GOP Holiday Chorus

Photos/Wikipedia/Steinberg Photoshop

clockwide from upper left: Sen. McCain, Sen. McConnell, Rep. Cantor, Rep. Boehner, Sen. Graham, Sen Kyl

by Emily Steinberg

Great day in Washington DC yesterday! President Obama signed the repeal of DADT and the Senate finally voted to ratify the START treaty with Russia and pass a 911 Health Bill that extends government support to 911 first responders who got sick from working at Ground Zero. President Obama is back on top. He and Nancy Pelosi in the House and Harry Reid in the Senate deserve praise for getting their agenda through the Lame Duck session of the 111th Congress.

The GOP, however, even though a few crossed the aisle in the end, stalled and obstructed all year on these important votes. The START treaty has been in Congress since April and the GOP couldn't be bothered to deal with it for months, giving one lame excuse after another. But this past week's excuse was beyond the pail. Republican lawmakers took to the floor whining and complaining that they couldn't pass the treaty because Christmas was coming and everyone in Washington was distracted by the holiday season. Seriously? Are these guys for real?

They have the audacity to get on TV and tell the American people that they just don't have the time to work on the country's urgent business because it's the holiday season? Tell that to George Washington, Mr. McConnell, who was amassing his troops to cross the Delaware River and attack the British on December 25, 1776. Tell that to our current troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr Kyl, who would like to be home for the holidays, but are serving the country at the moment. Tell that to all of the American men and women who would like to be home for the holidays, Mr. Graham, but who have to be at their jobs because they actually have to work to support their families. The GOP Holiday Chorus of NO, luckily for them and us, didn't succeed in obstructing the country's business at this juncture. But not because they didn't try.

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Senator John McCranky Pants

Photo/U.S. Congress Official Portrait

by Emily Steinberg

The time has come to ask the question, What has happened to Senator John McCain? He used to be somewhat reasonable, even known for acting in a bipartisan fashion and making friends across the aisle. When he ran for President in 2000 he was amiable and had fun with the press in the back of his Straight Talk Express Bus. He seemed to enjoy the political sausage making process.

Ah, what a difference a decade makes. Ever since he emerged as the front runner in the 2008 election, he has been grumpy and snarly. Then, he committed the ultimate misjudgment of inviting Sarah Palin onto the national stage, and as if he realized his colossal mistake, but can't quite admit it, he has soured on the world. Last weekend he proclaimed it was a sad day for America when 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' was repealed. He came down on the wrong side of history, disagreeing with his pal Joe Lieberman and his wife and daughter, who all support the repeal. He has been snarky to Obama and testy towards Democrats in Congress. What's eating at John McCain? He is acting like someone who doesn't like himself anymore.

Read Joe Klein's article in Time Magazine: Two Dreams, One Dead

No Contest

Photos/Wikipedia Palin Photo/David Shankbone

by Emily Steinberg

The notion that Sarah Palin is even a viable candidate for president in 2012 is beyond belief. How is it possible that this nasal voiced woman has paraded to the front of the Republican would be presidential contender conga line? It defies reason. But Ms. Palin has a gift for glittering in the spotlight. She is political eye candy and appeals to a segment of the American population who do not think deeply about anything other than who won Dancing With the Stars. Her latest stint as the star of her own reality TV show, complete with a live shooting of caribou, exposes this woman, (as if it hasn't already been revealed), as a somewhat dim and ordinary person elevated to a position of prominence by a media famished for good looks and saucy stories. Message to the Media: Seriously Folks? Cut the cord. Stop giving her airtime and she will deflate as surely as the Wicked Witch of the West when Dorothy threw a bucked of water on her.

Putting President Obama in a serious head to head competition with Sarah Palin is ridiculous. Obama is a Columbia Grad and Harvard Law Grad. He was President of the Harvard Law Review. He is an accomplished thinker and writer, and he possesses a keen intelligence.

Sarah Palin went to five schools before graduating. She was Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, garnering 651 votes to 440 in her first run in 1996. She was Governor for 2 years, resigning mid-stream to attend to her burgeoning celebrity.

I still think it's more advisable to have someone smarter than me in The Oval Office. It appears the American people, in their inimitable wisdom, agree. Polls show President Obama mopping the floor in a head to head contest with Palin. But even the idea that she is a serious contender is irksome and displays the lack of seriousness in our political discourse.

In a related matter, It appears that Obama's move to the center is working. Good news for the country. Charles Krauthammer, someone I usually can't stand to listen to or read, wrote a very good article today about why Obama will be re-elected. Crazy Dude!

Six of 10 Americans Say they Would Definitely Not Support Palin for President

Poll: Obama vs. Palin in 2012

Charles Krauthammer: How Obama was Reelected

Something to Celebrate - Senate Repeals DADT

by Emily Steinberg

Today the Senate finally actually did something we can be proud of! They repealed the grotesque Don't Ask, Don't Tell law that has been on the books since 1993. Now American servicemen and women of any sexual orientation can serve their country with out fear of being outed and dismissed. Senator Joe Lieberman, (I) Conn., spearheaded the effort in the senate, making up for many of the wrongheaded stances he has taken in the last decade, particularly, his support of Senator John McCain in the 2008 election. Senator McCain, (R) Ariz., to no-ones surprise, voted against the repeal and said it was a sad day in American history.

