Category Archives: Politics

Former Secretary of Defense Bob Gates on Benghazi

  By Pamela Leavey | May 12, 2013 7:59 pm - 7:59 pm | , , , , , , , ,
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The Benghazi Kabuki theater continues as House Republicans push on with “hearing” that some are calling a witch hunt. An apt description… Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told CBS’ Face the Nation that ”some critics of the administration have a “cartoonish impression of military capabilities and military forces.”” Gates, a Republican who was appointed by then-President George W. Bush in 2006 and agreed to stay through more than two years of President Obama’s first term, repeatedly declined to criticize the policymakers who devised a response to the September 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya, that left four Americans dead, including the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens. “Frankly, had I been in the job at the … Continue reading →

Fiction and Non-Fiction in Manhattan

  By Hart Williams | April 26, 2013 8:00 am - 8:00 am | , , , ,
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A nineteen year old kid tells the FBI various things and New York City reacts to the imaginary attack the same way a “pro-life” fanatic reacts to an imaginary baby. Beware: it is in this stew of raw emotions and bad fiction that Patriot Acts are foisted on us. When we lose sight of the difference between the real and the imagined, we become the slaves of anyone with a microphone and a slick story to tell. Continue reading →

Jeanne Shaheen Trounces Scott Brown in Dem Poll

  By Pamela Leavey | April 23, 2013 5:48 pm - 5:48 pm | , , , , , , , , ,
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Former Massachusetts senator Scott Brown has been contemplating jumping the MA/NH border to challenge Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. Not such a good idea perhaps for Brown. Politico reports that Brown “trails his could-be opponent by double digits in a new poll conducted for the League of Conservation Voters.” Brown’s personal favorability numbers are tepid: 37 percent of Granite Staters said they have a favorable view of him, while 42 percent said they have an unfavorable view. Asked whether Brown should run for Senate in New Hampshire or not, 54 percent answered in the negative. Scott Brown should heed the poll, lest every Democratic activist in Massachusetts crosses the border to help Jeanne Shaheen trounce him on election day, should he … Continue reading →

Senator Boxer’s Statement on 43rd Earth Day

  By Pamela Leavey | April 22, 2013 6:47 pm - 6:47 pm | , , , , , ,
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Today is the 43rd anniversary of Earth Day as Walter Brasch noted below. Senator Barbara Boxer released the following statement on Earth Day: “As we celebrate Earth Day, it is important to remember the significant progress we have made since the first Earth Day in 1970 and prepare for the serious work that lies ahead.  “The first Earth Day helped lead to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.  It also helped spur strong bipartisan legislation, such as the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the Superfund law, which have been some of the most successful laws ever enacted in the U.S. “Over the past four decades, we have made a tremendous difference in … Continue reading →

NRA Liars and Congressional Cowards

  By Walter Brasch | April 18, 2013 8:07 am - 8:07 am | , , , , ,
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    by Walter Brasch   President Obama cast off his “No Drama Obama” garb, and became the fiery leader of hope and change that Americans first elected in 2008. At a speech in Hartford, Conn., the President, frustrated by Republican obstructionism, demanded of his audience, “If you believe that the families of Newtown and Aurora and Tucson and Virginia Tech and the thousands of Americans who have been gunned down in the last four months deserve a vote, we all have to stand up.” He demand, “If you want the people you send to Washington to have just an iota of the courage that the educators at Sandy Hook showed when danger arrived on their doorstep, then we’re all … Continue reading →

Mitch McConnell’s ‘Whack-a-Mole’ Dirty Politics Campaign

  By Walter Brasch | April 11, 2013 6:53 am - 6:53 am | , , , ,
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was mad. Not the kind of mad you get when your favorite team blows a big lead and loses its eighth straight game, but Red-Faced-Exploding-Blood-Pressure Mad. This is what you get from the political Left in America,” McConnell bellowed to the media. “That is what the political Left does these days.” McConnell’s campaign manager, Jesse Benton, added his opinion—“We’ve always said the Left would stop at nothing to attack Sen. McConnell.” They demanded the FBI launch a criminal investigation. The FBI response to the media was, “[W]e are looking into the matter.” Not long after, McConnell approved a campaign slogan, exhorting voters to “Stand with McConnell against the liberal media’s illegal and underhanded tactics.” … Continue reading →

The Politics behind the Killing of Americans

  By Walter Brasch | April 5, 2013 7:56 am - 7:56 am | , , , , ,
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Gov. Rick Perry (R-Texas) opposes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), and vows to block the expansion of Medicaid in his state. At a news conference this past week, Perry, flanked by conservative senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, declared “Texas will not be held hostage by the Obama administration’s attempt to force us into the fool’s errand of adding more than a million Texans to a broken system.” About one-fourth of all Texans do not have health care coverage. According to an analysis by the Dallas Morning News, if Texas budgeted $15.6 billion over the next decade, it would receive more than $100 billion in federal Medicaid funds, allowing the state to cover about 1.5 million more residents, … Continue reading →

The Paul Ryan Magical Mystery Chop, Dice, and Slice Budget

  By Walter Brasch | March 22, 2013 6:34 am - 6:34 am | , , , , , ,
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  By Walter Brasch   In 2011, before he was the Republican nominee for vice-president, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) proposed a federal budget. He called it, “The Path to Prosperity: Restoring America’s Promise.” Two years later, now in his second year as chair of the House budget committee, he dusted off and polished his old proposal. He calls this one: “The Path to Prosperity: A Responsible Balanced Budget.” His plan is to cut the federal deficit by $4.6 trillion in four years, reducing the deficit to about $12.1 trillion. While the Republicans blame President Obama and the Democrats for wild tax-and-spend policies that led to the huge deficit, they conveniently overlook the reality that Bill Clinton left George W. Bush … Continue reading →