United States Congress

[clueliss]

The Pitch (Alternative Newspaper from Kansas City) is reporting that Roy Blunt from Missouri is giving misleading responses about Healthcare.  I'm so not shocked.  He's too busy being friends with Sessions.  (No, I'm not letting go of that dandy little tweet)

http://www.pitch.com/news/blog/20854600/roy-blunt-sends-misleading-response-to-obamacare-supporter

 

Quote

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri answered a constituent's concern about health care with a response that was "misleading and lacked important context," according to the news organization ProPublica.

Meg Godfrey and her husband are moving from North Carolina to St. Louis this year. Getting a jump on being an engaged Missourian, Godfrey visited Blunt's website and typed a note in support of the Affordable Care Act.

Godfrey received a canned response from Blunt, which argued the law is failing. Godfrey forwarded the response to ProPublica for fact-checking. An Affordable Care Act expert who reviewed Blunt's message told ProPublica, “Some of this information is inaccurate, the rest of it is spin."

Among other tricks, Blunt overstated the number of Americans who had their health-care plans canceled and cherry-picked information about the costs of polices purchased on the Obamacare exchanges.

Godfrey was infuriated by Blunt's response. "I hate being treated like an idiot," she said.

ProPublica is teaming with Kaiser Health News, Stat and Vox to fact-check what other members of Congress are telling their constituents about the Affordable Care Act.

 

[formergothardite]

4 minutes ago, clueliss said:

ProPublica is teaming with Kaiser Health News, Stat and Vox to fact-check what other members of Congress are telling their constituents about the Affordable Care Act.

Good idea! Thom Tillis has stopped replying to my emails, but I'll see if I can snag a response from him about ACA. 

[47of74]

This is an interesting opinion piece about how Democrats can try to retake the House in 2018.

There has been no shortage of reports that President Trump is still very popular in the bars and diners of the old industrial towns that decided the 2016 presidential election.
But if you want to meet the voters who will decide the biggest political story of the 2018 congressional elections, you might have to fly right over the blue-collar workers of Youngstown, Ohio, and go talk to the real housewives of Orange County, Calif.
Yes, it’s early. But if we’re already breathlessly checking in on Altoona, Pa., then add the O.C. to the mix.
Orange County was the heart of Sun Belt conservatism and one of the most reliably Republican bastions of the 20th century. It voted Republican in every presidential election from 1936 until 2016, when it voted for Hillary Clinton by a nine-point margin.
It’s hard to think of a place that was less relevant to Mr. Trump’s fortunes in 2016. Mrs. Clinton’s success in Orange County, and in well-educated and Hispanic areas elsewhere in the Sun Belt, helped her win the popular vote — though there was no payoff in the Electoral College. But it’s districts like these that will decide whether the Democrats can make a serious run at control of the House.
...
But whether the Democrats can do it will come down to places like Orange County, which is more populous than Iowa. Four congressional districts that have at least some territory in the county still have Republican representatives, and all four were carried by Mrs. Clinton.
It’s not much of an exaggeration to say that the road to a Democratic House begins and ends at Laguna Beach.
Darrell Issa, who represents the California coast from southern Orange County to part of La Jolla, is probably the nation’s most vulnerable incumbent. That’s based on factors that tend to predict which districts are likeliest to be competitive — like the result of his last election (he won by just 1 point) and how the district voted in recent presidential contests.
...

The rest of the piece is interesting. It kind of flies in the face of the whole "middle America rules" thought from 2016.


Well I hope the Democrats don't ignore Iowa. We need Democrats to undo the damage our ferret face Governor and the dumb fornicate sticks in the Iowa legislature are doing now.

[GreyhoundFan]

4 minutes ago, 47of74 said:

The rest of the piece is interesting. It kind of flies in the face of the whole "middle America rules" thought from 2016.


Well I hope the Democrats don't ignore Iowa. We need Democrats to undo the damage our ferret face Governor and the dumb fornicate sticks in the Iowa legislature are doing now.

I agree with you. There are so many places in this country that need to ditch the ridiculous policies foisted on citizens by the far right crazies in power. If some Dems get power, or at least a reasonable representation, there is hope.

