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yallerdawg
yallerdawg's Journal
yallerdawg's Journal
October 31, 2015
Source: The Hill, by Jonathan Swan and Harper Neidig
Getting tired of the same old BS over and over?
Reminds us again of the stark difference between Democrats and Republicans - even though some claim there is no difference?
'Wall Street' rejects Hillary! (Hillary Group)
Republicans beating Clinton, Dems in Wall Street donationsSource: The Hill, by Jonathan Swan and Harper Neidig
Getting tired of the same old BS over and over?
In fact, despite lagging in the polls, performing poorly in debates and being nowhere near as sure a bet as Clinton is for his party’s nomination, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) has so far taken more than five times as much Wall Street money as Clinton into his campaign and super-PAC.
Bush has already raised more than $30 million from Wall Street, according to an analysis of the latest Federal Election Commission data by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics done for The Hill, which looked at donations from a range of firms in the commercial banking, securities, and investments industries.
Clinton, on the other hand, has received just $5.9 million from Wall Street into her campaign and super-PAC, less than half of that raised by Tea Party conservative Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), who received $12.5 million, most of which came from hedge fund magnate Robert Mercer.
Clinton has raised only slightly more financial sector money than struggling Republican candidate Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.), who has taken in $5.2 million.
Bush has already raised more than $30 million from Wall Street, according to an analysis of the latest Federal Election Commission data by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics done for The Hill, which looked at donations from a range of firms in the commercial banking, securities, and investments industries.
Clinton, on the other hand, has received just $5.9 million from Wall Street into her campaign and super-PAC, less than half of that raised by Tea Party conservative Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), who received $12.5 million, most of which came from hedge fund magnate Robert Mercer.
Clinton has raised only slightly more financial sector money than struggling Republican candidate Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.), who has taken in $5.2 million.
Reminds us again of the stark difference between Democrats and Republicans - even though some claim there is no difference?
October 30, 2015
The notable losers:
Well played, President Obama!
Winner!
Source: The Hill, by Peter Schroeder
Budget deal: Winners and losers
The notable winners:
President Obama/Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)/Harry Reid (D-Nev.)
Democrats went into budget negotiations with a specific goal in mind: lift the spending caps set by the sequester. And they got it. The final budget deal of Obama’s presidency pushed government funding above those spending caps, while removing the debt limit as a hurdle to clear for the rest of his time in office.
The final package avoided any major changes to entitlement programs, and garnered unanimous support among House Democrats.
Democrats went into budget negotiations with a specific goal in mind: lift the spending caps set by the sequester. And they got it. The final budget deal of Obama’s presidency pushed government funding above those spending caps, while removing the debt limit as a hurdle to clear for the rest of his time in office.
The final package avoided any major changes to entitlement programs, and garnered unanimous support among House Democrats.
Medicare/social security
Roughly one-third of Medicare enrollees dodged a 52-percent premium hike thanks to the budget deal, which includes a loan from the federal government paid by future premium hikes. And Social Security’s disability trust fund got a much-needed cash infusion as well. That fund would have gone dry next year and enrollees were facing steep cuts, but a slice of the payroll tax as part of the budget deal helps shore it up.
Roughly one-third of Medicare enrollees dodged a 52-percent premium hike thanks to the budget deal, which includes a loan from the federal government paid by future premium hikes. And Social Security’s disability trust fund got a much-needed cash infusion as well. That fund would have gone dry next year and enrollees were facing steep cuts, but a slice of the payroll tax as part of the budget deal helps shore it up.
The notable losers:
Conservatives/House Freedom Caucus
Conservatives wanted Congress to stick to the sequester spending caps, and hated seeing budget deals hammered out in private by just a handful of policymakers. But at the end of the day, Congress ended up passing a bill that exceeded previously set spending caps that was negotiated by a handful of congressional leaders and the White House.
The budget deal went from being unveiled to passage in just a matter of days, and while plenty of Republicans ended up opposing it, the deal never faced any significant threat of derailment. The question for conservatives now is whether that budget deal was the last gasp of the Boehner Era, or a sign of more to come.
