Over 75% of House Republicans Vote Against Sandy Relief

[palemale]

I'm flabbergasted. The House of Representatives passed the Hurricane Sandy relief bill today on the strength of Democratic support. Over 75% of House Republicans voted against the measure (179 out of 234). http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...p_ref=politics

Once again, Republicans have shown themselves to be unfit, indeed unable, to govern. It is shocking that so many of these Republicans, many of whom supported disaster relief in their own districts in the past, would be so indifferent to the suffering of their fellow citizens that they would vote to deny them disaster relief. It's also short sighted, of course, because if the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut region flounders economically, it will have a ripple affect that will hurt the entire economy.

Do any of you Republican JUBers find this vote disgraceful?

[T-Rexx]

There is something seriously wrong with the modern Republican Party.

It does not exist anymore to participate in the legislative process.

Its goal is only to stop anything and everything from getting done.

[Rolyo85]

Eh, 75% is still much less than the percent that votes against marriage equality...

[maxpowr9]

Mind you, this was the bill that wasn't even 1-page long [3 paragraphs] and not the initial pork-stuffed one.

[tigerfan482]

That is to be expected. Most Republicans feel their job is merely to be roadblocks to anything getting accomplished. It seems every month or two now there is some showdown in Congress with a majority of Republicans threatening to hold up any progress and threaten the country in hopes of strong arming their agenda. It is the stated goal of most Tea Party Republicans to be opposed to any compromise at all. What's more troubling is that thanks to the gerrymandering, we're not going to see any major changes in the make-up of the House of Representatives for a good long time, so expect this to be the norm.

[eastofeden]

I'd be interested to see the names of the Republicans who did vote for Sandy Relief. Are their seats safe? Are they going to retire? Do they have no hope of being reelected? It looks as though they are already working on their 2014 mid term election propaganda...and it looks like more of the same. They will trot this out to the teabaggers as proof of their commitment to bring down the government and let corporations run cut spending while appearing to be balanced for their independent and moderate potential voters.

[chance1]

I understand the idea of wanting cuts to pay for stuff - otherwise it's just extra and adds to the deficit/debt

but this is not the place to do so

here's a couple of comments from House members

I think those who opposed are legitimately concerned about our financial condition - and The President's latest comments about the debt ceiling suggest he's not going to do anything or support anything that involves reduced spending

but this is not the place to do it

period

"There's clearly a federal responsibility to act," said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.). "We have a national interest in getting this region on its feet as quickly as possible."

"A tragedy like Hurricane Sandy shouldn't be used for a grab-bag of spending," said Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.).

"Finding offsets is no easy task and it makes no sense to put that on the back of emergency aid," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.). "I urge my colleagues to reject this madness."

Source Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_2480328.html

[tigerfan482]

I think those who opposed are legitimately concerned about our financial condition - and The President's latest comments about the debt ceiling suggest he's not going to do anything or support anything that involves reduced spending

The President's latest comments actually are that he will discuss and take action that involves reducing spending - when Congress is working on spending. What he also said was that he wasn't going to let the economy be held hostage so the Republicans could get their way. When the sequester and continuing resolution/budget debate comes up, then talk about cutting spending all you want. But this current debate is about whether we authorize the debt ceiling increase to pay for what has already been obligated to be spent.

[chance1]

The President's latest comments actually are that he will discuss and take action that involves reducing spending - when Congress is working on spending. What he also said was that he wasn't going to let the economy be held hostage so the Republicans could get their way. When the sequester and continuing resolution/budget debate comes up, then talk about cutting spending all you want. But this current debate is about whether we authorize the debt ceiling increase to pay for what has already been obligated to be spent.

actions speak louder than words

and his concern about actually being held to a standard

concerns me

the "hostage" word is bullshit campaign talk

he's very good at campaigning - at winning elections

not very good at leading the country however

which is much more important

IMO his actions and words suggest no real commitment or plan to curb spending

taxes are his thing

we will see

he's lucky he had biden to get the deal done

and his continued demonization of republicans is nauseating

[xbuzzerx]

actions speak louder than words

and his concern about actually being held to a standard

concerns me

the "hostage" word is bullshit campaign talk

he's very good at campaigning - at winning elections

not very good at leading the country however

which is much more important

IMO his actions and words suggest no real commitment or plan to curb spending

taxes are his thing

we will see

he's lucky he had biden to get the deal done

and his continued demonization of republicans is nauseating

Chance, let's get real.

