Monday, October 16, 2006
Top 10 Reasons to Help Fire Hastert
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Here are ten reasons to support Laesch and help fire Denny Hastert (the quotes come from this article from today's Washington Post):
10) "Even Hastert's defenders acknowledge that his top priority as speaker has been protecting the GOP majority, not investigating the president or his own caucus."
9) "[H]e has often been dismissed as a frontman for [disgraced] former majority leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, the conservative firebrand who anointed him."
8) "He eviscerated the House ethics committee after it admonished DeLay, and tried to change the House ethics rules to help DeLay stay in power."
7) "Hastert's team has shut House Democrats out of the governing process, refusing to allow their bills on the floor, limiting debate, calling midnight votes on complex bills that few have read. The Hastert Rule decrees that the House will consider only bills approved by the GOP caucus — "a majority of the majority" — and the speaker has enforced it with few exceptions."
I mean, whatever Republicans' complaints about the Congressional Democrats before 1994, their partisanship never reached the extent of the Hastert/DeLay House. It's correctly called "hyperpartisanship" and it started with Gingrich as minority whip, then continued with DeLay, Rove, and now Hastert. The GOP consolidation of power for its own sake--never to help solve America's problems. I acknowledge that Democrats can be and have been just as corrupt, mean, negative, etc. as Republicans. But this current manifestation of the GOP is truly unique in that regard when it comes to national politics, and at such a critical time in our nation's political history. And Hastert is hyperpartisanship's greatest force remaining in Congress. Want to start making a change in the polarization of politics in this country? Start right here.
6) The Foley Affair, and his complete refusal to take any responsibility for the crap that happened while he was supposedly in charge. He blames everyone but himself -- including possibly scapegoating his own staff.
5) The national debt has exploded under his watch, at the same time that pork-barrell spending has increased substantially - mostly for Republicans. "Republicans say Hastert wins by appealing to party loyalty and taking care of members with earmarks, campaign cash and other goodies. Conservatives aren't happy that earmarks have quadrupled under the GOP Congress, but they recognize that the House has passed almost everything Bush has requested, including his efforts to expand executive power." Waste and borrowing from "small government" hypocrites.
4) The War in Iraq is a complete mess, and Hastert is absolutely silent about it. Nothing on his Website about it. He certainly won't think about using his power to force a change in policy or an investigation of the runup to or conduct of the war. And this man is two heartbeats away from the presidency?
3) Check out the comments in the Northwest Herald's hollow endorsement of Hastert.
He's losing his hold.
2) Apparently Hastert was THE SINGLE BIGGEST House recipient of donations from Jack Abramoff and his clients. That's some dirty water he swims in.
1) Hastert is Congress' main booster of "extraordinary rendition." If you don't know what that is, please look it up.
Here are ten reasons to support Laesch and help fire Denny Hastert (the quotes come from this article from today's Washington Post):
10) "Even Hastert's defenders acknowledge that his top priority as speaker has been protecting the GOP majority, not investigating the president or his own caucus."
9) "[H]e has often been dismissed as a frontman for [disgraced] former majority leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, the conservative firebrand who anointed him."
8) "He eviscerated the House ethics committee after it admonished DeLay, and tried to change the House ethics rules to help DeLay stay in power."
7) "Hastert's team has shut House Democrats out of the governing process, refusing to allow their bills on the floor, limiting debate, calling midnight votes on complex bills that few have read. The Hastert Rule decrees that the House will consider only bills approved by the GOP caucus — "a majority of the majority" — and the speaker has enforced it with few exceptions."
I mean, whatever Republicans' complaints about the Congressional Democrats before 1994, their partisanship never reached the extent of the Hastert/DeLay House. It's correctly called "hyperpartisanship" and it started with Gingrich as minority whip, then continued with DeLay, Rove, and now Hastert. The GOP consolidation of power for its own sake--never to help solve America's problems. I acknowledge that Democrats can be and have been just as corrupt, mean, negative, etc. as Republicans. But this current manifestation of the GOP is truly unique in that regard when it comes to national politics, and at such a critical time in our nation's political history. And Hastert is hyperpartisanship's greatest force remaining in Congress. Want to start making a change in the polarization of politics in this country? Start right here.
6) The Foley Affair, and his complete refusal to take any responsibility for the crap that happened while he was supposedly in charge. He blames everyone but himself -- including possibly scapegoating his own staff.
5) The national debt has exploded under his watch, at the same time that pork-barrell spending has increased substantially - mostly for Republicans. "Republicans say Hastert wins by appealing to party loyalty and taking care of members with earmarks, campaign cash and other goodies. Conservatives aren't happy that earmarks have quadrupled under the GOP Congress, but they recognize that the House has passed almost everything Bush has requested, including his efforts to expand executive power." Waste and borrowing from "small government" hypocrites.
4) The War in Iraq is a complete mess, and Hastert is absolutely silent about it. Nothing on his Website about it. He certainly won't think about using his power to force a change in policy or an investigation of the runup to or conduct of the war. And this man is two heartbeats away from the presidency?
3) Check out the comments in the Northwest Herald's hollow endorsement of Hastert.
He's losing his hold.
2) Apparently Hastert was THE SINGLE BIGGEST House recipient of donations from Jack Abramoff and his clients. That's some dirty water he swims in.
1) Hastert is Congress' main booster of "extraordinary rendition." If you don't know what that is, please look it up.
