Can the Republican Party be Saved?

Any Republican saying the party is NOT in trouble has a reading comprehension problem IMHO.  Over the last six years, state parties are gradually being taken over by the hard right 'radicals' to use Sen Hatch's word.

In my own state of Oklahoma, there was a fight at the OK GOP State Convention in May where a punch was thrown along with chairs and paper, delegations were shut off from voting, and the Convention adjourned before it was complete.  Made the national news.  Imagine being in the delegation the Convention is discussing to make a decision that affects the delegation, but then having the curtain drawn to separate you from the main Convention so you are allowed to vote  The hard right has taken over the OK GOP from all accounts.  If you want proof look no further that the OK GOP website where the Chair of OK GOP has this picture on the site:

In checking into the background of today's Minuteman, I discovered

The Minuteman Project is an activist organization started in April 2005 by a group of private individuals in the United States to monitor the United States – Mexico border's flow of illegal immigrants. Co-founded by Jim Gilchrist, the name derives from the Minutemen, militiamen who fought in the American Revolution. The Minuteman Project describes itself as "a citizens' Neighborhood Watch on our border", and has attracted media attention to illegal immigration.

The project (Minuteman)  has generated controversy, drawing criticism from former Mexican President Vicente Fox and former United States President George W. Bush, who expressed dislike for "vigilante" border projects.  In the 1960's the Minuteman along with the John Birchers were the biggest anti-John F Kennedy groups operating openly with rallies against him.  Both groups were investigated in the 60's by the FBI.

Militia and Minuteman in the 18th century were  two separate groups but today many people use them  interchangeably.  Still haven't figured out why we need a militia today when we have the National Guard.  The ones in the Texas Hill Country frankly frighten me reminding me of neo-Nazi's as I have witnessed how they goosestep march:

Although the terms militia and minutemen are sometimes used interchangeably today, in the 18th century there was a decided difference between the two. Militia were men in arms formed to protect their towns from foreign invasion and ravages of war. Minutemen were a small hand-picked elite force which were required to be highly mobile and able to assemble quickly. Minutemen were selected from militia muster rolls by their commanding officers. Typically 25 years of age or younger, they were chosen for their enthusiasm, reliability, and physical strength. Usually about one quarter of the militia served as Minutemen, performing additional duties as such. The Minutemen were the first armed militia to arrive or await a battle.

Last I checked, Oklahoma was not a border state which brings into question why have the Minuteman symbol on your website.  Do they honestly think the Federal Government is going to try and take over the State?  What minority in their right mind would want to be a member of a major political party whose symbol has become the Minuteman?

When I first moved to Oklahoma, I used to tell friends from other states that they would not believe this GOP as it was unlike any other.  Then I decided to get involved after the 2000 national election thinking I could make a difference and along with others who had recently moved to Oklahoma bring some common sense to the GOP.  We were wrong.  After  I became totally involved, it dawned on me the radical right was gradually taking over the party and nothing anyone could do because the State Party had sold out to the religious right and social conservatives leaving those with common sense out in the cold.    It was not worth getting upset after sitting through two State Conventions where it was all about fighting with the hard right and accomplishing very little.  When the former Chair resigned to run for statewide office, any hope of common sense returning had gone out the window.

Found this article from Senator Hatch on Utah while researching for this article and discovered the 'radical' right movement has spread:

Orrin Hatch: ‘Radicals’ Could Overtake Utah GOP

David Taintor,  8:53 AM EST, Wednesday January 9, 2013 

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) told the Deseret News that "radicals" who don't share Republican Party values could overtake the state GOP.  

“Thank goodness they’re not the majority,” Hatch said in an interview, published Wednesday. “But we’ve got to watch that or we’ll end up with a state dominated by radicals.” 

Hatch voted in favor of the fiscal cliff deal, but he told the paper he understands why some of his Utah colleagues did not. “Those who voted against it did so to protect themselves, I guess, from some of these radical outside groups," he said. “I don’t find any fault with the delegation because we’ve got a special climate out there that is very difficult.”

We have a United States Senator discussing the climate in Utah for any member of the House going against what the 'radical' groups want as 'difficult.'  How many other states have the same problem?  Has the Republican Party allowed the John Birchers, Minuteman, Militia, hard right social and religious conservatives, along with anti-government types to take over?  Is that why some House Members who we thought had some common sense are now acting like people we don't know?  Are they afraid to lose their seats and be replaced by this radical right group which would make it worse?  These are questions that need answers.  Senator Hatch spoke out but will others?

Yesterday on Twitter, I found a link to the Republican Main Street Partnership naming former US Rep Steve LaTourette (R-OH) who just retired from the House to lead their group.  At the same time they dropped "Republican" from their name which speaks volumes.  Rep LaTourette called the Grover Norquist Tax Pledge "Crap" last fall which made me laugh.  He represented the people of his District well along with the State of Ohio -- would have loved to see some group tell him how to vote as that would have been worth the price of tickets.  The sad part is that Rep LaTourette is just the type of Republican we needed to keep in the Congress who brought some common sense to the House.  Maybe he can do more as President of this group to bring common sense back to the GOP.  His first statement as the new President of Main Street Partnership (MSP) (formely Republican MSP) is a great start (my bold in the article):

Former U.S. Rep Steve LaTourette (R-OH) Statement on the New Main Street Partnership 

January 8, 2013 By RMSP

(Washington, D.C.) – “Earlier today, the Board of Directors voted in favor of changing the name we do business under to simply the ‘Main Street Partnership.’ 

“While we have changed our name, we have not changed our values or our mission. We will continue to be a right of center organization and continue to represent the governing wing of the Republican Party. 

“Partisanship has become deeply poisonous to the process in Washington over the last few years.  As someone who just left Congress, I understand this more than most. 

“We at Main Street understand that to begin to turn back this tide and to begin to restore the American people’s faith in Washington we must celebrate – not attack – those on both sides of the aisle who are willing to work together to find solutions to the serious challengers we face as a country. 

“While we remain Republicans, we are committed to reaching out to fair-minded members of the Democratic Party. We understand that bipartisan compromise – by it’s very definition – means working with members of the other party. 

“Compromise doesn’t mean surrendering – it means success.  Compromise is not an act of political cowardice – indeed it is the exact opposite, it is an act of incredible political courage.
“We need more voices in Washington willing to put the best interests of the American people above petty partisanship. That is what we have done at Main Street over the years and that is what we will continue to do. 

“We look forward to working with our centrist Republican members in the months and years ahead and engaging fair-minded independents and Democrats who want to help do what is right for this country.”

This 'Statement' of the MSP is about all Americans not just a select few and should be what governs the RNC which has its head buried in the sand pretending nothing happened on November 6, 2012.  RNC would do well to adopt the same 'Statement' but that would mean telling State parties to rid yourself of 'radicals' which this Koch Brothers Chair doesn't have the nerve or backbone to do IMHO.

The Main Street Partnership is dedicated to promoting and building a pragmatic, thoughtful, fiscally conservative, and inclusive “Governing Majority,” where political debate is encouraged to promote solutions to improve the lives of all Americans. Embracing the full spectrum of center-right ideologies and values in order to build coalitions, the Main Street Partnership is the largest organization of elected leaders who are in the mold of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan. For more information on the Main Street Partnership, visit our website at www.republicanmainstreet.org.

