US Politics Thread |OT| THE DARKEST TIMELINE

[Joe Molotov]

Reading Robert Costa's twitter feed is

Robert Costa ‏@robertcostaNRO 7m
If you think this is rough, tho, con Rs already telling me Boehner's play makes the CR "their thing," won't give in for small concession

 Robert Costa ‏@robertcostaNRO 11m
Boehner lets 'em keep shutdown in exchange for 6wk DL ext MT @BenjySarlin Labrador says he backs DL increase to continue fight against Ocare

Robert Costa ‏@robertcostaNRO 31m
The hard thing for leadership, esp during open mic now, is that a large # of Rs are simply unhappy w/ anything that's not a BIG WIN

Robert Costa ‏@robertcostaNRO 40m
Boehner trying to escape default. Ending govt shutdown is, 4 now, a secondary concern. He's not sure if he has votes for fmr, let alone a CR

 Robert Costa ‏@robertcostaNRO 44m
We are at a moment now, at this min, where this either becomes Plan B redux or it begins to build support, however uneasy, twd passage

 Robert Costa ‏@robertcostaNRO 52m
Boehner's speech, per members: 6-week debt ceiling till Nov 22, plus budget conferees to lead broader talks

Boehner on suicide watch yet? "We gave you a 6 week extension on the default (maybe!), so now you gotta give us a BIG WIN on the CR before we'll reopen the government!"

[Mupepe]

Since I'm not as old as some of you and started caring about politics a little late, can someone tell me if they remember a Speaker with less control over their party? 

[Great Rumbler]

Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) announced Thursday that the House will move forward with a six-week debt limit extension after pitching the idea to his Republican conference during a closed-door meeting.

The plan would sustain the government shutdown -- now in its 10th day -- while temporarily averting a catastrophic debt default by authorizing continued borrowing through Nov. 22.

 

[Phoenix Dark]

Not a fan of the 6wk DL. It's clear to all that the GOP will not allow us to default. Why not have the senate attatch a full DL raise+govt funding and send it back to the House.

[Great Rumbler]

“The bottom line is we need that money in our economy to save rural hospitals and jobs in the rural areas,” Brewer said, according to the Arizona Daily Star. “It’s all about jobs and getting back federal dollars that our taxpayers have paid to the federal government, to bring them home.”

 

[DCharlieJP]

yeah - Obama should reject. Either you are with us or against us. Pick a side.

[Phoenix Dark]

This proves what many have said all along - Boehner will not allow a default. So force him to fall on his sword, fully.

[Phoenix Dark]

Paul Kane ‏@pkcapitol 55m
Cornyn and Collins say Senate Rs want to amend the House R debt limit hike, figure a way to attach CR component. Working w/ Senate Ds.

 

please, please happen

[Steve Contra]

This is looking more and more like "god we hope people forget about this before 2014/16"

I also think anyone who the stick of this on them is dead in the water in 2016.  Chris Christie to the rescue?*

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Just kidding the crazy wing will still shit all the primaries

[close]

[Mr. Gundam]

So they want to kick the can down the road until right before Thanksgiving? Awesome.

[Joe Molotov]

If Obama supports the 6 week extension, then it's obviously some kind of trap; bail out Tea Party! Let God judge the RINO traitors that are plotting against you!

[Phoenix Dark]

Imagine not being able to work, potentially through Thanksgiving, due to this shit. Furloughed people can't apply for unemployment benefits right?

[helios]

Imagine not being able to work, potentially through Thanksgiving, due to this shit. Furloughed people can't apply for unemployment benefits right?

From what I know, they can, but it Congress approves backpay, they have to give that money back.

[brawndolicious]

Imagine not being able to work, potentially through Thanksgiving, due to this shit. Furloughed people can't apply for unemployment benefits right?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/03/1243826/-Facing-shutdown-uncertainty-furloughed-federal-workers-file-for-unemployment

Seems like they can collect unemployment if the D.C. DES was preparing for this. Still of course they probably can't afford to live on just UE benefits for very long.

I can imagine how outraged the public will be if national parks and monuments are closed during the thanksgiving weekend.

