Tag: Boehner

Speaker John Boehner Resigned, He was not Ousted.

In a transcript from the Rush Limbaugh radio show dated Sept 28th, 2016, Mr. Limbaugh says that John Boehner was ousted from the third most powerful position in the United States.  As Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Boehner, according to the US Constitution, was third in line of succession to the Presidency.

The cause for the Speaker to resign was not stated by the Mr. Boehner.  But the headline to Rush Limbaugh’s transcript is that the third most powerful man in America was ousted by forces lead by Senator Ted Cruz.  According to this theory, Senator Ted Cruz was an instigator and advocate for conservative Republican congressmen to consistently and persistently oppose Speaker Boehner’s leadership.  He did this, according to Limbaugh, because Senator Cruz had no support for his conservative views among fellow senators.  Therefore, he decided to go to the other house, Mr. Boehner’s house, and spoil it.

The quote from the transcript is the following:

“The point is, Ted Cruz was aware of all this, and he decided there was no way since he was so vastly outnumbered in the Senate, that what he instead did was to work with the conservative members in the House to strengthen them, to focus them. Not that they needed it, but just to form some unity and have a coordinated effort that was aimed at Boehner’s resignation, since Cruz was not gonna be able to engineer a similar thing in the Senate because he was basically a party of one.”

The transcript relates how Mr. Limbaugh rationalizes all of this as being a good thing.  He has his opinion.  Why not, he gets paid millions of dollars to tell us what he thinks.  But if he is correct in his opinion of this event, I do not see it as credit to Senator Cruz but a shame.  I guess you could credit Cruz with being savvy in understanding, as Limbaugh says, that in the Senate he is a party of one among 100 elected Senators.  I guess you could praise him for being smart enough to know that he could gather the discontented, unhappy, miserable conservative congressmen  who did not like Speaker Boehner and form them into a focused, united group of mostly freshmen congressmen who in their disgruntlement could work in a coordinated effort to oust the Speaker.  I guess you can compliment him for subverting the  office of Speaker of the House of Representative instead of fighting and winning better credibility in his own house, the Senate.  But if Mr. Limbaugh is correct and according to the transcript,  ” So there’s any number of people who you might…if you want to consider this in a doling-out-of-credit sense, Cruz is right there at the top.”

All of us wonder about the resignation of Speaker Boehner.  He also will not stand for election to his congressional seat.  He is retiring.  It seems to me that there was a day not long ago when powerful forces were in motion to do something or other. The accomplishment of it, back then, may have involved the resignation or the retirement of some powerful person. However, I seem to remember, that there was a sense of grace and largeness on the part of the winners over the vanquished.  It may have been called, back then, a sense of class or classiness.  The winners were the first ones to come out and congratulate the defeated with words of praise for their service, and with a reminder of their many accomplishments and the excellence of their career and the honorable and praiseworthy things for which they stood.  But according to Mr. Limbaugh, this sense of class and honorable victory is not true of the Value Voter’s Summit in Washington (DC) where, as Limbaugh states, (Senator Rubio is speaking) and says:  …Just a few minutes ago Speaker Boehner announced that he will be resigning..AUDIENCE (wild Applause)  Rush:  Now, that (applause) went on and on and on.  It was over the top.  And this was something that a number of people have been attempting to make happen for months now going into years.

This writer is aware of the advertisements on Facebook and Internet to get rid of Speaker Boehner.  I have always wondered who these disgruntled and discontented people were.  I even imagined that the advertisements were planted by Democrats to defeat the Republicans.  Now, I know that it is something (as Limbaugh states) ” a number of people have been attempting to do for years.”  Really!?  Is there a secret group of political outsiders trying to subvert the political process?  Were there powerful people, like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Senator Cruz, trying to revolt and oust the Speaker of the House of Representatives.  I am not one of them.  In fact, I get very nervous around discontented, disgruntled, malcontents who are in positions of power and are fighting against their fellows who are in positions of power.

