Rep Issa Needs to Resign as Head of House Investigation Committee NOW!

Rep Issa (R-CA) may be the biggest jerk of either party to head the Investigation Committee while Speaker Boehner is flat out wrong after seeing this video, if he bothered to watch, defend this lowlife.  Do Republicans not know any shame or what the word "decorum" means?  For the non-educated in the Republican Party:  

Decorum:  correct or proper behavior that shows respect and good manners 

Decided to use the Merriam Webster Learner's Dictionary to make it easier for Republicans to understand the word "Decorum" because it is obvious they have no clue.

This interview on Hardball including the clip of President Reagan saying he paid for the microphone when they tried to cut him off in the campaign is well worth watching.  This is a reminder of the man that Speaker Boehner and the Republicans in the House stand behind.


What kind of a House is Boehner running when someone can run a committee like this -- turning off the microphone of the ranking member of the Democrats on the Committee.  Do Republicans want the Democrats to have no voice?  This is not how the Congress worked up until the Republicans took the House in 2010 and Republicans started filibustering in the Senate in 2009 when President Obama won the White House which has been more then all the time in the history of filibusters.  Republicans have lost it and look like mean, angry, old white guys who act like bullies.  Do Republicans refuse to honor the results of the election since President Obama was elected twice by the Country, and the lowlife Republicans are still filibustering in the Senate to stop anything from passing.
After things I have learned this week, I cannot believe these Republicans are even in charge of the snack cart in Congress.  They deserve to be banished to the dust bin of history -- in fact the whole party does with the spectacle going on at CPAC in DC this weekend which makes me cringe but that has been happening for years.  Difference is this group of hard right are now in charge of the Republican Party.  
In my lifetime, I have never seen someone who as head of a committee be so rude and nasty to the Ranking Member of the opposite party.  Issa is the worst example of a thug in a suit I think I have seen.   Republicans in Congress have lost it between the trumped IRS Scandal, Benghazi, and voting the 50th time in the House to repeal ACA. 
It gets even worse as the lawyer for the person they wanted to answer questions on the IRS Scandal agreed to answer the questions for the witness but Issa was having none of that after all he is King of this House Committee on Oversight and Investigations and everyone will do as he says.
The Republicans truly are "USELESS."
Have a terrific weekend and get ready next week for the road to the NCAA March Madness to begin with Conference tournaments of the larger conferences.  This is the time of year that it is basketball 24/7, spring football for colleges, and regular season opens for Major League baseball.  What you have is a trifecta for the sports fans of America!
Boomer Sooner!

Rep Sander Levin Calls out the GOP Dark Money Groups on Floor of House!

Democrats in the House are fighting back against the Republicans in the House who lied about the IRS scandal and costs the American taxpayers $14M to keep hiding the dark money donors to Karl Rove's American Crossroads GPS and two Koch owned organizations:

Then Levin got all truth buster on the GOP and brought up the explosion of dark money groups after the Citizens United ruling, “Why is this important? Because applications for 501(c)(4) status have nearly doubled between 2010 and 2012 to 3,357, and 501(c)(4) spending has skyrocketed. In 2006 $1 million was spent by 501(c)(4) organizations. In 2010, $92 million was spent. And in 2012, $256 million was spent by 501(c)(4) organizations.” 

Levin pointed out that this designation allows the organizations to keep their donors secret. And that this secrecy is actually what Republicans are trying to protect, “That is exactly the secrecy that the Republicans are trying to preserve. Why? Because the three largest spenders representing fully 51% of the total are a who’s who list of Republican political operatives. Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS spent $71 million. Americans for Prosperity, the Koch brothers, spent $36 million. The American Future Fund, also the Koch brothers, spent $25 million.”

Can I say FINALLY?  The Democrats are on the offense against the fake IRS Scandal to protect the Republican dark money organizations.  Watching Rep Levin call them out for their lies and using a narrative to fool the American people, made my day.  I love it:

Levin didn’t shy away from the truth, “If you live in a targeted state and you turn on your television, you have probably seen these groups that work at distorting the Affordable Care Act. That is why we are here today purely and simply. Not because Republicans want to stand up for the rights of social welfare organizations, and they often talk about small ones, but to preserve the secrecy around the Republicans’ big campaign efforts.” 

And now, after all of the public drama, we get to the entire point of the Republican fable about the IRS, which we explained to you as it was going on. Yes, this is all about protecting dark money. It always has been. Levin demanded, “Why are we standing here and saying to the IRS don’t look at 501(c)(4)s. Don’t look at the possible massive abuse. Don’t look at what has happened in the last few years where political operatives, under the guise of 501(c)(4), have moved from $1 million in many cases to $256 million as reported to the FEC.” 

