A guy at Brookings looked for a correlation between anti-ACA ads, mostly paid for by the Koch boys, and found one. Yes, it appears the anti-ACA ads increased ACA enrollment. People in states heavily bombarded by Koch ads were more likely to learn about the insurance exchanges and sign up. They were also more likely to beieve that Congress would repeal Obamacare at any time, so they may have rushed to take advantage of the program before it disappeared.
A circuit judge just un-gerrymandered Florida. Heh.
In our famous laboratories of democracy called states, a number of Republican governors have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Laffer Curve is a fantasy, and cutting business and other taxes while also cutting government spending and social services does not grow the economy. In fact, it holds economic growth back. Not that actual proof will put any dents in right-wing anti-tax ideology.
On the less happy side, a Bundy-style militia headed by a Texas “open carry” fanatic is forming to patrol the border, and they say they will shoot anyone who tries to cross. Yes, we need a bunch of tough-talking he-men with maximum firepower to protect us from … children?
I say we keep the children and deport the he-men. Or, we could paint a rosy picture of their right to open carry in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, along with the high probability they would get to shoot somebody if they moved there. Maybe they would leave. See also Digby.
Finally — House GOP members are anti-tax tightwads who don’t like to pay dues, either.
He-man Gun-loons POV:
I get to go down t’ the border, ‘n shoot me some ‘Beaner-babies!’
‘Beaner-babies,’ get it?
Ah, you Libtards ain’t got no sense of humor.”
As for the delinquent dues-payers, “…Boehner has launched his own effort — sending a trio of members close to him to press the procrastinators to fork over cash.”
I didn’t know we had GOP Congressmen named Rocco “The Rat,” Tony “One-brow,” and Sal “The Scorpion?”
And John Boehner makes for a really pathetic Godfather.
As Godfathers go, Boehner has nothing on Samuel “Smartass Sammy” Alito and Antonin “Fat Tony” Scalia!
That doesn’t surprise me about the Koch brothers ads. Citizens United is still a terrible decision, but it doesn’t necessarily mean eternal plutocracy, because unlimited political spending can also backfire. With the Koch brothers, generally, the more they spend, the more attention they will attract. And the more people see of them, the more they will despise them and everything they stand for.
So we should worry about the influence of money in our politics, but we should also keep in mind that even McDonald’s still hasn’t figured out how to sell a shit sandwich.
Those kids who’ve trekked over a thousand miles to finally meet their moms working for years in the U.S. have a ton more personal courage than the nuts “patrolling” the border. And much stronger family values than any GOP hypocrite in the House or Senate.
I hate that the kids are coming here under those terrible circumstances but sheesh, just look at the sad losers who are freaking out about it. Losers who are weak in mind and body, candidates for “STFU” if ever there were any.
You know if any other country had roving bands of militias threatening to kill children that are not like them, we’d declare them sponsors of terrorism.
I worked for a pilot program that served agricultural workers who had been severely injured harvesting our food. For the most part they had spinal cord injuries which resulted in paraplegia. None of them spoke English, so my Spanish got pretty good for a few years. They used to tell me stories about their passages to the USA. One of them who became a good friend walked all the way to the border from his home in Queretero, only to be caught and sent back in a few days. The second time, he got luckier, except for the spinal cord injury. According to their accounts, the coyotes were a hard bitten bunch who were likely to leave you for dead in the middle of the dessert. They would almost surely “take advantage” of the women who bought their services. So, if you better take a lot of care selecting your guide to “El Norte.”
To give you an example, my friend told me that they were very hungry, with no food or anything to hunt with. A group of them saw a javelina, a wild pig by the side of a river where they were camped. A group of them were able to surround the pig and drag it into the water to drown it. They had to be pretty inventive with the butchering and cooking since they had no knives, etc. The coyote didn’t trust them to have weapons, and he had evidently skipped off and left them. A wild pig of even moderate size can be a dangerous thing. I bet you even Sarah Palin would find it quite a challenge, at least without her AR-15.
I came to have a lot of respect for the people who went through that program, they were a rough bunch, but they taught me a lot.
I can’t imagine what all of those young kids have gone through getting here, only to be subjected to another long ordeal. I am not so sure we can call ourselves “civilized” anymore.
“maximum firepower to protect us from … children? “
Yes it is the great Guatemalan toddler invasion of 2014, ready-aim-fire!!!!
“the great Guatemalan toddler invasion of 2014” Dark humor, that. If I had a bunch of money I’d print a bunch of T-shirts that said “Defending America From Guatemalan Toddlers” and ship them to those militia guys. I might add a picture of a teddy bear with a mustache and a bandolero.
That should, read “desert” instead of “dessert.” Leaving someone in the middle of a dessert would be far less objectionable.
maha,
ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
‘Diapers? We don’t need no steeeeeeenkin diapers! Because we already HAVE steeeeeenkin diapers.’
Leaving someone in the middle of a dessert would be far less objectionable.
Well, goatherd.. That all depends. Given the economic banquet that the GOP is serving up, there might not be much distinction between a desert and a dessert.
