Thaddeus McCotter and Dennis Miller

Here's audio of Thaddeus McCotter on Dennis Miller's show, August 2nd:

Gwen Moore: Representative Fails to Represent

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is playing catch-up once again.

It took a day for the news outlet to cover this rather incredible story.

Rep. Gwen Moore of Milwaukee, DEMOCRAT, failed to cast her vote on raising the debt ceiling.

She missed her opportunity to vote. This representative failed in her responsibility to represent her constituents.

From the Journal Sentinel:

The high-profile, last-minute vote to raise the nation's debt ceiling probably was the most scrutinized action in Congress this year.

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) missed casting her vote by seconds.

Spokesman David Frey said Moore, of Milwaukee, intended to vote in favor of the compromise legislation worked out last weekend by congressional leaders and President Barack Obama.

The legislation took two votes to approve and voting was open for 15 minutes on each. After Moore cast her first vote, she returned to her office across the street from the Capitol, Frey said.

She left her office in what normally would be plenty of time to return to the Capitol and catch the end of the final vote, but hallways were clogged with extra media and security.

"Unfortunately, she arrived on the House floor just seconds too late," Frey said.

There is no excuse for this. None whatsoever.

Hundreds of members of the House had to deal with the same hallways clogged with extra media and security, but they all managed to cast their votes.

Moore was present to cast her first vote. She had to see that there was more congestion than usual, yet she went back to her office.

Frankly, that was not too bright at all. Moore completely misjudged the situation and, as a result, failed to vote on this hotly debated bill.

Inexcusable.

Brian Williams: Fair and Balanced?

When NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last Friday to plug his upcoming NBC Dateline special, Taking the Hill: Inside Congress, Williams made the absurd claim that he was a fair and balanced journalist without an agenda.

Video.

JIMMY FALLON: We don't get really too political on our show, but now and then we'll do a joke about Obama, or we'll do a joke about Sarah Palin. Keep it balanced. But, man, people go nuts on Twitter. They go, 'Hey, stop making fun of Palin. Why aren't you making fun of Obama?' And I go, 'We do make fun of Obama.'

BRIAN WILLIAMS: Just today, somebody tweeted me, 'Hey, Brian, does your back get tired carrying all that water for Obama?' (Speaking with a mocking tone, sounding dim-witted)

FALLON: Wow.

WILLIAMS: Dude. Really.

FALLON: First of all, I apologize for sending that tweet. I apologize. I was drunk. I didn't know what I was doing.

WILLIAMS: And it's always like, you know, 'Partyboy@Arkansas.' (Dim-witted voice again)

FALLON: That's crazy, yeah. But I mean, do you find it hard. Being, you know, Brian Williams you can't really have a side. You have to be... you can't pick a side.

WILLIAMS: Well, I try to play it down the middle like you do every night. I do it in news, you do it in comedy. We try not to take a side.

That exchange made me gag.

I think Jimmy Fallon does a great job of keeping his show balanced. It's not overly political. He doesn't push an agenda. It's a great respite from all that stuff. The focus is on fun, not mean-spirited political sniping.

Brian Williams, on the other hand, does not provide balanced coverage of the news. He most definitely has an agenda.

The fact that Williams mocked someone criticizing him the way he did is revealing. Williams didn't cite a tweet complaining about him carrying water for the Republicans. He didn't say it's always from 'Partyboy@Massachusetts.'

Brent Bozell wrote a column about Williams' special and his assault on the Tea Party.

Of course, I didn't watch Taking the Hill, but Bozell's take is interesting.

Somehow, Williams never spent a second on his Obama special asking the President how he was going to handle the demands of “hardline liberals” – or any kind of liberal, for that matter. The only hardliners are conservatives who want to stop the spending madness. What this country desperately needs are more “hardline conservatives” to dismay network anchormen.

Williams undermined his own musical intro by questioning Boehner’s grip on power. “Mr. Speaker, is it fair to say you have a bit of a rebellion on your hands?” Sadly, Boehner tried to play along. “I've got a little rebellion on my hands every day. It comes with the territory.”

Williams pulled out the New York Times, not exactly where Republicans go to look good. “You don't look happy on the front page of the New York Times. It says ‘Boehner's Grip on His Caucus is Put to Test on Standoff.’ Feel like you're being tested?” Boehner agreed. The question is whether Boehner wants to pass that test by pleasing liberals like Brian Williams, or by pleasing conservatives.

Williams suggested the newest Tea Party Republicans in Congress weren’t real Republicans: “Your job is to run your party, but there is another party in there too. You have this Tea Party caucus that didn't come to Washington with the same values.”

