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PoliGAF 2013 |OT2| Worth 77% of OT1

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The timing is truly unfortunate. This issue needs a serious discussion with the attention of Congress, the media and hopefully the people.

It doesn't help that one of the main congressmen behind this reform movement, Justin Amash, is making some truly asinine remarks about the CR and the debt ceiling.

Man, watching Malala interview on Daily Show made me teary eyed. That girl has limitless courage.

I watched that this morning, so inspiring.
 

Mario

Sidhe / PikPok
– By a margin of 46 percent to 39 percent, voters blamed Republicans for the shutdown over “Obama and Democrats.” Another 19 percent blamed both sides equally.

– By a margin of 42 percent to 36 percent, independent voters blamed Republicans for the shutdown over Obama and the Democrats.

"Hooray! While the American people find us responsible for this whole mess, marginally less people consider us responsible than the not really related at all mess Republicans created 20 years ago!"

Jooney said:
Government is a useless boondoggle ... right up to the moment people realise they are losing out on essential services.

"Cut back all that wasteful spending! Oh, except for that. And that. And that. And..."
 

Sibylus

Banned
The timing is truly unfortunate. This issue needs a serious discussion with the attention of Congress, the media and hopefully the people.

It doesn't help that one of the main congressmen behind this reform movement, Justin Amash, is making some truly asinine remarks about the CR and the debt ceiling.
Definitely agreed. Amash has been and could be useful, but so much for that if he can't stay out of the dunk tank.
 
In a private meeting among Senate Republicans, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) expressed openness to a plan by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) that includes a repeal of Obamacare’s medical device tax but nothing else related to the health care law.

With polls showing their party is suffering the brunt of the blame for the shutdown, many top Republicans are quietly moving past the Obamacare debate. Many Senate Republicans’ demands do not include changes to Obamacare, but rather cuts to Medicare, Social Security and changes to the Tax Code. House Republicans are also considering a short-term debt hike, but no one expects that it will be accompanied by changes to Obamacare.

“I’d like to get rid of Obamacare, no question about that, but I think that effort has failed,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the veteran member of the Senate Finance Committee. “And we’re going to have to take it on in other ways.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said bluntly: “We took an unpopular law and chose a more unpopular tactic to deal with the law.”

“Why don’t we focus on entitlement reform, Tax Code reform, regarding the debt ceiling and continue to fight on Obamacare [separately], because there’s not a consensus there,” Graham said.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/...hutdown-debt-ceiling-98102.html#ixzz2hHM4TErS

They're starting to crack, lol.


The pickle on Obamacare is playing out behind closed doors, as well. In a private meeting Wednesday between Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Cantor, Pelosi expressed discontent with having to accept sequester-level spending in a government funding bill. Boehner shot back that it was the “law of the land.”

“So is Obamacare,” Hoyer responded.

lol, Boehner put in his place!

Cantor said nothing the entire meeting, according to multiple sources.
 

BSsBrolly

Banned
New Facebook tea party complaint; H.R. 347.

Obama signed it into law! It makes it illegal to protest around secret service!

Um no... From what I've read, it's always been a federal offense to "willfully and knowingly" enter restricted buildings or grounds. H.R. 347 specifically defines the phrase "restricted buildings or grounds" to include "the White House or its grounds, or the Vice President's official residence or its grounds."

Thoughts?
 

Drakeon

Member
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/us/politics/many-in-gop-offer-theory-default-wouldnt-be-that-bad.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0

Posted?

Anyone mind giving me an elaborate breakdown of the GOP arguments here along with any flaws they might have?

Every single point is flawed. They live in imaginary land. They are unreasonable. Every single suggestion they posit is wrong on it's face.

When the CEO of Goldman Sachs is telling you to act on the Debt Limit, clearly there is no money to be made there, and in fact, it is a very real danger.

What I don't get is, why aren't the Koch Brothers screaming at these mother fuckers to cut this shit out? They came out today and said they are not in favor of a default (for obvious reasons, they stand to lose billions from a default).
 
