Reich writes: "Tea Partiers may be more amenable to an agreement now that the electorate has signaled it doesn't especially like what the Tea Party has been up to."
Portrait, Robert Reich, 08/16/09. (photo: Perian Flaherty)
Boehner's Leverage Over Tea Partiers in Congress
08 November 12
f there's a mandate in yesterday's results," said House Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday, "it's a mandate to find a way for us to work together." Republicans, he said, were willing to accept "new revenue under the right conditions," to get a bipartisan agreement over the budget.
We've heard this before. The Speaker came close to agreeing to an increase in tax revenues in his talks with the President in the summer of 2011, but relented when Tea Partiers in the House made a ruckus.
But Tea Partiers may be more amenable to an agreement now that the electorate has signaled it doesn't especially like what the Tea Party has been up to.
Consider Indiana, where the Tea Party had pushed out veteran GOP Senator Richard Lugar in favor of Richard (rape is "something God intended") Mourdock. Mourdouk was soundly defeated Tuesday by Rep. Joe Donnelly.
In Missouri, the Tea Party was responsible for Todd (some rapes are "legitimate") Akin winning the Republican Senate nomination – which gave Sen. Claire McCaskill a landslide victory.
And in Montana, Tea Party nominee Denny Rehberg was no match for Senator Jon Tester.
Of the sixty incumbent members of the House's Tea Party Caucus, 47 were reelected, while 6 lost big, two ended up in races far too close for comfort, and one is still hanging by a thread (the rest either retired or sought higher office). Overall, those are bad odds for House incumbents.
As of Thursday morning, Tea Party icon Florida's Rep. Allen West - who made a name for himself calling several of his Democratic colleagues communists - was still trailing his Democratic opponent Patrick Murphy by more than the 0.5 percent margin that would trigger an automatic recount. Nonetheless, West is charging "disturbing irregularities" in the balloting process, and his lawyers have asked that ballots and voting equipment be impounded in St. Lucie and Palm Beach counties in expectation of a recount.
Another Tea Party icon, Minnesota's Rep. Michele Bachmann, beat challenger Jim Graves by just over 3,000 votes out of nearly 350,000 votes cast - even though she outspent Graves by more than 12-to-one. Not a good omen for Bachmann in 2014.
Tuesday wasn't exactly a repudiation of the Tea Party, and the public's rejection of Tea Party extremism on social issues doesn't automatically translate into rejection of its doctrinaire economics. But the election may have been enough of a slap in the face to cause Tea Partiers to rethink their overall strategy of intransigence. And to give Boehner and whatever moderate voices are left in the GOP some leverage over the crazies in their midst.
Robert B. Reich, Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley, was Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration. Time Magazine named him one of the ten most effective cabinet secretaries of the last century. He has written thirteen books, including the best sellers "Aftershock" and "The Work of Nations." His latest is an e-book, "Beyond Outrage." He is also a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine and chairman of Common Cause.
|
THE NEW STREAMLINED RSN LOGIN PROCESS: Register once, then login and you are ready to comment. All you need is a Username and a Password of your choosing and you are free to comment whenever you like! Welcome to the Reader Supported News community. |
 16 June 2013
|
 16 June 2013
|
 17 June 2013
|
 16 June 2013
|
 16 June 2013
|
 19 June 2013
|
 18 June 2013
|
 18 June 2013
|
 16 June 2013
|
Comments
We are concerned about a recent drift towards vitriol in the RSN Reader comments section. There is a fine line between moderation and censorship. No one likes a harsh or confrontational forum atmosphere. At the same time everyone wants to be able to express themselves freely. We'll start by encouraging good judgment. If that doesn't work we'll have to ramp up the moderation.
General guidelines: Avoid personal attacks on other forum members; Avoid remarks that are ethnically derogatory; Do not advocate violence, or any illegal activity.
Remember that making the world better begins with responsible action.
- The RSN Team
This is all on Obama to stand for what he was asked by the American public to do. Increase taxes on the wealthy and no, excuse me, NO changes to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
Boehner is right when he said that the election was the American public looking both parties to work together. But they also clearly by not voting out a single sitting Democrat showed which side gets to call the shots.
Speaker Boehner needs to stop dictating to the President and engage Obama in improving whatever the President proposes, not the other way around.
Follow this link for the best solution out there:
http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/
The bill is already written, just pass it tomorrow.
They will blame everyone else, for their own radical ideas that midstream Americans don't want.
They were a novelty for a short period. But their 30 minutes of fame is gone.