Read the following article in today's New York Times, Senate Repeals 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'.

Don't Ask Don't Tell Needs to Go

by Emily Steinberg

The clock is ticking, the year is quickly winding down and the news from Congress hasn't inspired much to make us believe in the intelligence and maturity of our government. And then, in the midst of the bitter cold of it all comes the news that the Senate will vote on repeal of DADT tomorrow. Amazing, ......they are even working on Saturday! It appears that momentum is growing and that the horribly awkward and un-American law, Don't Ask Don't tell, might indeed be finally headed for the dustbin of history. When is first appeared in 1992, I thought it was a joke, something dreamed up for a SNL skit. But no, it was real and and it was the law. Americans had to lie about themselves to serve in the military.

A very good friend of mine was forced out of the Navy forty years ago because he is gay. It was a loss for him, a loss for the country and a loss for the cause of freedom. Maybe tomorrow the Senate will get rid of this holdover from a much less tolerant time. Below, from today's Huffinton Post, is a letter written by a gay soldier before he deployed to Afghanistan. Every member of the Senate and every American needs to read this letter.

A Gay Soldier's Letter Before Leaving For Afghanistan

GOP Whine-A-Rama

Photos/Wikipedia - Steinberg Photoshop

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, (R) Ken., Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl, (R) Ariz.

by Emily Steinberg

So, it appears the reason why the GOP can't get anything done in Congress, for instance something inconsequential like ratification of the START treaty, is because Christmas is coming and they have to get on home for the holiday. Oh, sorry.... what about our soldiers? What about normal everyday Americans who have to go to work on Christmas? What about Doctors and Nurses?

What about the business of the American people that the Republicans have stalled and filibustered all year? Senators McConnell and Kyl are out there, on national television, whining that there is no time to take care of any of it. They have run out the clock, wasted a year, and now they just want to go Christmas Shopping at the mall.

My favorite conservative Joe Scarborough was blown away by the craven behavior of his former GOP colleagues and mused on his MSNBC show this morning...these are not serious people. To quote my least favorite conservative, You Betcha Joe!

Read Jason Linkins article in the Huffington Post:

GOP Senators Invoke Christmas In Order To Pointlessly Obstruct The START Treaty

Rush Decries "Vitriol Against the Rich"

Photo/Wikipedia plus photoshop

by Emily Steinberg

So Rush Limbaugh is upset at the "Vitriol against the rich." Now, even though President Obama has agreed to go ahead with the Bush tax cuts for the super rich, Rush and his cronies are still crying class warfare. What gives? Is there nothing that will satisfy these nattering nay-bobs of negativity? What continues to amaze me is the sheep-like adherence of the Republican working and middle classes who insist on believing that the GOP is actually looking out for their best interests. Message to 98% of the American voting population: The GOP does not care about you and your measly tax cuts, they only want to protect the top 2% of earners. But because everything is so intertwined with class and culture and race, especially race, most voters refuse to see this. And the Republicans will continue to spin their web of lies about shrinking the size of government and growing the economy with tax cuts for the wealthy.

Yes, I feel sorry for Rush and his pals. Money is tight all around. And I have one question for them. If Jesus was making over a million dollars a year, do you think he would be upset at paying his fair share of taxes? Rush, what would Jesus do?

On a more somber note, with yesterday's passing of Richard Holbrook, America lost a great man. He will be greatly missed.

Stepping Back From the Ledge

Photo/Wikipedia

by Emily Steinberg

I'm stepping back from the edge or the ledge or whatever it is I was standing on yesterday when I heard the President was compromising with the GOP on extensions of the Bush tax cuts. Yes, I'm livid that Millionaires and Billionaires are going to reap hundreds of thousands of dollars because of the deal. And yes, I'm seething that the inheritance tax is also being lowered. But in the end, I believe this deal will be good for the country. It forces the Republicans to take ownership of legislation and moves the President to the center, something he dearly needs to do.

President Obama, at the news conference yesterday, remains the smartest voice in the room. He spoke about the need for compromise, how the whole country doesn't follow the dictates of the New York Times Editorial Board, nor does it follow lock step behind the Wall Street Journals opinionators. He is reasonable and thoughtful and dare I say, mature. This is part of what he had to say:

America was built on compromise said the President. If we don't compromise.... "People will have the satisfaction of having a purist position and no victories for the American people. And we will be able to feel good about ourselves and sanctimonious about how pure our intentions are and how tough we are, and in the meantime, the American people are still seeing themselves not able to get health insurance because of preexisting conditions or not being able to pay their bills because their unemployment insurance ran out.

