Double Whammy

Rob Tornoe.

King to Rubio: ‘Stay home’

Politico:

Three months after some of his fellow Republicans voted against aid for Hurricane Sandy victims, New York Rep. Peter King is still furious, saying “nobody gave a damn” that there were “people close to dying in my district” and again calling out Florida Sen. Marco Rubio by name.

“My relationship with Congress will never be the same again,” the Long Island lawmaker said Friday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “They made us wait 90 to 100 days to give the most basic human aid. It was absolutely disgraceful. When I see these Republicans slapping each other on the back, all the camaraderie, ‘Hey, we’re great friends.’ All I know is that there were people close to dying in my district and nobody gave a damn. That’s not something I’m not going to forget.”

King took direct aim at Rubio, one of the party’s expected presidential contenders in 2016, who voted against the aid package for Hurricane Sandy victims, claiming it was filled with pork.

“Guys like Marco Rubio in Florida and all the money your people have gotten in Florida over the years from every hurricane that comes along and this guy has the nerve to vote against money from New York, and they come up here and try to raise money,” King said. “He can forget it.”

“I made it clear any of those people — people who voted and postured against money coming to New York and New Jersey and then wants to come up here and take money out of our pockets, forget it,” King went on. “They can stay home.”

King made it clear that he would be an ongoing problem for the GOP in an area of the country where they’re already an endangered species.

Asked directly by host Joe Scarborough whether he could “forgive and forget,” King said: “No, I won’t. And I never will.”

Smooth, GOP. Smooth.

Despite today’s face-saving vote, Tea Party GOP still want to slash Sandy relief

CBS News:

After getting a blast from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, the leadership of the US House has promised a vote today on an initial $9.7 billion aid package for victims of Hurricane Sandy. Then, there will be another vote on another $51 billion measure on January 15. But the story is even more complicated.

For Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey, it was one thing to have a promised vote on Sandy aid killed by the Speaker of the House. It was even worse according to sources that some tea party conservatives are still at this point threatening to slash aid to New Jersey and New York by half, from over $60 billion to about $27 billion.

Speaker John Boehner, embarrassed by the mess, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who was supportive of Christie have now promised a vote by January 15th or 16th, but there is already Republican infighting about the amount.

So House GOP vote to release a sliver of the original package and that’s supposed to satisfy everyone. Then, when they come back and slash the total by better than half, do they expect applause?

And, of course, that slows everything down because the bill has to be reconciled with the Senate version. No wonder they think government doesn’t work — every time they try to govern, it doesn’t work. They turn it into a bureaucratic logjam. These idiots are a second disaster for the east coast.

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Why Boehner punted on Hurricane Sandy relief

First, the background:

The Hill:

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), under fire from Northeast lawmakers in his own party, is promising to pass an emergency spending bill to help pay for damage from Hurricane Sandy in the next Congress, which starts Thursday.

“The Speaker is committed to getting this bill passed this month,” Boehner spokesman Kevin Smith said Wednesday.

That last paragraph tells you all you need to know — Boehner can’t control these lunatics, because he’s probably the worst Speaker in recent memory.  He’s hoping that shaking up the caucus a bit will make passage easier. So he’s letting people in the northeast suffer, because he has no damned idea how to lead. It’s the same reason he walked away from the fiscal cliff negotiations and demanded that the Senate come up with something on their own.

Which brings us to a second, related item: Breitbart is reporting that House GOP is going to boot Boehner from the Speakership. I think that’s unlikely — and not just because I’m so certain that everything from a Breitbart URL is automatically horseshit. It’s because Boehner leads by following.

Imagine if you were a kid with a babysitter who let you stay up as late as you want, eat all the ice cream you want, etc. If your parents asked you who you wanted to babysit next time, what do you think you’d say?

You’d say, “I want that John Boehner guy again!” The Orange One is going nowhere.

