GOP Rep: “Our Goal Is To Bring Down Approval Numbers” For Dems
GOP Rep. Patrick McHenry, a key player in helping craft the Republican message, has offered an unusually blunt description of the Republican strategy right now.
McHenry’s description is buried in this new article from National Journal (sub. only):
“We will lose on legislation. But we will win the message war every day, and every week, until November 2010,” said Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., an outspoken conservative who has participated on the GOP message teams. “Our goal is to bring down approval numbers for [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and for House Democrats. That will take repetition. This is a marathon, not a sprint.”
McHenry’s spokesperson, Brock McCleary, tells me his boss is standing by the quote.
McHenry’s description of his party’s goal — to “bring down approval numbers” for Nancy Pelosi and House Dems — is being much talked about today among Congressional Dems. It’s likely that Dems will grab on to the quote today to bolster their charge that Congressional Republicans aren’t interested in playing a constructive role in governing and see their hope for political revival in the eventual failure of the Democratic majority’s policies.
Update: Keith Olbermann and other liberal commentators tee off on McHenry.
Update II: Looks like John Boehner largely agrees with McHenry.
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Wasn’t it Joseph Goebbels, the Third Reich’s notorious Propaganda Minister, who famously said (paraphrasing here) that a lie repeated often enough will eventually become “truth” in the minds of simpletons, the ignorant, the pre-prejudiced and the ill-informed? Great comeback strategery there, Mr. McHenry. You’re a gentleman and a scholar.
…their charge that Congressional Republicans aren’t interested in playing a constructive role in governing and see their hope for political revival in the eventual failure of the Democratic majority’s policies
This is news?
you are full of win today greg. Most important about this is that they now accept that this is not about the country anymore but about themselves. A bankrupt party.
That’s their goal, in the middle of the biggest crisis this country has seen in over 60 years? That’s the Republican response? No ideas, nuttin – just politics: bring down Obama, the Democrats and the entire fraking global economy while you’re doing it.
The GOP is MORIBUND!
There are no leaders – no one willing to do the right thing. Both parties are hopelessly corrupt.
We need a revolution. The sooner the better.
Both parties are hopelessly corrupt.
We need a revolution. The sooner the better.
No we most assuredly do not. What do you see as the result of revolution? When has a revolution ever resulted in anything other than a dictatorship, with the sole exception of our revolution in 1776.
And how do you expect to win a revolution against the biggest and best armed army on the planet?
I don’t need anymore gawd-ammed chaos than we have now. And Obama is a leader.
Well, there’s be some increased economic activity over at Pitchforks-R-Us.
But we knew this, yes? It’s only the openness of the statement which seems notable and it is, to be fair, rather less pathological than Limbaugh’s idea.
Ahh, McHenry. The same one who gave operational intel to al Qaeda via his government web page even though the DoD told him to keep quiet. If this guy gets a Twitter account, we’re really in trouble.
Ben Smith has a good piece on the operations now being set up to ward off EFCA.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19774.html
Attempts to reduce Dem popularity polling will be conceived as a necessary component to blocking Obama’s New Dealish programs.
Please don’t shortchange McHenry’s fascinating background with that bio – you can read many more interesting details starting here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/10/1/211414/692
Mr. McHenry thinks opposing Obama and the Democrats will bring down their approval ratings and therefor benefit his party. I think such opposition will only decrease the republicans approval ratings to the point where by 2010, the republican party will be small enough to drown in a bath tub.
Hoping for Obama and by extension our country to fail in order for the republicans to succeed politically is clearly an anti-American abomination and the party will be justifiably punished at the voting both for it.
Borderline sedition. Typical, unpatriotic, me first consevatism. They’re like spoiled little brats who, when they can’t get their own way, throw a tantrum.
They need to be slapped down. Hopefully the Democrats will take the gloves off and stop treating them as anything other than the punks they are. Let America see them in their Limbaugh-loving glory.
And this is a surprise to whom? At least they are up-front about it!
The biggest problem I have with this as a “strategy” is not any bipartisan pipe dream ****. But instead that the right wing owns Fox News, WSJ/WaPo opinion pages and AM Radio.
So their vile hatred and malarkey gets reproduced en masse.
Wow, just WOW. Just un. be. liev. able. Nothing about raising our numbers, just bring down the oppo. Wow, I hope the voters get a good look at this. To heck with doing right for the people we represent – lets just work on trashing the other party. We have radio host, a child and sports journalist to lead us – and away we gooooooo!
This blog wins the day hands down and bar none!
That’s why the Republicans will be in obscurity for a very long time. Their only concerns are playing small ball and petty political games. They are only interested in giving us more poison vs. helping the American people. The republicans are so sad, pathetic and dangerous that they don’t realize they are literally are killing this country
This Jackass is correct in one respect. The democrats have NO message machine. Shame on them because they never will. They prefer to defined, bullied and ***** slapped
And their 2008 campaign theme was what again? “Country First”? Yeah, right. In a pig’s eye.
Laughable. Pandering to the low informed, fringe voters.
From this point on every vote, every word, every action taken by House Republicans should be followed by this question: “Is this action being taken for the good of the country or to further your goal of bringing down Democratic numbers.” It is unpatriotic, un-American, to put Party over country but 99.9% of the time that’s what they’ll be doing.
