Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, said something interesting the other day about his party platform, and Rachel has featured it on the show this week. I tend to think the quote hasn't gotten as much attention as it deserves.
For those who can't watch clips online, Priebus told MSNBC this week, "As far as our platform is concern, I mean this is the platform of the Republican Party. It`s not the platform of Mitt Romney."
Can we nip this myth in the bud?
There is no doubt about who is in charge, of course. Delegates for presumptive nominee Mitt Romney are voting down substantive changes to the platform language that was written at the direction of Romney's campaign.
"There is no doubt about who is in charge." In this case, that references Romney's team. The platform was "written at the direction of Romney's campaign." It's not exactly ambiguous.
I can understand why Priebus may want to distance the candidate from his own platform -- the RNC doesn't want mainstream voters to think Romney's a nut -- but I'm afraid it's too late for that.
The Republican Party's platform is an extremist document, pushing measures well outside the American mainstream. It is fairly characterized as "the most conservative platform in modern history."
Romney and his surrogates may find that politically inconvenient, but that doesn't change the candidate's ownership of it.
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I loved Rachel's line from last night .
"Reince Priebus , if you didn't exist we would have to make you up"
Reince reminds me of those weasly little lawyers you see in the movies, like the role Jason Alexander played in Pretty Woman. If only someone would pop him the way Gere did toward the end of that film...
One might be tempted to call the platform "severely conservative."
I don't get it. Doesn't this make Romney look weak? Every other presidential candidate has been universally recognized as the leader of his party and the shaping of the platform is included in that. Here, the RNC is saying Mitt Romney is so weak he can't influence the platform?
It's even odder because it's not true -- his campaign obviously is writing the platform.
They're taking the approach of two people who claim to have murdered someone in order for both of them to get off without a conviction. If it's an issue Romney doesn't want to discuss, it's the party's platform plank; if it is something Romney wants to discuss, it's his plank. Granted, there are very few issues he wants to discuss, so most items are portrayed as the party's platform.
Come now, this isn't any worse than the Democrat's platform. It roughly translates to 'Govt will provide for all aspects of your life, and the rich will pay for it.'
http://www.democrats.org/about/party_platform
http://moelane.com/2012/06/09/troll-hunting-101/
If you're going to insist on using us for spank-bank material, you should at least offer to buy us each a drink or something, sheesh...
I can't find any info about the GOP platform regarding the environment. Anyone
know?
I was wondering how those at the convention will know what to do with a hurricane
warning since they don't believe in science and probably think meteorologists
are quacks.
It's sooooo nice to have clicked Pooper's "avatar", and brought up the newsvines page that allowed me to click "ignore author" so I don't have to read his drivel anymore. My doctor says my blood pressure is already returning to normal.
Every four years, Republicans pass an insane, extremist platform, taking positions well outside the American mainstream. And it keeps getting crazier. And this happens every ... four .... years.
And every four years Democrats have an opportunity to tie the Republican presidential nominee to this embarrassingly extreme platform - and they flub it. Forbidding abortion in cases of rape, just to take one example, isn't new to the GOP platform this year - McCain "ran on" this position, as did GW Bush, as did Dole, as did (I think) Bush Sr. Remember that party platforms can't be fudged or hedged - they're on paper, in black and white, approved by the party's convention, usually by unanimous voice vote.
It would be an instant political/rhetorical win if Democrats would finally tell people, loudly, clearly and precisely, just what is in the Republican party platform. The Repub nominee would then be in an awkward position - does he distance himself from the platform and anger his base, or embrace the platform and drive away moderates?
Democratic nominees have shied away from this, maybe because of a misguided deference to the Stupaks on their own side, or maybe because they're embarrassed by their own platform. Or maybe (the most likely explanation - thanks, Occam!) they're just stupid.
But in the new, wonderful world of blogs and SuperPacs, the nominees' campaign managers can no longer exclude winning tactics. Will this be the year when Democrats finally force the GOP nominee to either accept or reject his insane party platform?
Here's hoping ...
Here's hoping, yes. Holding my breath in anticipation, no.
The cowardly GOP will own up to nothing , they will not man / woman up and take responsibility for anything they do , none of them will admit to voting for bush , all of them complain about the debt and the economy , like they had zero to do with any of it , that 50% of the voting public fall for these surrender monkey snake oil vendors is appalling
I say 30 to 40 more years and they will have ruined this nation
If they win in 2012 I say give it just 8 years.
If they win in 2012 I'll give it 4, just like the period 1933-37 in a certain central European country.
Let each major speaker at the Dem convention share part of the GOP platform and offer sanity to contrast it. There should be some good campaign ads there as well.
Preibis knows that the platform will be used against Romney, Ryan and the rest of the Republicans. They can run but they can't hide from the platform. Minimizing the platform is a preemptive strike before Dems start hanging the Republicans with that platform. But it won't help the Republicans. Dems get to paint the Republican party for what it is--radical right wing.
