Is Dick Gephardt actually criticizing Bill Clinton?

[Cheyenne]

Is Dick Gephardt actually criticizing Bill Clinton?

"This is a partisan process," House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri told reporters. "This is happening without a budget, without hearings, without input from anybody ... This is a continuation of a my-way-or-the-highway leadership. George Bush has not changed the climate in Washington."

I stole this from an email - someone else came up with the idea. But it is a good question, I think.

 

[Ambrosious]

boortz again.

GEPHARDT FANS THE CLASS WAR FLAMES
“We have 24 million people in this country who won’t get one dime from President Bush’s tax cut.

OK, Gephardt. Let’s assume your 24 million figure is correct. I don’t think for a minute that it is, because you’ve been lying with statistics all along here, but we’ll buy it, for know. The reason these 24 million Americans aren’t getting a dime from the tax cut is because they’re not paying any damned income taxes! But, then, you know that, don’t you Gephardt. You know that these people don’t pay taxes and you know that it’s perfectly logical that people who don’t pay taxes don’t benefit from tax cuts. You also know that the vast majority of people in this country who vote Democratic are freaking idiots. You know that your illogical rhetoric is going to sound just great to people who can’t think logically.

Keep fanning those class warfare flames, you un-American jerk.


For a minute, there was hope.

 

[Never]

Right now, I'm making 9.50 an hour while working a 40-hour job and I'm not getting a tax cut at all. I'm going to guess that those 24 million Americans are the ones working low-end jobs like mine. However, the Man, who's earning $35/hour and works 5-10s and an 8 will get a whopping $100 tax cut. Wow, impressive, that will cover 1/10th of rent for this month.

So, Ambro, tell us about how much that tax cut will save you.

 

[Ambrosious]

I was taught it was bad manners to discuss ones pay

But I will share this.

Also from boortz, he does have a way with words.

I really hope you folks out there – especially you high-achieving types – aren’t thinking that you’re actually going to keep any substantial additional portion of your money next year. Remember – this tax cut is more smoke than fire. For the one percent of Americans who earn about 17 percent of the income and pay over 34 percent of the income taxes – your taxes will only be cut by one lousy percent next year … and one percent the year after that. You won’t see your tax rate drop to 33 percent for six years. And, guess what. By that time the Democrats will have bought their way back into complete control in Washington and the succession of one percent per year tax cuts will have been repealed anyway.

Oh … and retroactivity? Forget it. Yeah, the Clintonista tax increase was retroactive, but your stingy little one percent cut won’t be. The Republicans in the house decided that the cut ought to only be retroactive for the lowest tax bracket. Don’t want to let too much of that money escape from Washington, you know.

Call me a high achiever. That will have to suffice for an answer. It is none of your business how much I make, nor how much I pay in taxes.

 

[Laurel]

Is Dick Gephardt actually criticizing Bill Clinton?

"This is a partisan process," House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri told reporters. "This is happening without a budget, without hearings, without input from anybody ... This is a continuation of a my-way-or-the-highway leadership. George Bush has not changed the climate in Washington."

I stole this from an email - someone else came up with the idea. But it is a good question, I think.

Uh, unless Bill Clinton changed his name to George Bush, I'd have to say no.

News Flash: Bill Clinton is no longer the President. Thought you should know.

 

[Laurel]

More News

From the New York Times, August 4, 2058
CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS TO IMPEACH CLINTON AGAIN

"He's ours now," says Senate Minority Leader

WASHINGTON, AUGUST 4 (AP) -- Republicans in the House have submitted Articles of Impeachment against former President Bill Clinton today, and the word from the Senate is it's a go.

"We know we have him this time," said Senate Minority Leader Earl Gingrich (R-GA). "We'll finally put Bill Clinton in his place. He'll never see the inside of the White House again."

House Minority Leader George H. W. P. J. Bush III (R-TX), who co-authored the Articles with the fossilized remains of Strom Thurmond (R-SC), which were moved to the House in 2024, concurred, adding, "He won't know what hit him this time."

Bill Clinton, who led the country from 1993 until 2001, will go down in history as the nation's most-impeached President. This will be the eighteenth time Clinton has been impeached, and the seventh time since his death in 2033. So far, none of the impeachment attempts has been successful.

"I really don't understand why they're still trying," said President Al Gore IV, shaking his head in amused consternation. "Everyone thought they would let it rest once I offered to place Bill's coffin in a lockbox. At this point, I don't know whether to be outraged, or just laugh 'em off."

In response to Bush's remarks, Gore added, "No, he probably won't know what hit him this time, considering how long he's been dead."

