President Obama To House Republicans On Sandy Relief: Bring This To A Vote TODAY

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Talking Points Memo ?@TPM

Obama to House GOP: Pass Hurricane Sandy aid "without delay"

President Obama issued a statement on Wednesday urging House Republicans to immediately pass Hurricane Sandy relief funds:

It has only been two months since Hurricane Sandy devastated communities across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut as well as other eastern states. Our citizens are still trying to put their lives back together. Our states are still trying to rebuild vital infrastructure. And so, last month, working closely with the Governors of the affected states, I sent Congress an urgent request to support their efforts to rebuild and recover. The Senate passed this request with bipartisan support. But the House of Representatives has refused to act, even as there are families and communities who still need our help to rebuild in the months and years ahead, and who also still need immediate support with the bulk of winter still in front of us.

When tragedy strikes, Americans come together to support those in need. I urge Republicans in the House of Representatives to do the same, bring this important request to a vote today, and pass it without delay for our fellow Americans.

http://tpm.ly/134bvXG

[TwilightGardener]

1. Unconscionable that they would play games with badly-needed aid.

[Chorophyll]

8. They do it every damn time, though. nt

[dwigthreeD]

36. This is Bonner

The drunk, Cheeto schiting moron who also let the VAWA die...he should be fired...NOW

[bunnies]

2. Maybe they should ask for an iron dome instead.

Congress loves to spend money on war things.

[TwilightGardener]

3. Of course there's no money for OUR people, even in a disaster.

[bunnies]

19. There should be some sort of law...

Forcing congress to put the needs of Americans above anyone else. How pathetic is it that we should have to FORCE them to be patriotic?! How do the American people stand for this bullshit?!

[AAO]

39. Can't we give OUR money to OUR people? Are we dealing with the Politburo?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

4. House gaveling into session right now

nothing is on the schedule.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

5. Serrano (D) pleads for Sandy relief

Platts (R) gives bye bye speech

[bigtree]

6. Boehner just told the NJ and NY delegation a few hours ago he's booting the aid to the next Congress

15m john r stanton ?@dcbigjohn

Republicans refused request from Hoyer to extend time on the floor for Hurricane Sandy protest speeches by lawmakers

[Thinkingabout]

7. Apparently voting on names for post offices is more important.

Some must be following Bush lead with Katrina. When I see the stupidity of the House I wonder how they even answer a phone. I heard whining from John Culberson R-TX if the Senate would just pass the bill which would prevented any cuts to the defense dept the fiscal cliff would nit happen. On his web site he did a poll of what is important to his constituents and defense was the lowest %. What does he promote nit cutting defense spending with so many important issues, he does not even sound reasonable to himself. As long as we have the TP gang nothing reasonable will happen.

[JDPriestly]

25. We have to organize to take over the House in 2014 the way we organized to insure

Obama's re-election this year.

We can't just take a victory in 2014 for granted. Let's get started think about this now.

What candidates can we field against Republicans.

Markey may not be a good choice for Massachusetts for the Senate. I wish that Kerry would not go to the State Department. I think we could lose that seat. What a stupid move.

[WCGreen]

28. Good luck with that....

Most of the districts were drawn by republicans for republicans. And that ain't gonna change until 2022...

[Amonester]

32. Then go to these districts & distribute flyers in each mailbox there that denounce...

the hypocRite$ for what they really R.

(Although, make sure these flyers do not go overboard in their messages, i.e., make sure they remain 'moderate' in writings.)

[WCGreen]

34. Have fun....

The real way to get around this is to make sure democrats control the next round of redistricting.

The GOP raised tons of money way back in 1988 and started the takeover of the House with the election of Republicans to control the redrawing. They did the same in 2000 and 2010.

[malaise]

9. More Sandy discussion while waiting for the House

http://www.c-span.org/Live-Video/C-SPAN/

[bigtree]

10. Reid speaking on this in the Senate right now

on cspan2

[malaise]

13. Thanks

Now I understand why Reid walked out of talks - after Boehner told him to go fugg himself.

[Hekate]

11. The world looks on and wonders when we became so heartless

This is where the GOP radicals have brought us.

[plethoro]

15. We are watching the beginning of the end of the Republican Party. nft

................

[Raksha]

30. Yup - and as I expected, they are self-destructing.

This is beyond even their "normal" level of obstructionism and stupidity, not to mention hearlessness.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

16. In this case, it was probably when they listened to the Koch Bros

Kochs lobbying and media control apparatus are quite insidious:

http://www.thenation.com/blog/171906/david-koch-now-taking-aim-hurricane-sandy-victims#

[JDPriestly]

26. It started with Buckley and Goldwater in the 1960s.

That "conservatism" that appealed primarily to the very rich and very racist.

[alcibiades_mystery]

12. They absolutely must pass this...are they insane? People are suffering mightily in NY/NJ

This is petty and vindictive nonsense against blue state populations. It is outrageous beyond description.

[Raksha]

31. You think they CARE if people are suffering?

Their big mistake is letting America know they don't care. Not that any of us who are even half awake don't know it anyway.

[leftyohiolib]

14. while this (should be) is a no-brainer - potus has no authority to tell the house anything they're

co-equal

[Harry Monroe]

17. Are you shittin' me?

There is a MORAL authority for the President to speak his mind. No, Congress does not have to act on the President's recommendations, if that's what you were trying to say. But the President would be derelict in his duty were he not to speak out about it . The very fact that he had to use his "bully pulpit" to even say anything about something that should have already been taken care of, speaks volumes about the dysfunction and pure ineptitude of this current session of Congress.

[bigtree]

18. look, in practical terms, he's likely speaking to pols who will be at his door pleading for aid

. . . sometime in the future.

When he says that Congress came together to pass this bill in the Senate, he's reminding them of their own future interests which can only be effectively achieved with the cooperation and help of their peers and the WH.

[TwilightGardener]

20. They don't have to listen to him, of course. But he absolutely should demand

that they act.

[ReRe]

21. Sad but true...

..The President proposes, and the Congress disposes. But the President doesn't ask for any more than is just and right and necessary for the People. The right wing House doesn't represent the People any more. They represent the Koch brothers.

[freshwest]

37. Couldn't have said it any better. Thanks, ReRe.

[awoke_in_2003]

22. Actually, he can order them to convene. nt

[Ed Suspicious]

23. That is essentially the only power

the president has. Nuestadt wrote "the power of the president is the power to persuade." If persuasion involve calling out their bullshit, so be it.

[Bluenorthwest]

27. And yet I hear many, many members of that chamber tell the President what he 'must do' all the

time. Don't you hear that? I just Googled this-Eric Cantor "Obama must" and up came all sorts of demands for all sorts of things. That's one House member. You could run a few of them.
The President has all the moral authority in the world to say exactly what he said as well as a duty to the people in the Sandy Zone who have just the one President to speak for them.

[WCGreen]

29. It's called the Bully Pulpit after T Roosevelt...

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

24. Showing their true colors?

[Amonester]

33. We've seen them all, no doubt, but their 'ignorant' constituents...

and even those not that 'ignorant' in the north MUST SEE the real monsters they voted for show their true colors to them.

[lonestarnot]

35. Fucking freaks. Midterms are coming!

[AAO]

38. "When tragedy strikes, Americans come together to support those in need."

Operative word being "Americans", not anti-American treasonous bastards.