After 9/11 when Democrats saw Bush’s approval numbers reach 80% they made it their mission to bring them down at any cost. This is not a new strategy. The difference between what Democrats did during Bush’s presidency and what Republicans are doing today is that Democrats did it during a war when American lives were at stake.
This message dovetails nicely with the GOP leader’s message hoping that ‘Obama fails’. Keep up the good work doughy white guys, you make it easy….
That’s why the Republicans will be in obscurity for a very long time. Their only concerns are playing small ball and petty political games. T
Couldn’t agree more.
After 9/11 when Democrats saw Bush’s approval numbers reach 80% they made it their mission to bring them down at any cost.
Got some backup for that? Cause that is so very not the way I remember it.
John T.
We’re still in two wars, one of which was needlessy caused by Bush and his ilk lying to Congress and the world. Dems let Bush start it, and have continued to fund it, not cohesively opposing it like you suggest. Why are American lives not at stake now?
The way I remember it, the Democrats bent over backwards to cooperate with Bush after 9-11. Much to my chagrin, a bunch of Democrats in Congress voted to give the little psychopath all that power the AUMF and Democrats were saying nothing other than in a time of crisis, the country comes together and backs the president.
You’re making zhitt up.
This is exactly what’s wrong with Republicans. Your inclination is to be distructive, not constructive.
@John T. Utter nonsense and right-wing propaganda (aka lies). After 9/11 the Dems rallied ’round the flag, supported GWB almost without question or exception, supported his invasion of Afghanistan, supported his tax cuts and virtually everything else. Only when it became obvious to anyone with a IQ greater than their shoe size that Bush was lying about Iraq, that his tax cuts favored only the wealthy at the expense of the middle class, that his expansion of government to unprecedented levels did the Dems’ support decline.
Ah Patrick McHenry. The backwoods NC Congressman (seriously– his district doesn’t contain any major NC cities) who has to dye his hair gray to make him seem more distinguished and not look like the leader of the Young Republicans. He also is one of a series of GOP legislators who is curiously “single” (hello David Drier and Lindsay Graham), not that there’s anything wrong with that– unless you’re a Republican. This guy is the lowest of the low– history will hold him in the same kind of contempt that it does President Bush. I’ve got one word for this jackass– TRAITOR.
It really is rather tragic and pathetic that at this time of crisis, the Republican party continues divisive tactics instead of trying to work with the Democrats. In the wake of 9/11 which included the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the majority of Democrats gave President Bush the support that he needed to carry out his policies. It was only after these policies failed that Democrats became more critical. At least the Democrats gave him a chance.
Since you obviously do not want to be part of the solution, then you are part of the problem. Patriotic, concerned Americans have a lot of work to do and you are in the way. Get out of the way, or we will have to move you involuntarily in 2010.
Remember when Chris Matthews asked McHenry if he had any proof of his assertion that the Democratic Party was behind Mark Foley being outed? McHenry replied, “Do you have any proof they didn’t?” Ah, McHenry, a dangerous, dangerous, stupid man.
It really is rather tragic and pathetic that at this time of crisis
They are cutting their own throats. People are right next to panic around here, and around here is doing better than a lot of places.
At the rate the GOP is going, I can’t wait for ‘10. They’ll all lose their jobs.
Odd. I would think that the goal of all Republicans and Democrats would be to improve the economic well-being and security of all American citizens.
Methinks the GOP has its priorities screwed up.
The difference between what Democrats did during Bush’s presidency and what Republicans are doing today is that Democrats did it during a war when American lives were at stake.
Since when are we not at war — to say nothing of the economy collapsing to boot — now jackass?
If this trend prevails, the GOP is destined to be a thing in the past. So they should keep doing what they do and watch the seats disappear one by one in 2010. This GOP is a stupid game that turns off people. They will realise the self-inflicted destruction only at the end.
Strangely enough, they may be trying to bring President Obama down by depicting him as another bush, and, even stranger still they’re taking this tack in the WaPo (imagine that) – Jackson Diehl yesterday and Robert Kagan today.
It takes a special kind of person to make John McCain look like Father Theresa. I’m not sure if the credit should go to Mr. McHenry or to his constituents. So much for the banner of “Country First”, eh? Even if McCain was full of it and didn’t believe a single syllabus of it, at least he faked it. Honesty might be this guy’s only virtue.
Plus, there are a lot of Democrats who already don’t think much of Pelosi or Reid, so who are they trying to convince? The independents perhaps.
Well……..DUH!
Like – that’s a LOT better than trying to improve the image of republicans… seein as how they’re in the terlit as it is.
McHenry and Team have started already. Take the economic recovery plan. They voted in block against it, used their think tanks to find holes in the package, and used their 24/7 message machines (TV, radio, newspapers) to trash it. If the talking head dems don’t aggressively go after them, we progressives will lose. Dems in congress need to set up a message machine. Obama needs a message machine. We need to bury these clowns.
