Our Founding Fathers...if they knew today..

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Our Founding Fathers...if they knew today..

Louisiana Sends Republican John Kennedy to U.S. Senate in Runoff Election

We now have 52 seats in the Senate so now it's even easier for Trump to appoint whomever he wants assuming Republicans go along with it. Not to mention… now we benefit from the "Nuclear Option" Reid put into motion. Speaking of Reid, here he is in 2008 singing the praises of our founding fathers, championing the filibuster, and states he would never approve the 'Nuclear Option' because it "would ruin our country".

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FF to 2013. Here he is going against the genius, the vision, our founding fathers had to employ the Nuclear Option he himself said, "would ruin our country". 

These asshole politicians have never heard of YouTube?

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Harry Reid is well-defined using one word...scum.

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by Warner Todd Huston10 Dec 2016Baton Rouge, LA811

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Republican John Kennedy has been declared the winner of Louisiana's runoff election for the U.S. Senate, defeating Democrat Foster Campbell and thwarting one of the last opportunities in 2016 for Democrats to gain a seat in the upper chamber.

Kennedy's win on Saturday night, the first GOP win since Trump's election, gives Republicans a 52 seat majority in the U.S. Senate, making it that much harder for Democrats to make any headway in Washington.

The stakes were high enough for President-elect Donald Trump to campaign arm-in-arm with Kennedy at a rally last week in Baton Rouge.

Trump told voters how important it was to get Kennedy to Washington, noting that it is "really close" in the Senate. "We need John in Washington, not only for the vote, but for leadership and everything," Trump said.

Days before Trump's stop in Baton Rouge, Vice President-elect Mike Pence also hit the campaign trail for Kennedy.

Kennedy's Democrat opponent, Foster Campbell, clearly felt Trump's popularity in the Pelican State as he generally refrained from too many direct attacks on Trump during his campaign. Campbell even ran campaign ads promising he would work with Trump while also insisting he would have the "courage" to oppose him when necessary. But it wasn't enough to stave off yet another GOP win for 2016.

Seeing Campbell's campaign as a last ditch effort, Democrats and liberal advocacy groups poured money into the campaign, giving Campbell a one million-dollar campaign fund advantage over Kennedy. Liberals were so hopeful for a Democrat win that a number of Hollywood types even came to Campbell's side, using their fame to push for his victory. Such liberal entertainers as Rosie O'Donnell, John Leguizamo, and Patton Oswalt all stumped for Campbell, according to The New York Times.

But ultimately, the loss is another bitter pill for Democrats to swallow in an election cycle that sent so many Democrats packing across the nation.

The hunt for the U.S. Senate has been a long time coming for Kennedy. The five-time State Treasurer has run three unsuccessful past campaigns for a spot in Washington, first as a Democrat in 2004 and the next two times as a Republican.

This win, however, does not change a seat from blue to red, as Kennedy won the seat being vacated by Republican David Vitter, who declined to run for re-election.

Louisiana Sends Republican John Kennedy to U.S. Senate in Runoff Election

Look who's talking about fake news!

Brian Williams complains about fake news - just 21 months after he lost his job on NBC Nightly News for telling made up stories

Brian Williams has called out Donald Trump's transition team for spreading fake news stories.

Williams, who was suspended for six months and lost his spot as NBC Nightly News anchor for exaggerating stories about his time in Iraq and New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, blasted the President-elect's team on MSNBC on Tuesday night.

'Fake news played a role in this election and continues to find a wide audience,' the 57-year-old said.

Brian Williams has called out Donald Trump's transition team for spreading fake news stories

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Williams (left, in Iraq in 2007, and right, hosting Meet the Press in 2008), who was suspended for six months and lost his spot as NBC Nightly News anchor for exaggerating stories about his time in Iraq and New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, blasted the President-elect's team

Bill O'Reilly, host of the O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News channel couldn't resist having a dig at Williams with the above tweet

It comes after Williams was forced to admit in February 2015 he wasn't aboard a helicopter hit and forced down by enemy fire during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

He had told versions of the story about how the aircraft was shot down for more than a decade.