Yesterday a link to an article about the RNC co-Finance Chair came in my email which led to today's post, Can the Republican Party be Saved.  Decided to include the article to show that not all the RNC are happy with what happened in the 2012 election cycle even though the current Koch Brothers RNC Chair doesn't seem to get it.  Now maybe it will wake him up (not holding my breath) with the RNC Co-Finance Chair, Georgette Mosbacher, hitting the ceiling about the Republican Party.  She speaks for many of us who are furious what we are seeing out of today's Republicans who refuse to acknowledge they got shellacked on November 6, 2012, making all kinds of excuses why they lost.  Mosbacher nails the reasons they lost:

Mosbacher: I’m Furious at My Own Party

by Michelle Cottle Jan 8, 2013 4:45 AM EST 

RNC Finance Committee co-chair Georgette Mosbacher tells Michelle Cottle that she’s “mad as hell” about what Republicans have done to themselves.  

Best not to ask GOP fundraising legend Georgette Mosbacher about the state of her beloved party unless you want an earful. The co-chair of the RNC’s Finance Committee (and CEO of Borghese cosmetics), Mosbacher is “mad as hell” about the myriad ways the “brand has been tarnished”: the sorry state of the presidential primary process, the ongoing alienation of Latino voters, the “outrageous” Senate candidates that the party ran this cycle, the epic failure of the fiscal-cliff negotiations, and, most recently, the House’s dithering over disaster aid for the victims of superstorm Sandy. 

“I’m angry!” fumes Mosbacher. “I’m angry about the stupid mistakes that were self-inflicted.” It’s this last part she finds the most enraging. Though she believes the party has “unfairly” been defined by its recent mistakes, she is very clear about where the ultimate blame lies: “We did it to ourselves.” 

Mosbacher is, of course, not alone in her ire. Postelection, you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a hastily assembled group of Republican leaders laboring to figure out where the party went wrong last cycle and how to get it back on track. So far, however, Mosbacher is unimpressed by their efforts. 

“I have not seen an honest postmortem assessment yet,” she told me. “I have not seen anything that gives me any comfort right now.” 

This is an unfortunate development for the GOP, because, as Mosbacher explained it to me this weekend: “I’m not writing any checks, and I’m not asking anyone else to write any checks until I hear something that makes sense to me.” 

The root problem, as she sees it: the sorry state of the party’s leadership in Washington.

Read more of the article at The Daily Beast

Will the RNC take Mosbacher's words to heart or will they continue their trek to the hard right.  If the first few days of the new Congress are any indication, they didn't learn one thing from November 6, 2012, and are continuing down the path to destruction of the Republican Party as more and more people question why they are in a Party that is so hard right declaring war on about every group around.  Yet they do not believe in the Government unless it is for their own personal cause as evidenced by Republican House Members who voted for disaster relief aid for their home states in the recent past but not for Hurricane Sandy victims from NY/NJ.  Guess you could say they don't want to help people from blue states but a lot of Republicans live in those blue states as well who they are treating like chopped liver.

Earlier in December former Utah Governor John Huntsman who was a candidate for President as a Republican gave a scathing interview saying the Republican Party is "devoid of soul" which I happen to agree with as we have seen up close and personal recently with the Hurricane Sandy vote.  Before that it was the jobs bill for veterans, farm bill to help drought victims from last summer, women's issues, veteran's issues, and the list goes on of groups that have been dissed by the Republican Party in favor of the wealthy this last few years since they took control of the House:

Former Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman took a critical look at his own party, asserting that it is “devoid of a soul.” In a lengthy interview with the UK’s Daily Telegraph, Huntsman elaborated on what he viewed as missteps, and offered some advice going forward. 

It’s “troubling” that the party currently doesn’t have a leader or a “defined agenda.” But the good news, he said, is “that will come in time” through the “reformation process.” The GOP must “return the system to the people,” Huntsman argued.

Where is a leader?  No one seems to want to step forward and take control moving the party back to the center right.  Are they that afraid of the Tea Party who only 8% of the Country identify with according to Rasmussen or are they afraid the Koch Brothers and their allies who run the Tea Party and other hard right groups?  Are they are afraid to stand up against the Koch's and other hard right fringe groups demands  which could lead to being primaried and a freeze on donations to their campaigns?  Thought this excerpt below from an article about the 8% was interesting hitting the mark about the Tea Party that many activists have been saying for several years.  We never saw most of these people working campaigns in the past but then they took over and basically told longtime Republicans to hit the road -- they didn't need our help or expertise.

The Koch Brothers front organization, Americans for Prosperity, are doing the dirty work of the Koch's.  Noticed in my state when they would speak at Republican functions, they didn't seem to have a grasp of how Government works but just repeated their talking points.  When you asked a germane question, you would get a blank stare and they would go on to the next question.  In talking to friends around the Country, they had the same reaction.

This excerpt gets it right about the Tea Party IMHO.  Some people have become rich off the scams being perpetrated by today's conservatives.  Ask Bill Kristol what he thinks of the scams by conservative groups.

WHY THE RECEDING POPULARITY OF THE TEA PARTY?  PEOPLE EVENTUALLY WISE UP TO THE FACT THEY ARE BEING PLAYED FOR FOOLS. 

You can attribute much of their dwindling success to the information put out by Move On , Occupy Wall Street. and many of the progressive blogs.  These groups banged heavily away with the facts regarding the true organizers behind the Tea Party and their other affiliated groups and people such as “Americans for Prosperity” and “Freedomworks”–none other than the right-wing fanatical plutocrat Koch Brothers. 

Initially, many of the members of the Tea Party were sincere Americans from the working class who were and still are fed up with business as usual in Washington and the leadership of the Wall Street  investor class.  They fell like easy prey for the propaganda financed by the Koch brothers.  It sounded good and also much of it played on their racist fears that the browns and blacks were getting all the “good” jobs and being given government handouts.  All the Tea Party cries of sending all the illegal immigrants back to Mexico and/or putting them in jail perfectly suited the goals of the plutocrat leaders as such solutions 1) raised hatred and anger of the Tea Party members thus making them easier to manipulate; and 2) meant more money for the instigators in terms of growing the prison population in the USA for the Wall Street corporations who now manage our prisons.  They never drew the line connecting the money going to support these prisoners as coming out of the taxpayers pockets, but Move On and Occupy did–again and again and again.  Eventually people have come to understand what an utter sham the entire Tea Party was and continues to some extent to be. 

Ironically, all the while the Tea Party was on the rise, it was the leaders of this movement who were after the government handouts--in the form of relaxed EPA requirements for their operations (thus more “freedom” to pollute our air and waters with impunity);  more agricultural subsidies for corporate agra-businesses and Park Avenue “farmers”; more tax breaks skewed for the rich; more more more–but all for them, not the majority. 

Gradually, the people came to realize these phonies for who they are.  I suspect that most of the 8 to 12% remaining are the hard core plutocratic right wing millionaires and billionaires such as Donald Trump and Sheldon Adelson.  They were the plants in the audience.  The funny thing now is that they are fast becoming the only ones left to listen to the sound of their own lies and bullshit.

The Koch Brothers and their cronies are the ones destroying the Republican Party of the center right for their own selfish whims IMHO.  They want no EPA or regulations on their business but yet want to keep subsidies on oil and gas and big conglomerate farms which benefit them.  They are more then willing to take handouts when they are the recipient but not when members of the middle class are involved -- we are on our own.  In the small minds of the wealthy GOP donors, the middle class is supposed to give up our benefits from the Government so the wealthy can keep theirs.  In their small world it is every senior citizens for themselves with no safety net even though they paid into social security for years and it is not part of the budget.  It doesn't stop the wealthy donors from wanting to do away with the program as we know it.

The Kochs and other wealthy GOP donors seem to have a warped sense of what it means to be an American IMHO.  The fact they started the Tea Party to take over the Republican Party should scare everyone.  We need two major parties or the Democrats will run amok just like the GOP when they were in charge of all branches of Government.  I have a hunch right now though that if Democrats were in charge of the House, they would do a lot better as it is fresh in their minds how they blew it in 2010.

