Monday, September 30, 2013

SHUT DOWN

So now it's clear. The Repubs are determined to demolish Obamacare and they will say and do anything to get there

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mccarthy-any-house-bill-will-have-fundamental-changes-to-obamacare
McCarthy: Any House Bill Will Have 'Fundamental Changes' To Obamacare

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/09/29/1241746/-The-conservative-fight-against-Obamacare-Betraying-their-own-principles-yet-again
The conservative fight against Obamacare: Betraying their own principles yet again

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/09/29/1241710/-Better-Dead-and-Red-How-the-GOP-blocked-health-care-for-red-state-Americans
How the GOP blocked health care for red state Americans

The shutdown is happening

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/09/house-gop-votes-for-shutdown.html
House GOP Votes for Shutdown, Says That's Not What They Did 

More: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/09/29/1242287/-Ted-Cruz-and-Republican-House-determined-to-shut-down-nbsp-government

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/09/29/20742297-the-house-republican-tantrum-that-knows-no-end
By all appearances, House Republicans are now actively seeking a government shutdown, specifically aiming for their goal rather than making any effort to avoid it. Indeed, the unhinged House majority appears to have gone out of its way to craft a spending bill designed to fail. . . .

Don't let them fool you: "delaying" Obamacare for a year is a plan for killing it
 
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/cruz-killing-obamacare-one-year-essence-comp

Boehner caves in to the teabaggers - so (for now) they like him

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/359879/speakers-slog-robert-costa-jonathan-strong

Count the lies

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/30/obamacare-fear-mongering-hall-of-fame-death-panels-and-more.html
Obamacare Fear-Mongering Hall of Fame: Death Panels and More

More: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/exchange-grate-so-many-right-wing-lies.html 

The latest Big Lie: it's OBAMA who wants the government shutdown

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3460_162-57605168/obama-driving-possible-government-shutdown-gop-lawmakers-say/ 

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/rubio-obama-government-shutdown/2013/09/18/id/526447 

Say it

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/11/06/obamas-tax-cut-how-rush-limbaugh-misled-the-country.html?cid=hp:mainpromo2
We live in a mendocracy.

As in: rule by liars. . . [read on]

A glimpse of sanity

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2013/09/30/more_would_blame_republicans_for_shutdown.html
More Would Blame Republicans for Shutdown

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/republican-senator-denounces-house-gop-s-obamacare-strategy
Republican Senator Denounces House GOP's Obamacare Strategy

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2013/09/29/why_gop_will_lose_fight_over_obamacare.html
Why GOP Will Lose Fight Over Obamacare

In Fox World

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/sen-kaine-frustrates-fox-news-anti-obamacare\

Sen. Kaine Frustrates Fox News' Anti-Obamacare Segment by Repeatedly Bringing Up GOP's Shutdown Threat

This won't quiet the debate

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/28/how-the-white-house-thinks-about-obamacares-launch/
The White House is downplaying expectations for Day One of Obamacare, and it’s not because of attacks from Republican opponents.

In recent weeks, senior administration have begun predicting that there will be relatively few sign-ups on Tuesday, when tens of millions of Americans will, for the first time, be able to sign up for new insurance options. That means a date that has long been circled on health-policy calendars in the administration and across the country actually represents a “soft launch.”

“October will be light for enrollment,” White House Deputy Senior Advisor David Simas said. . .
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL: http://pbd.blogspot.com

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Sunday, September 29, 2013

DRUNK WITH POWER

The Tea Partiers aren't just uninterested in compromising with Democrats. They don't even want to compromise with other Republicans. They are poised to try to take over the whole party. And John Boehner has decided to stop fighting them

http://occupyamerica.crooksandliars.com/diane-sweet/irony-house-votes-delay-romneycare-one#sthash.PFHJgcyV.dpbs
Congress moved the nation closer to a government shutdown on Tuesday as House Republicans voted early Sunday 231-192 to advance a stopgap spending measure to delay implementation of President Obama's health care law -- the one that is essentially identical to failed GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney's plan in Massachusetts -- for one year.

The House voted just past midnight to send the bill back to the Senate following a day of vigorous debate over the Affordable Care Act, which begins open enrollment on Oct. 1.

As House members began to leave the floor, Politico reporter Ginger Gibson tweeted, "I'm not over exaggerating when I say I can smell the booze wafting from members as they walk off the floor."

