Posts Tagged ‘Tea Party’
July 29th, 2011 by John Feehery
I like to call myself a Libertarian, but I am really not.
I don’t really want government to disappear. While I read The Fountainhead in college, and I admit I have found it to be influential in my life, I think Ayn Rand was a little kooky and her objectivism philosophy is unworkable in the real world.
My brother, the Tea Partier is a Libertarian. He wants government to shrink dramatically. He wants police forces to be shrunk, he wants teacher’s pensions cut, he wants most regulatory bodies eliminated. He finds government to be oppressive and he wants it to be gone.
He also believes that for the last forty-five years, America has been living a lie. He hates the military industrial complex, he hates the Federal Reserve, he wants to go back to a Gold Standard. He thinks we should never
have gone into Iraq and believes that the Soviet Union would have fallen without the Reagan buildup, and he believes that the banking system in this country is essentially corrupt.
He also finds Michele Bachmann to be appealing and he appreciates what Joe Walsh is doing in stopping the debt limit extension. Read more...
Tags: Ayn Rand, Federal Reserve, Gold Standard, Government, Internet poker, Iraq, Joe Walsh, John Boehner, Libertarian, medicare, Michele Bachmann, national defenses, Social Security, Soviet Union, taxes, Tea Party, Tea Party libertarians, The Fountainhead
Posted in Economy, Financial Crisis, Food, Foreign Relations, GOP, Government, History, Laws, Media, Politics, Promises, Theory, corruption, election, health care, medicare, national security, spending, taxes, war | 1 Comment »
July 28th, 2011 by John Feehery
Charlie Stenholm, the former Congressman from Texas
Charlie Stenholm, the former Congressman from Texas, perennially sponsored and pushed for a balanced budget to the Constitution. Charlie was a Democrat, and sponsoring the balanced budget amendment helped him immeasurably in many, many campaigns.
Old Charlie could vote like a Democrat on most things, but sound like a fiscal hawk because he was the sponsor of the Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution.
Congress after Congress, the balanced budget amendment would come up for a vote, and Congress after Congress, the BBA would just barely die in the House. One year, it even passed the House and it almost passed the Senate. Ironically, it was a Republican – Mark Hatfield — who ended up killing it in the Senate when it did pass the House.
House Republicans are now pushing the Senate to take up a balanced budget amendment as part of the Cut, Cap and Balance plan. That all sounds very well and good, and as a good little Republican, I support the concept of the Cut, Cap and Balance plan.
But I have one little nagging concern about the CC and B plan. Read more...
Tags: balanced budget amendment, Bob Casey, Bob Corker, Cap and Balance plan, Charlie Stenholm, Claire McCaskill, Congress, Conservatives, Constitution, Cut, Democrats, Denny Rehberg, dollar, Economy, election, House Republicans, Joe Manchin, Jon Tester, Kirsten Gillibrand, Mark Hatfield, Politics, reform, Republicans, spending, Tea Party, Tom Carper, White House
Posted in Education, Financial Crisis, GOP, Government, History, Laws, Media, Politics, Theory, election, spending, taxes | No Comments »
July 27th, 2011 by John Feehery
John Boehner is doing an exceptional job as Speaker under extraordinarily tough times.
When I first started working in Congress, Tom Foley had just taken over from Jim Wright as Speaker of the House. Unlike the dictatorial Wright, Foley ran a decentralized process that gave too much power to Committee barons like Dan Rostenkowski, Jack Brooks and John Dingell.
Foley could never quite get the Chairmen to work together enough to overcome their jurisdictional squabbles, and Democrats faltered under the House Bank scandal, the Post Office debacle and a series of other damaging revelations about a Congress that was out of control.
When Newt Gingrich came to the Speaker’s Office, he leap-frogged over the gentlemanly Bob Michel (my former boss) who unfortunately announced his retirement before he could see the promised land of a Republican majority. Gingrich learned the lessons of the ineffective Foley, centralized power in his chambers, and bull-rushed an ambitious Contract with America legislative agenda. Along the way, Gingrich alienated some of the new Freshmen, his committee Chairmen, and some key members of the leadership, so much so that a few of them launched a failed coup against the embattled Speaker. Read more...
Tags: America, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Bob Michel, Congress, Conservatives, Dan Rostenkowski, Democrats, Denny Hastert, Dick Armey, George Bush, GOP, Government, Grand Bargain, House Republicans, Jack Brooks, Jim Wright, John Boehner, John Dingell, Mark Foley scandal, Nancy Pelosi, Newt Gingrich, President Obama, Republican, Republican Conference, Republicans, Speaker of the House, spending, taxes, Tea Party, the Iraq War, Tom DeLay, Tom Foley, White House
Posted in Bailouts, Economy, Financial Crisis, GOP, Government, History, Media, Politics, Promises, Reviews, Scandals, Theory, election, speeches, spending, taxes, war | No Comments »
July 26th, 2011 by John Feehery
President Obama has not been shy lately in trying to use the power of the bully pulpit to get his way on Capitol Hill.
