John Boehner On 60 Minutes: Fiction In, Fiction Out

The only thing more pathetic about watching John Boehner trying to sell the American public on his “genuine emotions” by crying over his so-called lifelong pursuit of the American dream is the way Lesley Stahl and 60 Minutes have helped him construct his narrative.

For those of who missed the show last night because you couldn’t afford to pay your electric bill, all you need to know is that John Boehner is just a regular guy who is overcome with emotion when speaking of his humble rise to the top while chasing the “American Dream.”

This is, of course, utter nonsense. But you wouldn’t know that had you watched, because 60 Minutes isn’t “journalism” any more than John Boehner is “humble.”

Listening to John Boehner sob is bad enough by itself, but trying to wrap your head around his reasoning is really a stretch. He should  be crying: out of shame.

His so-called “pursuit of the American Dream” was built on helping to create the “American Nightmare” for so many others. His “dream” has largely been built on the backs of misfortunate others. For a close-up view at the source of his “trail of tears” just take a look at his voting record. The list is long on things and people he votes against, like funding the military, aid to Veterans, mining safety, seniors, health care, and on, and on.

It was bad enough that 60 Minutes couldn’t be bothered to let facts get in the way of a good “crying jag.”  They went one better by throwing in a little “extra” CBS called “Correspondent Candids.” If you had any doubts that journalism was dead and buried as far as CBS is concerned, look no further than this little gem. It’s the part where Lesley Stahl herself is interviewed about interviewing John Bohner, which basically boils down to one question: “How do I love thee John Boehner, let me count the ways.”

Q.: “What’s John Boehner like? What’s your take on him?”

A.: “I liked him. I really did. I thought he was so authentic, there was no artifice.”

Q, in the form of a statement as fact: “He really does come from humble roots.”

A., as if asked, but totally unrelated: “I wondered how the general public will react and I think they’re going to like him.”

Wow. Just, wow.

Lesley Stahl, to journalism: “You’re dead to me.”

In helping craft the fiction that is John Boehner, Ms. Stahl also asked Bohner about why he cries and what makes him just so darned adorable emotional. One explanation of things that bring him to tears he gave was this:

“I can’t go to schools anymore, I just can’t be around little kids.”

When asked why, he mumbles something about wanting to help children achieve their own American Dream, before he is again “overcome” by emotion and can’t finish.

If Lesley Stahl were any kind of real journalist, she might have taken this opportunity to ask exactly how Boehner helps children pursue that dream by voting against things like the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act?“

Nope. Not Lesley. Instead she extended hers to Boehner, as she said “Oh, want to hold your hand.”

It just doesn’t get much more pathetic than that.

As that 60 Minutes clock ticks louder than ever, journalism rolls in its grave.

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The Smaller The Tent, The Larger The Fence

“Where are the jobs!?”

Yes, that was the rallying cry from John Boehner and many of his Grand Obstructionist Party colleagues in the run up to the election. They were interested in “listening to the American people” who wanted jobs, plain and simple.

So after they won, are they listening? Uh…..that would be NO! (What else did you expect from the party that brought you nothing but “no” for the past two years?) If you’re a Republican and you voted for the Republicans again because you believed them, well I would suggest you look up the definition of insanity. On the other hand, if you’re a Democrat and you voted for them in protest because Obama and the Democrats weren’t performing magic in righting the wrongs of the last eight years under Bush/Cheney rule overnight, well, you sure showed THEM!

The question of “where are the jobs” magically disappeared from the “Orange One’s” lips the day after the election, and instead became “where are the tax breaks for myself and my millionaire friends?” Never mind that WE should be asking the Republicans where those jobs have been for the last 10 years, as they claim that tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires “create jobs.” So, yes, where are they?

Crickets.

They haven’t been listening, and they won’t start now. Polls show that a majority of Americans don’t want to Bush tax cuts (dare I say “bonuses”) which will put the deficit deeper into a black hole than it already is, extended. What’s more, a majority of REPUBLICANS don’t want them extended. But are the Republicans listening to that? Hello John Boehner?