It is so obvious to me with the many government officials (Senate and especially the House) are bought out by the lobbyist with so many issues that the people of this country are seeing this with open eyes… finally. I thought that the Gov. officials were for the majority of the people and not lobbyist. Here's a thought: We should start over starting with our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Define every word or phrase in these two documents to make sure everyone understands and uphold these documents with integrity and accountability. We can start anew with what we have learned in the last 236 years. We can also develop/define a new party… Independent= Freedom -- Capitalism + Compassion = Morals and Ethics
Having government parties to legally collect bribes, having Bias judges in our Supreme Court on down the line to Local Judges are not what our forefathers would ever want for this country. I believe that the far right Republicans are dividing this country. They should keep their religious beliefs out of our Government. I think that the lobbyist will not create jobs until the Republicans have control in Government. Capitalism (Power) = Scams (Lobbyist).
For the past three years Our President have put bills (mandates) in place and having Hilary Clinton abroad have helped our country that treat every human being with compassion and respect that everyone deserves.
Is America now the Twilight Zone?
It is as if America has turned into the Twilight Zone since electing its first African-American president. Not only has it morphed into a world of oddities and oddballs, but it also seems as if it has regressed into the past. How then can you explain why a combination of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan is tied or leading the president in the polls?
Let’s examine what is happening. (1) Republican legislators in some 19 states have passed laws that will adversely and discriminately prevent or make it harder for black people, minorities, old and poor people to vote. Didn’t we already sweat, bleed and die for the fundamental right to vote way back before the Civil Rights Act of 1965? Why the hell aren’t more Americans completely outraged over this flagrant abuse of legislative power? Why are we allowing Republicans to trample our rights to participate in the Democratic process of our country? Do we need another march on Washington? The Republican legislators have made it quite clear that their efforts are designed to tip the balance in Romney’s favor, so he can win their respective states. Are we going to stand for this garbage? Is this the freedom, equality and justice our troops fought and die for in distant lands?
(2) Roe v. Wade which legalized most abortions in 1973 is in jeopardy because of a flurry of anti-abortion legislative attempts by the U.S. House of Representatives and numerous state legislators to outlaw abortions. Paul Ryan has co-sponsored anti-abortion bills banning abortions under any circumstances including rape or incest and tried re-defining rape to make it harder to use it as a reason to get an abortion. He has also co-sponsored the personhood bill that would have established that life begins at conception; this would make it impossible to have an abortion, making Roe v. Wade irrelevant. How in heaven’s name do women still support Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan? There was a recent uproar over a statement made by Congressman Todd Akin from Missouri who said a woman couldn’t get pregnant from being raped. That had major Republican officials calling on him to drop out of the senatorial race. Akin was co-sponsor with Paul Ryan on the re-defining of rape and personhood legislation, why aren’t we calling on Paul Ryan to give up being a vice president candidate and why does the ticket still has such high support? The Republican Party just released their political platform, their mission statement of sort that defines what they stand for. The party supports personhood and barring abortions under all circumstances unless the woman’s life is in danger. In other words, if your father or a stranger rapes you and get you pregnant, you are going to have to have that baby or face criminal charges. Is that what you want as a woman? What century are we living in?
(3) But, there is more. Paul Ryan has voted a number of times to defund Planned Parenthood and Mitt Romney has said repeatedly that he would defund it if he were president. Is this in the best interest of women? Recent provisions of the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care) allows women to get contraception under their insurance, eliminate discrimination in pricing just because you are a woman, increase access to preventative care, among other benefits. The law also provides coverage for children up to age 26. Romney/Ryan want to repeal the entire law and take away all these benefits. Not to mention the other benefits to seniors who are saving on their health care costs under the new law. Ryan also voted against the Lilly Bedletter Fair Pay Act that provides women with legal options to demand equal pay for equal work that president Obama signed into law. This is what you get with Romney/Ryan: is that what you really want? Are these goons really looking out for women? I don’t think so!
(4) Is Todd Akin, the Republican candidate for senate from Missouri, the kind of person we want representing us in Government? How is it credible that this right-wing nut job is leading Claire McCaskill in the polls? Never before in the history of this country has there been so many extreme, zany characters elected to high office to control and dictate the affairs of this country. Do you remember Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Sharon Angel, Christine O’Donnell, Ken Buck, Rick Perry, and the other loons who ran for elected office. Some won, most lost, but the ones who made it to the House of Representatives contributed to the deadlock we have today and the debt ceiling debacle that led to us losing our triple A credit rating last year. The infamous Tea Party freshmen legislators are a bunch of complete idiots who have no business running this country. They are totally intellectually ill-equipped to understand the complexities facing our country in this extremely challenging time. They are like a bunch of juveniles trying to play a grown-up game. Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan and John Boehner should also be included in this bunch.
