Tag: GOP

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Texas Congressman Randy Weber Tweets Then Deletes Comparision Of Hitler And Obama

Texas Congressman Randy Weber has come under fire for a tweet he shared comparing President Obama to Hitler’s march through Europe.

After a firestorm of criticism it appears the tweet was deleted and Weber shared a link to his House webpage where he issues a kind of apology.

Weber has a history of anti-Obama comments, so this is nothing new.  But to compare attending a march in Paris over the shooting of five journalists at Charlie Hebdo to a holocaust that led to the death of millions is severely unbalanced.

I personally agree with some critics that the White House should have sent a higher level representative to the march in Paris. We have a Secretary of State who not only speaks French, but foreign relations ARE his job. I would like to know why John Kerry did not attend.

That being said, Weber’s comments are outside the boundaries of sane thought and good taste.

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Mitch McConnell Takes Credit For US Economy After ONE Day As Senate Majority Leader

Just ONE day into his role as Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell (R-KY) takes credit for the good news on the American economy saying it’s all about the fact that Republican have a brand new majority in Congress:

“After so many years of sluggish growth, we’re finally starting to see some economic data that can provide a glimmer of hope; the uptick appears to coincide with the biggest political change of the Obama administration’s long tenure in Washington: the expectation of a new Republican Congress,” McConnell said on Wednesday. “So this is precisely the right time to advance a positive, pro-growth agenda.”

The Democratic National Committee thought the comment was more than hysterical, emailing a statement with the subject line “DNC to McConnell: Hahahahahahahahahahaha.”

Here’s the statement from DNC Communications Director Mo Elleithee:

Hahahahahahahahahahaha. That Mitch McConnell is one funny guy. He likes to remind people all the time that he’s not a scientist. Now we know he’s not a mathematician or an economist either.

The fact is, under President Obama we’ve had 57 straight months of private sector job growth leading to nearly 11 million jobs added.

All Republicans have given us is a government shutdown that cost the economy $24 billion.

I get why he wants to take credit for the economic recovery. But maybe he should first do something to help contribute to it.

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Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert Announces Challenge To John Boehner For Speaker Of The House

Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert visits Fox & Friends Weekend to declare his opposition to Representative John Boehner for Speaker of the House.

In announcing his challenge Gohmert had this to say to Boehner: “You deceived us when you went to Obama and Pelosi to get your votes for the Cromnibus; you said you’d fight amnesty tooth and nail, you didn’t! You funded it.”

Life now gets more complicated for Boehner.

I don’t think Boehner will lose his Speakership, but I do think this is the Tea Party/far right GOPers way of sending a very public message to Boehner.

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GOP Congressman Steve Scalise Acknowledges Speaking To White Supremacist Group

Yesterday, I reported on Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise (R) who apparently spoke at a white supremacist group’s meeting in 2002.

At first, Scalise said he didn’t remember if he did or did not attend the meeting.

Today, he says he remembers but acknowledges it was a mistake.

Via MSNBC:

“Twelve years ago, I spoke to many different Louisiana groups as a state representative, trying to build support for legislation that focused on cutting wasteful state spending, eliminating government corruption, and stopping tax hikes,” Scalise said in a statement on Tuesday.

“One of the many groups that I spoke to regarding this critical legislation was a group whose views I wholeheartedly condemn. It was a mistake I regret, and I emphatically oppose the divisive racial and religious views groups like these hold.

“I am very disappointed that anyone would try to infer otherwise for political gain. As a Catholic, these groups hold views that are vehemently opposed to my own personal faith, and I reject that kind of hateful bigotry. Those who know me best know I have always been passionate about helping, serving, and fighting for every family that I represent. And I will continue to do so.”

Speaker of the House John Boehner stands by his guy with this statement:

“More than a decade ago, Representative Scalise made an error in judgment, and he was right to acknowledge it was wrong and inappropriate,” Boehner said. “Like many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I know Steve to be a man of high integrity and good character. He has my full confidence as our Whip, and he will continue to do great and important work for all Americans.”

