Tea Party 1, America Nada?

[HeyItsZeus]

Tea Party-Backed Bill Passes House

WASHINGTON -- House Republicans easily passed their "Cut, Cap and Balance" fiscal plan on Tuesday, a proposal that boosts their standing among Tea Party supporters but has no chance of becoming law.

The bill passed, 234 to 190, on a largely partisan vote.

Five Democrats, including Reps. Jim Cooper (Tenn.), Health Shuler (N.C.) and Dan Boren (Okla.), sided with Republicans in passing the measure. Nine Republicans opposed the bill, including Tea Party favorite and GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.). In a statement issued after the vote, Bachmann said the bill "does not go far enough" and should have included provisions to defund health care reform.

Other Republican defectors included Reps. Walter Jones (N.C.), Francisco Canseco (Texas), Scott DesJarlais (Tenn.), Connie Mack (Fla.) and Ron Paul (Texas). Paul said he has never voted for a debt ceiling increase and never will. In addition, he took issue with Republicans for not including defense cuts in the mix of discretionary cuts.

"All spending must be deemed discretionary and reexamined by Congress each year," Paul said in a statement. "To allow otherwise is pure cowardice."

Tuesday's vote comes after weeks of Republicans touting the bill as proof of their commitment to conservative principles. It includes three provisions: substantial spending cuts, statutory spending caps, and a constitutional amendment to require the government to balance its books each year.

Republicans say the proposal is just the kind of shot in the arm needed to address the nation's staggering $14.4 trillion debt. Specifically, it calls for cutting more than $100 billion in fiscal 2012 and makes drastic spending cuts in areas that Democrats have prioritized as opportunities for investment: clean energy, infrastructure, education and job training. The biggest concern for Democrats, however, is the bill's proposal to gut Medicaid funding by one-third over the next decade.

Both parties know the bill has next to no chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate, and President Barack Obama has already threatened a veto. But Republicans have pushed for a record vote on it ahead of the 2012 elections.

Democrats spent much of Tuesday's four-hour debate bashing Republicans for wasting time on a political stunt.

"This bill panders, even grovels, to Tea Party extremists," Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) said. "Thank goodness this bill will never pass the United States Senate. Thank goodness this bill will never become law."

Republicans countered that their fiscal plan is better than nothing, which is what Democrats have put forward. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), the author of the GOP bill, said he would welcome debate on a Democratic alternative if there was one.

"If you could slide it across the table to us, we'd love to see it," Chaffetz said.

Partisan tensions flared throughout the debate as both sides accused the other of leadership failure, sometimes with creative flair.

"You guys are ruining this country's fiscal future," Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) said to Republicans. "Shame on you for playing with fire on the United States Constitution. Shame on your 'Cut, Cap and Ruin the United States.'"

Rep. Todd Young (R-Ind.) said the debt debate reminded him of a scene from the book Alice in Wonderland, when Alice told the Cheshire Cat she didn't really care where she went in her travels.

"I get the sense my friends on the other side of the aisle don't really much care where we go," Young said.

The measure now heads to the Senate. A senior GOP aide said Senate Republicans are pushing for a vote this week.

This is too close for comfort... luckily:

Both parties know the bill has next to no chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate, and President Barack Obama has already threatened a veto. But Republicans have pushed for a record vote on it ahead of the 2012 elections.

[Minimalist]

I'm delighted they did. They will give the dems a truckload of sound bites when these fascists have to defend voting to cut medicare and refusing to tax millionaires.


http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archive...029029.php

A McClatchy-Marist poll released yesterday found a whopping 80% of the country opposes cutting Medicare or Medicaid as part of a deficit-reduction plan. Even among self-described conservatives, 69% want Congress to leave Medicare and Medicaid alone. What's more, by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, Americans also support raising taxes on the wealthy. What Americans want, in other words, is the opposite of what Republicans are offering.

It already cost them one long time republican seat in NY. Let's hope it costs them many many more.

[Faith No More]

I do believe this whole issue and the debt ceiling talks are causing the Republicans to dig their own graves. They're pushing their own agenda of trying to make Obama look bad, and not doing what even the majority of their party thinks is right. Hopefully this will hurt them in 2012.

[Judas BentHer]

And yet it's all a bunch of posturing , smoke and mirrors. The Republicans are majority in the House. When this Bill enters the Senate it's a whole other ballgame. Meanwhile, the Tea's are tickled red white and blue and the seated GOP are proud as peacocks they've done one more good deed to help their chance of being re-elected by the loyalists within their constituency.

The hubris on both sides, but especially the Republicans, is insulting. They can't set aside their party ego's for the good of the country. And what's missed is that when Democrat Clinton left office there was a surplus. When GOP President Bush 43 entered office, not only did he act more like a Liberal but he annihilated that surplus and created the largest dollar increase per annum to the deficit, in all the 8 years he served. Now Obama, who carried on the occupations of both Iraq and Afghanistan spends on top of it, and it's all deemed his fault.

Meanwhile seniors are scared to death they're going to suffer if cuts are made, while taking a salary cut in all the government branches, especially when Congress has the guts to elect itself a "cost of living pay raise" virtually every year or so, never crosses their minds. We always have to work harder to net less. And they unite and vote to tell us why that is.

They all suck. Ewww, smacks of bipartisan accord.

[Foxtrot Uniform]

I hate republicans. Obama may be not the greatest president but he is sure better then any of the opposing party and that is a fact.

[DeistPaladin]

I hate republicans. Obama may be not the greatest president but he is sure better then any of the opposing party and that is a fact.

Personally, I think Obama is the best damn Republican president we've had since Clinton.

[HeyItsZeus]

I hate republicans. Obama may be not the greatest president but he is sure better then any of the opposing party and that is a fact.

Personally, I think Obama is the best damn Republican president we've had since Clinton.

Seriously... He is more right winged than, I would say 1/4 of the Republican party. Look at his track history!