This says it all about the Koch Bros Tea Party and their agenda they are now forcing on what used to be common sense Republicans in the House:

Tea Party Absolutism: The High Cost Of Hating Government 

January 7th, 2013 5:27 pm 

Nicholas Wapshott 

The tourniquet applied by the outgoing Congress to the economy allows a two-month breather before we are consumed by the next deadline. The president and his party can allow themselves a brief moment of celebration for imposing higher taxes on the richest Americans, but the next stage in fixing the nation’s fiscal problems may not be as easy. By the end of February, lawmakers must find enough cuts in public spending to allow the debt ceiling to be raised. Two more months of uncertainty will prevent businesses and consumers from making spending decisions that would bolster the economic recovery. 

The devil is not so much in the detail of the arguments to come as the big picture that frames the debilitating running debate. 

While the difference between the sides is ostensibly over taxes and public spending and borrowing, the more profound division is over where government should begin and end. For many of the Republican Party’s Tea Party insurgents, the choice is even more fundamental: whether there should be a government at all. Their unbending position, demanding an ever-diminishing role for the federal government, has levied an enormous unnecessary cost on everyone else. 

Since Republicans regained control of the House in the 2010 midterms, when the Tea Party tide was in full force, they have attempted to freeze the size of government, coincidentally putting a brake on economic recovery. They have vetoed attempts at further economic stimulus, encouraged America’s economy to be downgraded by the ratings agencies by threatening not to extend the debt ceiling, and tried to veto any and every tax increase in the fiscal cliff talks. 

Their aim is to shrink government by starving it of funds. Such uncompromising absolutism has led to the dampening of business confidence and investment that would have created jobs. 

It is not just the economy that has suffered from the absolute positions held by the anti-government rump in the GOP. Their insistence that the Founding Fathers intended us to be allowed to carry guns of any sort, including the rapid-fire assault weapon that killed 20 children and six adults in Newtown, CT, last month, continues to hamper attempts to curb the nation’s murderous gun violence. Ghosts from the 18th century are preying on our schoolchildren, abetted by those who believe that compromise on amending our gun laws is surrendering to the forces of big government. Such unbending absolutism costs human lives.

Are the Koch Brothers and their unending quest for power over today's Republican Party payback for President Reagan kicking out the John Birchers who their father helped found?  Would they be that shallow?   Since the John Birchers have been brought back in the Republican Party, I believe they would.  Some on the right call the Tea Party movement the new John Birchers which should give everyone pause.

This excerpted article illustrates the five reasons why America today has a Republican problem which is caused IMO by the Koch's Tea Party and Americans for Prosperity who are out front while the Koch's and other wealthy donors stay behind the scenes pulling strings:

5 reasons why America has a Republican problem 

January 9, 2013  

And as long as the “carried interest” loophole gives millionaire hedge fund managers a massive tax break, we have a revenue problem, too

(snip)  

1. The Republicans’ problem is that the deficit is shrinking too fast. That’s why they want to act now to gut Medicare and Social Security while they have the chance. FACT: The federal deficit has fallen faster over the past three years than it has in any such period since World War II. This fact blows away every Republican talking point because it points out 1) George W. Bush created the trillion dollar deficit that the GOP blames on this president, 2) under President Obama federal spending has grown less than any president since Eisenhower and 3) our recovery, which is much better than most of the world’s, is shrinking the deficit. 

2. President Obama has already signed $2.3 trillion in deficit cuts, 3/4 of it spending cuts.Until the Bush Tax Cuts expired and Republicans were forced to deal with revenue increases, President Obama has cut the Bush deficit entirely with spending cuts. These spending cuts hurt the economy much more than tax increases, especially tax increases on the rich. This seems to be the GOP plan: Keep the deficit crisis going to cut the parts of government we don’t like. And keep saying spending is the problem so you don’t have to cuts ridiculous tax loopholes that give away billions to those who need it least. (my bold)

 

3. We have two long-term problems — long-term unemployment and long-term debt. And only one matters right now.Anyone who tells you that America is like Greece is insulting your intelligence. We have no worries about paying our debt. Republicans have claimed for over 4 years now that borrowing would cause rampant inflation and the world would eventually stop buying our debt. The opposite happened. We will have a serious debt problem in a decade or two as baby boomers retire and live long, expensive lives. And it will be much worse if we don’t deal with our real crisis. 

Our much more serious problem is long-term unemployment. Nearly 5 million Americans have been out of work for over 27 weeks. The longer you’ve been out of a job, the harder it is to find a new one and the less likely it is you’ll ever make up the earning and salary growth you lost. Poorer and middle class Americans will have to work harder and be more dependent on the government. In a sane society, we would be doing everything we could to get these people working, even direct government hiring if necessary. But the future of these Americans is being sacrificed to the Republican agenda. 

4. If our health care costs were in line with costs in other countries, we would be looking at budget surpluses, not deficits.We already pay for each other’s insurance, just in the dumbest possible way. For what we pay for health care we could be covering every American for less if we weren’t forced to deal with the Republican Party’s willingness to prioritize corporations over people. 

5. Fixing the deficit is easy. Just put people back to work.The Bush tax breaks were designed to solve a problem that Republicans had been avoiding for years — a balanced budget. When you have a balanced budget, you can’t cut the programs you don’t like just because you don’t like them. So create a deficit and start cutting! The bulk of our deficit comes from purposely dumb Bush decisions and can easily be rectified by putting people back to work. The fact that we are talking about cutting instead of jobs is a tribute to just how bad our Republican problem really is.

It is sad in my world, when a progressive website makes more sense then conservative ones.  They have the facts not spin/lies of Fox News, Rush, Hannity, Beck, et al who are not giving us the truth.  What do this group of pundits hope to accomplish?  Keep more of their millions while making more off the backs of the middle class?  That is as good of explanation as any because the Fox and talk show rhetoric and lies are so far over the top don't see how anyone can believe them.  Worst part is that they say something on the air and some of today's Republicans go mouth their words.

Beyond disgusting that many of the Republicans in Congress are devoid of common sense today as they are afraid of their own shadows not wanting to be primaried by the likes of the Koch Brothers, Club for Growth, and others who want them to bend to their will or else.  No backbones to stand up and tell the hard right groups to shove it and actually vote for the people of America not worrying about being defeated for reelection.  Many of us would roll up our sleeves to help honest Republican candidates who stand up to the fringe movement get reelected but those Republicans are few and far between as most bow to the Koch Brothers and other wealthy donors.

Can the Republican Party be Saved?  Not until we get some actual leaders with backbones who tell the fringe and hard right to take a hike because it is obvious that the two sides cannot co-exist.  It came out yesterday that Democrats are now the majority of Americans which should shock no one.  Not hard to understand why when lifelong Republicans like me are considering becoming a Democrat.  For now staying to see what happens with the GOP.

One thing is definite -- will not support or work for current Republicans to take back the Senate or keep the House in 2014 as they have not earned that right with their obstructionism which has hurt the economy and the American people.  This group of GOP leaders in Congress has proven they are wimps with no backbones who are  afraid to stand up to wealthy donors and the hard right.  Time for new leadership in 2014 to work across the aisle to get the Country back on track as well as the Republican Party.

Congressmen Darrell Issa and Jason Chaffetz Break Their Oath on Libyan Investigation IMHO

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God. (Oath of Office of the Congress enacted in 1884)

Yesterday Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) who is a Romney surrogate, released sensitive information on Libya.  Why is Issa investigating Libya instead of  Chairman Rogers of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence?  Is it because Rogers wouldn't allow public hearings or leak information on Libya because he always puts Country over Party?  That is not a trait that some of today's Republicans want as they will say and do anything including lying to get Romney elected.  This stunt by Issa should immediately remove the Libya investigation from Issa's Committee to Chairman Roger's Intel Committee because Issa and Chaffetz cannot be trusted with sensitive information:

Issa uploaded scores of sensitive material and didn’t redact names of Libyan civilians or local leaders, exposing them to physical danger from the very people the Obama administration is investigating regarding the September 11, 2012 attacks. 