Why are Republicans trying to force the IRS to look the other way? Because Republicans can’t win elections without dark money spreading lies about Democrats. Republicans can’t afford to run on issues. They have to run on smears, since their policies are determined by the Koch Brothers et al, and thus benefit the top 1% instead of the people.

Read More at Politicususa

Not sure if Karl Rove has an honest bone in his body any more than the Koch Bros -- they are all about scamming the American people to get their way.  None of the dark money groups care one iota about the American people and worse about our Constitution.  They are a bunch of lowlife win at any cost mentality types who will lie, cheat, and if that doesn't work steal the election.  One thing to remember about Republicans is that they will accuse the other side of what they are doing.  The 2012 election was a perfect example of them accusing the Democrats of voter fraud when the fraud that was found was Republican.

Been saying for a long time that anything Cong Issa (R-CA) is involved in investigation is most like tainted. How many people do you know who insure a building for a much higher amount, make sure a computer is not in the building, and a few weeks later it burns down or stole cars, or threaten people with guns, etc?  Why won't the media call him out?  Who is controlling the media today?  Frankly disheartening to see so many so-called journalists 'forget' to ask pertinent questions preferring to deal with fluff:

Rep. Darrell Issa's past includes arrests for weapons charges and auto theft, suspicions of arson, and accusations of intimidation with a gun, but you'd hardly know it from the media's recent coverage of the new chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. While Issa was substantially mentioned in 15 articles in the nation's largest newspapers since the last election -- including several major profiles -- only one of those articles mentioned any of these allegations. Likewise, interviewers did not ask Issa about his alleged criminal past in any of the cable or network interviews he sat for during that period.

1982: Issa Suspected, But Never Charged, In Arson Incident At Manufacturing Plant. According to the Los Angeles Times: "A suspected arson fire ripped through [Issa's Ohio] manufacturing plant in 1982. No one was ever charged in the fire, but authorities were troubled by a dramatic escalation in the facility's fire insurance just weeks earlier. Even before the blaze was put out, investigators began peppering Issa and his partner with 'crazy questions' regarding their whereabouts before the fire, Issa recalled." [Los Angeles Times, 5/23/98, via Nexis, emphasis added] 

Read Full Details at Media Matters 

My basic question for sometime has been how did Issa with such a shady background get chosen to head the House Investigation Committee?  If you were into conspiracy theories you would look at the arson fire was at a warehouse in Ohio and the Speaker who chooses heads of committees is from Ohio.
Draw your own conclusion but it sure does smell.  What better person to put in charge of investigations then people you can control because of their background?

People of California need to vote Issa out in 2014 along with Republicans controlling the House and the Agenda because they are the party of NO unless it is their idea which has the Country at a standstill. The Republican Party of today is flat out worthless who are told what they are to do by the likes of the Koch Bros, Rove, Fox News, and other wealthy donors.  Seems their brains are hooked on donor money and the vast majority of American people can 'shove it' in their opinion.

To see Rep Levin take on the Republican trash in the House leaving me smiling.  The GOP House has not earned anyone's respect but instead have earned our distrust and disdain.  Send the GOP to the unemployment line in 2014 and see how they like no federal benefits they chose not to renew.

 

Admiral Mullen and Ambassador Pickering Challenge Rep Issa (R-CA) on his Flip Flop on Their Benghazi Testimony

How can Republicans continue to lie on Benghazi and the media continues to back them up starting with ABC where Jonathan Karl should be fired for lying about the Benghazi emails he never saw.

When I read the letter this morning after following the link in my email from the Foreign Policy Update email, I just chuckled to myself.  To think that Issa (R-CA) and Chaffetz (R-UT) thought they could get the best of Former Chair of Joint Chiefs Mike Mullen not to mention Ambassador Thomas Pickering made me burst out laughing.  Not on their best day could those two GOP House members get the best of Admiral Mullen or Ambassador Pickering which is why they were chosen to head the investigation into Benghazi.  Mullen and Pickering have respect from both sides of the aisle for the work they have done over the years.  Issa and Chaffetz remind me of annoying little dogs nipping at the ankles of the people who actually work for a living running the Government unlike the 3-day work week Republicans.

Then there was this response before the Benghazi attack from our Ambassador in Libya Stevens when asked if he needed more military:

Chris Stevens was offered additional military security and said no. Stevens was leery of militarizing the diplomatic mission there.