[RoseWilder]

Maxine Waters continues her quest to get to the bottom of the Trump-Russia scandal: 

 

[RoseWilder]

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"GOP’s Darrell Issa represents a clear test for anti-Trump Democrats trying for electoral gains in 2018"

Quote

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — For three hours Saturday, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) endured pointed questions, jeers and derisive laughter during two successive town halls in this northern suburb of San Diego.

But this wasn’t just a moment for Issa to let anxious constituents vent their worries about immigration policy, health-care reform or the first seven weeks of President Trump’s tenure. It was a major first test of the Democratic Party’s efforts to turn antipathy toward Trump into electoral gains in 2018. It was also a chance for Issa to show that he is willing to stand apart from Trump for a district that has rapidly grown more liberal in recent years.

“I do not work for the executive branch,” Issa said in an opening statement Saturday at one of two morning town hall meetings at a community center here. “I investigated the Obama administration. I also investigated the Bush administration.”

...

After last year’s squeaker election in the 49th District, Democrats listed Issa as among the most vulnerable Republican incumbents in 2018. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has hired a full-time organizer in the district. In response, the GOP campaign committee has included Issa among 10 House incumbents who will receive additional help from the party.

While most of the crowd Saturday was markedly anti-Trump, a smattering of the president’s supporters were present, some wearing the red “Make America Great Again” campaign hats. A bare-chested man outside held a sign asking “What’s Not To Like?” about Trump’s views.

...

 

Okay, not about Issa, but the "what's not to like" about Cheeto's views...hmmm...let me think....

[RoseWilder]

 

[RoseWilder]

They don't know, or they don't care? I would say it's a mixture of both. 

 

[fraurosena]

2 hours ago, RoseWilder said:

 

*whispers loudly*

Maybe someone should tell the Toddler that Mexicans can swim...

[GreyhoundFan]

You know you're a white nationalist when David Duke approves of your message: "U.S. Rep. Steve King Tweets In Favor Of White Nationalism, Gets Little Pushback From Colleagues". Here's the beginning of the article:

Quote

U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) has made no secret of how he views people who aren’t white, Christian or American-born. His latest public remark is being critically viewed as a paean to white nationalism by Democrats and Independents ― but not by his Republican colleagues in Congress.

On Sunday afternoon, King suggested that Muslim children were preventing “our civilization” from being restored. 

...

The Tweets enclosed in the article are interesting.

[HarryPotterFan]

On March 9, 2017 at 9:53 PM, GreyhoundFan said:

"GOP health-care bill would drop addiction treatment mandate covering 1.3 million Americans"

Joe Kennedy and Peter Welch introduced an amendment to mandate mental health and substance abuse treatment, but it was voted down by Repubs.

What assholes!!!! As someone with mental health issues grrrr

On March 9, 2017 at 11:01 PM, Ali said:

Screaming about not wanting to pay for prenatal care while claiming to be pro life. Wow!

The out of pocket expense for the prenatal care and birth of my second child could have bought 21 $600 iphones and I still would have  money leftover for diapers.

They only care about fetuses in the abstract. Screw real fetuses or babies once they're born.

On March 10, 2017 at 0:48 AM, candygirl200413 said:

@Cartmann99 Thank you This fall I'll be getting an MPH and hopefully later on peruse a PhD!

Awesome! I have an MPH! What are you specializing in?

On March 10, 2017 at 6:24 AM, formergothardite said:

The ER waits here are insane! I've heard of people waiting for four to six hours! People have died waiting in American ERs! It isn't like we have amazing medical care here in America. I've had to wait months for appointments with specialists. 

How do we change our society to make it less awful?! 

You basically have to have something wrong with your heart to be seen immediately. 

[HarryPotterFan]

New proposes bill, the Death Eaters want to allow employers to force employees to undergo genetic testing. Via WaPo:

Employees who decline genetic testing could face penalties under proposed bill

Quote

Employers could impose hefty penalties on employees who decline to participate in genetic testing as part of workplace wellness programs if a bill approved by a U.S. House committee this week becomes law.

This would be such a terrifying invasion of privacy and it's only purpose would be to discriminate against people like me.