Republicans need to grow up and stop defining meaningful and good representation of their constituents as "opposing anything with Democratic origin, regardless of its content, regardless of its merit, and most especially if Obama wants it."

You can nitpick any law ever proposed in the history of mankind to death and find some kind of loophole or negative angle to say some people may feel it's a bad idea. The solution isn't therefore to do no disaster relief or any of the basic things we expect and require a government to be there for just because "we don't want the opposition party in leadership at the moment to look good in any way."

That's what this is really about, not about legitimate and principled opposition to the content of what many/most of these bills try to accomplish, nor a reflection of any legitimate widespread public or voter opposition to these bills.

[maxpowr9]

I would love to see the Democrats stall when it comes to tornado relief in the midwest and see how they react to it.

[T-Rexx]

Republicans need to grow up and stop defining meaningful and good representation of their constituents as "opposing anything with Democratic origin, regardless of its content, regardless of its merit, and most especially if Obama wants it."

[Just_Believe18]

The leadership of the Republican party is mentally ill. You can't gleefully vote for an unfunded Defense budget but refuse to pay for hurricane reconstruction relief without equal cuts to rebuild our cities from one of the worst natural disasters in American history.

This is a political party I will not vote for. I will not support one of their candidates. If you are voting for the Republican party, you need to seriously self-reflect on your priorities as a voter. This party does not represent you, care for you, nor give a damn if you're hurt and suffering.

[rareboy]

It boggles the mind.

And yet...about half the country's voters will turn out to support these madmen every time.

It is why the US needs to get the social agenda items dealt with. Once gay marriage is no longer an issue and women's reproductive systems are no longer something that Republicans can keep using as a lure to get the white christian 'values voters' into the voting booth....maybe finally the Republican party will have to smarten up and act like responsible legislators.

Because honest to god people....if the congress ceases to be relevant in governance....the US actually will tip toward a centralized imperial presidency, with everything done by orders....just so that things can get accomplished.

[palemale]

actions speak louder than words

and his concern about actually being held to a standard

concerns me

the "hostage" word is bullshit campaign talk

he's very good at campaigning - at winning elections

not very good at leading the country however

which is much more important

IMO his actions and words suggest no real commitment or plan to curb spending

taxes are his thing

we will see

he's lucky he had biden to get the deal done

and his continued demonization of republicans is nauseating

Hostage taking is the perfect metaphor for what the Republicans are threatening to do on the debt ceiling. They are threatening to plunge the world economy into chaos and depression in order to achieve their ideological goals.

The problem, however, is that the Republicans aren't even good hostage takers because they refuse to identify the actual cuts they want the government to make. They say there must be cuts but they want President Obama to identify the necessary cuts. They are idiots and cowards, because they know that the American people will not support the cuts the Republicans want to make. It is the Republicans who are incapable and unwilling to lead.

In addition to holding the world economy hostage, they were also willing to hold us hostage in the New York City/NJ region by denying funding for hurricane relief until they achieved some unspecified cuts. Included in the bill is approximately $238 million to rebuild the VA hospital on 23rd street near the East River and other VA facilities, which was heavily damaged in the storm and, I believe, has been unable to open. That is the VA hospital for most of NYC's veterans. It's a huge facility. That isn't even storm relief, it's the federal government rebuilding its own facility. The Republicans are the nauseating group. Insane and incapable of governing.

