterterrorism official. “They have not had a successful operation in a long time. You at some point have to ask yourself, ‘What else do we have to do?’ ”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/al-qaeda-could-collapse-us-officials-say/2011/07/21/gIQAFu2pbI_story.html?wpisrc=al_national
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O

Oblivion

Fetishing muscular manly men in skintight hosery
House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the party’s vote counter, began his talk by showing a clip from the movie, “The Town”, trying to forge a sense of unity among the independent-minded caucus.

One character asks his friend: “I need your help. I can’t tell you what it is. You can never ask me about it later.”

“Whose car are we gonna take,” the character says.

After showing the clip, Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.), one of the most outspoken critics of leadership among the 87 freshmen, stood up to speak, according to GOP aides.

“I’m ready to drive the car,” West replied, surprising many Republicans by giving his full -throated support for the plan.
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Best part from balloon juice:

If we’d only shown these guys the volleyball scene from “Top Gun”, we could have ended DADT years ago.
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M

markatisu

Member
TacticalFox88 said:
Great. Just fucking great. 2012 is going to be either a complete disaster or the closest election since Nixon/Kennedy
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Everyone will come back once you see what opposition is on the other side. Especially if we default
 
P

Particle Physicist

between a quark and a baryon
BruiserBear said:
So Obama threatened a veto today, after preaching compromise last night. Hmm.
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Have you not been following at all? He threatened a veto because the Republicans refuse to compromise. Hint: Compromise does not mean one sides accepts everything the other side wants, and nothing they want.
 
S

slit

Member
quadriplegicjon said:
Have you not been following at all? He threatened a veto because the Republicans refuse to compromise. Hint: Compromise does not mean one sides accepts everything the other side wants, and nothing they want.
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I don't think it even matters. Boehner's new plan won't get through the senate anyway especially if it has the balanced budget amendment thrown in. Obama knows this which is why his veto threat is kind of hollow.
 
A

Averon

Member
slit said:
I don't think it even matters. Boehner's new plan won't get through the senate anyway especially if it has the balanced budget amendment thrown in. Obama knows this which is why his veto threat is kind of hollow.
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It won't even get through the House from the looks of it.
 
D

Dr. Pangloss

Member
Clevinger said:
We'll see. If they can get Allen West on board because of a cheesy movie clip, they can probably get more votes.
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Funny thing in that movie, the characters they are quoting are the bank robbers.
Not all of them make it.
 
R

RustyNails

Member
BruiserBear said:
So Obama threatened a veto today, after preaching compromise last night. Hmm.
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I know others have corrected you on this, but Obama has put Veto on the table if you are going to push the debt ceiling vote on a temporary basis. Meaning, extend the ceiling for six months, then repeat the debate for another 3 months, then push the ceiling again. That has been his criteria ever since the beginning, and it doesn't require "compromising". It requires congress stepping up it's game.

Seriously, I wish folks like you who appear for a day or two when big news hits the airwaves and then disappear for another year actually do your homework. Don't push one or two sentence talking points in here.
 
J

Jackson50

Member
ToxicAdam said:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs...ajor-defense-cuts-reid-obama-plan_577638.html
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Our military capabilities would not suffer. Appropriations would still be higher than the FY-2010 enacted level. Also, their concern for national security is conspicuously lacking while they eviscerate the State Department. Anyway, perhaps this will provide the impetus to remove the TNWs from Europe. We can only hope. Additionally, I am certain we can save money by ceasing to inadvertently fund the Taliban.

Moreover, the Republicans were first to use that particular gimmick. They employed the "phony" savings to inflate the total deficit reduction for their budget proposal. If this constitutes deficit reduction in a GOP budget, it should constitute deficit reduction in this instance. Of course, it is gimmick. And it does not actually reduce the deficit. But such is politics.
 
D

Diablos

Member
TacticalFox88 said:
Great. Just fucking great. 2012 is going to be either a complete disaster or the closest election since Nixon/Kennedy
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Yeah, those are some disturbing numbers. Even Obama's base is collapsing which is kind of ridiculous. No way in hell would Hillary have been able to do as good of a job.

This whole ordeal is going to at the very least turn back the clock on a lot of the confidence people were finally putting back into the market. The slow recovery gets even slower or takes a few steps back. The timing could not be worse. Default or no default, short-term or long(er)-term extension.
 
S

speculawyer

Member
Oblivion said:
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/oreilly-...nn-to-explain-how-norway-bomber-is-christian/

You know, I used to think that Bill O's inability to comprehend the concept of gravity was his most dimwitted moment, but I think I've found a new winner.

Seriously, just watch that trainwreck of an interview.
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How can anyone watch that and not see the complete dishonesty and contradictions in what O'Reilly says?

BTW, that woman really REALLY sucked at getting a point across . . . but I guess they pick people like that so O'Reilly can beat them up.

From the Norway Terrorist thread:
58zi1.jpg
 
O

Oblivion

Fetishing muscular manly men in skintight hosery
Melissa Harris Perry subbing for Maddow. <3

I think Rachel's awesome, but it's nice to see someone easy on the eyes.
 
J

Joe

Member
nothing to add just wanted to chime in and say that rachel maddow is not an attractive female by any measure.
 
D

Dr. Pangloss

Member
You guys might be laughing now at those few Republicans that are reasonable, but here is what the true believers think and they make up a good 20% of the Republican House:

Behind the “cut, cap and balance” plan, he said in a phone interview Saturday as the debt-limit negotiations went into overtime.

“I don’t think the speaker has to do anything,” Kelly said. “We’ve passed legislation that allows the debt ceiling to rise. What is it about this plan that nobody understands? It allows everything to happen that everybody says needs to happen. The speaker’s done everything he can do. The House has done everything it could do. We passed it. We sent it to them. Now, what’s the holdup?”

“We gave them everything they want,” he added. “The only thing we can’t give them is courage.”

Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.), a freshman whose urban district includes a number of Wall Street professionals, said he’s very worried about the prospect of a national default. But Grimm said he’s not sure what more Republicans can offer in terms, after the Senate rejected “cut, cap and balance.”

“Then what else is there?” he asked. “At that point, honestly, I don’t think there’s any more the House can do. If you don’t use something that’s similar to the cut cap and balance approach, I don’t think anything else exists. So we can’t do anything more.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/2chambers/post/among-house-republican-freshmen-debt-ceiling-uncertainty-reigns/2011/07/25/gIQAFJ03YI_blog.html
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They've already passed a solution. It's the Democrats fault it didn't pass the Senate.
 
G

gcubed

Member
Dr. Pangloss said:
You guys might be laughing now at those few Republicans that are reasonable, but here is what the true believers think and they make up a good 20% of the Republican House:


They've already passed a solution. It's the Democrats fault it didn't pass the Senate.
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i love it
 
A

Averon

Member
Clevinger said:
Really? You can't top "nothing"?
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These guys truly believe even agreeing to increase the debt limit at all is plenty "comprise" from them. You cannot negotiate with people this delusional.
 
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