The Republican effort to redefine rape a "priority" with Boehner

This is not a funny issue and woe be to any candidate at the national level who think this will help them. This is a disgusting effort by the GOP to redefine rape in hopes of gaining legal inroads to overturn abortion. The new language would say that rape is only really rape if it involves force.

Today, news hit that a Georgia state lawmaker introduced a bill changing the state legal codes to refer to a rape victim as a "rape accuser".

Apart from the absolutely vile nature of this effort, how, exactly, does this pertain to the "jobs, jobs, jobs" commitment from the GOP when they took the House? This isn't about jobs, it's about cynically reigniting the culture wars and re-litigating any laws that they don't like.

Mother Jones

the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act," a bill with 173 mostly Republican co-sponsors that House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has dubbed a top priority in the new Congress, contains a provision that would rewrite the rules to limit drastically the definition of rape and incest in these cases.

With this legislation, which was introduced last week by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Republicans propose that the rape exemption be limited to "forcible rape." This would rule out federal assistance for abortions in many rape cases, including instances of statutory rape, many of which are non-forcible. For example: If a 13-year-old girl is impregnated by a 24-year-old adult, she would no longer qualify to have Medicaid pay for an abortion.

Given that the bill also would forbid the use of tax benefits to pay for abortions, that 13-year-old's parents wouldn't be allowed to use money from a tax-exempt health savings account (HSA) to pay for the procedure.

Jon Stewart, predictably, had a field day with this.

John Boehner and anti-intellectualism: ‘I Don’t Need To See Numbers Or Listen To Economists’

In an interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday, John Boehner (R-Dipshit) argued against further stimulus and in favor of extending the Bush Tax Cuts For The Wealthy.

When Wallace showed Boehner GDP numbers indicating that the economic recovery is shrinking and stated that many economists were calling for more federal stimulus (the effects of which Boehner still waffles about), Boehner became blustery. When pressed by Wallace about the contradiction between the giant hole that an extension of the Bush Tax Cuts For The Wealthy would blow in the deficit and Boehner's self-described deficit hawk status, Boehner decided that facts are inconvenient things:

"Well, I don’t need to see GDP numbers or to listen to economists. All I need to do is listen to the American people, because they’ve been asking the question now for 18 months, “where are the jobs?”

(Later, to Wallace)
Chris, you’ve been in Washington too long because that’s all a bunch of Washington talk... This is the whole Washington mindset, all these CBO numbers,”

John Boehner

He then went on to add: "Yes, those pesky NUMBERS. Those are LIBERAL NUMBERS, bent on making us a socialist nation. As Republicans, we don't trust those Democrat numbers. Numbers lie. We go from the gut, we listen to the American people. Maybe in Washington they care about numbers, but in real America, we know that numbers lie. Stop being so naive, Chris."

OK, maybe he didn't say that, but he should have. Because it's what he meant.

Now he's going to try to hang the lack of jobs that his party has filibustered on Obama. and they're going to hang the economy, which is losing momentum for lack of further stimulus, on Obama despite the fact that it's the GOP who won't listen to numbers and facts and do the right thing. Cesca (h/t) points out: The Republicans have filibustered the jobs. And they've proposed solutions, like renewing the Bush tax cuts and cutting spending, that will sabotage economic growth.

Now Boehner is asking "Where are the jobs that we've done our damned best to kill in order to make the Kenyan Messiah a one-termer?"

Quoting ThinkProgress, this is "blind ideology". He'll oppose whatever Obama stands for. He no more cares about the direction of the country than he cares about the long-term effects of over-tanning.

By the way, can we all at least agree that the real pronunciation of his last name is actually "Boner"?

Drilling response shows GOP doesn't want solutions, only wants to harm Obama

During the 2008 Presidential campaign, one of Sarah Palin's rallying cries was "Drill baby, drill" - a call to open up the U.S. coastline to oil exploration and drilling.

This is a reversal of a 2008 campaign promise to protect our coastline. So, isn't this a win for Republicans? Shoudln't they be thrilled?

Politico

Sarah Palin is blasting President Barack Obama’s oil drilling decision as a “stall, baby, stall” plan that is little more than a cover for enactment of climate legislation now pending in the Senate.

“I’ve got to call it like I see it,” she wrote. “The administration’s sudden interest in offshore drilling is little more than political posturing designed to gain support for job-killing energy legislation soon to come down the pike. I’m confident that GOP senators will not take the bait.”

Then there's this whopper from John Boehner where he criticizes the President for DELAYING energy production.

The Hill via Cesca

Obama's decision "continues to defy the will of the American people," Boehner said in a statement, pointing to the president's decision to open Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico waters, while leaving Pacific and many Alaskan waters largely closed to exploration.

"It's long past time for this Administration to stop delaying American energy production off all our shores and start listening to the American people who want an “all of the above” strategy to produce more American energy and create more jobs," the House GOP leader added. "Republicans are listening to the American people and have proposed a better solution – the American Energy Act – which will lower gas prices, increase American energy production, promote new clean and renewable sources of energy, and encourage greater efficiency and conservation."

