November 2010-Everything About Politics

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Conservatives In Their Own Words: ‘The Republican Party Is Not The Beneficiary Of A Mandate’

Conservatives In Their Own Words: ‘The Republican Party Is Not The Beneficiary Of A Mandate’: "

In his post-election press conference this afternoon, President Barack Obama strongly rejected the idea that Republicans received a mandate to enforce their policies, despite their electoral gains, saying that “no person, no party has a monopoly on wisdom. … No one party will be able to dictate where we go from here. We must find common ground in order to make progress on some uncommonly difficult challenges.”

The idea that Republicans did not receive a mandate isn’t just held by the president — it was a theme echoed throughout the night by Republican politicians and conservative pundits:

– Senator-elect Marco Rubio (R-FL): “We make a grave mistake if we believe that tonight these results are somehow an embrace of the Republican Party.”

– Fox News pundit Brit Hume: “The Republican Party is not the beneficiary of some mandate this time around.”

– Former chief economic policy adviser to John McCain’s presidential campaign Douglas Holtz-Eakin: “This isn’t a pro-Republican vote. This is a repudiation of what we’ve seen the past two years, it’s not an endorsement of Republican agendas.”

– RNC head Michael Steele: “There’s still the people who say, ‘well we’re not sure. We’re not sure about Republican leadership, we’re not sure about the direction.’”

– Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI): “This is not necessarily ‘we love Republicans.’ This is, ‘change course, the country’s on the wrong track.’”

Watch a compilation:

Unfortunately, some Republican leaders have signaled they are on an uncompromising mission to enforce what they believe to be their mandate. Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) said bluntly before the election that “there will be no compromise.” Presumptive Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) has said that “to the extent that [Obama] wants to work with us in terms of where we’re going, I would certainly welcome it.” Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) believes “the word ‘compromise’ has been misunderstood” and that his job will be “getting America back to the center right where it exists.”

If one were to look to public opinion, it’s also clear that no mandate for Republican policy prescriptions exists, as today’s Progress Report notes. The vast majority of voters — 64 percent — continue to blame either Wall Street (35 percent) or George W. Bush (29 percent) for the troubled economy. Fully 78 percent of all voters support comprehensive immigration reform, with a path to legal status by far the most popular. And voters from Connecticut to California and Michigan to Florida are more likely to support candidates who support an energy bill that cuts climate change pollution, polling shows. Voters clearly voiced frustration with the government yesterday — but they did not endorse a Republican policy mandate.

Chamber’s Money Well Spent: 63 Percent of Races Won; 20 Incumbent Democrats Defeated

Chamber’s Money Well Spent: 63 Percent of Races Won; 20 Incumbent Democrats Defeated: "

Our guest blogger is Tony Carrk, policy director of Progressive Media at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

For months, Think Progress has been chronicling the “U.S.” Chamber of Commerce’s $75 million campaign to put its interests over working- and middle-class families. It uses its substantial war chest to protect companies that outsource, oppose health reform, oppose Wall Street reform, and oppose clean energy. The Chamber will not disclose who is financing this campaign, fearing a public backlash. But we know the results: The 112th Congress will have more members to protect its pro-outsourcing, anti-middle class agenda.

So far, the Chamber’s spending contributed to the defeat of 20 incumbent Democrats. In all, the Chamber spent $31.8 million on ads or independent expenditures in 62 races. Six of those races are too close to call as of this afternoon. Of the remaining 57, the Chamber’s candidate won 36 of them — or 63 percent. The cost of those 36 wins: nearly $17 million.

