A smart article by Barney Frank in Huffington Post regarding Republican’s vague memory of the years they were in power in the 90’s and 00’s - and a certain piece of legislation that would have regulated Fannie and Freddie:

Fortunately, we have tools to aid memory — pencil and paper, word processing, transcripts, newspapers, and the Congressional record. And as described in the most reputable published sources, in 2005 I in fact worked together with my Republican colleague Michael Oxley, then Chairman of the Financial Services Committee, to write a bill to increase regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. We passed the bill out of committee with an overwhelming majority — every Democrat voted in favor of the legislation. However, on the House floor the Republican leadership added a poison pill amendment, which would have prevented non-profit institutions with religious affiliations from receiving funds. I voted against the legislation in protest, though I continued to work with Mr. Oxley to encourage the Senate to pass a good bill. But these efforts were defeated because President Bush blocked further consideration of the legislation. In the words of Mr. Oxley, no flaming liberal, the Bush administration gave his efforts ‘the one-finger salute.’

Well, Mr. Frank doesn’t explain what the poison pill of this bill was, but then again, he was one of the people to proposed the legislation, so it’s unlikely his support would wane naturally.

It irritates me to no end the insulting way our Government has (in the past) treated us like children and taken advantage of the least knowledgeable of our masses. Most bills that are presented to the Senate and House and never what they appear to be. While the language of these bills tends to be vagueness complicated with legalize, there’s always been something for everyone on the right and left side of the isle.

It’s was easy, therefore, for the Republicans to manipulate the other side by taking one of their causes and lacing it with a provision that the left couldn’t possibly vote for - then blaming them for voting yes/no on a bill.

The democrats did the same with the Iraq war a few years ago, but their manipulation of these kind of things has been sporadic at best.

Nonetheless, it’s tiring being talked down to - and, as a result, lied to. This revisionist history by the republicans doesn’t seem to be sticking. Hopefully the real story of all this will.

Current News, Politics Financial Services Committee, Michael Oxley, republican blockers, republican cowards

From Huffington Post:

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford wants to use $700 million in federal stimulus money to pay off state debt, not increase spending on programs or services.

Sanford has long railed against federal bailouts, and on Tuesday sent lawmakers a letter saying he wants to use the money to pay off some of the state’s $20 billion in unfunded liabilities. While he doesn’t specify in the letter, the governor has used that figure when referencing what is owed the state retirement system.

It floors me. The balls on some of these people.

We have a stimulus plan here. Like it or not, it’s to be used to for the betterment of the masses RIGHT NOW - in our current crisis. What this ass proposes to do - as a political stunt - is to divert it from those who would benefit most and waste it on paying down a debt to retirement funding that is not the most pressing issue the state has and, quite honestly, can wait.

As always, the republicans choose ideology over the needs of those who voted for them. Government run programs, the bane of existence for the republicans in good times, are surprisingly needed in what are now the bad times. What this small-minded man is doing is the equivalent of pulling food from the bread lines during the Great Depression for the mere purpose of making his petty point.

And it’s not as if they’re punishing anyone but themselves. From Philip Klein at American Spectator:

Here’s the thing. Yes, in a folk hero sort of way, it would be great fun to see Republican governors refuse to accept the money. But on a practical level, I don’t see how it makes any sense. The battle is over. The forces who want to spend more taxpayer money won. If every Republican governor refused to accept the stimulus money, it’s not like Congress would go back and reduce the cost of the stimulus package by that amount. Taxpayers in South Carolina will be partially subsidizing all of the stimulus spending no matter whether they like it or not. So, they may as well get what they can out of the stimulus package, and try their best to spend the money as productively as possible.

I sincerely hope the administration, if it is within their ability to do so, forces him to use this money for its intended purpose. If not, I hope the people of the state vote him the hell out of office as soon as they can.

Current News Mark Sanford, republican cowards, South Carolina

From CNN Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Senate and House Democratic leaders had what two sources describe as an extremely heated meeting Thursday night about the spending bill.

Once Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid figured out he did not have the votes to pass it, he and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin went to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office to propose passing a five day resolution to keep the government running, and come back to the $410 billion spending bill next week.

The two Democratic sources say Pelosi reacted with “anger,” arguing that Democrats should instead adopt a “scorched earth” strategy and simply fund the government at last year’s levels through the end of the year. Her point, according to the sources, was that even though Republicans have been slamming the bill as wasteful spending, many of them really have an interest in seeing it passed. This would call their bluff.

Never a big fan of Nancy Pelosi, but THIS is the kind of aggressiveness I can appreciate. The Republicans feel they now have a “brand” in opposing everything the democrats put on the table. Easy brand, I say. It allows them to cowardly stand aside, even on bills that pass through without them, and reap the financial benefits for their states when all is behind them. If something gets passed that does some public good, they can claim they took the money and helped in that cause.

If it goes down in flames, they bear no responsibility. In my opinion, this is the kind of politics we need to leave behind as 2009 starts. I’m happy Pelosi sees the benefit in rolling up her sleeves and showing her fists. I just hope she’s willing to give that punch when the time comes. I don’t expect anything from Harry Reid. This man’s a former boxer apparently, but you’d never know it from his performance as the Senate majority leader. How many times has this fool come to Pelosi with the same news that he hasn’t got the votes? If Tom Delay, that scum, could muster enough republican votes to push through the conservative agenda for several years, this idiot should be able to do the same with the majority he now holds.

If he can’t, he needs to step down. We have no use for him.

Current News, Politics Dick Durbin, harry reid, nancy pelosi, republican cowards, scorched earth, spending bill