[Cartmann99]

1 hour ago, HarryPotterFan said:

New proposes bill, the Death Eaters want to allow employers to force employees to undergo genetic testing. Via WaPo:

Employees who decline genetic testing could face penalties under proposed bill

This would be such a terrifying invasion of privacy and it's only purpose would be to discriminate against people like me.

Yup. The people who are pushing this, might be very surprised by their own test results. 

[formergothardite]

I forgot to post the reply I got from Thom Tillis last month in regards to the high cost of Trump traveling to vacation each weekend and Melania and Barron staying in New York. He has stopped answering my emails after this one. 

Quote

 

As you may know, it costs an average of $2 million per day to implement a full security plan for President Trump and his immediate family. While there are certainly some costs that are unique to President Trump, such as the First Lady and Barron’s residency in New York until the end of the school year, the logistical and cost considerations are far from unprecedented.  In fact, the cost of presidential travel has been discussed for decades.

Richard Nixon frequently spent short weekend trips at his “Winter White House” in Key Biscayne, Ronald Reagan made occasional trips to his home on the West Coast, and President George W. Bush took numerous trips to his ranch in Crawford, Texas. The costs for providing security for the Obama family averaged $1.4 million per day, and when he was elected, it cost $2.2 million to secure his residence in Kenwood. On top of that, President Obama used these same funds to finance his final vacation as president to Hawaii.

I understand that the President’s safety and security are a substantial undertaking that requires ample resources, but few will argue that the protection of our Commander in Chief is an unworthy cost. Regardless of the sitting president or the political party in power, it is essential that we keep our democratically elected leader safe and free to govern.

 

 

[candygirl200413]

@HarryPotterFan Epidemiology, but public policy has also been in my mind since this election so we shall see :), what about you?

Also speaking about his spending at Marg-a-Lo. He is trying to cut on "unnecessary spending" which I'm assuming can fund more of these trips and the wall he thinks he can still build.

 

[HarryPotterFan]

19 hours ago, candygirl200413 said:

@HarryPotterFan Epidemiology, but public policy has also been in my mind since this election so we shall see :), what about you?

Also speaking about his spending at Marg-a-Lo. He is trying to cut on "unnecessary spending" which I'm assuming can fund more of these trips and the wall he thinks he can still build.

 

Oh wow. So one of the employable tracks  It's also a really important one.  I studied health education, it took me a while to find a job.

Unnecessary spending = anything that helps or employs people. It's terrifying how much he's already spent on these trips and on his wife and son being in NY. Can't blame her for wanting to be away from him, but does it have to be at taxpayer expense?

[GreyhoundFan]

"Republicans are threatening to expose Trump as the emperor with no clothes"

Quote

It's almost as though Republicans are tired of having President Trump's evidence-free allegations laid at their feet. Almost.

Late Monday, a spokesman for House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) threatened to subpoena the Trump administration to produce evidence of Trump's claim that President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower during the campaign. The White House has declined to produce this evidence publicly, offering various excuses, including the Constitution's separation of powers and — most recently on Monday — arguing that Trump wasn't speaking literally when he made the claim.

The Justice Department missed Nunes's deadline to provide evidence Monday, which drew Nunes's subpoena threat.

“If the committee does not receive a response, the committee will ask for this information during the March 20 hearing and may resort to a compulsory process if our questions continue to go unanswered,” Nunes spokesman Jack Langer said.

...

It's clear as day what's going on here.

The White House's reactions to Trump's evidence-free claims — be it this one or the one about millions of illegal votes in 2016 — is to call for investigations. That has the triple benefit of putting the onus on someone else to look into it, to buy some time and hope people forget that the president is making such wild allegations, and in this case to give themselves an excuse to clam up. The White House initially said that it wouldn't comment on Trump's wiretapping claim while it was being investigated, and then it said it couldn't provide evidence because of separation of powers — another claim that strained credulity.

But that also puts Republicans such as Nunes and Graham in the position of having to account for these claims — and calling on Trump and his team to put up or shut up. By pushing the administration to produce evidence — or else — they are effectively putting the ball back in the executive branch's court. The subtext: You can't just make these claims and then ask us to deal with the fallout.