Are you kidding me? According to Republicans, there is literally no good solution to any problem, save Obama killing himself and leaving the Presidency to Zombie Ronald Reagan.

Drilling: Repubs criticized Obama for being opposed. Now that he's opened it up, he gets blasted.

Health care: the 2010 HCR Act is based in large part on Mitt Romney's Massachusetts plan which was based largely on the Heritage Foundation's counter-proposal to the Clinton health plan.

They're getting much of what they want, and it's not enough. What they really want is Obama's hide, the good of the country doesn't even finish a close second.

Bastards.

More GOP hypocrisy, this time while condemning violence. In other words, it's Thursday.

Huff Post (my comments in red:)

"I know many Americans are angry over this health care bill, and that Washington Democrats just aren't listening. So the anger that we've fueled for a year with talks about socialist takeovers and losing America is justified because we lost an up-or-down vote. But, as I've said, violence and threats are unacceptable. That's not the American way. Good.  About time. We need to take that anger and channel it into positive change. Call your Congressman, go out and register people to vote, go volunteer on a political campaign, make your voice heard - but let's do it the right way." Yes! Fight it out at the ballot box.

And then, after suggesting that these issues are best settled politically, Eric Cantor, Minority Whip, attacked Democrats for daring to be political.  They are, he said: "dangerously fanning the flames by suggesting that these incidents be used as a political weapon."

I get it, Republican anger at losing a fair vote is OK, but Democratic anger at being threatened with violence (and with some threats followed up on) is not.

Right.  Gotcha.

Cantor then attempted to diminish the attacks: "To use such threats as political weapons is reprehensible," said Minority Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va., who added that security concerns have been overhyped in media coverage of the debate.

What I notice is that NOWHERE do Cantor or Boehner mention that it's the members of their own party have been the ones creating this atmosphere for the last year.

The DNC has responded: "Let's be clear: calling on Republican leaders who have contributed in part to this anger by wildly mischaracterizing the substance and motives of health reform to condemn these acts is entirely appropriate."

Perrielo, whose brother's gas line was cut Tuesday after right-wing anarchists posted the wrong address, responded:


And yet, the wingnuttery continues as Rp. Louie Gohmert of (where else?) Texas called for the repeal of the 17th Amendment and suggesting taking the power to elect Senators away from the people and giving it back to the states. A direct attack on..... Democracy.



Keep going kids. This will all come back at you in November.

It's a Trap: Stewart mocks Boehner over health care debate

(HuffPost)

With President Obama inviting Republicans to a televised summit on health care, many GOP leaders have been reluctant to attend, thinking it's an elaborate trap. This logic didn't sit well with Jon Stewart... or Admiral Ackbar.

Stewart jokingly agreed with the Republican sentiment, explaining that having a televised, bipartisan conversation on health care is so reasonable that it's actually an ingenious trap.

Minority Leader John Boehner expressed concern, worried about having to "walk into some setup... who knows what." To this Stewart responded: "It's a public dialogue about important legislation. Not Little Big Horn."

Stewart then called Boehner's bluff:

"The only way this health care meeting is a trap is if Boehner's got nothing. It's like a paper bag is only a trap if you can't punch your way out of it."

Beyond the pale

Pictures of piles of dead Jews, victims of the Holocaust, used as props to oppose healthcare. This is what it's come to for the right?



This is beyond indecent. GOP members of Congress were there. John Boehner stood there while these signs were displayed. So did Eric Cantor, the only Jewish Republican in the House. This is adisgrace, and that more Americans are not sickened by this shows how low we've sunk as a culture and a nation.

Just to remind as well, this rally was sponsored by Michelle Bachmann and the GOP. They didn't just attend, they SPONSORED it.

And just in case you needed reminding, Fox is fair and balanced and does nothing to contribute to this atmosphere.

Boehner: Climate change "comical", caused by cow farts

Appearing on ABC's This Week, Minority Leader John Boehner was asked what to describe the GOP plan to dealing with greenhouse gas emissions, "which every major scientific organization said is contributing to climate change."

Boehner replied: "The idea that carbon dioxide is a carcinogen that is harmful to our environment is almost comical. Every time we exhale, we exhale carbon dioxide. Every cow in the world, you know when they do what they do you've got more carbon dioxide."

Comical? Glad to know that the Republican leadership thinks the end of life as we know it is comical.

Asshole.
(Huff Post)

SNL: Akroyd returns to rip Conressional Republicans

Dan Aykroyd returned to Saturday Night Live last night to guest star in the show's opening skit, as John Boehner, with Darrell Hammond as Mitch McConnell. The skit pokes fun at Republicans for being the party of opposition and literally nothing else. They argue over whether Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh are smarter and decide the best line of attack is against the Obama kids.

The sketch isn't funny, but neither is the shit the Republicans are trying to pull.  But I can't say I give SNL enough credit to be actively trying to make that comparison.  It's just more lame writing.