Crew members on the 159th Aviation Regiment's Chinook that was hit by two rockets and small arms fire had previously said the ex-NBC anchor was nowhere near the aircraft or two other Chinooks that had been flying in formation when they took fire.

According to the crew members, Williams arrived about an hour later on another helicopter after the other three had made an emergency landing.

'I said things that weren't true,' Williams told Matt Lauer in an interview on Today in June 2015, 'I own up this.' 

'This was clearly ego driven, the desire to better my role in a story,' he said.

Williams had previously been the most-watched nightly news anchor and just last year he had signed a highly lucrative contract reportedly worth about $10million a year for five years.

An NBC News inquiry last April found Williams had exaggerated his reporting on a total of 11 occasions including in his award-winning reporting of Hurricane Katrina.

Look who's talking about fake news!

She ought to know...

"Fake News"

Of course, she wasn't talking about this but it is what her cheerleaders deal in at CNN, NBC, CBS, NPR, and MSNBC every day.

Trump had "no path" (according to them) to 270... but wound up with 306!

Lying News...would be more like it.

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She ought to know...

Remembering Reid: Senate's political punch-thrower says farewell, leaves trail of gaffes

In all of Congress of both Republican and Democrat, there is no worse scum bag then Harry Reid. He is the lowest of the low.

An exercise machine would make a great departing gift ... and I hope he doesn't focus too much on suicide prevention during his retirement years. 

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Published December 08, 2016

Outgoing Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid delivered his farewell address Thursday after more than three decades in Congress – leaving in his wake a trail of gaffes and gloves-off political punches that won’t soon be forgotten.

Despite Reid’s reputation for rhetorical warfare, he and his adversaries set aside their differences for Thursday’s sendoff. 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., introduced Reid, D-Nev., highlighting a rarely seen friendship between the two.

“Go ahead and make up all the stories you want, but the truth is we don’t [despise one another],” Reid said. “Here’s one you can write: thank you, Mitch.”

Reid told stories from his childhood, explaining how his upbringing shaped his ideology and the agenda he pursued – namely, helping pass ObamaCare and focusing on suicide prevention. Reid's maneuvers on President Obama's behalf were also responsible for the passage of bills ranging from the economic stimulus package to the financial regulation overhaul. At the same time, Reid brought home major benefits to Nevada, funding countless projects, blocking a nuclear waste dump and helping protect many thousands of acres of wilderness. 

(All because he had a financial interest in it)

He acknowledged how much the political climate has changed over his time in Congress and closed by urging the next generation to uphold the integrity of the chamber.

“I hope that everyone would do everything they can to protect the Senate as an institution. As part of the Constitution, it should be given the dignity it deserves,” Reid said.

But Reid has played his own part in the coarsening of American politics. Here’s a look back at his more memorable and controversial comments from a 34-year congressional career.

Romney tax claim

During the 2012 general election season, Reid took to the Senate floor and boldly declared that GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney had not paid taxes in 10 years.

The former Massachusetts governor, though, had released two years of tax returns, from 2010 and 2011, showing he had, in fact, paid close to $5 million in taxes in both years combined.

Fact-checkers were quick to call out Reid for his claim.

Reid never retracted the accusation, instead suggesting ends justified means.

He remarked, “Romney didn’t win, did he?”

Kennedy death upside?

At the height of Senate deliberations over ObamaCare in 2009, Reid openly discussed the political implications – and even upsides – of Sen. Ted Kennedy’s death. Health care reform had been one of Kennedy’s highest priorities throughout his career, and Reid bluntly told the Reno Gazette-Journal, "I think it's going to help us."

‘Hottest member’

In one of his more cringe-worthy moments, Reid in 2010 reportedly described fellow Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand as “the hottest member” during a fundraiser she attended.

At the time, her office said Reid was merely referring to Gillibrand’s high ranking on The Hill’s “most beautiful” list. But some analysts still accused Reid of going well over the line by commenting on her looks.

‘Light-skinned’ Obama

In their book on the 2008 presidential campaign “Game Change,” journalists Mark Halperin and John Heilemann wrote that Reid described Obama as the kind of African-American president America was ready for – a “light-skinned” figure with “no Negro dialect unless he wanted to have one.”

