California Eye » Republican Party

Republican Dean Heller voted twice to end Medicare

Featheriver — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:32:57 +0000

Las Vegas, NV – Today unelected Senator Dean Heller doubled down on his reckless plan and voted again in the Senate to end Medicare. Heller has even bragged that he’s “proud to be the only member of Congress who will get to vote for it twice.”

Heller will vote twice for a plan that ends Medicare to pay for billions of dollars in tax giveaways to the Big Oil companies that have contributed over $80,000 to his campaign. Heller’s plan would dramatically cut the benefits Nevada seniors receive, increase the out-of-pocket cost of their healthcare by $6,000 a year, nearly double the amount they pay in prescription drug costs and put private insurance companies in charge of seniors’ healthcare.

His plan also puts insurance company bureaucrats between seniors and their doctors, giving insurers the power to decide what tests and treatments seniors get.

“For the second time, Dean Heller put the health and livelihood of Nevada seniors at risk and voted to end Medicare to pay for tax giveaways to the Big Oil companies that bankroll his campaign,” said Zach Hudson, spokesperson for the Nevada State Democratic Party.

“Dean Heller once again made clear that his priorities are with his special-interests campaign donors, not Nevada seniors. Nothing could highlight more why we need Shelley Berkley in the Senate fighting to protect Medicare, not a politician like Dean Heller who would rather shill for Big Oil than stand up for Nevada seniors.”

[Source: Nevada State Democratic Party]

Republican House gives the finger to the EPA

Featheriver — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 02:20:35 +0000

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

“The Environmental Protection Agency has been looking into better ways to regulate coal ash since there are huge, huge pits of the stuff sitting around aging coal fire plants all over the country. Often, as in Wisconsin today, they are conveniently poised right next to the source of drinking water for millions of people. Two weeks ago, Republicans in the House voted to block the EPA from being able to do anything about this. They voted to block the EPA from having authority over coal ash which, after all, the industry says is healthy, absolutely nothing to worry about. Lake Michigan full of coal ash? Well, that’s no different than Lake Michigan with no coal ash in it. Have a sip, take a dip, eat some fish, it’s fine.” -

Rachel Maddow on the lack of regulations leading up to Monday’s Oak Creek, Wisconsin coal ash spill. It happens to have occurred in Republican Paul Ryan’s district.

The house, remember, a couple of days ago passed the resolution reaffirming the motto that “We Trust in God.” I sure hope God intervenes and cleans up the mess. Republicans don’t care about it.

No work done in the House on creating jobs, however. at least to my knowledge.

Obama Pushes Jobs—and Congress

Featheriver — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:08:08 +0000

Mitt Romney appears to be the next Republican candidate for the Presidency of the United States. The remainder in the rather long list of wanna-be’s are just window-dressing. They are either too inexperienced or are just interested in limited issues, or too extreme. The world is far too complicated for rookies. But then I’m a Democrat, not a Republican, I look at the world in a different light.

Among the most pressing of political issues, to me, is jobs for the unemployed and underemployed. I’m retired now, but for the overall economy jobs remain important to me because when many do well, so do I. It is inherent in the observation that a rising tide raises all boats. Over that last few decades the boats of the 1% of the population income has risen by 275% between 1979 and 2007. For 20% of the population it has grown by 65% but not nearly as fast as for the top 1 percent. For 60% of the population it has grown just under 40%. For the lowest 20% of the population income was about 18% higher in 2007 than it had been in 1979. That would be the 99%. You and I live in the 99%. [See the Congressional Budget Office report of October 2011: Trends in the Distribution of Household Income Between 1979 and 2007]

When I watch and listen to the Republican Presidential candidates I hear very little related to job creation. I hear much more about the single Republican issue which is to get rid of President Obama in 2012. Maybe I don’t hear it all, but that is what stands out to me.

After dilly-dallying with the Congress for over two years in his office President Obama kept trying to engage the Congress in bi-partisan resolutions to correct the myriad of problems in the United States. What I have seen was simple snubbing of the President on working on those problems. The theme seemed and seems to be that if President Obama is proposing a solution the Republicans in Congress are opposing it. They apparently are not interested in you or me, or the country, just regaining the White House.