Are they so sure that they would do a better job?  Are they so sure that if their man gets the power he will not use that power against the revolutionaries who put him or her there?  Do they want the power for themselves?  Are they willing to blame the so called leadership for their own inability to cooperate and focus on passing meaningful solutions to the nation’s problems- preferring to blame, as Mr. Limbaugh does, ” The …insider class, or ruling class or whatever you call it elite mind-set.”  I wonder about people who are willing to subvert and collaborate in a focused, united, cooperative campaign against someone else, are they going to be better or worse than those they ousted?  After all, they got to the top by subverting the authority of those they replaced.  They can expect the same for themselves, unless they are the first to attack and remove the attackers.

Limbaugh goes on to state his agenda for the ouster of Majority Leader McConnell.  He uses a quote from somebody else to hide behind, Gerald Selb, of the Wall Street Journal, who claims that the so called Tea Party forces are increasing their power and loosening the Republican (so called) establishment’s  grip. So, after all, this transcript of the Rush Limbaugh show is actually a self proclaimed testimonial to Rush Limbuagh’s success at fostering the take over of the Republican party by his brand of conservatives?

Are all Liberals Prejudiced? One Wonders!

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-15/boehner-to-tea-party-shut-yourself-down.html?cmpid=yhoo

“…one-sided, overwhelmingly white, aging, anti-gay, anti-immigrant, science-denying districts want.” A person does not need to read any further than this in order to see that the author is herself a narrow-minded, prejudiced bigot with an amazing amount of self-righteous confidence who claims to be analyzing.  However, this article is full of one-sided, myopic stereotypes which discredit her supposed analysis and reveal it to be nothing more than a rant.

Let’s Honor our murdered dead

http://news.yahoo.com/no-purple-hearts-fort-hood-victims-pentagon-says-152503982–abc-news-topstories.html

Please write your congress person to insist that these great American citizens who were wantonly murdered on their way to deployment should not only get a purple heart, but the increased benefits to their families that is required of our nation.  That is, if are willing to be honest and insist that our dead, (they are dead brothers and sisters, and their children are without them!!). These American soldiers volunteered to serve the military mission of our nation.  They were American service personnel.  They would not have been brutally murdered if they were not on their way to carry out the commands of the American government.  Yes, that means the orders of President Obama. (look folks, those are merely the facts and not anti Obama statements.) So let’s not be small-minded and childish in our treatment of these heroes.  Yes, they did not die in combat, they were murdered.  They were brutally and wantonly murdered by a fellow soldiers who was himself a secret terrorist.  So they were killed by terrorists and we must demand that our military do the right thing and the right thing is NOT to allow Attorney General Holder’s insistence that this was “workplace violence”.  Shame on us if we do not honor these service members with a purple heart and decent benefits to their spouses and children.

Hilary Clinton is an Old Woman

http://news.yahoo.com/ap-interview-clinton-raps-benghazi-critics-084552064–politics.html

It is time for those of us, and I too am 65, to give over and let the younger generation have a time at bat.  This is why I am appalled by those who want to run Hilary Clinton in 2016.  By then she will be 70 and frankly, although I too, do not think of myself as old, nonetheless, she and I are old, and it is time to give over the world to our children.

Regarding Benghazi, it seems to me that she should just move on and be a grandmother.  Her last grandstand is merely a revenge tactic against fellow citizens who do not agree with her view of what happened and what we can do about it.  She is merely trying to focus attention upon her critics and not upon the facts.  And this is doubly egregious since her whole speech is about the real world and the facts.  Yet, she is spinning about others and ignoring the false information from President Obama about the video, and the false talking points from some bogey man in the CIA, and the false statements on national television by the USA UN ambassador, and the weeks of administration insistence upon the video and the mob.

Mrs. Clinton lashes out at others as being not realistic, while she and the Obama administration attempted to blind fold the American public to the facts of Benghazi and her own and President Obama’s failure to treat the attack realistically.  She, and Obama, and the joint chiefs and the CIA and the FBI were all watching the events as they were happening.  It is the same as watching a person on a public street being attacked by a gang of four knife wielding crooks and doing nothing about it.  Because that is what she and President Obama did, they watched it happen, did nothing about it and went to bed as our citizens were tortured and brutally murdered at our embassy in Libya.