Crickets.

Not only aren’t they listening, they just don’t care. Furthermore, those who really are asking “where are the jobs?” and are currently unemployed, some who lost their benefits last week, and some whose will run out this month, are in dire need of an extension, since companies are hoarding cash but aren’t hiring. (Hmm, I wonder why that is?) To those folks, the GOP says “tough.” Rather, they are saying if you don’t extend the Bush tax cuts for those hoarding all that money already, no unemployment extensions.

Crickets.

No, our newly emboldened Republicans are now saying that we have to “negotiate” for things like those unemployment benefits and things like, oh, say, NATIONAL SECURITY. For the price of tax breaks for people who have more money than they know what to do with ALREADY.

We. Have. To. Negotiate. Unfortunately they went even further over the weekend and even voted against the tax cuts they asked for in the first place. Just for spite? Just to make the Democrats and Obama look bad? Just so they could be the heros who will ride in and get the extensions later on? Feel free to speculate all you want.

Anywhere else but in the present Congress of the United States of America this would be called extortion.

At the rate we’re going, those rich folks who are about to be made even richer thanks to the Republicans who are holding the rest of the country hostage, will be forced to spend a little of that cash on infrastructure. I’m guessing they’re going to have to build some pretty tall fences to keep out the remaining 98% of the country whom they’ve cut off when things start to get more desperate in the near future.

Of course, then they’ll need someone to build those fences for them. I guess that’s what they mean when they say those tax cuts for billionaires lead to job creation:

“Help Wanted.”

Good luck with that.

 

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Rick Scott Finally “Meets The Press” In Washington

Florida Governor-elect Rick Scott finally takes questions from reporters, somewhat awkwardly, in Washington on offshore oil drilling, immigration, and upcoming meetings with John Boehner and President Obama, among other topics:

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GOP Admits It: “We’ve Got Nothing”

Last week Marco Rubio sat down to talk to a conservative women’s group called the “Kitchen Cabinet.” As painful as it was, I listened to the entire interview. For the most part, it was just the same speech we’ve heard ad nauseam. Lots of words and phrases tossed together with just a little more articulation than Sarah Palin’s “word salad.” While Sarah Palin offers, say coleslaw, Rubio’s is more like a tossed salad.

His favored phrase in this interview? That he offers “clear choices,” without ever really saying what those choices are.

But there was one new thing he said that actually spoke volumes. Not just about himself, but the Republican-Tea Party as a whole.

The interviewer, a media consultant and the founder of the group, Sonja Eddings Brown, asked Rubio for his views on other candidates who were less experienced. She asked specifically about “Christine O’Connell.” (That’s “O’Donnell, dear. An “experienced” media consultant would have probably looked that up.)

She said: “We actually have some people running that are not particularly experienced or maybe as skilled as some, in Delaware for instance, where there are some real questions about Christine O’Connell (O’Donnell).”

Rubio’s response:

“The republic works and isn’t designed to elect a bunch of experts,” Rubio responded.

The LAST thing Rubio thinks we need in Washington are experts? Finally he makes perfect sense. Why wouldn’t he say that? He’s the perfect example! Among his jargon favorites is “fiscal conservatism.” He spits that one out almost every time he opens his mouth. And as more evidence comes out every day, he is clearly not an expert on spending or budgets. His use of his Republican Party credit card is one example, which the IRS is investigating. How about that “Taj Mahal“ courthouse in Tallahassee he helped secure funding for?

Rubio also seems to be speaking down to the interviewer. Much like Sarah Palin was the mindless GOP alternative to Hillary Clinton, just because she was a woman. Here, Rubio offers another. Never mind that Christine O’Donnell doesn’t believe in evolution simply because she doesn’t see a monkey transforming itself instantly into a person, well like herself, right before her very eyes. Clearly she’s no expert, but hey, she’s a woman! What’s not to love? You almost expect Rubio offer to throw in a free vacuum cleaner for every vote from a Kitchen Cabinet member.

