Posted on 12/23/2010 10:18:27 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
December in Washington saw two extraordinary moments. Both were the result of Democrats having to come to grips with the Tea Party movement's victories in November.
The first moment was on Dec. 10, when President Obama held a press conference to explain why, after years of hammering Republicans for tax cuts for the wealthy, Obama suddenly embraced tax cuts for the wealthy.
Obama could not bring himself to admit that the November election made him eat his rhetoric.
So he brought in President Clinton to answer the questions from the reporters.
Of course, President Clinton went on and on and never gave a real explanation. In the middle of the press conference, Obama slipped away.
"I've been keeping the First Lady waiting for about half an hour, so I'm going to take off," Obama said.
Clinton could not resist a dig, saying: "I don't want to make her mad. Please go."
Ouch.
Six days later, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid had to pull a $1.1 trillion Christmas tree of spending due to a lack of votes in the Senate.
Congress has lost its appetite for spending money it does not have?
Since when?
That is like Wimpy from the Popeye cartoons turning down a hamburger.
But after two years of Congress and the president trying to buy prosperity, voters said to heck with this and elected 86 new Republican congressmen - and a few new Democrats as well - in the biggest Housecleaning since 1948.
In two years, America went from 'hope" and "change" to hope we can change it back to the way it was - only better.
Four years ago, Nancy Pelosi became the speaker of the House and promised to "drain the swamp."
Instead, she added water.
The late John Murtha and assorted other swamp critters were put on the Pelosi protected species list.
In a few weeks, John Boehner will be the new speaker. His 20 years in Congress show a man who is willing really to pursue reforms.
When he entered Congress, he discovered the House had its own bank and its own post office.
The bank was good for kiting checks. The congressional post office was a convenient way of laundering money via postage stamps.
Corrupt is too nice a word for this evil.
Boehner signed up with six fellow Republican newbies to bring the bank and the post office down.
They were the Gang of Seven. They helped rid the House of a couple of speakers. Democratic Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski wound up in prison when all was said and done.
After that adventure, Boehner helped craft the Contract With America in 1994, which led Republicans to a victory that ended 40 years of Democratic-control of the House.
Over the years, Boehner has never sought an earmark for his district.
That is remarkable. Nobody's perfect, but he is a pretty square fellow.
Obama, Reid and Pelosi have had two years to show what a Democratic majority can do. The 9.8 percent unemployment rate - up from 7.6 percent when Obama took office - is telling.
Boehner has promised to cut the congressional budget by 5 percent and to banish earmarks.
Good, but no one is talking about a balanced budget. They should.
Boehner gets two years to show his stuff. Based on his previous 20 years, I suspect he will still be handling his press conferences without the aid of say, Newt Gingrich.
But you never know.
BTTT
Thanks for that inspiring editorial. Maybe there is hope coming our the new year.
We will see.
And yet, he keeps getting re-elected. Earmarks are vote buying.
I did not know this.
Yep. Absolutely true: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/mar/16/john-boehner/rep-john-boehner-earmark-free
As far as the spineless duped Republicans in the Senate are concerned, I hope DeMint can rally support, but McConnell is one of the “go along-get along” bulls of the woods. If McConnell has a spine, it was not apparent in the Lame Duck session.
As far as I'm concerned, you cannot trust Senate Republicans any further than you could throw the Queen Mary's anchor. They are spineless and gutless whores who would sell their souls for 30 pieces of silver (or to the highest bidder).
1. Dissolve the Dept of Education and defer to the authority of the individual states.
2. Dissolve the FCC and defer to the individual citizen's ability to operate a remote control.
3. Repeal the Health Care Act.
4. Repeal the Food Safety Act, and in deference to the authority of the individual states - allow them to choose their own school lunch menus.
5. Initiate Constitutional Amendment procedures to let the people decide whether they want gays in the military and whether or not they want gay marriage. LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE.
6. Cut the White House budget by half. There is no reason for an unelected FLOTUS to have 24 paid assistants at taxpayer expense.
7. Subpoena the birth certificate, college transcripts and all other relevant records that all previous Presidents have had to disclose. There is a reason Obama wants his records sealed - it is the right of the American people/his employer to see those records.
8. Decrease the size of the federal government by at least 25% immediately.
That's my list.
Why stop with 25%? Two-thirds of those you would leave are mucking around doing things that don't need doing or would be better done by the states or even local governments.
My sentiments exactly. It's nice to think Boehner will crack the whip, however I expect business as usual. I hope I'm wrong, but I already see some disturbing signs......
IMO, the lame-duck session just showed that the “Pledge To America” had an expiration date of Midnight, Nov. 2, 2010.
We must make sure that they defund these criminal non elected agencies the FCC, EPA, HUD and others to bare bones basic operations IF NOT ELIMINATING THE ALTOGETHER.
We must make sure that they defund these criminal non elected agencies the FCC, EPA, HUD and others to bare bones basic operations IF NOT ELIMINATING THE ALTOGETHER.
We must make sure that they defund these criminal non elected agencies the FCC, EPA, HUD and others to bare bones basic operations IF NOT ELIMINATING THE ALTOGETHER.
BTTT
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