Here is a list of races the Chamber won:

Race	Total	Chamber Position	Chamber Win/Lose?
New York’s 24th district	$25,712	Oppose Arcuri (D)*	Win
Ohio’s 18th district	$45,415	Oppose Space (D)*	Win
Georgia’s 12th district	$78,558	Support Barrow (D)	Win
Wisconsin’s 8th district	$89,418	Oppose Kagen (D)*	Win
Florida’s 25th district	$99,310	Oppose Garcia (D)	Win
Illinois’s 14th district	$99,952	Oppose Foster (D)*	Win
Oklahoma’s 2nd district	$135,799	Supporting Boren (D)	Win
Pennsylvania’s 7th district	$146,680	Oppose Lentz (D)	Win
New Hampshire’s 1st district	$148,640	Oppose Shea-Porter (D)*	Win
New Hampshire’s 2nd district	$149,380	Oppose Kuster (D)	Win
Washington’s 3rd district	$149,540	Oppose Dennis Heck (D)	Win
Pennsylvania’s 8th district	$170,000	Oppose P. Murphy (D)*	Win
Kansas’s 3rd district	$172,864	Oppose Moore (D)	Win
Utah’s 2nd district	$180,308	Support J. Matheson (D)	Win
New York’s 19th district	$192,206	Oppose Hall (D)*	Win
Arkansas’s 4th district	$223,148	Support Ross (D)	Win
New Mexico’s 2nd district	$239,739	Oppose Teague (D)*	Win
Pennsylvania’s 3rd district	$248,500	Oppose Dahlkemper (D)*	Win
Colorado’s 4th district	$250,000	Oppose B. Markey (D)*	Win
Indiana Senate	$250,000	Oppose Ellsworth (D)**	Win
Florida’s 24th district	$250,000	Oppose Kosmas (D)*	Win
Ohio’s 15th district	$261,735	Oppose Kilroy (D)*	Win
Wisconsin’s 7th district	$266,593	Oppose Lassa (D)	Win
North Dakota’s 1st district	$273,525	Oppose Pomeroy (D)*	Win
Illinois’s 11th district	$300,000	Oppose Halvorson (D)*	Win
Pennsylvania’s 10th district	$398,365	Oppose Carney (D)*	Win
Ohio’s 16th district	$421,315	Oppose Boccieri (D)*	Win
Virginia’s 5th district	$442,765	Oppose Perriello (D)*	Win
Nevada’s 3rd district	$449,850	Oppose Titus (D)*	Win
Wisconsin Senate	$748,300	Oppose Feingold (D)*	Win
Missouri Senate	$1,110,461	Oppose Carnahan (D)	Win
Kentucky Senate	$1,254,010	Oppose Conway (D)	Win
Illinois Senate	$1,682,856	Oppose Giannoulis (D)	Win
Pennsylvania Senate	$1,692,056	Oppose Sestak (D)**	Win
Florida Senate	$2,000,000	Oppose Crist (I)	Win
New Hampshire Senate	$2,324,730	Oppose Hodes (D)*	Win
Total	$16,971,730

* – Incumbent

** – Running for Senate

On the flip side, the Chamber spent $11.4 million on races it lost. However, that figure is deceptive since nearly $5 million of that amount went to unsuccessfully defeat Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA).

Sharia Hysteria Comes To Oklahoma: Voters Approve Sharia Law Ban

Sharia Hysteria Comes To Oklahoma: Voters Approve Sharia Law Ban: "

Oklahoma became the first U.S. state to ban the non-existent threat of Sharia law yesterday. Nearly 70 percent of voters there approved ballot initiative “Question 755″ — or the “Save Our State” constitutional amendment — which bans Sharia from being considered in Oklahoma courts. The ballot states that Oklahoma courts must “rely on federal and state law when deciding cases” and forbids them from “considering or using international law” and “from considering or using Sharia Law.”

The measure’s sponsor, Republican state senator Rex Duncan, called the result a “preemptive strike” against local judges whom he thinks might be “legislating from the bench or using international law or Sharia law.” “The fact that Sharia law was even considered anywhere in the United States is enough for me,” said GOP state senator Anthony Sykes. “It should scare anyone that any judge in America would consider using that as precedent.” Sykes is referring to a case in New Jersey in which a local judge ruled against a woman seeking a retraining order against her husband because he had repeatedly raped her. The judge said the husband was abiding by Muslim beliefs, but the decision was later overturned by an appellate court.

One local Muslim leader called the measure a “scare tactic” while another, Saleem Quraishi, called the measure “fear mongering“:

“It’s just fear mongering; it’s nothing,” Quraishi told CNN. “What’s Sharia law have to do with Oklahoma?” [...]