In addition to delaying implementation of the health care law, the amendment would weaken its requirement that insurance policies fully cover contraception and would instead allow businesses to decide whether to offer birth-control coverage to their employees. . . .

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/09/29/1242209/-House-Republicans-decide-they-don-t-need-no-stinkin-government
House Republicans, acting on the behest of former Speaker of the House John Boehner's new overlord, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Delusional), have passed their latest doomed continuing resolution to fund the government that:
  • Delays the implementation of Obamacare for one year.
  • Includes a "measure [that] would allow employers and insurers to opt out of providing health care services that they find morally or religiously objectionable" because this is all about funding the government.
  • Repeals the medical-device tax in Obamacare.
  • Makes sure the military is paid, because Republicans must always pretend to support the troops (unless they're screwing them over on VA care and whatnot).
And now it's off to the Senate where it's dead on arrival, meaning that we're even closer to a government shutdown. On the bright side, Congress will still be paid. . . .

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/359814/boehners-brief-rally-robert-costa
“I’m just a happy warrior,” said Speaker John Boehner, as he made his way into the Capitol this morning. Most reporters were surprised by his upbeat remark, especially as a government shutdown looms. But a few hours later, the reason for his good spirits, at least for the moment, became clear: House Republicans are united behind his latest fiscal strategy. . . .

http://capitalgainsandgames.com/blog/stan-collender/2770/cliffgate-update-now-90-chance-shutdown
I was talking informally with a number of the members of Congress who had been there after the meeting ended. There was unanimous agreement among those members that the biggest thing the House GOP had done wrong during the 1995 and 1995-96 shutdowns was that it had given in to Bill Clinton too early. The GOP would have gotten a much better deal, they told me, if it had pushed harder and been willing to keep the government closed longer. . .  [read on]

A sense of mission

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/09/28/2696931/gop-congressman-compares-republicans-trying-take-down-obamacare-to-heroic-passengers-who-took-down-terrorists-on-911/
During a meeting of the House Republican Caucus, Congressman John Culberson (R-TX) compared the relentless Republican effort to defund Obamacare to the heroic efforts of the passengers on United Airlines Flight 93 who overpowered terrorists who had gained control of the plane. . . .

Looks like we're about to find out

http://wonkwire.rollcall.com/2013/09/28/happens-government-shutdown 
What Happens in a Government Shutdown?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/28/the-house-gops-shutdown-plan-is-great-news/
[Ezra Klein] House Republicans plan to attach a one-year delay of Obamacare to the continuing resolution. That sharply increases the chances of a government shutdown beginning Monday night.
Good. . . [read on]

What will the Dems do?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/09/28/1242126/-House-Democrats-meeting-soon-to-discuss-their-stance-on-GOP-s-latest-budget-bill-delaying-Obamacare

Well, you can dream

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/28/how-obama-can-win-the-debt-standoff-in-3-steps/?wprss=rss_ezra-klein&clsrd
How Obama can win the debt standoff

Alan Simpson gives his version of the dust-up with Lynne Cheney

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/alan-simpson-describes-tense-exchange-with-lynne-cheney
Former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.) detailed his side of the story of a confrontation with Lynne Cheney, mother of Republican Liz Cheney, over Simpson's ongoing support of Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.). Liz Cheney is running for Enzi's Senate seat. 

In a letter to the Cody Enterprise of Wyoming, Simpson describes how Lynne Cheney repeatedly told him to "shut up" about his support for Enzi instead of Liz Cheney. . . .

After a report in the Casper Star-Tribune said that Lynne Cheney told Simpson to shut up, Liz Cheney's campaign said the account was false. 

"That simply did not happen," the Cheney campaign said of the interaction in a statement. 

"And that twisted comment is one damn bald-faced lie and I have had a belly full of it! I have never been called a liar before and it sure as hell won’t work this time," Simpson also wrote in the letter.

The Sunday talk show line-ups

http://my.firedoglake.com/elliott/2013/09/28/sunday-talking-heads-september-29-2013/
ABC’S THIS WEEK:  Bill Clinton.  Then, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.  Roundtable: Matthew Dowd, former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Bill Kristol, Paul Krugman. Plus, “Sunday Spotlight” on retired U.S. Army Ranger Jeff Struecker “Black Hawk Down” twenty years later.

