The Caucus Room conspiracy is alive and well!
By Thom Hartmann A...
The Caucus Room conspiracy is alive and well right here in the nation’s capital. Earlier this afternoon - House Republicans voted in Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy as their new Majority Leader. McCarthy was the favorite to succeed outgoing Majority Leader Eric Cantor - and easily beat out his only challenger - Idaho congressman and Tea Party favorite - Raul Labrador.
The beltway media will - of course - say that this is a victory for the GOP establishment - and they’re right. But there’s another element to McCarthy’s election as majority leader that the DC media probably won’t be talking about. And that’s his part in the conspiracy to take down the Obama administration and what that says about how he'll flex his muscle as Eric Cantor's replacement.
On January 20, 2009, the night when the Obama's were attending inaugural balls and most Americans were out celebrating the end of the Bush years, a group of powerful Republicans was planning the end of Obama presidency before it even got going.
At the Caucus Room restaurant right here in Washington, DC - GOP leaders drew up a plan to intentionally sabotage Obama at every point possible. The whole thing was orchestrated by Republican propaganda mastermind Frank Luntz and over the course of four hours, a group of the most powerful conservative lawmakers in the country committed to a plan of action.
They promised each other that they would filibuster and obstruct any and all legislation supported by the new President, Barack Obama. They would do everything possible, for as long as it took, to make his a "failed presidency." On the guest list for this “invitation only” meeting were Republican Senators like Jim DeMint, Jon Kyl, Tom Coburn, John Ensign and Bob Corker. Also in attendance were Congressmen Paul Ryan, Pete Sessions, Jeb Hensarling, Pete Hoekstra, Dan Lungren and - you guessed it - Eric Cantor and Kevin McCarthy.
Make no mistake about it: it’s no coincidence that Eric Cantor and Kevin McCarthy - tried and true members of the Caucus Room conspiracy - both have now held the position of House Majority Leader. Republicans may seem divided right now - but there’s one thing that always unites them: electing a leader who will sabotage the Obama presidency.
Comments
#2
Our democracy is not just being undermined by Republicans. The Fossil and Nuclear fuel industries have been buying our governemnt with profits from dirty energy for more than half a century. Both Republicans and Democrats get way too much money and from WHAT? Profits that aren't real! They are stolen from us through subsidies and give-aways (like the insurance on nuclear power plants that we-the-people have to back up). All these centralized power boondoggles have simply made it possible for the the big energy corporations to ignore the democratic process by ensuring through "donations" that we-the-people keep having to pay for the pollution and clean ups while they rake in "free market" ( NOT!) profits.
It's not going to get better until we have 100% Renewable Energy running our civilization. As you can see, as vital as it is to save the biosphere, we need to do this to save our democracy! If you want to stop this, please sign my petition at Care2: Here's a link http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/Ai3Tb
Also, for those who think that building 400 plus Nuclear power plants post war was justified in order to get weapons grade plutonium, I want you to know that has NEVER been the case. I have all the details. We were lied to. There was NO justification for building them, Weapons grade Plutonium has NEVER been made in them and small cyclotrons can produce all the radionuclides needed as tracers and therapy in nuclear medicine. We were, and are, still being robbed, not just of our tax dollars, but of our democracy by centralized energy profit over planet polluters.
Thom, please have someone from your staff read this. It is referenced and irrefutable. You can use this to help shut down those nuclear power plant radioacttive white elephants for the good of future generations.
http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/nuke-puke/no-we-never-needed...
Thank you,
Anthony G. Gelbert
Renewable revolution Forum/blog http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/index.php
#4
Aglbert, you've said much in your post that resonates for me. But I am confused by just one part, where you say that we taxpayers are "backing up" insurance policies on nuclear power plants. On his radio show, Thom has told us repeatedly that nuclear power plants are uninsurable, that insurance companies have simply refused to insure them at all. This is in direct contradiction to your statement. - Aliceinwonderland
#5
They SO resented that a half-white person beat them in the first election, they decided to sabotage everything he wanted to do, even if it would have been GOOD for their own constituents. And when Obama won a 2nd term, they were determined to do whatever it takes to deem his Presidency a failure. Well, they haven't, and they never will. History will report that the Bush Administration lied to get us into Iraq, and deserted essentially the men serving in Afghanistan. They had no interest in ever getting Bin Laden, and they viciously imprisoned many people who were literally SOLD into rendition and those put in Gitmo. There were probably some bad people they caught along the way, but it's the relatively innocents who were abused and subjected to horrible mistreatment. I don't blame some of them for getting a release from Bush, returning home, and then the rage and indignities they suffered caused them to become the very kind of people they hadn't been before we took away their freedom and abused them. Some of us - had we been treated the same way knowing we were innocent - would no doubt have felt the same way. Bush & Cheney were total failures. Cheney was by far the worst, but we all paid for it because it was done with our tax dollars, and done in our names as Americans. I sorely RESENT that. And all of you should feel the same way. President Obama should have been given the respect any President deserves while serving as our Commander-in-Chief. But these old, white bigots who love war more than they want peace and the good things for our America don't give a tinker's damn about us. It's been all about greed and extreme power. I'd like to be a fly on the wall when they die and have to account for their atrocities.
