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For the GOP, It's just a way of life.
Author: Raine Date: 06/21/2010 12:38:27

Last week, many people were outraged at Representative Joe Barton who literally apologized on the floor of the House of Representatives to British Petroleum for a 20 million billion "shakedown" by the President. Oh Republicans were aghast. They immediately distanced themselves from Barton and it was reported that if he didn't apologize for his statement they would threaten to remove him from his ranking committee position.

That would be good, if it weren't just smoke and mirrors. While I am admittedly not a very big fan of Rham Emmanuel, he said something yesterday morning in a This Week interview that brought it all home:

That’s not a political gaffe, those are prepared remarks. That is a philosophy. That is an approach to what they see. They see the aggrieved party here as BP, not the fishermen,” Emanuel told me during my exclusive This Week interview.

Emanuel said Barton and Kentucky Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul, who recently called the President’s criticism of BP “un-American,” are a reflection of the Republican Party’s governing philosophy. “They think that the government’s the problem,” Emanuel said. “And I think what Joe Barton did was remind the American people, in case they forgot, how the Republicans would govern.”

It's not just Joe Barton and Rand Paul.

It's Bill Kristol:

But it’s not healthy for the country, for the economy as a whole, for the President to bully different companies and different industries and I think it’s not helping us.

It's Rush Limbaugh:

Discussing Barton's comments, Limbaugh repeatedly called the fund a "shakedown," worried that it was a plot by Obama to "redistribute that money to ACORN, to his union supporters," and responded to listeners who weren't buying this spin.

It's Michelle Bachmann:

But if I was the head of BP, I would let the signal get out there — ‘We’re not going to be chumps, and we’re not going to be fleeced.’ And they shouldn’t be.

It's John Boehner:

"I think the people responsible in the oil spill--BP and the federal government--should take full responsibility for what's happening there," Boehner said at his weekly press conference this morning.

It's Haley Barbor and Representative Tom Price:

Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) blasted the White House for securing the funds for Gulf Coast businesses and families, condemning the success as a "Chicago-style political shakedown." Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour ® disapproves of the escrow fund, and has said he's worried it will undermine BP profits too much.

It's a whole host of people who defended Joe Barton and BP in the process. .

– PAT BUCHANAN: “Barton made a very courageous statement in my judgment. … To have anyone stand up and even indirectly defend [BP] and say that they were a victim of a shakedown shows some political courage.”

– INGRAHAM: “I think Joe Barton, before he apologized, had a legitimate point.”

– NAPOLITANO: “That is a classic shakedown. The threat to do something that you don’t have the authority to do. ”

– KILMEADE: “One Congressman calling the BP compsensation fund a ’shakedown,’ but does he have a point?”

– GINGRICH: “The president is directly engaged in extorting money from a company.”

– VARNEY: “It is Hugo Chavez-like, is it not? To sieze a private company’s assets.”

This wasn't an accident, this is indeed a political philosophy by this party. It's been also been repeated by Oliver North, Dick Armey, Sean Hannity and the Heritage Foundation.

The media would like for you to believe these are all just isolated incidents. They are not. In case you really need more proof of how people in the GOP view America, at least one bets against the economy as he rails against the Presidents economic decisions. Representative Eric Cantor:

[Cantor], the Republican whip in the House of Representatives, bought up to $15,000 in shares of ProShares Trust Ultrashort 20+ Year Treasury ETF last December, according to his 2009 financial disclosure statement. The exchange-traded fund takes a short position in long-dated government bonds. In effect, it is a bet against U.S. government bonds — and perhaps on inflation in the future.

I don't believe for one minute he's the only one.

All is not lost for the GOP. Once the public gets hold that this is a self-created GOP Meme, I am pretty sure they will take credit for it, just as they did with Healthcare Reform. Some are already taking credit for the 20 billion dollar fund:

Yesterday, though, the Republican message seemed to shift a bit, at least in some corners. What was initially deemed an outrageous presidential abuse turned into a GOP idea that Obama shouldn't take credit for.

Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), for example, issued a statement yesterday implicitly arguing that there couldn't have been a shakedown, since BP intended to put $20 billion into the escrow fund before the White House meeting. "The true outrage," Franks said, "is that this was never the President's idea at all."
{snip}

On Thursday, Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao told me that he pressed BP on the fund idea a month ago, inspired by the example of Exxon after its 1989 spill off the coast of Alaska. And on Friday I talked with Ray McKinney, another engineer, who is running for Congress in Georgia against Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.). McKinney stressed that there was no serious disagreement about the escrow issue, and said Democrats were concocting a political debate when all that mattered was making BP pay and investigating the disaster.

It's all part of the philosophy of the GOP. They really are the party of BP, and Corporations. Eric Cantor can bet on that. This is exactly how the Republicans would govern. It's not a coincidence.

and

Raine

41 comments (Latest Comment: 06/21/2010 19:34:34 by TriSec)
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Comment by AuntAzalea on 06/21/2010 12:57:06

Great blog today Raine! The GOP is weirdly silent on the fact that BP is a foreign company that is destroying our land. I wonder if it was called MP (Mexican Petroleum) they would turn on a dime and be all "patriotic". Probably not, with Halliburton in the mix- I guess it is all about profit.

Comment by

Raine on 06/21/2010 13:07:15

ooOOoo -- Good point about Mexican petroleum, Aunty.

YOu know the sad part is not just the campaign contributions, people like Joe Barton and many others have a LOT of investments (stocks) in companies like these.

It's a sad state of affairs in this country when people really believe the GOP is looking out for their person freedoms, when in fact the opposite is true.

Comment by

BobR on 06/21/2010 13:34:07

It's really telling to see all those quotes in one place. Great job!

Comment by

AZ-Turq on 06/21/2010 13:45:09

Does one have to subscribe to Stephcast in order to post on her Live Blog?

Comment by

BobR on 06/21/2010 13:46:39

Quote by AZ-Turq:

Does one have to subscribe to Stephcast in order to post on her Live Blog?

It didn't used to be that way. Perhaps it's changed.

How ya doing, btw?

Comment by

AZ-Turq on 06/21/2010 13:47:52

Hanging in there. And you?

Comment by

Raine on 06/21/2010 13:51:48

AZ! Nice to see you!

Things have been mighty interesting in your part of the country lately, eh?

Comment by

Scoopster on 06/21/2010 13:57:54

Mornin' all & Happy Mondee!

Was running a bit late today so I had to call my good friend for a ride.. He's a great guy and always good for conversation but unfortunately he's a certifiable wingnut. Today he tried to blame the financial collapse and the oil spill on Clinton and Pelosi - something about forcing the oil companies to drill so far offshore and some nonsense about union rules put in place in the 1920s. When I asked him where he got the information (like I always do because I really do check out what he says for its reality quotient) he said 'every time I tell you something you always come back and say that the source is no good!' Well, yeah of course I do because you get your information from Glenn Beck and Fux News!

Comment by

TriSec on 06/21/2010 14:02:15

Comment by

BobR on 06/21/2010 14:02:51

Quote by Scoopster:

Mornin' all & Happy Mondee!

Was running a bit late today so I had to call my good friend for a ride.. He's a great guy and always good for conversation but unfortunately he's a certifiable wingnut. Today he tried to blame the financial collapse and the oil spill on Clinton and Pelosi - something about forcing the oil companies to drill so far offshore and some nonsense about union rules put in place in the 1920s. When I asked him where he got the information (like I always do because I really do check out what he says for its reality quotient) he said 'every time I tell you something you always come back and say that the source is no good!' Well, yeah of course I do because you get your information from Glenn Beck and Fux News!

I have a "Libertarian" friend that tried to make the exact same point - that "regulations" were the cause of the problem because it "forced" the oil companies to drill further off shore.

This is definitely a talking point, and I am curious as well where it came from.

Comment by

AZ-Turq on 06/21/2010 14:04:32

Interesting in AZ??? It is becoming intolerable.

I can't believe this anti-Mexican rhetoric that is coming out of our local politicians.