Conservatives wanted Congress to stick to the sequester spending caps, and hated seeing budget deals hammered out in private by just a handful of policymakers. But at the end of the day, Congress ended up passing a bill that exceeded previously set spending caps that was negotiated by a handful of congressional leaders and the White House.
The budget deal went from being unveiled to passage in just a matter of days, and while plenty of Republicans ended up opposing it, the deal never faced any significant threat of derailment. The question for conservatives now is whether that budget deal was the last gasp of the Boehner Era, or a sign of more to come.
Outside conservative groups
It was a rough stretch for outside conservative groups that have frequently worked to flex muscle in the Capitol. Heritage Action and Club for Growth joined forces to blast the budget accord as it drifted away from spending caps — and put lawmakers on notice that they were watching the vote. But it ultimately was for naught.
To add insult to injury, just days before the budget passed, more than half of the House's Republicans joined with Democrats to move a bill reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank. Forcing that bank's charter to expire had been a major coup for the conservative movement, which has dismissed the government agency as corporate cronyism. But the leadership shakeup gave Ex-Im backers the chance to move on a rare discharge petition, circumventing leadership opposition and bringing the bill up for a floor vote. Ex-Im's fate is still up in the air in the Senate, but vehement conservative opposition to its renewal in the House gave way to a reauthorization vote that garnered 313 'yeas.'
It was a rough stretch for outside conservative groups that have frequently worked to flex muscle in the Capitol. Heritage Action and Club for Growth joined forces to blast the budget accord as it drifted away from spending caps — and put lawmakers on notice that they were watching the vote. But it ultimately was for naught.
To add insult to injury, just days before the budget passed, more than half of the House's Republicans joined with Democrats to move a bill reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank. Forcing that bank's charter to expire had been a major coup for the conservative movement, which has dismissed the government agency as corporate cronyism. But the leadership shakeup gave Ex-Im backers the chance to move on a rare discharge petition, circumventing leadership opposition and bringing the bill up for a floor vote. Ex-Im's fate is still up in the air in the Senate, but vehement conservative opposition to its renewal in the House gave way to a reauthorization vote that garnered 313 'yeas.'
Well played, President Obama!
October 28, 2015
President Obama's Really Good Day!
Obama spends a whirlwind day in his hometown, Chicago by Darlene SupervilleCHICAGO (AP) — President Barack Obama spent a whirlwind Tuesday back in his hometown.
In less than a full day, he spoke to a gathering of police chiefs, raised money for fellow Democrats at back-to-back-fundraisers, sat courtside at the Chicago Bulls' season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and poked back at those who predicted he'd be a lame duck during his final two years in office.
How did he cap it off? By curling up in his own bed for the first time in nearly a year.
Obama was pretty much written off last November when Republicans won control of Congress after trouncing Senate Democrats in the midterm election. He was expected by some not to accomplish much of anything during what he sometimes calls the "fourth quarter of my presidency."
But since then, Obama has achieved some longstanding policy goals, including restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba after decades of animosity, joining other world powers to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran and, this week, reaching a budget deal with congressional leaders just days before a feared first-ever U.S. default.
"About a year and a half ago, people were saying I was a lame duck," Obama noted wryly at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser at the Pump Room restaurant, where about 80 guests had paid up to $33,400 each to dine on chicken and polenta in the company of the president.
Instead, he said, "We've been flapping our wings a lot."
In less than a full day, he spoke to a gathering of police chiefs, raised money for fellow Democrats at back-to-back-fundraisers, sat courtside at the Chicago Bulls' season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and poked back at those who predicted he'd be a lame duck during his final two years in office.
How did he cap it off? By curling up in his own bed for the first time in nearly a year.
Obama was pretty much written off last November when Republicans won control of Congress after trouncing Senate Democrats in the midterm election. He was expected by some not to accomplish much of anything during what he sometimes calls the "fourth quarter of my presidency."
But since then, Obama has achieved some longstanding policy goals, including restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba after decades of animosity, joining other world powers to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran and, this week, reaching a budget deal with congressional leaders just days before a feared first-ever U.S. default.