The “clear choice” in Rubio? “Elect me, because I’m no expert!”

If you’ve been paying attention to Washington lately, this isn’t really news. The GOP don’t have so much to offer in the “expert” department. It’s just that now they are starting to admit it to voters. As if it’s a good thing.

Take John Boehner, for instance. He appeared on FOX over the weekend to discuss the “newly recycled”  GOP “Pledge To America.” Even with the help of Chris Wallace, who practically begged Boehner to pretend he had some ideas to fix the absolute mess the GOP created over eight years, he didn’t.

Chris, it’s time for us as americans to have an adult conversation with each other about the serious challenges our country faces. And we can’t have that serious conversation until we lay out the size of the problem. Once Americans understand how big the problem is, then we can begin to talk about potential solutions….

….Let’s not get to the potential solutions. Let’s make sure americans understand how big the problem is. Then we can talk about possible solutions and then work ourselves into those solutions that are doable.

They’re not about solutions. They’re more about creating a disaster, and then pointing at it and saying:

“Now THERE’S a disaster!”

The GOP is not big on solutions. They’ve got nothing.

Finally there’s something both parties can agree on

Who said bipartisanship is dead?

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Tax Cuts: A Bad Boehner Bluff

Over the weekend, House Republican leader John Boehner hinted that he would be open to a compromise on the Bush-Cheney tax cuts to maintain lower rates for families earning less than $250,000 even if President Obama and Democrats “insisted” on ending the tax cuts for the rich.

“If the only option I have is to vote for some of those tax reductions, I’ll vote for them,” Mr. Boehner said in an interview on “Face the Nation” on CBS, during which the host, Bob Schieffer, pointedly asked whether Republicans would hold the tax breaks for most Americans “hostage” to keep the lower rates for the wealthy.

What a guy! Maybe Boehner was making such a bold statement because he feels the need to stand up for the middle class and he thinks that the wealthiest Americans, himself among them, should finally pay their fair share. Right? Right. And maybe Boehner’s glowing tan comes naturally without visits to the tanning salon between votes on the House floor! In other words, if John Boehner’s lips are moving, he’s asking for a tax break.

Those “fiscally conservative” Republicans made a move this afternoon that all but proves that “Boehner Lip Theory,” by introducing legislation to freeze the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of Americans. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell introduced the legislation, saying that it ensures that no one will pay higher income taxes next year than they pay now.

From TPM:

Of course, to truly put Democrats on the spot, they’ll need a vote on McConnell’s legislation. While they’re not guaranteed a vote, Democrats might push for one. Several of them have advocated extending all Bush tax cuts temporarily, and McConnell happily cited Connecticut Independent Joe Lieberman’s statement from earlier today in which he said he’d do “everything I can to make sure Congress extends the so-called Bush tax cuts for another year and takes action to prevent the estate tax from rising back to where it was.”

More game playing from the Republicans. Some Democrats are nervous about going anywhere near the issue of extending the Bush tax cuts. Naturally Joe Lieberman is all too happy to step in. Poor Joe hasn’t gotten much attention since he tried to destroy the health care bill, so he’s probably thrilled at the prospect of mucking things up for the Democrats in a fresh new fight. Lieberman has no shame. He’s loaded, has health care courtesy of you and me, and he sees the lives and livelihood of Americans as a game. Just throw in another tax break for the Lieberman heirs, give Joe some dice and he’s good to go!

The High Price Of The Bush Tax Cuts

Recent opinion polls show that a majority of Americans would like to see the Bush tax cuts expire. The GOP myth has been debunked over and over on claims that those tax cuts are “paid for,” or that they don’t add to the deficit. Dick Cheney may have persuaded a few to believe that “deficits don’t matter,” but when your “deficit” comes in the form of a lost job and disappearing unemployment benefits, even a loyal “Bushie” smartens up. Those key words from the McConnell statement “no one” are aimed right at those who still believe:

The legislation, McConnell said, “ensures that no one in this country will pay higher income taxes next year than they are right now.”