Benton Fraser is absolutely right. I’m sure that McHenry has never heard of Goebbels. It would require READING skills.
bankrupt. in every sense of the word. that’s the republican party now. i know so many decent republicans at the local and street level, but nationally there are desperately few with any integrity left. their only aim is to get back in control of the feeding trough they’ve been gorging at since they started that stupid impeachment of clinton (not that i am any fan of bill’s, but that was must stupid). i sincerely hope most of this country is smarter than to respect a republican party that puts itself above the good of the country. and all that limbaugh-bloviating about wanting to prevail because they’re better for the country — yeah, right. as the man said, “pull my other leg and it plays jingle bells.”
It is truly a sad day when a major party that is bereft of any cogent strategy for self-improvement relies on tearing down it’s opposition rather than offering a better alternative. It’s like an opponent that always goes for the nut/kidney shot rather than a clean knockout. Pathetic. My former party has devolved into insanity and negativism. Where’s Ike, where’s Ronnie, Where are the strong, salient and sane voices? Oh right,they got bought out by the American Talibanic Choir.
Well, at least one Republican is honest about admitting that it is all about their regaining political power and they don’t care how they do it, or who pays for it (Just as long as it is not them and their base, of course).
Of course, as they have ceded any sense of honor, credibility and even responsibility, and are being “led by the nose” by that very “highly principled” and great intellectual Rush Limbaugh, what else can one expect? We have to wonder if there is any responsible and courageous leader within that entire organization that will stand up to take on their ideological “god” who speaks for them? None appears to have arisen to date. Could it possibly be that there are none left, all having already been “drummed out” of the organization?
The Republican creed: “Party first, America second.”
In regard to Vic Arpeggio’s post: I agree with your post and characterization of McHenry. Especially the part nuancing his sexual identity issues. It’s pretty well taken for granted around here except by folks too busy watching Fox News.
However, I will take issue with: “his district doesn’t contain any major NC cities.” Technically true and technically false: The Hickory/Lenoir/Morganton SMSA is considered the fourth largest SMSA in NC. That’s because Raleigh/Durham is grouped together as is Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem.
Keep in mind this guy replaced Cass Ballenger. From October 2003: “Last week, a republican representative, Cass Ballenger, claimed the stress of living near the offices a Muslim civil rights group, CAIR, caused the breakup of his marriage.
In an interview with the Charlotte Observer newspaper, Ballenger said that proximity to CAIR “bugged the hell” out of his wife.
He said his wife also objected to women “wearing hoods” going in and out of CAIR’s Capitol Hill headquarters and he accused the group of raising funds for terrorists. ”
From: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1009-12.htm
So we replaced a congressman with dementia with an ambitious, duplicitous, self loathing jerk. But the local sherrif McHenry defeated in the nastiest primary these parts have ever seen might have been worse than McHenry. When the Repugs totally dominate an area as they do here, it just goes from bad to worse.
McHenry’s rant includes the sentence: “That will take repetition.”
We’ve seen this for years.
Noun…verb…9/11.
Noun…verb…socialism.
Noun…verb…unpatriotic.
As an earlier poster said, a lie repeated often enough will eventually become “truth” in the minds of simpletons, the ignorant, the pre-prejudiced and the ill-informed.
Since this describes the Republican base, the job of the repetition is already done.
Re: ***After 9/11 when Democrats saw Bush’s approval numbers reach 80% they made it their mission to bring them down at any cost.***
On the contrary: I remember being so disgusted with DEMs because they lined up, right behind Bush. (Virtually) no pushback on the war, for example, for fear of appearing “unpatriotic.” That’s why it fell to a Howard Dean, coming out of the backwoods of Vermont, to say: “What in the world is going on! . . . I’m here to represent the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party!” (. . . And don’t recall that he got the nomination.)
Toddlers act better than these worthless republicans!
It’s HOPEFUL that Dems will grab on to the quote today to bolster their charge that Congressional Republicans aren’t interested in playing a constructive role in governing and see their hope for political revival in the eventual failure of the Democratic majority’s policies.
FIFY.
I’m a resident of Hickory NC & am always embarrassed by McHenry. Just called the Hickory Daily Record 828-322-4510 & informed them of this quote. Also called McHenry’s local office 828-441-2006 and voiced my outrage at this comment. Hope everyone will make some calls.
I think what bothers me the most is that even when people from the GOP make stupid statements like this, and are so obviously BLUNT about it.. no one in the media calls them out on this ****.
THe same people who were chanting “COUNTRY FIRST” in October, and now the same people who says they want the president to fail… and they don’t care about fixing the problems in the country, they just want to drive the Dems poll numbers down.
This is just sick, and I’m so irritated that they get away with this stuff!
I think he’s saying what we all know already – that the republicans have no plan, no strategy at all for propping up a devastated economy. They would rather see the country fail than to be wrong. Maybe that’s because many of them believe that the christian “rapture” is immanent??? And thes sooner we have apocolyse, the sooner will be the second coming. If I’m wrong, I cannot figure out any other reason why the repubs seem so set on destroying us.
RE: Steaming Pile-
It’s HOPEFUL that Dems will grab on to the quote today to bolster their charge that Congressional Republicans aren’t interested in playing a constructive role in governing and see their hope for political revival in the eventual failure of the Democratic majority’s policies.