CBS’ FACE THE NATION:  Sen. Rand Paul (R-TX), Sen. Dick Durbin(D-IL), Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).  Roundtable:  Wall Street Journal’s Jerry Seib, Washington Post’s David Ignatius, CBS News Foreign Correspondent Clarissa Ward, and CBS News Political Director John Dickerson.

CNN’S STATE OF THE UNION: Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-WA), one of Boehner’s top deputies. Then, Sen. John Barrasso, MD (R-WY)and former Vermont Governor and DNC Chief Howard Dean, MD on Obamacare. Roundtable: Former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta, Former U.S. Congressman Artur Davis, Washington Post Columnist Ruth Marcus, CNN Commentator Ben Ferguson.

CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" - U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice; Ciamak Morsadegh, the only Jewish member of parliament in Iran; Somali President Hassan Sheik Mohamud; Turkish President Abdullah Gül.

MOYERS & COMPANY:  Saving the Earth from Ourselves.  Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo discusses the politics of climate change and the urgency of environmental activism. Plus, a Bill Moyers essay on a recent speech by the pope decrying the global economy for what it’s doing to the jobless.

NBC’S MEET THE PRESS:  Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). “As Congress digs in over Obamacare and the budget, are both parties prepared to take the economy over the edge?” Roundtable: Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID), former Republican Governor of Utah Jon Huntsman, former White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers, Chris Matthews. 

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL: http://pbd.blogspot.com

I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***

Saturday, September 28, 2013

OPEN REVOLT

Incredible story: first-term senator Ted Cruz was communicating with Republicans in the House, telling them to ignore their own Speaker, John Boehner, and follow him instead

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/359717/cruz-house-conservatives-oppose-boehner-robert-costa 

More: http://prospect.org/article/republican-palace-intrigue-gets-interesting
[Robert Costa] Boehnerland (his allies in the conf) get red faced when I ask them about Th's secret Cruz mtgs/calls; Boehner-coup types just smile. . . [read on]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2013_09/ted_cruz_house_whip047086.php
This is some genuine intrigue involving a massive breach of congressional etiquette by Cruz. And it’s also just weird: House and Senate members rarely deal with each other directly. They inhabit different realms that do not usually intersect. 

But any way you slice it, it looks bad for the House leadership . . .

The results are predictable

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/09/27/dems-hope-to-jam-john-boehner-as-senate-conservatives-keep-stabbing-him-in-back/
Two key votes in the Senate today put us back where we always knew we would be after Ted Cruz’s noisy stunt faded away: House Republicans are still stuck deciding between stiff-arming the Tea Party and taking the blame for a government shutdown. . . .

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/09/ted-cruz-now-ruining-john-boehners-life-too.html
Ted Cruz Now Ruining John Boehner’s Life, Too

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2013/09/ted_cruz_is_despised_by_senate_republicans_a_list_of_the_reasons_gop_senators.html
Why Senate Republicans Hate Ted Cruz
 
Good for Cruz, bad for the Republicans

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/going-swimmingly-for-gop
Ted Cruz now top choice of 2016 GOP primary voters.

What is going to happen next?

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2013/09/ted_cruz_and_the_republican_party_s_attempt_to_block_obamacare_can_the_gop.html
Friday in Washington played out the only way it could have. The Republican effort to block funds for the Affordable Care Act died, as expected, with only 18 members of Sen. Ted Cruz’s party willing to join him on a filibuster. The Democrats’ effort to fund Obamacare united every member of their party in the Senate, even those up for re-election in red states next year. Cruz’s failure had been preordained; not even a pack of House Republicans who watched the vote from the sidelines were shocked. . . . [read on]

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2013/09/28/house_republicans_plot_next_step_in_budget_showdown.html
House Republicans "will meet in a rare Saturday session as they plan their next move to keep the government open past midnight on Monday while extracting major concessions on President Obama's health care law," the New York Times reports.

"Any move short of passing the Senate bill is likely to shut down the government, at least briefly, unless it is accompanied by a measure that would finance the government for at least a few days. That would allow the Republican to keep their struggle alive." . . . [read on]


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/09/27/john-boehner-back-under-pressure/?wprss=rss_politics&clsrd
With the Senate poised to pass its own version of a continuing resolution to keep the government running Friday, the action will once again be in the House, where Boehner has at least three crucial decisions to make . . .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2013/09/27/how-boehner-like-moses-could-part-the-red-sea/
A little House arithmetic makes plain Boehner’s predicament within his 433-member conference.  He might not be able to muster 217 GOP votes for amending the CR, and he can’t pass a clean CR without turning to Democrats for help.  . . . [read on]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/09/27/1241854/-Commander-Cruz-scuttled-Boehner-debt-limit-scheme
And the fact that Cruz was able to persuade a sufficient number of House Republicans to take his position is yet another sign that Boehner needs to give up on his "Republicans-only" legislative strategy. Boehner needs Democrats to get his job done, and that means he needs to get back down to planet Earth . . .