Quraishi insists that Islam does not allow for men to mistreat women, and that the New Jersey case involved a “crazy, loony man, unfortunately a Muslim.” “That is not Islam,” he said. “Oklahoma, you know, is a very Republican state,” Quraishi said. He accused some lawmakers with attempting to instill fear in the heads of constituents in order to drum up votes. “But Oklahomans are not like that. I know most of the Oklahomans. They’re very nice people.”

The Wonk Room’s Matt Duss notes that Sharia hysteria “has moved from the right-wing fringe into the mainstream conservative discourse, courtesy of people like Newt Gingrich” and was “kicked into high-gear” last month with the neocon Center for Security Policy’s release of a new “Team B II” report, “Sharia: The Threat To America.” Aside from the fact that the First Amendment protects against religious intrusion, Duss notes the obvious “nonsense” surrounding the right’s fear mongering:

Are there Muslim missionaries in the U.S. right now who want to get Americans to adopt Islam? Yes, just as there are Christian missionaries in Indonesia who want to get Indonesians to worship Jesus. Christianity and Islam are both evangelizing religions. Spreading the faith is part of the program.

Are there also radical Muslims in America right now trying to find ways to turn the U.S. into a religious state? Most likely, yes, and we should be on guard against it. It’s worth noting, however, that the Christian Right has failed at this for decades, in a country where over 75% of people identify as Christian. So good luck with that, radical Muslims.

In fact, Duncan and Sykes acknowledge that the Sharia issue is indeed a non-issue. “It’s not a problem and we want to keep it that way,” Sykes said. “It’s not an imminent threat in Oklahoma yet, but it’s a storm on the horizon in other states,” said Duncan. About 15,000 of Oklahoma’s 3.7 million residents are Muslim.

Asked If Untaxed Corporations Like Exxon Are Taxed Too Much, Tea Party Leaders Say Yes

Asked If Untaxed Corporations Like Exxon Are Taxed Too Much, Tea Party Leaders Say Yes: "

This morning at the National Press Club, leaders from the Tea Party Patriots, an umbrella group that helps coordinate Tea Party chapters around the country, held a press conference to celebrate the results of the election last night. During the press conference, Tea Party Patriots officers Mark Meckler and Jenny Beth Martin announced a “40 year plan” to shift America’s educational system, fiscal priorities, culture, and values.

ThinkProgress attended the presser and asked the Tea Party leaders about some of their top priorities, namely taxes and repealing President Obama’s reforms. Presented with the fact that some of the most profitable American corporations in the world, like ExxonMobil and Bank of America, paid essentially zero corporate income taxes in 2009, we asked Meckler if he believed corporations are indeed “taxed enough already?” Meckler responded that he still believed in a tax-cutting agenda, and suggested that corporations even deserve a tax holiday. Similarly, we asked Martin about Rep. Eric Cantor’s (R-VA) pledge last night to defund the historic financial regulatory reform passed by President Obama to shore up Wall Street. She said she had “no idea” what to think about that, and said her 280,000 strong membership had never substantially commented to her about Obama’s Wall Street reforms:

TP: I know they say the “tea” stands for “taxed enough already.” Last year in 2009, ExxonMobil paid nothing in corporate income taxes. Some of the most profitable corporations like Bank of America also paid nothing, Googled paid I believe 2%. Do you believe those are appropriate tax rates?

MECKLER: You know I can’t address tax rates, but what I can tell you is that the American people will respond to things like that. [...] We’ve been suggesting a corporate tax holiday to allow these companies to come in and create jobs. [...]

TP: Last night, Congressman Eric Cantor — possibly incoming Majority Leader — said that one of the first things Republicans should do with their new Tea Party-backed majority is to defund financial regulatory reform. What do you think about that?

MARTIN: I have no idea. [...] I can’t speak personally about how I feel about it. My job is to reflect the grassroots. [...]

TP: Have you heard a lot of feedback about Wall Street reform? How do your members feel about that?