"About a year and a half ago, people were saying I was a lame duck," Obama noted wryly at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser at the Pump Room restaurant, where about 80 guests had paid up to $33,400 each to dine on chicken and polenta in the company of the president.
Instead, he said, "We've been flapping our wings a lot."
October 24, 2015
Exactly as I remember it! (Hillary Group)
We are going to be hearing this 'fractured fairy tale' and 'revisionist history' based on consequences of legislation made a couple decades ago.
Well, I remember.
I remember voting for Jimmy Carter and watching Ronald Reagan get inaugurated. I remember voting for Michael Dukakis and watching George Bush get inaugurated, a third Republican presidential term in a row!
I remember voting for William Jefferson Clinton (twice, in fact) and watching him beat an incumbent president and bring the Democratic Party back!
When you want to tell so many members of DU what happened and how it led to what we have now, please remember many of us were there, and know exactly what happened!
Rachel Maddow asked Hillary about it (transcript):
MADDOW: On – on the issue of finding a path between the left and the right, finding what’s doable and what’s not doable, I’m a true-blue liberal, and I’m allowed to say that. OK?
(LAUGHTER)
But one of the things that I have been struck by – and during the Obama administration – is that a lot of the – really, the civil rights achievements of this administration have actually been undoing things that were done in the Clinton administration.
Whether it was “don’t ask, don’t tell” or the Defense of Marriage Act or the – you know, tough on crime (ph) mandatory sentences. Former President Clinton is progressive on all those issues now…
CLINTON: Right.
MADDOW: …but the policies that he signed – for politically practical reasons – in the ’90s have taken – you know, the political mural – miracle of Barack Obama’s election and – and – and a decade of progressive activism to unwind those things to get back to zero.
And so I know that you and President Clinton are different people, and I know that – I don’t – you – you’re not responsible for what he did as president. But is your approach to civil rights issues the same as his, or is it different?
CLINTON: Well, I – I want to say a word about the – the issues you mentioned, because my – my – my take on it is slightly different.
On Defense of Marriage, I think what my husband believed – and there was certainly evidence to support it – is that there was enough political momentum to amend the Constitution of the United States of America, and that there had to be some way to stop that.
And there wasn’t any rational argument – because I was in on some of those discussions, on both “don’t ask, don’t tell” and on – on DOMA, where both the president, his advisers and occasionally I would – you know, chime in and talk about, “you can’t be serious. You can’t be serious.”
But they were. And so, in – in a lot of ways, DOMA was a line that was drawn that was to prevent going further.
MADDOW: It was a defensive action?
CLINTON: It was a defensive action. The culture rapidly changed so that now what was totally anathema to political forces – they have ceded. They no longer are fighting, except on a local level and a rear-guard action. And with the U.S. Supreme Court decision, it’s settled.
“Don’t ask, don’t tell” is something that – you know, Bill promised during the ‘92 campaign to let gays serve openly in the military. And it’s what he intended to do.
MADDOW: Firestorm (ph). Terrible firestorm (ph).
CLINTON: And then – yeah. Oh my gosh (ph), it was the most astonishing overreaction, but – by the military, by the Congress. I – I remember being – you know, on the edge of one of those conversations, and – and so “don’t ask, don’t tell,” again, became a defensive line.
So I’m not in any way excusing them. I’m explaining them.
MADDOW: Yeah.
CLINTON: And the same with the crime bill, which was a result of a lot of reaction – particularly from poor communities, communities of color – to the horrific crime rates of the 1980s. And there was just a – a consensus across every community that something had to be done.
That went too far. First speech I gave in this campaign was about mass incarceration, and about reform of policing practices. And I think that sometimes, as a leader in a democracy, you are confronted with two bad choices. And it is not an easy position to be in, and you have to try to think, OK, what is the least bad choice and how do I try to cabin (ph) this off from having worse consequences?
My take on this, now, is we’re gonna have an election that is truly going to be, at bottom, about fundamental rights. A woman’s right to choose, defending Planned Parenthood, marriage equality, taking on the continuing discrimination against the LGBT community. You can get married on Saturday, you can get fired on Monday. Voting rights – the most profound citizenship rights that we have being blocked and undermined at every turn.
