Lean Left

Must be something in the water up on Capitol Hill today. Two (count ‘em . . . two!) Democrats actually took a stand for something, and used the GOP’s own tactics to call out their hypocrisy and mean-spiritedness.

It can’t last, of course. But, hell, even the Cubs win a game once in a while.

No Funds for Faux News

Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern responds to the Republican bill to prohibit funding for NPR, because one employee correctly called the Tea Party “xenophobic”, by calling for the same treatment for the GOP’s bought-and-paid-for full-time media sycophancy:

Over the past several years, it has become clear that the Fox News channel is wildly biased. They continue to employ a talk show host who called President Obama a racist. They continue to employ several prospective Republican Presidential candidates as “analysts,” giving them hours and hours of free air time. And their parent company has donated millions to GOP-linked groups. My amendment would prohibit federal funds – taxpayer dollars – from being used for advertising on the partisan, political platform of Fox News.

No Tax Increases for Women’s Healthcare

Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz notes that the GOP’s vicious plan to destroy abortion access by prohibiting any coverage for abortion even through private funding, and to eliminate standard healthcare tax deductions only for abortion services, including all premiums for all care under any health plan that even offers abortion coverage, is a tax increase targeted specifically at women who demand complete reproductive healthcare, and their families. (Since the Republicans care only about taxes and not at all about women, this is what it takes to get their attention.) If the GOP is so strongly against all tax increases, this one ought to be off the table also.

This is nothing short of a tax increase, I mean we have to call it exactly what it is. The Republicans are proposing a tax increase on all women because in their anti-women legislation H.R.3, they would take away the tax benefit from all small businesses if their health insurance offers abortion coverage which 87 percent of them do. So essentially they are saying if you are a small business owner and you offer your employees insurance and that policy covers abortion, then you will not be able to benefit from the tax credits that the Affordable Care Act allows you and also that you can already take by offering insurance to your employees.

It’s outrageous. The Republicans are maintaining and proponents of this legislation are maintaining that all they are doing is codifying the status quo and prohibiting federal funding of abortions. This legislation goes much further. It reaches deep into the personal lives of all American women, of all small business owners and twists the Republican nose into the business of people who need insurance and also small business owners who want to provide coverage for their employees.

It’s good to see some Democrats finally taking a stand, and willing to use the enemy’s tactics to hold them accountable.

More, please.

[UPDATE: Fixed Rep. Wasserman Schultz's name.]

UPDATE: Priorities: Car Talk First, Nuclear Meltdown . . . When We Get Around to It

NY Rep. Anthony Weiner brings the snark:

“What a relief. I’m glad we got the economy back going. I’m so glad we secured our nuclear power plants. So glad Americans are going back to work,” he said. “We discovered a target we can all agree on…it’s Click And Clack.”

When I said “more, please”, that’s what I meant! Good job, Weiner. Keep ‘em coming.

UPDATE: The full text of Weiner’s speech is even funnier:

Let’s look at the record here.

For one, they talk in that Boston accent. Cah tawk? It’s a car. It’s a car, ladies and gentlemen. I need to call Congresswoman Capuano whenever they’re on the air.

Secondly, they talk about master cylinders and slave cylinders. It’s kinky! And so I am glad my Republican friends are finally getting to the bottom of this.

And then with all the giggling and snorting they do every week on their show, it’s got to be some kind of a code. They’re clearly talking to the Russians or the Chinese or something with all that giggling and snorting. . . .

The Republican Party. No one can say they’re not in touch. They get it. They understand where the American people are. The American people are not concerned about jobs and the economy, what’s going on around the world.

They’re staring at their radio, saying get rid of Click and Clack.

Go read the whole thing. HT to Shakesville.