THE REAL POLITIK EDITION: ISSUE 57, VOLUME 87
KILL+TAXCUTS
by Malik Isasis






















On Wednesday, January 21, 2009 President Obama's stimulus package passed the House with 244 votes from Democrats (12 voted no) and 0 votes from Republicans (all 177 Republicans voted no). Zero Republicans voted for the bill. This vote came after President Obama kept his word on reaching out to the Republicans.

If you extend your hand they will slap your face. It’s what Republicans do. Zero support for Obama’s stimulus package was meant to humiliate him. The political tactics of the Right is simple: discredit the person, and then anything that person says will be discredited e.g. create black leaders (Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton) for black folks, and go on to discredit those black leaders, then you can discredit the grievances of all black people. This tactic worked on Bill Clinton and the Democratic Party since the Reagan Era.

The Republicans are known for their lock-goose-stepping and will follow one another right off of a cliff. The corporate media refers to this hierarchical system as being organized, they are organized all right, and with a top-down leadership Republicans are primed for despotism. The main tenets of this party are loyalty and obedience.

THE OBSTRUCTION

One would think that in a highly technological Youtube society where things are recorded and archived, people like Republican Leader John Boehner and other shit throwers in his flock would care about what they’ve said three months, a day or a second ago, but they don’t because their arguments are distractions, meaningless, attached to nothing but pathology—ever notice that when Republicans’ arguments become unraveled, they develop sudden amnesia and argue the complete opposite with the same passion?

Republicans chose to join Bush at the table in drinking the blood and misery of the Iraqi, Afghani and American families. They’ve paved the way for Bush’s Messianic madness, and delusion. Now they must convinced themselves that the lives lost due to their cowardice and personal gain was worth it. They act as if the last 8 years on their watch didn’t happen. They ask for more tax cuts as if George Bush didn’t squander the economy on giving tax cut after tax cut to the wealthy. They ask for fiscal restraint as if George Bush didn’t wash billions of dollars away via war profiteering. The corporate media let’s them get away with the inconvenient truth, but as long as there is Youtube, cameras and other recording devices they can’t hide.

The Republicans are sociopaths, narcissists who believe all social crisis can be solved through tax cuts and war.

Here is the Republican record on obstruction since the Democrats have been in power:

Senate Republicans have obstructed almost every bill in the Senate – even ones with wide bipartisan support.

* So far, in the first half of the first session of the 110th Congress, there have been THIRTEEN cloture votes on motions to proceed – each one wasting days of Senate time. (110th Congress, Roll Call Votes #44, 51, 53, 74, 129, 132, 133, 162, 173, 207, 208, 227, and 228)
* In comparison, in the first sessions of the 108th and 109th Congresses combined, there were a total of FOUR cloture votes on motions to proceed.

EIGHT times Republican obstruction tactics slowed critical legislation

* Fulfilling the 9/11 Commission Recommendations (Passed 97-0, Roll Call Vote #53)
* Improving security at our courts (Passed 93-3, Roll Call Vote #133)
* Water Resources Development Act (Passed 89-7, Roll Call Vote #162)
* A joint resolution to revise U.S. policy in Iraq (Passed 89-9, Roll Call Vote, #74)
* Comprehensive Immigration Reform (Passed 69-23, Roll Call Vote #173)
* Comprehensive Immigration Reform (Passed 64-35, Roll Call Vote #228)
* CLEAN Energy Act (Passed 91-0, Roll Call Vote #208)
* Funding for the Intelligence Community (Passed 94-3, Roll Call Vote #129)

FOUR times Republicans blocked legislation from being debated

* Senate Republicans blocked raising the minimum wage. (54-43, Roll Call Vote #23)
* Senate Republicans blocked ethics reforms (Rejected 51-46, Roll Call Vote #16)
* Senate Republicans blocked comprehensive immigration reform (Rejected 45-50, Roll Call Vote #206)
* Senate Republicans blocked funding for renewable energy (Rejected 57-36, Roll Call Vote #223)

FOUR times Republicans stopped bills from reaching a vote

* Senate Republicans blocked funding for the intelligence community. (Rejected 41-40, Roll Call Vote #130)
* Senate Republicans blocked raising the minimum wage. (54-43, Roll Call Vote #23)
* Senate Republicans blocked ethics reforms (Rejected 51-46, Roll Call Vote #16)
* Senate Republicans blocked funding for renewable energy (Rejected 57-36, Roll Call Vote #223)

TWICE Republicans blocked bills from going to conference

* Senate Republicans blocked appointing conferees on the 9/11 Commission Recommendations (6/26/07)
* Senate Republicans blocked appointing conferees on ethics reform (6/26/07)

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