Are Republicans Guilty of Treason?
On “Real Time with Bill Maher” this past Friday, Bill Maher referred to the House GOP’s thirty-seventh vote to repeal Obamacare:
“And what about trying to repeal it for the 37th time? Is that a wise use of our time and resources? At some point, obstruction becomes, um, I dunno, treason.”
On the same program one of the guests — Michael Moore — described the GOP as “a squealing dinosaur whose time has come.”
Let’s hope.
Bill Maher also talked about how the implementation of Obamacare is causing some of the top health insurance companies to lower their rates:
“They did a test and they put, you know, what insurance would cost if you were a 40-year-old, non-smoker and instantly, the two highest priced insurers went down. This is the heart of Obama. This is the heart of capitalism. I’m wondering why the people who love the free market so much are not for this.”
Maher also referred to the GOP’s blocking of almost everybody nominated by Obama. The head of the EPA, a chief circuit court judge and dozens of other nominees. And best of all — if you’re a rightwing oligarch or one of their useful idiots — bringing the Labor Relations Board to a screeching halt. Right now the Labor Relations Board doesn’t have enough members to even have quorum. And Republicans are determined to block any and all nominees to serve on the board, just so they can keep the Labor Relations Board dysfunctional and unable to enforce the laws that protect millions of working people.
Bill Maher said: “At some point it becomes more about hating Obama than loving our country.”
Michael Moore added:
“No, they hate America. I think that’s really what it is. Conservatives and right-wingers, as much as they profess to love this country, they hate it. They hate the government, they hate the people.”
Unfortunately I think Bill Maher and Michael Moore are both right.
Labels: Bill Maher, GOP treason, Michael Moore
posted by Tom Harper @ 8:49 PM
6 Comments:
Really? 36 times just wasn't enough? WTF? They are assholes. But not to worry - Reid is going "nuclear" - um, next month. Ole Harry says he's going to change the Senate rules to have only a simple majority. Sure, Harry, when was the last time you said this? It was during Alito's confirmation hearings, you ass. How many times has he said it since that time? I dunno, I lost count. The only time he uses his spine is to screw over the American people. Asshat.
Actually, Maher should have said sedition, because treason is only valid during war time. (Someone else told me that.)
The Repubs need to clean house - you can't even be a moderate anymore in the party and they are acting like escapees from a mental institution. I can't even think of one of them that I don't despise. They still have Pelosi to bitch about, but she became a really moderate Speaker - I wish she was the lib that she was. You really have to admire her for keeping the monkeys in line and plain getting shit done. We won't get ANYTHING done with Boehner and the current bunch of R's now.
I really do like the South, they're like your weird cousin. And I always come back with a funny story.
The guys on the Gaming Board were hilarious - they asked me questions for a full 30 minutes. "If you lived in the South, we'd call you Lisa June." The black man I had dinner with insisted on escorting me every where, even to my hotel. Before I went, he called my boss and insisted that I shouldn't come without a male "escort". Seriously? I made sure I didn't tell him my flight arrangements, lest he come up to Nashville and pick me up (about 3 hours each way). As it was, he MADE me call him when I got back to the airport. What? The road is going to swallow me whole because I don't have a guy with me?
". . . This is the heart of capitalism. I’m wondering why the people who love the free market so much are not for this.”
A big part of the answer is that Republicans are in business (literally) to serve the top few percent-richest Americans. They're virtually all the big-investor class. A relatively small percentage of the middle class does any significant investing, and most of what investing most middle- and working-class people do is on a comparatively modest scale.
So, affordable medical care and health insurance premiums are of greater importance to the nonwealthy. Maximum return on investments is of most importance to the rich and super rich, who can pay out of pocket for any care they need, if they have to.
The financial industry, of which insurance companies are a key component, makes up a large and ever-growing segment of our economy. (See Al Lewis' excellent Wall St. Journal and syndicated column of Sunday, May 19, for how that works out for once solid companies like Oreck, which, thanks to venture capitalists, is now in bankruptcy). The rich and super rich are heavily invested in the financial industry and reap huge returns from those investments.
So, there's no mystery as why the Republicans' patrons and masters hate Obama care. Just follow the money-making, or more to the point, the greed, and there's your answer. Obama care holds out the prospect of more care for more people at lower costs. That means slightly less profits and investment returns for the companies and investors.
Those free-market religionists only love it when it works to their great advantage. If the market is made to work less to their advantage and more to the advantage of others, like consumers in need of health insurance, the free market zealots want their Republican agents in government to do any meddling with the market necessary to return things to their favor.
Lisa G: That's great news that Harry Reid is going to crack down on these filibusters and other obstruction tactics. He's said it so many times, but this time I just know he really really means it :)
You're probably right, sedition is probably a more accurate word than treason. In any case, nobody will do anything about it, whatever we call it.
"A weird cousin" -- interesting take on the South.
SW: Good description of the Republicans' "capitalism" dilemma. Their sole purpose is to tilt all regulations and tax laws in favor of the wealthiest and most influential, and they call it "capitalism." When anything threatens their "Reverse Robin Hood" approach, they have to demonize it and dredge up a name -- socialism, whatever -- that will scare their useful idiots.
Obamacare is a perfect example of something that benefits millions of people, while demanding a tiny sacrifice from the richest 1%.
Have the Republicans forgotten that some of their ideals are in Obamacare as well?
Erik
Erik: They're trying desperately to forget. Most of all, they're trying to forget that the individual mandate originated with their sacred Heritage Foundation.
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