[Phoenix Dark]

Obama Rejects Republican Proposal For Short-Term Debt Limit Plan: Report
The Huffington Post | Posted: 10/10/2013 6:18 pm EDT

Mark Murray ‏@mmurraypolitics 37s
By 22pt margin (53%-31%) public blames GOP more for the shutdown than Obama -- a wider margin of blame than GOP got in poll in '95-96

President Obama’s approval rating is up slightly in the WSJ/NBC poll to 47-48 versus 45-50 last month. Democrats now lead Republicans on a generic Congressional ballot 47-39, a five point bump in the same period.

But the number that’s truly apocalyptic for Republicans is respondents’ views of the Affordable Care Act. The law is actually gaining support in the latest poll: 38% of respondents now say the law is a good idea versus 43% who say it’s a bad idea, a major bump from the 31-44 margin it polled last month and its best result in over a year. The surge in support comes despite a glitch-filled rollout of the law’s exchanges that’s proving a publicity problem for the White House.

http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/10/10/gop-plummets-obamacare-soars-in-shutdown-standoff/

There seem to be mixed reports coming from the meeting. Some say Obama outright rejected offer, others say he will mull over it tonight. Regardless, the GOP is fucked. 

[Joe Molotov]

Obama Rejects Republican Proposal For Short-Term Debt Limit Plan: Report
The Huffington Post | Posted: 10/10/2013 6:18 pm EDT

Mark Murray ‏@mmurraypolitics 37s
By 22pt margin (53%-31%) public blames GOP more for the shutdown than Obama -- a wider margin of blame than GOP got in poll in '95-96

President Obama’s approval rating is up slightly in the WSJ/NBC poll to 47-48 versus 45-50 last month. Democrats now lead Republicans on a generic Congressional ballot 47-39, a five point bump in the same period.

But the number that’s truly apocalyptic for Republicans is respondents’ views of the Affordable Care Act. The law is actually gaining support in the latest poll: 38% of respondents now say the law is a good idea versus 43% who say it’s a bad idea, a major bump from the 31-44 margin it polled last month and its best result in over a year. The surge in support comes despite a glitch-filled rollout of the law’s exchanges that’s proving a publicity problem for the White House.

http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/10/10/gop-plummets-obamacare-soars-in-shutdown-standoff/

There seem to be mixed reports coming from the meeting. Some say Obama outright rejected offer, others say he will mull over it tonight. Regardless, the GOP is fucked. 

Fucked with their own dicks. 

[Great Rumbler]

I've never felt better about bailing out of the Republican party than I do right now. #winningteam

[Mandark]

Imagine not being able to work, potentially through Thanksgiving, due to this shit. Furloughed people can't apply for unemployment benefits right?

Off the top of my head I know three people who work at NASA, one on Capitol Hill, one at NOAA, one at the mint, one for INS, several at the FDA, and a bunch of people who rely in varying degrees on contract work.

As you can imagine, people in this area are NOT happy campers.

[Oblivion]

Holy shit. 50% of the public says the Dems should control both houses of congress next year, compared to 38% favoring the Republicans. 

[Mandark]

Yeah, but Dems typically do better in generic-ballot polls far away from election time than they do in reality, and if it becomes clear that this is a huge electoral drag for Republicans, then Congressfolk in swing districts will do their best to distance themselves from it.  Plus a year is a long time in terms of political memory.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if the Democrats actually pick up some seats in the midterm, which is a pretty big indictment of the GOP by itself.

[Phoenix Dark]

The numbers mirror the numbers democrats had a year before the 2006 midterms, but ultimately I agree. Dems will pick up seats, assuming the economy isn't fucked by the shutdown nonsense, but it's virtually impossible for them to retake the House due to gerrymandering.

[Mandark]

It's not just gerrymandering, I believe, but actual demographic patterns.  It's mostly urban districts that are 80-90% Democratic.  And yeah, I know about creating black-majority districts which both help black candidates win primaries and create more GOP-leaning districts overall.  But right now, any "fair" drawing of Congressional districts that tried to represent natural communities or geographic areas would lean GOP, just like the electoral college seemingly leans Democratic right now.