Mrs. Clinton should not be allowed to escape the verdict of the people that she and President Obama failed, and that they covered up by lying to the Press and the American people.  Both she and all involved should not be allowed to turn the tables on her accusers.  She and President Obama were in charge, our military was at the ready and it was Mrs. Clinton and President Obama who failed to grasp the gravity of the real life situation and instead waited for some kind of magical solution as they watched our citizens die in Benghazi.

This writer is not a Clinton hater and I know that many admire Mrs. Clinton for standing by her man during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.  Nonetheless, Benghazi is something that we cannot ignore in an attempt to “honor” a spurned wife.  Some would ask why I bring up the impeachment over the Lewinsky scandal.  Some would ask why I bring up Mrs. Clinton’s own evaluation and scathing criticism of Obama when she was running against him.  I do it because history is real and no amount of good intentions or fervor in favor of a particular person should blind us to the facts.  In fact, Mrs. Clinton’s parting speech says the same thing.  However, she wants to apply the rules to others but not to herself.  Well, friends, that is not real.

Obama Administration Always Fast to Point Finger

http://news.yahoo.com/gdp-reminder-congress-address-spending-white-house-150028918–business.html

“Today’s report is a reminder of the importance of the need for Congress to act to avoid self-inflicted wounds to the economy,” said Krueger in a blog post shortly after the release of new government data on gross domestic product.

Amazing that the White House and those sympathetic are fast as lightning to point the finger of accusation against the Congress.  Every time there is any bad news, the President or one of his advisors immediately diverts attention away from the White House and toward the Congress.  This is so very convenient for them and easy to do.  There are only a few of them at the White House while there are 100 Senators and 495 Representatives.  Easy for the few at the White House to quickly accuse while the 595 Congress people are always hesitant to speak for any other Representatives.  The result is the impressive myth that the White House pronouncements speak for the whole Government and not merely the executive branch. However, any member of the House or the Senate who accused would be considered speaking only for him or her self.

Is this an unfair advantage?  Yes, it is.  However, it can be argued that is the nature of politics.  So be it.  However, the news reporters can be un biased and represent the facts clearly.  Instead they abet the myth that Obama speaks for the whole government while the Congress people speak only for themselves.

It is the President and the Administration that is Stopping a Solution to the Fiscal Cliff

As reference see previous post concerning the Revenge Politics advocated by the Daily Beast.

“I can tell you the most recent promise the president has broken. He campaigned on a balanced approach to deficit reduction with more spending cuts than increased taxes. He even talked about it in the 2nd or 3rd debate. Instead he is proposing to raise taxes $1.6 trillion (the first year he has already outlined how it is to be spent on “stimulus” so no deficit reduction there at all). The spending cut is a POSSIBLE $400 billion over 10 years but nothing definite outlined.
For those of you who are math deficient, that is $4 in tax increases for every $1 of possible (but not likely) spending cuts. ”

It is very distressing to see the willingness of our people to accept the lie that the President only wants to tax the top two percent while everybody else gets a tax cut.  The facts of the President’s proposal are exactly opposite to what he tells the people.

Secondly, Pres. Obama wants the Congress to give away its right to review the debt ceiling and approve or deny raising it.  Why should they?  The Constitution gives the power of the purse to the Congress, specifically the House of Representatives.  When they are asked to give up this right, then we the people who voted for them are asked to give up this right.  We should not do it.

The Daily Beast newsletter may believe that it is right, just and proper for Obama to take revenge on the Republicans of the Congress for opposing him.  I do not agree.  The Congress is supposed to prevent tyranny by a systematic review of the Executive and the Judicial just as these branches of government are, in turn, to review the Congress.  This is not a system of revenge politics as proposed by Pelosi and Reid.  It is the Constitution.