 

[KillerMuffin]

The direct meanings and connotations of the phrases "continuation" and "has not changed" imply that the new president is following in the footsteps of the old president by maintaining the political climate of "my way or the highway" presidential policy.

I think they both suck. I'm sick and tired of partisan politics. The idiots in congress spend more time and money bitching about each other rather than working together. I've seen a group of 5 year olds work better than Congress. Grow the hell up people. I wanna cut taxes 15 point five percent and pay down the national debt! No, you're wrong, we need to cut taxes fifteen and half percent and shrink the national debt. Fuckheads.

 

[CreamyLady]

Elegantly put, KM.

 

[Laurel]

I'm sick and tired of partisan politics. The idiots in congress spend more time and money bitching about each other rather than working together. I've seen a group of 5 year olds work better than Congress. Grow the hell up people.

A-fucking-men. They're all so caught up in 'beating the other party' that they forget that their job is to do what's best for the country. They spend more time in hearings, impeachments, and otherwise spying on each other than they do having substantive arguments on the issues. And we all fall right in line behind them, because soap opera is sooo much more fun than real politics. Because who's-blowing-who is easier to understand than economic policy. I thought once Clinton was out of office we could get down to actual business, but we're still talking Clinton. We'll be obsessing on Clinton for years, while Congress makes our workplaces less safe, our environment less clean, and out pockets less full. Go team go!

 

[KillerMuffin]

They'll be talking Clinton well into the next millenia Laurel. He's like Kennedy in that respect. Just ugly. The Republicans want to impeach him because people still like him.

I think it's time for the American people to stop being bipartisan as well. No, my politics are almost polar opposite as Madam Pandora's in some regards, but in the important things that the Federal Government controls, we totally agree.

1) No more national debt.
2) Low taxes for everyone that are fair and equitable. Don't penalize the rich cause they make more money than the poor. But don't let them get away with not paying taxes because they can afford tax shelters.
3) Quit dipping into social security.
4) Get government out of places it has no business being. Of course, opinions on what this is exactly vary.
5) Swear out a restraining order again Shaggy making it a felony offense for him to sing again. No, that's just me.
6) Better education for all.
7) Better health care that's reasonably priced.
8) Make utilities affordable and available!
9) Fire John Ashcroft.

This whole bipartisan thing reeks like the Stud's feet. Well, almost that bad.

I STILL wish that Oregon had managed to pull the Electoral vote for Nader, just to fuck up the whole system.

 

[genderbender]

KM

Amen!

 

[Oliver Clozoff]

I STILL wish that Oregon had managed to pull the Electoral vote for Nader, just to fuck up the whole system.

How would this have fucked up the whole system? The Constitution provides for the contigency in which if no Presidential candidate wins the majority of electoral votes the election is thrown into the house with each state getting one vote.

From Article II, section 1, clause 3:

if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President. But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the Representation from each State having one Vote...

Who knew the founding fathers had a hard time spelling "choose"? Since Bush would've still won the majority of states, wouldn't he still be President?

Would that be any more fucked up than the way Bush really was elected?

 

[KillerMuffin]

I mean the Elephant and the Donkey's happy little system of keeping all the federally mandated funds to themselves. Nader was off by what, 2%? That's the system that'd be fucked up, not the government system itself.

 

[genderbender]

[Would that be any more fucked up than the way Bush really was elected? [/B]

George Bush was elected? I thought it was a coronation.

 

[Oliver Clozoff]

KM: Gotcha. Misunderstood your point. I agree that the threshold for parties receiving Federal matching funds should be reduced (or better yet, matching funds should be done away with). At least we can individually choose whether or not our tax dollars go toward financing campaigns.

GB: It's good to be the king.

 

[KillerMuffin]

Gotta keep me on my toes, Doc. Otherwise I'll blithely yammer on arrogantly assuming that I know everything.

Or do I already do that anyway?

 

[genderbender]

[B
GB: It's good to be the king. [/B]

Spoken like a true blue blood! Let's see, Groton and Yale, perhaps?

 

[Siren]

A sign that Laurel is right about this is.....

 

[Oliver Clozoff]

Spoken like a true blue blood! Let's see, Groton and Yale, perhaps?

I would've loved to have gone to an ivy-league school, but alas the cost of a private education is prohibitively expensive these days.

Maybe if my parents' had been given some tax relief...

 

[genderbender]

Spoken like a true blue blood! Let's see, Groton and Yale, perhaps?

I would've loved to have gone to an ivy-league school, but alas the cost of a private education is prohibitively expensive these days.

Maybe if my parents' had been given some tax relief...