This time, Boehner had a good answer. “It's not the Tea Party caucus. It would be more what I would describe as some hardline conservatives who want more. I don't blame them. I want more, too.”

And now we arrive at the point where Williams and NBC made colossal fools of themselves.

Williams wanted the political narrative to be painted by ultraliberal Sen. Charles Schumer. “Word has gotten around” that House Republicans held a meeting and showed a motivational movie clip from the Ben Affleck crime movie “The Town,” which Williams said “eventually involves hockey masks and baseball bats and tons of bullets.” Horrors!

After Schumer declared the Republicans were violent nuts, the NBC cameras turned to Republican whip Kevin McCarthy. Williams pushed him about this press-stopping scandal. McCarthy professed amazement that Schumer would be highlighting a movie clip from a meeting he didn’t attend.

He shouldn’t be amazed, and Brian Williams would never try to embarrass Democrats by accepting leaks about movie clips from internal party meetings. That partisan double standard defines the Old Media.

I wonder if Williams sincerely believes that he's fair and plays it down the middle.

Does he really fail to notice the way he exposes his bias?

Could he be that delusional?

Thaddeus McCotter on Debt Deal

Presidential candidate Thaddeus McCotter talked to John Batchelor about the debt ceiling deal.

He explains his "yes" vote for the bill.

Gabrielle Giffords in the House (Video)

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords returned to the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time since she was shot in Tucson on January 8, 2011.

Her colleagues gave her a well-deserved standing ovation. It was really an incredible moment.

The fact that she survived such a terrible injury and was able to return to the House is miraculous.

Video.



Giffords cast her vote on the debt ceiling deal, her first vote since the attack.

Video.



Read Giffords' statement on the vote.
________________

The White House played up Giffords' return to Washington.

Her appearance was quite a secret. I wonder why.

There's something that concerns me.

It's this:

Pia Carusone, Giffords' chief of staff, has indicated that while the congresswoman is able to speak and walk, she remains a shadow of her former self.

...In an interview published Thursday in the Arizona Republic, Carusone said Giffords can express her basic wants and needs, but has difficulty stringing together sentences to verbalize more complex thoughts and feelings. Giffords, she said, relies on hand gestures and facial expressions.

"She is borrowing upon other ways of communicating. Her words are back more and more now, but she's still using facial expressions as a way to express. Pointing. Gesturing," Carusone said.

The description matches what experts expect from someone who has suffered a traumatic brain injury. Often, they can be easily disoriented, have trouble prioritizing, suffer from some memory loss and could have difficulty recognizing people. Some have difficulty doing several tasks at the same time.

Most cognitive recovery occurs in the first six months to a year after an injury, though it becomes less noticeable as time progresses. In the second year, progress sharply drops.

Carusone said if Giffords' recovery were to plateau now, "it would not be nearly the quality of life she had before."

That was on June 12, 2011, relatively recently.

"She remains a shadow of her former self."

"Giffords can express her basic wants and needs, but has difficulty stringing together sentences to verbalize more complex thoughts and feelings. Giffords, she said, relies on hand gestures and facial expressions."

Has Giffords improved dramatically since then?

I sincerely hope that's the case. I wish her a complete recovery.
__________________

Tweets from Giffords, retweeted by the White House:

Gabrielle has returned to Washington to support a bipartisan bill to prevent economic crisis. Turn on C-SPAN now: http://t.co/ddhmVMB

The #Capitol looks beautiful and I am honored to be at work tonight.

Obama Debt Deal Message to Supporters (Video)

From Team Obama 2012:

Friend --

The President and congressional leaders reached an agreement last night to meet our financial obligations and reduce our deficit.

Many people will have lots to say about this deal -- but the President wanted to talk to you directly.

Watch the video:



Please share this video with everyone you know.

Thanks,

Messina

Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

Read the Obama campaign spin:

What the Debt Deal Does

•Removes economic uncertainty surrounding the debt limit at a critical time and prevents either party from using a failure to meet our obligations for political gain.

•Makes a significant down payment to reduce the deficit -- finding savings in defense and domestic spending while protecting critical investments in education and job creation.

•Creates a bipartisan commission to find a balanced approach to continue this progress on deficit reduction.

•Establishes an incentive for both sides to compromise on historic deficit reduction while protecting Social Security, Medicare beneficiaries, and programs that help low-income families.

•Follows through on President Obama's commitment to shared sacrifice by making sure that the middle class, seniors, and those who are most vulnerable do not shoulder the burden of reducing the deficit. As the process moves forward, the President will continue to insist that the wealthiest Americans share the burden.