Nunes in particular has faced some very tough questions from reporters, and he must feel as though he's being hung out to dry. Graham's angle is slightly different, in that he clearly doesn't think Trump's claim is accurate and wants to prove it. “If there is no warrant, then we’ll have solved this problem: There was no wiretapping,” he said this week.

I'm not holding my breath for Nunes to grow a pair and step up, but hopefully more Repubs will actually stand up to the tangerine toddler.

[Dark Matters]

Wonder if we can get more petitions like this one started in all the states?

http://www.oregonlive.com/trending/2017/03/portland_man_gathers_over_3000.html

Daniel Jimenez, 30, says he lost his father to cancer several years ago. His father was employed at the time he fell ill, but was not covered by health insurance.

Jimenez, a transportation modeler from Portland who recently moved to New Mexico, thinks insurance could have saved his father's life.

"He avoided going to the doctor until it was too late," Jimenez wrote in a Change.org petition last week.

"As Congress and President Trump try to pass a new healthcare law," he continued, "I'm reminded of my father and whether he would have made it if he had early access to cost-effective health care."

"If Congress is willing to drastically cut healthcare subsidies for most people," he wondered, "are they willing to have the same rules apply to them and their families?"

So, he decided to find out. He started a petition to "remove health-care subsidies for members of Congress and their families."

[sawasdee]

Let them walk in their constituents' shoes for at least a year - same median salary, same health care, same educational opportunities for their children - and I think we might see a few different policies coming out of Congress.

But then I always was a dreamer.

[Dark Matters]

16 minutes ago, sawasdee said:

Let them walk in their constituents' shoes for at least a year - same median salary, same health care, same educational opportunities for their children - and I think we might see a few different policies coming out of Congress.

But then I always was a dreamer.

I'd like to see their salaries lowered to no more than twice what the poorest of their constituents are living on.  Then maybe we can weed out those who are there purely to acquire prestige and wealth from those who truly care about serving the public.

[RoseWilder]

Someone is trying to unseat Steve King!

 

[bashfulpixie]

3 hours ago, Dark Matters said:

I'd like to see their salaries lowered to no more than twice what the poorest of their constituents are living on.  Then maybe we can weed out those who are there purely to acquire prestige and wealth from those who truly care about serving the public.

I think that's a great idea in theory. I'm afraid it would make it even more likely that they get bought off by rich donors 

[RoseWilder]

Fed up GOP Senator Chuck Grassley demands answers about Trump and Russia: 

https://www.palmerreport.com/politics/fed-up-gop-senator-chuck-grassley-puts-hold-on-doj-nominee-until-he-gets-trump-russia-answers/1931/

Quote

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley has had enough of Donald Trump’s Department of Justice stalling on providing updates on the Trump-Russia scandal, and so he’s decided to stall the DOJ. Politico now says the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee plans to hold up the nomination of would-be Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein until the DOJ allows FBI Director James Comey to provide his committee with the level of information on Trump-Russia it wants.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"Donald Trump’s itchy Twitter finger just alienated one of his most important allies"

Quote

If there is one man on Capitol Hill whom President Trump might want to stay in the good graces of, it's Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.). Nunes is the head of the House Intelligence Committee, which is in charge of investigating Russia's role in the 2016 presidential race — you know, the one Democrats think could prove collusion between the Trump campaign and a foreign power.

And until this week, that was a good setup for Trump. Nunes had been a member of his own transition team, after all, and he seemed to go out of his way to defend Trump — in a way few others did, frankly.

That may no longer be the case.

Nunes delivered a reasonably strong rebuke of Trump on Wednesday for his tweet that President Barack Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower, saying that if the tweet were to be taken literally, “clearly the president was wrong” (meaning Trump). The comment came a couple of days after Nunes threatened to subpoena the Trump administration for not turning over evidence related to Trump's claim.

As I argued Tuesday, Nunes seems to be fed up with this story line, and he's suddenly willing to wield his authority in a way that Trump probably doesn't love. Or, at the very least, Nunes is now bowing to the reality of Trump's wayward and still evidence-free conspiracy theory.

And that's a clear reversal from where Nunes has been in recent weeks.

...

It's pretty bad when Nunes, who has been one of the biggest Agent Orange sycophants out there, is actually saying AO was wrong. Wow.