(5) Never before in the history of this country have I seen such deep rage and personal hatred toward a president, as I have witnessed against President Obama. And please do not tell me it is not because he is black. Has anyone ever heard of “birthers” before Obama? It is now seemingly a normal word in our vocabulary. This president has been called Hitler, Marxist, communist, Muslim, alien, you name it. Is this really fair? Did they treat dodo-head Bush this way? No. The white extremists “want their country back,” and they are doing everything possible to achieve that. From Mitch McConnell in the Senate vowing to make sure Obama is a one-term president to the “block the vote” initiatives across the states, to the flagrant lies in the Romney/Paul ads and stump speeches—it is clear they are motivated.
(6) How is it possible for Mitt Romney to tell the American people he is not giving them any more tax returns? This boob is asking us to hire him for the highest office in the land and we say, ok, show me your tax returns for the past five-six years. Then he turns to us and pretty much say, no, you are going to hire me on my terms and not yours. Trust me, everything is ok. Do you think Mitt Romney would hire anyone if they had told him that? John McCain got up to 20 years of tax returns from him; Romney got several years from all the potential candidates for vice president. Why then does Mitt Romney think he should be held to a different standard? I say, if there is nothing to hide, show your darn taxes—otherwise—go home, because you will not be president. Think about it, John McCain saw Romney’s returns and chose Sarah Palin instead. Don’t you want to know what scared war-veteran John McCain in them taxes? If Mitt Romney, an obvious pathological liar, wins this election, without ever revealing his taxes, it would just be the final prove that I am in the twilight zone.
(7) Only in the twilight zone can Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney clearly say they are going to cut benefits in Pell grants, education and vocation training, food stamps, Medicaid and Medicare, meals on wheels, child care and other “poor people” programs; insist on permanently increasing student loan rate, while wanting to make the Bush tax cuts to the wealthy permanent and give them still another round of tax cuts—and not enough people are outraged. Also, they are still so close to the president in the polls. How else can you explain that except that this must be the twilight zone. 98 percent of this country is made up of middle to low income people: Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan do not represent them; they should stand no chance of winning election in this country.
(8) The Republicans are against immigration reforms. They voted against the Dream Act that would have given children brought to the country illegally by their parents a way to get legal status. Romney has said the Arizona SB 1070 (“show your papers”) law is a model for the nation and that he would make situation so harsh for illegal immigrants that they would want to “self-deport.” President Obama just issued an executive order that accomplished, to an extent, what the Dream Act would have done. Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant children got an opportunity to gain legal status with a two-year deferment that gave them legal status (and protection from deportation) that can be renewed after the expiration period. Now, who is looking out for immigrants? Do you think Romney will continue this program if he gets elected? Think about it, your very existence could depend on it. All legal immigrants should be voting Democratic because that’s the only way comprehensive immigration reform is ever going to happen—under a democratic president, Senate and House of Representatives.
Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan and these racist, stuck-in-the-past Republicans do not reflect American values and their actions have been down-right unpatriotic. The Republicans have purposefully sabotaged Obama and the American people in a blinded, misguided determination to win back power. We, the people, cannot reward their atrocious, despicable behavior by giving them what they want. The economy may not be the best right now, but it would have been much better if the Republicans hadn’t blocked the American Jobs Act last year. Many more Americans would be working today, the unemployment rate would be less and more Americans would be feeling confident about the future.
That being said, there is much more to consider than merely the state of the economy in this election and the stakes, as outlined above, are much higher. This election is a lot more important than just getting a paycheck—believe it or not. This election will define the social fabric of the American society. It will lay the blue print, under Romney/Ryan, for a society that favors the super rich, make abortions illegal again, undermine women’s rights, decimate the social safety net, trample unions, restrict minority voting rights, get us into unnecessary wars, needlessly expand military spending (on materiel, not personnel) and turn America into a Looney Bin. If you thought George Bush was bad… Is this really what you want? The Republicans have made no secrets about exactly what they have done, are doing and will do if they win. Voting for Romney/Ryan is like giving the executioners the ammunition to shoot you in the head. Now, that sounds just crazy to me, however, I guess it would be considered normal—in the Twilight Zone.
Who owns the Republican Party platform? Is that a serious question?
Seemingly lost in the campaign shuffle is the fact that, among several federal budget-busting "initiatives" of the Bush/43 presidency, Congressman Ryan voted in favor of the prescription drug coverage for the elderly which is now the law. This additional Medicare entitlement is the largest entitlement expansion since LBJ's Great Society of 1965. And it was and remains unfunded, meaning it is a primary driver of the federal debt explosion.
So why is Congressman Ryan accepted as the spokesperson of the reactionary right for the platform of limited government? Could it be that he dwells among the ruling class establishment paradise (yes, the infamous 1%), "with ease and plenty far removed from the day to day lives of ordinary citizens?"
Read more at
http://lifeamongtheordinary.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-establishment-paradise-part-two.html