_________________________________________________
Yes, it is very HOPEFUL… but I’ve learned not to count on them. Sometimes they let this **** go for days before even responding to it
Way to go, Diane! I have a lot of friends in NC, but none inside his district.
The Republicans have only one path to success and it requires that the President and the Dems in Congress FAIL. If they do the patriotic thing, and actually help save our country from financial ruin, and it succeeds, the President and Dems win. If it fails, no one wins, but since they helped out, they can’t claim the Dems and Obama failed by themselves, and that they warned everyone this would happen. If they continue down the current road – stonewalling every measure to fix our economy – and the economy recovers, they lose because they stonewalled when our country needed help. The only way they can win is if they do what they’re currently doing, and the economy does NOT improve. That’s the only way I can see that they’ll be able to say, “we told you so”. Personally, I think the administration will succeed in fixing our economy and the Republican party may just disappear into the wilderness for a very long time. Good Riddance!
“That’s why the Republicans will be in obscurity for a very long time. Their only concerns are playing small ball and petty political games.”
I agree compeletely.
“After 9/11 when Democrats saw Bush’s approval numbers reach 80% they made it their mission to bring them down at any cost.”
I agree they probably thought that, but they didn’t need to do anything but sit back and watch. Bush did the job for them all by himself.
“Our goal is to bring down approval numbers for [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and for House Democrats. That will take repetition. This is a marathon, not a sprint.”
———————————————————-
If you are a “thinking” card-carrying Rethuglican, now is your chance to break loose the chains of intellectual bondage–as noted, the goal isn’t to restore American global supremacy or renew the American (and world-wide)economy, nor even to help the executive branch in this time of immense and varied crisis, but rather to lie and misinform enough to deflate poll numbers…..screw the military personnel stationed throughout the globe protecting American (and other) interests, it is all about the numbers and GOP hegemony—I would be ashamed to call myself a Repugnantcan…..
In the end, their true colors will always show through …
If you haven’t anything positive to offer the country, you can concentrate on trying to harm those who are trying to make things better.
Shout out to the amazing hypocrisy of McHenry. Sitting on a personal scandal that makes Larry Craig look like a saint, McHenry plays smug pious judge. Petal to the metal, eh Patrick?
Let’s hear all those republican’t politicians now school us all on “Country First”.
Unbelievable. Even in the biggest financial crisis this country has seen in over 50 years, the gop plays games. Shameful. And they wonder why their poll numbers are in the dumper.
WOW…. Thats a new strategy for the republicans…. Lie until people believe you and have Rush and Ann scream it really really loud so people then KNOW its true
So the Repugs have no interest in challenging the differences to policy, but only see their goal as to bringing down the numbers. You people make me sick.
you people are public servants, get your f@#$ing priorities straight!
I thought they were supposed to be representing the people, passing legislation, and keeping our country safe for democracy. Did this guy forger why he was elected?
If you live in the NC Tenth District, which is Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Lincoln and Mitchell counties, along with parts of Gaston, Iredell and Rutherford counties, go to his Web site http://mchenry.house.gov/ and let him know whether or not this is really the tactic you want him to take.
We are in an extremely dangerous period right now. The Director of National Intelligence has identified the crisis as the most serious threat to our national security. We need to work together and this guy needs to pitch in and help. He can go back to politicking later.
Republicans will win the message war? Against Obama? When are they going to begin this war, because they don’t have any ammunition yet!
Interesting. The McCain campaigns objective everyday. Good result??? Schuenneman concentrated all effort on this.
How about the goal of helping our country. Never has the two party system seemed so sad and out of whack, when the losers show they will stop at nothing to sabotage the national will.
Perhaps if Americans believed the Republican goal was to help get us out of the economic mess we’re in instead of using PR to bring down Democratic poll numbers, they would stand a better chance in the next election.
Probably you may succeed a certain extend to bring down the numbers. But you have to win the hearts and minds ofIntellectuals, scientists, Educated, Collage and University Students, Blacks, Hispanics, other minorities. Whether Democrats performed well or not, Republicans do not have any agenda for the success of avarage American People. They only think about the tax cut for rich. You Republicans are the one who neglected and denied minimum wage increase to the poor people of this nation. How you will win their hearts? You, Republicans put science aside against your feelings…so how you will win educated? You were the fierece critique of Hispanics in the name of illegal immigration. You conveniently forgot the fact that you or your forefathers were immigrant here at one point. So do you have any plan to win the hearts of hispanics? You Republicans always talk down against the poor blacks across the nation in the name of welfare and other goverment programs. What is your (Republicans) plans to win blacks?
dont just project one man (Michael Steele) as someone who representing Black peeople, then say ..we are the party of all people. America at least one every three is colored. Where is that representation in Republican Party?
What did Republican party to do preserve the rights of every human being, especially in the case of thousand and thousands of **** and lesbians in this country? It is Governements responsibility to make sure the rights of every person is served. Governement does not have any business to involve in any persons’s sexual orientation or life style. If God does not like their life style, then there is religious institutions there to preach about it. Its not goverement or political party’s job.
what is Republicans plan?
As a native North Carolinian, Mr. McHenry’s comments do not surprise me. Our state still has a way to go when it comes to progressive thinking.
