G.O.P. to 9/11 first responders: FUCK YOU

[Yuri-G]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/arc..._12/027070.php

WHEN 'THE DAILY SHOW' PICKS UP THE SLACK.... Last week, a unanimous Senate Republican caucus blocked, and likely killed, the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. It's the bill that intended to pay health care costs for 9/11 rescue workers, sickened after exposure to the toxic smoke and debris. For the GOP, it was a simple calculus -- they'd consider bills like this, just as soon as they'd secured tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.
Even for a party that routinely dabbles in callousness, this was pretty stunning. But Republicans were willing to gamble that the country probably wouldn't hear a word about this, and they were right -- Eric Boehlert noted that ABC, CBS, and NBC blew off the story entirely.
As is often the case, "The Daily Show" was willing to pick up the slack, and aired a pretty devastating segment last night.








It's worth watching in full, but among the gems from the segment was Stewart showing a CNN segment on Senate Republicans blocking three bills over a couple of days: DADT repeal, the DREAM Act, and the 9/11 health bill. It led Stewart to ask, "I get the other two, but since when does the Republican Party make 9/11 first responders stand over in the corner with the gays and Mexicans?"
The segment also noted that the Senate GOP, in an act of cowardice, was willing to unanimously block consideration of the bill, but not one was willing to speak on the subject: "They won't be so cowardly as to not vote without justifying their actions -- just cowardly enough not to do it on camera."
The host concluded: "So, guess what Republicans? Here's the deal: the whole we're-the-only-party-that-understands-9/11-and-its-repercussions monopoly ends now.... No more coopting 9/11 imagery to get yourselves elected. No more using 9/11 as the date when magically all your policies became right. No more using 9/11 to micro manage Manhattan's zoning decisions. No using 9/11 as an excuse for why your Bush tax cuts never stimulated the economy in the first place. Or 9/11 as an excuse to do what you were going to be doing anyway."
For what it's worth, I suspect the GOP will ignore Stewart's admonition -- they're a shameless bunch -- and go on pretending that they somehow "own" the terrorist attacks. But I'm glad Stewart took them to task anyway. Someone had to.


-


if you didn't see the Daily Show piece on this, click on the link, watch the video. and if there are any Republicans on this forum left, please, in all honesty and without condescension or vitriol, I am asking you: defend this. tell me how this is right. tell me how this is justified. I really want to know.

[Correction]

For the record, when the bill came up in the House it was destroyed in equal parts by Dems and Republicans:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/we...esponders-bill

[Yuri-G]

well fuck the dems then too.

[Souj]

For the record, when the bill came up in the House it was destroyed in equal parts by Dems and Republicans:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/we...esponders-bill

Has the bill even come up yet? I thought it was only just the vote to vote on the bill that the republicans were all not voting on.
We truly have a retarded system when it comes to new laws/acts either way. The fact that anyone can say "Our priority is to make sure the president doesn't get elected a second term" and not get immediately fired is a great show of that.

[SephYuyX]

War Zone.

[Correction]

Has the bill even come up yet? I thought it was only just the vote to vote on the bill that the republicans were all not voting on.
We truly have a retarded system when it comes to new laws/acts either way. The fact that anyone can say "Our priority is to make sure the president doesn't get elected a second term" and not get immediately fired is a great show of that.

The political tactic du jour is that whenever an opposition president is voted in, the minority party becomes the Party of No. Wait four years, accuse the other party of 'accomplishing nothing,' and ride the tidal wave of ignorant rage back into the White House. Repeat with the new minority party.

And the bill basically died in the House because no democrat wants to be painted as sympathetic with illegal immigrants, while no republican wants to grant a democratic majority with an ounce of credit for doing the right thing for once.

It will probably come up again in the Spring, with 10,000 riders as the party whips start passing out the bacon to win votes.

[bigrougabagel]

For the record, when the bill came up in the House it was destroyed in equal parts by Dems and Republicans:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/we...esponders-bill

WE DON'T CARE ABOUT THE RECORD IF IT RUINS OUR NARRATIVE KTHXBYE!

[Kuya]

It does not appear like the OP refused correction's correction. In fact, he was quite accepting of it.

[bigrougabagel]

It does not appear like the OP refused correction's correction. In fact, he was quite accepting of it.

collective right wing hating bg, you missed the direction of the joke, it was inward.

[Serra]

It passed in the House with bi-partisan support though. The Governor (I think) and Republican Representative from New York really worked hard to convince other Republicans to get on board. Unfortunately then the Senate became a hurdle of stupidity and stubbornness.

But yeah, as far as our system goes, this whole idea of the filibuster needs to be removed. People who are strict constitutionalists should agree.. and anyone who realizes how flawed our system is should agree. Admittedly it'd then turn into a simple majority affair, but still.. Also, if we got rid of it, it'd make Keith Krehbiel completely have to redo his Pivotal Politics model which would be hilarious to me (and probably no one else here >.>)

[Yuri-G]

I'm not sure about the rest of your post but you're definitely right about that last part. I have no idea who that guy is.

