Rachel blasts Blue Dog Dems on the GI bill
Listen: Rachel blasts Blue Dog Dems on the GI bill
RACHEL MADDOW: The Blue Dog Democrat caucus is a caucus of conservative democrats, in Congress. There are 47 of them. And you know how we reported yesterday that republicans were throwing procedural votes, procedural roadblocks in the way of the new G.I.. bill? Well they are. They are doing that. But the republicans are not the reason why we don't have a new G.I. bill passed yet. We do not have a new G.I. bill passed yet. Because of the Blue Dog Democrats. Because the caucus of conservative democrats. They have decided that they don't want to go along with getting this passed.
I'm so mad i could spit.
The argument from the blue dogs, the argument from that is that they can't possibly pass a G.I..bill to give college benefits to vets coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan because the costs aren't offset elsewhere in the budget. It would actually be an increased cost to the U.S. government to provide college benefits to vets – yes it would. That’s the idea. that we're promising vets that we'll pay for college for them, like we did after World War II, but in the past couple of decades, the value of what we're offering them has degraded to the point where American G.I. bill benefits are essentially meaningless now.
The whole point of the new G.I. bill is that the benefits will once again become meaningful benefits again, like they were for World War II vets –like even they were for Vietnam vets. And yes, making the benefits meaningful – means an increased expenditure on our vets. That is true.
The Blue Dog Democrats, every one of whom has supported infinite spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, despite the fact that that spending wasn’t offset anywhere else in the budget. Every one of them who’s an enthusiastic funder of the war, as best as I can tell. The Blue Dog Democrats who haven't made peep one about funding, say, the two hundred billion dollars of war funding that's on the table right now. The Blue Dog Democrats are drawing the line, saying we're happy to ram as much money as Bush and the republicans ever ask for into the Pentagon. But when it comes to a little money for veterans affairs? When it comes to a little money for paying benefits to our veterans who are fighting these wars they're enthusiastically funding?
That's the place they want to draw the line and claim fiscal responsibility.
These are Democrats.
Conservative Democrats. Who are the reason we do not have a new G.I. bill even though it's got huge majority support. I called my friend Paul Reickoff today to ask him about the status of the G.I. bill because I knew that the planned vote on it yesterday had been delayed. I asked him how it was going, in terms of trying to get it passed; he said he spent the entire day today on the phone, one by one with the Blue Dog Democrat. It is not the Republicans who are stopping it, it’s the rightwing Democrats. They're against the G.I. bill because it's too expensive but they're totally fine with borrowing from China every cent that they're enthusiastically dumping into fighting the war. They're happy to pay anything to create combat veterans. But not to make good on our promises to them once they're home.
I actually don't know if I’m more angry at the Blue Dog Democrats over this? Or at the Democratic leadership for being so incompetent and weak and pointless that they can't control the members of their own party enough to get something like this through. Give me a wish list for Democratic leadership, and I honestly would not make a wish between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for president, I sure as heck would wish for Harry Reid and even Nancy Pelosi, to take a real quick ride into the sunset back to the backbenches. I want Russ Feingold for senate majority leader. And I want anyone better than NancyPelosi at enforcing some discipline and getting things done and controlling the Blue Dog Democrats in the House when need be to be speaker. Argh.
- FILED UNDER: Campaigns, Democratic Party, Military
- May 12, 2008
Freudian slip?
Billy Bubba's coming to Eugene today to stump for his old lady. The press fliers claim the event will be at the Erb Memorial Union, but the map
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/actioncenter/event/view/?id=14344
shows it to be a block or two further south: at the Pioneer Cemetery. Obamaniac-sabotage, or sub-vocalized admission of defeat? You be the judge.
"You measure democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not by the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists"--Abbie Hoffman
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By capn_crustyMay 12, 2008 - 1:39pmTen bucks says that Bill ...
... will be wearing Nikes.
:winky:
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By chemgirlMay 12, 2008 - 1:46pmGotta love...
...that "free trade", eh?
:cheese:
"You measure democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not by the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists"--Abbie Hoffman
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By capn_crustyMay 12, 2008 - 1:57pmDemocrat?
Aren't Democrats for increased veteran support? Aren't Democrats usually ok with increased spending when the benefits are high and off-set the cost? It seems they are more than ok with pouring my money into Iraq, but not in taking care of the people who are fighting over there when they return home. Maybe when the Republicans start calling them asking them to support this the light bulb in their head will go off. I am ashamed my taxes are supporting more troops going over there when we cannot provide the adequate care they deserve when they return home. So much for Democrats being for social programs that help our citizens, oh Southern politics...