Besides, he should probably be careful with his choice of words: their goal is to lower the poll numbers of Democrats?
I thought their goal was tied directly to their oath of office and their constitutional duty to serve the interests of their constituents.
This will only work in throwaway states (flyover is too soft a term) like North Carolina. Fortunately, most of the country is smarter than Mr. McHenry’s constituents – not to mention the Republikkkan ‘brain’ trust.
But keep thinking that way bubble boys.
It’s the well-deserved path to political extinction.
The one and only Republican policy for an Economic Success: TAX CUT TO RICH and Lowest minimum wage to poor. So poor will keep on work harder to keep this Rich Republican friends richer.
The Repubs spent the last eight years doing nothing but working on retaining power and making the dems look bad. That is why this country is in such a sad state. They forgot they were supposed to perform a service and do thier job of actually keeping this country running well. I think thier inattentiveness and incompetence speaks for itself..
Rep. McHenry
what on earth are you nitwits thinking?
we have some serious ,real problems out here in the real world.
do you think for one minute that people sent you to Washington so you could spend your time sabotaging other approval ratings?
thinking like that should earn you a one way ticket out of D.C., because you are NOT doing your best for the people of this nation.
is there such a thing as a negative approval rating?, because, Rep. McHenry, that is what you just got from me.
The Repubs obviously forgot why they were elected and what actually keeps a party elected. The only thing the American people base thier decisions on are is who had the successes during thier stint in power not who has the biggest and foulest mouth or who could come up with the biggest lies about the other side..
John is showing what happens if you waste your time listening to Hannity and Limbaugh. He seems to think that the rest of us weren’t there and don’t remember what actually took place at that time. Unfortunately for him, we WERE there and we DO remember it. And the attempted rewriting of history doesn’t make it true.
The dems gave in to everything that W wanted, and it was to the detriment of the entire country. They allowed us to invade not one, but TWO countries, they helped bring about the ruination of a country that didn’t attack us or have anything to do with 9-11, and they continued to allow W to get away with illegality after illegality. The unveiling of the memos that have just come out show just how much power the idiot ******* son took for himself.
Come on, John, quit filling your skull with the lies of the righties. They have stolen your money, your future, your children’s futures and yet you insist on continuing to let them take more and more. You are clearly one of those who can be fooled all the time.
I wish the GOP would spend more time, well really any of their time on “working” to help the president save the country rather than focusing on the next election. It’s astounding how self-centered and unfeeling the GOPs have become.
Gotta love it- what a great goal!
Our country is in the midst of a huge meltdown & we are taking the world’s economies down with us.
And the most important Goal to McHenry is to bring down the Dems approval numbers. He is positively clueless.
It is even funnier that he has no qualms about making this statement – almost as if he thinks it will help the Republican cause. Maybe it will- among the 26% that still approved of Bush when he (thankfully – finally) left office.
Jesus christ, republicans stand for nothing except lying and stealing.
During the most difficult times since the last republican depression, this is what they want to write in the history books! That their priority was to drive down Pelosi’s approval ratings.
Someone commented that “we need a revolution and the sooner the better.” He/she probably has not been through a revolution or a civil war. Be careful what you wish for. People are getting hurt now but you can’t imagine the harm to innocents and participants in a revolution. Let’s keep working on the “fix” of the mess we have now.
This is enough to make a grown man cry. At a time when the country could use all the help it can get, some people are more interested in proving themselves right at the expense of the country – more interested in bringing down others in order to improve their self-esteem. And they have the nerve to call themselves patriots. Gag me with a spoon.
The repubs are like snotty little brats, crying and whining and offering NOTHING constructive. In FACT they are DESTRUCTIVE. Look at what the bush/cheney cabal destroyed in just eight years. War for peace in Iraq and Afghanistan(and they tried like hell to start another war in Iran) illegal surveillance, the patriot act, possible collusion in 9/11, or at the very least, UTTER incompetance. If you want to DESTROY, put the repubs in office.
Mary64 said: Dems in congress need to set up a message machine. Obama needs a message machine. We need to bury these clowns.
I disagree. The Rupugs are doing a fine job burying themselves.
@pat goudey obrien, it started before that. This **** began back in the Reagan years and has been escalating since then, even in spite of the Clinton presidency. Remember the movie Wall Street–”Greed is good”? Trickle down/supply side economics being dubbed Reaganomics? This is why I can’t understand so many Repubs claiming that Ronnie was one of the “good ones.”
This is EXACTLY why Republicans have lost most of America… There SOLE goal is to bring down the Dems – it’s not to fix the economy… not to fix the health care problems… not to solve the housing crisis… not to create 21 century mechanisms to regulate the banking/financial/hedge funds, etc….. not to get us off being dependent to middle east oil…..not to improve the way of the life of our citizens….. NO – its to bring down the Dems…. HELLO REPUBLICANS – you need a positive idea, in fact, you need a lot of positives ideas and then AND ONLY THEN will we begin listening to you…. The more I hear Republicans speak, the smaller they become….. Keep this up boys, and soon you won’t be the loyal opposition – you will be a small splitter group… Lincoln must be flipping over in his grave!
Its disgusting! They should be ashamed!
