NRCC: Sessions Standing By Claim That Obama Has Secret Plot To Kill Economy
A spokesperson for NRCC chief Pete Sessions is not backing off Sessions’ surprising suggestion in an interview that Obama has a secret plot to kill the free enterprise system as part of a “divide and conquer” strategy to consolidate and hold power.
In an interview published this morning in The New York Times, Sessions pointed to rising unemployment and said that the Obama administration was deliberately trying to “diminish employment and diminish stock prices.”
Sessions told the paper that this was part of an agenda on Obama’s part that is “intended to inflict damage and hardship on the free enterprise system, if not to kill it.” Sessions’ comments were flagged this morning by The Huffington Post.
Asked for clarification, NRCC spokesperson Ken Spain emailed:
The Chairman was simply reiterating what many members of the Democratic Party have echoed over the past several weeks, which is that one-party dominance in Washington has further damaged our economy and undercut our country’s free enterprise system.
The claim appears to be that Sessions’ assertion of a secret plot on Obama’s part is akin to a neutral analysis of the detriments of one-party rule. If I had to guess, I’d say this clarification probably won’t stop Dems from pouncing on this today to amplify the “Party of No” message by casting it as another sign of the GOP’s unwillingness to offer constructive solutions.
Update: Turns out Think Progress’ Matt Corley first flagged these Session comments.
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I am running out of stuff to say about the GOP – it gets crazier every day – it is crescendo-ing, like I said earlier.
This is one of the most insane things I’ve ever heard.
Greg
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I don’t know if you saw it but wingnut Fred Barnes of the Weekly (low)Standard had a post over the weekend telling Republicans to embrace being the party of no and that by saying no all the time it would insure landslide victories.
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Why are you looking at me like that? Im serious.
Is Pete any kin to Jeff?
Steve Benen has an excellent post on this topic today.
TURNING THE NUTTINESS TO 11….
And SG, I was wondering the same thing about Pete and Jeff being kin.
Jeff and Pete Sessions could be related, but there’s no indication (via Google) that they are. They are definitely not brothers.
I didn’t think they were brothers but they kind of look alike to me and they both say ridiculous stuff. But the latter just might be a requirement of membership in the GOP these days
Specter may be turning already.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090511/ap_on_go_co/us_specter_health_overhaul
Specter is going to lose his primary
He really is sounding more and more like a confederate sympathizer before the, 1. war of northern aggression, 2. Civil War, or, War between the states. And 3, “the war where they will free the negro to commit unspeakable acts of freedom upon the glorious south”.
First time commenter, long time reader…
I try not to post comments to blogs, and on this blog and lots of others that I browse, I usually don’t have to as sgwhiteinfla is usually fighting the fight I normally would fight (keep it up!), but on this one I have to stop lurking and come out into the sunshine.
These people are insane! I try to keep an open mind about this, that they can’t possibly as crazy as they are making themselves out to be, but Mr. Sessions is just batcrap crazy and the cognitive dissonance of this political party is intent on driving sane people mad.
Fighting against the war in Iraq all those years back, I recall being labeled as anti-American traitor because I didn’t think we should invade a country for no reason with no evidence. I went out to the streets with thousands of people here in Atlanta (WAY more than showed for the Fox Tea Parties), because I knew that even if weapons were discovered that people would never come around to a never-ending occupation of a foreign country. What’s the similar argument now? People will come around to extreme right wing views that tax cuts solve all problems (even when you have no job to cut taxes from) brought to you by the people who you see as responsible for destroying your job in the first place? Are they serially so deluded that they can’t take responsibility for the past few years?
Thanks Greg for all you do. This isn’t about partisanship, this is about responsibility. How are we going to raise children in a world where no one takes responsibility for anything that happens?
Those are my thougts as well. Except I’d also like some fiscal responsibility – of which there is none.
Obama, with the help of George Soros and backing by ACORN, began manipulating global markets back in Jan. 08 when the economy began to turn around. Then, this past fall, they pulled the rug out from under everyone and caused the financial meltdown. This was all an apparently and well calculated plan to control the world orchestrated by Soros, ACORN, Wright, Ayers, Obama, the tooth fairy and Santa Clause…more to come.
WOW. This is so incredibly illogical, it truly boggles the mind. From the original NYT article, “…Mr. Sessions cited rising unemployment in asserting that the administration intended to “diminish employment and diminish stock prices” as part of a “divide and conquer” strategy to consolidate power.”
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Seems to me that rising unemployment and lowered stock prices would result in Pres. Obama LOSING “power.” Has ANYBODY on the Republican side had the sense to point this out? Mr. Sessions’ comment is one of the most weirdly illogical ones I’ve seen in a long time. What is his reasoning here? Is there something in the original interview that might clarify it? As it stands, it’s just mind-numbingly absurd. The Dallas Morning News also has a story about this (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/national/stories/051109dnwassessions.167d3780.html) and goes on to remind readers that Sessions is the same guy who suggested that Republicans might emulate insurgents such as the Taliban.
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WOW.
Don’t you people get free refills for your MEDS?
“…was simply reiterating what many members of the Democratic Party have echoed over the past several weeks, which is that one-party dominance in Washington has further damaged our economy and undercut our country’s free enterprise system.”
No, no, now we’re being delusional. And you’re fighting a losing battle.
Please stop, you’re an embarrassment to the country!
Ah, Dori,
Certainly it is illogical, but if you look back to FDR, policies that actually extended the depression accompanied by brilliant rhetoric certainly helped keep him in power a long time. He became unbeatable. If Obama plays his hand well there will be calls to amend the Constitution so that he too can be in the White House until his demise. His charisma far exceeds that of FDR and to the great uneducated masses turned on by celebrity that are becoming the voting majority in this country, he’s got everything it takes.
Ah, the old saw that FDR prolonged the Depression; although it’s completely impossible to prove, it won’t go away. I had never before seen the angle that he did so on purpose in order to remain in power, but … I *suppose* it makes sense, if you actually believe it.
Anyway, Sessions and all of the other conspiracy theorist teabaggers will hopefully just get louder and louder with their completely inane accusations. If anything will consolidate the Democratic Party’s power, it would be the complete lack of a sane alternative. Personally, I normally would agree that a single party in power is a bad thing from either side, but at the moment it’s good for the country – we need to quickly undo as much of the damage done by Bush and the hardline GOP as we can.
Thankfully, most of the voting public agrees. Also thankfully, the left will probably not start calling those who disagree with their policy “terrorists” the way the right did.
I can tell that this is not the first time at all that you write about this topic. Why have you decided to write about it again?
p.s. Year One is already on the Internet and you can watch it for free.
All of you need to stop bashing Obama… He is simply doing what he promised! He promised to be the President of change, and when he’s done, that’s we’ll have! We’ll all have change in our pockets.