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GOP House Majority Whip Scalise Acknowledges Speaking At “White Nationalist” Meeting

Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner surely didn’t imagine he would begin the next Congress in this manner.

First, Republican Congressman Michael Grimm of Staten Island pleads guilty to felony tax evasion.

And now another GOP House member is in the middle of a racial controversy literally days before the Republican party is to take control of both chambers of Congress. 

The incoming House Majority Whip, Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, has acknowledged that he spoke at a meeting of “white nationalist leaders” (read that “white supremacists”) while serving as a state legislator in 2002.

The 48-year-old Scalise, who ascended to the House GOP’s third-ranking post earlier this year, confirmed through an adviser that he once appeared at a convention of the European-American Unity and Rights Organization.

That organization, founded by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, has been called a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

As JoeMyGod points out, it should surprise no one that Scalise was the lead author of Louisiana’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

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Republican House IRS Investigation Finds No Connection To White House

Congressman Darrell Issa, who led IRS investigation which showed no connection to White House

A House Republican investigation looking into possible IRS violations released right before the Christmas holiday reveals no link to the White House in the tax-exempt status scandal.

The report says conservative groups were given improper scrutiny for more than two years from 2010 to 2012. It says senior IRS officials covered up the misconduct and misled Congress about it.

The report specifically faults eight senior IRS leaders who “were in a position to prevent or to stop the IRS’s targeting of conservative applicants.”

The eight include former Commissioner Douglas Shulman, former acting Commissioner Steven Miller, and Lois Lerner, who used to head the division that processes applications for tax-exempt status.

But so far, investigators have not released any documents showing that anyone outside the IRS directed the agency to mistreat conservative groups or even knew it was going on.

It’s common in politics to release news right before the holidays or late on Friday afternoons as most people aren’t paying close attention to the news cycle. Clearly, Issa doesn’t want a wide audience to know his investigation clears the White House of any wrongdoing.

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Jeb Bush Announces Exploratory Committee For 2016 Presidential Run

Well, it certainly looks like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will be running for president in 2016.

Today, he posted the following note on his personal Facebook page:

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!

Like many of you, our family was blessed with the opportunity to gather together over the recent Thanksgiving holiday.

Columba and I are so proud of the wonderful adults our children have become, and we loved spending time with our three precious grandchildren.

We shared good food and watched a whole lot of football.

We also talked about the future of our nation. As a result of these conversations and thoughtful consideration of the kind of strong leadership I think America needs, I have decided to actively explore the possibility of running for President of the United States.

In January, I also plan to establish a Leadership PAC that will help me facilitate conversations with citizens across America to discuss the most critical challenges facing our exceptional nation. The PAC’s purpose will be to support leaders, ideas and policies that will expand opportunity and prosperity for all Americans.

In the coming months, I hope to visit with many of you and have a conversation about restoring the promise of America.

Best wishes to you and your families for a happy holiday season. I’ll be in touch soon.

Onward,

Jeb Bush

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Last Ditch Effort To Pass ENDA Dies in GOP-Controlled House Committee

A last ditch effort to pass the US Senate approved version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act died in a GOP-controlled House committee last night.

Supporters attempted to attach the bill via amendment to the defense spending bill as it heads to the full House floor, but the measure was voted down 7-3 in the House Rules Committee along party lines.

The Senate passed a version of ENDA last year with a bipartisan vote of 64-32 vote.

The House, set to adjourn by Dec. 11, never brought the legislation up for a vote even though there was bipartisan support.

When the new Congress is seated for the 114th Congress, it’s highly unlikely the bill will see passage given Republicans will then control both chambers of Congress.

(source)

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Ohio Sen. Rob Portman Will Not Run For President In 2016

Republican US Senator Rob Portman of Ohio has announced he will not seek the GOP nomination for president in 2016.

Earlier this year, Portman told ABC News that he was “taking a look” at a possible run, but said today that with the upcoming Republican majority in the Senate, he feels he can make a difference by staying in the Senate.

Portman was considered a strong moderate contender for the 2016 nomination. However, his support for same-sex marriage could have proven difficult for him in primaries where many GOP candidates feel they have to swing far right to get votes.