I became exasperated with President Obama because he could apparently not comprehend the trend of the GOP. He was far more patient than I. But he seems to have finally caught on. In his weekly address to the nation he announced “We Can’t Wait to Create Jobs” taking actions to help families refinance their mortgages, put veterans to work, and lower the cost of student loans. [White House Blog]

He has circumvented Congress, and gone straight to the people explaining his American Jobs Act asking every American to put pressure on their representatives in Congress to pass the Act. Whether the American people rally to the call remains to be seen. Assuming the American people do act, it remains to be seen what the individual members of Congress do. Will they react to the will of the people or ignore their constituents and continue their representation of corporate interests—those that finance their re-election campaigns.

Last Saturday, October 29, 2011 President Obama stated, “Unfortunately, Republicans in Congress aren’t paying attention. They’re not getting the message. Over and over, they have refused to even debate the same kind of jobs proposals that Republicans have supported in the past – proposals that today are supported, not just by Democrats, but by Independents and Republicans all across America. And yet, somehow, they found time this week to debate things like whether or not we should mint coins to celebrate the Baseball Hall of Fame. Meanwhile, they’re only scheduled to work three more weeks between now and the end of the year.

“The truth is, we can no longer wait for Congress to do its job. The middle-class families who’ve been struggling for years are tired of waiting. They need help now. So where Congress won’t act, I will.”

And he is, issuing Executive Orders, where he can but depending on the American people to get the Jobs bill passed. With the obstacles the GOP puts in place it is a tough row to hoe. But he is really trying. Are you? Our Nevada congressional representatives may not be on board yet, help Senator Dean Heller, Shelley Berkley, Mark Amodei and Joe Heck see the light. Drop them a note.

Gasp! Western States turning Democratic

Featheriver — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:50:18 +0000

Democratic strategists say western states are becoming more urban and diverse, with an influx of Hispanics, Asian and young voters who favor Democratic presidential candidates.

Democratic political leaders from Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and other western states gathered in Las Vegas Monday at the Project New West conference to discuss how they can win the 2012 elections.

Brookings Mountain West Director Robert Lang told conference attendees that the majority of people in Arizona and Nevada live in Phoenix or Las Vegas. He said that trend could hurt Republican candidates as the West becomes more urban.

Former Bill Clinton adviser Maria Echaveste says Hispanic populations are booming in western states, but some candidates don’t understand how to reach those voters.
She says the majority of Hispanics speak English, not Spanish. [Reno Gazette-Journal]

National Attention to Special Election in Nevada’s CD2

Featheriver — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:36:23 +0000

Ray Hagar, writing in Inside Nevada Politics of the Reno Gazette-Journal, indicates the special election in Nevada’s 2^nd Congressional District may get lots of national attention.

He seems to think the election is “a Democrat vs. Republican thing. Democrat Kate Marshall against Republican Mark Amodei.”

The Nevada race is seen by some as “a parallel” with last May’s New York election of Democrat Kathy Hochul win over Republican Jane Corwin in their 26^th Congressional District.

What does that mean to those of us who live in Nye County, Nevada? For starters, Nye County is right smack in the middle of Nevada’s 2^nd Congressional District. Like New York’s 26^th CD, Nye County is so Republican no Democrat has ever won an election to Nevada’s 2^nd CD.

Thus, if Amodei beats Marshall it is not national news. If Marshall beats Amodei, It will be national news.

Eric Herzik, chair of the political science department at the University of Nevada-Reno, is quoted as saying, “This district (CD2) is a safe Republican seat.” But if a Democrat wins it, it will be national news. Nevada is considered a “battleground state” in the 2012 Presidential election.

Obviously, the pressure is on the Nye County Democratic Party (and in the other rural counties of Nevada) to beat Amodei. Since most of the population of Nye County is located in Pahrump, the focus of that pressure will be riveted on the Democrats of Pahrump, Nye County.

It should come as no surprise that Kate Marshall will be addressing the upcoming Jefferson-Jackson Dinner on August 6 to address Nye County Democrats. The Nye County Democratic Central Committee is urging every Nye County Democrat to attend the annual dinner and to bring a friend. Kate Marshall will need every Democrat’s vote, plus some, to beat the Republican Amodei.