Citizens United is still a terrible decision, but it doesn’t necessarily mean eternal plutocracy, because unlimited political spending can also backfire. With the Koch brothers, generally, the more they spend, the more attention they will attract. And the more people see of them, the more they will despise them and everything they stand for.
The Kochs are in their 70s. I expect them to fight for their right to act like conservative a$$holes until they’re in their graves. What I wonder about, is what happens next? Koch Industries: The Next Generation.
Well taken Swami. We have local restaurant that offers deep fat fried Twinkies. I suspect that might fit in well with the economic banquet that you cite.
“I might add a picture of a teddy bear with a mustache and a bandolero”
Fuck that!Ronnie Raygun is who we need now, these are desperate times. We need divisive leadership.What with the brown toodlers and Obama offering them jobs as community organizers , asylum, and Obama phones?. What we need now is real bumbersticker logic. I hate to repeat but: ready-aim-fire! Take care of them before they hit four (years old), once they turn four the entire population of honduras and guatomahowyou will be on welfare here in the good old USA!!!!!! How will we pay for DOD, NSA with all them brown on welfare?
Very OT:
But the last member of The Ramones, Tommy, has died – http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/12/showbiz/tommy-ramone-dead/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
I first saw them in ’75 or ’76 when a friend and I went to see a Blue Oyster Cult concert in Poughkeepsie – which was a weepy long-guitar solo group – and The Ramones opened the concert.
We got hit by a sonic blast!!!
When we walked out of the concert, we couldn’t remember much of BOC’s contribution to the evening’s entertainment – all we talked about was The Ramones!
WE LOVED THEM!!!
It must have been what people who went to see The Monkey’s concert felt, when Jimi Hendrix opened for them!
It took me a few years to understand what they were doing – they were The Beach Boys on speed and acid!
The did quick surf-music like songs, that were hysterically funny!
I saw them play at least a dozen times in NY City, and they never disappointed.
A few of them came into the bar I worked in on The Lower East Side of NYC when I was a bartender.
None of them talked much – they just drank their shots and beers, and kept to themselves.
Not a lot of people know this, but Joey – the lead singer – took voice lessons from an Opera voice coach.
They were one of the coolest bands of all time.
RIP, Tommy.
Every time you guys learned a new chord, you came out with a new album.
WAY COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would wear that T-shirt. I might get me some idiot sassmouth in the supermarket, but whatever.
Well, speaking of believing or not…Check out Louie. I’m in awe of his brilliance.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/10/louie-gohmert-god-atheists_n_5575241.html?utm_hp_ref=louie-gohmert
I hear for his next display of genius he’s going to reveal the never before discovered formula for trisecting an angle. Move over Euclid!
It has been well and truly said that the only thing keeping Rick Perry from being the dumbest politician in Texas is Louie Gohmert.
So far, the Koch brothers have sponsored ads that cover the topic like Reefer Madness covered weed. People with logical minds don’t believe this type of BS. Their target seems so far to be nuts, the extremely bigoted, the simple minded, and the politicians they have bought. Eventually someone might come up with more convincing ads with better lies that fool more people. The general disgust with political corruption plays right into the oligarchs by sidelining so many people from the process. The age will not generally help because the next generation of spawn in this family is being molded in the same evil crap and the worst will control the majority of the cash. FRED Koch a key John Bircher sellected Charles to take over because he was the most evil and David joined him in a war against the other family members. One of Charles’ sons is already ready to jump in and so far appears just as evil from the slight information I have seen. A family steeped in Randian libertarian oligarch psychosis will need to fall far from the Koch tree to be a normal functioning human in decent society. Do not gloat, these scum are evil and they raise a lot of evil spawn.
Yeah, Maha. Louie is a piece of work. I don’t remember the exact cartoon character from my youth, but the one famous for the line “which way did he go?” reminds me of Gomert. Basically a dullard .
“We got hit by a sonic blast!!!”
Seems like an odd combination, BOC and the Ramones! I saw BOC and Molly Scratch-it around the same time maybe 78 or 79? It could be argued that the Ramones were the greatest American rock band ever, I’d argue that point. It is hard to pick a favorite they had so many great songs but I guess maybe 7-11? RIP, Tommy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6_dRQ4uqPE&list=RDf6_dRQ4uqPE
uncledad,
While I revere The Ramones, to me, the greatest American bands that preceded them, were Elvis – and some of the 50’s rockers – Dylan, The Beach Boys, CCR, and The Doors.
And before and after them, we had plenty of other contenders!
BRUCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What about the Cowsills or The 1910 Fruitgum Company?… Sheesh.. you people have no taste in good music.
Off topic… But the death toll from gun violence last night in Chicago surpassed last nights level of gun violence in Baghdad. Go figure, huh.
BRUCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wouldn’t he, Elvis and Dylan be a solo acts? Oh I guess the e-streets have been mostly the same? I think of Bruce the way I think of plain white bread, sort of always the same? But hey there is no accounting for taste! CCR certainly belongs on my list.
uncledad,
I was never a big Bruce fan – until I really listened to his lyrics!