[MF Perm tha Fineass]

The political tactic du jour is that whenever an opposition president is voted in, the minority party becomes the Party of No. Wait four years, accuse the other party of 'accomplishing nothing,' and ride the tidal wave of ignorant rage back into the White House. Repeat with the new minority party.

And the bill basically died in the House because no democrat wants to be painted as sympathetic with illegal immigrants, while no republican wants to grant a democratic majority with an ounce of credit for doing the right thing for once.

It will probably come up again in the Spring, with 10,000 riders as the party whips start passing out the bacon to win votes.

Not really, Dems are pussies. Dubya got away with murder in his 8 years. As much as I hate the GOP I have to say I admire their resolve.

[Correction]

More heartwarming stories from the nation's most powerful offices:

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/...#ixzz18IgqA9g7

GOP Senator Calls Cops on 9/11 Responders »

By Michael McAuliff

Republican senators were so worried about meeting with 9/11 responders who came to Washington today that at least one called the cops on them, the Daily News has learned.

Even before the nine responders had a chance to start visiting senators’ offices - where they intended to stay until meeting with legislators - they were greeted by Capitol Police, who had been called by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Me.).

Collins apparently reacted to a story in today’s News which quoted a letter to senators from 9/11 advocate John Feal warning that he and others planned to sit in offices until they got meetings - or the police made them leave.

Collins is among the senators the 9/11 community hopes will come over to their side, but her call to authorities left them wondering if they could succeed.

“I’m deeply disappointed in Sen. Collins for calling the Capitol Police, but they welcomed us with open arms,” said Feal, although he wound up with a police escort for the first stops on his visit.

“I’m more disappointed that Susan Collins is hiding behind ideology, and now the police, to stop from helping us,” Feal said. “And the people she called to stop us, are just like us. It’s a little ironic.”

Officers eventually determined he and his team were not threatening and left them alone.

Only one Republican has agreed to back the $7.4 billion James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, and even he - Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois - voted against bringing it up until the Bush-era tax cuts are extended.

Collins’ office did not immediately comment on why she was worried enough about the 9/11 responders to call police.

The advocates - who all served at Ground Zero - are growing desperate with time running out in the Senate. The Zadroga Act either needs to be attached to other legislation or passed on its own before the year ends, and the calendar is crowded with other measures.

Procedural hurdles can also be thrown in the way of any bill if senators don’t want to deal with a measure.

If the bill does not pass this year it is all but dead, and the responders are so concerned they also targeted Democrats who voted for the bill, hoping to inspire leaders to take every step possible.

Their luck wasn’t much better. A group of retired cops, construction workers and firefighters heading to visit the office of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) bumped into the Rev. Jesse Jackson leaving a meeting there.

Jackson stopped and held an impromptu prayer circle with them in the hallway. But Schumer strolled on by, waited for an elevator and hopped on without saying a word.

“It was disrespectful,” said former NYPD emergency services cop Glen Klein. “It seems like he’s not concerned about our welfare. He could have at least stopped as said hello.”

A Schumer spokesman said the senator was in a rush to get to a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and the responders met with Schumer’s top two staffers.

“Hopefully he was on his way to a meeting to get a vote on our bill,” said Feal.

[Ksandra]

Not really, Dems are pussies. Dubya got away with murder in his 8 years. As much as I hate the GOP I have to say I admire their resolve.

Lewis Black said it best when he said something like republicans are the party with bad ideas, democrats are the party with no ideas.

[Bingbong]

If the bill does not pass this year it is all but dead, and the responders are so concerned they also targeted Democrats who voted for the bill, hoping to inspire leaders to take every step possible.

Is this legislative fact? Or just opinionated talk because they believe that a GOP controlled house won't pass it?
I've never heard of a bill that needs to pass immediately or it dies forever.

Otherwise, all this is more political chess matching.
A> Repubs say nothing gets a vote until taxes are done.
B> Dems respond by bringing up softie legislation that any idiot would vote for, had they not signed the resolution.
C> Surprisingly, a political party stands it's ground.
D> Finger pointing ensues.

[Kerberoz]

political chess matching

That's giving our political system way too much credit. It shouldn't even be compared to checkers. It's more like tic-tac-toe.

[Olo401]

More heartwarming stories from the nation's most powerful offices:

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/...#ixzz18IgqA9g7

What a cunt. Seriously, these people are everyday heroes and you treat them like this?

[aurik]

Trust me, if the Republicans wanted to pass it, the democrats wouldn't bring it up for a vote. Also the measure has already failed once, this past summer.

In general, you can't believe anything a politician says. See, for example, Sen McCain and his response to the DADT repeal effort. "I'll support it when the generals assure us it's the right thing to do!" "No...wait...I'll do it when the service members generally conclude that it's reasonable" "Well I don't think they know what's best for them, we should make that decision since we know better."

The sad thing? McCain will easily coast to reelection should he run any time for the rest of his life. In an informed democracy, politicians like these should never win a second term.

[Olo401]

The problem isn't that we have an uninformed democracy - it's that we have an informed democracy that deliberately ignores factual information and votes based on propaganda and lies, perpetrated by scumbag politicians and the greedy corporate oligarchy they represent.

[Priran]

you have a funny definition of informed