OK, ALL WE HERD FOR 8 YEARS WAS BASH BUSH LIBERAL LIES!!!! DURING THE CAMPAIN THE LIB MEDIA WAS VERY UNFAIR AND BIAST. SO STOP CRYING LIKE LITTLE SISSYS BECAUSE YOU GOT THE MAN YOU WANTED AND NOW YOU CAN FINISH FLUSHING OUR COUNTRY IN THE SEWER. NOT EVERYWON HAS TO GO ALONG WITH ALL YOUR IDEAS AND BS! SO GET OVER IT!
How amazing that Republicans could ever think that “bringing down approval ratings of Democrats” was a worthy goal. It is simply so wrong-headed. Far more productive to work to bring up the approval ratings of their own party. That attitude plus the GOP’s huge budget overspending and the sad, sad G W Bush years explicitly show just why folks like me and so many others are leaving that Grand Old Party in droves.
McHenry is a flaming a$$hat. And you can bet that my Republican state rep will be hearing from me regarding what I think about the possibility of his joining McHenry in this stupidity. I cannot believe that this ‘person’ truly thinks that this philosophy is the way to pull our country out of the crapper it currently occupies.
Yeah, to echo many of the other posts… way to put the country first, you morons!
When you have nothing to offer, making the other guy look bad is the only way you’re going to get anywhere. The repubs are bankrupt.
I concur with the revolution talk. both parties are too corrupt to fix at this stage of the game. that gallows on auction in Illinois needs a hundred more just like it built for Washington, D.C., and every pile of **** in the Congress and Senate needs to find themselves shackled, and herded to it, as We The People take our nation back, one neck stretching at a time. Guillotines also acceptable!
I concur with the revolution talk. both parties are too corrupt to fix at this stage of the game. that gallows on auction in Illinois needs a hundred more just like it built for Washington, D.C., and every pile of **** in the Congress and Senate needs to find themselves shackled, and herded to it, as We The People take our nation back, one neck stretching at a time. Guillotines also acceptable!
OH! You’re my new favorite blogger fyi
Thinking back to the days immediately after the 2006 election, and what I heard from the Repubs back then, mostly on Fox. Boehner said that Job-1 was getting THEIR majority back (like they are entitled to it) and showing America that they had made a mistake giving control to the Democrats.
Meanwhile, Trent Lott was planting the meme that “Everyone knows it takes 60 votes, to move ANYTHING in the senate” starting a record-setting string of filibusters in the 2007-08 session, and is still being followed today – despite Lott’s departure to the greener
fields of lobbying.
How’s that been working out for you? 2008 what you were after? How many Repubs are retiring in 2010? Got at least 6 in the senate – from newly-blue states. Keep up the good work!
McHenry is just stating, out loud, what their strategy has been, since they entered the minority – just try to tar the Democrats, even at the expense of your own numbers. Most of those Repubs left are in “safe” districts – someone stated that McHenry is from backwoods NC, rural not city dwellers, probably listening to Limbaugh, Hannity, Ingraham, Cunningham, Gallegher, et al – who live in cities, yet deify rural, “heartland” “real” Americans. He (and the other RW Repubs left in office) have more to fear from Ditto-heads and Freepers, “melting their phone lines” or filling their in-boxes with complaints and death threats, or a primary challenge from their right – than any Dem/lib can offer. Many GOP senators are from small states – like Wyoming, with a half-million people, Alaska w/600K, etc. – IOW, less than enough people to make a decent cong district in a blue state, have a rep and 2 senators of their own (and the corresponding EC imbalance)
.
It’s so sad and disgusting to see how the Republicans are putting Politics and power ahead of whats good for the country. The very idea of trying to make the Democrats look bad just because they won the election. I can’t recall (and I’m 65) another time when Republicans have stooped so low as to jeapordise this nation’s recovery efforts and reveal their true colors. Yellow! People warned BOTH parties during this last election that they were sick and tired of this posturing, nit picking, and lack of cooperation. The Republicans have picked the worst time ever to show the world they didn’t get the message…..again!
“It’s so sad and disgusting to see how the Republicans are putting Politics and power ahead of whats good for the country. The very idea of trying to make the Democrats look bad just because they won the election.”, indeed! What they really do not get is that is the exact sort of attitude which caused them to lose. That the party drives out it moderate & more progressive member also doesn’t help.
The Republicans are burying themselves beneath their whacko base… and that’s just fine by me
After reading all the posts, I rather wish more would direct their good energies to writing a congressman, a senator, a local paper…
Doing SOMETHING….
This carping is an excuse for doing nothing.
And I agree with most of the comments…. I think we need to challenge one another to take it up a couple of notches.
what do ya think?
This is the BEST BLOG EVER!!!! Republicants and their minions of self absorbed, collectively mean spirited supporters can suck it!!! If you don’t want to be part of the solution you’re part of the problem. This self aggrandizing politically hostile posturing is only bound to blow up in their faces!!!!
NO,the Republicans are not trying to make the Democrats look bad. It’s the Democrats themselves who are making the Democrats look bad.
They just can’t seem to stop tripping themselves up.
What the Republicans are now going to focus on is getting the message out to the Public. The Public needs to know that there’s a crazy driver at the wheel of the bus and the crew are just going along for the ride like sheep.