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/09/27/1241835/-Rumblings-of-a-GOP-minipunt
There isn't much meat on this report, but if it's true, it suggests that some Republicans are talking amongst themselves about getting out of their current trap . . .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/27/wonkbook-we-may-have-a-shutdown-after-all-and-that-may-be-a-good-thing/?wprss=rss_ezra-klein&clsrd 
We may have a shutdown after all. And that may be a good thing.

It's all about frames

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/not-my-problem
It'll be interesting to see whether Obama actively resists the DC press framing of the government shutdown threat as a Republicans v. Obama fight. It's a Ted Cruz v. Boehner fight, or a House conservatives v. Senate Republicans fight, or maybe just a Ted Cruz v. everyone fight.

More: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/09/republicans-health-care-fight-rich
[Kevin Drum] The Republican Party is bending its entire will, staking its very soul, fighting to its last breath, in service of a crusade to.... Make sure that the working poor don't have access to affordable health care. I just thought I'd mention that in plain language, since it seems to get lost in the fog fairly often. But that's it. That's what's happening. They have been driven mad by the thought that rich people will see their taxes go up slightly in order to help non-rich people get decent access to medical care . . .

How broken is our polity?

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/09/your-false-equivalence-guide-to-the-days-ahead/280062/
As a matter of substance, constant-shutdown, permanent-emergency governance is so destructive that no other serious country engages in or could tolerate it. The United States can afford it only because we are -- still -- so rich, with so much margin for waste and error. . .

As a matter of politics, this is different from anything we learned about in classrooms or expected until the past few years. We're used to thinking that the most important disagreements are between the major parties, not within one party; and that disagreements over policies, goals, tactics can be addressed by negotiation or compromise.

This time, the fight that matters is within the Republican party, and that fight is over whether compromise itself is legitimate. . .  [read on]

Excellent question

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2013/09/28/where_has_paul_ryan_been.html
Where Has Paul Ryan Been?

Meanwhile, the President is acting like a real President, and may be opening up a new rapprochement with Iran. No one cares

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/a-long-time-coming
Obama announces he just got off the phone with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani -- the first direct communication between Iranian and American leaders since 1979. That puts the government shutdown/debt limit craziness in even starker relief. . . .

More: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/28/iran-yes-congress-no-obama-won-t-budge-for-hardliners-at-home.html 
After a remarkable day for diplomacy, it was time to deal with the hardliners at home. . . .

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/2013/09/iran_agrees_to_nuclear_program_negotiations_will_ayatollah_ali_khamenei.html

And on Syria . . .

http://crooksandliars.com/breaking-news/un-votes-secure-and-destroy-syrias-c
The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Friday night to secure and destroy Syria's chemical weapons stockpile, a landmark decision aimed at taking poison gas off the battlefield in the escalating 2-and-a-half-year conflict. . . .

I'll take that as a "Yes"

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/nsa-chief-sidesteps-question-about-whether-us-collects-cell-phone-location-data
NSA Chief Sidesteps Question About Whether US Collects Cell Phone Location Data

More: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/09/27/1241825/-The-NSA-could-be-tracking-cell-phone-locations-Dianne-Feinstein-thinks-that-s-nbsp-okay 

Newt Gingrich has a problem with CNN's ethical rules in appearing on Crossfire. No problem . . . CNN will just change the rules

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/dispensation-for-newtie.html 

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/09/27/1241878/-CNN-revises-ethics-rules-so-that-Crossfire-hosts-need-not-follow-them

In Fox World, it is an outrage -- and OUTRAGE -- that Obama might suggest they've been misinforming people about his health care plan. "Give us just one example!" they complain . . . well, here are a few

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/ouch--19

The kind of people they are

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/gop-official-says-obama-shucking-and-jiving-on-health-care-law
GOP Official Says Obama 'Shucking And Jiving' On Health Care Law

Bonus item: Arizona gov Jan Brewer wanted to honor the Tuskegee airmen. This wasn't the way to do it

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/gov-jan-brewer-struggles-to-say-tuskegee-video

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL: http://pbd.blogspot.com

I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***

Friday, September 27, 2013

THE GOP NEGOTIATING STYLE

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/09/26/top-white-house-aide-gop-acting-like-someone-with-a-bomb-strapped-to-their-chest/?wprss=rss_politics&clsrd 
"What we're not for is negotiating with people with a bomb strapped to their chest," senior White House adviser Dan Pfeiffer said on CNN. "We're not going to do that."