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By Bclinton21May 12, 2008 - 3:49pmBarack The Vote!
How Obama Will Cave On Florida And Michigan
It takes a village to have an idiot - Actor212
2007 Weblog Awards Winner
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By actor212May 12, 2008 - 3:51pmBy actor212 May 12, 2008 - 3:51pm
You mean Obama is gong to let her cheat after all?
Don't let Hillary and her DLC style campaign anywhere near Obama's campaign against McCain. We don't ned anymore boring, wooden candidates like the last two put up by the democrats. At least Al Gore has come to life and seems like himself again.
And keep James Carville and his wife away from the Obama campaign too.
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By f u bush2May 12, 2008 - 6:42pmA little over the top
Though normally I tend to fully agree with Rachel, I thought she went a little too far this time. The GI Bill is not dead from what I understand, it will be taken up this coming week. Rachel also did not just blast the Blue Dogs, she blasted Nancy Pelosi as well. That was uncalled for. What should the Speaker have done? Brought the bill up so it could be defeated? No matter how wrong the Blue Dogs are, that would be silly; not to mention counter-productive. Rachel assailed the Speaker and Leader Reid's leadership qualities because they weren't quashing the Blue Dogs. We don't need another Tom DeLay known as "The Hammer", who literally twisted people's arms off to get them to vote his way. Pelosi and Reid are far from perfect, but at least they lead (mostly) rather than rant and bully.
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By mealyMay 12, 2008 - 4:14pmCLINTONS
DEAR RACHEL, WHY HASN'T ANYONE REMEMBERED BILL CLINTON SAYIING SEVERAL TIMES DURING 2004 CAMPAIGN , " I LIKE THEM BOTH' [BUSH AND KERRY} ?I HAVE HEARD MSNBC FOLKS SAY THE CLINTONS WERE THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY'SGREAT SUPPORTERS. BILL CLINTON AND EGO WERE PUT BEFORE OUR WINNING IN '04. NOT IN THEIR PLAN TO HAVE DEM. IN WHITE HOUSE IN 2004. CLINTON WAS BUSY WITH BUSH SR. AND ENJOYING THE LIME LIGHT . {MA BUSH CALLING HIM SON}, MAKING MILLIONS FROM SPEECHES FOR BIG CORPS..YES THE CLINTONS HAVE EXPERIENCE, KNOW LOBBYISTS BY FIRST NAMES, OWE THEM FOR THEIR WEALTH TO FINANCE HER OWN CAMPAIGN. HILLARY CLOSING HER FIRST LADY'S PAPERS UNTIL 2012. THINK. LUCY FROM N. C..
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By SBINGONANA5May 12, 2008 - 4:52pmBy SBINGONANA5May 12, 2008 - 4:52pm
There's no need to yell...
Support the Troops
End the Occupation
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By Guy FawkesMay 12, 2008 - 6:12pmagreement
I agree with you, Lucy. And there is so much more that I have learned about the Clinton's through research over the last 8 months. Too much of the same old dirty politics going on between that couple. Not to mention what seems to be a sense of entitlement. The Clinton's do indeed seem Republican lite to me. Maybe I'm wrong but it seems that Rachel prefers Hillary. Her right, of course, but I guess that I am surprised by that!
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By kjboy27May 12, 2008 - 9:02pmAre we to the point where we get corporate sponsors of weapons?
I'm expecting Nike Nukes any day now.
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By f u bush2May 12, 2008 - 6:43pmFeel better, Susan!
Feel better, Susan!
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By trinarissaMay 12, 2008 - 7:27pmStop the "You have to win this state to win in November" meme!
Rachel, I'm sick to death of the apples-and-oranges "You have to win {name of state} if you want to win in November" nonsense. It's political FUD meant to confuse voters and coerce them into making a choice they don't want to make.
This was illustrated very elegantly in a blog that I read some time ago:
As a founding member of Chocoholics Anonymous, I can tell you that even though I like broccoli, there is no way I'd pick broccoli over either brownies or chocolate chip cookies, no matter how much fudge sauce you pour over it!
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By 1BQMay 12, 2008 - 7:41pmWHMP
From a mid-90s Smith alum -- WHMP = wimp radio. Many apologies -- my pals and I were young and stupid. Or would that be stoopid?
;-)
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By chemgirlMay 12, 2008 - 8:54pmAm I the only one still
Am I the only one still waiting for todays show to appear?
