Puterbac News Network and Political Discussion Thread

[Johnette's Daddy]

Make no mistake - William Jefferson Clinton was a "Friend of Oligarchy" as well. It speaks to the greed and arrogance of the oligarchs that they felt that he wasn't friendly enough and they determined that they needed an even bigger puppet, hence W's elevation.

Yes, Clinton was the first Dem president that made it socially acceptable within his party to be greedy and
venal as any GOP plutocrat. Remember his renting rooms in White House to campaign donors for big cash? He was really into Asian money; witness Charlie Trie, Johnny Chung, and the Chinese government laundered through LORAL.

His greatest achievement was his fund raising at Buddhist monasteries where, somehow, Algore managed to raise 6 figures from penniless monks. That was the stuff of legend.

Wasn't it like 100 grand to sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom?

Just checked - 800 guests gave a total of 5.4 million, so about 65 grand on average.

[Professor Tiger]

For $65K a night, I hope they got a mint on their pillow.

"And hey, we'll leave the light on for you."

[sardis]

From the start, Bush embraced a governing philosophy of deregulation. That trickled down to federal oversight agencies, which in turn eased off on banks and mortgage brokers. Bush did push early on for tighter controls over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but he failed to move Congress. After the Enron scandal, Bush backed and signed the aggressively regulatory Sarbanes-Oxley Act. But SEC head William Donaldson tried to boost regulation of mutual and hedge funds, he was blocked by Bush's advisers at the White House as well as other powerful Republicans and quit. Plus, let's face it, the meltdown happened on Bush's watch.

True, Bush didn't repeal Glass-Steagall, but his administration pretty much ignored and deemphasized existing regulations of, well, almost every sector of the economy. And the energy sector - Big Oil and Big Coal, especially - was virtually "self-regulated," in a fox guarding the hen house kind of way.[/quote]

Your citation lists Bush as one of 25 people responsible for the crisis and one of the other 25 listed was the American consumer...and Bill Clinton.[/quote]

Make no mistake - William Jefferson Clinton was a "Friend of Oligarchy" as well. It speaks to the greed and arrogance of the oligarchs that they felt that he wasn't friendly enough and they determined that they needed an even bigger puppet, hence W's elevation.

And as much as the FOX/Tea Party echo chamber complains about the Muslim/Socialist/Kenyan/Illegal Immigrant who currently and unlawfully occupies 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Barack Obama's administration is to the right of Clinton's. We haven't had a "true" liberal administration since LBJ left office.

Republicans like Nelson Rockefeller, Prescott Bush (and pre-1980, George H.W. Bush) were much more liberal - fiscally and socially - than Clinton or Obama.[/quote]

How will Hillary be any different than Bill?

[Johnette's Daddy]

How will Hillary be any different than Bill?

Does she have to be? If it was all boom times and blow jobs under Bill, let's bring them back.

I can use an economic boom. And a blow job, too, for that matter.

[AlabamAlum]

There were a number of reasons for the Clinton-era boom, and many had nothing to do with Clinton.

[hedge]

Nope, he did it single-handedly...

[BigRedMan]

Yeah that whole internet thing took off during his administration so that launched another industry all together.

[hedge]

Yeah, but Al Gore invented it...

[Jungle Rat]

Not without Clinton he didn't.

[Jungle Rat]

Best President Ever. (Besides Ronnie which should be a given by now)

[Johnette's Daddy]

Best President Ever. (Besides Ronnie which should be a given by now)

Ah, yes. Saint Reagan, who could never win a GOP primary today . . .

[Professor Tiger]

How will Hillary be any different than Bill?

Does she have to be? If it was all boom times and blow jobs under Bill, let's bring them back.

I can use an economic boom. And a blow job, too, for that matter.

One similarity between a Hillary and Bill administration is both were/will be scandalized by inappropriate relations with women.

[Toemeesleather]

Reporter asking for a Hillary accomplishment....