You are right. But the fact is they are ghosts; people that have died but don't know it yet.
The grand bargain will have to raise revenue in some way and the most harmless way may be to increase taxes on the "rich" and close a few loopholes on corporations.
The tea sippers will in return get some budget reductions in the rate of increases and everyone can claim a win.
None of this is will deter the certain mathematical dilemma's ahead, but at least we can get a short term high from the aura of "bipartisanship " on the banks of the Potomoc.
Clearly it will not.
I think we have an open mind but we also have an upper hand....boycott the sobs or tariff them. No freebies if they decide to come home, they were traitors and traitors do not get bonuses
I'm sure all the Teapee'ers believe they have the courage of their convictions. McConnell too. None of them understanding that it takes more courage to examine one's convictions, and allow others to examine them as well.
When people like this find others examining their positions, the tendency is to take the act of being examined personally. When they become defensive, it then becomes even harder for them to look at new or different information.
Examining their behavior and what they vote for is our right, and it needs to continue happening.
This 'Lucy and the Football' game is nauseating. ~No more Mr. Nice Guy~ should be the theme now.
It's not a 'fiscal cliff' it's a fiscal SLOPE, which can be dealt with next year.
If we wait for that, we may wait in vain and we abdicate our responsibilitie s and potential power as citizens. I think WE must take our values and the directions we want our government to take - to the President.
I am amazed at many critiques of this election, where the reasons for wins and losses are attributed to how well the campaigns were run and not to the substance of the candidates' positions. We cannot assume that President Obama will figure out those issues that "we, the people" care most about and lead us that way.
Anyone who wants Obama to stop killing Pakistanis from drones; drop his reported insistence of administrative detention being included in the NDAA; stop supporting new nuclear power plants and fracking; tie our aid to Israel to their treating Jews, Muslims, and Christians with equal rights; or whatever is important to you, needs to team up with groups who working on those issues you care most about, and let Obama know.
As we have witnessed - corporate $ doesn't always win. Let this second win for Obama be the beginning of our renewed participation in and communication with "our" government. We must take our priorities to the President. And to "our" members of Congress.
No more of their tactics to hold us all hostage to their own arrogance and stupidity and that of their boy Grover Norquist.
Wake up, GOP, if there are any sane members left!
Do love your Lucy and the Football reference - quite timely.
Military spending I do not care a fig is some brass wants a raise...raises should go to the troops and families..time to retire the Brass
We can muster on education for a while, new job growth will help us with that. No scholarships to rich, only those in lower income brackets. Rich have money, can write off...
We can do a budget...one is no more salary for Public Office, no more benefits. Want to cut seniors and disabled we will help you buy cutting it off at your heads!
American people are already organizing on Issues about environment, SS, Monsanto, Fracking, Oil so I believe we have enough to go around to organize against Congress. Shut them down. Give them pink slips and let go talk to the Senate. Remember the Pink Slips are not going to be good for extended benefits you slugs
Also Corporations are People...there fore we must enact a Tax for those in Corporations ....not small business. Tax cannot be used to drive up prices but be taken at its face value and out of the Profit Margin. I hope OWS and other Young Voters are going to become Good, 'honest' Lawyers I would say we are LONG Overdue!
I don't think so...
YA THINK?!
I see little written throughout our National Post Election Punditry of the Big OBVIOUS Rainbow which has appeared over the Election Outcome.
This was the first election held under the dark and dirty shroud of the Citizens United Decision.
And Yet.
Even with all that '$$Corpo-Cash$$ ' pouring into and washing around and infecting and manipulating OUR Election process.., and even with a major cable 'News' Network operating as a 24/7 Republican Campaign Donation full of bull, delusional manipulations and falsehoods-- Even with all that B$.., Americans still Won..!
Imagine the outcome if Citizens United did not exist and Media Enterprises had to operate under a strong Fairness Doctrine in Media like America had before Reagan came along-- It would have been a true landslide.., an actual Mandate.
In that REALITY a door has opened to the biggest opportunity Democrats and the American People have had in decades to try and remove so much of the vitriolic nonsense and deliberately foisted, undermining divisiveness from the system.
--Allow only Public Funding in Our Election Process.. or at most, limit campaign donation from all persons, real and 'corpo' alike to $2000.
--Break up the extremely narrow grip just a few Global Corporations have on almost all Media Enterprises and force them to operate under a true Fairness Doctrine.
You really must dig a bit deeper.