Either way it would have to be a pretty big swing.  I wouldn't put it past the GOP to shoot themselves in the foot that hard, but it's nowhere near guaranteed.

[Great Rumbler]

I've never felt better about bailing out of the Republican party than I do right now. #winningteam

at ever voting republican

Dog pls

Hey, you try growing up to conservative parents in the armpit of America and not vote Republican at least once. We're lucky I ever managed to find my way out at all.

[Dickie Dee]

LOL, remember this guy

Gun Mishap Cuts Short Anti-'college intellectual' Police Chief's Disciplinary Hearing

AP Photo Catherine Thompson – October 11, 2013, 8:05 AM EDT | 8760
A public hearing for suspended Gliberton, Pa. police Chief Mark Kessler, whose YouTube gun demonstration videos drew national attention, was cut short Thursday night when a man dropped a semi-automatic pistol on the floor, the Republican Herald reported.

An unidentified man dropped the pistol, which the Republican Herald described as possibly a .45 semi-automatic, about 90 minutes into the hearing. The firearm did not discharge and no one was injured.

Attorneys ordered the man to leave before expressing concern for spectators' safety and postponing the hearing entirely, according to the newspaper. The attorneys had been taking testimony on borough official's charges that Kessler had neglected his duties and conducted himself inappropriately while off-duty, which would help determine whether Kessler would remain in his post.

The borough council had voted in September to continue to suspend Kessler pending termination. Previously, the council had suspended him for using borough-owned guns in a series of YouTube videos in which he fires machine guns and rails against Democratic political figures he calls "libtards."

[Joe Molotov]

"Hey guys, gun drop at 6:30, pass it on!"

[CatsCatsCats]

No one died? But TV taught me that when guns get dropped they always fire directly at innocent children...

[Joe Molotov]

I know you're disappointed Spencer, but maybe next time. Because there's always plenty of next times.

[Great Rumbler]

"Let's have a little straight talk, Martha," McCain said. "[The administration] wouldn't have had the opportunity to handle it that way if we had not shut down the government on a fool's errand that we were not going to accomplish. The whole premise of shutting down the government was the repeal of Obamacare. I fought against Obamacare harder than any of the people who wanted to shut down the government."

[Joe Molotov]

John McCain is getting a little

[Phoenix Dark]

Her exasperated gasp at the end 

I eagerly await the House's "at least I got chicken" moment, where they pretend they won something.

[Phoenix Dark]

http://joeforamerica.com/2013/10/america-needs-white-republican-president/
 

[Mandark]

Mandark, is the shutdown affecting DC traffic at all?

Maybe marginally, but it's still miserable and full of terrible drivers.

Remember that trucker protest that fizzled out?  "We're going to make them give in by CLOGGING UP THE BELTWAY!" was just the cutest idea ever.  And they say student protesters are naive.

[Joe Molotov]

http://joeforamerica.com/2013/10/america-needs-white-republican-president/
 

White man's burden, it's so heavy brehs.

[Brehvolution]

There is a petition on that site to arm our troops?!

[Steve Contra]

There is a petition on that site to arm our troops?!

[Phoenix Dark]

"Every democrat president since Andrew Jackson has carried on his racist tradition"

[Phoenix Dark]

'She's Got Really Hot Breasts, Man!' Lonegan Aide Bashes Booker With X-Rated Rant

A top aide to Republican New Jersey Senate hopeful Steve Lonegan went into decidedly not-safe-for-work territory when TPM asked why he thinks his candidate has been gaining on Democratic opponent Cory Booker in recent polls.

In a profanity-filled assessment of the race delivered via phone Thursday, Rick Shaftan, a senior staffer and key strategist on Lonegan's campaign, suggested voters would be turned off by Booker's "odd" behavior including Twitter messages the Democrat sent to a stripper, that Shaftan described as "strange" and "like what a gay guy would say."

"It was just weird. I mean, to me, you know, hey, if he said, 'Hey, you got really hot breasts man, I'd love to suck on them.' Then like, yeah, cool. But like, he didn't say that," Shaftan explained. "It was like kind of like, I don't know, it was like what a gay guy would say to a stripper. It's the way he was talking to her. It's just like like there was no sexual interest at all. I don't know. To me, if I was single and you know like some stripper was tweeting me, I might take advantage of the perks of the office, you know?"