Bad thing is, they are bald-faced lies. Even worse is that the media is letting them get away with it

Comment by

AZ-Turq on 06/21/2010 14:06:00

BTW-- Where are all the members of the Stephanie Miller Fan Club?

Comment by

velveeta jones on 06/21/2010 14:06:10

Joe apologizes for even more stuff!

Comment by

velveeta jones on 06/21/2010 14:06:12

Morning all, btw!

Comment by

Will in Chicago on 06/21/2010 14:12:42

Good morning, bloggers! Raine, thanks for an excellent blog that shows that the GOP is more concerned about the interests of major corporations -- and their own personal financial concerns -- than the public good.

I have some bad news from the world of progressive talk. The Jeff Farias Show is off the air for the forseeable future. Jeff wrapped up his last live show on Friday and the weekend shows (Coffee with Sarge, the Lou Show, America at Work) wrapped up on Saturday. The David Link Show , which originated in Jeff's studios, will continue to broadcast on line and on WXBH 92.87 FM in Louisville at 9 PM Eastern on Saturdays.

Finances were Jeff's big problem. He is about $4700 in debt, but it is remarkable that he was on the air since October, 2008. (Listeners can still donate to help bring down the debt, if anyone feels so moved.) He hopes to come back in some form or another. He asked people to sign up at http://www.rabble.ca, which he is working with on a possible future venture.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it seems that progressive talk is struggling with a lot of other parts of the economy.

Comment by

Raine on 06/21/2010 14:16:03

I am trying to find where it came from, but it basically goes like this -- regulation caused the oil companies to have to drill so far offshore.

Which is a lie. Even GW Bush said otherwise, he LIFTED the regulation because there is not enough oil to drill closer to shore:

I know it is hard to listen too, but it's important... BUSH said this. BUSH lifted the regulations.

Comment by

AZ-Turq on 06/21/2010 14:16:05

Good Morning Will.

Papa_Smurf

Comment by

Raine on 06/21/2010 14:17:28

Quote by AZ-Turq:

Interesting in AZ??? It is becoming intolerable.

I can't believe this anti-Mexican rhetoric that is coming out of our local politicians.

Bad thing is, they are bald-faced lies. Even worse is that the media is letting them get away with it

Well I was being a snarfy bit sarcastic...

And the media -- Don't get me started.

Comment by

AZ-Turq on 06/21/2010 14:27:44

Are Obama and the Progressives on the Outs? by Katrina vanden Heuvel

Comment by

AZ-Turq on 06/21/2010 14:30:32

"What we see, some 500 days into the Obama administration, is a president obstructed by a partisan Republican opposition, powerful entrenched corporate interests, and a minority of corrupt or conservative Democrats."

If that is the case, why does the White House continue to give in to these assholes?

Comment by

AZ-Turq on 06/21/2010 14:35:02

"The tension between Obama and the progressive movement isn't a threat to the president. Rather, it may be needed to save him. "

Comment by

Will in Chicago on 06/21/2010 14:38:18

Comment by

Raine on 06/21/2010 14:38:43

Here is someone else who thinks that MORE regulations caused this. From May 13.

To the best of my knowledge, the Talking point came from Sarah Palin -- Which means it probably came from the ?Heritage foundation or Frank Luntz.

Comment by

Raine on 06/21/2010 14:53:43

Quote by Raine:

Here is someone else who thinks that MORE regulations caused this. From May 13.

To the best of my knowledge, the Talking point came from Sarah Palin -- Which means it probably came from the ?Heritage foundation or Frank Luntz.

And here is a google search of the Author, Steve Gilbert.

Comment by

Raine on 06/21/2010 14:54:57

Steve Gilbert, CPAC hero.

Comment by

clintster on 06/21/2010 15:05:37

Quote by Raine:

Steve Gilbert, CPAC hero.

I've never even heard of Sweetness & Light. And JTSF Ann Coulter is presenting the award? Jiminy Christmas.

Comment by

Scoopster on 06/21/2010 15:09:49

Quote by Raine:

Steve Gilbert, CPAC hero.