MARTIN: We’ve had a little bit of feedback on that, we haven’t had a lot. We’re bringing in policy experts to come in to talk to them about various positions. I have heard, and have had people ask about having someone come in and talk about Wall Street reform. I believe that’s one of the things we’re going to add to our list of topics.

Watch it:

The “Tea Party” leaders’ lack of concrete ideas on financial reform, and their defense of untaxed international corporations, might seem to violate the ideals of the actual Boston Tea Party, which was a protest against the East India Trading company and its use of the British government to retain a monopolistic, undemocratic control over the American colonies.

However, considering the true political drivers of the Tea Party Patriots, their support of the wealthy elite makes perfect sense. For instance, the Tea Party Patriots listserv, which helped orchestrate many of the anti-health reform protests last year, is managed by staffers from FreedomWorks — the corporate front group run by longtime business lobbyist Dick Armey. Many of the talking points and speakers used by the Tea Party Patriots are provided by corporate front groups like Americans for Prosperity, a front for oil and hedge fund billionaires David and Charles Koch. Free training seminars and online tutorials for grassroots organizing were provided to the Tea Party Patriots by the Leadership Institute, which is funded by the Koch family as well as by other corporate interests, like the DeVos family of the pyramid-scheme company Amway. A mysterious donor even granted Tea Party Patriots with an additional $1 million for increased election-season outreach.

In fact, much of the Tea Party Patriot’s press conference was eclipsed by an announcement by Colin Hanna, leader of the front group “Let Freedom Ring” (funded by John Templeton Jr., an heir to a large Wall Street fortune). Hanna announced that his group had secretly worked with the Tea Party Patriots to place an unprecedented number of “poll watchers” in key precincts around the country to guard against voter fraud (view the handout here).

Tenther Senate Candidates Get Thumped At The Polls

Tenther Senate Candidates Get Thumped At The Polls: "

For over a year, ThinkProgress has been tracking “tentherism”, the radical view that pretty much everything the federal government does is unconstitutional. A shockingly large number of the GOP’s Senate candidates this cycle embraced tentherism, proclaiming that essential programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and the federal minimum wage are all unconstitutional. Yet, even as Republicans as a whole rode the economic downturn to significant Congressional gains, the Party’s tenther slate massively underperformed:

Joe Miller (R-AK), AKA “Mr. Noun, Verb, and Unconstitutional,” was probably this election’s most outspoken tenther. Miller claims that Social Security, Medicare, unemployment benefits, minimum wage, Medicaid and federal child labor laws are all unconstitutional. Yet, despite running in blood-red Alaska, Miller is currently well behind a candidate whose name wasn’t even on the ballot.

Sharron Angle (R-NV), also should have had an easy race again an unpopular incumbent running in the state with the highest unemployment rate in the nation. Yet after Angle claimed the Department of Education and membership in the United Nations are unconstitutional, Nevada’s voters decisively reelected Harry Reid.

Ken Buck (R-CO), also embraces the tenther view that Pell Grants, student loan assistance, and other federal education programs are unconstitutional. He lost to Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO).

John Raese (R-WV), holds the tenther view that the minimum wage is unconstitutional. Despite running in one of the three states where President Obama is most unpopular, Raese lost by double digits.

To be fair, not every tenther candidate lost yesterday. Senator-elect Rand Paul (R-KY) expressed tenther-driven opposition to the federal ban on whites-only lunch counters early in his race, although he quickly backed off this record after a disasterous interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. Likewise, Senator-elect Mike Lee (R-UT) is also a fierce tenther, although he ran a much more low-profile race than co-ideologues such as Miller or Angle.

Nevertheless, it is significant that, in an election cycle that clearly favored Republicans, the most outspoken tenthers were unable to prevail even in the some of the reddest of red states. It would have been a huge surprise if the GOP had not won Kentucky and Utah last night, and it is equally surprising that the GOP candidate lost very easy races in states like Alaska and Nevada. While there’s no way to spin last night’s results as a good thing for progressive policies, voters rejected the notion that Medicare, Social Security, Pell Grants, or basic labor protections should be on the chopping block.

