SquareState - Filibuster

What happens when a Democratic US Senator votes with the Bagmen instead of Voters who hired him

Zappatero — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 23:30:00 GMT

Republicans can and will get away with this stuff all the time. They get their base distracted with Moslemen and Guns and Gays and go about their merry way.

Democrats shouldn't put up with it from their side. And with the boom in social media our Democratic Representatives and Senators will be less likely to get away with this kind of garbage in the future.

If someone knows anyone in either Udall or Bennet's offices who gives a crap what the people say they should pass this Baucus tidbit on.

Stupidest Republican of the Day: Susan Collins says Newtown parents made her late for dinner

Zappatero — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 20:06:07 GMT

Oh, the Pampered Elites who deign to care for their constituents - Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine is so put upon haing to do just that:

"I was 45 minutes late for dinner with the president of the United States," she said.
"Everybody was seated when I got there, because I spent time talking to the parents and the family members of those who were killed at Newtown. I told them I had a dinner with the president but that I was deliberately being late."
According to Politico's Mike Allen, she lamented:
The Newtown families were VERY late for their meeting with me. I felt a moral obligation to talk with them. I kept the president of the United States waiting. I mean, how rude is that of me? But I explained to him later that the reason I was 45 minutes late for his dinner was the Newtown families were late -- very late -- getting to my office, and I just could not leave without talking to them. And he was very gracious about it.

We should all be so grateful that these superior humans, our Superiors, would take time out of their busy dinner schedules to speak to the lowly citizens who need their help.

Obama politicizing gun safety laws!!!!11!!1!

Zappatero — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 22:17:40 GMT

Of course, George W. Bush politicizing the attacks of 9/11 - for years following the event - was perfectly OK with Republicans and Conservatives and Warmongers and, not coincidentally, the NRA.

And Obstructionist, Radical Tea Party Republicans threatening to filibuster even further debate on any gun safety laws proposed since the mass slaughter at Sandy Hook is also OK with that same crowd.

Surprise, surprise: Republican Lies about Obama, Dems, Israel exposed, Part II

Zappatero — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:10:01 GMT

Republicans lie all the time.

Can you hear me now?

Republicans Lie all the Time about almost Everything.

Republicans lied about Obama and Israel in the last election. But guess which party sends the U.S. President to Israel more often to show our shared values and American's dedication to the security of Israel? Democrats:

Right-wing heads exploded as President Obama landed in the Jewish state for the second time since 2008 - and his first as President of the United States - for a visit that will culminate in a lavish state dinner thrown by the Israel government in his honor.
So much for hating Israel.
In fact, President Obama has visited Israel more times than Saint Ronald Reagan ever did, who clocks in at an astounding zero visits. I'm sure those summits with Michael Jackson took a lot out of the old gipper. And even Reagan's vice-president and successor, George H.W. Bush, also managed to totally avoid visiting Israel.

Americablog looks back further:

Counting by the numbers, it appears Democrats are in fact the most pro-Israel party. President Obama has visited twice. Jimmy Carter visited once. And Bill Clinton visited a record four times, while still finding time to balance a budget, create millions of jobs, preside over the most prosperous economic period since WWII, and stop fights between Buddy and Socks.
...
When you add it all up, over the past seventy years Democratic presidents have visited Israel 7 times, while Republicans have only visited 3 times.

So, Republicans lied about Obama, Democrats, America's support for Israel, and which party truly acts on those words of support.

It's the Democrats, not the lying Republicans, and it would bode well for our democracy if Democrats and the press both pushed back against the innumerable lies of Republicans, because both sides most definitely do not do it.

Part I here.

Surprise: Repubs lied about Israel and Obama. Israel rolls out Red Carpet, Award, Warm Welcome

Zappatero — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 18:00:08 GMT

Republicans basically lie all the time.

The fact that there is so little pushback, by both the media and Democrats, shame on both of them, lets these Professional Republican Liars think that their lies are OK, that no one cares, and that they can keep lying in perpetuity with no ramifications.

During the last election Republican lied about the relationship between the U.S. and Israel and President Obama's part in that relationship. The lies pretty much went unchallenged by the "fair and balanced" press:

WASHINGTON - Republican presidential candidates criticized US President Barack Obama's treatment of Israel during a debate in South Carolina Monday night ahead of a crucial GOP primary vote there this weekend.
"Our president has a foreign policy that makes our allies very nervous and emboldens our enemies," said Texas Governor Rick Perry. "There should be no space between the United States and Israel, period."
Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum also slammed Obama's policy toward Syria for endangering Israel.
"We should be much more aggressive in following through with policies that effectuate the removal of [President Bashar] Assad for the benefit of the Syrian people and for... their neighbor, Israel."