We are gonna have a very vigorous debate in this election, because the Republicans are all on record as trying to reverse and rip away the progress that has occurred.
A lot of it, because of decisions that the court has finally made – both for good and for bad. I mean, the marriage equality decision for good, the terrible gutting of the Voting Rights Act for bad. And the local activity in states against a woman’s right to choose and defunding Planned Parenthood.
This is going to be – at – at the core of this stem election.
October 24, 2015
Continues wickedly at: http://www.thenation.com/article/the-day-the-gop-turned-the-benghazi-tragedy-into-a-farce/
Full of gems like:
The Day the GOP Turned the Benghazi Tragedy Into a Farce
ICYMI
Source: The Nation, By Joan Walsh
Three hours into the Select Committee on Benghazi hearing Thursday, Chairman Trey Gowdy, rocking a subdued fauxhawk, grew red with anger and slick with sweat. His GOP colleague Representative Susan Brooks, who’d printed out hundreds of pages of Clinton’s e-mail, and kept the stacks handy, stroking them occasionally, really should have offered some of that paper to Gowdy, so he could wipe himself down. The sports fan in me recognized the need for a time-out, and maybe some Gatorade, but no one else did.
The temperature rose as ranking committee Democrat Elijah Cummings objected to Gowdy’s trolling about the non-issue of Clinton-friend Sidney Blumenthal’s e-mail. Before the lunch break, Cummings and other Democrats moved to make Blumenthal’s committee testimony public, to show just how far afield of its charge to investigate the causes of the Benghazi compound attack Gowdy’s work had strayed.
But Gowdy objected, strenuously, and a little ominously. With a Draco Malfoy flourish, he closed the first half of the hearing: “I’ll tell you what, if you think you’ve heard about Sidney Blumenthal so far, wait until the next round!”
And with that, Gowdy’s credibility, if any still existed, was gone for good. It was Gowdy Doody time, and it stunk...
The temperature rose as ranking committee Democrat Elijah Cummings objected to Gowdy’s trolling about the non-issue of Clinton-friend Sidney Blumenthal’s e-mail. Before the lunch break, Cummings and other Democrats moved to make Blumenthal’s committee testimony public, to show just how far afield of its charge to investigate the causes of the Benghazi compound attack Gowdy’s work had strayed.
But Gowdy objected, strenuously, and a little ominously. With a Draco Malfoy flourish, he closed the first half of the hearing: “I’ll tell you what, if you think you’ve heard about Sidney Blumenthal so far, wait until the next round!”
And with that, Gowdy’s credibility, if any still existed, was gone for good. It was Gowdy Doody time, and it stunk...
Continues wickedly at: http://www.thenation.com/article/the-day-the-gop-turned-the-benghazi-tragedy-into-a-farce/
Full of gems like:
"Enduring an 11-hour festival of mansplaining, with a sexist assist from GOP women, Hillary Clinton looked calm and presidential."
"It sounded like Clinton was supposed to be the mom-in-chief, not the Secretary of State."
"In Hillaryland as depicted by Gowdyworld, the only work that mattered was that done by email."
October 23, 2015
Hillary on TRMS tonight!
Rachel Maddow nailed down the first post-Benghazi Hearing Marathon interview.
I will be watching!
However...
MSNBC. 
Is Hillary now trying to redeem and save MSNBC? 
Will Rachel give us a 15 minute soliloquy before asking Hillary, "Am I right?" and then sending us to prison for the weekend? 
MSNBC. 
Programming note: "Real Time with Bill Maher" is a repeat tonight. 
October 23, 2015
Our Martha Roby on Facebook!
Will the comments burst the bubble?
Probably not, but what a smack down!!!
https://www.facebook.com/Representative.Martha.Roby
October 21, 2015
More about Coach Saban, the Alabama Crimson Tide, SEC Sports (8 out of 15 highest paid!), etc, at:
Nick Saban is Alabama's highest-paid public employee: Where does he rank nationally?
Politics and Priorities - The Awful Truth!
What really matters to the American people! 
I wonder what "the leader of the free world" knocks down annually?