So the truth finally comes out, you're neither a Rockefeller nor a Morgan. So, tell me where your political philosophy comes from Mr. Clozoff? Bare all! You didn't respond to my inquiry on this subject after our last conversation, the one around our fearless leader's tax cut proposal. I gather from other threads that you're either finishing medical school or working as a resident. I'm curious whether your interest in medicine is because the money is good, or you have a chance to do good. Perhaps they're not mutually exclusive, but it seems there are primarily two different kinds of doctors in the world - you know, the majority driving their Mercedes to the country club and the minority walking through mud in Kosovo. Where are you going, young man, and how did you become a Republican apologist? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[Cheyenne]

Originally posted by Laurel

Is Dick Gephardt actually criticizing Bill Clinton?

"This is a partisan process," House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri told reporters. "This is happening without a budget, without hearings, without input from anybody ... This is a continuation of a my-way-or-the-highway leadership. George Bush has not changed the climate in Washington ."

I stole this from an email - someone else came up with the idea. But it is a good question, I think.

Uh, unless Bill Clinton changed his name to George Bush, I'd have to say no.

News Flash: Bill Clinton is no longer the President. Thought you should know.

I'd have to say yes. Sounds like
Gephardt is criticizing George for not changing the climate in Washington, of continuing Bill Clinton's my-way-or-the-highway leadership. Clinton was the immediate past leader, wasn't he? He would have been responsible for the old climate in Washington, the one Gephardt hoped would change.

 

[Laurel]

I'd have to say yes. Sounds like
Gephardt is criticizing George for not changing the climate in Washington, of continuing Bill Clinton's my-way-or-the-highway leadership. Clinton was the immediate past leader, wasn't he? He would have been responsible for the old climate in Washington, the one Gephardt hoped would change.

I don't remembering Gephardt ever saying he hoped it would change. I think Dick was referring to GWB's campaign promise to change Washington, to encourage cooperation and bipartisanship instead of the same old partisan bickering - a promise which he has yet to fulfill. If anything, by most accounts he's exacerbated partisan differences with his controversial cabinet picks and by ramming his legislation through Congress without any debate whatsoever, just because he has the votes to do so. That's not bipartisan cooperation. He rammed through an unprecedented repeal of workplace safety laws. He's ramming through an irresponsible tax cut that will harm us down the road. He did the same thing in Texas, and now their state debt has ballooned from what it was as a result. Based on the entirety of Gephardt's comments in the newspaper, I believe that's what he was referring to.

 

[Unclebill]

I think Dick was referring to GWB's campaign promise to change Washington, to encourage cooperation and bipartisanship instead of the same old partisan bickering - a promise which he has yet to fulfill. If anything, by most accounts he's exacerbated partisan differences with his controversial cabinet picks and by ramming his legislation through Congress without any debate whatsoever, just because he has the votes to do so.

Don't you think it's interesting that those calling for bipartisanship are also the ones demagoguing everything Bush proposes? When Clinton was in the White House and the Democrats controlled Congress, where was there any offer of bipartisanship or concern for not ramrodding legislation through just because they had the votes to do so? Remember the 1993 tax increase? There was no gnashing of teeth or and worries about how the people whose livelihood was being seized were going to pay for their loss of property. Their only concern now is that they (Democrats) have less of my money and yours to squander on more socialist spending programs to return themselves to power.

Read Cheyenne's latest post on the dictionary thread for a very eloquent description of the Democrats that pretty accurately and succinctly defines and identifies them for the Fascist totalitarians they are.

 

[genderbender]

...Read Cheyenne's latest post on the dictionary thread for a very eloquent description of the Democrats that pretty accurately and succinctly defines and identifies them for the Fascist totalitarians they are.

UncleBill, calm yourself! Democrats may be considered Communist totalitarians but never Fascist totalitarians. You need to brush up on your history. The Nazis and Fascisti, parties of the right, not the left, are appropriately called Fascist totalitarians. Sort of like, if you were to call Republicans Fascist totalitarians...that would be the correct application of the term. Hope that helps!

 

[KillerMuffin]

ATTENTION ALL AMERICANS.

Bipartisanship starts down here at the voter level. You get no where calling the current leaders partisan idiots who couldn't agree on how to dial 911 if they were being murdered.

Everyone mudslings political rhetoric. No political party is better than any other, despite what people think, they are merely different with different agendas. In the end, they are the same in one thing. They want the power of controlling the country.

If the leadership can see those of us in charge all standing there together, democrats, republicans, libertarians, errata all standing together demanding they work together and knock off the bullshit, then they'll do it. Right now they see the rest of the country squabbling just like they are.

Democrats are not totalitarian facists. Libertarians are not anarchistic kooks. Republicans are not brainwashed corporate stooges. They are all Americans. We may differ on the way we want things done, but deep down we all agree on the important things.

If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem.