Transparency

[affrayer]

Source: Think Progress

Last night, without holding hearings, seeking “bipartisanship” or even scoring the legislation at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), House Republicans posted two separate 2-page bills repealing the entirety of the Affordable Care Act and promised to hold a vote on the measures on Wednesday, January 12th. The Rules Committee will meet as early as Thursday of this week and could vote on the rules for considering the legislation on Friday.

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/2011/01/04/repeal-spending/

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I don't know if you remember but before Health Care Reform was passed this nation held a one year public debate in which there were hundreds of town hall meetings. The path to passage was long and arduous with the republicans trying every underhanded trick in the book to block it's enactment. Hundreds of amendments were proffered in both Houses by the republicans with the sole goal of undermining that legislation.

AND IT WAS ALL DONE IN PUBLIC!

But this didn't stop the republicans from offering their final insult too and assault on sanity, they accused the democrats of rushing this through congress in secrecy.

So is it any surprise that one of the first acts of the republicans is to proceed under the cloak of night, in total secrecy, to repeal Health Care Reform? Attempting to lock the democrats completely out of the process!!!

The thing I really really really don't understand is why those who continue to vote for republicans refuse to disbelieve the lies regardless of the truth. It's bad enough that they blindly vote for the same lying right wingers every two years but they also repeat the crap their republican puppet masters feed them...and it is 100% pure crap!

[WingDinger]

1. We dont grandstand, just for drama

[affrayer]

5. You call such blatant hypocrisy Grand Standing?

If you read the article you'll also note that the republicans have also abandoned several other clauses of their new "Constract On America!"

Are you proud?

[WingDinger]

14. Their repeal of HCR is a joke. Simply grandstanding.

[affrayer]

16. Are you laughing yet?

I thought the tax cuts for the wealthy was a joke...do you see me laughing now?

Want to hear a joke? Better than 60% of the country thought the tax cuts for the wealthy was a bad idea but the democrats still rolled over and played dead. With a track record like that, what do you think is going to happen to health care?

[WingDinger]

22. The joke is on Issa.

He has had to walk back EVERY stupid thing he threatened. And the American people dont like idiots. He is going to get a tiger by the tail. And likely get the GOP to be considered a laughing stock. Especially after Clinton. And their intention to do nothing but oppose Obama for the next two years.

[affrayer]

23. He's just shut up and the ring nuts will forget he's an idiot.

He has had to walk back EVERY stupid thing he threatened.

Seriously, I can't tell the difference between republican threats and republican promises, they both seem to be worthless.

But this doesn't stop republicans lining up and announcing in Congress one after another that tax cuts for the wealthy creates jobs. So where's the jobs they created over the last ten years?

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. For info: LBN rules require you to use the title of the news article you link to and quote

"Transparency" tells us nothing whatsoever about news, anyway.

You can edit the title for another 50 minutes or so.

[affrayer]

6. I know...

1) The format requested "Source" so I did provide the link and the source.

2) The title referred to another aspect of the republican perfidy, pledge to justify new legislation, and not the issue of transparency.

3) The republicans are about to engage in a massive "steam roller" assault which is something they complained about bitterly throughout the last four years but something they mastered under Bush Jr! I thought that was the real story.

[EFerrari]

3. It wasn't all done in public.

The White House met with industry insiders in private and they also excluded single payer advocates from semi-public meetings.

[affrayer]

7. True, but....

Everything that was discussed in those private meetings was eventually open to debate.

The republicans had plenty of time to discuss, debate and offer hundreds of amendments to EVERY wrinkle and nook and cranny of the bill. And at the hundreds of town hall meetings, so did the public.

[EFerrari]

9. Well, no, everything wasn't open to debate.

That's why first single payer and later, public option advocates were frozen out.

[affrayer]

12. You're kidding, right?

That's why first single payer and later, public option advocates were frozen out.

Both of those issues were heavily debated both in Congress and publicly.

Here's just opne example: http://www.pnhp.org/news/2009/august/house_vote_on_single.php">House vote on single payer will be historic first, doctors' group says

[EFerrari]

17. No, I'm not kidding, right. And just because a vote is taken

doesn't mean a debate was had -- which is your point in the first place.

[affrayer]

20. But what about reality?

doesn't mean a debate was had

The debate went on for over a year...maybe it wasn't on FAUX News but the rest of the world watched it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YA3OKVBCvE

[savalez]

4. Well said affrayer.

Who knows? I guess it's just plain ol' fear politics that keeps them voting against their own best interests.

[affrayer]

8. Must be...

I guess it's just plain ol' fear politics that keeps them voting against their own best interests.

This has gone far beyond "best interests." I'm beginning to think that republicans are masochistic...just look how they damamged the country under Bush Jr.

[freshwest]

11. affrayer, I believe it's not masochism on their part. The ones that are doing this, that is.

