Rachel Maddow Show: Grand Obstructionist Party- Frank Rich Interview
By Heather Friday Feb 20, 2009 11:00amRachel talks to Frank Rich about the Republicans political strategy of obstructing everything and whether it's time to blow up the filibuster. While I agree with Rachel that blowing up the filibuster is a bad thing for minority rights in the Senate, I think that at least the threat of if is something I'd welcome given how the Republicans are acting these days. That or make them actually have to filibuster and take the political consequences for their actions. Break out the diapers and the cots!
Frank Rich is correct in this interview and the GOP is in denial and adrift from the American people. Rich hopes that some of them will come back to their senses and work in a way which benefits the American people. The problem is if any of the GOP House members vote their conscience, they've probably got more extremist primary challengers waiting for them. Their party truly has boxed itself into a corner with choosing to be the party of "No", racism, obstructionism, tax cuts for the rich, eat the poor and real life circumstances be damned.
I think the only gut check that's going to fix them is actually being voted out of office. In the mean time I'll settle for diapers and cots in the Senate and Harry Reid growing a spine if they want to obstruct.
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I luvs me some Maddow!
Their party truly has boxed itself into a corner with choosing to be the party of "No", racism, obstructionism, tax cuts for the rich, eat the poor and real life circumstances be damned
and this is what the GOP excels at. they can't govern, how many examples do we need to see of this? no, their strength and skill lies in obstruction, and anti-govt screeds.
there were actually reasonable Republicans. The party is just an empty shell now, especially as Afghanistan and Iraq have lost that new war smell.
There are still millions of Americans out there that think that they don't need government. They can not see how government plays a part in their daily lives. They listen to Rush and O'Reilly and think that all the government does is waist their hard earned tax money giving benifits to the lazy people who refuse to get off their ass and do for themsleves like they do. Then there are the millions that think they we in America just don't pray enough. Their "God" is in control and if we just add a huge dose of their brand of religion in government "God" would make everything good again. The GOP has been catering to these ideas for many years. They have been useing the fear of and blame of the others, the gays, the brown people, the other religions the fear and blame of the Government to gain power but they have never been interested in making government work.
...long live the Democratic Party.
We can't afford to allow Obama's stimulus plan to succeed...fuck America!
The party of FAILURE.
republiturds are the kidney stones in the uretha of America's polity.
The GOP is a hemorrhoid on the asshole of America.
The GOP are fingerprints on a murder weapon.
The GOP is the Chinese lead in a box of chocolates.
The GOP is the glass shard on the beach of America.
..the boil on my tuckus (sp?).
As I lay awake pondering the previous day...I wonder, why do these people hate my country so much, that they'd allow it to fail, rather than live with others that aren't like them?
Are they truly that blinded by loyalty to their failed party and ideology?
when it comes to taking their paycheck from we the people.
A permanent underclass of modern day slaves eternally grateful to housekeep, car wash, landscape, security guard, etc. These people are evil.
The permanent underclass are evil?
and the vast majority of the GOP-suckers have yet to realize that they are marked for permanent underclass-ment too...
it is shocking to see people continually vote against their own economic, social and security interests
... it's the Dems. Why is it that a filibuster from the left (think telecom immunity) was impossible with a Democratic majority, while any disagreement from the right merely requires a threat of a filibuster to take something off the table and impose a 60 vote super-majority?
Dems are blaming Republican "power" for what conservative Dems want to do anyway.
while any disagreement from the right merely requires a threat of a filibuster to take something off the table
Because Harry Reid is a completely and utterly useless wimp piece of crap.
The DINOS can easily be swayed come vote time, while the RINOS almost always vote party-line.
The Repigs simply have more unity and loyalty in their party.
Bush always took the upper hand, even when his position was incomprehensible and pathetically weak.
Bush, Rove and Cheney knew how to use the bully pulpit because they were bullies. Pigs. A-holes.
The current Republicans in Congress learned the lesson well.
People are waking up and seeing that the uncaring, obstructionist Reslugs hate America and prefer to give Americans the finger rather than help.
The GOP is gambling that if they stick to their philosophy they will get back their core voters. They think by saying no to this stimulus bill they're going to gain seats. They are playing politics in a very dangerous time for this country. This might have worked if the country had steady growth and 4% unemployment rate. While I don't like some of this bill, like most Americans I realize something has to be done. Something other than tax cuts. I agree with Rich, let them filibuster. AS polls show people are seeing the GOP for what it is, a party concerned more about their future and not the countries future.
They WILL lose more seats in 2010. Ordinarily I don't like to see a super majority, I don't think it is good for a country. But in this political climate, where the GOP is governing to win back seats and not to better a country, there's no alternative.
Harry Reid growing a spine
Monkeys will fly from the butts of every free-thinking American citizen before that happens.
Screeching monkeys.
Simultaneously.
And perform a complex aerial ballet.
Ouch! That sounds like it could be kinda painful.
That last comment, in the eyes of repugs, makes jindal "shine" in the eyes of the right wingers. THEY LOVE RIGIDITY! If they are nothing else, they are glued in their positions.
As for the GOP....I think it's a great idea to now refer to this party ....or remnants of this party...as the Grand Obstructionist Party. BRILLIANT!! Use it over and over and over and over again...until it becomes a household word.
And finally, LISTEN DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATORS!!!.....LET them fillibuster. LET them make total asses of themselves while this country sinks deeper in bush-shit. We have the bush-war sucking us dry, the bush-economy, or what's left of it, in total turmoil. Let these obstructionists dance their dance of total lunacy on the House and Senate floors.