FULL TEXT: White House Releases Fact Sheet on Deal

Krauthammer: Tea Party Wins on Debt Deal

Charles Krauthammer gives his analysis of the debt deal - winners and losers.

Video.



Transcript

CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: Our constitutional system is designed so that you can't govern controlling half a branch of the government. It's simply not done. I think the president, if this is avoided, he doesn't gain, he doesn't lose. He didn't show any leadership here. It'll be neutral.

Boehner - I think if he gets 60 percent of his caucus, he'll be OK.

The winner is the Tea Party. They have changed the debate in the country. I think they ought to do what George Aiken advocated in the worst of days of the Vietnam war - declare victory and go home.

There'll be another fight a year from now. Obama is losing it. And I think that's where the big payoff will be. And that's when the country will decide what it wants to do about debt and also about the size of government.

Jim Cramer: Obama, Panic

Jim Cramer of CNBC was on the Meet the Press yesterday discussing the debt ceiling situation.

In terms of leadership, Cramer declares that Obama handled the matter very poorly, saying that Obama caused panic.

Video.



Transcript

DAVID GREGORY: Let, let me ask Jim Cramer about the president's leadership in all of this. To show you how toxic this atmosphere is here, Peggy Noonan wrote in her piece in The Wall Street Journal over the weekend the following about the president has supporters still, but there is grim support. She writes, "Obama is losing a battle in which he had superior forces - the presidency, the U.S. Senate. In the process he revealed that his foes have given him much too much mystique. He is not a devil, an alien, a socialist. He is a loser. And this is America, where nobody loves a loser." Pretty strong language. From your vantage point, how has the president led through this?

JIM CRAMER: All right. One of the things that happened, I want to talk about what the congressman said about the media, that the media exacerbated or even caused the problem. We were all hopeful in Wall Street and in Main Street that the president would come out and say a few things which said compromise. He came out and panicked the heck out of us. He talked about the higher interest rates for mortgages, he talked the spike--the spiking credit card, he talked about how hard it is going to be to get a student loan. It took us all aback because we felt that he'd be a compromise leader. Instead, he created tremendous fear. Tremendous fear means uncertainty. Uncertainty means no spending. Uncertainty means no spending by businesses. It means no hiring. It was a setback.

GREGORY: But...

CRAMER: He caused the panic, not the media.

I agree.

Obama caused the panic.

He says what he believes to be in his best interests politically. He puts himself first, not the country.

In short, Obama is not a good leader. He's too selfish.

U.S. Credit Rating Downgrade

There's a debt deal! Rejoice!

We're saved!

Not necessarily.

From the Wall Street Journal:

Though Moody's Investors Service and Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said late Sunday they would not immediately comment on the tentative debt deal reached by President Barack Obama and Congress, past comments from the ratings agencies indicate the U.S. government's perfect credit rating could still be in jeopardy.

S&P had repeatedly said since putting the U.S. rating on review for possible downgrade that it wanted to see a deficit-reduction plan that was around at least $4 trillion. The tentative deal reached earlier Sunday appears to fall well short of that level. The agreement calls for a $2.4 trillion reduction to deficits over the next 10 years.

If S&P determines the deal falls short of meaningfully changing the trajectory of U.S. deficits, it could still cut the government's triple-A rating. S&P had previously said a downgrade would likely be into the AA range, which means the U.S. could still see its rating cut between one and three notches. A cut in the rating could lead to higher borrowing costs for the U.S.

"The impact on the AAA will depend on whether S&P sticks to what it stated back on July 14 when it placed America's rating on negative watch," said Mohamed El-Erian chief executive officer and co-chief investment officer at Pacific Investment Management Company. Pimco, a unit of Allianz, is one of the world's largest bond market investors.

El-Erian said in an emailed response to questions from Dow Jones Newswires that "a strict interpretation by S&P speaks to the likelihood of a downgrade, though I suspect, the agency is under enormous pressure not to do so."

Another major investor, money-manager BlackRock Inc., called the tentative debt deal "positive," but withheld full endorsement because of questions about the timing and scope of deficit cuts.

"Avoiding default by the U.S. government is of paramount importance, but investors also need to see a clear path toward deficit reduction that encourages confidence in the U.S. dollar," it said in a statement.

Obama: Debt Deal (Video, Transcript)

Why did NBC, ABC, and CBS preempt prime time programming to carry Obama's political shtick on Sunday evening?

FOX didn't let Obama hijack its normal schedule. The Cleveland Show continued to air as usual while the other networks showed Obama's address.