REPORT: Meet The 2010 GOP Freshman Class

REPORT: Meet The 2010 GOP Freshman Class: "

Following last night’s election, over 100 freshmen Republicans will take their seats in the 112th Congress. These GOPers come from disparate backgrounds, but they are united by their adherence to the extreme wing of conservative ideology.

A new ThinkProgress investigation has found that the incoming GOP freshman class is rife with legislators who not only oppose climate change legislation, but deny that manmade global warming even exists. They are pushing not just to end birthright citizenship, but also demand that the United States reduce the number of legal immigrants.

Here is a snapshot of the GOP Class of 2010’s extremism:

ENVIRONMENT

- 50% deny the existence of manmade climate change

- 86% are opposed to any climate change legislation that increases government revenue

IMMIGRATION

- 39% have already declared their intention to end the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship

- 32% want to reduce legal immigration

TAXES/SPENDING

- 91% have sworn to never allow an income tax increase on any individual or business – regardless of deficits or war

- 79% have pledged to permanently repeal the estate tax

- 48% are pushing for a balanced budget amendment

This is where individual incoming GOP freshmen stand on each issue:

Key

GW: Global warming denier CC: No climate change legislation
BC: End birthright citizenship RI: Reduce legal immigration
TP: No tax increase pledge ET: Repeal estate tax
BB: Balanced budget amendment

