Jackson County Democratic Committee

One again the hypocrisy is totally crazy and the jokes are many….draw your own conclusions

Washington Post

Huffington Post

MSNBC

CNN

Once again the GOP has been caught practicing “do as I say, not as I do” .

OBAMA UNDERESTIMATED
By Reggie Marselus

Back in January, 2010, the Republicans were absolutely elated at the result of the Senatorial election in Massachusetts. A seat that had been held by a Democrat Ted Kennedy for decades was now theirs. They had accomplished what was publicly phrased as a momentous defeat for the Democrats.

This election, according to Sean Hannity, proved that the age of the Democrats was over. The people of Massachusetts- and by extent the people of America- had rejected the evil liberals once and for all. The drive to Socialism, Communism and every other “ism” was now finished for good.

It was party time.

Now, the game was different. All was lost for the prospect of the Obama agenda. With the Republicans walking in lock step against everything the Whitehouse wanted, “Happy Days Were Here Again”. The Democrats no longer had the 60 seat super-majority in the United States Senate. They could not stop a filibuster, which the Republicans were using at a breakneck pace.

Most importantly, the result of this election was now cast as an absolute end to the Health Care Reform legislation. The numbers along with public perception were now in the favor of the opposition. The Democrats would be faced with collapse of their monumental and historical piece of lawmaking.

As an added piece of cake for the party, soon after that election, Nancy Pelosi held a news conference. The purpose was to lay out the strategy for getting the Health Care bill passed. The Republicans were laughing at her expression of resolution. They relished her obstinacy.

They launched onto the television channels, radio stations, and newspaper opinion pages. They used her appearance at the news conference to prove to the nation how out of touch she was with reality. Anyone who got the chance to grab a microphone or look into a camera took her to task for even thinking she could accomplish anything.

Not only Obama’s agenda, but now Nancy Pelosi’s leadership and Harry Reid’s dedication to the work were now in the trash heap. All three were the picture of failure and the pointed butt of jokes and guffaws.

There was no way that she, Obama or anyone else could get that bill through. The Republicans had the numbers, the determination, and their interpretation of public outrage. There was also no shortage of Democratic Congressional doubts and uneasiness. The tumult was having a devastating effect.

With the defeat of this bill, predictions abounded for the demise of Obama’s agenda and the legacy of his Presidency. They framed it in the same way that an unpopular war and the economic crisis were framed as President Bush’s downfall. This would end Obama’s chance to be the man of change and progress.

The Democrats were finished. Hallelujah!

The problem with that analogy is that someone forgot to tell President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.

At the news conference, Nancy Pelosi made this statement about how they were going to pass the bill: “You go through the gate. If the gate is closed you go over the fence. If the fence is too high, we’ll pole vault in. If that doesn’t work, we’ll parachute in. But we are going to get health care reform passed for the American people”.

And so began the work. And what a work it was!

After more than a year of town meetings, demonstrations, debate and vitriolic opposition, negotiation, midnight Congressional meetings and endless analysis, the bill passed. It is now the law of the land. Now the process of integrating it into American life begins.

But what happened? How could it be?

How is it possible that the Republicans lost? They should have won with flying colors, flying flags and flying balloons. They should have been able to ride the tsunami of political support after Scott Brown’s election right through to the defeat of this bill and Obama himself.

However, as we now know, all the predictions were premature. The opposition’s carefully counted chickens never hatched. As elated as they were after Massachusetts, that’s how deflated they are now. What went up came back down again. And it came back down with a thud. The national right wing spin machine coughed, choked, sputtered and broke down like one of those cartoon cars that runs out of gas and melts into a heap.

They had titans of powerful assistance.

The list is long: FOX NEWS, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The Washington Times, FOX Business Channel, Rush Limbaugh and all of conservative talk radio, columnists, pundits, professors, doctors, lawyers, CEO’s, investors, Corporate America and on and on.

They all underestimated President Barack Obama.

His administration along with the Democratic Congressional leadership were up to the job. Their ability to gather a coalition, keep it together and use it for what needed to be accomplished was never more misjudged.

This legislative victory has historical connotations. Not since the implementation of Social Security and Medicare has law been more applicable to the future of Americans. And it was all on Obama’s shoulders.

Had it fallen to defeat, history would have recorded that Obama failed. And he would have had to serve out his term in office without that victory. The opposition would really be partying at his expense.

But it was not to be.