That can't be the measure of how we think about our public service. That can't be the measure of what it means to be a Democrat. This is a big, diverse country. Not everybody agrees with us. I know that shocks people. The New York Times editorial page does not permeate across all of America. Neither does The Wall Street Journal editorial page. Most Americans, they're just trying to figure out how to go about their lives and how can we make sure that our elected officials are looking out for us. And that means because it's a big, diverse country and people have a lot of complicated positions, it means that in order to get stuff done, we're going to compromise. This is why FDR, when he started Social Security, it only affected widows and orphans. You did not qualify. And yet now it is something that really helps a lot of people. When Medicare was started, it was a small program. It grew."

I'm still with you Mr. President.

Our Incredible Vanishing President

by Emily Steinberg

Where is President Obama? He's been MIA for a while now and it's getting me nervous. The President is an incredibly smart and decent man. He's working hard for Americans, trying to turn the ship of state around after the car wreck that was the Bush administration. But it takes time to turn things around, and Americans just don't have time for that. They can't even remember who got us into this mess in the first place. Trying to connect with the American voting public is like connecting with a toddler, our attention span is just long enough for a 20 second commercial and then we change the channel.

The reality is Obama has passed more successful legislation than any President since the Johnson administration. He has passed Healthcare reform, the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act and Finance reform to name just the three largest. And yet, for some reason, he hasn't been able to communicate this message to the country. The failure to communicate is due to the combined efforts of both the President and his staff, most of whom have been consistently tone-deaf to the need for strong visuals in the realm of political theater.

I don't know whose idea it was to redecorate the Oval Office in the middle of the recession, but it wasn't a good one. And sending Michelle on a Jackie O. trip to Spain last summer, even though it was privately paid for, was red meat for the GOP talking heads who didn't hesitate to use it as such. Meanwhile, Obama seems oddly disengaged and compliant in the hands of the newly victorious Republicans. Has someone replaced the President with a look-a-like robot?

Effective governing is policy plus presentation. Obama should spend some time in the White House movie theater, take in some old footage of President Clinton, heck, even check out The Gipper and learn from the pros how to incorporate humor, fun and humanity into his act. The President needs to put some juice into his performance or there won't be a re-election in 2012. President Obama, It's Time to Stand up and Man up to the Republicans.

Read Frank Rich's excellent article in yesterday's New York Times Week in Review All the President's Captors.

Three Points of Light

Joe Scarborough, Anderson Cooper, David Stockman

by Emily Steinberg

In the murky darkness of our present political discourse three voices have arisen which reassure me that not all has been lost, that the land of the brave will survive and that reason still has a place in our modern day cacaphonist echo chamber (how's that for word twisting?) David Stockman, Ronald Reagan's Budget Director, Joe Scarborough, Former Republican Congressman and Anderson Cooper CNN man are three points of light, as former President Bush would say, in an otherwise cold and grim December sky.

David Stockman, the man who championed trickle down economic theory in the 1980's, now says that the current GOP insistence on extending tax cuts for millionaires is the most ridiculous thing he's ever heard. Today's GOP is too far to the right for David Stockman! You can't make this stuff up. If Ronald Reagan was alive, we'd be seeing him on TV, telling the Republicans to act responsibly. Then Rush, Palin and Beck would tweet furiously to refudiate The Gipper.

Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC's Morning Joe and former Republican Congressman from Florida, wrote a spot on article about the GOP's Palin problem this week for Politico. In Joe Scarborough Tells GOP To Man Up and Confront Sarah Palin, he risked the ire of the Republican right wing by telling the truth about what Palin really is, a frenetic three ring circus.

"Everybody knows that Palin is a busy woman. The former half-term governor of Alaska stays so busy these days that one wonders how this mother of five manages to juggle her new reality show, follow her eldest daughter’s dancing career and launch her latest frenetic book tour while still finding the time to insult a slew of revered presidents and first ladies."

Anderson Cooper did a star turn on his program this week, relentlessly debating Texas Rep. Leo Berman's belief that President Obama is not an American Citizen. Read the whole article and and watch the video, it is well worth it. Anderson Cooper Demolishes Birther Claims in Interview with Texas Rep. Leo Berman. It seems like there's been a bit of a weather change in Washington, D.C. and perhaps the dialogue is starting to shift in a more, shall we say, sensible direction. One can only hope.

Running Out The Clock

John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, Eric Cantor

by Emily Steinberg

So the GOP's best idea is...........to run-out the clock on the lame-duck congress. It's astoundingly original. But you would think that the three leaders of the Republican party, Speaker-Elect Boehner, Majority Leader-Elect Cantor and good old Minority Speaker McConnell of the Senate, would at least pay lip service to what is good for the entire country and not just for their friends at the nearest cotillion. Seriously, these guys are pushing for tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires in the worst economy since the great depression (or at least since the 1970's). And...the kicker is.....they're insisting on tax cuts at the same time they are refusing to preserve unemployment payments for millions of Americans.

Wait, maybe this is actually good. Maybe they have begun to reveal themselves as the selfish & greedy toads that they are. Maybe America will wake up and see that her newest consort to the ball is just a slimy green frog and she'll say wait a minute buddy! I didn't sign up for this! Or maybe.......she'll actually kiss the toad.