Martha Roby (AL-02) CC TP ET	Mo Brooks (AL-05) GW CC TP ET
Joe Miller* (AK-SEN) GW CC TP ET BB	Paul Gosar (AZ-01) CC BC RI TP
Ben Quayle (AZ-03) GW CC BC TP ET	David Schweikert (AZ-05) CC BC RI TP ET BB
Ruth McClung* (AZ-07) GW CC ET BB	Jesse Kelly* (AZ-08) GW CC BC RI TP ET BB
Rick Crawford (AR-01) CC TP ET	Tim Griffin (AR-02) CC BC RI TP ET
Steve Womack (AR-03) CC BC RI TP	John Boozman (AR-SEN) GW CC BC RI TP ET BB
David Harmer* (CA-11) GW CC TP ET	Jeff Denham (CA-19) GW CC TP
Andy Vidak (CA-20) GW TP ET	Scott Tipton (CO-03) CC TP ET
Cory Gardner (CO-04) GW CC TP BB	Steve Southerland (FL-02) CC BC RI TP ET BB
Rich Nugent (FL-05) CC BC RI TP ET BB	Daniel Webster (FL-08) CC BC RI TP ET
Dennis Ross (FL-12) CC BC RI TP ET BB	Allen West (FL-22) GW BC RI ET
Sandy Adams (FL-24) CC BC RI TP ET BB	David Rivera (FL-25) CC TP ET
Marco Rubio (FL-SEN) GW CC TP ET BB	Rob Woodall (GA-07) BC RI
Austin Scott (GA-08) CC BC RI TP ET	Raul Labrador (ID-01) CC RI TP ET BB
Joe Walsh* (IL-08) GW CC TP BB	Robert Dold (IL-10) GW CC TP
Adam Kinzinger (IL-11) CC TP	Randy Hultgren (IL-14) GW CC TP ET BB
Bobby Schilling (IL-17) GW CC BC TP ET BB	Mark Kirk (IL-SEN) CC
Marlin Stutzman (IN-03) CC TP ET BB	Todd Rokita (IN-04) GW CC TP ET
Larry Bucshon (IN-08) GW CC TP ET BB	Todd Young (IN-09) GW CC TP BB
Dan Coats (IN-SEN) GW CC TP ET BB	Tim Huelskamp (KS-01) GW CC BC RI TP ET
Kevin Yoder (KS-03) ET	Mike Pompeo (KS-04) CC TP ET
Jerry Moran (KS-SEN) GW CC BC RI TP	Rand Paul (KY-SEN) GW CC BC TP ET BB
Jeff Landry (LA-03) CC TP BB	Andy Harris (MD-01) CC BC RI TP ET BB
Dan Benishek (MI-01) CC BC RI TP ET BB	Bill Huizenga (MI-02) GW CC TP ET
Justin Amash (MI-03) CC TP ET BB	Tim Walberg (MI-07) GW CC BC RI TP ET BB
	Chip Cravaack (MN-08) GW TP ET BB
Vicky Hartzler (MO-04) GW CC BC TP ET	Billy Long (MO-07) CC ET
Roy Blunt (MO-SEN) GW CC BC RI TP ET	Alan Nunnelee (MS-01) CC BC RI TP ET BB
Steven Palazzo (MS-04) CC BC RI TP ET BB	Renee Ellmers (NC-02) TP ET BB
Rick Berg (ND-AL) CC TP ET	John Hoeven (ND-SEN) GW
Frank Guinta (NH-01) CC TP ET BB	Charlie Bass (NH-02) GW CC BC TP
Kelly Ayotte (NH-SEN) GW CC TP ET BB	Jon Runyan (NJ-03) CC ET BB
Joe Heck (NV-03) CC BC RI TP ET	Steve Pearce (NM-02) GW CC BC TP ET
Mike Grimm (NY-13) GW CC TP ET BB	Nan Hayworth (NY-19) GW CC TP ET BB
Chris Gibson (NY-20) CC TP	Richard Hanna (NY-24) ET
Anne Marie Buerkle* (NY-25) GW CC TP ET BB	Tom Reed (NY-29) CC TP ET
Steve Chabot (OH-01) GW CC TP ET BB	Bill Johnson (OH-06) CC TP ET
Steve Stivers (OH-15) GW CC TP ET	Jim Renacci (OH-16) CC TP ET BB
Bob Gibbs (OH-18) GW CC BC RI TP ET BB	Rob Portman (OH-SEN) TP
James Lankford (OK-05) GW CC BC TP ET	Mike Kelly (PA-03) CC TP ET
Pat Meehan (PA-07) CC TP ET	Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08) CC TP ET
Tom Marino (PA-10) CC BC RI TP ET BB	Lou Barletta (PA-11) CC BC RI TP ET
Pat Toomey (PA-SEN) GW TP ET	Tim Scott (SC-01) CC TP ET BB
Jeff Duncan (SC-03) BC RI TP	Trey Gowdy (SC-04) GW CC TP ET BB
Mick Mulvaney (SC-05) GW CC TP ET BB	Kristi Noem (SD-AL) GW CC TP ET
Chuck Fleischman (TN-03) BC RI TP ET	Scott DesJarlais (TN-04) CC BC RI TP ET BB
Diane Black (TN-06) GW CC BC RI TP ET	Stephen Fincher (TN-08) CC TP ET
Bill Flores (TX-17) CC BC RI TP ET BB	Francisco Canseco (TX-23) CC TP
Blake Farenthold (TX-27) GW BB	Mike Lee (UT-SEN) CC BC TP ET BB
Scott Rigell (VA-02) GW CC BC RI TP	Robert Hurt (VA-05) GW CC TP ET
Morgan Griffith (VA-09) GW CC TP ET	Keith Fimian* (VA-11) GW CC TP ET BB
John Koster* (WA-02) GW CC BC RI TP ET BB	Jamie Herrera (WA-03) CC TP ET
Dick Muri* (WA-09) GW TP BB	Dino Rossi* (WA-SEN) GW TP ET BB
Sean Duffy (WI-07) CC TP ET	Reid Ribble (WI-08) CC TP ET
Ron Johnson (WI-SEN) GW CC TP ET BB	David McKinley (WV-01) GW CC BC RI TP ET BB

*- These races are currently too close to call.

Daily Kos contributor RL Miller contributed research assistance for this post.

Why Republicans Don’t Have A Mandate To Repeal Health Reform

Why Republicans Don’t Have A Mandate To Repeal Health Reform: "

While it’s difficult to generalize about an election that attracted older and more conservative voters, many of whom said that they were most concerned about the economy and unemployment, one can close the loop on debunking the notion that the Affordable Care Act is to blame for the Democrats’ dismal showings last night.