Why am I not surprised to learn he's a swiftboat jackass?

Comment by

Will in Chicago on 06/21/2010 15:10:54

Here is some good news from J Street. Let's say that the pro-peace, pro-Israel group and others scored a major victory over the Likud and the right wing. Naturally, the right wingers decided to disrupt the proceedings.

World Zionist Congress votes to support settlement freeze and two-state solution; far right storms stage and shuts down Congress

Our Blog: The Latest from the Political Home of the Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace Movement

World Zionist Congress votes to support settlement freeze and two-state solution; far right storms stage and shuts down Congress

Posted by: Hadar Susskind | June 17th, 2010 11:28 am

How did the World Zionist Congress vote to support a settlement freeze, endorse a two-state solution, and call for the Israeli government to repair relations with the American government — sparking right-wing protests that effectively ended the Congress’ deliberation?

How is it that a body that has been marred by relative obscurity in recent years appears to have been the site of the vital conversation over the future of Israel as a Jewish, democratic home in all its rambunctious glory?

And how did it come that I, Vice President of Policy and Strategy at J Street and a veteran of the Israeli army, found myself chairing the Settlement Committee at the World Zionist Congress?

When J Street’s delegation of staffers and lay leaders landed in Israel just over a week ago to join the Congress, we hoped to add J Street’s voices to the chorus of over 400 delegates to the World Zionist Congress. What we experienced demonstrated the seriousness of the battle we have in front of us to finally freeze the settlements, end the occupation, and achieve a two-state solution.

In some more good news, there may be some relief for the people of Gaza soon. Here are some details from Reuters:

Embattled Israel reverses rules on Gaza blockade

Reuters) - Israel said Sunday it was easing a land blockade on the Gaza Strip to allow in all goods except for arms and materials used to make them.

WORLD

The softening of a policy criticized as collective punishment of Gaza's 1.5 million Palestinians to weaken their hardline Islamist leaders follows an Israeli raid on a blockade-running flotilla in which nine activists died.

The United States quickly welcomed the shift and said President Barack Obama would hold a delayed meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on July 6.

Israel's old rules banned everything it chose not to let in.

In many respects, Bibi Netanyahu is in a very weak position. If any single party leaves his coalition, it may spur a new round of elections. (Netanyahu's Likud got one less seat in the Knesset than the Kadima party but was able to cobble together a coalition.)

Comment by

Raine on 06/21/2010 15:15:19

WaPo includes same sex marriage announcements quite often as well. I LOVE it.

Comment by

Raine on 06/21/2010 15:25:29

Oh, Will I hope this happens.

I am very very nervous about what is going on over there. That government reminds me very much of the B*sh administration.

Comment by

Raine on 06/21/2010 15:28:12

Oh and in reference to todays Blog -- the TeaBaggers got the message:

Tea Partiers to Obama: LAY OFF BP!!!

This is going way and above the cult of personality, at this point.

Comment by

Will in Chicago on 06/21/2010 15:34:19

Quote by Raine:

Oh, Will I hope this happens.

I am very very nervous about what is going on over there. That government reminds me very much of the B*sh administration.

Netanyahu does remind me of Bush, or rather Dick Cheney. I sometimes use the following comparisons to help explain Israeli politics to Americans.

Ariel Sharon is the Israeli equivalent of Richard Nixon -- intelligent but very conservative and capable of being a hard liner. Like Nixon, Sharon was capable of doing some positive things such as ending the settlements in Gaza. (Sharon was under a cloud of accusations at the time of his stroke.)

Ehud Olmbert can be compared to Spiro Agnew or Gerald Ford -- accidental leaders not ready for prime time.

Comment by

livingonli on 06/21/2010 15:41:00

Good morning everyone.

I wonder if this has to do with Momma leaving New York but WWRL dropped its hour of Steph so Steph is no longer on in New York. Good thing my internet connection is back in effect. It's internet listening in the house and XM in the car.

Comment by

Scoopster on 06/21/2010 15:46:30

Ack! Your linky link is not workin' Raine m'dear..

