I've always wondered who exactly the Republican lawmakers refer to when they cite the "American people." Over and over I've heard Republicans tell us how we feel about a number of issues. "The American people" are sick about all of the spending. "The American people" are tired of taxes. "The American people" want to repeal health care reform. Who are these "American people?"
MSNBC's Nora O'Donnell learned who we the people are during her interview with U.S. House Rep. Thornberry (R-TX). O'Donnell had asked Thornberry who had written its new Republican Pledge to the American people. He smirked and then very sanctimoniously replied "The American wrote the pledge." Thornberry waxed lyrical about all of the wonderful town hall meetings the Republicans had held in August in which they engaged the American people.
O'Donnell held up the 21 page Pledge, shook it in front of the camera and sharply shot back:
Mr. Thornberry you said the American people wrote the pledge but in fact lobbyists wrote your Party's pledge.
O'Donnell mentioned AIG and others.
Thornberry walked back his self-righteous proclamations by saying he had worked on the national security agenda and no lobbyists were involved with that.
His smirk quickly faded when O'Donnell had ended by stating since his Party is known as the Party of NO she had tried to give Thornberry every opportunity to tell viewers what Republicans are for.
No wonder most of the Republican candidates are fleeing like chickens with their heads chopped off from TV anchors and reporters. They lie so much that they don't even know they are lying anymore.
That or they spill the beans on how batshit crazy their agendas are. Except for FOX TeaPublican friendly "news" Republicans will get hammered for their lies and questioned about radical right wing ideas.
It is nice to finally find out who the American people are in the eyes of the Republican Party.
Think Progress notes a surprising Republican pivots on earmarks all of a sudden. The Pledge does not include any language about the earmarks that Republicans and their puppet masters love so much.
As the Huffington Post's Sam Stein reports, the GOP's new "Pledge to America" was directed by a staffer named Brian Wild, who until early this year, was a lobbyist at a prominent DC firm that lobbied on behalf of corporate giants like Exxon. Moreover, the insurance industry is the leading contributor to Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), the Republican who led the effort. Consistent with its desire to placate lobbyists, the 21-page "Pledge" omits any mention of a key Republican mantra: a ban on earmarks.
Lobbyists have long supported the practice of "earmarking," a maneuver that allows lobbyists to cajole members of Congress to add pet projects to appropriations bills. While it's no surprise that the lobbyist-authored document drops any discussion of "earmarking," it is nevertheless an interesting pivot for Republicans.
Check out the missing page from the Republican Party's Pledge.
These are the American people the Republican Party is really concerned about.
We Would Like to Thank Our Sponsors:
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
AIG
Anadarko
ExxonMobil
FED EX
Managed Funds Association
National Mining Association
Southern Co.
And extra special thanks to George W. Bush.
The above is on whose behalf they speak when Republican politicians publicly refer to "us."