[chrisrobin]

.
I think the national congressional approval rating of 9% might be a little high! That goes for the people who voted for the representatives who voted against Sandy relief.

[tigerfan482]

actions speak louder than words

and his concern about actually being held to a standard

concerns me

the "hostage" word is bullshit campaign talk

he's very good at campaigning - at winning elections

not very good at leading the country however

which is much more important

IMO his actions and words suggest no real commitment or plan to curb spending

taxes are his thing

we will see

he's lucky he had biden to get the deal done

and his continued demonization of republicans is nauseating

So then the Republicans need to raise the debt ceiling and get on to talking budget and spending. That's where the words and the actions need to take place. And if you want to talk about action, these Republicans have been screaming for spending cuts since 2008 (which is funny since spending was out of control before that) yet they continue to push through continuing resolutions funding the government at the same level. President Obama doesn't originate or vote to pass budgets. He merely signs the dotted line. If they want spending cuts, then it's their job, as Congress, to get together and get spending cuts done and not sit there and blame the President.

The hostage word is not bullshit. There are over 2 million people in this country directly employed by the federal government that will not get paychecks if they can't negotiate a deal. There are millions more employed by contractors and/or companies that derive a large portion of their business from the government who will be laid off or not paid if the government doesn't pay it's bills. There are tens of millions of people worldwide who will see financial troubles if the the Congress can't get its act together and do what it is supposed to. The Republicans in Congress are saying that if they don't get what they want, then they're going to let these bad things happen in the hopes of scaring and bullying people to get their way. That is hostage taking at its core.

I'm also really getting tired of this whole "Obama needs to show leadership" crap. In the end, Congress makes the laws and the President signs them. If a group of Congress wants to oppose the President, then no amount of anything Obama does will do anything to change their actions. Honestly, when a party's stated intention is to make me fail at any cost and then they follow that up with voting no to everything I suggest, then I'm not going to be working overtime to try and work with them either. If you truly want to talk about showing leadership, let's talk about the body that is actually charged with passing laws (hint: it's Congress) and how the lack of leadership on the House side has resulted in this. A real leader of the Republican party in the House should be able to say "we're currently in the minority in the government decision chain, so let's get together and work with the other side in order to get a plan through that has some compromises in it." Leadership is not crossing your arms and pouting in the corner while screaming "NO" to everyone and everything.

[HenryReardon]

Oh but the President has expressed an interest in getting spending under control, o it.

Of all the lies that have been told in this forum, that is the most outrageous
Obama has never expressed anything remotely resembling a serious interest in getting spending under control.

[HenryReardon]

Obama has most certainly expressed plenty about getting spending under control. .

He has neither said nor done anything relative to reducing spending and/or the size of government.
Trillon+ dollar deficits make that crystal clear.

[xbuzzerx]

He has neither said nor done anything relative to reducing spending and/or the size of government.
Trillon+ dollar deficits make that crystal clear.

The Republicans demand cuts.

So man up and name the cuts. This is how negotiations work.

They're cowards who aren't naming the cuts because they know they have to go back and face voters over the unpopular things they believe should be cut.

[Just_Believe18]

Of all the lies that have been told in this forum, that is the most outrageous
Obama has never expressed anything remotely resembling a serious interest in getting spending under control.

HenryReardon, why don't you stick to the topic and address the outrageous behavior by the GOP House in voting against Sandy Relief that rebuilds America and provides relief and hope to millions of Americans who lost their homes in one of the worst natural disasters in American history. Don't cherry pick someone else's post and derail a topic without even addressing the core issue here.

[palemale]

When any region of the country needs disaster relief, it is because there is a need for fast action. In New York City and New Jersey, thousands of people are not able to get back into their homes or are living in unheated homes. Luckily, the weather has been unseasonably mild, but it is getting cold. There was a dusting of snow overnight. People in these circumstances could die of hypothermia. Many people cannot get back into their homes because of damage to the infrastructure.

The Republicans are a disgrace for holding this aid hostage to their ideological idiocy.