He was too “popular” for my “Punk Rock” teenage tastes.
But I remember driving home from my sister’s house about 20 years ago, and tuning to our local R&R stations, and hearing him do “Thunder Road” and his other songs solo, without his band, and I realized what a BRILLIANT poet he was, and what he had to tell us!
After Dylan and Phil Och’s, he’s our greatest living poet – now that Och’s and Seeger are dead
Listen carefully to “Born In the USA (which the Republicans play endlessly at their rallies), and than tell he doesn’t stand for OUR Liberal values!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The last article Barbara linked to was very interesting, as much for what was left unsaid and unexplained as it was for what was said. The author was assigned the job of slamming the GOP members for being behind in their extortion racket ‘dues’ to the party, without making mention of how democrats who are closer to paid up in their dues are using the same extortion racket tactics.
“The fees are based on seniority, so lawmakers with the longest tenure and service on the most sought-after congressional panels are expected to pay the lion’s share. The lowest figure is $32,500 and runs into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Since a house member makes $174,000/yr, it’s safe to say this money doesn’t come out out their wallet. It’s paid out of the war chest of campaign money that a candidate starts building the day he’s elected, in preparation for the next election. From that money, the party demands a cut. (Nowhere does the author suggest this scam is the exclusive practice of the republicans.)
Further in the article an unnamed source comments on a speech Boehner gave to paid-up GOP members of the House –
“It was a very positive atmosphere, because it was for people who paid. But what’s left unspoken is, there are going to be consequences for those who don’t.â€
The unnamed ‘consequences’ might affect what committee(s) you get assigned to or whether you get party help or support in a tight election if you aren’t a ‘team’ player. Here’s what sticks in my craw – I think the racket and ‘consequences’ are bi-partisan. Democrats fund-raise and extort from House members in the same way. When I vote for someone, I want him (or her) to represent ME – not the democratic party. Extorting dues and the threat of withholding support if you don’t toe the party line makes my representative a puppet to the party. (A democratic puppet might be better than a republican puppet, but it’s still a puppet.)
“For those who don’t shell out by the end of the cycle, there could be consequences. They could lose the ability to use NRCC facilities, such as fundraising call centers.
These ‘call centers’ are a dirty little secret nobody is supposed to talk about outside the beltway, though everybody inside the beltway knows exactly what’s going on. (Or point me to the clip of a Washington correspondent asking, ‘Where is everybody?’) Fundraising on government property is against the law, so the democrats and republicans have call centers in party headquarters within walking distance of the Capitol Building. Some very rich individuals have purchased property almost across the street from the Capitol bldg and converted them to call centers. Most voters (yes, this is opinion) of both parties would view fundraising for yourself during the work day abut the way most employers would view masturbating at work. It’s your business on your own time, but you are supposed to be working for me.
Let me quote from a different article on Huffpost….
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/08/call-time-congressional-fundraising_n_2427291.html
“A PowerPoint presentation to incoming freshmen by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, obtained by The Huffington Post, lays out the dreary existence awaiting these new back-benchers. The daily schedule prescribed by the Democratic leadership contemplates a nine or 10-hour day while in Washington. Of that, four hours are to be spent in “call time” and another hour is blocked off for “strategic outreach,” which includes fundraisers…”
I know I tend to put people to sleep. For those in the class who are still awake, that Huffpost article is from just over a year ago.. the expected schedule for new democrats in the House ‘asks’ them to set aside 5 hours per DAY for fundraising. All of it has to happen ‘off campus’ to comply with the law. Did you ever notice that in a critical committee hearing where there are more than a dozen chairs for members of the House, only 3 or 4 chairs have butts in them? WTF do you think these people are? On the phones, calling fat cats, raising money to get reelected. And you are surprised that they know less than we do on subjects they cast votes on? This isn’t democrats – this isn’t republicans – it’s the whole bleepin’ Congress!
The whole fundraising racket by both parties is a scam! It guarantees a Congress that’s alert to the interests of well-heeled donors – NOT regular Americans. It is a system that guarantees that no matter what the intentions a House member are, they usually won’t know what they are voting on – they weren’t at any of the hearings for expert testimony – most speeches on the floor by House members are given to an empty chamber.
The charade of democracy can be replaced with real democracy if we replace the current system with publicly financed elections – and get a Congress who is working for the People again.
The only thing better than being a he-man is being an oath keeping he-man.
“and his other songs solo, without his band”
Well I certainly agree with that. The only album of his that really appeals to me (and I own a few) was Nebraska, that in my opinion is his best work, it sustained me while I was in the Army. No doubt he is a great songwriter.
As Godfathers go, Boehner has nothing on Samuel “Smartass Sammy†Alito and Antonin “Fat Tony†Scalia!
Don’t forget Clarence “Omerta” Thomas. ” They can cut out my tongue, and I still ain’t talking”, or asking questions.