If that does not break the oath of office that members of the Congress take, then I don't know what does.  This comes on top of the outing of a CIA base in Libya from this same Committee of Issa:

Dana Milbank wrote Wednesday:

Through their outbursts, cryptic language and boneheaded questioning of State Department officials, the committee members left little doubt that one of the two compounds at which the Americans were killed, described by the administration as a “consulate” and a nearby “annex,” was a CIA base. They did this, helpfully, in a televised public hearing.

So Issa accomplished outing the location of a CIA base in their big show, but no doubt this will magically be blamed on Obama by Republicans. Dana Milbank wrote, “When House Republicans called a hearing in the middle of their long recess, you knew it would be something big, and indeed it was: They accidentally blew the CIA’s cover.” 

So the committee investigating whether or not secrets were leaked is now leaking secrets. Will this clown show ever end? Oh, no. They even managed to out that their investigation might be looking into the wrong agency. It looks like it might be the CIA, not the State Department.

This was pure politics with the debate on foreign policy coming up Monday night.  IMHO, the FBI needs to launch an investigation into Darrell Issa (R-CA) and his co-conspirator Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) who is a Romney surrogate:

This week Chaffetz came through with the promises he made to his Mormon brother (Romney). Before a national audience, Chaffetz threw all sense of decency out the window when he started throwing every scrap of mud he could find at the White House, the State Department, and everyone in between.  

These are the kind of people that are now Republicans in the House putting the Party and election of Romney over the Country.  Is that what Americans want from their House of Representatives?  I don't think so and if the Democrats take back the House, they can blame people like Issa and Chaffetz who cannot keep their mouths shut even foreign affairs and intelligence operations.  Some Republicans will do and say anything to make Obama a one-term President even if they have to lie which we are seeing daily.  Any member of the House or Senate that has been involved in obstruction and releasing information that should not have been made public needs to resign, but that would take class and honesty but most of today's Congressional Republicans have the class and honesty of a gnat.

While Investigating Obama Over Libya, Darrell Issa Puts Libyans’ Lives at Risk
By: Sarah JonesOctober 19th, 2012 

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) has placed several Libyans lives at risk in the course of investigating the alleged security issues regarding the deaths of four Americans in Libya on September 11, 2012. 

Issa uploaded scores of sensitive material and didn’t redact names of Libyan civilians or local leaders, exposing them to physical danger from the very people the Obama administration is investigating regarding the September 11, 2012 attacks. 

Speaking to The Cable, an administration official said, “Much like WikiLeaks, when you dump a bunch of documents into the ether, there are a lot of unintended consequences. This does damage to the individuals because they are named, danger to security cooperation because these are militias and groups that we work with and that is now well known, and danger to the investigation, because these people could help us down the road.” 

This comes after Issa already outed a CIA base in Libya during the course of this (one of many) partisan witch hunt, allegedly based on concerns over security. As Richard Clarke explained, however, anyone who thinks that initial information is correct knows nothing about terrorism or combat. 

Issa is doing the exact same thing his party did when we first discussed going into Libya and they were warned by their own party policy makers to stop giving aid to our enemies just because they wanted to cause problems for President Obama. 

So, Darrell Issa has leaked important information while investigating alleged leaks of security — again. He is doing more damage in this investigation than our enemies could have hoped for. This is hardly Issa’s first go at hacking up a partisan witch hunt of this administration. 

This isn’t just your typical Republican incompetence. The Republicans don’t care that they’ve endangered our work and civilians in Libya over their alleged concern over Americans killed in Libya.  

They’re politicizing Libya and hoping that by leaking info that even Wikileaks wouldn’t have leaked (Wikileaks offered the State Department the chance to redact sensitive material unlike the Republican Party), they can stir up more chaos and violence in order to blame it on Obama before the election.  

Let’s see. Wikileaks has been named an enemy of the state for their document dumping, and yet Republicans are still running wild after dumping unredacted documents that Wikileaks would not have without first running it past the State Department.  

Read the entire Darrell Issa story at The Cable.

To add fuel to the fire, it is the Republicans who have been cutting embassy security in the House budgets and then blame in on Obama for not increasing security:

Remember when the House that Ryan built defunded security for consulates, even after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “warned that Republicans’ proposed cuts to her department would be “detrimental to America’s national security” — a charge Republicans rejected”:

For fiscal 2013, the GOP-controlled House proposed spending $1.934 billion for the State Department’s Worldwide Security Protection program — well below the $2.15 billion requested by the Obama administration. 

House Republicans cut the administration’s request for embassy security funding by $128 million in fiscal 2011 and $331 million in fiscal 2012. (Negotiations with the Democrat-controlled Senate restored about $88 million of the administration’s request.)

Ryan’s 2014 budget cuts non-defense discretionary spending, “which includes State Department funding, would be slashed nearly 20 percent in 2014, which would translate to more than $400 million in additional cuts to embassy security.” 

Maybe you don’t remember any of that because you were busy screaming “Valerie Plame!” today when you found out that in their (yet another) Darrell Issa led witch hunt with taxpayer money, Republicans accidentally outed the location of a secret CIA base. 

Years ago when I worked for the Air Force, my boss used to get the daily intel paperwork from FTD from the Air Force listening posts and media overseas.  He would go through the report every morning highlighting with the 4-star Commander needed to see.  After he had highlighted the report, it went to the Commander.  We had a local Congressman who demanded to see the report but he was turned down as he didn't have the necessary clearance.

Will never forget my boss saying that if they gave that report to any member of Congress not on Intelligence or Foreign Affairs, they might as well release to the media themselves.  That is exactly what happened when the Darrell Issa Committee was given information that should have stayed in Congress not been released.  This is the same Republican Investigation Committee that leaked the location of a CIA base in Libya.


Never thought I would be saying this, but for the good of the Country and for our Federal employees around the world, it is time to throw out Republicans and bring back the Democrats to head the House.  What is a shame is that we have some good chairs like Chairman Rogers of Intel but we cannot afford two more years of Issa and his investigations and the Ryan budgets that cut necessary foreign operations to give the Defense Department money for weapons systems they don't want.

The GOP has proven with their obstructionist agenda and now leaking this information including outing a CIA operation, that they should not be in charge of the House because with that comes Committee Chairs and Issa has no business ever being in charge of an investigative committee again.  IMHO Issa shouldn't be a member of Congress after his stunts for the last two years putting the GOP and Romney over the Country he swore in his oath to serve:

The current oath was enacted in 1884:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

House Republicans Going on Two-Month Vacation (Hypocrites)

Republicans in the House can now be called 'hypocrites' with the last session of Congress almost in the books.  They will go down in history as being obstructionists for two years whose primary purpose was to make the President look bad so he would be a one-term President.  All we heard out of Republicans in 2010 was elect us -- we will work for the people unlike the Democrats led by Nancy Pelosi which we now know was a very large pile of Bravo Sierra.

Four years ago, Republicans objected when then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) adjourned Congress for a five-week August recess without bringing up their energy legislation. Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) shouted “Madame Speaker, where art thou? Where oh where has Congress gone?” Now, they plan a two month vacation, even if it means allowing vital programs to expire and working families to suffer.

These group of House Republicans just came back from their 5-week vacation and now are set to take the next two months off leaving a lot of bills on the table as they go back to their districts to try and save their seats.  They would have a better chance of saving their seats if they actually stayed in DC to get their work done.  For their vacation in August they never officially adjourned because they couldn't get the votes but left anyway.