More: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2013/09/meadows-boehner-defund-obamacare-suicide-caucus-geography.html
The G.O.P.'s Suicide Caucus

The ransom note

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/26/wonkbook-the-houses-debt-ceiling-bill-is-wow/
John Boehner isn't even trying to pretend his House of Representatives is a sane place anymore.

The House GOP's debt limit bill -- obtained by the National Review -- isn't a serious governing document. It's not even a plausible opening bid. It's a cry for help. . .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/09/26/the-morning-plum-the-gops-debt-limit-strategy-is-insane-people-should-say-so/
The GOP’s debt limit strategy is insane. People should say so.

More: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/09/republicans-governing-norm-reasonableness

http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2013/09/26/republican_leaders_pivot_to_bold_new_hostage_taking_plan_for_debt_limit.html

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/09/26/20704188-republicans-ready-to-trade-one-hostage-for-another

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/09/26/20707223-boehner-cant-let-go-of-brinkmanship

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/09/question-house-republicans

Enough -- no more screwing around with the debt limit

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/09/you-really-ought-to-be-more-terrified-of-the-debt-ceiling/279993/

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/09/26/house_debt_ceiling_bill_shows_why_compromise_is_unthinkable.html

http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2013/09/24/republicans-will-prove-why-negotiating-with-debt-limit-is-a-danger-to-the-constitution/

Repeat: you don't negotiate with hostage takers

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/23/wonkbook-democrats-to-boehner-there-will-be-no-debt-ceiling-negotiation-seriously/?wprss=rss_ezra-klein&clsrd
Democrats to Boehner: There will be no debt-ceiling negotiation. Seriously.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2013_09/dont_negotiate_means_what_it_s047061.php
“No Negotiations on Debt Limit” Means What It Says

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/26/obama-debt-ceiling-crisis_n_3997153.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/09/25/if-obama-endorses-his-own-impeachment-gop-will-agree-not-to-destroy-the-economy/

What this is all about is pretending the 2012 election never happened

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/09/republican-ransom-demand-implement-romney-plan.html
House Republicans Issue Ransom Demand: Implement Romney Plan or the Economy Gets It

More: http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/09/26/20706733-when-a-laundry-list-looks-familiar

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/demint-says-gop-did-not-litigate-the-obamacare-issue-in-2012-blames-romney

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/09/26/20705593-essentially-demint-is-declaring-a-mistrial
Remember the 2012 elections? The one in which Republicans ran on a platform of repealing the Affordable Care Act, and then lost?

If you're Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint, helping lead the anti-healthcare crusade, the apparent answer is no. . .  [read on]

The Republican party is cracking up. First McCain's rant against Ted Cruz, now this

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/raw
The split within the Senate GOP on full display right now on the Senate floor. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) is pointing the finger at Sens. Mike Lee and Ted Cruz . . .

More: http://news.firedoglake.com/2013/09/26/corker-vs-cruz-the-snark-off/

http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/09/26/sen-coburn-cruzs-ploy-was-dishonest/
Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn criticized Texas’ Sen. Ted Cruz for misleading the American people over Obamacare

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/27/end-days-for-the-gop.html
Watching the GOP convulse these last few days, I sense that we just might finally be on the cusp of an important and long-awaited moment. Up until now during the Obama era, the Republicans’ scorched-earth politics have harmed their party, but they have always harmed the Democrats nearly as much—or, in the long term, even more. It’s a big reason why they do the things they do—they know cynically that if they bring the government to a standstill, most people will just blame both parties, and indeed might even cast more blame on the party of government, the Democrats.