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By patrickhayesMay 13, 2008 - 12:04amYou're not the only one
No Today's show blog, no podcast. There was a clip posted, so there must have been a show. Looks like TRMS went home and forgot to leave it for us.
:(
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By NJSharonMay 13, 2008 - 1:06amShow no-show
It's 7:30 central time and I'm still waiting for the podcast.
Then again, there's been no mention of Israel's role in the Iraq war on TRMS and I've been waiting for THAT for much longer. :-)
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By rblissittMay 13, 2008 - 8:34amnope
There are a lot of barstools in Manhattan. I imagine that under one of them is the intern who is supposed to be putting tonight's podcast online. Should we organize a search party / pub crawl?
Seriously, they're usually pretty good about getting them posted before [my] bedtime. So I don't mind these occasional lapses too much.
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By wsmMay 13, 2008 - 1:09amWhere's my TRMS?
It's 8:04 a.m. eastern and no podcast. How am I supposed to get any work done if I don't have TRMS to listen to while I sort through the crud on my desk?
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By daz621May 13, 2008 - 8:04amPodcast ol' reliable
Green960
http://green960.com/cc-common/podcast/single_podcast.html?podcast=maddow...
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By chemgirlMay 13, 2008 - 8:51amPodcast
Thanks for the link, chemgirl. Reassuring to know I'm not the only addict.
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By the real dr lauraMay 13, 2008 - 11:55amIt's about time the left started getting off their butts
So.
I'm a combat-wounded, disabled VietNam Veteran. One who came home and protested. One who has had the benefit of seeing how the politics has changed over the last 30 years, and let me tell you, it hasn't changed one little bit; at least the part of why wars are waged and who fights, who makes money, who are a bunch of gasbags sitting on the sidelines, and who gets off their asses and does something about it. This time around, we have literally ZERO people under the age of 40 doing anything about it. Instead we have a whole lot of gasbags.
When Congress tried to ignore the Veterans after the American Revolution, the Vets pointed their muskets at the Congressman through the windows of the Capital Building.
When Congress and the President tried to ignore the Veterans after WW1, The Bonus Army invaded DC with 100's of thousands of people and set us a tent city for months.
When the true story of Vietnam wasn't being told by the press, the Veterans spoke up and demonstrated.
Now we have Iraq. And where are the protests?
The only protests I see are put on consistantly by my Generation. Fifty and sixty-year-olds, on street corners with signs, raising hell, and doing something.
What we do have are a bunch of gasbags, sitting on the sidelines, a safe distance from making any changes. (And you wonder why the neocons are eating your lunch, you income, your constitutional rights, and your lives!)
BUT YOU DON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!
\You sit at your keyboard and piss and moan. The worst are the radio commentators like Maddow, Hartman, Schultz, Seder and the rest. Where's their BRASS? It must be nice to sit behind a microphone, get paid hundreds of thousands, and do nothing more than pass hot air.
Why aren't you in the streets, like we were in the 70's? Why aren't you DOING something?? I can tell you why: You're cowards. You're cowards, not because none of you have served, but because you don't do anything to move the cause forward.
We changed the world in the 60's and 70's. We stood-down the war machine. We made the bankers back away. We put the congress on notice and they changed.
But let's look at today:
This generation is too fat, lazy, uneducated, and don't care enough that their lives and their rights are being turned into worthless abiss. That's okay with them; as long as the limit on their credit cards keeps increasing, they can watch American Idol or some other mindless nonsense.
Yes indeed, if you want to blame anyone and any one thing for this mess, take a look in the mirror. If you ain't taking it to the streets, you is part of the problem; which means you are no less guilty than the neofascists running this war, our economy, and what's left of our government.
Get real with yourself. You're not fooling any of us who actually answered the cause before. If you're waiting for us to do it for you again, don't hold your breath. It's time your generation grew up and stood up. (I'd lay odds you don't have the balls for it.)
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By RichardTheSecularMay 15, 2008 - 7:40pmSo Who Are They?
You're ranting about how bad this is; why aren't you listing them and organizing everyone reading your hot air to rally and flood their offices with phone calls?
Of course not, ..... you'd rather sit back, take little-to-no risk, make your huge paycheck and for some reason feel good about yourself. Go figure. Pretty gutless.
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By RichardTheSecularMay 15, 2008 - 7:44pmTotally Agree
Just listened to this clip and I agree with Rachel 100%. Being an Independent, I can't believe either side of the isle would block such a bill. Maybe someone should just earmark the funding for vets into any available bill. This disgusts me because I have friends over there and family who are vets.
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By zeeroeffortMay 16, 2008 - 3:23am