Republicans promised if we elected them in the Majority in the House in 2010 they would run things the right way with transparency, inclusiveness, and plenty of notice about bills that were going to be brought to the floor.  That didn't last long as they became as bad as the previous two years of Democrat rule and in some cases worse.  With voting 33 times to repeal ObamaCare, the House cost the taxpayers almost $50M and yet they want us to re-elect them?

There are a lot members of the House who refuse to work with any Democrats on bills which means they never learned that once elected they represent all people in their district just not Republicans.  I still have not gotten over the 3rd bill of this new House led by Republicans (HR3 -No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act) co-sponsored by 227 Republicans which tried to define rape and to have no exceptions for abortion:

Paul Ryan And Todd Akin Co-Sponsored And Voted For The “No Taxpayer Funding For Abortion Act,” Which Redefined “Rape” As “Forcible Rape” In Order To Limit Federal Funding Of Abortion Procedures.  In 2011, Ryan and Akin co-sponsored the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortions Act. According to the Washing Post, “[a] Republican bill seeking to permanently cut off federal funding for abortions has angered women's groups that say it alters the definition of rape, permitting coverage for the procedure only in cases in which the rape is considered ‘forcible.’

Social issues along with making Obama a one-term President became the most important thing to this group of Republican House members, not the Country.

Nancy Pelosi was reminiscing about working with President Bush and how they didn't agree on a lot of things but did work together for two years unlike today's Republican obstructionists.  The Reagan/Tip O'Neill disagreements are legendary but they did find common ground on what was best for the Country.  Until this group of Republicans took control in the House in January 2011, the opposition party  in the House was able to find some type of common  ground with the President over the years not only on large issues but on smaller issues.

Not this group of Republicans whose sole intent was to oppose the President at all costs to the American people including not wanting to pass bills that would help the economy grow along with jobs.  These Republicans sacrificed what was good for all Americans by putting Party over Country. They don't deserve to be in leadership after what we have been witnessing for the last two years.

This two-month vacation is just another slap in the face to the American people when you look at the bills they are leaving on the table.  If the House Republican Conference had worked with this President like Speaker Boehner was trying, we wouldn't be worrying about a Sequester bill outcome.  Every time Boehner thought he had an agreement, the far right House members would undermine the agreement he had made with the President.  Cantor's sole purpose seemed to be to get the Tea Party Republicans in the House to line up against any agreement with Obama.  Now this group of Republicans is going on a two-month vacation to try and convince voters they should remain in charge while leaving key bills awaiting action: 

House Republicans Plan Two Month Vacation, Leaving Key Bills Awaiting Action  

By Josh Israel on Sep 14, 2012 at 6:34 pm 

House Republican Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) announced Friday that after next week, the House will stand in recess until November 13. His plan for a nearly two month vacation will undoubtedly allow more time for campaigning, but will leave several vital bills awaiting action.\ 

Among the important legislation the House will likely not address before the November elections: 

• 1. Violence Against Women Act re-authorization. Though a bipartisan Senate majority passed the a strong re-authorization bill in April, the Republican House leadership refused to allow a vote on the Senate version of the bill. The House passed a watered down version on a mostly-party lines vote, leaving victims to wait for House action. 

• 2. The American Jobs Act. Republicans have been blocking President Obama’s jobs legislation for more than a year. Though House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) promised in 2010 that a GOP Congress would focus on job creation, he has blocked this bill’s immediate infrastructure investments, tax credits for working Americans and employers, and aid to state and local governments to prevent further layoffs of teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public safety officials. 

• 3. Tax cuts for working families. In July, the Senate passed a bill extending tax-cuts for the first $250,000 in annual income. The Republican House leadership has refused to consider the bill, holding it hostage to their demands for a full extension of Bush-era tax cuts for millionaires. 

• 4. Veterans Job Corps Act. The Senate is currently considering bipartisan legislation to help America’s veterans find jobs. The Air Force Times reports that the Republican House has “shown no interest” in the legislation to support those who served the country. 

• 5. Sequestration. A spokesman for Boehner said earlier this week that stopping budget cuts he voted for last August “topped our July agenda and remains atop our agenda for September.” While House Republicans have complained about the imminent spending reductions and passed a bill that would require President Obama to find offsets for spending cuts they don’t like, Republican Leader Canter could not name a single compromise he was willing to make to get a deal. 

• 6. Farm Bill. Despite strong support for a 5-year farm bill from even conservative groups like the Farm Bureau Association — the House leadership has not scheduled a vote on the bill. The current law expires September 30. Without passage, 90 percent of the work of the Department of Agriculture could be defunded. 

• 7. Wind tax credit. The Senate may act next week to renew an expiring wind energy tax credit. Despite bipartisan support — including from original author Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the Examiner notes that the House is unlikely to pass the renewal. Despite GOP calls for energy independence, the expiration has threatened the wind energy industry and already led to job cuts. 

These, in addition to drought assistance, postal service reform, addressing the Estate Tax, cybersecurity legislation, fixes for Medicare reimbursement rates and the Alternative Minimum Tax, and all 12 of the FY 2013 Appropriations Bills remain unaddressed. 

Read More at Think Progress

Some of you might ask why a Republican would use Think Progress for a source but frankly most conservative sites are unwilling to state the truth because it shows Conservatives and Republicans do not have the best interest of the Country in mind.  They prefer to be cheerleaders like Fox News, Rush, Hannity, and others for Republicans no matter the cost to the Country and the American people.  All you have to do is take this one bill that is being obstructed by Republicans in the House that could lead to defunding 90% of the Department of Agriculture to know all they care about is the Party and electing Romney/Ryan.  They do not seem to care about the people of America who would be affected by their obstructionists tactics:

GOP Farm Bill Obstruction Could Defund 90 Percent Of Department Of AgricultureBy Zack Beauchamp posted from ThinkProgress Economy on Sep 15, 2012 at 10:42 am 

The 2012 Farm Bill is still languishing in the House, with GOP leadership in the chamber intentionally preventing action on the legislation for political reasons. According to the New York Times, “House leaders declined to take up either [the Senate or the House] version of the legislation. They are not eager to force their members to take a vote that would be difficult for some of them, nor would they wish to pass a measure largely with Democrats’ votes right before an election.” 

But without a new five-year Farm Bill or at least a temporary extension of current legislation, the Department of Agriculture may be forced to shutter almost all of its operations. 

The Farm Bill serves as a mass funding mechanism for the USDA — it provides funding for roughly 90 percent of the Department’s operations, meaning those operations may have to shut down if the Farm Bill isn’t renewed. According to the National Sustainable Agriculture Commission, the effect of even a temporary shutdown could be long-lasting:

USDA would be forced to occupy a multiple-month holding pattern, temporarily stopping many services and programs. Program administration involves a certain amount of planning and preparation, stakeholder input, rulemaking, and outreach. Even if program opportunities aren’t announced until later in the year, the preparation work that leads up to announcements takes time and certainty. Programs can’t simply be “turned off” and then “turned on” again with the expectation that program delivery and administration will not suffer.

The programs that the NSAC believe would be affected include “all the major programs for beginning and minority farmers, farmers markets, organic agriculture, renewable energy, and rural economic development” and new enrollment in the “the Wetland Reserve, Grassland Reserve, and Conservation Reserve Programs.” USDA programs funded by the Farm Bill are critical to addressing the crippling drought that has spread over four-fifths of the United States. The USDA also takes a lead role in shutting down brutal factory farms and administers the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), a cost-effective food assistance program for needy families. 

This isn’t to say that the House bill is necessarily worth passing in its current form — the House version contains, among other things, deep cuts to critical food stamp programs. But failure to pass at least a stopgap necessary to keep USDA could have dangerous consequences.   