The gig may be about up. . .  [read on]

And they're failing it

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/27/us/politics/republicans-facing-a-test-of-unity.html
Republicans Facing a Test of Unity

Meanwhile, the deficit that this is supposedly all about. . . . is already dropping

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/26/the-falling-deficit-has-been-a-disaster-for-the-gop/?wprss=rss_ezra-klein&clsrd

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/09/deficit-falling-falling-falling

The Tea Party polls at an all-time low

http://elections.firedoglake.com/2013/09/26/tea-party-brand-slips-further/ 

Bonus item: In the rest of the world, some encouraging signs
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Thursday, September 26, 2013

THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES

C-SPAN tells it like it is

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/cspan-reminds-viewers-that-cruz-s-overnight-speech-is-not-a-filibuster-photo 
“This is technically not a filibuster since Sen. Cruz is not delaying action on a bill. He must stop speaking before the Senate votes later today.”

Didn't have time to watch all 21 hours of Ted Cruz's not-a-filibuster? Hey, it's the Internet: somebody did!

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/the-most-ridiculous-moments-in-ted-cruz-s-phony-filibuster-video
The Most Ridiculous Moments In Ted Cruz's Phony Filibuster

http://prospect.org/article/ten-quotes-reveal-just-how-bizarre-ted-cruzs-super-extra-long-senate-speech-0
Ten Quotes that Reveal Just How Bizarre Ted Cruz's Super-Extra-Long Senate Speech Is

Explain to me again what he was hoping to accomplish?

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/oh-the-tangled-web
In another sign of the tangled procedural web Ted Cruz found himself in, he just voted for cloture on the continuing resolution that he spent all night faux-filibustering. . . .

By voting for cloture, Cruz is saying he wants debate to begin on the resolution, which he supports in its current form. But he'll oppose ending debate when that vote comes up later this week because once debate ends, Democrats in the Senate will strip the bill of the defund Obamacare provision and bring it to a final vote.

Got it? . . .


More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/09/25/what-ted-cruzs-speech-accomplished
What Ted Cruz’s speech accomplished

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/09/25/20690351-at-the-intersection-of-self-defeating-and-self-aggrandizing
At the intersection of self-defeating and self-aggrandizing

I know Ted Cruz doesn't care if everybody hates him. But does he need to keep working so hard at it?

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/cruz-tells-limbaugh-some-senators-think-their-voters-are-gullible-rubes
Cruz Tells Limbaugh: Some Senators 'Think Their Voters Are Gullible Rubes'

John McCain REALLY hates him

http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/john-mccain-slams-ted-cruz-using-nazi-a

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/09/25/1241314/-McCain-returns-fire-on-Cruz

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/09/25/20695240-mccain-the-people-spoke

"Green Eggs and Ham" -- it does not mean what Cruz thinks it means

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/09/25/20692124-getting-all-the-way-to-the-end-of-green-eggs-and-ham

Your government shutdown primer

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/24/everything-you-need-to-know-about-a-government-shutdown/?wprss=rss_ezra-klein&clsrd

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/25/here-is-every-previous-government-shutdown-why-they-happened-and-how-they-ended/?wprss=rss_ezra-klein&clsrd

You never have to scratch very deep to see what is really going on

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/09/25/1241299/-Top-Nevada-Republican-2014-will-be-great-because-minorities-won-t-turn-out-to-vote
Top Nevada Republican: 2014 will be great because minorities won't turn out to vote 

Glimpses into the dark, paranoid world of right-wing media

The Kerry arms treaty: http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/09/25/20695407-kerry-backs-arms-treaty-right-preps-major-freak-out

The Wendy Davis conspiracy: http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/09/25/20692986-the-wendy-davis-difference 

Bonus item: Opponents are trying hard to get people NOT to sign up for Obamacare (even if it is in their interests to do so), because then it will collapse. FreedomWorks, one of the leading anti groups, wants people to burn their Obamacare cards. . . except . . .uh. . . there AREN'T any . . . ummmm. . . Obamacare cards. 

(Thanks to JT for the link)

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL: http://pbd.blogspot.com

I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

NOT A FILIBUSTER

Since Ted Cruz's endless floor speech is all about getting attention for himself, it is tempting to just ignore it. It's not a filibuster, and it will do nothing to block health care reform. But it reveals too much about him and the state of the GOP to ignore it

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/mr-smith-he-ain-t
Cruz may be able to talk for quite a while, but it's not a filibuster. The technical term for it is ... grandstanding. . . .

