If House Republicans follow through on their plan to let the sequester defense cuts happen, they could immediately put 10 GOP held House seats in jeopardy.
House Republicans have lost every fight that they have picked with President Obama since 2011, but this fact isn’t stopping them from thinking that they can let the sequester cuts happen and the president will take the blame. This is the same rationale that House Republicans have using during every one of their self-created crisis, because they seem oblivious to the fact that Obama is at least 4-5 times more popular than they are. The end result is always the same. Obama beats them over the head with the bully pulpit, gets public opinion on his side, and at the very last second House Republicans cave.
News from today suggests that House Republicans remain so confident/detached from reality that some of them are willing to throw the country back into recession so that they can blame Obama.
However, Politico is reporting that Democrats are already targeting 10 Republican held congressional districts that are heavily dependent on the defense industry,
The DCCC is circulating a list of Republican members who represent districts where defense and domestic cuts could cause lasting damage and help turn the seats from red to blue, or at least force the GOP to spend money it didn’t plan on spending. A top target is two-term Rep. Scott Rigell, whose Hampton Roads, Va., district is home to the world’s largest naval base and a defense contracting community so big it’s known as “Pentagon South.”
Other high-profile defense advocates whom Democrats see as beatable because of sequestration are House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (Calif.) and Rep. Bill Young, a 22-term Floridian who chairs the Appropriations subcommittee in charge of the Pentagon’s purse strings. They also are eyeing members with military bases or defense contractors in their backyards, including Reps. Andy Barr (Ky.), Dan Benishek (Mich.), John Fleming (La.), Mick Mulvaney (S.C.), Steve Pearce (N.M.), Tom Reed (N.Y.), Steve Southerland (Fla.) and David Valadao (Calif.). Even if the targeted GOP members work to stop the cuts and cast votes to stop them from going into effect, Democrats say the Republicans’ electoral prospects could still be dragged down if enough conservatives win on forcing sequestration to happen anyway.
The sequester cuts are the last weapon that House Republicans have left. Unfortunately for them, it is also a suicide bomb. If the sequester cuts occur a million jobs will be lost, the economy will plunge into another deep recession, and the House majority will be in danger.
Politically aware Republicans can see the danger, but it doesn’t really matter what they want. If the irrational ideologues in the House fulfill their economy destroying destiny, the rational members of the caucus will likely be swept away too. Democrats are already sensing that 2014 feels a lot more like 2006 than 2010, and House Republican self destruction has become so predictable that Democrats now plan for it.
If the sequester cuts happen, a 10 seats loss might be a huge underestimate. John Boehner will probably be able to turn another potential disaster for his party into their latest cave, but if he doesn’t, Democrats are preparing to ride what could be a wave election back to the House majority.
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lowkey
Feb. 8th, 2013 at 5:02 pm
Want the house back? Better muzzle Feinstein. If Feinstein succeeds in getting the “Assault Weapon” ban (or as it should be called “The scary looking rifle” ban) passed then the house will never see a Democrat majority. The last, completely ineffective, “Assault Weapon” ban caused the Dems to lose the majority.
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djchefron(Moderator)
Feb. 8th, 2013 at 5:07 pm
Harry Reid will not allow a assault weapons ban to come for a vote.Sad but we will get some things done
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Shiva(Moderator)
Feb. 8th, 2013 at 5:24 pm
havent seen the polls lately have you?
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Just A Dumb Fireman
Feb. 8th, 2013 at 7:30 pm
Here’s a hint: The NRA lobbying machine is not equal to 91% of the American people.
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Robert Chapman
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 11:17 am
I am very curious about how the original intent faction of constitutional scholars managed to remove the concept of “necessary to the security of a free state,” from their interpretation of the Second Amendment.
Gun control is a winning issue for the Dems if they stop caving in to the armed bullies.
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djchefron(Moderator)
Feb. 8th, 2013 at 5:13 pm
The best thing for the orange one right now is to find 50 republican votes and just repeal it with the Democrats.Its his only way out
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RMuse
Feb. 8th, 2013 at 5:26 pm
We hope they are not going through with their threat. The results to the economy will be devastating, and yet, that does appear to be the mindset of no small number of the caucus.
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Robert Chapman
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 11:20 am
Really Muse, the results of the Sequester, muzzling the war machine will be devastating to the US economy?
Wasting no one knows how much motor fuel, diverting smart and talented kids to foreign wars, bombing people overseas are helping the US GDP to grow faster?
Dr. Faust at least sought wisdom in his deal with the devil.
What are you trading, Muse?
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Shiva(Moderator)
Feb. 8th, 2013 at 5:38 pm
I really wonder who is behind this. Boehner is not smart enough to do this, McConnell is now more worried about his bank account. Someone is pulling the strings and making some pretty good errors in judgement.
Probably the Kroch brothers
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djchefron(Moderator)
Feb. 8th, 2013 at 5:46 pm
I dont think the cock brothers are behind this.When it comes to their money bullsh@t walks.Its the grifters like limbaugh and his ilk thats pumping their chest up.They know if they cave they will get primaried in 2014
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djchefron(Moderator)
Feb. 8th, 2013 at 5:38 pm
I usually dont watch the response to the State of the Union but with the sequester coming up I will make an exception.This might be gold
Rand Paul to deliver Tea Party response to State of the Union
The Kentucky senator will try to do a better job of looking at the camera than Michele Bachmann
http://www.salon.com/2013/02/08/rand_paul_to_deliver_tea_party_response_to_state_of_the_union/
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Shiva(Moderator)
Feb. 8th, 2013 at 5:43 pm
Why are they allowing the tea party to do this? They are not a third party. If they do it, the green party and all the rest should have a chance
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djchefron(Moderator)
Feb. 8th, 2013 at 5:48 pm
We’ll see if faux covers it.They’re the only ones who would cover it
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Shiva(Moderator)
Feb. 8th, 2013 at 5:53 pm
CNN will, they bond with tea
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DowneastDiva
Feb. 8th, 2013 at 5:59 pm
Their plots never work out well, they remind me of a favorite cartoon. Wiley Coyote and the Road Runner comes to mind, that’s how ridiculous they are becoming. While they are coming up with their latest scheme the Prez is flying by them. They were so unprepared for this term, KKKarl and faux had them convinced they would win. If it was a fight, they would stop it. :P
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majii
Feb. 8th, 2013 at 11:36 pm
The president released a list of examples of the things the $85 billion in sequester cuts would negatively impact today, with the focus on middle class families, jobs, and economic security. He also gave a list of them to reporters. It will be interesting seeing how the republicans respond to this.