The Rethugs are getting shallower, more desperate and muddier in their swamp; The Tea-Buggers drove then to a new low (Remember "Keep the government's hands off my Medicare"). Gawd knows what kind of Neanderthal object or Orc-mutation they'll come up with in '16.
The Dem's might be a bit milquetoast but at least they tend to have a certain intelligence quota cut-off.
So Boehner (and presumably "Bitch" McConnel, Kentucky's king of obfuscation) have finally woken up from their bout of post-election somnambulism!
My compliments to you! Anyone who uses the word 'precis' is top shelf in my book.
Your background, and sentiments align with mine, except for the fact that I can vote, being that I am a first generation American.
Let me know when your WEB site is up and running.
I grok you.
"Grok"? That's a new one on me. Any relation to "Orc" of Mordor or Isengard? or Pythonesque, or the Goon Show, or Peter Cook/Dud Moore?
My web site is taking a long time as it's multi-aspect format (I've had an "Interesting" life on many fronts around the globe to put it mildly), even with the assistance of my incredibly patient wife who is an excellent graphic Designer.
Not sure how to do this as our nom-de-plumes are supposed to assure a certain degree of anonymity.
I guess I'm pretty easy to track down (busted?).
O' well thanks anyhoo.
Arr' thanks; must ha' forgotten or missed that one as I'm an ol' Heinlein fan. I'll look in my library and see if I still have that one.
Ya larn somthethin' every day, what?
I'm honored that you went to the trouble of asking about 'grok.' And, thank you to 'dovelane1'(Gar y) who was correct in pointing out the source.
'Grok' is a good example of what a precis does in providing a concise description of a rather complex concept. It basically means and refers to a very deep, visceral understanding of a person or idea that goes to the core of ones being. It sometimes happens as a 'eureka' moment, like when a light bulb suddenly goes on in ones head. Sometimes it happens after a long, slow process, in little steps.
In the 1960's 'grok' was a higher, more powerful 'I dig it!'
As to how I knew of your WEB site...that is simple. One day, out of my general curiosity, I clicked on the icon in the upper left hand corner of a posted comment. Sometimes it's a custom icon like yours, and sometimes it's the default lower case white 'r' in a field of a red circle.
Click on it and much is revealed about the profile of the commentator. It is also a repository of your latest comments.
Oh well; The Icon is from a ceramic piece I made "Self-Portrait with Pasha", my eldest and favorite of five wonderful cats we are owned by; I'm blurring the line between ceramics, painting and even architecture.
Better not get too involved in personal stuff as this is a public forum. Thanks for your curiosity and comments.
I'd better get to work on that website.
I believe the President has an executive
privilege that would help the people. Might be a first time, but then everything that made a difference is.
UI have been around to know that the Ivy will always with others give those scholarships to rich to get family money, always have....washing hands.
But I believe we may just have some good potential in the Youth, OWS even if they have to start at Community College.
Right now the Rethugs are on the phones, working a percent that their buds will live with, but they will play their hand out. I believe the President can make them stay until an agreement is reached, hope he does.
I am on SSI, SS I am not going to lose sleep over these cretins. I do believe we can Change things, we already have.
Have a great weekend, enjoy weather, animals, friends and family
Remember, there would be no standing army or navy to beat back the attacks, so, first the states would have to decide to raise an army, then decide how to fund it, then decide who would be put in charge of it.
It would be interesting to say the least.
It didn't work last time that they had major defeats. All it did was make them dig in their heels and believe that the problem was that they weren't conservative enough. Why would you expect anything different this time? Cognitive dissonance is alive and well and living in Tea Partydom. The only time they ever changed their minds while in office was when the fat cats who had bought their services decided that they were too much of a danger to the world and told them to shut up and be quiet.
But we can do both!
Raise the cap on wages subject to SS tax that is now around $106K. It could be a lower percentage than the tax collected up to the current cap but have no upper limit at all. The tax could exempt employers for the addition amount, so the "job creators" are happy. Gov't can still draw from the SS pot to pay for general funds and not have to pay back all the SS IOU's that are coming due.
I agree, what we shouldn't do is raise the age of eligibility for SS benefits or reduce payments or anything of the sort that would place the burden of this deficit/cebt issue brought about by Bushes war and the Republican economic/tax policies.
And I cannot fathom why a Federal tax of some nominal amount like fifty cents on each stock transaction should not be enacted ... after all we pay 45 cents to send communication by mail, why not half a buck to use the public's ether to gamble on investments.
RSS feed for comments to this post