Read More at Think Progress

In some ways this is sad to me as I have been a lifelong Republican going back to knocking doors for Republican candidates as a charter member of the Ohio Teenage Republican Club.  For years I have worked campaigns and defended Republican candidates including in 2010, but this Congress and the nomination of Romney/Ryan has taken off my blinders on the Republican Party.  This is not the party of my parents or myself as I do not condone the actions of the House, the Senate with all their filibusters to keep bills from passing that would help the American people and economy, the RNC who made sure Romney was the candidate, and Romney/Ryan who have a problem with the truth preferring to lie and spin in most cases.

Then you have the so-called Republican/conservative pundits defending Romney/Ryan and Congressional Republicans like Fox News, Rove, Rush, Hannity, Beck, Medved, and others who will spin and lie to get Romney elected along with Republicans in Congress.  Rush has made some of the nastiest remarks against a sitting President I have ever heard.   His comments and those of others are pure trash and show a group of people who hate has become their most important weapon.

We will start to cover Congressional races leading up to Nov 6th in the days ahead.  We need new Congressional leadership in both parties IMHO no matter who takes control.  Tired of the far right and the far left in Congress trying to dictate their views which are outside the mainstream to the rest of us who believe in common sense and what is good for all Americans just not a few.

GOP Strategy Revealed -- Three Prong Attack

This video comes from MoveOn.org, but before anyone says you cannot believe what they say, the facts in this video checks out.  Many of their facts have been reported and sourced on this site and others. This is a strange election where sites I thought I could believe don't think twice about lying today if it will get Romney votes. When you fact check those sites, you discover, they are stretching the truth or outright lying for Romney and Congressional Republicans/Candidates. Yet when you go to more progressive sites, you find sourced truth about what is happening.

Anyone who thinks the Republican Party is not trying to do voter suppression is not paying attention. When I watched this video, was taken back about the facts from an organization I have been led to believe over the years never told the truth. Looks like that is another one of those lies Republicans have been fed over the years. Facts speak for themselves.


Someday I am going to have to do a post apologizing for having my head buried in the sand of Republican Party lies. Karl Rove IMHO may be the worst thing to ever happen to the Republican Party with his win at any cost mantra. What I want to know is why people I thought were honest are so dishonest in the Congress to obstruct bills that would help the American people so they can help make Obama a one term President. 

Blinders are off -- I detest what I am seeing out of the Republican Party where in Ohio the Secretary of State at one time this summer was going to give longer voting hours in a Republican County then a Democrat County. In Ohio, the State GOP is admitting voter suppression is aimed at minorities. Judges in four states are rejecting GOP plans for voter suppression including Ohio, Florida, Texas, and Wisconsin.  Then you have Pennsylvania where their Supreme Court heard the case this week on the difficulty of obtaining a photo ID card.  Most telling was a justice holding up the ID that is used to get into secure areas of the court house by justices with a picture that cannot be used because it doesn't have an expiration date.  The PA actions are even worse because the Republican Leader, as you see on this video, declares this new law would elect Mitt Romney.  How stupid was that?

Time for common sense and honest Republicans to make our voices heard that we are NOT going to put up with what we are seeing out of Republican elected members of the Congress who put Party and desire to make Obama a one-term President over America and what was in the best interest of the American people.  I can say shame on them, but then it would take a conscience to feel shame.  Looks like many of them have also thrown their conscience out the window in order to support Mitt Romney who decided the night of the election in 2008 that he was running for President.  He then went to the task of lining up the usual people like Karl Rove because they share the 'win at any cost' mentality and are more then willing to step out and accuse the opponent of what they are doing.  Then to top it off on Inauguration night for President Obama, a group of Congressional Republicans along with the Gingrich and Luntz met to plot the best strategy  for making Obama a one-term President.  The man had just been inaugurated and their were plotting how to obstruct his plans.

Is this the new Republican Party dedicated to electing Mitt Romney devoid of integrity and honesty?    Have always thought if the fringe right of social conservatives and now Tea Party ever took over, the Republican Party as most of us knew it was going change drastically tracking to the far right.  That looks to have happened in 2012, but in reality it has been building over the years looking back.  The far right in the party has never been known for being the truth tellers of the Party.  Now men and women in the Congress we thought stood for something play to this fringe element like they are afraid to take them on.  I call that being a 'coward' who goes along to get along!  Is Koch Brothers and other big donor money the driving force?  If that is the case, the word 'sellout' comes to mind along with 'coward.'

Senator Snowe (R-ME) has had enough of the far right and their demands as she is retiring  at the end of her term in January from the train wreck which is the far right Republicans in the Senate.  Today's Republicans are now tracking to the  far right becoming obstructionists to any cooperation with the Democrats or Independents in the Senate.  When a Republican Senator works across the aisle for the benefit of all Americans, they get called names and castigated by the conservative pundits and far right Republicans of today.

We need more citizen legislators like Freshman Cong Lankford from the Oklahoma 5th District who was willing to work with other House Members of both parties to get the road and bridge bill passed in the House that Senators Infofe (R-OK) and Boxer (D-CA) had spent so much time working on in the Senate. Took a long time to pass the House, but Cong Lankford never quit on the bill.  It brought needed road/bridge construction funds to the states along with jobs.  Shows what happens when both sides work together for all Americans.

Now you know the GOP playbook -- win at any cost no matter who it hurts.  The Congressional Republicans for Mitt Romney's election have tanked the economy by not passing the bills that would help so now time to tank them on November 6th and vote for honest candidates no matter the party who will put America's interest over their Party. 

Wash Post Editorial: Mr. Romney’s rhetoric on embassy attacks is a discredit to his campaign

Yesterday was a horrible day for our diplomatic corps as the stark reality of what they face on a daily basis came home with the murder of two of their fellow members including the Ambassador in Yemen along with two private security guards.  Libyans were standing side by side with Americans defending the consulate where these murders took place.

As Americans were mourning the loss of the lives of members of our diplomatic corps and praying for their families and friends, Romney goes on the attack against the President not once but twice when he doubled down in his press conference.  Once again he didn't have the facts but that doesn't seem to bother Romney even a little.  Today he is doubling down once more at a small rally in Virginia as he continues to play to the right wing fringe of the Republican Party.


Bad day for Romney but a worse day for America yesterday when a Presidential candidate for the first time any of us can remember attacks a sitting President when four Americans, including the Ambassador to Libya, had just been killed in an attack on the consulate in Libya.  Romney has zero class and should pay dearly at the polls on November 6th for his actions.

Mr. Romney’s rhetoric on embassy attacks is a discredit to his campaignBy Editorial Board, Wednesday, September 12, 2:02 PM 

The Washington Post 

J.CHRISTOPHER STEVENS, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, was a skilled and courageous diplomat who repeatedly placed himself at risk in order to support the cause of a democratic Libya. His death, along with those of three other Americans, during an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi on Tuesday is a tragedy that should prompt bipartisan support for renewed U.S. aid to Libyans who are struggling to stabilize the country. That it instead provoked a series of crude political attacks on President Obama by GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney is a discredit to his campaign. 

Mr. Romney’s first rhetorical assault came Tuesday night in response to a statement by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, which was also besieged by demonstrators Tuesday. His statement claimed that the administration’s first response was “to sympathize with those who waged the attacks.” In fact the embassy statement was issued before the protests began; referring to an ugly anti-Islam film that was the focus of demonstrators, it condemned “those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious belief of others.” 

Mr. Romney did not then know the extent of the Benghazi incident — his statement referred only to “the death of an American consulate worker.” So it was stunning to see the GOP nominee renew his verbal offensive Wednesday morning, when the country was still absorbing the news of the first death in service of a U.S. ambassador since 1988, as well as the loss of three other Americans. Though reports were still sketchy, it appeared that a militant jihadist group, Ansar al-Sharia, took advantage of the Benghazi protest to stage an armed assault that overwhelmed the Libyan security force at the consulate. 

