Many currently in Congress ran on promises to tackle jobs and the budget.  Instead, they have taken on NPR and Planned Parenthood.  Many experienced Republicans have been frustrated by the newcomers who don’t seem to understand Washington protocol.  Republicans have ended up blocking Republicans. 

According to Washington Post  columnist Dana Milbank:

The lack of grown-up behavior is driving Americans to despair. In a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, only 26 percent said that they were optimistic about the future when “thinking about our system of government and how well it works.” That’s less than half the level of optimism felt in 1974, during Watergate.

The Democrats are only showing themselves to be slightly more adult.  The party leaders opposed Dennis Kucinich’s bill to just dump Afghanistan at the end of the year and bring everyone home.   Many Democrats felt his plan was foolish and irresponsible and most voted against it.

Republicans seemed hell-bent on digging themselves in a hole.  NPR’s funding amounted to  0.0001 % of the budget  and was billed as a fiscal emergency.  Federal funds amounted to $5 million dollars.  The Afghanistan War costs about $10 billion dollars per month. 

Several Congressmen  and women were quoted as saying:

“It’s about saving taxpayer money,” proclaimed Rep. Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), the Republican floor leader.

But this was undercut by freshman Rep. Rich Nugent (R-Fla.), who argued that “to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves in is sinful and tyrannical.” Tyrannical? “We are not trying to harm NPR,” he added. “We are actually trying to liberate them from federal tax dollars.”

Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), in his speech, complained that NPR’s “programming often veers far from what most Americans would like.” He said NPR was being targeted because it advocates “one ideology.”

Rep. Anthony Wiener couldn’t leave it alone and had to reply:

“The American people are not concerned about jobs and the economy,” Weiner said sardonically. “They’re staring at their radio, saying, ‘Get rid of Click and Clack.’ Finally, my Republican friends are doing it. Kudos to you!”

It seems like a great deal of wasted time over ideology.  Legislation to defund Planned Parenthood and NPR will probably  both meet the veto pen even if the bills get  through the Senate.  There are far more important issues to consider such as jobs, the budget, participation in a third war in the middle east and …oh yea, a nuclear crisis in Japan. 

It sounds like politics as usual to me.  But then again, I didn’t expect any better, did you?

 

 

16 Thoughts to “Congress goes on break after NPR ‘Fiscal Emergency’”

  1. Emma

    NPR is a no-brainer–they were already caught on videotape admitting they didn’t need taxpayer funds. Slash!

    What are the goals in Afghanistan? Are we going to give up this stupid idea of nation-building at the risk of bankrupting and destroying our own?

    They worked overtime to pass healthcare “reform,” but they can’t give up a day of “break” to fully fund the government through the fiscal year?

    The President talks a tough game yesterday about possible military action in Libya, then flies off to Rio? I’m sure Gaddafi (and the entire news cycle) will just hold off until he gets back.

  2. Rio has been planned for weeks. I even knew about it. In today’s times, a president is a phone call away from any situation in the world, and that includes on the golf course or in a plane. What do you all want him to do? Sit home and ring his hands over Gaddafi and Japan? 21st century now.

    NPR- Congress considers anything done by that sexual predator O’Keefe? How irresponsible. Furthermore he edits, cuts and really isn’t a journalist. O’Keefe is dishonorable, immature and yet our congress acts on his ‘findings and calls for emergency legislation. Emergency? The Congress is a joke. I don’t even listen to NPR and I resent what has happened. I do use them as a print news resource. They aren’t Fox News but that’s ok. Once again, the ideology thumping will end up biting the Republicans in the rear end long after this.

  3. marinm

    @Moon-howler

    “Once again, the ideology thumping will end up biting the Republicans in the rear end long after this.” If that’s the case and you buy into that idea.. Wouldn’t you want them to keep pushing hard to the right to make the next election a leftist landslide?

    I’m good with what’s currently going on in Congress except obviously how slow things are being worked but that’s in the nature of how things work.

    It was interesting that 8 R’s voted for the Paul-Kucinich bill. I think I side here with Emma on this.. What’s the real plan? What’s the end game? If we’ve already broadcasted a timetable to the enemy — wtf are we still doing there? Let’s get out now and let those people have at themselves.