Lord. There's no way cooch ends up as the Governor is there? I live on the otherside of the country and I hope that insufferable asshat stays as far away from power as possible.
nah I doubt this is going to have an effect

there's too much going on for anyone to pay attention to it, and it seems like a nothingburger anyway
 

pigeon

Banned
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/us/politics/many-in-gop-offer-theory-default-wouldnt-be-that-bad.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0

Posted?

Anyone mind giving me an elaborate breakdown of the GOP arguments here along with any flaws they might have?

What arguments?

* The federal government is mostly still open, so we're not saving anywhere near $24 billion a month.
* We can't suddenly decide to "balance our budget", any more than you can decide to not pay your mortgage because you need to cut back. The consequences don't care. Moreover, this money is ALREADY OWED and indeed frequently already spent. The debt ceiling doesn't govern America's obligations, it only governs America's ability to convert those obligations into a specific form of debt. If we don't do that, we still have those obligations, but no way to fulfill them. (This is not even to mention how intensely stupid it would be to balance the federal budget.)
* The Treasury cannot prioritize payment of interest payments above payments to Americans. Nor would stopping payment on Social Security checks so we can cover foreign bonds play well in Peoria. Nor would this actually mean America wasn't "defaulting," since those Social Security checks are owed, and thus nor would this mean we wouldn't suffer catastrophic economic consequences even if it WERE possible.
* The key statement underlying all of these arguments is that the Treasury Secretary of the United States and literally every economist and major CEO in the world is lying, and have been lying for perhaps decades, for the explicit purpose of making House Republicans agree to a deal right now. Do I really need to explain why that's not likely?
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
What arguments?

* The federal government is mostly still open, so we're not saving anywhere near $24 billion a month.
* We can't suddenly decide to "balance our budget", any more than you can decide to not pay your mortgage because you need to cut back. The consequences don't care. Moreover, this money is ALREADY OWED and indeed frequently already spent. The debt ceiling doesn't govern America's obligations, it only governs America's ability to convert those obligations into a specific form of debt. If we don't do that, we still have those obligations, but no way to fulfill them. (This is not even to mention how intensely stupid it would be to balance the federal budget.)
* The Treasury cannot prioritize payment of interest payments above payments to Americans. Nor would stopping payment on Social Security checks so we can cover foreign bonds play well in Peoria. Nor would this actually mean America wasn't "defaulting," since those Social Security checks are owed, and thus nor would this mean we wouldn't suffer catastrophic economic consequences even if it WERE possible.
* The key statement underlying all of these arguments is that the Treasury Secretary of the United States and literally every economist and major CEO in the world is lying, and have been lying for perhaps decades, for the explicit purpose of making House Republicans agree to a deal right now. Do I really need to explain why that's not likely?

I was just asking because I'm not particularly knowledgeable in that area.

I guess the simplest explanation is "then why haven't we allowed a default in 237 years?"
 

Riki

Member
I really think that big business has less influence on the GOP these days than GAF/Internet sentiment believes.

No, Big Business still has plenty of influence on the GOP.
It's the Tea Party that is the problem.
Many of them are self funded in big ways and don't answer to anyone but their own completely insane ideals.
 
In the meeting with House Democrats on Wednesday evening, Mr. Obama held firm to his stated intention to negotiate with Republicans only after the government is reopened and the debt ceiling is raised. He told Democrats that if he gives in now, Republican demands would be endless. “The only thing not on their list is my own resignation,” he told Democrats, according to a lawmaker in the room.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/10/u...-as-shutdown-drags-on.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0

October Surprise

LOL McAluff is saying he's not the T.M., another states the T.M. in question is a home contractor.

If the AP got it wrong hahaha

BWLvk2cCcAAKkjv.png:large
 
October Surprise

BREAKING: McAuliffe camp claims "T.M' in court document is NOT @TerryMcAuliffe.. more..

uh oh

The McAuliffe campaign did respond to NBC12. They strongly denies the Lewis report. They contend that the "T.M" in the court document is not the candidate.

"The person referenced on page 68 is absolutely not Terry McAuliffe since he was a passive investor and did none of the things referenced: First, he was not interviewed by law enforcement on April 20, 2010; rather, he was in Richmond for a day of meetings," said Schwerin. "Second, he was never involved in the referral of any annuitants to Mr. Caramadre, ever.