Only the Republicans can bring back sensible civilized Government.
I just wish,for once,that we as the people of this country would stand up and say enough!!!How can anybody get anything done when all our so called representitives can do, it seems,is argue like a bunch of high school misfits. All this finger pointing gets us nowhere,besides,Let’s put the value back in this country and bring the jobs home where they belong,then we will have something to back the dollar up with,like pride,repect,accomlishmet!!!!God Help Us All…….
The idiot said what the republics are about. They are bankrupt, totally without a vision, without leadership, and represented by various and sundry pieces of **** like limpdick and others. The Democratic approach will be to make these facts well known to all voters. Blanket the country with the facts, people will see the truth. And jerkoffs like mchenry will get their just rewards.
Several Republicans have thoroughly embarrassed themselves on various subjects such as their budget, swine flu, cap and trade, carbon monoxide, all the while vying for camera time. Add one more to the mix-Mr. McHenry, whose stragedy is to make others look bad. Well, sorry, too late, all the GOP goobers have already done that to themselves. It’s like they think we can’t see them-doing nothing-to fix the mess of the last eight years.
Dumb and dumber, have they hit the bottom yet?
All of you need to get a clue. This has been the democrat agenda for years.
Complain about a war enough it becomes truth. (Iraq) Clinton was “in military conflict” with over three countries in his term just like Bush. Over 5,000 people died. Less than 5,000 people died in Bush’s. Iraq is now a free nation. Remind me…What did Clinton’s actions do for Iraq? Kuwait? Nothing? Oh right. Sooooo They complained to damage image on the war with just about the least deaths in history.
The economic crises was the fault of the Democrats. Their approval ratings went down down down 2000 to 2008 then it jumped 200% when they intentionally decimated the republican image with the lies about the economic crises. Look it up. The 2005 regulations brought up by JOHN MCCAIN and 4 other repbulicans. They moved to SPECIFICALLY change regulations due to problems with Fannie Mae Freddie Mac. Every democrat who is now in charge of regulating those banks BLOCKED IT in a party line vote. They are doing the same thing that was done in Clinton’s presidency which resulted in the collapse: They are giving loans to people who can’t afford it. They caused this problem. Look it up.
To do with the republican image: The very fact that all of you think of republicans as bible thumping people who hate **** and blacks proves my point. Nixon started black rights. Martin Luther King Jr. was a republican. Yet the democrats took credit for this. Look it up.
Now then, the corrupt party is as it has been since FDR: And that is the democrats. They’ve been good at lying for a long time though. They resulted in a collapse of a market and blamed the free trade market. Where in the world are the poor as rich as here? Most communist nations don’t even have consistent power. It doesn’t work. Governments regulating pay? That sounds like a crock to me. Republicans are against that.
There’s a reason the republicans gained such popularity after a 41 year dominancy by democrats: They are a corrupt and worthless party. They took their edge this time by lying about Iraq, the Economy, and other issues. If Mccain had his way, the FACT is, that this crises would never have happened. PERIOD. So quit saying they don’t care. They do. Your democrats are only interested in labeling us republicans and lying as always. The republicans are only interested in perserving this country as it should be and making sure we don’t go through another recession like this from a lying pack of wolves.
Get it together people, before it’s too late.
40 years ago Americans were told that crime was the root of all our problems. So we expanded the death penalty and starting filling up our prisons. Nothing go better for common people. Then 30 years ago, we were told it was drugs making everything so horrible. We started a war on drugs. Nothing got better. 20 years ago, it was regulation and taxes (mostly on rich people) that was the root of all problems. We deregulated and damaged the Unions and lowered taxes. (Rich people’s taxes went down a lot, but for the rest of us, income taxes went down a little, and all the other taxes common people pay skyrocketed.) Things didn’t get any better. 10 years ago we were told welfare was the problem so we eviscerated the welfare system. Things didn’t get better.
5 years ago, it was immigrants ruining America.
When will Americans learn? Now Democrats were part of the lying as I alluded to above, but those demons that were destroying American were predominantly Republican talking points.
Why are we still listening to them?
Liberals were (for the most part) in charge of America from circa 1930 to circa 1985. It’s not a coincidence that this time period coincided with the biggest explosion in progress this planet has ever seen. Not that this country has ever seen, but this planet. (In 1959, the top tax rate on rich people was 92% _Eisenhower was such a socialist.)
And this was also a time period when parents could assume that their kids would always be better off then they were. And America could afford to land on the moon, build an interstate highway system from scratch, cure poverty in our elderly, provide health care for our elderly, expand college funding for our kids, fight a hot was in Vietnam and a massive cold war at the same time, and create a welfare system. We did tons of other things too.
Now, thanks to 30 years of the ascendency of supply side economics, and even Clinton (hardly a liberal) contributed to deregulation and the evisceration of welfare, wages for common Americans have been flat, and parents can no longer assume things will be better for their kids.
People, not only do we need more democrats in office, we desperately need a new New Deal. We need to give this nation back to the progressives.