The primary intent of the Republican lies, besides of course slandering our president, was to drum up fear of Iran, make another war possible so War Profiteers could realize more war profits, and try to siphon off enough Jewish voters to help their obviously doomed candidate in the upcoming presidential election.

None of it really worked, but boy did they try?

So after all the lies from Republicans here comes the Obama trip to Israel with almost the exact opposite reaction from Israel as that desired by those determined Republican liars.

Israel rolls out the Red Carpet for Obama

Arriving In Israel, Obama Reaffirms An 'Unbreakable Bond'

Israel's gushing welcome for Obama

Netanyahu applauds Obama for unprecendented Security cooperation

Just remember folks: every time a Republican lies and no one says "boo", he thinks he can lie again with greater frequency are more hallucinatory words.

Bipartisan with these A**holes? Republican Senators try to repeal Affordable Care Act...again

Zappatero — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 19:04:00 GMT

The Radical Tea Party Republicans in the United States Senate will never heed the will of the people and will never acquiesce to the President's mandate:

Sen. Ted "Calgary" Cruz proved his relevance today with an amendment to the continuing resolution bill that will keep the government running after March 27. His amendment? What else.
Defunding Obamacare.
And he had the bright lights of the Senate GOP caucus with him. Even Mitch McConnell stood up in support of his amendment, along with the "savior" of the GOP Marco Rubio and a number of others.
What was the final vote? It failed, 45-52, and once again Republicans waste a whole lot of time failing to get rid of Obamacare.
And how much time did Ted Cruz waste with this?
More than half a day of Senate time.

Every minute wasted by Republicans, and allowed by Democrats, is a minute taken away from doing the real work Americans voted for this past November.

Democrats need to kill the filibuster and get on with the nation's business, with or without, and I'd much prefer without, the obstructionist foes they work with every day.

Same old same-old from DC Repubs: Filibuster hold for Hagel as Secretary of Defense!

Zappatero — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 22:33:50 GMT

This is the same old bipartisanship that Democrats always yearn for - a bipartisanship where Democrats give in and Republicans give nothing.

This is the same old Republican Party outsmarting the Democratic Party on a key issue - the filibuster.

This is the same old "strong-on-defense, up-or-down-vote Republicans cry about, but only when the issue suits them:

1. Republicans have spent weeks trashing Chuck Hagel as stupid, arrogant, non-responsive, unprepared, and inarticulate. And you know what? They're right! The last round of hearings were painful to watch. But really, how could Hagel not be all those things? He is a conservative Republican. Those are inherent traits in that breed. It's not as if Hagel is leading the way refusing to reveal more detailed personal finances.
So yes, I'm having fun Republicans trash a Republican. In fact, I don't think Republican on Republican violence will ever get old with me.
2. We get to say "I told you so" to Harry Reid and whatever Democrats were left who refused to sign on to genuine filibuster reform. Republicans can make all the promises in the world that they'll behave, but they won't. Not only are they assholes, but they're increasingly beholden to the Rand Paul/Ted Cruz crazy wing of their party who don't care about deals to behave nicer.
The only way to prevent such abuse of the system is to reform the system, require up-or-down votes on all nominations, including judicial. Because if a Democratic president can't get a conservative Republican nominated for the GOP's favorite Department, how do you expect Obama and Senate Democrats to confirm a Supreme Court justice to replace a theoretical Antonin Scalia retirement? (Sign the petition urging Reid to re-open filibuster reform.)
3. It's a win-win no matter what happens. If Hagel gets confirmed (which is still most likely), we have our Nixon-in-China opportunity to enact serious Pentagon reform. Who better to slash the defense budget than a conservative Republican? I actually have high hopes for a Hagel Pentagon. And if he doesn't get confirmed, we might get a legitimate Democrat replacement nomination, perhaps even Michele Flournoy, who would be the first woman to ever hold the position.

Democrats get outsmarted by Republicans and are the political chumps as the same playbook is used over and over and over by their political betters.

Thanks Harry Reid. Thanks Senate Dems. Thanks Democratic Consultants. You all suck!

SOTU: President Obama appeals to the better nature of his Republican Foes

Zappatero — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 03:16:31 GMT

Too bad they are mostly atavistic assholes.

Mitch McConnell has his wife defend Senate Republicans' Historic Obstructionism on CNN

Zappatero — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 16:35:56 GMT

I'm so glad Democrats decided not to reform the filibuster, because Republicans have seen the error of their ways and heard the voters and will be fully engaged in passing President Obama's Agenda -- NOT!!!

Love that librul media! On CNN's State of the Union, former Bush Labor Secretary Elaine Chao was busily blasting President Barack Obama's "far-left agenda" and claimed that he had not been as willing to work towards bipartisan solutions as Republican senators.
Oddly enough, CNN host Candy Crowley did not think it worth mentioning to viewers that Chao is married to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Wonder why?
During a panel segment on CNN's State of the Union, Crowley noted that Obama had accused Republicans of obstructionism and standing in the way of improving jobs and the economy.

It's the same old "both sides do it" tic that big time media can't seem to give up.

Both sides don't abuse the filibuster in historic numbers.

Both sides don't accuse the other side of failing to secure our embassies after cutting funds for securing our embassies.

Both sides don't accuse the administration of something that was cleared up weeks ago by the intel briefing they didn't attend.

Both sides don't thuggishly abuse one of their own, whom they previously praised, only because he is now supported by the other side.

There's a Sucker born every minute: Republicans will continue to abuse Unreformed Filibuster

Zappatero — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 17:58:51 GMT

US Senate Democrats, fearing the thought of actually leading the nation after Barack Obama's second mandate, decided that requiring 60 votes for everything was just fine with them.

Harry Reid decided to trust that lying snake Mitch McConnell just one more time.

And he decided to let Colorado's very own Michael Bennet continue to ignore the the Democratic party's core principles and the progressive candidates voters elected and is quite ok with having Bennet work towards an ever more conservative United States Senate:

Bennet, whose ProgressivePunch crucial vote score is 76.83, making him the 38th most progressive Democrat among the 55 in the Senate, although 9 are new and have no scores at all yet. Bennet's score puts him into the ranks of fearful, tepidly moderate conservatives like Mark Warner (VA), Kay Hagan (NC), Claire McCaskill (MO), Tom Carper (DE) and Mark Pryor (AR), a pretty putrid bunch, who often water down progressive proposals in committee, making them all but useless to working families fighting for their lives against corporate predators.
A deranged Austerity-freak (was that necessary, Howie? -z), Bennet voted against the "Fiscal Cliff" compromise because it didn't go far enough in doling out pain to working families for Bennet's tastes.
Staffers say the reason it took Bennet so long to decide whether to take the job-- a record three weeks that drove Washington media crazy-- was because he was negotiating a leadership platform that would promote moderate Democrats.

Bennet has decided, with Reid's ok, to work for exactly what voters did not just vote for.

With their cowardice on full display, then, is it any wonder Mitch McConnell will continue to abuse the filibuster and frustrate our democracy in the United States Senate?

No.

No sooner do Democrats cave on real filibuster reform, than Republicans get to work filibustering any hope of reining in Wall Street. Adam Serwer has the details.
There are just enough dinosaurs and recalcitrants in the Party to stop us from doing what is necessary. We're close, but we're not quite there. Until we get there, the GOP will continue to burn the country down in its effort to funnel more money into the pockets of the wealthy financial sector fat cats.

McConnell and the other Senate Republicans will do it all with the help of Harry Reid, who wants 60 votes for everything, and Moderate Republican Michael Bennet, who wants to restrain the influence of party liberals in the White House and on Capitol Hill and elect more moderate Democrats to the senate.

Way to screw your base again, guys.....

Thanks a lot, Harry! Tom Harkin of Iowa to retire

Zappatero — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 19:03:06 GMT

Harry Reid really f'd this one up:

CUMMING, Iowa - Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin says he will not seek re-election in 2014.
The 73-year-old Harkin tells The Associated Press in an interview, "It's just time to step aside," because by the time he would finish a sixth term, he would be 81.
Harkin said it would also allow a new generation of Democrats to seek higher office.
The announcement comes as a surprise, considering he had $2.7 million in his campaign war chest and was planning a fundraiser next month.
Harkin played a lead role in urging the Senate's more liberal members to back the 2010 health care bill.

One of the senate's most stand-up and principled progressives will be leaving at the end of this term. One less chance that any of Barack Obama's progressive goals - even though they are supported by majorities of Americans - will be achieved.

Thanks, Harry, and eff you too!

Is Mark Udall afraid of a Republican nominee for the Senate named John Elway?