http://blogs.ajc.com/jamie-dupree-washington-insider/2013/02/08/white-house-lays-out-sequester-impact/?cxntfid=blogs_jamie_dupree_washington_insider
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Robert Chapman
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 11:14 am
Bill Clinton recently warned Democrats against depending on demography alone and urged them to adopt a positive and constructive message to bring before the American people. Therefore, we must question how the Sequestration is presented to the American public.
I find it hard to credit the arguments that allowing the Sequester to occur will derail the economy. Further, if under the Budget Control Act, the Sequester has to be paid for, I favor elimination of tax loopholes instead of the elimination of government services.
I understand the popularity and political utility of knocking the government for inefficiency and waste. But if we are concerned about governmental inefficiency and waste, the Pentagon should be public enemy number one. They retain a compensation structure based on seniority assuring that funds for personnel, 2/3 of the costs in most organizations are inefficiently, if not wastefully allocated. The Pentagon budget is loaded with hidden costs, from the amount of money they spend on motor fuels to the actual amount of school aid they distribute to communities throughout CONUS and overseas in the DODS system. IT IS ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS THAT PENTAGON FUNDING IS NOT SUBJECT TO THE SAME INTENSE SCRUTINY THAT DOMESTIC PROGRAMS ARE!!!!!!!!
I am extremely angry and chagrined at the compromise that resulted in a reduction of revenue in the last round of Fiscal Cliff negotiations. I can think of no plausible justification for giving up $1 trillion in out year revenues without corresponding budgetary cuts.
That said the federal budget has little room for more budget cuts- especially for budget cuts whose sole rationale is maintaining our current, ludicrously insufficient tax rates. Before the house of cards we are constructing comes down, we need to raise more revenue. Closing unnecessary and unfair loopholes and tax deductions for business and wealthy tax payers is long overdue.
Robert Chapman
Brooktondale, NY
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inez
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 9:19 pm
How about the list of 31 corporations and banks, exposed by Bernie Sanders, who have avoided 28 BILLION in taxes> The tax code needs a revision to put those dollar in the US coffers. Giveaway subsidies(or entitlements) need to be stopped. The loopholes are killing us!
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Rudy Gonzales
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 1:17 pm
TEA-questaters should lose more than 10 House seats if they allow and force the US into sequestration. TEA-questaters are primarily responsible for every b arrier and roadblock placed in front of Obama over his last two years. The grand “Poo-bah,” “Ditch Mitch” the Political Mysogynist and Career Obstructionist in the Senate is so smitten with his inability to make Obama a one-term, he has tried to make it Obama’s fault sequestration will take effect. The TEA-questing party have backed themselves into a bad spot as this impending sequestration and jobs loss will be blamed directly on them. In their confrontational agreement during the “Debt Ceiling” fight in 2011, John Cornyn and Paul Ryan and of the 222 Republicans who voted on this agreement, 166 had voted for the Budget Control Act in August 2011. 166 elected officials who were fully aware of what they were signing as most are lawyers and over 21 years of age! This concoction of radical extremes: Birchers(B-1), Birthers(B-2), Evangelicals(E) and Libertarians(L) and the omnipresent TEA-types(T), have banded together and worked hard to stop Obama. They took control of localities and states where more control could be exerted and refused federal monies which would benefit the middle class and those on the edge of society. Watch closely who is against the middle class and who still supports and backs the top tiered richest of Americans. And these guys are still associated with Todd Akin, Roger Rivard, Rick Berg, Richard Mourdock and John Koster(all R) who wanted to define rape and demean women. Let’s get together and change the mix in the House and Senate to get real legislation done for the middle class. “Sweep the HOUSE CLEAN….in 2014″
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Sharin Khosa
Feb. 10th, 2013 at 3:21 pm
Best paragraph ever written,”House Republicans have lost every fight that they have picked with President Obama since 2011, but this fact isn’t stopping them from thinking that they can let the sequester cuts happen and the president will take the blame. This is the same rationale that House Republicans have using during every one of their self-created crisis, because they seem oblivious to the fact that Obama is at least 4-5 times more popular than they are. The end result is always the same. Obama beats them over the head with the bully pulpit, gets public opinion on his side, and at the very last second House Republicans cave.” 2014 for Obama.
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Sixto Gallardo
Feb. 11th, 2013 at 11:13 am
I want the pubs to go DOWN fighting, so that the Demos can WIN BACK THE HOUSE…before the tzz burn it down…cause I would NOT put it past them to try a FAR Right established trick as that and then blame it on the(President), communists, talibans, who ever maybe the wolf@the DOOR! GET THE DOOR, IT’S THE REPUBLICANS & THE Tlodders, our enemies@the GATE!
Hasta La Vista Republicanos y tputos…go to hell and give ‘m BARACK…the TRUTH will set them FREE, as they like to say…the righteous, that is…
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