That was a good call by FOX. Obama's remarks didn't contain any information so pressing that it required him to seize the airwaves.

The votes haven't been taken. It's not a done deal. Nonetheless, Obama announced that the debt crisis was essentially over. What was the rush?

Here's video:



Here's the complete White House transcript of Obama's remarks:

8:40 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. There are still some very important votes to be taken by members of Congress, but I want to announce that the leaders of both parties, in both chambers, have reached an agreement that will reduce the deficit and avoid default -- a default that would have had a devastating effect on our economy.

The first part of this agreement will cut about $1 trillion in spending over the next 10 years -- cuts that both parties had agreed to early on in this process. The result would be the lowest level of annual domestic spending since Dwight Eisenhower was President -- but at a level that still allows us to make job-creating investments in things like education and research. We also made sure that these cuts wouldn’t happen so abruptly that they’d be a drag on a fragile economy.

Now, I've said from the beginning that the ultimate solution to our deficit problem must be balanced. Despite what some Republicans have argued, I believe that we have to ask the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations to pay their fair share by giving up tax breaks and special deductions. Despite what some in my own party have argued, I believe that we need to make some modest adjustments to programs like Medicare to ensure that they’re still around for future generations.

That's why the second part of this agreement is so important. It establishes a bipartisan committee of Congress to report back by November with a proposal to further reduce the deficit, which will then be put before the entire Congress for an up or down vote. In this stage, everything will be on the table. To hold us all accountable for making these reforms, tough cuts that both parties would find objectionable would automatically go into effect if we don’t act. And over the next few months, I’ll continue to make a detailed case to these lawmakers about why I believe a balanced approach is necessary to finish the job.

Now, is this the deal I would have preferred? No. I believe that we could have made the tough choices required -- on entitlement reform and tax reform -- right now, rather than through a special congressional committee process. But this compromise does make a serious down payment on the deficit reduction we need, and gives each party a strong incentive to get a balanced plan done before the end of the year.

Most importantly, it will allow us to avoid default and end the crisis that Washington imposed on the rest of America. It ensures also that we will not face this same kind of crisis again in six months, or eight months, or 12 months. And it will begin to lift the cloud of debt and the cloud of uncertainty that hangs over our economy.

Now, this process has been messy; it’s taken far too long. I've been concerned about the impact that it has had on business confidence and consumer confidence and the economy as a whole over the last month. Nevertheless, ultimately, the leaders of both parties have found their way toward compromise. And I want to thank them for that.

Most of all, I want to thank the American people. It’s been your voices -- your letters, your emails, your tweets, your phone calls -- that have compelled Washington to act in the final days. And the American people's voice is a very, very powerful thing.

We’re not done yet. I want to urge members of both parties to do the right thing and support this deal with your votes over the next few days. It will allow us to avoid default. It will allow us to pay our bills. It will allow us to start reducing our deficit in a responsible way. And it will allow us to turn to the very important business of doing everything we can to create jobs, boost wages, and grow this economy faster than it's currently growing.

That’s what the American people sent us here to do, and that’s what we should be devoting all of our time to accomplishing in the months ahead.

Thank you very much, everybody.

END
8:44 P.M. EDT

Obama's acting as if he's the master negotiator, while at the same time distancing himself from the negotiations.

He praises members of both parties for arriving at an agreement, but chastises them for their haggling, for taking "far too long" to arrive at a deal.

Obama is still relying on the "balanced approach" talking point, giving Americans what he thinks they want to hear. But then, he asserts his belief that raising taxes is the answer to manage his wild, historically reckless spending. That's not the kind of "balance" that makes sense in this mess of an economy. It's impossible to raise taxes high enough to keep pace with the Obama astronomical spending spree.

Obama doesn't mention that Democrats failed to pass a budget when they had total control of Congress. It's disingenuous for Obama to express his concern about the impact of recent uncertainty on business confidence and consumer confidence when he's been screwing up the economy for years and making disastrous policy moves.

Way to go, Democrats!

Obama also doesn't mention that this deal doesn't mean the U.S. government will retain its perfect credit rating.

And of course, America needed Obama to take over programming to thank the people for their tweets.

Good grief.

I'm sick of Obama's political posturing and campaigning being sold to the public as Obama carrying out his presidential responsibilities.

It's all political maneuvers, election strategy.

What a leader!

What a crock!

Obama and Tweeting

This is funny.

Video.

REP. KEVIN McCARTHY: The President, to me, has been somewhat... Look, you cannot be the leader of the Free World and sit on the sidelines and tweet and think you're going to get the job done.

Debt Talks: Progress

Progress. Shmogress. Whatever.

