Republican Congressman Peter King’s epic rant against his party’s leadership in the House is all over the web today. People, it would seem, like seeing Republican’s awaken to the fact that it’s their party that’s the problem. And that’s what happened today, as King went to the press, irate that his party’s leaders, despite their promises, had neglected to call a vote last night on the $60 billion Hurricane Sandy aid package, which had already been passed in the Senate with bipartisan support. Calling it, “absolutely disgraceful,” King said, “turning your back on people who are starving and freezing is not a Republican value.” According to King, this, in a nutshell, explains why, “they’re becoming a minority party.” And, judging from what I’m seeing online, people across the country are eating it up, like they did when, prior to the election, Chris Christie told Romney to stay the hell out of New Jersey with his photo crews.
Here’s video of King:
It’s kind of like that Mitchell & Webb episode where the two German soldiers, after noting the skulls on their uniforms, come to the realization that they’re “the baddies.”
The thing is, up until Hurricane Sandy hit, King was just as big an asshole as the rest of them, content to pass the buck and kick the can down the road, just like everyone else in his party. But, then, the hurricane decided to hit his district. And that, apparently, changed everything. Suddenly, it would seem, his McCarthy-like Muslim witch hunts and his staunch opposition to global warming science, didn’t seem quite so important. (King has voted to bar the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases, voted against tax incentives for alternative energy production and conservation, and voted against enforcing limits on CO2 global warming pollution, among other things.) Now that he has to contend with a natural disaster, it’s a different story. When it’s his constituents who are “starving and freezing,” and not those in New Orleans, it’s apparently time to drop the pandering “drill, baby, drill” bullshit for a minute, and get serious about things.
I’ve yet to hear anyone on television ask King whether, as a result of Hurricane Sandy, he regrets his votes to ensure that greenhouse gas emissions could continue to increase unchecked. While I can appreciate his anger at his fellow Republicans for not coming to the aid of the people of New York, I’d love to hear someone say, “Maybe, instead of calling hearings about mosques being built, you could have spent a little time getting educated on global climate change and its impact on weather systems.” That, I think, would be refreshing.
Now, if we could just arrange it so that a deadly hurricane hit every Republican Congressional district. Then, maybe, we could get somewhere.
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I’m not defending Boehner, but, after the mess with the fiscal cliff, I’m sure he just wanted to climb into his tanning crypt and go to sleep.
Here’s more on the early morning confrontation.
Read more:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/02/john-boehner-frank-lobiondo-sandy-aid_n_2397250.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009
I hated seeing this guy lauded in the press for standing up to the heartless Republicans. It’s a great story, but it’s not accurate. King might be right on this issue, but he’s a terrible member of congress, and the idea that he may change parties makes me feel sick. But, on the other hand, I’d welcome the vote.
While I find this phenomenon fascinating and revel in watching those greedy hedge fund carpetbaggers eating their own, I simultaneously feel like a wanton voyeur. In Michigan, the Republicans, far from falling apart, control every lever of state government (not to mention many municipalities and school districts).
If only the Michigan Democratic Party was a good alternative.
Lawrence O’Donnell had a good piece on this last night. According to Chris Christie, Eric Cantor wanted to bring the the vote, but Boehner stopped it. He essentially called Boehner a liar. The thought is that Boenher, as he wants to stay Speaker of the House, couldn’t bring a spending bill to the floor immediately after advocating for the fiscal cliff legislation. The anti-spending tea party contingent, it’s thought, would have revolted against him. Unfortunately, this means that the entire Hurricane Sandy aid bill will have to start all over again in the Senate at the start of the next term.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45755883/ns/msnbc-the_last_word/#50349754
Also, this is some perverse pleasure in watching them begin to eat their own, isn’t there?
Wasn’t Snyder supposed to be a good alternative?
if you’re an idiot, i suppose.
If Boehner is forced out as Speaker, who will the Republicans put forward?
Someone online compared King to FOX’s Megyn Kelly, who used to call women “entitled” for expecting maternity leave, but then suddenly changed her tune once she got pregnant, and started criticizing the U.S. for not having mandatory maternity leave. The thing that defines Republicans is lack of empathy. They don’t feel anything unless it happens to them directly.
Video of a Republican feeling empathy for the first time.
http://i.imgur.com/4L6Fe.gif
And King backtracks.
Elliott hits the nail on the head–these people have no concept of anything outside themselves. They think “everyone” should be super rich like they are and if they are not super rich, then it is because they are just “lazy” or “entitled”. They ignore things like race, gender, disability and the lot.
By the way, I read that the Violence Against Women Act was not reauthorized. I’m not sure of the immediate consequences of this but the very idea that it was rejected because it went “too far”* disgusts me.
*Expanded protection for Native American women, immigrant and LGBT
Looks like King got his nose slapped.
According to Greg Sargent at the Washington Post, Republicans, while they didn’t want to deal with Sandy aid this session, still found the time, energy and resources to keep Defense of Marriage alive.
Read more:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/01/03/tea-party-republicans-favor-spending-taxpayer-money-on-anti-gay-discrimination/