Interested? Need more information? Then please email the chair@nyedems.org or call our Nye County Democrat office at 775-751-9966. Or, stop by M-F 9A – 3P at 1201 S. Hwy 160 (across from SaddleWest). You can also go to the Central Committee’s website.

Just remember, the eyes of the nation is upon you. You have the opportunity to make history.

Kate Marshall has uphill battle to win CD #2 in Nevada

Featheriver — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 16:30:39 +0000

The May 2011 voter registration numbers for Nevada’s Congressional District #2, which includes Nye County are: [Nevada Secretary of State]

Republicans	171,392
Democrats	140,902
Non Partisan	59,722
Independent American	18,947
Libertarian	2,700
Green	1,175
Other	1,756

Comparing Democrats with Republicans in CD#2 shows there are 30,490 more Republicans registered than Democrats. Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, Kate Marshall, has a significant chore to overcome the difference in voter registration.

Kate Marshall

Marshall is running for the vacated seat of Nevada Republican, Dean Heller, in the House of Representatives. She was nominated to run for the vacancy by the Nevada State Democratic Party. [Reno Gazette-Journal] She is currently the Nevada State Treasurer. She is supported by Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid. He has helped her raise $92,379 for her campaign.

Kate Marshall’s website can be found at Kate Marshall for Congress. You will find her State Treasurer website here. She has been quoted as saying:

“Don’t you agree with me that we need more jobs in this state with a 12.5 unemployment rate?” Marshall said. “Don’t you agree with me when you talk to anybody, that health care costs are rising? So we need to ask the question: What do we need to do? We need to go further to make sure the health care bill works because we need to lower those costs.”

Marshall’s Republican opponent is Mark Amodei of Carson City. Republicans have held the CD#2 seat since 1982. Amodei’s war chest hovers around $57,410, his campaign said. He is seeking to “peel off” votes from the Independent American votes in CD#2. Amodei has been picked by the Nevada State Republican Party as their nominee for the CD#2 seat. But Amodei has a bit of a problem because Republican Kirk Lippold says he intends to keep running for the same slot, at least until the Nevada Supreme Court decides the rules for the election. [The Daily Caller]

But the Democrats are united behind Marshall:

“No matter what new twists and turns this election process takes, Nevada Democrats are united behind Kate Marshall’s campaign and ready to get to work to elect her as Nevada’s next Congresswoman,” said NSDP chair Roberta Lange in a statement. She continued:

“While Kirk Lippold and Mark Amodei are fighting to end Medicare, privatize Social Security and ship American jobs to China, Kate is committed to creating jobs that stay in Nevada and protecting Social Security and Medicare.”

Mrs. Marshall has a tough row to hoe. Nevada’s CD#2 is “overwhelmingly Republican” according to Eric Herzik, the chair of the political science department at the University of Nevada, Reno. The Reno Gazette-Journal reports:

The conservatism of the 2nd District is further demonstrated by 19,908 voters registered with the Independent American Party, generally considered more conservative than Republicans.

Within Nye County, Nevada the voter registration terrain is: [Nevada Secretary of State]

Republicans	11,005
Democrats	8,747
Non Partisan	3,844
Independent American	1,540
Libertarian	199
Green	32
Other	59

The Nevada View correctly points out that to win “Marshall and the state [Democratic] party must register more Democrats and get them all to the polls.” The View also notes she must win non-partisan swing voters. “There are just over 60,000 non-affiliated voters in Nevada’s far open spaces who apparently will vote their minds….”

Dan Hart, a Las Vegas political consultant and registered Democrat says:

We are talking about a special election and people are not used to voting, so the turnout will be the key. The organizational effort that each candidate musters could be the deciding factor in the race. Getting people to the polls—getting your voters to the polls—is the way you are going to win this race.

It is obvious that the Nye County Democrats must, for Marshall to win, undertake a fairly massive drive to register as many Nye County voters as possible as Democrats. Voter registration drives takes time, persistence and endurance. And time is a-wasting.