Remember, 2010 IS COMING!! These sons-of-bitches will be looking for a job in just two more years, and this country WILL move forward, with or without them.
We don't have to wait until 2010 to right the ship. I firmly believe it's a bluff. It's political suicide to fillibuster progress on solving so many urgent problems affecting nearly every American today. They will NOT fillibuster....more than once. The public outcry will be calling for their hides.
Amen.
I think in some cases these Repig politicians are just trying to save their jobs, but not from Dems, but rather from even MORE conservative Repigs. At least in the South, the idea that all of our problems are the fault of 'Big guvment' and Democrats (Barney Frank) is held as sacred truth, and the corporate media are doing their best to reinforce the idiotic neurosis that most 'die hard' GOP'ers live with.
..on Jindal, Palin and two other GOP Governors who "said" they will reject Stimulus money. Good, four more Democratic Governors in the near future.
(R) are hanging on to philisophical differences that may ring true to some talking in idealistic terms. the challenge is this is reality. this country has NOT seen anything like this in 70 plus years. the TARP was passed before Obama came to office. half of that TARP money was already passed out to financial institutions that invested/bet on very risky financial instruments/derivatives/overleveraged. NOW there's an ongoing chant to NOT "bailout" people with mortgages. REMEMBER mcSURGE was talking the same talk except his proposal was even more expensive than Obama's. unemployment is near record highs in some regions of the u.s. those people are behind in their mortgages. people that financed a home within the last couple years maybe needing to refinance but they can't....credit markets frozen the publics fault i don't think so. if they're underwater NOT easy to refinance. this foreclosure has become systemic/metastasize. philisophically sure people should be responsible for their actions. realistically it's a large problem hurting many. NOW there's chatter about large european banks closing.
Your mentioning TARP reminded me of something that I saw a few days back. I thought it was hilarious. Here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNmcf4Y3lGM
EVERY Republican House member faces the electorate in 2010.
19 of the 41 Republican Senators face re-election in 2010.
* Richard Shelby of Alabama
* Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
* John McCain of Arizona
* Mel Martinez of Florida -- will not run
* Johnny Isakson of Georgia
* Mike Crapo of Idaho
* Chuck Grassley of Iowa --
* Sam Brownback of Kansas -- will not run
* Jim Bunning of Kentucky
* David Vitter of Louisiana
* Kit Bond of Missouri -- will not run
* Judd Gregg of New Hampshire
* Richard Burr of North Carolina
* George Voinovich of Ohio -- will not run
* Tom Coburn of Oklahoma --
* Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania --
* Jim DeMint of South Carolina
* John Thune of South Dakota
* Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas -- may retire to run for Gov.
* Bob Bennett of Utah
...delivered his sincerely sincere comments. He read from his notes like every word came straight from the heart.
The super-majority rule, back-room vote-counting and wheeling dealing have been in place for so long, Congress no longer knows or cares what a filibuster is.
Just once I’d like to see the repubs play tag-team while trying to emulate Jefferson Smith on the Floor. They would get their collective asses handed to them if they do this and show people what they’re really about.
as I am enjoying watching the Republicans cutting their own throats and bleeding out for the whole country to see, it may not be such a good thing. There are some good Republicans who have much to offer. If they stay on this path of self destruction the Democrats could very well become a super-majority. That wouldn't be very desirable either. That's how the Republicans went crazy. After all, the Dems are just the lesser of two evils right now. The Republicans just need to get rid of say Boehner, McCain, Blackburn, Graham and Cantor just to name a few. Then maybe they could start reclaiming their sanity. Oh, and Lieberman also. Even though he calls himself an Independent, he may as well be a Republican.
Olbermann had a guest on the other night (I forget who it was) who gave a great analogy on the break-down of the Repubs:
After losing election after election, and being reduced so much, they are now like a pot of stew that’s been reduced to its essence. There is nothing left but the bitter, extreme-right-ring, obstinate, obstructionists.
I thought it was a good call.
about wealth redistribution and no one calling them on this. We all know that the Feds have been giving welfare to the oil companies for years to the tune of millions if not billions of dollars. Our tax dollars are also used to make welfare payments to rich farmers so that they will not plant. The banks have re-written banking laws making it legal to rob the middle class by charging exorbitant interest rates. Repugnants have made robbery legal.
I do not hear the fata$$ stockbroker ranting about all the money that taxpayers give to oil companies and to the other rich guys who make six figure incomes.
I say to you fata$$ rich Repugnant to STFU.
...OK what am I doing wrong: Is there some kind of time limit, on availability of these videos? I seem to arrive too late, too often, to view them. I seem to get this message on most videos, and am wondering why I bother coming here to view them (ironically this was the original reason I began frequenting this site).
How quickly are we supposed to view these videos, before they're pulled?
[Works for me-Sitemonitor]
Hi Mikey,
I can still see the video. So I wonder why you can't.
ok that's weird - NOW it's working for me... Honest to God it didn't work for me before, got the standard YouTube message 'we're sorry the video you have requested is no longer available'. (Guess I'd better get-watchin' before that changes.)
"Never mind"
[/Emily Litella]
I've been saying this for a long time now. If they threaten a filibuster, take 'em up on it! Pick the lamest bill they want to obstruct and let them make complete asses of themselves.
do a real filibuster and read the phone book or whatever.
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