Are Ron Paul and Ru Paul related?

senate majority leader harry reid (d-nv) has laid a final offer at republicans' feet, and it will require them to drop their insistence on defunding planned parenthood, and accepting what reid insists is an agreed upon level of spending cuts. If republicans don't take it, and if reid's not bluffing, the government will shutdown.

[rep. Blake farenthold (r-tx)] said the riders are important to voters back home. And if house speaker john boehner agrees to a deal which doesn't included the abortion rider, he could have a tough time convincing his members to go along with it. "i've gotta go back home, look people in the eye and say, look, i told you $100 billion, but i went for less, and i've got to have a because," farenthold said. "because i don't want to be perceived as a liar back home."

There’s only one problem with this talking point — it’s the opposite of true. Today, the House Democrats tried three times to pass a measure that would ensure the troops received pay. The Republicans overwhelmingly opposed every single “troop-funding” opportunity:

– Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY) offered a motion to recommit that would ensure all military personnel received pay for the rest of the year. Only one Republican, Rep. Walter Jones (NC), voted with every Democrat to consider this amendment.

– House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), first by unanimous consent and then by amendment, offered an alternative budget measure that would provide a 1-week extension of the current budget agreement until April 15. The “clean” continuing resolution alternative includes funding for the military but omits the irrelevant policy riders the GOP attached to H.R. 1363. Republicans unanimously voted against consideration of the alternative.

What’s more, the Obama administration announced today that it “would support a short-term, clean Continuing Resolution” like the alternative Democrats offered. Thus, by voting against these measures, House Republicans are flatly refusing to support any “troop funding bill” unless their anti-abortion and anti-environmental riders get passed. Incidentally, Republicans have ensured that, unlike the troops, Members of Congress will still get paid. Last Friday, the House voted on a measure to stop their paychecks should the government shut down. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) was the only Republican to vote in favor.

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/07/house-gop-troop-funding-cut/#

You could say the Democrats started this whole mess by failing to pass a budget at the end of last year; a little tidbit I've mentioned several times in the past. They claim they were so extended from fighting off Republican attacks elsewhere that to pass a budget would have only garnered more vitriol attacks from the right, and they didn't want to add anymore flame to the already growing political fire. So basically they didn't pass a budget for political reasons and now the troops are paying the consequences.

<Rant over>

For days, the assumption has been that Speaker John A. Boehner was dug into his hardened position on behalf of the conservatives in his House caucus and from socially conservative voices in the Republican Party.

But now — just hours before the first government shutdown in 15 years –some of the most vocal conservatives are urging Republicans to reach a deal before a shutdown occurs. That could give Mr. Boehner the political cover he needs to cut a deal with President Obama and the Democrats.

Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, the founder of the Tea Party caucus in the House and a likely 2012 presidential candidate, tweeted Friday afternoon: “I am ready for a big fight that will change the arc of history. The current fight in Washington is not that fight.”

In an article on Redstate, Ms. Bachmann concludes that “the current battle has devolved to an agenda that is almost too limited to warrant the kind of fighting that we’re now seeing in Washington.”

Likewise, Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and a possible presidential candidate, said Friday afternoon in an interview that a shutdown would “hurt the Republicans, not the Democrats.”

Source: NYT

6:48 p.m. ET - From CNN Senior Congressional Correspondent: A Senate Democratic source said they actually have several different versions drafted of a short term measure to keep the government running: a 3 day “clean,” a 1 week that funds the troops and more.

But I’m told no decision has been made and they’re “keeping their options open” on what to do, and when to do it. It all depends on how the talks for the long term bill go over the next several hours.

If Obama had watched the films as much as he claims to have done, maybe the negotiations would have gone like this:


John Boehner: I can get you a 2011 budget. The price is $38 billion in cuts.

President Obama: Now, the agreed amount of budget cuts is less than $2 billion. Is that correct?

John Boehner: Yes.

President Obama: So why would I ever consider agreeing to more than that?

John Boehner: Because I intend to squeeze you. I don't like your kind of people. I don't like to see you come out to this clean city in oily hair and dressed up in those silk suits, and try to pass yourselves off as decent Americans. I'll do business with you but the fact is that I despise your masquerade, the dishonest way you pose yourself. Yourself and your whole f****** family.

President Obama: Congressman, we're both part of the same hypocrisy. But never think it applies to my family.

John Boehner: All right, all right -- some people have to play little games. You play yours. So lets just say that you'll agree to my cuts because it is in your interest to agree to my cuts. But I want your answer and the money by noon tomorrow. And one more thing. Don't you contact me again, ever. From now on, you deal with Cantor.

President Obama: Congressman? You can have my answer now, if you like. My final offer is this: nothing. Not even the 2011 funding for Planned Parenthood, which I would appreciate if you would put up personally.

Next they will have him at the airport landing planes at night.

godfather part II taking to the senator?

Well the Tea Party is gonna be pissed after finding out the grand whooping "savings" made from the Budget Deal that Boehner OKed: Not $100 billion (which TPers wanted) or even the $38 billion Boehner claimed.

Nope we save only in the hundreds of millions.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/264599/strike-one-editors

I wouldn't be shocked if the House GOP (with a few Democrats joining in because they're pissed at the concessions Obama made) votes down this budget compromise.

And then I suppose the White House/Congress Democratic leadership will blame this on the GOP for stabbing them in the back of this "agreement." And I think in the mainstream, it'll probably be reported that way.

Boehner coup?

An e-mail reportedly sent by party central committee member Marilyn Davenport shows an image, posed like a family portrait, of chimpanzee parents and child, with Obama's face artificially superimposed on the child. Text beneath the photo reads, "Now you know why no birth certificate."

The alternative newspaper OC Weekly first reported the story, and was told by Davenport that the e-mail was "just an Internet joke." She also asked the Weekly, "You're not going to make a big deal about this are you?"

i think this is funny.

...I try to remmeber some of the outrageous things she says, but my memory isn't what it used to be...Well, if you have the opportunity, tune in.