History will now record that President Barack Obama has accomplished the largest of his goals for the American people so far. The drive to change the landscape of American Health Care has been successful. Now it’s on to greater things.

As for the Republicans, will they ever underestimate Obama again? Stay tuned. As the saying goes, “Never doubt the ability of someone to repeat their mistake”.

[Reggie Marselus is a retired electrician and President of the Retirees Club of IBEW Local 124. H lives in Lenexa]

David Frum, the man who coined term “Axis of Evil” while working in the Bush administration, wrote a scathing blog post about the Republican’s strategy (or lack thereof) on healthcare reform. He described the passage of healthcare reform as Republicans “most crushing legislative defeat since the 1960s.” It’s hard to argue with him.

The Republican strategy was to obfuscate and deny–repeatedly. Conservatives seem to think they are going to win big this fall on a repeal platform, but even Frum isn’t so convinced.

Yesterday, I attended President Obama’s healthcare reform speech in Iowa City.  It’s looking more like Democrats are going to spend the next six months extolling the virtues of the healthcare bill and challenging Republicans on their lack of strategy. As Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, and Rush Limbaugh get louder and more vitriolic, some conservatives are sick of the radical right in the media controlling their message.

Naturally, someone in the Republican party has to be listening to this man, right? NOPE. He was fired yesterday. Turns out the Republican strategy behind closed doors is the same as their legislative strategy. Lie and deny.

David Frum fired after lamenting Republican failure on healthcare.

You can spit on our Congressman, You can call names, but we will not back down.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

For the first time in our nation’s history, Congress has passed comprehensive health care reform. America waited a hundred years and fought for decades to reach this moment. Tonight, thanks to you, we are finally here.

Consider the staggering scope of what you have just accomplished:

Because of you, every American will finally be guaranteed high quality, affordable health care coverage.

Every American will be covered under the toughest patient protections in history. Arbitrary premium hikes, insurance cancellations, and discrimination against pre-existing conditions will now be gone forever.

And we’ll finally start reducing the cost of care — creating millions of jobs, preventing families and businesses from plunging into bankruptcy, and removing over a trillion dollars of debt from the backs of our children.

But the victory that matters most tonight goes beyond the laws and far past the numbers.

It is the peace of mind enjoyed by every American, no longer one injury or illness away from catastrophe.

It is the workers and entrepreneurs who are now freed to pursue their slice of the American dream without fear of losing coverage or facing a crippling bill.

And it is the immeasurable joy of families in every part of this great nation, living happier, healthier lives together because they can finally receive the vital care they need.

This is what change looks like.

My gratitude tonight is profound. I am thankful for those in past generations whose heroic efforts brought this great goal within reach for our times. I am thankful for the members of Congress whose months of effort and brave votes made it possible to take this final step. But most of all, I am thankful for you.

This day is not the end of this journey. Much hard work remains, and we have a solemn responsibility to do it right. But we can face that work together with the confidence of those who have moved mountains.

Our journey began three years ago, driven by a shared belief that fundamental change is indeed still possible. We have worked hard together every day since to deliver on that belief.

We have shared moments of tremendous hope, and we’ve faced setbacks and doubt. We have all been forced to ask if our politics had simply become too polarized and too short-sighted to meet the pressing challenges of our time. This struggle became a test of whether the American people could still rally together when the cause was right — and actually create the change we believe in.

Tonight, thanks to your mighty efforts, the answer is indisputable: Yes we can.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

Big banks received a punch in the mouth on Sunday night as well. While healthcare reform received most of the attention, another key Democratic goal was achieved last night. A student loan reform bill, tucked into the reconciliation bill, is now heading to the Senate. This measure will eliminate corporate subsidies on student loans. It puts billions into higher education instead of Wall Street’s pockets.

For many years, the federal government has guaranteed higher-education loans to students. The government has controlled nearly every aspect of lending. It runs the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), conducts the entrance and exit counseling for federal loans, subsidizes interest rates, and guarantees federal loans that go into default. The only thing the banks did was provide funds. If a student defaulted on her student loans, the government would cover the default. Banks had a free lunch. They earned the interest, while having no risk in the loans.

This waste will hopefully end soon. Assuming the Senate passes the student loan reform bill via reconciliation, the corporate subsidies will be used to expand Pell Grants and offset the budget deficit. This reform bill makes sense. It cuts out corporate waste and uses the money earned on student-loan interest to help underfunded students attend college. This bill is the largest education reform bill since No Child Left Behind. It frees up $61 billion dollars for Pell Grants and budget reduction without costing the American people a dime.