Booker, the mayor of Newark, N.J., appeared in an as-yet-unreleased documentary about Twitter with the Portland, Ore.-based stripper, Lynsie Lee. Their Twitter exchanges made headlines late last month after Buzzfeed highlighted a brief, private exchange the two of them had on the social network.

"And the East Coast loves you and by the East Coast, I mean me," Booker wrote to Lee.

"Well now I'm blushing ," she replied.

"Its only fair," wrote Booker.

The Booker campaign initially dismissed the minor media frenzy generated by the Twitter messages. Spokesman Kevin Griffis responded by characterizing the exchange between Booker and Lee as proof "the mayor remains accessible and engages with people." Griffis also joked that the fact Lee works for a club in Oregon that bills itself as the "world's first vegan strip club" was actually "the most shocking thing about this story."

At a press conference, Booker said his communications with Lee were simply proof he spends substantial time on Twitter "listening to people and engaging with people no matter what their profession."

However, in the interview with TPM, Shaftan said it was impossible Booker did not take notice of the topless pictures Lee regularly shared on her Twitter page.

"This is strange. It's just weird. ... It's like, 'I don't know who she is. I don't know anything about her.' Get the fuck out of here dude. You can't follow her Twitter page and not know she's got those great breasts. How do you fucking not know?" Shaftan said. "It's just too odd and people they just wonder, like, who does this guy really want to work for? Who's he representing?"

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/top-aide-believes-steve-lonegan-is-surging-because-of-cory-booker-s-strange-behavior


to be fair, based on those tweets Booker is either in a relationship, very smart (ie avoiding Carlos Danger moments), or wilde homo

[Great Rumbler]

[Joe Molotov]

Cory Booker is too fabulous for repubs. 

[Joe Molotov]

BTW, that (probably fake) Lenin quote has been scaring RWNJ's since the 40's!

http://books.google.com/books?id=UEGLO9YUecEC&pg=PA92&lpg=PA92&#v=onepage&q&f=false

Some things change, but crazy never goes out of style.

[Phoenix Dark]

http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3077762/posts

 

[CatsCatsCats]

It's up to you if you want to take money from other taxpayers.

That's something I would hold off on for as long as possible because you would be participating in the wealth distribution scheme of socialists.

Waiter, I'd like to send this back, it's too salty

[Phoenix Dark]

Obamacare subsidies would take money out of my fellow American's pockets
 

*takes house mortgage tax deduction*
 

[Great Rumbler]

BTW, that (probably fake) Lenin quote has been scaring RWNJ's since the 40's!

http://books.google.com/books?id=UEGLO9YUecEC&pg=PA92&lpg=PA92&#v=onepage&q&f=false

Some things change, but crazy never goes out of style.

Socialism's been the RW's favorite boogeyman for the last century, don't expect that to ever change.

[Phoenix Dark]

MLK in the back 

[Joe Molotov]

lawl, RWW is having a field day with the Value Voters Summit









Like shooting fish in a barrel, but still, it doesn't mean you can't still have a laff.

[Phoenix Dark]

Watch that Santorum clip and compare it to the others, or just about any clip of a conservative talking about gay people. He emits a visceral level of hatred that you almost never see or hear on a national stage. People like Rick Perry and Michelle Bachman are able to hide their disgust behind a facade, or even a casually dismissive attitude. Santorum has no filter, and I think that's a big reason why - despite his undeniable work for the cause - fundamentalist Christian groups continue ignore him every four years. Even they realize he's too hateful and couldn't possibly win an election.

[Joe Molotov]

Watch that Santorum clip and compare it to the others, or just about any clip of a conservative talking about gay people. He emits a visceral level of hatred that you almost never see or hear on a national stage. People like Rick Perry and Michelle Bachman are able to hide their disgust behind a facade, or even a casually dismissive attitude. Santorum has no filter, and I think that's a big reason why - despite his undeniable work for the cause - fundamentalist Christian groups continue ignore him every four years. Even they realize he's too hateful and couldn't possibly win an election.