    NPR shouldn’t go away but I don’t thinkt they should be funded by the govt. Let NPR pull themselves up by the bootstraps and have their viewers ante up that $5m and lets move on.

    1. Why would I, as a moderate, want a leftish landslide? I guess on the other hand that would probably be a tiny step better than far right reactionary birchies.

      I expect the R’s just want the money drain closed. $10 billion a month is a lot of money. Surely that is a misprint. Perhaps its for both wars. There is the drain right there. Look no further.

      You can’t just pull out of a war all at once. You have to move people out in an orderly fashion. Otherwise, your enemies come in and kill all your remaining troops because of diminished numbers.

      What does the P in NPR stand for? (rhetorical question) Seems to me there ought to be something for everyone on there. I am all for neutral news.

      There are some of us who like the idea of public news and public TV. It is just part of our culture. Culture should not be an alien word in this country.

  4. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Weiner’s performance was award-winning. He IS Weiner!

  5. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Did Milbank ever break 100 of his books sold?

  6. @slow

    The competition was stiff.

  7. Juturna

    What are the goals in Afghanistan? Are we going to give up this stupid idea of nation-building at the risk of bankrupting and destroying our own?

    Finally, a non-domestic reduction comment. All that’s been said to this point is low hanging fruit. Guess that’s more easily understood than the complicated stuff. Oh, that’s right, Scott Walker and Sarah Palin are our new intellectual and educational standards.

  8. marinm

    I said this before the elections and I’ll say it again.

    By calling the TP racists or now un-intellectuals and by trying to paint anyone that disagrees with the administration as beer drinking NASCAR watching white males you only bring the moderates to us.

    The government should not be in the business of giving money to the media. It’d be different if it were only doing art shows or showcasing the top 100 museums but they do news stories. They do opinion and commentary pieces. Much like the government not being able to have an official religion I don’t think they should have a “state news” org.

    If the “public” really wants them they’ll be able to stick around with Soros money or $10 pledge donations in bulk. NPR isn’t going anywhere as I do believe people will prop them up — I just don’t think it should be the government.

    I appreciate and accept the fiscal arguement for terminating the (Hastert-Pelosi-Boehner) wars. If we’ve already made the call to pull out in 3-4 years..why wait? Let’s do it now (understood about MH’s point about the logistics chain) and save lives and money.

    I don’t see this as anti-warfighter. I’m not “anti-war”. But, if we’ve already waved the flag to the enemy and told them we’re going to pull out anyways…. Why wait for that arbitrary date?

    We could turn around and return that forecasted spending to a windfall for taxpayers or to our corporate citizens. 🙂

  9. Juturna

    My spouse is a TP advocate, he is southern born and white but was slow to enjoy NASCAR until he met his northern registered democrat spouse (who has voted for more Republicans than he) and he wishes they’d get off making social issues and being common their major descriptors. There are almost as many registered Republicans as there are registered Independants.

    No matter what I think of the TP platform, I sure love what it’s doing to the political system. I don’t think it’s necessarily tossing a win to the Democrats.

  10. marinm

    @Juturna

    I’m actually not a huge fan of the social bend as I probably agree more with Elena and MH on those issues but we do need to get a handle on the influence the govt has on our lives and that to me goes to pocket book issues. If the govt is less in my pocket that means I’m more free to spend as I please. If that means I have to temporarily align with the social conservatives… Politics make for strange bed fellows, right?

  11. Juturna

    It does. It does. I’m not a union person, but how what happened in Wisconsin sickened me.

  12. I wonder if this was an official request. If so, why isn’t it front page news?

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110312/wl_asia_afp/afghanistanunrestnatociviliankarzai

    Karzai wants us out.

  13. @marin,, that must have been painful. (agreeing with Elena and me on social issues)

    I will never side with people I just think are dead wrong on most everything. (unless there is someone who is worse.)

  14. Emma

    @Juturna Oh, I get it. Never mind.

  15. marinm

    @Moon-howler

    Not at all. I’ve agreed many times with y’all and it’s not painful for me to say that.

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