Republicans “Old Black Magic” and Hocus Pocus
Thu, 10/07/2010 - 07:54 — wilmerleon Delaware Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell has released a new political ad in an attempt to downplay her 1999 statements about “dabbling” in witchcraft. On Bill Maher’s “Politically Incorrect” program Ms. O’Donnell stated, “…I dabbled into witchcraft. I never joined a coven…One of my first dates with a witch was on a satanic altar, and I didn't know it. I mean, there's a little blood there and stuff like that…" She opens her new ad by saying, “I’m not a witch; I’m nothing you’ve heard, I’m you …” Point of clarification; you are not us, most of us have never “dabbled in witchcraft”.
For Ms. O’Donnell to claim in her ad that she is, “nothing you’ve heard” poses a problem. These statements about her are not based on hearsay. What we’ve heard we’ve heard from Ms. O’Donnell herself. In court her statements about “dabbling in witchcraft” and her date on a “satanic alter” would be admissible as declarations against interest. Statements so prejudicial to the person making them that they would not have made the statement unless they believed the statements were true. Ms. O’Donnell unknowingly went on a date to a satanic alter? Who was she dating Beelzebub?
As part of a debate on stem cell research Ms. O’Donnell told Bill O’Reilly on Nov. 15, 2007, “American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully functioning human brains.” According to POLITICO, in a 2006 interview with O’Reilly she stated that condom use is “anti-human” and in 2002 Ms. O’Donnell told Phil Donahue that “condoms will not protect you from AIDS." Now with a twitch of her nose and the blink of an eye our collective minds are supposed to be erased as though we never heard her say such things? Her old black magic has us in a spell…
With a little slight-of-hand and a lot of hocus pocus, House Republicans led by minority leader John Boehner (R-OH) have presented the “Pledge to America”. In it they claim (among other things) that a trillion-dollar “stimulus” spending bill was signed into law; the economy has declined and our debt has mushroomed with the loss of millions of jobs; and the president is going to raise taxes on roughly half of small business income in America.
Here are some facts that Boehner and other republicans would like to make disappear: according to Fact Check.org the CBO’s most recent estimate the stimulus spending will fall short of the $1 trillion claimed by the Republicans, even if it is spread over 10 years. The CBO puts the price tag at around $814 billion. Over the past three years the economy has lost nearly 8.4 million jobs but according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics more than 4.4 million of those jobs were lost during the Bush administration. The economy has regained 723,000 jobs since President Obama has been in the Oval Office.
In terms of the president raising taxes on small businesses, again, according to Fact Check.org, “This is an exaggeration. Republicans are equating "net positive business income" reported on individual returns with "small business income," which isn’t correct. They rely on a report from the nonpartisan staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation (p. 12), which estimated that about 3 percent of taxpayers who have any business income on their personal returns would see a tax increase under Obama’s proposal, and that those 750,000 taxpayers account for about half of all the business income reported. The JCT stated quite clearly that "These figures for net positive business income do not imply that all of the income is from entities that might be considered ’small.”
For as much as conservatives continue to slam “Obama Care” the reality is that as of September 23rd, families can receive free check-ups with their doctor, insurance companies can no longer deny coverage when someone gets sick, and young adults can stay on their parents' insurance plans until they are 26 years old. Parents being able to keep their young adult children on their insurance plan is very important as the unemployment rate among recent college graduates has more than doubled over the past year to 4.3 percent.
When you add an “eye of newt” to this hocus pocus, conservatives like Newt Gingrich are using lies and distortions to play upon the fears of American people. Recently in an interview with National Review's Robert Costa former House speaker Newt Gingrich said, "What if [Obama] is so outside our comprehension, that only if you understand Kenyan, anti-colonial behavior, can you begin to piece together [his actions]? ...This is a person who is fundamentally out of touch with how the world works, who happened to have played a wonderful con, as a result of which he is now president." Again, not so subtle code language playing to the fear of President Obama's Kenyan heritage and to the unfounded rhetoric of the "birther" movement. Actually, anti-colonial behavior is a good thing if you are a victim of colonialism. Gingrich’s reactionary politics are not practical but tactical.
