“Magic trick: to make people disappear, ask them to fulfill their promises.”
–Mason Cooley
You must be logged in to post a comment.
BY: 2Jung2Die
IN: Weekend Open Thread
BY: DavidThi808
IN: Weekend Open Thread
BY: Conserv. Head Banger
IN: Weekend Open Thread
BY: Conserv. Head Banger
IN: Weekend Open Thread
BY: notaskinnycook
IN: Weekend Open Thread
BY: doremi
IN: Latest Ballot Return Numbers: Strong Returns for Democrats
BY: ParkHill
IN: Latest Ballot Return Numbers: Strong Returns for Democrats
BY: itlduso
IN: Evans’ Explanation for Skipping Gay Marriage Vote Puzzles His Colleagues
BY: 2Jung2Die
IN: Latest Ballot Return Numbers: Strong Returns for Democrats
BY: JohnInDenver
IN: Latest Ballot Return Numbers: Strong Returns for Democrats
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop with regular updates!
11:52 pm MST: 51-49 Cory Gardner just voted for the Republican tax bill which would increase the deficit by 1.4 trillion over 10 years, increase middle class taxes by 5.8 billion to decrease top millionaire's taxes by 5.3 billion.
This could also trigger automatic across-the-board cuts in Medicaid (25 billion) and in farm subsidies. It is in fact a betrayal of Trump voters, along with every other middle-income taxpayer.
Here are individual impacts over time, as scored by CBO:
Somehow, Arctic wildlife refuge drilling, personhood, having taxpayers pay for private conservative schools, and throwing 13 billion off of their health insurance made it through the Byrd “single subject” obstacle, and are included in the tax bill. Per NYT. Per Washington Post.
Applause in Senate. Here’s a screenshot of Gardner with other Senators congratulating themselves after the vote (from the NBC live feed linked above)
So now, even as the Trump presidency goes down in flames, even as Republicans are wrecking their electoral chances in 2020, the corporations and private-jet owners got what they wanted.
The Senate bill goes to conference in the House next. USA today enumerates issues still to be reconciled. But one House Rep says that he thinks they’ll get a bill to Trump to sign before Christmas.
Senators Susan Collins and Jeff Flake sold their votes for “commitments” by the Senate to pass legislation limiting health insurance premium rises and DACA protections. Right, because Mitch McConnell, Cory Gardner, & Co. are such honorable guys, they’ll definitely keep their commitments. And they thought Democrats were naive.
Well knock me over with a feather! I never would have expected it of our Cory!
On the other hand, fellating the donors, metaphorically-speaking, will be a lot more rewarding now for the NRSC.
I happened upon NPR's live stream of the "debate" on Facebook, just as Senator Spokesmodel (R-Koch Industries) was extolling the purported benefits of restructuring our tax base to the benefit of the owner class at the expense of workers. He was manic, and I mean that in a medical way. His speech was rushed, and he was physically bouncing around the podium like a monkey on crack. The picture of gravitas he was not. He did hit all his scripted
lieslines just right, so I guess Chuck and Dave will give him an extra biscuit with his kibble."He was manic … His speech was rushed."
I am picturing his painful performance in Durango a couple of months back.
I’m guessing Chuck and Dave have a nice, cushy job lined up for him beginning in January 2021.
Perhaps not as bad as I suggested, but still amped and completely shoveling manure.
Cory’s on at 3:44:10
I watched Cory try hard to sell this clunker. The deader it is, the harder he had to spin it to make it look alive. So yeah, he looked kind of manic there.
So he's like "Millions of jobs!" "Thousands in wage growth!" It'll help the Drive in in Commerce City expand! Never mind that Colorado already has the lowest unemployment in the country (Thanks renewables and cannabis industries). It can be so much better! Trust me!!!
And then he fricking lied about what they told him in Pueblo. They hated the GOP tax bill. He was booed and jeered. They were not telling him, Go with it, Cory.
I am so excited about this.
We will get an extra $1/week in 2027 thanks to foresightedness of the GOP: Party of Hate®.
Will McDonald's still have $1 items in 2027?
Don’t know about their “food” menu, . . .
. . . but with the direction we’re headed I expect by then they’ll have brought back plenty of those $1 McWorkers!
Don't spend it all in one place.
Chris Cillizza is gonna’ have a field day with this
It’s an especially sad day today in The People’s Socialist Republic of Zapatopia — the flags have been ordered to half-mast . . .
See How Every Senator Voted on the Republican Tax Bill
https://nyti.ms/2BBdHNM
. . . someone’s “dear Senator for life” voted 100% on each of the four votes with RWNJs Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Sherrod Brown, Elizabeth Warren, Diane Feinstein, Chuck Schumer, and Al Franken???!???