As Politico’s Pulse pointed out this morning, “Exit polls show health as the second most important factor driving votes (19 percent). It was distantly behind the economy (62 percent).” While half wanted the health law repealed, “nearly another half wanted it expanded or kept in place.” And according to a Wonk Room analysis of the election results, of the 34 House Democrats who voted against the final health care bill, 18 lost their bids for reelection, 12 won, 3 retired, and 1 race — Rep. Ben Chandler’s (KY) — is still too close to call. Two states, Oklahoma and Arizona, also passed anti-reform ballot initiatives, while voters in Colorado defeated a similar proposition:

– 18 Voted AGAINST health care reform, and LOST:

Rep. John Adler (NJ), Rep. Rick Boucher (VA), Rep. Travis Childers (MS), Rep. Lincoln Davis (TN), Rep. Chet Edwards (TX), Rep. Frank Kratovil (MD), Rep. Jim Marshall (GA), Rep. Charlie Melancon (LA) [ran for Senate], Rep. Glenn Nye (VA), Rep. Ike Skelton (MO), Rep. Zack Space (OH), Rep. Gene Taylor (MS), Rep. Harry Teague (NM), Rep. Michael Arcuri (NY), Rep. Bobby Bright (AL), Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD), Rep. Mike McMahon (NY), Rep. Walt Minnick (ID)

– 12 Voted AGAINST health care reform, and WON:

Rep. Jason Altmire (PA), Rep. John Barrow (GA), Rep. Dan Boren (OK), Rep. Tim Holden (PA), Rep. Larry Kissell (NC), Rep. Dan Lipinski (IL), Rep. Stephen Lynch (MA), Rep. Mike McIntyre (NC), Rep. Collin Peterson (MN), Rep. Mike Ross (AR), Rep. Heath Shuler (NC), Rep. Jim Matheson (UT)

– 2 Referendums AGAINST health reform PASSED:

Arizona, Oklahoma

– 1 Referendum AGAINST individual mandate FAILED:

Colorado

Last night, members of the House Republican leadership reiterated that they would focus on the economy, before turning their attention to repealing health care reform “lock, stock, and barrel” — an almost impossible feat given the Democrats’ control of the Senate and the Presidency. As the Wonk Room explains, the greatest gain for anti-reform advocates, however, will be felt in the states, where Republicans won control of 19 statehouse chambers on Tuesday.

President Bush On Iraq War: ‘I Was A Dissenting Voice. I Didn’t Want To Use Force’

President Bush On Iraq War: ‘I Was A Dissenting Voice. I Didn’t Want To Use Force’: "

Former President George W. Bush will unveil his memoir “Decision Points” this Sunday to offer “an account of a key decisions in his life.” According to his publisher, the book will offer “gripping, never-before-heard detail.” One of those unheard-of details? Bush didn’t want the Iraq War.

Conducting Bush’s first interview of his publicity tour (which will air Monday), NBC News’ Matt Lauer pressed Bush on his decision to go to war despite “questions” from a number of “dissenters” like Gen. Colin Powell and his father’s former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft. Bush responded that “of course there were” dissenters, like himself:

LAUER: Not everybody thought you should go to war, though. There were dissenters.

BUSH: Of course there were.

LAUER: You know, there were questions at the Pentagon. Colin Powell had questions. Brent Scowcroft, your father’s former National Security Advisor, and dear friend, wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, I’m paraphrasing here, saying, “It’s not a good idea to go to war in Iraq.” So there were dissenting voices.

BUSH: I was a dissenting voice. I didn’t want to use force. I mean force is the last option for a President. And I think it’s clear in the book that I gave diplomacy every chance to work. And I will also tell you the world’s better off without somehow in power. And so are 25 million Iraqis.[...]

LAUER: You would still go to war in Iraq?

BUSH: I– first of all, didn’t have that luxury. You just don’t have the luxury when you’re President. That’s a very hypothetical question. I will say definitely the world is better off without Saddam Hussein in power, as are 25 million people who now have a chance to live in freedom.

Perhaps Bush doesn’t seem to remember his avaricious thirst for the Iraq war. So let’s remind him.