LEE: “Off the top of your head, can you name one tangible achievement that the last QDDR resulted in?”
PSAKI: “Well Matt, obviously it’s in an extensive, expansive process.”
LEE: “So no.”
PSAKI: “We’re looking at how it was done last time.”
LEE: “Just one.”
PSAKI: “I know, I’m making an important point here.”
LEE: “OK.”
PSAKI: “The secretary wants it to be focused on a more narrow range of issues. It’s always looking at how we can improve things and we’ll see where we come out at the end.”
LEE: “So off the top of your head can you identify one tangible achievement that resulted from the last QDDR?”
PSAKI: “I am certain that those who were here at the time, who worked hard on that effort –”
LEE: “One –”
[CROSSTALK]
PSAKI: “Could point out one.”
LEE: “Since you’ve come on board that you’ve noticed that you can point back to and say wow, the first QDDR identified this as a problem and dealt with it?”
PSAKI: “Well as you know, I’ve only been here since it concluded.”
LEE: “OK”
PSAKI: “So I’m sure there were a range of things that were put into place that I’m not even sure were a result.”
LEE: “I won’t hold my breath.”
PSAKI: “OK.”

Psaki has been at the State Department since February 2013. She’s part of the revolving door from lobbying and campaigns to government — Psaki came to State from the 2012 Obama campaign, a perch from which she attacked Mitt Romney’s foreign policy chops.

[Johnette's Daddy]

Port Authority director will comply with bridge scandal subpoena to testify

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/20 ... stify.html

Port Authority Executive Director Patrick Foye and authority Commissioner William "Pat" Schuber will comply with subpoenas to testify before the Joint Legislative Committee investigating September's George Washington Bridge lane closures.

Port Authority spokesman Chris Valens confirmed that Foye would testify on May 13.

Schuber said in a brief interview before today's Port Authority board meeting that he would testify as called on May 6.

"Of course I will," Schuber said.

Foye and Schubert were among a group of four officials subpoenaed by committee co-chairs, state Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) and state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen). The two others are Christina Genovese Renna, Gov. Chris Christie’s former director of intergovernmental affairs, and Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the governor.

The latest subpoenas come on the heels of more than two dozen already issued by the joint legislative committee, which is trying to determine who ordered last September’s lane closings and why, and who was in on the planning.

The assemblyman said Renna and Schuber were called to appear before the panel on May 6, and Drewniak and Foye on May 13, about the controversial closing of two of three local-access lanes to the nation’s busiest bridge — a move Democrats say was organized by members of Christie’s inner circle as political retribution.

The Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, Mark Sokolich, declined to endorse the re-election of Christie, a Republican, as governor, last fall.

Foye, who was appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, a Democrat, was angry when he learned the lanes had been closed without his knowledge. He ordered them reopened and wrote: "This hasty and ill-advised decision has resulted in delays to emergency vehicles. I pray that no life has been lost or trip of a hospital- or hospice-bound patient delayed."

He added, "I believe this hasty and ill-advised decision violates federal law and the laws of both states."

As Rand Paul waits silently in the wings . . .

[Johnette's Daddy]

"Patriot" Cliven Bundy wonders if black people were “better off as slaves”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post ... as-slaves/

“And because they were basically on government subsidy, so now what do they do?” he asked. “They abort their young children, they put their young men in jail, because they never learned how to pick cotton. And I’ve often wondered, are they better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life and doing things, or are they better off under government subsidy? They didn’t get no more freedom. They got less freedom.”

Who knew the solution to black unemployment and family life was to pick cotton?

[hedge]

Plantation owners...

[bluetick]

lol GOP Bundy-backers can't lace up their track shoes fast enough to get away from the guy. Not to mention the Hannitys and Becks and the whole rad-right posse.

A gun-toting anti-government right-wing old coot and it turns out he's a all-out racist. Who would've seen that coming?

[Dr. Strangelove]

lol GOP Bundy-backers can't lace up their track shoes fast enough to get away from the guy. Not to mention the Hannitys and Becks and the whole rad-right posse.

A gun-toting anti-government right-wing old coot and it turns out he's a all-out racist. Who would've seen that coming?

lol...the hero of PNN turns out to promote slavery because it's "helps work ethic" and "promotes family values"

Even Ted Cruz and Rand Paul are running away from this guy now

[Professor Tiger]

"This hasty and ill-advised decision has resulted in delays to emergency vehicles. I pray that no life has been lost or trip of a hospital- or hospice-bound patient delayed."

He added, "I believe this hasty and ill-advised decision violates federal law and the laws of both states."

This is old news and a phony scandal.

More people died in Benghazi than the GW Bridge.

At this point, what does it matter?

[Owlman]

intentionally hindering interstate commerce could be a federal crime