Let me do Zappy:
Senator-For-Life should have been the leader and not simply the follower in voting with Bernie and Liz and Sherrod. But he keeps a low profile because he does not want to alienate any of the Republicans.
Absolutely true.
PROVE ME WRONG.
Mockery is not proof. Accusations are not evidence.
There is no proof you will accept.
http://www.denverpost.com/2017/07/11/michael-bennet-gop-health-care-senate-floor-speech/
https://youtu.be/RtE3BK7JJFg
I agree with almost everything he said.
But your way – he could get out in front of Senators Warren, Sanders and Harris. Then we can all kick back and make fun of Senator Buck. Tancredo. Coffman. etc, etc, etc
From the Editorial Board of the New York Times:
Since Con Man Cory (that's him on the right in the picture) is extremely comfortable with lies and prevarications, expect him to be among the Carnival Barkers shamelessly hawking this payoff to his donors as a "Middle-Class" tax cut with a shit-eating grin on his face.
Mitch McConnell looks almost life like in that photo.
For future travel plans once Leader Yurtle has slipped this mortal coil.
Lord Byron, Epigram, 1822
News Flash — Republicans are delusional. Apparently, Fox News has been telling its viewers that this year's stock market gains have never occurred before. My recent conversations with Trumpers always include how excited they are about this year's gains in the stock market and seem to believe that no such gains happened under Obama. Well, here are the facts. These are the annual gains in the S&P 500 index from 2009 to 2016:
2016 11.96%
2015 1.38%
2014 13.69%
2013 32.39%
2012 16.00%
2011 2.11%
2010 15.06%
2009 26.46%
That's an average of 14.88% between 2009 – 2016 (Thanks, Obama). To date (an important caveat because much can change before 12/31/17), the S&P has gained 18.02%, or 3.14% higher than the prior 8 year average. (Note that in 2008 it fell (37.0%)!! Thanks, Bush.) In other words, this year's stock gains are not significantly higher than the gains from the prior 8 years.
Republicans are so delusional that they cannot comprehend basic financial facts. I understand that this is not new news. But, it adds to my concern that no facts can penetrate Republicans. Consequently, we end up with a tax bill that gives 22% of the tax cuts to the top 1% while the GOP claims it benefits the middle class. Moreover, I feel that no matter what Mueller uncovers about Trump misdeeds, the Repugnicants will simply call it "Fake News" and move on.
We are so screwed.
My recent conversations with Trumpers always include how excited they are about this year's gains in the stock market
Yes, Motor Anus was here yesterday shilling that party line.
You'd think they didn't know what the words "inflection point" meant.
I would bet they don't know the meaning to a lot of words.
You are correct, itlduso, facts don't matter to most Republicans. In fact, they are ubiquitous inconveniences to be ignored whenever possible to keep their fantasies from being quashed in the harsh light of reality.
"we are so screwed….." Yes, indeed, especially if the Dems are complacent again next year, like last year, and think the US House will simply fall into their hands.
I can't argue with that. Republicans are tone-deaf and dangerous; Democrats have been tone-deaf and ineffective — probably due to overreliance on fat cat donors (because small dollar donors are so much harder to come by)
So, the question is: What is the Democrats' tax plan? I have mentioned how a family of four making $60,000 a year currently pays about $1,800 in federal income taxes. Michael Bennet and Morgan Carroll did nothing when I suggested lowering that tax burden. Of course, Hillary Clinton also had no middle class tax relief plan. Now, Jason Crow has to be dragged to reluctantly agree with lowering middle class taxes.
Per Mama's earlier post the GOP tax plan gives this family about an $800 decrease. Those crumbs will be promoted by the GOP as "massive middle class tax relief" while the Dems are left offering……what, exactly?
What is the Democrats' tax plan?
There is none. This is the flip side of the GOP's response to Obamacare between 2011 and 2017. Oppose what the other side is doing but offer no alternative.
Appears to be a winning strategy, though. [sigh]
Sadly…..yes
duh.
For those fools who still think Susan Collins is a moderate, note that she voted the Koch bros line again. In Scott Nearing's memorable phrase, she is always a pacifist between wars and a vegetarian between meals.
It must be quite convenient to have disposable principles — of course our own Cory Gardner barely tries to pretend he has principles anymore.
Didn't they give her candy that will benefit her constituents to get her to go for it, and Murkowski the same?
Murkowski got oil which is better than candy. I seem to recall that Collins was excited the other day when they told her she could introduce an amendment to the bill. I think it was about property tax deduction.
Did Cory get any cash or prizes to take back to the Centennial State?
I was being metaphorical, R&R. I knew they must have given the reluctant Rs something to "sweeten" the deal, I just wasn't sure what each got
All Cory got was his photo op standing at the podium near an almost life-like looking Mitch McConnell to paste in his scrapbook. And probably a job offer from Chuck and Dave effective Jan. '21.