It puzzles me why working class Republicans vote for GOP candidates that want to abolish Medicare, privatize Social Security, send jobs to China, India, Mexico or Taiwan, subsidize big oil companies, look away as huge corporations reap record profits while not paying taxes, perpetuate the inequitable tax burden on themselves while the 1-2% of the wealthiest classes are permitted disproportionate tax cuts. While at the same time enduring the deep budget cuts to the education system and the impact that has their children’s benefit. Why they support a political party that wishes to impose its will on women’s right to choose, when that should be a decision of the individual women and their doctors. Doesn’t seem very Libertarian to me.

GOP work to make it harder for Democrats to Vote

Featheriver — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 23:20:29 +0000

DREAM ACT and Justice

Featheriver — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:12:13 +0000

The DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act) was blocked on a 55-41 vote by the Senate last Saturday by a Republican filibuster. The Senate is a graveyard for legislation.

The bill “would provide certain illegal and deportable alien students who graduate from US high schools, who are of good moral character, arrived in the U.S. illegally as minors, and have been in the country continuously and illegally for at least five years prior to the bill’s enactment, the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency if they complete two years in the military or two years at a four year institution of higher learning.” (Source: Wikipedia)

The Act would have allowed innocent children of illegal immigrants a chance of becoming legal immigrants, if they met certain conditions.

Here is a picture of the issue. Jose and Maria, Mexican citizens, and their two children, Juan and Ramona, ages 3 and 4, illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexican border into the United States. They have lived in the United States since.

Here is the dilemma. Jose and Maria committed a federal crime in their crossing. However, Juan and Ramona, mere toddlers, committed no crime, being too young to have a say in where they lived. They are innocent of any culpability.

Even so, Juan and Ramona are subject to deportation. The DREAM would have permitted Juan and Ramona to gain temporary residency for six years. If, during the six years, Juan and Ramona "acquired a degree from an institution of higher education in the United States or completed at least 2 years, in good standing, in a program for a bachelor’s degree or higher degree in the United States," or have "served in the uniformed services for at least 2 years and, if discharged, received an honorable discharge."

Consider some of the history of this country since its discovery by Christopher Columbus in 1492. People from Europe, the British Isles, Spain, and France began a trek to this new continent for all sorts of reasons but generally to better their lives.

It has been a schizophrenic history.

Blacks were kidnapped in Africa and transported to this country to work as slaves. There were apparently no accusations of those blacks as being illegal immigrants.

In the 1770’s the American Colonists ousted the British and formed their own government.

What we now know as the United States was populated by Indians who had lived here for thousands of years. Those immigrants from the European Continent, in settling in this country, had no legitimacy in usurping the Indians from their occupation of the land.

A multitude of tribes of Indians were forced by those early settlers to give way to the invasion by those settlers. In the 1830’s those Native Americans were forcibly removed from their homeland by the U.S. from the Southeast region of the United States to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). Now known as the Trail of Tears, those Indians suffered from exposure, disease, and starvation while on route to the Indian Territory. Many died, including 4,000 of the 15,000 relocated Cherokees.

Then came the 1849 mass emigration of those European Settlers into California following the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill, seeking their fortune and wresting control from the Mexican populace.

During the Great Depression families of sharecroppers were driven from their land due to the dust storms of the Dust Bowl. Known as “Okies,” “Arkies” and others seeking work, were blocked from entering California to harvest the crops. Pulitzer Prize winner, John Steinbeck, immortalized the plight of sharecroppers’ flight on Route 66 from Oklahoma seeking work in California, The Grapes of Wrath. California enacted a law (aka the anti-Okie law) closing off their borders to indigents, stranding those unfortunates living in makeshift camps along. The California law was later declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court (314 US 160) as violating the Constitution’s Commerce Clause.

It is difficult to understand the justice in the loathing of those Latino children demonstrated by the Republican action against the DREAM Act. A plaque on the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of freedom and friendship of America for immigrants reads:

“Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Hopefully that heartless reaction by those Republicans will reap an appropriate response by the Latino community in 2012’s election.

