Saturday, December 4, 2010

Robert Menendez: Republicans and Terrorists

DEMOCRAT Bill Menendez, senator from New Jersey, made a very inappropriate comparison.

From FOX News:

The war of words over the Bush tax cuts heated up Friday, as Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez compared Republicans to "terrorists" for holding middle-class tax cuts "hostage."

The New Jersey senator unleashed on Republicans in the course of a press conference where lawmakers were previewing a pair of votes set for this Saturday on whether to extend some, but not all, of the Bush tax cuts. Republicans who want all the cuts extended, including those for the wealthy, have described these votes as "meaningless" and refuse to support the bills.

Menendez accused the GOP of holding tax cuts for the middle class hostage in order to win tax cuts for the rich.

"It's almost like the question of do you negotiate with terrorists," he said.

What a stupid thing to say!

It's so stupid that it sounds like it came from Joe Biden's mouth.


Video.

4 comments:

Mike Dawson said...

To you, it's stupid. To people who care about the 97+% of Americans who would benefit from the Democratic plan, it's makes sense. More sense than adding $700 BILLION more to the federal deficit by continuing all of Bush's tax cuts - even to those wealthy folks who really are not suffering in any way that is measurable. Oh, but GOP says the wealthy are the job creators - passing on the tax cuts for all will positively impact jobs. Yeah, right...like it's been so successful the past 10-years the tax cuts have been in effect. The right-wing just doesn't approach this debate honestly or fairly. They proclaim: legislation MUST be across the board, and preferably permanent...and then gets upset and has a hissy fit when Dems actually have the nerve to propose a bill that doesn't reward the rich with continued tax bonuses. Republicans announce their #1 priority is to ensure Obama is a one term President - and then vow they'll only discuss legislation after they get their way on extending tax reduction. "I'll take my ball and bat and go home," says the bratty kid who just can't get his way at the ball field. So who is being unreasonable, Mary?

Harvey Finkelstein said...

These folks are just never happy, are they?

The Republicans can't stop anything in the current lame duck Congress. The hand-wringers still keep forgetting this fact. Facts, ha, those never stop them from flailing about.

Obama is a disaster. This country needs true financial reform and a healthy dose of social justice. Obama has set back the movement by at least two generations. His uninformed pea-brained wannabe radical act has pissed off nearly the entire nation and made true reform impossible. Quit blaming the Republicans. The current crop of politicians don't have anybody's best interest in mind other than their own.

But, as long as there a plenty of useful idiots around, they will continue to have power over all of us. Good grief, get the scales off of your eyes.

Mary said...

It's nuts.

The Democrats can do whatever they want.

All this whining about Republican obstructionism is ridiculous.

Mike Dawson said...

Mary: The Democrats can do whatever they want? Oh, right - Fox News doesn't "cover" GOP obstructionist stories - I forgot. But, all the "whining" is ridiculous, you say? When Democrats complain about GOP tactics, it's whining. When Republicans complain, it's noble and patriotic. The Republican obstructionism is ridiculous, I agree. But rather than offer nebulous, generic critical comments, how about exploring the Senate's use of filibuster? The GOP has utilized the filibuster at twice the rate of previous Congresses. More than three times as many filibusters in the 111th Congress (112th Congress is not complete yet). Prior to the 111th Congress the Senate used the filibuster on average 38.2 times. 111th Congress? 112 times.

Ezra Klein in Washington Post reports: "Republicans dare Democrats to reform the filibuster - Mitch McConnell's threat to filibuster literally everything Democrats want to do until Democrats and Republicans agree to a compromise on the Bush tax cuts can be read as a power play, but it can also be read as a dare..." (link: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/12/republicans_dare_democrats_to.html)

Another form of obstructionism is the use of adding "poison pill language" to legislation members of Congress disagree with. Says The Hill "Republicans, who have complained about a lack of open debate on legislation, have repeatedly torpedoed non-controversial legislation using the motion to recommit, which is the minority party’s final opportunity to amend a bill or send it back to committee. Earlier this year they used an anti-pornography measure to defeat a science-funding bill, which Democrats later successfully passed. Democrats have accused the GOP of playing political games with serious policy issues — it remains to be seen whether House Democrats will use the same tactics to scuttle GOP legislation when the parties’ roles are reversed next year." (http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/other/131479-house-gop-scuttles-nutrition-bill-backed-by-michelle-obama-)

Likely the use of such tactics is not exclusive to the GOP - it's sickening when either side resorts to it. But your argument implying that "whining about Republican obstructionism" is manufactured and not happening is what IS RIDICULOUS!