#6
Sometimes, less is more. Your post seems to cover it all with plenty of thunder included. They deserve it.
#7
The link below will really shed some light on how Mitch went along with his obstructionist plans regardless of Obama's opening remarks before the meeting began. i.e., he passed it off and let others do his speeking for him rather than speek for himself. He was sure to let what Obama said in one ear and out the other if you know what I mean.
2010 Coverage-of-the-bipartisan-meeting-on-health-care-reform
Thom, you really did a good job of covering your below quote from this article in the you tube video you did a while back... for those who missed it or did not see it, the link below will take you to it along with others Thom did.
" Make no mistake about it: it’s no coincidence that Eric Cantor and Kevin McCarthy - tried and true members of the Caucus Room conspiracy - both have now held the position of House Majority Leader. Republicans may seem divided right now - but there’s one thing that always unites them: electing a leader who will sabotage the Obama presidency. - See more at: http://www.thomhartmann.com/blog/2014/06/caucus-room-conspiracy-alive-and-well#sthash.cYp2MmGa.dpuf "
#8
I heard Thom Hartmann say we as world need to change from a consumption based economy. But didn't say to what that would be. At that I would happen to agree and let it stew in my mind. People are placid when their lives are mostly unaffected by poverty and are willing to give to those less fortunate. And less when times are tough Its shown throughout history to be true.
Capitalism versus Socialism and neither one has ever reached it true form with one being better. I don't think its one bit of difference if there was only one religion because there would still be those who by lack of proof of a god is there. Then thats where faith steps in and myself have tried to walk the fine line of yes and no as I think many others do. Its been a problem for the human race and all the variants of beliefs shows that. Mine is right yours is wrong or you're wrong. Ironic as it is most if not all predicate that we all give each other respect throughout all difference.
Perhaps its from our own unanswered curiosity that was to quench our thirst for what is or hope for our lives to end and the linear concept of life is. Though collective knowledge has created this and we look to something after this life. Hard to prove and even harder to disprove of a false negative or positive take your pick. Now I wish and hope the human race can come to the realization that we can all be different in what we do or not about our belief/s and not misconstrue it as faith or not.
And perhaps being the difference of not to be more evil collective. Now back to what the first thing was about a non consumption based economy. It will take us by storm when it comes as the human race evolves from a primitive self survival instinctual individual to a omnipresent one. Further to say this new world order will be one of peace as we see that we all benefit from the mere fact of logic as we conquer the past as we clearly see the options that have made us make the same mistakes that have cost us and all this world. Not as super humans but as it become to us as only logical that we have finally taken the path that will stop our own destructive behavior.
We will have robots that do the work and not just to make their benefit for monetary gain for a few as money itself will be vanquished as also the power it wields over others. It will certainty be a better world and this Earth a better place as we relish each others lineage and finally can all sit poolside with a cold drink in hand as soak up the rays from the sun.
So call me a dreamer, or a progressive thinker. But without dreamers we as a race would still have our asses parked in a smoky cave. So which are you star seeker or cave dweller? Its okay you don't need be one or the other because you are probable a bit of both. Ugh me see stars. Pick the second star to the right and straight till morning.
#9
Dreamweaver, that's a helluva dream you've woven. - AIW
#10
Dreamweaver-- I thought the New Deal and the Great Society demonstrated what a good set of economic policies could do. I think trying to call that set of policies a name, like capitalism or socialism, is superfluous.
#11
AIW -- This is a special kind of insurance. It is called the Price-Andersen Act. It just says that the nuclear industries are not liable for all the horror they put on the land.
#12
Horrors.
#13
I would say true capitalism would be total independence not relying on anyone else like a lone wolf. Total socialism is like a ant hill. All working toward the better of the many and not the few who benefit. Each has its shortcomings.
#14
I'll take socialism, shortcomings and all. Humans did not evolve to live like "lone wolfs"; even WOLVES don't live like that! - AIW
#15
Why does everyone cast the economic policy as socialist or capitalist? The New Deal and The Great Society were neither; they were a combination plus more. The economy under their policies was the best the world had ever seen. Roll back reaganomics and a couple years of Jimmy Carter and we will return to those days. I think that the economy of 1978 would be a good place to start improving our current economy.