Reid apologized for the remarks, following their publication.

Hispanic Republicans, really?

During his re-election campaign in 2010, Reid told a room of predominately Hispanic voters he didn’t know how any could be Republicans:

"I don't know how anyone of Hispanic heritage could be a Republican, okay? Do I need to say more?"

‘Smell the tourists’

Reid had high hopes for the opening of the Capitol Visitor Center in 2008 – but apparently a low opinion of tourist hygiene.

Speaking about how the new center would improve the environment on the Hill, he said at a dedication ceremony:

"My staff has always said, 'Don't say this,' but I'm going to say it again because it's so descriptive because it's true. … In the summertime, because [of] the high humidity and how hot it gets here, you could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol."

Parting shot at Trump

As other top Democrats ranging from Nancy Pelosi to President Obama congratulated Donald Trump on his White House win last month, Reid took another direction.

He issued a 473-word statement saying Trump’s win has “emboldened the forces of hate and bigotry” as the country is overcome by “tears” and “fear.” 

"White nationalists, Vladimir Putin and ISIS are celebrating Donald Trump's victory, while innocent, law-abiding Americans are racked with fear -- especially African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Muslim Americans, LGBT Americans and Asian Americans. Watching white nationalists celebrate while innocent Americans cry tears of fear does not feel like America,” the retiring Nevada senator said. 

 Go fuck yourself you piece of shit!

Remembering Reid: Senate's political punch-thrower says farewell, leaves trail of gaffes

Todays headlines after Trump appointed Scott Pruitt to head the EPA

Donald Trump Picks Fossil Fuel-Friendly Oklahoma Attorney General To Head EPA 

Huff Post

FRIGHTENING

Scott Pruitt, Trump's Climate-Denying EPA Pick, Is Worse Than You Think 

Daily Beast

Trump's EPA Pick Is Skeptical of More Than Just Climate Change 

The Atlantic

He could have chosen him and they would still disapprove. 

Todays headlines after Trump appointed Scott Pruitt to head the EPA

Federal judge halts recount, sealing Trump's Michigan win

And who was the candidate chastised for not excepting the election results?

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A federal judge who ordered Michigan to begin its recount effectively ended it on Wednesday, tying his decision to a state court ruling that found Green Party candidate Jill Stein had no legal standing to request another look at ballots.

The ruling seals Republican Donald Trump's narrow victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton for Michigan's16 electoral votes.

U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith agreed with Republicans who argued that the three-day recount must end a day after the state appeals court dealt a blow to the effort. The court said Stein, who finished fourth in Michigan on Nov. 8, didn't have a chance of winning even after a recount and therefore isn't an "aggrieved" candidate.

"Because there is no basis for this court to ignore the Michigan court's ruling and make an independent judgment regarding what the Michigan Legislature intended by the term 'aggrieved,' plaintiffs have not shown an entitlement to a recount," Goldsmith said.

It was the judge's midnight ruling Monday that started the recount in Michigan. But Goldsmith's order dealt with timing — not whether a recount was appropriate. More than 20 of 83 counties already were counting ballots again. They reported minor changes in vote totals, although many precincts couldn't be examined for a second time for a variety of reasons.

Earlier Wednesday, the Michigan elections board voted, 3-1, to end the recount if Goldsmith extinguished his earlier order.

State Republican Party Chairman Ronna Romney McDaniel and Attorney General Bill Schuette said it's a victory for voters and taxpayers. Stein now is left with asking the Michigan Supreme Court to intervene, which is a long shot.

"Jill Stein, who received only 1.07% of the vote in Michigan, is not legally entitled to hijack the will of voters and drag them into an arduous and expensive publicity stunt," McDaniel said.

Stein got about 1 percent of the vote in three states where she's pushed for recounts — Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Trump narrowly won all three.

She insists she's more concerned about the accuracy of the election, but Goldsmith said Stein's legal team presented only "speculative claims" about vulnerable machines, "not actual injury."

The judge said a recount to test the integrity of the voting system "has never been endorsed by any court."