It is not clear that his bully pulpit approach is working.
I listened to the President’s address last night on the radio (yes, I went old school), and predictably, I found his comments to be unconvincing. He talked about his balanced approach (which, to be clear, is different than a balanced budget; which is a pipe dream in his vision of the future), he blamed Republicans for being stubborn, he talked about raising taxes on the wealthy (which nobody in Congress includes in their plan), and then he used the same rhetoric he has used time and again.
I doubt the speech worked well for the President. He has been pounding on these message points for weeks, and if anything, his poll numbers have grown worse. Both Gallup and Rasmussen have found that the President has hit historically high disapproval ratings. Read more...
Tags: America, Barack Obama, Bill Daley, boehner, bully pulpit, Cantor, Capitol Hill, Congress, Congressional Republicans, Conservatives, Economy, gallup, GOP, Government, health care, House Republicans, McConnell, medicare, Obama, Politics, President Obama, raising taxes on the wealthy, Rasmussen, reform, Republicans, Senate Majority Leader, Social Security, spending, Tax cuts, taxes, Tea Party, Washington, White House
Posted in Bad Decisions, Bailouts, Economy, Financial Crisis, GOP, Government, History, Laws, Liberal Media, Media, Politics, Promises, Reviews, Theory, bad news, election, health care, medicare, speeches, spending, taxes | No Comments »
July 18th, 2011 by John Feehery
The media loves to spend time speculating about how John Boehner and Eric Cantor are going to round up the votes to pass President Obama’s debt limit legislation.
But they haven’t asked one of the most important questions out there? Where’s Nancy?
The former Speaker and now House Minority Leader has been mostly kept out of the negotiations, and when she is included, it is mostly because they need a picture of the joint leadership.
Pelosi, though, has taken a position even more radical than those crazy Tea-Partiers, who refuse to vote on the debt limit without some spending caps put in place. She not only wants higher taxes, but she wants to make certain that there are no changes included in any entitlement spending.
It is customary that on a Presidential priority, the President’s party in the Congress works with the President to achieve a goal.
It used to be that on something controversial, like an increase in the debt ceiling (or a Congressional pay raise), that the President desperately wanted and that the President’s opposition did not really want, that the President’s party, even if it were in the minority, would provide enough votes for passage. Read more...
Tags: America, Barack Obama, Congress, Conservatives, debt limit, Democrats, dollar, Economy, election, GOP, Government, House Minority Leader, House Republicans, John Boehner, Michelle Bachmann, Nancy Pelosi, Politics, President Obama, Republican, Republicans, Senate, spending, taxes, Tea Party
Posted in Bad Decisions, Economy, Financial Crisis, GOP, Government, Laws, Liberal Media, Media, Politics, Promises, Theory, spending, taxes | No Comments »
July 13th, 2011 by John Feehery
Mitch McConnell
So what exactly is Mitch McConnell up to?
McConnell offered a solution to the debt limit imbroglio that has been described as cynical, stupid, worthless, traitorous and worse.
It may be all of those things. But it is also brilliant.
Mitch McConnell is perhaps the most gifted political infighter in Washington today.
He knows when to inject himself into a debate and he knows when to keep his mouth shut.
He lets off little bombs every once in a while to let the Tea Party understand that he is really with them in his opinions of Mr. Obama, but most of the time, he protects the prerogatives of the Senate as he promotes the political aspirations of his compatriots.
McConnell’s plan to increase the debt limit puts the entire burden on the President.
He is essentially saying to Mr. Obama: If you want to put more money on the credit card, you can do it, but you also have to shoulder all of the blame.
McConnell’s plan gives Republicans (and more than a few Democrats) the ability to vote against increasing the limit, while at the same time avoiding the economic catastrophe that will come if we don’t increase the limit. Read more...
Tags: America, balanced budget amendment, Balanced Budget Constitution Amendment, Barack Obama, Congress, Conservatives, debt limit, Democrats, Economy, extending the debt limit, GOP, Government, House GOP, House Republicans, John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, Politics, President Obama, Republicans, Senate, spending, taxes, Tea Party, Washington
Posted in Bad Decisions, Economy, Financial Crisis, GOP, Government, History, Laws, Politics, Promises, Theory, bad news, spending, taxes | No Comments »
July 12th, 2011 by John Feehery
Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, must be very happy with her colleague Michele Bachmann.
Bachmann (R-Minn.) has stated repeatedly that she will never vote to increase the debt limit. And her position is winning converts among some House Republicans, especially those who are worried about a primary challenge from the right.
The Bachmann effort brings a smile to Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) face because Pelosi knows how to count votes as well as anybody. She knows Bachmann’s public pronouncements counter intuitively give Nancy Pelosi greater leverage in the negotiations on the debt limit.
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) would rather negotiate with Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). Hoyer, who trends more moderate, is a reasonable fellow who has demonstrated an ability to cut a deal. Hoyer, unfortunately, can only bring with him about 30 Democrats. That is enough for Boehner, if he can keep his caucus unified enough to get 190 votes.