As we move closer to the end of October and All Hallows Eve, Americans should not fall victim to the scare tactics, black magic, slight of hand, and hocus pocus of the Republican Party. The truth is the light. Those running for office should be held accountable for what they say. If American voters focus on the truth they will be able to see their way through these difficult times and work together towards a better day.
http://www.politicsincolor.com/node/296
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For Ms. O’Donnell to claim in her ad that she is, “nothing you’ve heard” poses a problem. These statements about her are not based on hearsay. What we’ve heard we’ve heard from Ms. O’Donnell herself. In court her statements about “dabbling in witchcraft” and her date on a “satanic alter” would be admissible as declarations against interest. Statements so prejudicial to the person making them that they would not have made the statement unless they believed the statements were true. Ms. O’Donnell unknowingly went on a date to a satanic alter? Who was she dating Beelzebub?
As part of a debate on stem cell research Ms. O’Donnell told Bill O’Reilly on Nov. 15, 2007, “American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully functioning human brains.” According to POLITICO, in a 2006 interview with O’Reilly she stated that condom use is “anti-human” and in 2002 Ms. O’Donnell told Phil Donahue that “condoms will not protect you from AIDS." Now with a twitch of her nose and the blink of an eye our collective minds are supposed to be erased as though we never heard her say such things? Her old black magic has us in a spell…
With a little slight-of-hand and a lot of hocus pocus, House Republicans led by minority leader John Boehner (R-OH) have presented the “Pledge to America”. In it they claim (among other things) that a trillion-dollar “stimulus” spending bill was signed into law; the economy has declined and our debt has mushroomed with the loss of millions of jobs; and the president is going to raise taxes on roughly half of small business income in America.
Here are some facts that Boehner and other republicans would like to make disappear: according to Fact Check.org the CBO’s most recent estimate the stimulus spending will fall short of the $1 trillion claimed by the Republicans, even if it is spread over 10 years. The CBO puts the price tag at around $814 billion. Over the past three years the economy has lost nearly 8.4 million jobs but according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics more than 4.4 million of those jobs were lost during the Bush administration. The economy has regained 723,000 jobs since President Obama has been in the Oval Office.
In terms of the president raising taxes on small businesses, again, according to Fact Check.org, “This is an exaggeration. Republicans are equating "net positive business income" reported on individual returns with "small business income," which isn’t correct. They rely on a report from the nonpartisan staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation (p. 12), which estimated that about 3 percent of taxpayers who have any business income on their personal returns would see a tax increase under Obama’s proposal, and that those 750,000 taxpayers account for about half of all the business income reported. The JCT stated quite clearly that "These figures for net positive business income do not imply that all of the income is from entities that might be considered ’small.”
For as much as conservatives continue to slam “Obama Care” the reality is that as of September 23rd, families can receive free check-ups with their doctor, insurance companies can no longer deny coverage when someone gets sick, and young adults can stay on their parents' insurance plans until they are 26 years old. Parents being able to keep their young adult children on their insurance plan is very important as the unemployment rate among recent college graduates has more than doubled over the past year to 4.3 percent.
When you add an “eye of newt” to this hocus pocus, conservatives like Newt Gingrich are using lies and distortions to play upon the fears of American people. Recently in an interview with National Review's Robert Costa former House speaker Newt Gingrich said, "What if [Obama] is so outside our comprehension, that only if you understand Kenyan, anti-colonial behavior, can you begin to piece together [his actions]? ...This is a person who is fundamentally out of touch with how the world works, who happened to have played a wonderful con, as a result of which he is now president." Again, not so subtle code language playing to the fear of President Obama's Kenyan heritage and to the unfounded rhetoric of the "birther" movement. Actually, anti-colonial behavior is a good thing if you are a victim of colonialism. Gingrich’s reactionary politics are not practical but tactical.
As we move closer to the end of October and All Hallows Eve, Americans should not fall victim to the scare tactics, black magic, slight of hand, and hocus pocus of the Republican Party. The truth is the light. Those running for office should be held accountable for what they say. If American voters focus on the truth they will be able to see their way through these difficult times and work together towards a better day.
http://www.politicsincolor.com/node/296
.
.
.
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