A Glimpse of the Senate's Slow Walking Turtle

The Best and Worst: Stories and Videos that stunned the senses!

As usual, there's just to much to cover and so little time. As a result, here are a few short hits and relevant video clips that should not be missed.

Adam Schiff Shoots Back and Embarrasses Giggling Juvenile Republicans...a moment that summed up what I thought we were all supposed to investigating:

McConnell vs Reagan: Just about everyone has seen this making the Twitter rounds. Finally the truth is revealed and the talking point blown up?:




How Republicans really feel about Voters...This moment should never be forgotten:

McConnell says bill that would make Election Day a federal holiday is a ‘power grab’ by Democrats

McConnell is refusing to even allow a vote on the House bill in the Senate and has denounced it as “half-baked socialism.”

Corporate and Wealthy Tax Cuts paid for by Cutting Special Olympics: Sure Trump is taking it all back now, but that doesn't erase what he and Betsy DeVos tried to do with no acceptable explanation. Wisconsin's own Rep. Mark Pocan pulled this curtain back...:



Meuller Report...scratch that, Barr Report was celebrated by Trump worshippers with this surreal piece of eye candy. You'll wretch, you'll cry:



The Trump Enemies List: You knew there was one, right, there had to be, and Trump alone couldn't keep track of the growing list of perceived enemies:

Sanders posted a March Madness-eque bracket attacking members of the press and Trump critics.

Character Assassination 101: Attack Early and a lot: AOC is already perceived by Trump supporters as dumb, just the opposite of reality...but who's surprised by that? The result? They won't even begin to listen to a word she says. Keep 'em stupid should be the GOP chant:

McConnell exposes GOP push for Judicial Activism!

Sen. Mitch McConnell's bold move to admit Republicans have been lying all along about their opposition to judicial activism is stunning but refreshingly honest. We're now finding out that the nonpartisan "originalist" reading of the Constitution...is just the opposite.   

McConnell declared there will be no hearings on President Obama’s yet-to-be-announced nominee. Pretty similar to the decision to oppose any and all of Obama's agenda when he was first sworn in. But this move peals back the lie about hating activist judges legislating from the bench.   

CAP Action put together a long list of McConnell contradiction. Here are just a few:  

In his 31 years as a senator, Mitch McConnell has argued that the Senate must fulfill its Constitutional duty and vote on a president’s judicial nominee at least 24 times. All of these claims are in direct contrast to McConnell’s refusal to hold hearings for to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia.

“My Republican colleagues and I honored Senate tradition. We followed the constitutional directive set forth in Article II, Section 2, that the Senate as an institution as reflected by the will of the majority of its Members, render its advice and consent on the President’s nominees. We put propriety over partisanship.” [3/9/2005]

“For the first time in history, a minority of Senators, on a repeated, partisan, and systematic basis, has prevented the Senate as a whole from discharging its constitutional obligation to provide advice and
consent on judicial nominations.” [3/9/2005]

“We need to recommit ourselves to the 200 year principle that in a democracy an up-or-down vote should be given to a President’s judicial nominees. It is simple. It is fair. It has been that way for over 2 centuries. And it’s served us well.” [4/14/2005]

“The stakes are high. The Constitution of the United States is at stake. Article 2, section 2 clearly provides the President and the President alone nominates judges. The Senate is merely empowered to give advice and consent, but our Democratic colleagues want to change the rules…. there would be the distinct possibility and in fact great likelihood, if this continues, that 41 Members of the Senate will dictate to the President of the United States who may be a member of the Supreme Court and other courts. We have made every effort to reach out and compromise, but our colleagues at least so far have refused. The only choice that remains is to hold a vote to reaffirm the traditions and precedents that have served this body so well for the last 214 years. Let us vote.” [5/19/2005]

For the first time in 214 years, they have changed the Senate’s “advise and consent’’ responsibilities to “advise and obstruct.” [5/19/2005]

By tradition, the President may consult with Senators. But the tradition of “consultation’’ does not transform individual Senators into co-presidents. We have elections for that, and President Bush has won the last two.” [6/9/2005]

“So even, you know, as you have a lame­-duck president, there is a historical standard for fairness when it comes to confirming judicial nominees.” [7/14/2008]

No. 1, we should treat Judge Roberts with dignity and with respect. No. 2, we should have a fair process. And No. 3, we should complete that process with either an up-or-down vote in time for the Court to be at full strength for its new term beginning October 3 of this year.” [7/20/2005]

Republicans refuse to work under the same rules they set for Democrats.

Republicans continue to work under one set of rules, partisan rules not open to anyone else. This was a nice way to start:

Unlike McConnell's opening "nonpartisan" smack down of Obama following his election win, the rules are different for Republicans like Paul Ryan, who found doesn't like it thrown back their way:

Coincidentally, I just talked to my conservative friend in Milwaukee about the different set of rules parsed out by Republicans, especially on immigration. 

Despite Obama's overwhelming reelection, Republicans for some reason didn't give in to the will of the people they talk so much about on the Affordable Care Act. Funny how that happened huh? But now, even when Obama wasn't on the ticket, the election was all about ObamaCare again. 