But if the Bachmann Tea Party Caucus grows beyond 40, that makes Boehner’s task more complicated. And it gives Pelosi a lot more power in the negotiations.
Some of the Tea Partiers honestly believe that we don’t have to raise the debt limit, that we can re-prioritize our debt payments, make minimum payments on some bills that are coming due while floating other payments. Read more...
Tags: Conservatives, debt limit, Democrats, Economy, election, House Republicans, John Boehner, Michele Bachmann, Nancy Pelosi, Politics, Republicans, spending, Steny Hoyer, Tea Party
Posted in Bad Decisions, Economy, Financial Crisis, Government, Politics, Theory, election, spending, taxes | No Comments »
June 21st, 2011 by John Feehery
Midway through the first debate, I got an email from a reporter. “What do you think of Michele Bachmann’s performance?” she asked. I missed the first portion of the debate because I was putting my son to bed, so I replied, “What do you think?” She told me, “Frankly, I think she is kicking butt.”
I was astounded. I immediately tuned in, and I watched closely. Bachmann held her own, but she was no Rory McIlroy. She didn’t completely embarrass herself, but in my mind, she didn’t suddenly reinvent herself to become presidential material.
The next day, the press reaction was universal. Bachmann and Mitt Romney were the winners, while Tim Pawlenty was the big loser. Immediately, the pundits were declaring Bachmann a serious presidential contender, one who would probably win Iowa and would surely contend in South Carolina. Pawlenty was toast.
But how could Michele Bachmann suddenly become a serious presidential contender? Certainly she has become a ubiquitous presence on cable news, but she has no executive experience to speak of, no deep congressional experience, no notable accomplishments. She hasn’t shown herself to have any policy depth, nor any historical perspective, nor any really good ideas about how to move the country forward. She is attractive, undoubtedly, and she has mastered the art of the sound bite, but in this complex and increasingly dangerous world, a serious presidential contender must have more to offer than good looks and a sharp tongue. Read more...
Tags: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Democrats, Ed Rollins, election, Jon Huntsman, Michelle Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Obama, republican party, Republicans, Romney campaign, Rory McIlroy, Sarah Palin, Tea Party, Tim Pawlenty
Posted in Financial Crisis, GOP, Government, History, Liberal Media, Media, Politics, Presidential election, Theory, election | No Comments »
June 3rd, 2011 by John Feehery
It is great to be here in New Hampshire.
I am not going to kid you. I need to win New Hampshire if I have any chance of winning the nomination to be President.
I have no chance in Iowa. Believe me. I know. Those folks hate me. I sprinkled that state with millions of dollars the last time I ran, and they weren’t buying what I was selling.
So, I have to win here.
I am not going to pull a Guiliani and wait until Florida. What an idiot! I hear he is back up here, nosing around. I hope Rudy runs. I hope he brings his third wife too. That plays well with the family values crowd.
I hear Sarah Palin is visiting the state too. I really hope she runs. She will get all of those tea-party votes that I will never get. I would rather she split the crazy vote so Pawlenty doesn’t win.
The Tea Party doesn’t like me very much. Well, screw ‘em. These guys don’t have the balls to call themselves Republican anymore. Most of these Tea Party organizations are run by flim-flam artists who are trying to find get rich quick schemes. Read more...
Tags: Americans, Barack Obama, Bible, Democrats, Dick Armey, George Bush, medicare, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Paul Ryan Medicare plan, preseidential election, Republican, Rudy Guiliani, Sarah Palin, Scott Brown, Tea Party, Tim Pawlenty
Posted in Economy, Financial Crisis, Foreign Relations, GOP, Government, History, Media, Politics, Presidential election, Promises, Religion, Theory, election, health care, spending, taxes | 1 Comment »
May 25th, 2011 by John Feehery
Republicans can’t help but learn a few lessons from their loss last night in the New York 26 race.
They have had a hard time winning special elections, especially in the Empire State stretching back to 2006, and yesterday was no exception.
The first lesson, of course, is don’t pose for pictures on Craigslist, in the name of meeting new friends. If Chris Lee hadn’t done that, there wouldn’t have been a special election in the first place.
The second lesson is to beware of Democrats posing as Tea Party adherents. Jack Davis siphoned off enough of the vote to sink the GOP candidate. He said he was a Tea Party guy, but his Tea Party flavor leaned more to the latte crowd.
The third lesson is that the Democrats are very good at playing the Medicare card. Republicans? Not so much.
Republicans think they can go in and offer a total transformation of a senior’s program that is not only very popular, but for many voters, is their only lifeline. Read more...
Tags: America, Barack Obama, Chris Lee, Democrats, Economy, election, GOP, Government, health care, Jack Davis, medicare, Nancy Pelosi, Obama, Paul Ryan, Politics, Presidential election, Republicans, spending, taxes, Tea Party
Posted in Bad Decisions, Economy, Financial Crisis, Government, Politics, Presidential election, Promises, Theory, election, health care, spending, taxes | No Comments »
I like to call myself a Libertarian, but I am really not.
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