Zappatero — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 19:25:07 GMT

Now that there is actual legislation they might have to vote on, both Colorado Senators Mark Udall and Mike Bennet are now uncommitted on an assault weapons ban:

WASHINGTON - A Democratic push to ban roughly 150 types of assault-style weapons Thursday has placed Colorado Sens. Michael Bennet and Mark Udall in a tough spot.
Neither Democrat has committed to supporting the legislation carried by their Senate colleague Dianne Feinstein of California, saying Thursday they want to study the proposal to make sure it aligned with Colorado values.
"The Second Amendment and a strong tradition of gun ownership, particularly for hunting and sporting, are a vital part of Colorado's heritage," Bennet said. "Just as strongly as we honor that tradition, we must do more to keep the wrong guns out of the wrong hands.

Both senators are the very definition of safe and bland. Wonder Bread meets Miracle Whip.

Aside from the fact that both senators have so far managed to evade most of their responsibility for the very jobs they were elected to, along with their spineless inaction on the highly abused filibuster, they have virtually guaranteed another 2-4 years of gridlocked senate.

Even before these (in)actions, both senators have worked specifically to negate the affects of liberal policies and progressive views on the body politic in Washington, DC:

Colorado's two freshman senators, Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, are part of a self-described centrist group of 15 Democrats meeting regularly "seeking to restrain the influence of party liberals in the White House and on Capitol Hill."

Even beyond that Senator Udall and Representative Polis are on the board of another do-nothing, milquetoast organization called Third Way.

Amidst the epic cowardice of Democrats like Udall and Bennet in DC, steps John Elway, local sports hero, dedicated Republican, and endorser of Mitt Romney, into the news with an interview about some of these very issues:

CNN's Piers Morgan shifted to the topic of gun violence. He mentioned the Aurora theater shootings and asked Elway his views.
"I'm still kind of waiting to hear both sides of it," Elway said. "I'm a gun owner and I'm a hunter and I enjoy that and I respect the Second Amendment."
Morgan asked about people owning "military-style rifles that can pump out 100 bullets a minute."
"I don't own a machine gun," Elway replied.
He said he didn't see a reason anyone would need one and said "that's the side I'm waiting to hear about."

Hmmmmmm, Elway sounds just like a senator.

Maybe that's what Mark Udall is afraid of.

Democracy Optional in the still broken US Senate

Zappatero — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 02:16:25 GMT

Sixty votes for everything is not quite what our founders had in mind:

The Senate just agreed, by a 78-16 vote, to the filibuster tinkering plan Harry Reid negotiated with Mitch McConnell. The bottom line is what Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) declared: It preserves the filibuster, and from the reformers' standpoint, doesn't make it much harder or much more painful.

Preserving the rights of an extremist minority is a complete rejection of the last election's outcome. The filibuster has been used to delay civil rights and preserve the privilege of the elites. The filibuster was an accident of rulemaking and never intended for daily use by our representatives. The filibuster has been used to abuse our democracy by both sides.

All Americans have the right to know what their senators think and how they are representing their constituents. The filibuster allows them to hide from democracy with the most anti-democratic tool available.

Underworked, Overpaid US Senate Democrats don't want to govern

Zappatero — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 22:02:37 GMT

Here's another view on Harry Reid's collapse into cowardice from FDL:

Millions of voters across the country gave Democrats a majority in the Senate this past November. They gave Democrats the power to fully govern the chamber. Democrats in the Senate were handed the ability to pass any bill they wanted and approve any nominee by President Obama they deem qualified.
Today the Senate Democratic caucus decided that is a duty they don't really want. Instead of truly reforming the Senate rules, the Democrats decided to adopt only a temporary bipartisan package of minor rules changes that are so inconsequential they are not even worth describing in detail.
The important thing is that Senate Democrats chose to leave in place a 60 vote threshold for everything.
Senate Democrats decided to give the Republican minority a veto over anything.
The party that lost the election was handed control of the most core function of a legislative chamber.
Senate Democrats took the power the voters gave them then quickly and decisively threw it away.
Every time Senate Republicans delay a vote, filibuster a bill, or stop the confirmation of a nominee it will happen because Democrats chose to abdicate their Constitutionally prescribed power.

Mike Bennet has whined quite loudly over the years about how broken the senate is, and he is correct, though lately he's seemed very comfortable in his well-paid and highly benefited position.

Mark Udall is co-chair of Third Way, just another organization that rejects liberal policies and undercuts progressive ideas at every chance. (Just saw that our fake progressive Jared Polis is also a co-chair.)