What I did learn from our email discussion was none of this amounted to a hill of beans to him. He didn't see the duplicity of his own snake oil selling party. What mattered to him was winning and giving everything away to business, because government doesn't create jobs. How do you break through with that kind of thinking?  

Mitch McConnell's Election Information Fraud Alert....

This "fraudulent information" warning is utterly evil, and amazingly creative:

Click to Enlarge

Obama's Big Weakness on Display, Inadvertently Moves Nation Further Right. Liberalism now considered fringe.

The Huffington Post's Howard Fineman pretty much said it all about Obama, who I now consider a horrifically weak president, after destroying the very idea of an opposition party.

There were some, including some in the media, who listened to President Obama's account of this week's meeting with Republicans and concluded that there was hope for a surprisingly bipartisan conclusion to the lame duck Congress.

My questions are: What planet do he and they think they are on? And have they paid any attention to Sen. Mitch McConnell?

McConnell and the rest of the GOP Senate leadership were beginning work on a plan to force the Senate to do just the opposite: a unified GOP threat to filibuster debate on anything but taxes and spending.

This morning, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was sounding upbeat -- even after news of the McConnell strategy had surfaced.

On the Hill yesterday, GOP aides privately could barely contain their contempt -- and their amusement -- at the president's declaration of a dawn of bipartisan optimism.

They know that Obama already in effect has conceded on a two- or three-year extension of all tax cuts.

Barack Obama and his crew have many good qualities. But that list does not include skill and guts at legislative combat with Republicans. They don't seem to really know the enemy or the game they are in, and the president's meager and glancing experience in the trenches of politics has caught up with him.

Related articles

• Gibbs Brushes Off Spider And McConnell's Filibuster Threats (huffingtonpost.com)
• Howard Fineman: Obama's Naivete on Bipartisanship Has Finally Caught Up to Him (huffingtonpost.com)

At Last, the Age of Reason is Upon Us. “GOP to block all bills until tax cuts are addressed.”-MSNBC

The latest move by the Republican Party, to hold up other important public issues in Congress, can be fairly described as an extreme case of bullying. But why not, especially when the opposition party is as weak as Democrats are right now.

When signals are sent out from Democratic leaders that tax cuts for the wealthy are “negotiable,” and Obama has come right out and said that he will not allow the middle class tax cuts expire at years end, you get the following confident position by the party of bullying.

MSNBC: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced this morning that Republicans will block any legislation from coming to the Senate floor until two key economic issues are addressed: funding the government (the “continuing resolution” which must pass to prevent a government shutdown) and the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts.

McConnell said that members of his caucus are united in the pledge to use procedural votes to prevent any other non-economic issues -- including the new START treaty, the DREAM Act, or the defense authorization bill that contains a potential repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy – from coming to the floor for debate.

"Republicans have pleaded with Democrats to put aside their wish-list - to focus on the things Americans want us to focus on," McConnell said on the Senate floor. "They've ignored us. The voters repudiated their agenda at the polls. They've ignored them."

Despite the polls that say otherwise, Republicans are confident Democrats will fail to bring that up too, and give in without a fight.

Related articles

• GOP to block all bills until tax cuts are addressed (firstread.msnbc.msn.com)
• Senate Republicans: No Legislation Until After Tax Cut Extension (thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Senate GOP pledges to block all bills until tax dispute resolved (cnn.com)

McConnell's "Cut and Run" Dem Bashing a Lie, Asked Bush for troop withdrawals for Political, not security Reasons.

As if we needed more proof the Republican Party's main focus is power, not running government. Rachel Maddow exposes what every network should be covering, but won't.

Will this big story, a life and death issue involving our troops, just fade away and allow the Republicans to maintain the illusion that they are the party of national security?

Related articles

• McConnell in public vs McConnell in private (washingtonmonthly.com)
• Bush Book Reveals McConnell's Iraq Hypocrisy (bradblog.com)
• Bush book reveals McConnell's hypocrisy on Iraq (salon.com)
• Republicans Place Party Before Country (middle-class-populist.com)

Republican Plan to Create jobs; Repeal Obama Programs!!

This AP story said it all:

In a speech at the conservative Heritage Foundation, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the only way to achieve key GOP legislative goals such as cutting government spending and repealing the health care law "is to put someone in the White House who won't veto" them.

I can't wait to see how many jobs are created in the next 6 months, the same time the Republicans gave Obama after the recession. (can't wait for the long list of excuses why their plan isn't working too)

Related articles

• GOP asserts new strength, targets Obama programs (sfgate.com)
• GOP leader's top goal: Make Obama 1-term president (msnbc.msn.com)
• McConnell: Ousting Obama is "Only Way" (thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com)

Mitch McConnell has warned us, but will anyone notice or care?

Sen. Mitch McConnell's biggest issue, if given the chance by the American people, make Obama a one term president. That's a job creator.

Related articles

• Mitch McConnell: The Hell With The Economy (wallstreetpit.com)
• Mitch McConnell admits to The Limbaugh Strategy of only caring about the 2012 Presidential Election (crooksandliars.com)
• For those operating under the delusion that Senate Republicans are mainly interested in jobs, health care, or clean air and clean water for your children.... (climateprogress.org)