“No one.” High income, low-income, no income.

President Obama isn’t kidding when he says the GOP are holding the middle class tax cuts hostage in order to keep the Bush tax cuts. He’s right on the money, and the GOP knows it. There’s a notable uptick in the GOP’s use of Twitter over the last few days as a media tool to lie and twist his words and say Obama is the one holding middle class tax cuts hostage. Why? Because they’re desperate and running out of ways to trick the voters in between distractions like Quran burnings and scaring people by exploiting 9-11. (They’re experts on that last one and they’ve taken it to a brand new low. Low EVEN for the GOP.)

So was John Boehner declaring a “BREAKING NEWS” calibre change in Republican policy by “standing up for the middle class” with his announcement? Is John Boehner’s skin color natural and found anywhere else in nature?

No, it’s more likely that Boehner threw the TV news media a bone he knew they would happily chase, and then say “we’re going to have to leave it there.” No more time for questions. After all, a lazy and easily distracted media will stick with the “shiny object” almost all the time. That way they might overlook another bigger story about John Boehner like this one from The New York Times:

“G.O.P. Leader Tightly Bound To Lobbyists”

….They have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to his campaigns, provided him with rides on their corporate jets, socialized with him at luxury golf resorts and waterfront bashes and are now leading fund-raising efforts for his Boehner for Speaker campaign, which is soliciting checks of up to $37,800 each, the maximum allowed.

….“I get lobbied every day by somebody,” he said last month after a speech in Cleveland. “It could be by my wife. It could be the bellman. It goes on all day, every day, every place.”

Well, almost overlooked.

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Marco Rubio: Robin Hood’s Evil Twin..?

Once again this past weekend, Marco Rubio was busy raising money and campaigning while singing the praises of keeping the Bush tax cuts that he’s made a cornerstone of his “Reclaim America” campaign for the U.S. Senate. Obviously he thinks people are as uninformed as he is, claiming that keeping those tax cuts are the key to growing the economy and job creation.

One could ask where all those “jobs” are considering we’ve had those tax cuts around for the past ten years, but that would involve facts and things, something Rubio and his GOP colleagues don’t pay attention to. Just ask John Boehner!

No, Rubio continues this ridiculous claim in spite of facts which prove otherwise. He and the Crazy Uncle Party are also dead set against anything else that they claim the “government can’t afford” like unemployment benefits and aid to 9/11 rescue workers, to name just two recent “no votes” from congressional Republicans. To Rubio’s credit, he did say that tax cuts for the rich won’t pay for themselves though. But he has a plan! In order to pay for them and balance the budget, he proposes to simply repeal your healthcare. You’re welcome!

I hate to keep repeating the same thing over and over again, but here’s another reminder of just how “little” those tax cuts for the rich Marco Rubio and the GOP want to hang onto costs all of us, courtesy of The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, based on estimates from the Congressional Budget Office:

As you can see, the Bush tax cuts are the darker orange chunk in the chart. By hey, who needs jobs, benefits or health care when there’s a politician out there who needs a new foreclosure free mansion or another yacht for goodness sakes?

There. That should correct the next “Marco Rubio Reclaim America” ad you see when it appears.

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GOP To The Elderly: “Die Quicker!”

So let me get this straight. John Boehner has expanded the GOP platform in that he proposes to raise the retirement age to 70. This from the party that also sought to prevent any health care reform legislation.

I would say then that he has also expanded on the GOP motto coined by Alan Grayson.

“Die quickly” has now become “Die Quicker” or “Die Quickest?” How about “Die Yesterday!” or “Are You Still Here??”

I think “Agent Orange” has proven that years of spray tanning have eaten away at his brain cells. Well, any that were left.

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