At a news conference, Mr. Romney claimed that the administration had delivered “an apology for America’s values.” In fact, it had done no such thing: Religious tolerance, as much as freedom of speech, is a core American value. The movie that provoked the protests, which mocks the prophet Mohammed and portrays Muslims as immoral and violent, is a despicable piece of bigotry; it was striking that Mr. Romney had nothing to say about such hatred directed at a major religious faith. 

Mr. Obama struck the right tone on Wednesday, saying that “we reject all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others” but that “there is absolutely no justification for this type of senseless violence.” Lauding Mr. Stevens’s service, the president promised “justice” for “this terrible act” while also committing the administration to continue cooperating with Libya’s democratic government — which apologized for the attack.  

(snip) 

Excerpt:  Read More at the Washington Post

Some websites reported that the Libyans were dragging the Ambassador's body through the streets when in fact Libyans were carrying him to the hospital.  Like Romney, some members of the news media especially Fox News ran with the story rather then waiting for details.   Yesterday there were signs around the consulate being carried by Libyans apologizing for what happened.  Ambassador Stevens was a hero to many Libyans who helped them throw off the repressive Gaddafi regime.

We have learned with every passing hour that these attacks were probably in retaliation for the killing of an Al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan from Libya.  It seems an Al Qaeda group used the protesters to cover for their attack on the consulate which killed four Americans -- two diplomats and two security personnel.

What were these Libyans protesting?  An anti-Islam film that showed Mohammad in a very bad light that excerpts were shown on You Tube picked up around the world.  It was also promoted by the Minister Jones in Gainesville who burned the Quran which sparked the demonstrations in the Middle East ending in the deaths of people.  Romney calls the film, 'freedom of speech' -- I call the film 'hate speech.'  Yet Romney attacked the Embassy in Egypt for exercising their free speech to put out the memo trying to diffuse the situation.  Seems like it is only freedom of speech for Romney and Republicans and what they choose to support but everyone else is not entitled to free speech if it conflicts with the Romney/Republican narrative.  That is how it is coming across even to longtime Republicans who don't recognize this version of the Republican Party.

The producer of the poor quality film turns out not to exist under the name that was used and his saying he was Israeli American is also suspect.  The people in the video didn't know what they were filming and were used by a film maker as part of over 150 people who thought they were helping stage or were in the film 'Desert Warrior.'  Steven Klein from So California is the spokesman for the anti-Islam film.  Two of the people in the film have released the script that did not show the hate speech which was dubbed in later according to what I just watched on MSNBC News. From reports, this film's spokesman Steve Klein and the movie are linked to Christian extremists in the US which would include Jones from Gainesville, FL.

Hard for me to believe anyone could defend Jones and his burning of the Quran along with this hate film but the far right extremist fringe is doing just that with their comments on various websites.  In some cases they are scary -- refuse to repeat the comments on here.  They hit Huffington Post, The Hill, Politico and others with their support of Romney and the film as 'free speech' along with vicious attacks on President Obama.  Their defense of this film shows how low this part of the Romney Republican Party has sunk including the standard bearer himself with his attacks on Obama not being American or understanding America.  It has carried over with some of the nastiest comments I have witnessed to date.

Romney with his rhetoric and lies is also responsible for encouraging more of the hate that is coming out today against this black President IMHO.  That said the people most responsible for the spread of the hate are the Conservative radio pundits led by Rush Limbaugh.  His comments against Obama are so far over the top with anger that I suspect a heart attack in the making.  The clips you see of Limbaugh are shocking.

Yesterday Sen McCain gave a speech on the floor of the Senate praising Ambassador Stevens as he knew him personally but today he is back on the attack against President Obama for his actions in Libya sounding like that bitter person who lost the election in 2008.  Also sounds just like he did after losing the primary to George W. Bush in 2000 and his attacks on Pres Bush in years to follow.

The video that touched off the riots in Libya and Egypt has led to riots today in Yemen where protesters were trying to attack the embassy but were repelled by Yemeni forces.  The Yemen President apologized this morning and has troops guarding the embassy now.  This was all precipitated by a video by a racist, not very good film producer, who staged the film and then someone dubbed in the rest.  Who payed for this film and its release?  Was Jones  responsible for the You Tube version being promoted?  He says no but can you believe him?

Terry Jones, the Florida pastor whose burning of Qurans previously sparked deadly riots in Pakistan and other Muslim nations, had tried to promote the film on Tuesday as part of a series of 9/11 anniversary events at his Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla.  Jones told NBC News on Wednesday that he aired the trailer once previously in his makeshift church but that efforts to screen it on Tuesday were thwarted by technical difficulties.

"I have not met him. Sam Bacile, that is not his real name," Jones told the AP. "I just talked to him on the phone. He is definitely in hiding and does not reveal his identity. He was quite honestly fairly shook up concerning the events and what is happening. A lot of people are not supporting him." 

Secretary of State Clinton once again this morning said that the United States had nothing to do with this video:

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is sharpening her criticism of an anti-Islam video that provoked protests in the Arab world. 

Clinton says the film is "disgusting and reprehensible." She calls it a cynical attempt to offend people for their religious beliefs. 

But Clinton says the U.S. would never stop Americans from expressing their views, no matter how distasteful. And she says the film is no justification for violence or attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities and personnel.

In reality the protesters refuse to listen that the United States had nothing to do with this video as they look for any excuse to take to the streets to protest the United States.  IMHO Romney attacks on Obama saying  Obama is a terrorist sympathizer and the film 'freedom of speech' to has not helped but inflamed the far right hate speech in this Country.

Republicans as a whole yesterday behaved in a reasonable manner but this morning have taken back up the attacks against Obama with this crisis still on-going.  Romney's numbers must be in the tank the way Romney and Republicans are acting.

Romney and Priebus are a discredit not only to the campaign but the Republican Party of days gone by.  Their rush to get a press release out before the facts IMHO was an extension of Romney being told he was not tough enough by Rush and others led to him running out to show his toughness the night this happened and yesterday morning.  It is obvious when Rush says jump, Romney says how high?

This Romney rhetoric was doubled down on yesterday as he plays to the far right once again.  Romney is not only losing Independents over his actions but Republicans with common sense are also jumping ship in bigger numbers this week as Romney plays to the far right fringe elements of the Party.  Even Fox News is saying Obama is up in the polls.

The numbers of Republicans fed up is not showing in registration changes, but is showing up in polling and in the number of people willing to speak out they, as Republicans, are supporting Obama.  The numbers are growing almost daily now as blinders are coming off from a lot of Republicans who realize that we don't want a flawed candidate like Romney in the White House.  They also discovering what many of us have learned that we were lied to about Obama starting in 2004 when he ran for the Senate.  Should have guessed then as the lies and hate was coming from Alan Keyes who opposed him were over the top.  Learned in 2000 not to trust Keyes on anything and should have remembered that.  His hate, rhetoric, and lies against Obama in 2004 seemed to have been picked up by people like Rove who have expanded on that narrative over the years and believe the end justifies the means.

After what we are witnessing with Romney and his attacks which have increased in volume but have stayed consistent on not providing facts and lying, there are a few questions that deserve answers which only time will answer:

• When did the Republican Party Leadership as a whole go so far right? 
• Was this shift to the far right planned all along starting in 2006?  
• Why alienate a group of Republicans who have been out helping campaigns for years to pander to the far right extremes of the Republican Party.  
• Is this a hostile takeover of the GOP by the Romney/Koch/Rove driven Tea Party where some  racists seem to have found a home?  The hate spewed from some members of the Tea Party is so far over the top, it is scary.  
• Whose money is behind all this hate?  Romney, Koch Brothers, Big Donors to Crossroads, Adelson?  