Their followers aren't much different. If they can find one body to stand on top of and feel superior, they don't care whose it is.

[affrayer]

13. I can understand once...

If they can find one body to stand on top of and feel superior, they don't care whose it is.

We are talking about eight straight years of undermining the integrity of the country under Bush Jr and another two stonewalling the democrats from taking care of business. That's ten years and in all that time those that vote republican never caught on they were hurting the country? At some point the excuses just don't work.

[freshwest]

18. From what I've seen, they have an entire culture supporting all of it.

No matter what bad thing happens, they have a finger to point at some other groups. When extremely bad things happen, they point to the Bible and call it the end of the world.

And they are constantly reinforced on the idea that if they just hold faithful to their conservative religion, they will be rewarded in the after life and all the ones they despised will be punished. It's pretty complicated.

One thing that gives me hope is that maintenance of this alternative reality in their heads still requires 24/7 media mantras in all venues. It's out there, on cable TV, radio airwaves and internet radio. On all internet websites, the ads that only offer there range of answer. They also go to liberal or progressive websites and troll and hack to stop Democrats from talking to each other. Nothing is too low.

That's why the GOP has attacked the fairness doctrine and all things that require some form of truth and alternative views being offered for people to use that data and make informed decisions. Th mass media did not cover the FCC hearings when people took their time to come and make just arguments against more media consolidation. Suppression of information is the GOP's biggest tool.

Yet people who turn away from it in nausea, wake up. But for those who refuse to surrender their daily fix of fear they are addicted to, no amount of suffering affects them.

Until they lose everything, even rejected by their better off 'peers'at their church when they lose their jobs and homes and have to move. Just the market at work, you know. Then the lights suddenly turn back on and the bondage is broken. It's just that after all that time and chaos, they still require years to think clearly.

IMHO from what I've seen personally.

[affrayer]

19. All it takes is 51% of the voters...

No matter what bad thing happens, they have a finger to point at some other groups.

It's the republican standard operating procedure. Not only do they blame everyone else for their failures but they are quick to claim credit for other people's successes as well. The economy is beginning to pick up. Just you watch, in another month of two the republicans will hit the air waves explaining how it was their doing...

The real problem is that those who are dumb enought to vote for the republicans, are also dumb enough to believe them...we have entered the age of the Dumbocracy!

And they are constantly reinforced on the idea that if they just hold faithful to their conservative religion...

And why not? The republicans need some dumb excuse for taking credit so why not God? Why is the economy recovering? Not because of Obama's and the democrat's job bills or their stimulus bill, but because God likes the republicans...it works for the stupid!

One thing that gives me hope is that maintenance of this alternative reality in their heads still requires 24/7 media mantras in all venues. It's out there...

But only for those who dig for it. Those couch potatoes who watch crap like FAUX News are never going to know the truth, NEVER!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/17/fox-news-viewers-are-the-_n_798146.html">Fox News Viewers Are The Most Misinformed: Study

[freshwest]

10. affrayer, love your spirit!

No hearings, typical GOP! They did it all the time to cut Medicare to shreds while they had control of the House last time.

Midnight meetings to change the rules at the end of the year. Every year, the healthcare in Medicare and Medicaid was slashed due to their ideology and bigotry, costing lives.

You explained the differences in the parties perfectly and just how much the GOP disrespects every aspect of the 'democratic with a little d' process and the people who put in so many hours to make the ACA happen.

While we were bitterly disappointed the public option didn't happen due to blue dogs and Republicans, it still paved the way the end of for-profit health care. IMHO, that is.

The GOPhers actions show they are throwing down the gauntlet to not only Obama, but to every single one of us. The Democrats say they will fight them.

They know there will be less energy resisting them on this moral issue, when millions are out of work. They intend to wring every drop of blood out of everything the majority wanted.

And as usual, the corporate media will not cover anything being done right by the Democrats. After all, they created the Tea Party and are reveling in the actions of their monster.

[affrayer]

15. Pretty much in sink...

No hearings, typical GOP!

It's so blatantly republican it boggles the mind and yet the main stream media doesn't care to comment on it. http://www.ospirg.org/home/reports/voting--civic-participation/voting--civic-participation/transparency.gov-2.0

The Democrats say they will fight them.

I'm not holding my breath...especially considering what just happened. It cost the country 800 billion dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy just to pass 4 billion in health benefits for the 9/11 responders. With that kind of "fighting" who needs surrender?

And as usual, the corporate media will not cover anything being done right by the Democrats.

I just read an article about the new governor of Florida. Seems he plead guilty to 14 counts of fraud and paid a 2 billion dollar fine and still got elected with the help of the main stream media...what a world, er?

[Cutatious]

21. First, they will have to repeal it before we will know what was in it.

/s

[affrayer]

24. You're a silly person

The bill is public law...if you wanted to know what was in it all you have to do is read it.