It is pretty impressive that it makes the other people seem sane by comparison. What they're saying may be disgusting and stupid, but you know what they're trying to say. Santorum is just spitting out words and you don't even know what he's talking about and he probably doesn't even know what he's talking about, something about contraception being like the French Revolution because they had an emperor or something, but you can definitely tell he's mad about it, whatever it is because he's yelling and pointing his finger and spittle is flying out of his mouth.

[Joe Molotov]

Obama to House GOP:

[Phoenix Dark]

Sounds like Boehner is fucked

Robert Costa ‏@robertcostaNRO 1m
another notable convo in Sen this morn: Rs warning Schumer, Ds that if they truly break Boehner here, possibility for any big leg fades...

oh noes, you mean if dems break Boehner we'll have to deal with an obstructionist congress? 

[brawndolicious]

That makes sense for the ones in safe Tea Party districts. They're actually becoming more popular by sticking to their guns, so throwing their Speaker in front of the bus is all they can do.

[Dickie Dee]

Sounds like Boehner is fucked

Robert Costa ‏@robertcostaNRO 1m
another notable convo in Sen this morn: Rs warning Schumer, Ds that if they truly break Boehner here, possibility for any big leg fades...

oh noes, you mean if dems break Boehner we'll have to deal with an obstructionist congress? 

[Joe Molotov]

"Give us what we want or Boehner gets it!"

Man, if the Tea Party goes any further with this hostage taking thing, they're going to start literally taking hostages.

[Oblivion]

Obama and the Dems should offer a six month debt ceiling and CR extension. Then let the Reps try and play this out again.

[AdmiralViscen]

Obama and the Dems should offer a six month debt ceiling and CR extension. Then let the Reps try and play this out again.

That would lock in another six months of sequester

[Oblivion]

Was there ever any reasonable chance the sequester was going to be removed?

[AdmiralViscen]

I'll tell you in two weeks

[Phoenix Dark]

The National Review's Robert Costa has been doing some great reporting on the shutdown

@robertcostaNRO 29m
The political dynamic now between House Rs and Senate Rs is tense. Sen Rs feel like Cantor asking them to "stand strong" is a middle finger

@robertcostaNRO 28m
Sen Rs say House suddenly going AWOL and telling them to "stand strong" gives Reid much more power to shape contours of final deal

@robertcostaNRO 26m
House doesn't come back till Monday, Sen Rs now not even talking about some big CR/DL bargain, just making sure they don't lose BCA levels

@robertcostaNRO 21m
Ds are negotiating now in Sen like a med-device repeal + CR/DL is beneath them, not good enough--and Sen Rs telling House Rs it's serious

@robertcostaNRO 19m
Little thing I've noticed during deep-bk talks today: Rs barely mentioning outside conservative groups/"key" votes, etc. Here's why...

@robertcostaNRO 16m
polls have dipped, House in disarray, Sen Rs on ropes. Now, cries/anger of Right fading, seem minor as hardball of Sen Ds rattles them

@robertcostaNRO 13m
in short, growing # of Rs could care less about a con$ervative group's threats about not being Cruz-esque/CR warrior when BCA '11 at risk

@robertcostaNRO 11m
There is a growing acceptance in Hill GOP that regardless of how this ends, it'll end badly, and Rs who back it will be blamed for caving

https://twitter.com/robertcostaNRO

McConnell and senate republicans are entirely focused on saving the 2011 Budget Control Act, ie the sequester; no one is discussing Obamacare. And because the shutdown has ruined republicans politically, democrats feel confident enough to not only demand a clean CR/debt ceiling raise, but to open the government at a higher $ than under sequester. Costa has said McConnell is trying to save those spending cuts so he can potentially trade them later during budget discussions, perhaps for entitlement cuts. If the cuts are ended now, republicans won't have anything.

All this thanks to Boehner.

[Great Rumbler]

So basically, Republican are trying to remove a wart from their foot with a pistol, but may end up blowing their big toe off instead.

[CatsCatsCats]

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