These guys will make over $1 Million dollars in salary by the end of their six-year terms. Yet the very job they must do is impossible with the standing rules they left in place. Did either Senator Bennet or Udall do anything to unbreak the anti-democratic, deadlocked US Senate? I really doubt it.

Our newly re-elected president laid out a progressive vision whose goal is to achieve the lofty ideals of our founding. The US Senate will be the place where those ideas go to die. And the fingerprints of senate Dems will be all over the corpse.

US Senate Dems gave a lifeline to a dying Replubican Party and its Lying Leader McConnell

Zappatero — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 13:31:53 GMT

UPDATE: Unapologetic Democratic Senator Tom Harkin from the radical state of Iowa explains the epic capitulation:

Harkin said of the leaders' filibuster plan. "It still will provide a system where people can filibuster and they don't even have to come here."
And that will make it virtually impossible for Obama to carry out his vision for his second term, Harkin argued.
"I said to President Obama back in August ... and I said to him the night before the election, I said to him, 'Look, if you get reelected, if we don't do something significant about filibuster reform, you might as well take a four-year vacation,'" Harkin said. "This is not significant."
The president is left with few options, Harkin added.

Proving the old adage that Democrats in the United States Senate never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity, today, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid agreed to a watered down set of rules that will allow Republicans to continue their historic obstruction of President Obama's agenda:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) are nearing a bipartisan deal to enact minor changes to the filibuster, two sources familiar with the negotiations tell TPM.
The deal, which is not yet final, makes very modest changes. It would permit the majority to bypass a filibuster on the motion to proceed to debate - if a group of senators on each side agree or if there's a guarantee that both sides will get to offer amendments, the sources said Wednesday evening.
[...]
The emerging agreement reflects the plan that Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Carl Levin (D-MI) put forth to avoid further-reaching filibuster reform that proponents wanted. But it tweaks some aspects to address Democrats' concerns that it would empower the minority to add poison pills to legislation.

Deadlock and delay was the Republican strategy the last few years.

That will continue.

Lies, broken deals and endless filibusters were their tools.

That will continue.

Republicans were smoked in the election, their policies rejected, their candidates beaten, their philosophy a hypcritical and unintelligible mess.

That will continue.

Yet, Democrats in DC still can't find the nerve to do what needs to be done; still can't find the guts to do what voters implored; don't have the instinct to lead this nation with principle and purpose.

That, too, will continue.

Senate Dem Harry Reid losing backbone (if he ever had one) on critical Filibuster Reform issue

Zappatero — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 18:40:49 GMT

National Democrats have been beaten down, insulted and intimidated, and outsmarted by Republicans and their wordsmiths for so long they've almost completely forgotten how to lead.

Even after President Barack Obama's second rousing mandate and the endorsement by majorities of voter for Democratic candidates and Progressive policies nationwide - except where Republicans have illegally gerrymandered voting districts, DC Dems are still having stomach problems:

They have NO GUTS.

And Democratic voters are having the same trouble with the fact that their leaders are afraid to lead.

It seems Democratic voters can't win for winning.

Now, everyone and their mother knows how anti-democratic, psychopathic Republicans have abused the filibuster in the US Senate and worked full-time to cause our Democratic president to fail. These efforts have hurt our economy and progress on many other issues. Republicans show no sign of stopping this abusive behavior: Senate R's killed the nomination of Susan Rice to be Secretary of State, and have taken a run a Chuck Hagel for Defense and Jack Lew for Treasury, have held up numerous judgeships, and have left the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco (ATF) vacant for six years. (Gee, I wonder why?)

It would be funny if it weren't so destructive, and if Democrats still didn't have an irrational urge to be "bipartisan" with the bunch of lying, cheating, whining, scheming bastards that are the United States Senate Republicans.

And now, Mitch McConnell must be whispering some disgusting proposals into Harry Reid's ear, because Reid is beginning to cave on the most critical issue of the next for years: whether our democracy will be allowed to function without the abusive obstructionism of Senate Republicans.

A Filibuster Reform To-Do List:

1. Contact your senator to tell him or her that you support filibuster reform and the end of the silent filibuster. Calling 1-888-717-0911 will connect you automatically based on where you call from. You can also find Senate contact information here.
Or call Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (202-224-3542) or Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell ( 202-224-2541) directly, and tell them where you stand.
(I just called Reid's office. I wouldn't waste any time on McConnell, he is a lying snake. -z)
2. Share graphics on your Facebook timeline letting your friends know that you support filibuster reform. Download graphics made by Fix the Senate Now at their website.
3. Follow #FixtheSenate tweets and send your own tweet with your position on the issue. Also, tweet any interactions or contact efforts you had with senators.
4. Link to or embed Fix the Senate Now's YouTube video.