Recall, in 2002, when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was meeting with three U.S. Senators on how to approach Iraq diplomatically, Bush “poked his head into the office” and “neatly summed up” his take: “F___ Saddam. We’re taking him out.” In “talking about why we needed this war,” Bush later referenced an alleged Iraqi assassination plot against Bush’s father: “We need to get Saddam Hussein…that Mother ______ tried to take out my Dad.”

This “get Saddam” mentality was hardly a momentary craze. Recently declassified documents reveal that his administration were looking for a way to “decapitate” the Iraqi government since 2001. As Bush’s Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill — who Bush fired for “disagreeing too many times” with him — puts it, Bush was “all about finding a way to [go to war]. That was the tone of it. The president saying ‘Go find me a way to do this.’”

In the interview, Bush added that he still feels “sickened and angry” over the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Maybe he should watch his old comedy routine about those non-existent weapons of mass destruction. But, the 5,000 troop casualties and nearly 100,000 Iraqi civilian casualties resulting from his decision is no laughing matter. (HT: TPM)

House Republicans Still Can’t Name Any Programs They Would Cut To Pay For Bush Tax Cuts

During this campaign season, many Republicans were loathe to lay out any spending cuts that they would make in order to offset their desire to extend all of the Bush tax cuts. Extending the entirety of the Bush tax package would cost nearly $4 trillion over ten years, including about $830 billion to extend the cuts for the richest two percent of Americans alone. House Republicans, though — including Pledge to America architect Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) — simply said that they would cut discretionary spending across-the-board to offset that cost. “The line item would be across-the-board,” McCarthy asserted.

Even though election night was upon them and a new majority secured, House Republicans weren’t any more willing to lay out specific spending cuts last night. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) told MSNBC’s Chris Matthews that the most important thing that Congress can do is extend the Bush tax cuts. But when Matthews pressed her for spending reductions, Blackburn only named parts of the budget that she has deemed off-limits for cuts. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) did the same, refusing to name a specific cut in two separate interviews. Watch a compilation:

Contrary to one of Blackburn’s assertions, defense spending is part of the discretionary budget. The Sustainable Task Force — composed of Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and some of the nation’s leading defense and budget experts — has identified nearly $1 trillion in waste that can be cut from the defense budget over the next ten years by simply eliminating unnecessary Cold War-era programs.

Blackburn and Cantor seem to be under the impression that there is nothing that matters in the non-defense discretionary portion of the budget. But that portion of the budget includes all federal education funding, some veteran’s benefits, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Secret Service, federal highway funding, the National Park Service, the Coast Guard, and Congress itself.

Will House Republicans be reducing all of those across-the-board? It isn’t likely, which means that that they will have to make even deeper cuts to some programs to achieve their desired savings. Of course, they could just be confirming that they agree with Sen. Mitch McConnell’s pronouncement that giving tax breaks to the rich is deficit spending that Republicans support!

See The Wonk Room for a list of potential progressive spending cuts that could be made.

Monday, November 1, 2010

NY-sen: 57% Gillibrand (D), 37% DioGuardi (R) (10 / 27-30 Siena)

Read more: Andrew Cuomo, Carl Paladino, Chuck Schumer, Jay Townsend, Joe DioGuardi, Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Governor Poll, New York poll, New York Senate poll, survey, poll update, pollsters, politics news

Siena
10/27-30/10; 603 likely voters, 4% margin of error
Mode: Live telephone interviews
Siena-release

New York

2010 Governor
58% Cuomo (D), 33% Paladino (R) (map)

2010 Senate (B)
57% Gillibrand (D), 37% DioGuardi (R) (map)

2010 Senate (A)
64% Schumer (D), 32% Townsend (R) (map)

View the original article here

Josh Ozersky: Free Association with Mark Oldman

Josh Ozersky: Free Association with Mark Oldman HPFB.init();

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Josh OzerskyFood Columinst

Posted: November 1, 2010 12:34 AMBIOBecome a FanGet Email AlertsBloggers' Index

There I was, hanging out at Eisenberg's, eating a tuna melt and a diet black cherry soda, and I see Mark Oldman, the wine expert, at the next table. So I peppered him with questions.

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