Rep. Joann Emerson what side of history will you stand with? Will you distance yourself from the behavior you encourage yesterday and declare that these acts by the teaparty are horrible and you want no part of this movement? Or will she stand with the people who spat on and called her elected colleagues unspeakable names?

As the House was voting on an unrelated bill, Republican Reps. Tom Latham of Iowa, Jo Ann Emerson of Missouri, Brett Guthrie of Kentucky and Greg Harper of Mississippi stood on south balcony off the House floor – an area known informally as “the beach” — holding pieces of paper that read “kill the bill” to a group of cheering protestors. Some Republican lawmakers waved a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag from the balcony, causing the crowd to go wild.

Read more

The Jackson County Democrats call on Rep. Emerson, Rep. Blunt and the Missouri Republican House delegation to stand against the tactics of the protesters in Washington D.C. and to stand with the People in Missouri and say “We won”t tolerate the bullying actions of the Tea Party, and we stand with our Missouri House delegation in debating these substantive issues in a dignified and civil manner.”

Its unfortunate that in the worlds strongest democracy, in a country which has a history of racial divide that we know, because of past behavior, that we wont be able to count on the Missouri GOP to stand and do what is right.

We shared with you some of the ugliness yesterday by “patriotic protesters”.  Today I am wondering if Congressman Blunt will stand against the derogatory and racists behavior displayed yesterday?

Update: More information here.

From Congressman Cleaver’s Office

For many of the members of the CBC, like John Lewis and Emanuel Cleaver who worked in the civil rights movement, and for Mr. Frank who has struggled in the cause of equality, this is not the first time they have been spit on during turbulent times.

This afternoon, the Congressman was walking into the Capitol to vote, when one protester spat on him. The Congressman would like to thank the US Capitol Police officer who quickly escorted the others Members and him into the Capitol, and defused the tense situation with professionalism and care. After all the Members were safe, a full report was taken and the matter was handled by the US Capitol Police. The man who spat on the Congressman was arrested, but the Congressman has chosen not to press charges. He has left the matter with the Capitol Police.

This is not the first time the Congressman has been called the “n” word and certainly not the worst assault he has endured in his years fighting for equal rights for all Americans. That being said, he is disappointed that in the 21st century our national discourse has devolved to the point of name calling and spitting. He looks forward to taking a historic vote on health care reform legislation tomorrow, for the residents of the Fifth District of Missouri and for all Americans. He believes deeply that tomorrow’s vote is, in fact, a vote for equality and to secure health care as a right for all. Our nation has a history of struggling each time we expand rights. Today’s protests are no different, but the Congressman believes this is worth fighting for.

For some time, I have been searching for a concise, entertaining way to promote and explain the need for comprehensive ethics reform in Missouri.

We spent a few days last week visiting family.

On Saturday evening, our flight home was cancelled and it all came together. With a few hours to kill, I combined the iMovie program on my Mac with my cousin Jake’s amazing abilities on the violin to create this one minute Pop Quiz about Missouri’s current “ethics” laws.

I think you’ll see the need for change.

Jessica –

President Obama has called for the House to vote to move health reform forward as early as next week. Your representative, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, voted for reform last fall, and is a critical ally in our fight. But with insurance company lobbyists pulling out all the stops to block reform and smear its champions, we must speak up right away.

Please call Rep. Cleaver today to say “thank you” — and to report that OFA supporters in Missouri have pledged 146,687 volunteer hours to back up members of Congress like yours who stand up for health reform.

According to our records, you live in Missouri’s 5th congressional district. You can reach Rep. Cleaver’s Independence office at (816) 833-4545. Please call now — then click here to let us know you made a call.

(Not your representative? Click here to look yours up.)

We know the stakes: Coverage for millions of uninsured Americans. Ending insurance company abuses, like denying coverage to those with pre-existing conditions and drastically raising premiums. Reining in costs that are bankrupting families and crushing businesses. Putting life-and-death decisions in the hands of patients and doctors, not insurance company bureaucrats.

Everything we’ve worked for depends on winning this upcoming vote in the House of Representatives — and it’s going to be very, very close. If there was ever a time to pick up the phone and make a difference, that time has come.

Please call today:

http://my.barackobama.com/FinalMarchCall

Thanks for joining together for this Final March for Reform. Because of you, we’re going to win this.

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America