Jimmy Fallon and Brian Williams: Debt Ceiling

Brian Williams, aka "Bri Willy," stopped by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to Slow Jam the News.

With help from The Roots, they examine the debt ceiling.

Video here.



I still don't know why there was never an Anthony Weiner edition of Slow Jammin' the News.

Paul Ryan Speech: Harry Reid's Plan

On July 29, 2011, while speaking in the U.S. House of Representatives, Republican Paul Ryan exposes the ridiculousness of Harry Reid's plan to address the debt.

Video.

Obama: 14th Amendment

Will Obama go 14th Amendment?

Video.

House Vote on Debt Postponed

Still no resolution on the debt ceiling.

From the Wall Street Journal:

The House postponed a Thursday night vote on Speaker John Boehner's plan to raise the federal borrowing limit after he failed to stem a revolt by conservative GOP members. The delay leaves the credit status of the U.S. government in jeopardy with five days remaining before it begins running out of money to pay all its bills.

The development came after a two-hour debate on the bill was abruptly ended earlier in the evening. Mr. Boehner, knowing that a rejection could undermine his speakership, then joined other House GOP leaders in trying to pressure party members to reconsider their opposition.

Those efforts fell short and it wasn't clear if the vote would be rescheduled. But the development appeared to hand the initiative for the moment to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.), who is pushing an alternative version of the debt bill.

House Republicans and Senate Democrats planned to meet Friday morning at 10 a.m. to plan strategy. Republicans will figure out whether, and how, they can move forward.

"I think what's going on now is a process of dialogue among legislators who are listening to one another and deciding how it's going to be possible for us to move forward within the democratic process," said Rep. Mike Pence (R., Ind.).

Mr. Pence acknowledged that "we're not there yet" in terms of votes for the Boehner plan, but "Our objectives remain the same."

Greg Gutfeld nails it:

This is like watching sausage not get made.

Nancy Pelosi and 'Life on this Planet'

Nancy Pelosi is engaging in some really bizarre rhetoric lately.

Read and watch her rant against Republicans. It's loony.

She has taken her lunacy to an even more extreme level.

Video.

NANCY PELOSI: What we're trying to do is save the world from the Republican budget. We're trying to save life on this planet as we know it today.

Is Pelosi drunk?

What is her problem?

Steny Hoyer: Republicans, Bullets, Obama

The Left went berserk over Sarah Palin and crosshairs.

Why is it acceptable for DEMOCRAT leader, House Minority Whip, Steny Hoyer to use extremely violent imagery when referring to Republicans and their interaction with Obama?

Hoyer was on the despicable MSNBC's Morning Joe on Wednesday. He used language that was not at all in line with the supposed "new tone" in Washington ushered in after the Tucson shootings.

Video.



Transcript:

STENY HOYER: Bob, I think you're right. I think it's unfortunate that politics is playing a role. I think we're playing Russian roulette, frankly, with the nation's credit worthiness. And unfortunately, all the chambers seem to be loaded in the House side. They want to shoot every bullet they can at the President. I think it's political in that sense, but it is much, much too dangerous to be playing politics with the credit worthiness of the United States, where for the first time in history we wouldn't be able to pay our bills.

I am hopeful, again, John Boehner has offered a number of proposals. Remember back when John Boehner offered a continuing resolution to keep the government open. He lost 59 of his members then on a deal that he made, not a Democratic - Republican agreement, on a deal that he made.

No one called Hoyer on his terrible choice of words.

It's incredibly irresponsible for Hoyer to speak of Republicans wanting to riddle Obama with bullets.

Saying Republicans "want to shoot every bullet they can at the president" is a startling way for Hoyer to make his point.

Where's the outrage now?

Crickets.

The Leftists apply a different standard to themselves.

The hypocrisy of the Left knows no limits.

Jon Stewart and Obama Debt Speech

Video.

Nancy Pelosi: Republicans Want to Destroy

DEMOCRAT Nancy Pelosi should be ashamed for making such inflammatory, poisonous remarks about Republicans.

It's unacceptable. It's inexcusable.

Video.



Transcript

NANCY PELOSI: This is an excuse. This budget deficit is an excuse for the Republicans to undermine government, plain and simple. They don't just want to make cuts, they want to destroy. They want to destroy food safety, clean air, clean water, the department of education. They want to destroy your rights. They do not like government.

Good grief.

That sounds crazed even for someone as extreme as Pelosi.

Republicans don't want to destroy. They want to prevent the country from collapsing. They want to protect the future for all Americans, for generations to come.

Pelosi's bitterness is disgraceful. It smacks of desperation.