Lastly, I believe that the rules of our social contract intend that the President is the President of the whole nation and not only of those who voted for him.  He is not supposed to be the President of the Democrats and the enemy of the Republicans.  If the Daily Beast believes such foolishness, then Obama is supposed to be the enemy of 48 percent of the citizens and the friend of the remainder.  If that is the case, can anyone blame the 48 % of the citizens to do all in their power during the next four years to opposed Obama who, in this case, is said to be their enemy?

Yes, the Democrat party won the Presidency but that is no excuse for attempts to destroy the Republican party.  Likewise, the Republicans won the majority in the House of Representatives and that is no excuse for always opposing the Democrat President.  The same applies to the Senate.

This writer is distressed by all of what Secretary Geithner calls “political theater.”  I agree that it is a necessary part of the political process, however, he then turns around and says that the House of Representatives, symbolized by the Speaker, is required to prove to the Executive how much they are willing to raise taxes.  That is absurd.  The Constitution gives the power of taxation to the Congress and not the President. Secondly, the House need prove nothing to the President.  He is required to submit his proposals to the House and they are required to debate, argue and either accept, reject or modify them.  What Geithner here proposes is to accomplish the legislation in a conference with the White House before it is even submitted to the Congress.  I disagree.

Let the President put his proposal to the House.  Let the administration, by using their Congressional Democrat proxies, argue their case before the full 495 Representatives.  And let the House vote and send it onto the Senate.  Only in this way will progress be made.

And Senator Harry Reid should stop bragging that any House of Representatives budget proposal that is not pre approved by Obama is Dead On Arrival in the Senate.  Who is the obstructionist in this process? There are many and they are:  The President, Nancy Pelosi, Reid, Geithner.  What the Republicans are trying very hard to do is to play according to the rule book which is called the Constitution.  There may be some who adhere to the Revenge politics advocated by the Daily Beast.  I do not.

No ROTC for Harvard

http://education-portal.com/articles/Coming_Out_in_ROTC.html  The President of Harvard University looks forward to the return of military ROTC now that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is repealed.  I am a military Veteran of thirty years service.  During Vietnam Harvard was not there for me.  During the Iraq War, Harvard was not there for me.  During the Afghan War, Harvard was not there for me.  I feel that Harvard and schools such as Harvard should be denied the return of ROTC and should be refused any federal military related money for a period of not less than the time they refused to be there for ROTC.  I am not one to profane the sacred graves of our military dead.  As a US  Army Chaplain during Iraq and Afghan Wars, I was distressed that Harvard and snobby elitist institutions like Harvard refused to serve our ROTC population due to Harvard’s so-called “offense” at the US military ban on open homo and lesbian and transgender (whatever) behavior.  I often felt that the Harvard snobs should go to Afghanistan and Iraq where such behavior is not only banned but subjected to excommunication from the religion of Islam, and stoning by local Moslem congregants.  Let the tenured Professors preach their message of sexual behavior to the Imams and the “Al Sadr’s” in those Moslem countries.  But of course, they would not do that.  Academics practice tolerance and intolerance behind the ivy walls of what were once Christian colleges like Harvard.  They are tolerant of everything of which they themselves never need to experience and they are totally intolerant of anyone who suggests that intellectually and practically they are wrong. 

Now that the number of students attending such schools as Harvard is much lower and the obscene costs for such attendance are exorbitant, Harvard wants once again to feed at the military feeding bin.  For those who served and for those who returned  and for those who served and were turned away from Harvard and never returned, I say NO WAY.  Harvard should be denied any return of ROTC and Harvard should have every last penny of federal monetary assistance withdrawn.  Yes, some students will be hurt.  Let them enlist.  If they want federal assistance and refuse to defend the nation, their request for federal money should be denied.  Hey, you really should not have it both ways.  Many others were refused because they were willing to serve in the military.  Since you refuse to serve.  Pay the price.