Comment by

Scoopster on 06/21/2010 16:05:01

SCOTUS rules 6-3 that humanitarian aid can be considered aid to terrorism..

Sickening..

Comment by

Raine on 06/21/2010 16:11:50

Quote by Scoopster:

Ack! Your linky link is not workin' Raine m'dear..

Fixed!

And reposted.

Comment by

Raine on 06/21/2010 16:18:53

Quote by Will in Chicago:

Quote by Raine:

Oh, Will I hope this happens.

I am very very nervous about what is going on over there. That government reminds me very much of the B*sh administration.

Netanyahu does remind me of Bush, or rather Dick Cheney. I sometimes use the following comparisons to help explain Israeli politics to Americans.

Ariel Sharon is the Israeli equivalent of Richard Nixon -- intelligent but very conservative and capable of being a hard liner. Like Nixon, Sharon was capable of doing some positive things such as ending the settlements in Gaza. (Sharon was under a cloud of accusations at the time of his stroke.)

Ehud Olmbert can be compared to Spiro Agnew or Gerald Ford -- accidental leaders not ready for prime time.

I would like for Isreal to have someone they can not compare to anyone.

Will, I admit, I am reluctant/nervous about entering into commenting about Israeli politics. I would like very much for a 2 state solution. I haven't said anything because I really feel conflicted.

It seems as tho Palestine and Israel have blood on their hands . I would like for both to find a way to live in peace.

Comment by

Will in Chicago on 06/21/2010 17:23:51

Quote by Raine:

Quote by Will in Chicago:

Quote by Raine:

Oh, Will I hope this happens.

I am very very nervous about what is going on over there. That government reminds me very much of the B*sh administration.

Netanyahu does remind me of Bush, or rather Dick Cheney. I sometimes use the following comparisons to help explain Israeli politics to Americans.

Ariel Sharon is the Israeli equivalent of Richard Nixon -- intelligent but very conservative and capable of being a hard liner. Like Nixon, Sharon was capable of doing some positive things such as ending the settlements in Gaza. (Sharon was under a cloud of accusations at the time of his stroke.)

Ehud Olmbert can be compared to Spiro Agnew or Gerald Ford -- accidental leaders not ready for prime time.

I would like for Isreal to have someone they can not compare to anyone.

Will, I admit, I am reluctant/nervous about entering into commenting about Israeli politics. I would like very much for a 2 state solution. I haven't said anything because I really feel conflicted.

It seems as tho Palestine and Israel have blood on their hands . I would like for both to find a way to live in peace.

I realized that there is no side in that conflict without some people with blood on their hands and hatred in their hearts. I think that the only logical solution is to have two states, as I cannot imagine a single state working at all. However, we must have hope that so called leaders will listen to the majority of the Israeli and Palestinian people who want a lasting peace. We can and should support efforts for serious negotiations.

Comment by

BobR on 06/21/2010 17:45:49

Texas has their own Alvin Greene to deal with.

What the hell was in the water for this year's primaries?

Comment by

livingonli on 06/21/2010 18:47:32

Quote by BobR:

Texas has their own Alvin Greene to deal with.

What the hell was in the water for this year's primaries?

I smell the GOP collaborating with Diebold or ES&S.

Comment by

TriSec on 06/21/2010 19:34:34

Eye-glazing, Av-dork time!

You know I blew away flightsim and all my widgets some months ago...I got tired of my system crashing every time I tried to fly anywhere. (Not plane crashing, mind you.)

In any case, I spent all weekend working on a full-blown reinstall and downloading of custom aircraft. Last night, I finally got the new blog flagship up for a full-cycle flight out of SFO. (An ex-RAF Vickers Wellington, renamed the "Special Comment")

I'll post some pics next time.

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For the GOP, It's just a way of life.
Author: Raine Date: 06/21/2010 12:38:27

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For the GOP, It's just a way of life. Author: Raine Date: 06/21/2010 12:38:27

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For the GOP, It's just a way of life.
Author: Raine Date: 06/21/2010 12:38:27