A court hearing will be held Friday on a possible recount in Pennsylvania. Wisconsin's recount, which started last week, has increased Trump's margin of victory over Clinton thus far.

Clinton needed all three states to flip in order to take enough electoral votes to win the election. Trump has 306 electoral votes to Clinton's 232; 270 are needed to win. Michigan has 16 electoral votes, Pennsylvania has 20 and Wisconsin has 10. Electors convene Dec. 19 across the country to vote for president.

Federal judge halts recount, sealing Trump's Michigan win

John Koskinen, IRS commissioner, spared impeachment by House Republicans

This guy is as guilty as sin.

When Trump talks about draining the swamp... 

I can think of a few Republicans who are bottom dwellers feeding on whatever  excrement Democrats choose to serve up. These two are prime examples.

Remember after the videos how they were going to defund PP?

Remember how they were going to pass Kate's Law?

Remember how they were going to nix Barry's $4 trillion spending budget?

Remember how they defunded sanctuary cities?

And the capper is... they own the House and Senate!!!

Koskinen is a lying crook and these feckless bastards don't have the balls to impeach him!

Thank God for Trey Gowdy and Jim Jordan.

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The miracle computer crash

Not only did the hard drive crash on Lerner's computer destroy key emails on her computer, it also somehow managed to forever erase them from the IRS servers and backup tapes.

It just so happens that the destroyed emails would have quite possibly have been to and from people in places like the Obama White House.

Perhaps most amazingly, however, the crash took out emails on the computers of six other key IRS officials, even though IT experts like David Kennedy, appearing on Fox News' "On The Record" With Greta Van Susteren insists that is a digital impossibility.

Give me a f@#*ing break!

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By Stephen Dinan and Seth McLaughlin

Republican leaders managed to derail impeachment of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen on Tuesday, forcing the debate back to a committee for more study, where it will die when Congress adjourns at the end of this year.

It was a quiet end to a saga that had bedeviled GOP leaders for more than a year, dating back to revelations that Mr. Koskinen misled a congressional investigation looking into the tea party-targeting scandal and former IRS senior executive Lois G. Lerner’s lost emails.

Conservatives had been agitating for impeachment, saying Mr. Koskinen should be punished for defying a subpoena and providing inaccurate information.

Some Republicans sought a lesser penalty, such as censure, while Democrats said the entire impeachment drive was misdirected. Those two sides joined forces Tuesday in a 342-72 vote that sent the debate back to the Judiciary Committee.

“Members have different opinions about what to do,” said Rep. Bob Goodlatte, chairman of the committee, as he asked lawmakers to give him a chance to sort things out.

But with lawmakers looking to clear out of town this week, the move essentially kills the impeachment drive in this Congress.

Mr. Koskinen’s term runs through November, meaning that, unlike other political appointees, he will remain even after President Obama leaves office Jan. 20.

Whether conservatives try again early next year, amid a series of new fights over President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda, remains to be seen — but the impeachment effort’s leaders were disheartened by the vote.

“I am disappointed,” said Rep. Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican. “We just referred the resolution to the committee, where it has been for 18 months, so that is wonderful.”

The tea party-targeting took place before Mr. Koskinen’s tenure, and he was brought in to clean up the agency after it admitted to the wrongful practice.

However, during the investigations into the targeting, Congress discovered that emails from Ms. Lerner, the key figure in the investigation, had gone missing. Hundreds of backup tapes containing some of the messages were deleted even though they were subject to a preservation order and subpoena from Congress.

Despite that, Mr. Koskinen assured lawmakers that all of her messages were being saved and produced.

At an impeachment hearing earlier this year, Mr. Koskinen pleaded for his job, insisting at a hearing that the attacks on him were “improper.”

He admitted that he did give inaccurate information to Congress in the Lerner investigation, but said it was inadvertent and said he’d helped the agency clean up its act in the wake of the tea party scandal.

The commissioner also warned that the fate of the civil service was riding on the outcome of his case, saying that if he, a veteran of several government jobs, was taken down, others would be discouraged from joining the federal workforce.

Democrats said the accusations against Mr. Koskinen were misguided, and said he was cleared by the IRS’ internal auditor, Inspector General J. Russell George, the Republican appointee who first exposed the tea party targeting.