Conservatives will Hand the 2012 Election to Obama

The Conservative movement is looking for a Messiah.  This person must be 100 % conservative and he/she must please the following people completely: Sean Hannity, Mark Levin and the staff at Newsmax.  Plus this conservative Messiah needs to have been pure and wholly conservative from conception.  There is no room today for a person to move toward Conservative from a more liberal position.  All such persons are immediately suspect and to be opposed by every true Conservative.

Such a Conservative Messiah will be a perfect combination of Rubio, Gingrich,Santorum,Perry,Daniels, and sadly, a plethora of “other than Romney” types.  It is incredible that such intelligent people cannot see through the fog of their mythical dreams and wishful thinking.   Rather, they persist in fighting forcefully against a Romney victory, albeit, professing otherwise.  Steve Hayes on Fox News panel even went so far as to suggest that if this Conservative Messiah is not found in time that Conservatives may just stay home and not even vote.  Such a suggestion that Conservatives may stay home and pout instead of engaging in the public election is evidence of a sadly myopic concept of Conservatism.

The above comments are the way I am seeing it these days, whether it is Steve Hayes on Fox News panel, or any other self-proclaimed conservative blue blood who is speaking.  All are convinced that somewhere there is a Conservative Messiah who will magically appear and save the Republican party from Governor Mitt Romney.

The Conservative movement within the Republican party, and the populist movement called the Tea party, will sink the Republican party before it gets to the election.  Why?  Because the rhetoric of the Conservatives is divisive of Republican party unity and no last moment rally to the flag will undo the months of consistent and persistent Conservative punditry against Romney.  Indeed, it seems from my side line view that Romney’s success is itself enough to turn the Conservative radio commentators into frontrunners for Obama.

Granted, a writer must take the speck out of his own eye before he attempts to take the log out of his neighbors eye, and it is that spirit that I offer this personal viewpoint.

Advertisers Fail Their True Buyers Except Quicken Loans

Some companies indicate they’ll be sticking with Rush, though. “While we do not condone or agree with Limbaugh’s statements regarding Sandra Fluke, we respect his right to express his views, as well as those who disagree with him,” Quicken Loans spokeswoman Paula Silver said in an emailed statement. “As an advertiser, our goal is to reach a broad audience, which we accomplish by placing ads on a number of programs across the country representing diverse views.”

Congratulations to a true freedom loving, constitution respecting, American company and to spokes person Paula Silver for clearly stating what should be obvious to all namely “….we respect his right to express his views as well as those who disagree with him…As an Advertiser (see above)..”

Who are the callers to sleep Eze and the other advertisers who stopped advertisements or affiliation with the hugely popular Rush Limbaugh show.  I very much doubt they are regular listeners to his three-hour program.  I suggest instead that these are what are known today as “political drones” who are paid to complain or if not actually paid, they are people who sit before their computer screen eight or more hours a day in order to attack their political, social, or religious opponents.”

The existence of these kind of chronic E mail hacks, is known by just about everybody, except those advertisers who do not have the native intelligence nor the Internet savvy to understand that the so-called “firestorm” of protest about the Limbaugh comments was generated by people who never listen to his program and therefore would not buy their products anyway.  The mere fact that the news reports indicate that all Limbaugh advertisers received the same deluge of E mail complaints and telephone protests tells us that this was merely a coordinated sociopolitical motivated attempt at intimidation.  That even the Speaker of the House of Representative Mr. Boehner was subjected to this obviously organized barrage and that he responded to it tells this writer that the so-called outrage is phony.  Also the idea that President Barrack Hussein Obama called her to thank her for standing up for women’s rights is a clear indication that this supposed spontaneous public outcry is a sham.

Why do I care?  Actually, I do not know this woman.  I do not care what she does with her life.  I do not care if this makes her famous, like Joe the Plumber or not.  However, I do care that major USA corporations are so ill-informed concerning the American principles of freedom of speech and freedom of religion, and yes, freedom to have sex or not to have sex, that they easily fall victim and become accomplices to those who would change our social/religious/political values by Internet intimidation.  That is worrisome.