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Talking Points Memo on the clip below:
In a significant escalation of the progressive campaign to make Republicans pay a political price for voting to end Medicare, the progressive advocacy group Americans United for Change will run broadcast TV ads in the districts of Reps. Steve King (R-IA), Sean Duffy (R-WI), Chip Cravaack (R-MN), and Paul Ryan (R-WI). "What are House Republicans thinking asking millions of seniors, the less fortunate and the disabled to make more sacrifices and the richest among us to make less," says AUC executive Tom McMahon in a statement.
House Democrats almost pulled a fast one on the GOP today. Talking Points Memo reports:
The vote was on the Republican Study Committee's alternative budget -- a radical plan that annihilates the social contract in America by putting the GOP budget on steroids. Deeper tax cuts for the wealthy, more severe entitlement rollbacks. Normally something like that would fail by a large bipartisan margin in either the House or the Senate. Conservative Republicans would vote for it, but it would be defeated by a coalition of Democrats and more moderate Republicans. But today that formula didn't hold. In an attempt to highlight deep divides in the Republican caucus. Dems switched their votes -- from "no" to "present."The bill ended up barely failing by a vote of 139-119. All Democrats voted "present."
Panic ensued. In the House, legislation passes by a simple majority of members voting. The Dems took themselves out of the equation, leaving Republicans to decide whether the House should adopt the more-conservative RSC budget instead of the one authored by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan. As Dems flipped to present, Republicans realized that a majority of their members had indeed gone on the record in support of the RSC plan -- and if the vote closed, it would pass. That would be a slap in the face to Ryan, and a politically toxic outcome for the Republican party.
Watch Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) take an unusual method to denounce the GOP's spending plan.
Another classic rant from our favorite Independent.
Perkins can't even tell the truth with his own YouTube headlines: "Tony Perkins Responds to Sen. Chuck Schumer's Praise of FRC." Praise? Where?
"The extreme wing of the Republican Party is making a big mistake with their flat-out opposition to a short-term continuing resolution. I know that there is some opposition to working with Senate Democrats from the extreme right of the Tea Party who would rather see a government shutdown than pass a short-term solution; however, as long as we continue to cut spending each time, we are keeping our promise to the American people to reduce the deficit and fix the economy." - First-term GOP Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY), who probably just got unfriended by half of the House Republicans.