Already puzzle pieces are fitting into place as this election beginning to make sense.  More research to be done but it is starting to come together.

Check out the Pink Flamingo blog for more details on this election and what is happening.  Some very good research and analysis.  As we have talked, we have discovered we are arriving at the same conclusions from different paths.  Today's article "What Did Romney Know & When Did He Know It" is asking the tough questions because the timeline and Romney's press release calls into question "What did Romney know?"

Will Romney/Ryan Turn Nasty for the Last Seven Weeks?

You can bet on that and win a lot of money of Vegas would give you odds.

Romney's "God" campaign yesterday was sickening and disgusting.  The Republican Party and Mitt Romney do NOT own "God" and to invoke the word "God" into a partisan campaign shows how desperate Romney has become to win.  To infer that Obama is anti-God and going to take God off the coins, out of the pledge, and the Government shows a very flawed man that should be no where near the Presidency.

The very nerve of Romney to use "God" in a political way goes against everything I have been taught.  When one of the Romney supporters, Gary Bauer said, "God doesn't want to be mentioned in the Democratic Party platform ," I lost it.

He’s going to campaign with at Robertson. He’s going to work “Obama-Is-Anti-God” motifs into his stump speech, as he did yesterday. He’s going to keep running with the lies about welfare. 

Does Romney want us to believe he is the only candidate who believes in "God?" I thought Romney couldn't get any more despicable then he was in the primaries, but he managed to do it yesterday.

If Tomasky is correct, which I believe he is, then Romney/Ryan are going to get worse.  We already know how low Romney can go from the primary when he went after fellow Republicans with lies and innuendos.  Already his attacks on President Obama have sunk to a new lows which seem to go lower almost on a daily basis.

The fact checkers on welfare have called Romney/Ryan ads completely false and on social security mostly false which also included some of the Obama/Biden comments as well, but the Romney/Ryan answer?  Ignore the fact checkers unless it is against their opponent and keep right on lying about welfare.  Fact Checkers have been used by both sides for years but now Republicans want to ignore them to keep spouting lies?  Is that how far the GOP has sunk today?

Now Ryan says he didn't vote for defense cuts which he did as part of the agreement that was reached to keep the Government from defaulting.  Just like Ryan criticizes Obama on not following Simpson Bowles when his vote is the one that killed it.  Guess you should figure out when a person lies about their times in a marathon, they will will lie about everything else.

Battleground States are going to see some of the nastiest ads every out of Romney and his Super PACs but I don't think they will work as we already saw what a nasty person Romney was in the primary in 2008 and worse in 2012.  IMHO Romney will say and do anything to get elected because he seems to believe the end justifies the means.  That is one reason even Republicans are pulling away from Romney and the Republican Party who have left a lot of us in the dust.

It felt good to join Republicans for Obama even though philosophically there are a lot of issues I  disagree with Democrats but frankly I agree with them more than the far right social conservatives and the neanderthal  GOP Platform.  The Democrats have taken over supporting our military, veterans, foreign policy, and many other issues that were Republican at one time like Civil Rights and One Man, One Vote.  Now Republicans want to suppress voting to elect Romney and don't mind saying that in public while tossing President GW Bush under the bus like he didn't exist. It is like there is a seismic shift going on between the parties -- don't recognize this Republican Party.

How about making Independents a political party?  At least there would be some common sense unlike what we are seeing out of the far right Republican Party that has been taken over by the Koch Brothers and Tea Party movement.

It is going to be a wild and nasty seven weeks with the Romney camp going after Obama with lies, mistruths, and innuendos to make the President look bad.  I don't think it is going to work because Romney and now his wife are not likable people as they are condescending and come across that they think they are better than everyone else.  We are supposed to trust them -- no details why -- just trust what they say to which I reply Bravo Sierra!  When your whole campaign is based on being anti against your opponent, your chance of winning is slim to none IMHO

Michael Tomasky on What Will Happen When Romney Gets Desperate

by Michael Tomasky  Sep 11, 2012 4:45 AM EDT
Sep 11, 2012 4:45 AM EDT

Obama’s lead is growing, and Romney can’t seem to catch a break. If the trend continues, get ready for things to turn very ugly very fast. 

I don’t know if team Romney should be panicking just yet. Convention bounces have been known to fade; it’s not every week that Barack Obama is going to get Bill Clinton to give a barn-burner of a speech on his behalf that outdraws the NFL game on the other channel. In my view it’s not so much that the fundamental nature of the race has shifted as that it has solidified. Obama spent months being mostly just a little ahead, and now he’s a little more ahead than that. Lots of people have been writing in the last couple days about the larger Obama lead. But no one has yet turned attention to the consequences of that change: that Romney and Paul Ryan are likely to run the dirtiest campaign we’ve seen in a long, long time.

Go back in time a few months. The Romney theory, bruited by his aides and accepted by much of the media, was that all he had to do was talk about the economy and he’d win. There was no way an incumbent president sitting on these kinds of economic figures could possibly be reelected. Unemployed, underemployed, not even looking anymore, wrong direction … no question that they are all bleak figures. All Romney had to do was keep talking about them, and as they say in the East End, Robert’s your father’s brother. 

This job was supposed to get even easier when Romney tapped Paul Ryan for veep. Ryan was the man with the plan, the Republican Brain, the guy who actually knew budgets and fiscal policy, the Republican who could slice right through all the Democratic pettifoggery and actually beat the Democrats at their own game of talking all those numbers. Ryan’s presence on the ticket made the economic choice that much more stark, the argument went, and he’d win over the serious-minded moderates.

Well. It’s exactly one month after Ryan’s selection was announced, and his reputation has gone nowhere but down. He’s a liar and his famous “numbers” actually make no sense at all because they’re intentionally misleading. So now he looks less like a serious budget person than a drunken back-bencher who has to be elbowed awake to cast a vote. 

Then there are the past few days. We got a crappy jobs report Friday morning. Romney trotted out and said the kinds of things he was supposed to say. And lo and behold—it hasn’t hurt Obama a whit. In the days since the report—days, I should note, when media coverage has made it abundantly clear that the jobless rate fell only because more people quit looking for work—Obama has gained ground. 

So two facts are now clear. One, Romney is on the ropes. The memo from his pollster makes a few plausible points about why it’s too early to head for the exits. But Romney has some serious problems in some key states, notably Ohio. If he can’t win there, he basically has to win all of the following swing states to hit 273 electoral votes: Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, and New Hampshire. 

And the second fact that’s clear is that the economic argument is not working. Turns out that it’s not enough just to repeat the dour news when you keep dodging questions about your own plan. And taken together, these two facts mean: Romney isn’t going to desert the economic argument, of course, but he is going to try to win this thing in other ways. 

(snip)

As I’ve said many times, the ongoing debate about whether Romney is really conservative or really moderate has wasted lots of airtime and killed many innocent trees. He’s neither. He’s nothing. He’ll say or do whatever he needs to do, whatever the Koch brothers or whoever tell him to do. He’s been dreaming of the presidency since 1968, and as he sees it slipping through his fingers, he’ll be capable of anything. It’s going to be a nasty seven weeks. 

Excerpt:  Read More at The Daily Beast

Tomasky makes some very good points in this video -- in fact he has nailed it in my book!

Michael Tomasky: 'They Can't Possibly Win an Election if They Say It'

As the scrutiny increases on the lack of specifics in the Romney-Ryan proposals, Michael Tomasky joins Tamron Hall on MSNBC's News Nation to discuss why the Republican ticket cannot get particular about which loopholes will be closed.