GOP Threatens to Cut Off Money for Obama Healthcare Plan

Featheriver — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:24:47 +0000

Republicans realize they cannot repeal the Healthcare Reform they call Obamacare. So, they plan to withhold appropriating funding for the plan and essentially starve it into extinction.

Photo: Republican Representative Eric Cantor.

Republican lawmakers are threatening to cut off money needed to implement part of President Obama’s healthcare plan after acknowledging that they lack the votes to repeal the legislation. House Republican whip, Congressman Eric Cantor of Virginia said, “If all of Obamacare cannot be immediately repealed, then it is my intention to begin repealing it piece by piece."

The New York Times reports Republican lawmakers plan to use spending bills to block various provisions which they object to and limit access to government-subsidized private health plans that include coverage of abortion. In addition, Republicans want to limit money and personnel available to the Internal Revenue Service, so the agency could not aggressively enforce provisions that require people to obtain health insurance and employers to help pay for it.

On Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republicans will also try to repeal the bill outright.

McConnell said, "People who supported us—political independents—want it repealed and replaced with something else. I think we owe it to them to try."

Those that supported the Tea Party-Republican takeover of the House that need that “Obamacare” will likely regret that vote they cast. Votes have consequences.

Rise Up! Strike Back!

Featheriver — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 14:51:05 +0000

The headline on MSNBC is “Republicans kill Senate Jobless aid measure.”

The lead paragraph reads:

Republicans on Thursday defeated Democrats’ showcase election-year jobs bill, including an extension of weekly unemployment benefits for millions of people out of work more than six months.

The Las Vegas Review Journal reports:

Eugene Turner has a word or two for U.S. senators who voted Thursday against a $109 billion bill that would have extended emergency unemployment benefits for job seekers like himself.

The photo above is of Eugene Turner. He says:

“They have no heart for the public — the working man,” Turner said Friday at the Nevada JobConnect office on Maryland Parkway near Desert Inn Road, where people were waiting to use computers.

Turner, who moved here from Los Angeles six weeks ago looking for work, said he’s scared about how he’s going to pay rent when his government assistance runs out.

“My bills ain’t going to stop in 10 weeks,” he said, shaking his head.

Jerry Medina, an unemployed bartender who just received the last of 26 weeks of state unemployment benefits and was searching for a job at the jammed JobConnect office in Carson City, stated things in stronger terms.

“They are destroying my life,” Medina said. “I don’t know what I am going to do. What they have done is a total disgrace. Those politicians are scum.”

The bill, which fell three votes short of passage, would have allowed jobless people to receive as many as 73 weeks of additional emergency benefits after they get 26 weeks of benefits from the state.

Mae Worthey of the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation said:

…70,000 Nevadans now are receiving federally-paid benefits under five different programs approved by Congress. Once they finish their current extension program — none lasts longer than 20 weeks — they won’t receive more benefits.

“There is really not much they can do,” Worthey said. “The social service programs will be flooded. It is very sad.”

Nevada has the highest unemployment rate in the country at 14 percent; 189,300 people were out of work in May.

Many unemployed people already have exhausted the maximum possible 99 weeks of benefits, still are jobless and haven’t gotten a check for months.

About 120,000 residents now are receiving benefits under either a state or federal program, according to Worthey. About 69,000 unemployed people already must get by without a check.

Daniel Burns, spokesman for Nevada Republican Governor Jim Gibbons, says the unemployed can expect no help from the state of Nevada—to call their representatives in Congress. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell is quoted as saying:

“It adds new taxes and over $30 billion to an already staggering $13 trillion dollar national debt,” said McConnell.

Nobody is going to get any help from the Republicans. They aren’t going to get help from Governor Gibbons, Republican Senator John Ensign, Republican candidate Sharron Angle, Republican Representative Dean Heller or any other members of the Republican Party.

The Republican view seems to be to vote against anything that might help Republicans win election in November. People be damned.

I don’t understand that reasoning but that seems to be the case.

So, what can you do? Your only leverage is your vote. Don’t aid and abet the Republicans in November. Don’t vote for anything with an R attached to their name, either federally, state or local elections.

Rise up and strike back in November! They don’t care about you—then don’t care about them.