#16
Chuck, I've no reason to doubt anything you say. But I'm still a socialist. And need I remind you that we've never had universal, guaranteed healthcare in this lame-ass country? Back in 1978, I needed a lot more healthcare than I do now, and keeping my MediCal benefits was like pulling teeth. Granted, the economy was much stronger back then. But I have to ask, by what measure do you claim our economy was the best the world has ever seen? Isn't that stretching it just a bit? How was it better than France's, or Germany's or Norway's, where the standard of living is so much greater than here and people live longer, healthier lives? In those countries working people are guaranteed sick leave, maternity leave and VACATIONS. I don't recall a time when we've ever had that here.
I realize this is only scratching the surface, Chuck. But you've made this assertion repeatedly and now I'm challenging it. - AIW
#17
AIW -- You win the grand prize. I keep saying how great the economy is under certain policies, and no one ever asks me how I can say that. Thom is always saying that, but I thnk he is just using the GDP and its growth. When I say the economy is great I am referring to the metrics that Larry Beinhart uses. The metrics he uses are the GDP plus the DOW, the median wage (adjusted for inflation) and number of workers In order to determine the effectiveness of a policy, I think one has to look at the rate of change in each of these metrics. Incidentally, median wage usually includes sick leave, maternity leave and vacations. I so much wanted to state all these things but no one ever asked.
I think when Thom says it was the greatest economy the world has ever seen, I think he means up to that time.
Robert Reich in his book "Aftershock" has a plot of median wage vs productivity, Median wage tracks productivity until raygun comes into office, then productivity keeps increasing and the median wage flattens. If we had kept the policies of the New Deal and the Great Society in place, it would seem that we would be far ahead of all those European countries.
#18
Chuck, the reason I keep mentioning healthcare is because access to healthcare is one of the great equalizers, way up there with education. When healthcare is available to everyone, universally and unconditionally, the accompanying, unspoken message is that everyone's life has value regardless of each person's status in society or how much money they possess. Neither the New Deal nor the Great Society achieved that. If I recall correctly, Rooseveldt tried including single-payer heathcare in the New Deal, but it was shot down by Republicans. (Sound familiar?) The so-called Great Society did not even attempt to make healthcare a universal right for American citizens. Meanwhile in the European countries and Japan, healthcare has been a right of citizenship at least since World War Two.
The lack of universal, non-profit healthcare has always weakened this economy, putting us at a disadvantage as competitors on the world stage. This makes it very difficult for me to wrap my mind around the idea that, at any point over the past century, our economy was as great as you and Thom have claimed. It simply defies logic. I'm sure that if the New Deal policies had remained intact, and those of the "Great Society", we'd be in much better shape than we are today. But without this healthcare issue resolved, we still couldn't make such a claim. "Far ahead" of all those European countries?! I don't think so. Healthcare extortionists are sucking the life out of us and our economy. Until that changes, this whole notion of the U.S. "leading" the world is nothing but a pipe dream. Metrics don't mean all that much to me. It's quality of life that counts, not metrics, in my realm of reality.
Anyway Chuck, all that aside, I want to thank you for such a gracious response. It showed a lot of class. I know how strongly you feel about the policies of yesteryear. I wish we could have them reestablished, along with the old tax system. Like you, I've seen our quality of life take a radical nose dive over these past several decades, especially since Nixon's presidency. Reagan only accelerated the downward spiral. This blog has helped me hang onto my sanity over the past year & a half, and I really appreciate it. - AIW
#19
AIW -- I think that metric thing might be a male thing. You want everyone to have healthcare, I want a 100% of the people to have healthcare.
It seems to me that medicare was a step towards universal healthcare. I think one of the proposals while it was being created was to lower the eligibility age every five years or so.
I am not so much in love with the "New Deal" and "Great Society" as I like to compare their real world results to that of reaganomics.
Thom's Blog Is On the Move
By webmaster
Hello All
Thom's blog in this space and moving to a new home.
Please follow us across to hartmannreport.com - this will be the only place going forward to read Thom's blog posts and articles.
Images of Thom
From Screwed:
"If we are going to live in a Democracy, we need to have a healthy middle class. Thom Hartmann shows us how the ‘cons’ have wronged this country, and tells us what needs to be done to reclaim what it is to be American."
From The Thom Hartmann Reader:
"Thom Hartmann is a creative thinker and committed small-d democrat. He has dealt with a wide range of topics throughout his life, and this book provides an excellent cross section. The Thom Hartmann Reader will make people both angry and motivated to act."
From The Thom Hartmann Reader:
"With the ever-growing influence of corporate CEOs and their right-wing allies in all aspects of American life, Hartmann’s work is more relevant than ever. Throughout his career, Hartmann has spoken compellingly about the value of people-centered democracy and the challenges that millions of ordinary Americans face today as a result of a dogma dedicated to putting profit above all else. This collection is a rousing call for Americans to work together and put people first again."
As further support Thom should keep repeating the 390 filibusters against Obama. LBJ had 1 filibuster.