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/09/ted-cruz-vows-to-speak-against-obamacare-until-i-am-no-longer-able-to-stand/
But make no mistake: What Cruz is doing is not filibuster. And this is not his Mr. Smith goes to Washington moment. 

Cruz cannot block legislation. He doesn’t have enough support — even from his fellow Republicans. Most of his party has abandoned his effort to wage a filibuster, largely because of worries about shutting down the government. Senate rules dictate that the Senate must adjourn by noon on Wednesday. At that point, the Senate then will reconvene and start its cloture vote on the motion to proceed on the continuing resolution.

This is largely a made-for-cable-TV demonstration. The Texas Republican can’t talk more than 15 hours, according to the Senate’s rules. Cruz’s aides won’t say how long he’ll speak, but one Republican leadership source suggested he might go on only long enough to reach the prime time audience on Fox News Channel. . . .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/24/ted-cruzs-filibuster-is-an-excellent-argument-against-ted-cruzs-filibuster/
Ted Cruz's quasi-filibuster is a bit past the hour mark, and it's...strange. . . .

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/25/ted-cruz-might-just-have-won-the-future-for-the-gop.html
Make no mistake about it: the on-going “extended speech” by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has absolutely nothing to do with defunding the Affordable Care Act—or even delaying it for one goddamn day. . . .

He's talking about his fellow Repubs: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/cruz-likens-obamacare-defunding-skeptics-to-nazi-appeasers-video
During a floor speech Tuesday aimed at reviving the already-dim prospects for his effort to defund Obamacare, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) likened his doubters to Nazi appeasers. . . .

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/cruzin-for-bruisin.html

The Big Phony: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ted-cruz-negotiated-terms-of-filibuster-with-reid
Ted Cruz Negotiated Terms Of 'Filibuster' With Reid Ahead Of Time

https://twitter.com/ron_fournier/status/382845109944860674
Brazen hypocrisy: Cruz blasting "fake" and "symbolic" Obamacare votes during fake, symbolic filibuster.  . . .

Nighty-night: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/09/cruz-reads-green-eggs-and-hame.html 
Take a moment to enjoy this sweet photo of Ted Cruz's two little girls watching their dad on TV, because the context will provoke extreme eye rolling. About six hours into his fake filibuster on Tuesday night, Cruz read two bedtime stories to his daughters Caroline and Catherine, who were watching him on C-SPAN at home in Texas. Following some Bible passages, he read Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham in its entirety.  . . .

What next? http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/09/24/20673996-cruzs-crusade-cracks-starts-to-crumble
For Ted Cruz, it's quickly becoming an ignominious failure.

Indeed, the far-right's senator's entire scheme is imploding in ways that he apparently didn't see coming. Cruz has lost House Republicans, who were furious when he predicted failure last week after they followed his lead. Cruz has lost Senate Republicans, who consider his hare-brained scheme ridiculous and are annoyed by his efforts to exacerbate intra-party tensions.

He's also losing procedural fights while losing support from the American mainstream.

Is there anything going Cruz's way? At this point, no.

More: http://politicalwire.com/archives/2013/09/25/cruz_continues_night_long_attack_on_obamacare.html

The hard right attacks the Republican Senate leadership for not backing Cruz's crazy plan

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/senate-conservatives-fund-mcconnell-cornyn-made-ultimate-betrayal-on-defund-obamacare-proposal

Marco Rubio tries to ride Ted Cruz's coattails, become relevant again

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/09/24/20675455-rubios-cravenness-on-proud-display

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/09/24/1240989/-Marco-Rubio-to-Ted-Cruz-How-high

Obama gives a speech at the UN

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/24/obama-s-un-speech.html

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/09/24/20677033-obama-eyes-a-long-road-towards-a-different-relationship

The GOP vote on food stamps tells us The Kind of People They Are

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/09/subsidizing-farmers-but-not-the-poor-still-evil.html

It's pretty rich for the Cheney's to be attacking Alan Simpson in Wyoming

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/is-there-any-wyoming-left-in-wyoming

Lying too: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/mama-cheneys-not-happy-and-when-mama.html

The right wing media dynamic puts constant pressure on Republicans toward increasingly extreme positions

http://mediamatters.org/video/2013/09/23/foxs-hume-details-how-right-wing-media-push-gop/196047

http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/right-wing-radio-vs-fox-news-gop-civil-war-

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL: http://pbd.blogspot.com

I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***