[xbuzzerx]

Holding up the aid will also be, in 6 or 12 months time, rewritten historically as "Obama hedged about doing anything for Sandy relief."

[bike10]

You can be damn sure when disaster hits there district they will be first to demand funding.

[frankfrank]

I would love to see the Democrats stall when it comes to tornado relief in the midwest and see how they react to it.

Maybe not in Illinois, because it's a solidly blue state. But don't most of the tornadoes happen in a small handful of the states: TX, OK, KS, MO, AR, MS, AL? Most of them are among this small group of states, when the climate is otherwise "normal" - but obviously "normal climate" is breaking down.

Yeah, like when the Democrats did the same thing nearly two years ago after the Joplin tornado Oh, wait. THAT was the Repugnantans too. Even in one of "their" states they TRIED to tie disaster aid to unrelated cuts elsewhere, in a way that would take stuff like food away from as many people as possible, and give poor women no hope for healthcare. I think I remember they were trying to cut off Planned Parenthood funding during that bill, and that came to a head when a couple months later they were hoping the entire government would shut down while using Planned Parenthood and Big Bird as pawns to achieve this in those debt ceiling talks.

And the debt ceiling talks are going to take guns off the front page before the end of January, with the Guns Over People party no doubt getting even more extreme than they were in summer 2011. I wouldn't put it past them to vote only for a bill which includes reinstatement of DADT or something.

Yeah, that would help the budget, wouldn't it? Rebuild an entirely new layer of bureaucracy that makes sure that fa***ts aren't even ALLOWED to be "patriotic." It was costing real money to enforce DADT.

This is a political party I will not vote for. I will not support one of their candidates. If you are voting for the Republican party, you need to seriously self-reflect on your priorities as a voter. This party does not represent you, care for you, nor give a damn if you're hurt and suffering.

No, they DO give a damn whether you're hurt and suffering.

They LOVE to see people hurt and suffering. They want people to starve, or die from treatable diarrhea, if they're nothing but useless eaters. They (well, the hierarchy which rules the RNC/party) WANT America to fail, because there are some heathen women out there practicing birth control, and some gay people want to get married. Though the Phelps KKKlan are actually Democrats (HOW?? makes no sense), the Republicans wielding the power in their Party remind me of what it would be like if the Westboro Baptist Church had absolute power. Under no circumstances will I ever again vote for ANY Republican on any level.

they know that the American people will not support the cuts the Republicans want to make. It is the Republicans who are incapable and unwilling to lead.

hurricane relief

Included in the bill is approximately $238 million to rebuild the VA hospital on 23rd street near the East River and other VA facilities, which was heavily damaged in the storm and, I believe, has been unable to open.

The Republicans are the nauseating group. Insane and incapable of governing.

They hate the troops, because sometimes troops come home with PTSD and other ailments and injuries, which might cost federal money to treat, and that takes money away from Gazillionaires whose offspring have no skin in these war games. They would entirely shut down the VA system if they could, because it's socialism don'cha know.

While the other hand is saying "PENTAGON, WE WILL FORCE-FEED YOU MORE HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS EVEN IF YOU DON'T WANT IT. *EAT* THAT MONEY, DAMMIT! But don't you dare use any of that money for anything that will actually help preserve peace - just make sure the dictatorships are propped up so that we get all of that oil."

Holding up the aid will also be, in 6 or 12 months time, rewritten historically as "Obama hedged about doing anything for Sandy relief."

No doubt. No doubt at all.

[Benvolio]

As always, the bill was just a collection of foolish Democrat pork barrel spendinghttp://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/01/16/60-Billion-Sandy-Bill-Larded-With-Pork.

[rareboy]

^ You're not even trying any more, are you?

[chrisrobin]

As always, the bill was just a collection of foolish Democrat pork barrel spendinghttp://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/01/16/60-Billion-Sandy-Bill-Larded-With-Pork.

...........
Breitbart?