Sorry for the mispellings in my post. Bob, in Clinton’s war you are citing 5000 deaths. But those are all the deaths in his war in Bosnia. ZERO Americans died. That’s right ZERO. Then you point out that less than 5000 deaths due to Bush’s war. But those 5000 deaths ONLY COUNTS American deaths!!! So you start a post comparing oranges to apples and you expect people to get a clue?
Clinton’s Bosnia deaths total = 5000. Clinton’s American deaths in Bosnia = ZERO.
Bush’s Iraq deaths total = estimated in the hundreds of thousands. Bush’s American deaths in Iraq, approaching 5000.
Now THAT is a fair comparison. Bob, I don’t blame you for getting these facts wrong. You probably got your facts from Faux News.
Sorry to break it to you buddy I was referring to 5,000 U.S. American deaths. Don’t make assumptions on my facts.
Less than 5,000 U.S. military died in the war with Iraq. Over 5,000 died in Clinton’s presidency.
As for the hundreds of thousands of deaths? Most of the media which covers that INCLUDES the deaths before we intervened which were caused by SADDAM.
Look into it: When we intervened in Iraq 300,000 Iraqi people had been killed by their own leader. It was a genocide comparable to WWII. This intervention was a GOOD intervention. Iraq is NOT a bad War.
For the record: Every single country which has been rebuilt has taken longer than Iraq has and has had more deaths. The problem is your “media” puts out biased facts. And actually for the record…Fox news is just about the only news station not entirely owned by liberals. Go look for other sources. It might do you some good. The Fannie Mae Freddie Mac issues can be found on youtube with every member who caused the crises denying the republicans the chance to fix it. The republicans then went further to point out people who received contributions 25 times higher than anyone else, and coincidentally they were against the new regulations. Coincidence?
Republicans are only about morals. You democrats are about power and being right.
Get your facts together kiddo.
Regarding you Mark:
When kicked to the ground Americans get back up. It’s been proven that the socialist ideals during that time period slowed the progress.
Also for the record: During that democrat reign we had more war than any time period, more hate crimes, LESS progress, etc etc. I could go on.
Martin Luther was republican for a reason. Again, Nixon was one of the first people to support affirmative action. Democrats did nothing for black hate. They just took credit for it. During their reign we had EIGHTY years of black hate. Remind me…After Reagen and Bush Sr’s presidency just how much of a racism decrease was there? How much was there before during Carter’s presidency? The difference is not just small, it’s huge. The republican congress in that time fixed tons, which is why they took over at the time.
North Korea…WWII…Democrat congress.
What caused the first depression? A credit crises. Remind me…Who pushed credit and always has? (Democrats)
It is on rewind. You’re correct. And the republicans have fixed it many times. When a democrat tries to take a repbulican point and destroy it (like they always do) it does not make the republican point bad.
And to touch on some points: 30 years ago we started the war on drugs. Things are better. I want your definition of not better. I’d say drug gangs being nearly entirely eliminated and drug violence being far lower is a win.
20 years ago we dergulated…And almost every single large corporation now in existence came about and has it’s roots from that time period. Business exists now from it. That was a success. I would say that…Microsoft, Dell, and the other 80’s companies are a clear sign of that considering how much of a workforce they all have and contribute to economy. Coincidentally? Most of the firms with the largest amount of jobs for lazy democrats comes from kind republicans who would not employ more people with more taxes.
10 years ago we were told that the problem was welfare…Well I’d say that would be Bush Sr’s presidency so your time frame is off, but at that point it was true. We cut the last section which was putting us in debt. At the end of Clinton’s presidency (led by a repbulican congress which really is where the power is) we had a surplus from those mottos of cutting spending.
So get your head out of the pessimist gutter. You’re entirely wrong about our progression.
I thought I’d use more specific examples:
I do not care about unemployment, supposed “costs of living”, inflation, or any of that **** that democrats try to throw around. Here are real numbers for all of you:
In eight years of Bush here is what we have:
34% of households own an HDTV. 82% of the population owns a cell phone. 30% of those considered living in “poverty” own a cell phone instead of a landline. 8/10 houses own a computer in comparison to 48% at the end of Clinton’s presidency and 20% at the beginning. 60% of households have a gaming console. 92% have cable service. High speed internet is in 60% of households. 70% of households own TWO OR MORE cars at any given time, The quality of living has gone up to insane limits!
Now let’s explain why that is crazy it happened, people who were in the technological field know why:
The cell phone came to be just after the expansion into space in 1960. Virtually no progression was made in Clinton’s presidency when it was ENTIRELY possible. This was due to him choke holding business.
The techno boom happened in Clinton’s presidency. After the taxes those jobs shipped over seas because it was more cost efficient. Technological advancements were laughable.
Broadband capability was entirely possible in Clinton’s presidency. It remained too expensive until recently. The companies had no reason to push it with the taxes Clinton put in place for the rich. They exported most of their software and services to other countries.
The last 2 years of Clinton’s presidency the republicans managed to balance the budget, and set everything up to happen as it has now other than the econommic crises which was the direct fault of Fannie Mae Freddie Mac and bank regulation (that is what cause AIG’s collapse and every other company’s collapse as well) which we have on TAPE with them partyline vote blocking it and insulting the republicans for saying there could be a crises.
Yeah. Republicans sound horrible. You’re all totally right. They so are not for the mainstream public.