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David Koch launches attack on the victims of Hurricane Sandy

The Nation:

Billionaire David Koch’s prime political organization, Americans for Prosperity (AFP), having failed in its $125 million quest to oust President Barack Obama, is now aiming at a slightly less sophisticated political target: victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Hurricane Sandy was the second most costly in American history, leaving 100 lives lost, over $50 billion in devastation and tens of thousands of damaged or destroyed homes. Legislative efforts to help those who survived Hurricane Sandy’s wrath will reach a major stumbling block.

Earlier this week, AFP, which is chaired by Koch and believed to be financed by several other plutocrats from the New York City region, released a letter warning members of Congress not to vote for the proposed federal aid package for victims of the storm that swept New Jersey, New York City and much of the surrounding area in October. An announcement on the group’s website says that the vote next week for the Sandy aid package will be a “key vote”—meaning senators who support sending money for reconstruction could face an avalanche of attack ads in their next election. Already, opposition to the bill is growing, although it passed one procedural hurdle last night.

There is some legitimate criticism with aspects of the legislation, including the fact that some of the money will go to non-Sandy related reconstruction efforts in disaster areas. For AFP, however, the whole bill must die and victims of the storm deserve no help from the government.

Koch’s top deputy in New Jersey, a surly gentleman named Steve Lonegan, who heads the local AFP state chapter, called the aid package a “disgrace.” “This is not a federal government responsibility,” Lonegan told reporters. “We need to suck it up and be responsible for taking care of ourselves.”

»READ MORE»

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Mitt Romney shakes the Etch-A-Sketch on FEMA

Talking Points Memo:

With a huge swath of the country digging out from a terrible storm, Mitt Romney seems to have found new respect for FEMA.

When Hurricane Sandy devastated the Eastern Seaboard just days ahead of the 2012 election, disaster relief became a campaign issue overnight — and one that presented a challenge to Romney. While the storm offered President Obama photo-ops and praise from Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Romney has struggled to carve out his own position on the federal government’s role in disaster relief efforts.

After arguing during the Republican primary that the states should oversee disaster relief efforts, the Romney campaign this week has been slowly carving out a position that does not ignore the federal government’s role. The most clarifying comment on disaster relief came late Wednesday in a statement to CBS News.

“I believe that FEMA plays a key role in working with states and localities to prepare for and respond to natural disasters,” Romney said in a statement from his campaign. “As president, I will ensure FEMA has the funding it needs to fulfill its mission, while directing maximum resources to the first responders who work tirelessly to help those in need, because states and localities are in the best position to get aid to the individuals and communities affected by natural disasters.”

But Romney’s emphasis on the role of government is new to his position on disaster relief.

»READ MORE»

NYC Street Scene

Instragram link: http://t.co/TIdQLoat

Mitt's hurricane advice

(via Photo by chuysman • Instagram)

Hurricane Sandy and the election

What I’m seeing a lot of right now is an assumption that Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath will hurt Obama more than Romney. This strikes me as a case of not thinking things all the way through. Yes, Sandy will hit a region where President Obama is mostly doing well and it’s sure to depress turnout. But keep in mind, we’re not extremely concerned with the popular vote. If, for example, only three people turn out in Massachusetts and two vote for Obama, the president wins twelve electoral college votes. Turnout is only a factor when compared to the other candidate’s turnout — and Romney voters will face similar challenges.

In fact, Romney voters may actually have things worse. Mitt rules the rural regions, which means — due to priorities and population densities — that their infrastructure problems like washed out roads and bridges will likely be dealt with slower.

Finally, Obama has a big lead among early voters — the advantage here speaks for itself.

In the end, the effect Hurricane Sandy might have on the outcome of the presidential election hinges more on how presidential Obama seems in a crisis than on the logistical challenges of getting voters to the polls. I’d say that the odds of Obama letting this go all Katrina are pretty slim. In fact, if Obama pulls a Cory Booker and helps stack sandbags someplace or serves meals at an emergency center, his odds would probably increase.

For those reading this in the region, stay safe. If you haven’t already, I’d hit the liquor store.