Mr. George concluded that the deletion of the backup tapes was done by low-level employees at a computer facility in West Virginia, and his auditors found no evidence that anyone directed the erasure, nor that they intended to interfere with the investigation.

“In order to vote in favor of this resolution today, you have to believe that the Republican inspector general of the IRS is essentially lying,” said Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Maryland Democrat.

Impeachment is the process of bringing charges against an executive branch official, and it takes a majority vote in the House. If someone is impeached, the Senate then holds a trial in which it takes a two-thirds vote to remove the official from office.

Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Virginia Democrat, said even though Republicans decided against impeachment, Mr. Koskinen’s reputation had been ruined.

“No matter what happens here, they got their pound of flesh, because when his grandkids Google Grandpa’s name, they are going to see the words ‘high crimes and misdemeanors and impeachment,’ as if Grandpa did something wrong. When in fact Grandpa did nothing wrong.”

John Koskinen, IRS commissioner, spared impeachment by House Republicans

Proving once again...

Stupidity is her only attribute.
Wonder how many checks she bounced?

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Pelosi gave Republicans another reason for celebration after her fellow morons reelected her minority leader. A delusional Pelosi stood firm about her party’s future when pressed with what she’ll do differently to win back disenchanted Democrats.

“I don’t think people want a new direction,” Pelosi told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”  “Our values unify us and our values are about supporting America’s working families.”

Just what I wanted to hear.

Proving once again...

A couple of observations

A couple of observations

Neutered Dems Are All Bark, No Bite On Trump's Nominees

Senate Democrats are as furious with President-elect Trump's Cabinet picks as they are powerless to stop them.

Thanks to a change to Senate rules that Democrats forced on Republicans in 2013, it only takes 51 votes to confirm a nominee, except for Supreme Court nominees, which will still require 60 votes. Republicans will have 51 or 52 seats in the Senate next year, which means the GOP can approve anyone they want to Trump's team as long as they all agree.

Without the rule change, Trump's team might very well be carefully weighing whether it can scrounge up the eight Senate Democrats needed to secure a confirmation. But the simple majority vote is significantly reducing the value of statements like the one Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., made this week about Trump's choice to have Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

"Tom Price has led the charge to privatize Medicare, and for this reason, I cannot support his nomination," he said.

Thanks to the rule change, Donnelly's "no" vote on Price will hardly matter, something that other Democrats seemed to acknowledge this week.

Democrats like Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., oppose Price because of his opposition to Obamacare. But even she was left to admit that Democrats' only resort is to "fight back" by asking "tough questions in the committee."

Murray also said the Democrats may only be left with the option of trying to influence public opinion by making Trump's nominees look bad during their hearing. She talked about putting a "spotlight" on Price's plans.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., seemed to have the same idea. He said Price would "get a lot of very strong and very thorough questions," and said he hopes public pressure will give Democrats a "chance" to scuttle the nomination.

Trump's move to make Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., his attorney general is also drawing opposition from Democrats, who again are pushing for a drawn out confirmation hearing in order to make Sessions look as bad as they can.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., seemed to acknowledge that the only real weapon for Democrats is to try to make a good public case against Sessions, and hope the public starts calling for a new nominee.

"We'll be as persuasive as possible in what we say about it, hoping to reach and arouse as many people as possible," he told the Associated Press.

Democrats have also criticized Trump's decision to make Steven Mnuchin his treasury secretary, but in response, Democrats were again left with the option of asking him tough questions.

"I look forward to asking him how his Treasury Department would work for Americans who are still waiting for the economic recovery to show up in their communities," said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.

But it seems little more than a hope for Democrats, as Republicans are likely to quickly approve all of the nominees Trump has chosen so far.

And even the press at this point seems to be admitting that there's not much drama to a story about the Democratic minority trying to stop Trump's nominees.

"Dems to unload on Mnuchin," said a headline in Politico. The story said Democratic questions will "make for some uncomfortable hearings and negative headlines," but aside from that possible discomfort, the story said nothing about actually blocking the nominee.

Neutered Dems Are All Bark, No Bite On Trump's Nominees