"When an investigator contacted Terry briefly by phone, as he said he was doing with other investors, Terry answered a few questions and never heard from him again."
http://blogs.nbc12.com/decisionvirg...-that-defrauded-terminally-ill-patients-.html

somebody lyin'
 

Chichikov

Member
New Facebook tea party complaint; H.R. 347.

Obama signed it into law! It makes it illegal to protest around secret service!

Um no... From what I've read, it's always been a federal offense to "willfully and knowingly" enter restricted buildings or grounds. H.R. 347 specifically defines the phrase "restricted buildings or grounds" to include "the White House or its grounds, or the Vice President's official residence or its grounds."

Thoughts?
It's a very minor update to an existing law, but the existing law is not that great.
But yeah, manufactured outrage (this this was passed pretty much unanimously too).
 
So, the Republican plan is, "let's stop talking about Obamacare, even though it's kind of unpopular. Let's focus on cutting Social Security and Medicare!"
 

AniHawk

Member
the republican plan is: we gotta get something, otherwise it'll look like we shut the government down and ruin the economy over nothing!
 

BSsBrolly

Banned
It's a very minor update to an existing law, but the existing law is not that great.
But yeah, manufactured outrage (this this was passed pretty much unanimously too).

Yeah, I realize now that Fox is providing a wide interpretation of the law. Its like saying cops will now ticket you for going a mile over the speed limit, technically they have that ability. Do they ever ticket people for that? No.
 

Riki

Member
the republican plan is: we gotta get something, otherwise it'll look like we shut the government down and ruin the economy over nothing!

Which, of course, is exactly what is happening.

Yeah, I realize now that Fox is providing a wide interpretation of the law. Its like saying cops will now ticket you for going a mile over the speed limit, technically they have that ability. Do they ever ticket people for that? No.

In fact, there's a 3MPH leeway given most of the time because speedometers can be off.
 
So apparently the govenor of Maine just tried to give himself infinite power in wake of the shutdown...

Every time I wonder about whether LePage actually means every unbelievably stupid thing he does or says, but then you look at just HOW stupid they are, and the answer is sadly clear: He does mean most of it. Sure, sometimes he's probably just goading people, but a lot of it... he's just not able to be a competent governor, and obviously will continue embarrassing our state nationally until we finally get rid of him.

That said, I very badly hope that he doesn't win a second term, since it's another 3-way race... Michaud should be a good candidate though, hopefully that's enough. For everyone who thought that Baldacci was a mediocre governor... well... "mediocre" would be pretty great right now! And hopefully Michaud (Baldacci's successor in the US House ME 2 district) will be better than Baldacci, even if he is also somewhat centrist.
 
that's what i needed to hear. good he's standing firm.

the gop needs to absolutely get nothing out of this other than this shit will not stand.

That's the thing. Right now the talk seems to be about republicans being willing to settle for some type of irrelevant trophy so they can say they "won" something - even if it's just Obama coming to the table to negotiate. No. Not only do they deserve nothing, but Boehner should be shamed to the maximum level possible.

The precedent being set shouldn't only be for future presidents, it should be for future Speakers and majority leaders: threaten the US government or its credit rating and you'll end up like John Boehner. This is what he's going to be remembered by.
 

teh_pwn

"Saturated fat causes heart disease as much as Brawndo is what plants crave."
So basically Boehner and friends are figuring out how to pull out?

the republican plan is: we gotta get something, otherwise it'll look like we shut the government down and ruin the economy over nothing!

We've got to get some of that internet money, friend!
 
guys, why the hell is chris christie popular in NJ? his track record has practically been identical to other Republican nutcases.
personality, lack of corruption, union busting is popular (people would rather drag other peoples benefits down rather than organize themselves), new jersey isn't really that 'blue'
 
This might actually rise to the standard of libel.
HIGHLY doubt it. Libel is really hard to prove and pretty much as to be a malicious lie rather than just being really bad fact checking.
@iyad_elbaghdadi 13m
Libya's local Al-Naba TV has confirmed the news about #Libya PM Ali Zidan's kidanpping by militants.
way to easy to be kidnapped in that country, revenge for this?
 
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