Posts tagged “Obstructionism”
Unprecedented obstructionism in the Senate
I have neglected to update this blog for some time. But after reading about the Senate GOP’s filibuster of Chuck Hagel for Defense Secretary – an unprecedented move by an opposition party – it’s difficult not to comment. The only term that can describe this move is obstructionism, plain and simple. There is no justification [...]
Recess Appointments and such
The most exciting political news of the day (and of the year, so far) is that President Obama has appointed Richard Cordray to be director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau while congress is out of session, utilizing his executive power to make recess appointments. This comes after almost two years of Republican Obstructionism that has filibustered any final [...]
Who’s Afraid Of The Dark?
House Republicans. (12/19/2011 – in the wee hours of the night): The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on extending an expiring payroll tax cut tomorrow, delaying a plan to hold a vote on a two-month extension tonight. “The plan is for us to meet in the morning and do this in the light of [...]
Serving The Interests Of An Imaginary Group
There’s nothing more indicative of obstructionism than when a political party protects the interests of a group that doesn’t exist. NPR had an excellent segment on Morning Edition today where the delved into the Republicans claims that the millionaire surtax provision in the Payroll Taxcut Extension would hamper the ability of small business owners to [...]
The Disappearance of the Filibuster
I chose this false statement as the title of my post because, while the usage of the Filibuster in Congress has reached historic levels never seen before, the reporting of its usage by the media has dramatically dwindled. To give you an example from today, James Fallows at the Atlantic explains how even “leading” political publications have [...]
The Obstructionist Reflex
Newspaper articles are generally written at a 9th grade level of comprehension, so it’s starting to become a little bit eerie to see the word “intransigent” being used in abundance by the news media to describe the inflexibility of Republican politicians. What isn’t shocking, though, are the knee-jerk reactions that the GOP presidential candidate field [...]
Tax Policy: Eric Cantor versus Eric Cantor
Eric Cantor on the need to extend the Bush Tax Cuts (9/20/2010): Republicans unequivocally oppose any impending tax increase. House Republicans have called on Speaker Pelosi to allow the House to vote on legislation that would freeze all tax rates for the next two years. It’s a vote the taxpayers of this country deserve before [...]
Still Waiting for Obama to Lead
Someone better recommend a treatment for the appeasement bug that’s been going around congress. This time, it’s the Congressional Black Caucus, who’ve decided to throw Black America under the bus to accommodate President Obama’s centrist agenda, while at the same time complaining that Obama’s latest bus tour hasn’t made its way enough into black communities. [...]
Cut, Cap, and Complaisant
The House Republicans action last night of passing their self-titled “cut, cap, and balance” bill in a 234-190 vote speaks volumes to the complete indifference that the Republican Party has shown towards the economy. With word breaking late yesterday afternoon that nearly 60 percent of Republicans voters believe that their leaders “are not doing enough [...]
The Sky Will Fall On Our Heads. Guaranteed.
We know that all manner of dire things are going to happen in the next Congress if Republicans wrest control of the House. But what if they fail? How different would things really be? Humor me. I realize that nobody actually expects the Democrats to hold on to a majority in the House. But consider [...]