MTP today, Susan Collins: "I got iron clad guarantees that Medicare and Medicaid will not be cut."
by which they mean – they will save both by privatization
I can just hear the new GOP campaign slogan for 2018: "Screw the Poor, Serve the Rich". They certainly have pursued that agenda with gusto so far.
The backtracking on the "promises" made to buy the votes of the reluctant GOP Senators has already begun:
As if there was any doubt this was a sham deal. I can only imagine the buyout Flake has lined up in his post-Senate career. Some sweet deals as a lobbyist for the Kochs, perhaps.
I didn't scroll down far enough to see this remark, Davie. So I was right; they did give Collins goodies to vote for it. And her voters won't hold it against her since the goodies are for them.
The subsides are gone and not coming back with this Senate. Collins is not so foolish to believe 50 of her Republican colleagues will suddenly take pity on the ones they already tried, but failed earlier, to throw to the wolves.
How Republicans think that this deeply unpopular bill is their pathway to electoral victory is beyond me. But they are just beginning to carve up the hopes and lives of their victims in the Senate Rendering Plant:
Trump said he'd protect your town with a wall…for a price.
No, not that Trump. "Dr. Walter Trump" in this 1950s TV show, "Trackdown".
Snopes verified that it was a real episode.
So I want to know if the writer of the show modeled the slimy salesman after Donald's father, Fred Trump, or if Donnie, who could have seen the show as a child, modeled himself after what may be the martyred hero of the piece.
Just something lighter in the bad news of the day.
If you want to skip to the climax of the fraud, it's about 9:30.
There is a physical resemblance to Fred . . . and a behavioral resemblance to Donald.
Thanks for posting. I've watched it before, but found it useful to watch again, to see how the Mueller investigation comes out. Mueller, like the Texas Ranger, speaking truth to a con man.
My favorite line? At 17:59 — "You're under arrest, Trump."
Professional Courtesy My Ass:
It's not just me.
It should be every Elected Democrat from El Paso County Dog Catcher to US Senator and POTUS: Quit Enabling Republican Sabotage of Normal Government Functions and Basic Democratic Principles. As of now it is quite clear they do not share those principles.
And when Democrats do take control of our national government again, I want Dear Senator-for-Life Bennet to push this shit FOR REAL and not as a PUBLICITY STUNT (like his oh-so-furious and meaningless floor speeches) that he knows WILL NEVER PASS while he sits IN THE MINORITY.
Are you on crack?
Bernie and Liz and Sherrod are going to drive through universal health care? Good luck with that. And Sherrod will be lucky if he is still in the Senate after next year's election.
I have to laugh at you. The grand bargain of entitle reforms (yeah, tinkering with social security and medicare to make them sustainable) and increasing taxes on the wealthy to reduce the national debt which Obama considered doing with John Boehner and which drove LWNJ like you over the edge is no longer a problem.
Now we have the worst of both worlds: tax increases on the poor, tax reductions for the rich and it looks like entitlement reform is coming too next year!
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/02/us/politics/tax-cuts-republicans-entitlements-medicare-social-security.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fpolitics&action=click&contentCollection=politics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=5&pgtype=sectionfront
Bennet and Udall abandoned Obama and Colorado voters in tandem. They are and were cowards.
You say I’m a political fool
I say you are a political coward.
Hey – You are both right.
Although your presentation is over the top (as usual), I have to agree with your basic argument.
If/when Democrats ( and Independents who caucus with Democrats) take control of Congress and the Presidency again, they must enshrine the "norms of civilized discourse" and "regular order" into rules that can't be broken.
No more rushing a multiple subject bill through with no hearings or witnesses from the public.
And Obama should have made a recess appointment to the Supreme Court when it became clear that McConnell's Senate was never going to even allow Garland to be come up for a vote.
In order for the dream of "taking it back" to happen, Republican gerrymandering must be defeated. Holder and Obama are on it, but we all need to keep our eyes on it. It might be the one reason I contribute to the DNC again.
As far as the incremental "Medicare X" plan that Bennet and Kaine are pushing, I would prefer full-fledged public option, or Medicare for All. We all know that would be the most efficient and lowest cost way of providing health care to the most people. But that would create a lot of turbulence in the insurance field; people would be laid off from insurance industry and have to find jobs in government. Medicare X, or incremental change, might work as a transition.
It might be more palatable to rural voters, including Republican and Independent voters. As a rural medium-income person, my health insurance costs have gone up and are covering less every year. I'd love an opportunity to buy into a Medicare X type plan, and so would most of my neighbors.
Dear Donald Trump,
Thank you for informing me that the FBI is in tatters.
Signed,
Radical Islamic Terrorist
And
CEO Everywhere
CFO All Of Us
Money Launders (is that really a crime?)
Tax evaders