Oh, yeah - "Roll Tide!"
Here's a look at the rest of the top 15 highest-paid public employees in the country:
1.Nick Saban (football coach)- $7 million plus, Alabama
2.Jim Harbaugh (football coach) - $7 million, Michigan
3.John Calipari (basketball coach) - $6.01 million, Kentucky
4.Urban Meyer (football coach) - $5.8 million, Ohio
5.Bob Stoops (football coach) - $5.25 million, Oklahoma
6.Charlie Strong (football coach) - $5.10, Texas
7.Jimbo Fisher (football coach) - $5 million, Florida
8.Bill Self (basketball coach) - $4.75 million, Kansas
9.James Franklin (football coach) - $4.10, Pennsylvania
10.Les Miles (football coach) - $4.3 million, Louisiana
11.Hugh Freeze (football coach) - $4.3 million, Mississippi
12.Kirk Ferentz (football coach) - $4.08 million, Iowa
13.Gary Pinkel (football coach) - $4.02 million, Missouri
14.Mark Richt (football coach) - $4 million, Georgia
15.Bret Bielema (football coach) - $4 million, Arkansas
1.Nick Saban (football coach)- $7 million plus, Alabama
2.Jim Harbaugh (football coach) - $7 million, Michigan
3.John Calipari (basketball coach) - $6.01 million, Kentucky
4.Urban Meyer (football coach) - $5.8 million, Ohio
5.Bob Stoops (football coach) - $5.25 million, Oklahoma
6.Charlie Strong (football coach) - $5.10, Texas
7.Jimbo Fisher (football coach) - $5 million, Florida
8.Bill Self (basketball coach) - $4.75 million, Kansas
9.James Franklin (football coach) - $4.10, Pennsylvania
10.Les Miles (football coach) - $4.3 million, Louisiana
11.Hugh Freeze (football coach) - $4.3 million, Mississippi
12.Kirk Ferentz (football coach) - $4.08 million, Iowa
13.Gary Pinkel (football coach) - $4.02 million, Missouri
14.Mark Richt (football coach) - $4 million, Georgia
15.Bret Bielema (football coach) - $4 million, Arkansas
More about Coach Saban, the Alabama Crimson Tide, SEC Sports (8 out of 15 highest paid!), etc, at:
Nick Saban is Alabama's highest-paid public employee: Where does he rank nationally?
October 21, 2015
More at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-20/after-year-of-pain-opec-close-to-halting-u-s-oil-in-its-tracks
OPEC is about to crush the U.S. oil boom
Source: Bloomberg by Grant SmithAfter a year suffering the economic consequences of the oil price slump, OPEC is finally on the cusp of choking off growth in U.S. crude output.
The nation’s production is almost back down to the level pumped in November 2014, when the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries switched its strategy to focus on battering competitors and reclaiming market share. As the U.S. wilts, demand for OPEC’s crude will grow in 2015, ending two years of retreat, the International Energy Agency estimates.
The nation’s production is almost back down to the level pumped in November 2014, when the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries switched its strategy to focus on battering competitors and reclaiming market share. As the U.S. wilts, demand for OPEC’s crude will grow in 2015, ending two years of retreat, the International Energy Agency estimates.
Saudi Arabia, the main architect of OPEC’s new strategy, will have a budget deficit of 20 percent of gross domestic product this year, the International Monetary Fund estimates. While the kingdom has been able to tap foreign currency reserves and curb spending to cope with the slump, financial assets may run out within five years if the government maintains current policies and prices stay low, the IMF said Wednesday.
Less wealthy OPEC members have even fewer options. The threat of political unrest is mounting in the “Fragile Five” of Algeria, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria and Venezuela, according to RBC Capital Markets LLC.
Less wealthy OPEC members have even fewer options. The threat of political unrest is mounting in the “Fragile Five” of Algeria, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria and Venezuela, according to RBC Capital Markets LLC.
More at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-20/after-year-of-pain-opec-close-to-halting-u-s-oil-in-its-tracks
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Gender: Do not displayMember since: Fri Apr 4, 2014, 04:21 PM
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