There is one little detail of the GOP doesn't seem to want to talk about -- cutting security funding for embassies around the world.  That is what makes it so amazing that they wonder why more Americans will not get on their bandwagon to attack President Obama on Benghazi.  Republicans are not facing reality that their sanctimonious rhetoric is not playing well with a majority of Americans.  Would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when Issa received this letter from Admiral Mullen and Ambassador Pickering!

BY GORDON LUBOLD | MAY 16, 2013 

Mike Mullen and Thomas Pickering agreed to testify on Benghazi. In a letter released this morning, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen and Amb. Thomas Pickering have agreed to testify before a House panel investigating the attacks in Benghazi and the Obama administration's response. Mullen and Pickering served as co-chairs of the Accountability Review Board, charged by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with independently assessing what happened in Benghazi. But the letter says the two do not want a closed-door hearing, but a public one. 

To Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, from Mullen and Pickering: "Recently, you seem to have changed your position on the terms of our appearance, apparently asking for a transcribed interview behind closed doors. In our view, requiring such a closed-door proceeding before we testify publicly is an inappropriate precondition. Moreover, notwithstanding what your understanding may be, Ambassador Pickering did not agree to such a closed-door proceeding; his sole focus has been on testifying in an open hearing. If you and he were talking past each other, that is unfortunate." 

The letter also berates Issa for public comments about the ARB: "In the past weeks, members of your Committee have publicly criticized -- in both an open hearing and in the media -- the work of the Accountability Review Board. Having taken liberal license to call into question the Board's work, it is surprising that you now maintain that members of the Committee need a closed-door proceeding before being able to ask ‘informed questions' at a public hearing. The Benghazi Accountability Review Board is perhaps the most transparent accountability review board ever." 

May 16 reply by JDStuster

But political calculation or not, the e-mails in and of themselves don't change the fact that the military did not have forces close enough to make a difference. And twice, Ambassador Chris Stevens was offered additional military security and said no. Stevens was leery of militarizing the diplomatic mission there. As Fox and McClatchy reported this week and others have before, then-Africom Commander Gen. Carter Ham had phoned Stevens and asked if the embassy needed a special security team from the U.S. military. "Stevens told Ham it did not, the officials said. Weeks later, Stevens traveled to Germany for an already scheduled meeting with Ham at AFRICOM headquarters. During that meeting, Ham again offered additional military assets, and Stevens again said no, the two officials said."

A defense official told McClatchy: "He didn't say why. He just turned it down." And: "The offers of aid and Stevens' rejection of them have not been revealed in either the State Department's Administrative Review Board investigation of the Benghazi events or during any of the congressional hearings and reports that have been issued into what took place there. Stevens' deputy, Gregory Hicks, who might be expected to be aware of the ambassador's exchange with military leaders, was not asked about the offer of additional assistance during his appearance before a House of Representatives committee last week, and testimony has not been sought from Ham, who is now retired." Read McClatchy's Nancy Youssef's story, here. 

 AP's PDF of all the e-mails, here.

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How can Republicans continue to lie on Benghazi and the media backs them up starting with ABC where Jonathan Karl should be fired for lying on the emails.  Seems it is okay to lie about anything involving Obama when the facts make him look good.  Today Rove is saying Obama has been weakened by the scandals but he is dead wrong - this President and his followers are fighting back against the lies and feigned outrage by the GOP in Congress who run to microphones without facts.  Obama already knows he cannot trust Republicans in Congress as they have proved over and over again they put their Party and re-election over what is good for the Country.

Brief a House Committee and it makes the nightly news even on closed hearings.  The GOP staffers of these committees are just as bad as the Republicans they work for as their chances of keeping something classified is almost slim to none.  The GOP in Congress and their aides wanting to destroy Obama is putting our National Security at risk which they don't seem to mind if they can score points against Obama.  I am one about to be ex-Republican who is fed up with lies from Republicans to score points with wealthy donors and hard right to keep their jobs of fleecing the American people with their 3-day work week and numerous vacations.  No facts necessary just the GOP Talking Points so they can run to a microphone is all they seem to care about today.  Who makes up the Talking Points they use?  Is it Rush, Fox News, or Rove for the wealthy donors?

My money is on Rove this time for the talking points and advice to GOP in Congress after his comments were picked up by Huffington Post.  This from the Fox analyst who thought Romney could win with heavily Democratic Cleveland still out in Ohio and had his meltdown.  Typical Rove blaming the scandals on Obama knowing full well the GOP is manufacturing them with little facts but a lot of rhetoric.  This is right out of the Rove playbook which makes me think he is behind a lot of this like Benghazi, IRS, and AP with the rhetoric by the right.

There is a solution which is going to take hard work by a lot of people -- vote the Republican obstructionists out of Congress in 2014 and get the Country moving forward.