And, of course, call both of our senators - their contact info is in the Square State banner up top - who are surely quaking in their boots at the thought of being bold and acting in a partisan way.

(And, OMG The Denver Post will phreak!!!!!!1111!!11!1)

I, frankly, am used to Democrats regularly caving in to Republicans and punching their dirty-fucking-hippie base, but if Democrats evade the moral responsibility of their mandate for another four years voters will reject them for at least another generation thereby allowing ALEC, the Koch Brothers, the NRA, and Grover Norquist to run this nation into a Rambo-style, survivalist-anarchist's dream.

And the Millionaires and Billionaires will laugh all the way to the banks protected by their gated walls knowing they had loyal legislators in the US Senate fighting for them tooth and nail.

Republican Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III (R-Confederacy) to Filibuster Obama SecTreas Nominee

Zappatero — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 20:07:17 GMT

And so another Obstructionist Republican spaketh:

"Jack Lew must never be secretary of Treasury."

This is a guy with whom our own Senators Udall and Bennet desire to be bipartisan with. Yet he, and most other Republican senators, act as if they will continue to filibuster anyone and anything proposed by Democrats or the President until the end of time.

Republicans must not be allowed to continue to frustrate the will of the people and condemn Obama's presidency to failure.

And further, if Dems don't act to prevent further Republican obstructionism in the U.S. Senate then they are giving Republicans carte blanche to do the same thing over and over again. And by refusing to act they show everyone that this kind of destructive, anti-democratic obstruction perpetrated by US Senate Republicans is just fine and dandy.

The only way to get DC moving is to reform the filibuster now.

Senate Republicans still threaten filibuster and more filibuster

Zappatero — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 19:09:53 GMT

As if we need any more reason to remove the filibuster option from obstructionist Republicans in the Senate, here are more Republicans, at a time of momentous issues related to our national security, threatening to filibuster President Obama's nominations to head both the Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of Defense.

The nominee to become Secretary of Defense is former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, who was on John McCain's short list for Vice Presidential nominees.

Broken US Senate: Repubs won't accept another Repub as Secretary of Defense

Zappatero — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 18:07:48 GMT

Republican United States Senators, in order to block everything our Democratic, African-American president does, are approaching sociopathic behavior disorders:

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-Confederacy) also attacked Hagel for opposing President Bush's troop surge in Iraq in 2007. "I'll have a hard time voting for anybody to be Secretary of Defense who believes that the surge was a foreign policy blunder," Graham said on CNN today.
But Graham also said during the same interview that he supports Sen. John Kerry's (D-MA) nomination as the next Secretary of State. "I respect him," Graham said of Kerry, adding, "I think he's a thoughtful man. I think he's in the mainstream."
But who else thought the Iraq surge was a bad idea? John Kerry (and Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama). And while it's unclear what effect Bush's surge had on the ultimate outcome of the war, one thing is clear: Graham's continued Iraq war boosting is way outside the mainstream, as a large majority of Americans think the war was not worth fighting.

A radical, obstructionist, right-wing Senator from the Confederacy is calling Chuck Hagel "out of the mainstream."

This proves the US Senate is broken and the filibuster must be reformed ASAP.

In two days Congress will prepare to pass the Obama Tax Cuts

Zappatero — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 19:00:53 GMT

Any negative economic repercussions from expiring unemployment benefits and unpaid government contracts will be entirely the fault of Republicans as we approach a new year, a new higher-paid undeserving congress (and many well-deserving federal employees), and the era of the Barack Obama tax cuts:

He had moved off his initial demands for revenue (once $1.6 trillion, now $1.2 trillion), agreed to entitlement reforms (reduced Social Security benefits) and already signed hefty spending cuts ($1 trillion as part of the Budget Control Act in 2011). For all that, he added, he was still waiting for Republicans to come closer to halfway.

Republicans don't want Billionaires to pay more taxes on anything over $250,000, even though they'll get that same cut on anything under $250,000, as though a Billionaire gives one hoot about that kind of chump change.

And that's the principle that Doug Lamborn, Scott Tipton, Cory Gardner and Mike "My health care works" Coffman are standing for.