Too funny:
Americans for Prosperity, the Astroturf group run by pollution billionaire David Koch, claims that voters rejected “tax-the-rich ideas” in the midterm elections. On NovemberSpeaks.com — a website launched the day after the election — AFP rallies its supporters to oppose any action by Congress during the lame-duck session that begins November 15, while Democrats still control the House of Representatives. Not only does AFP falsely claim that Democrats intend to pass “enormous Social Security tax hikes,” it also makes the absurd claim that the midterm elections were driven by popular support for the Bush tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires:
1. These are the first votes of the 2012 cycle and public anger is not going away.
2. You have no right to raise taxes on any American while the economy remains weak and after class-warfare, tax-the-rich ideas were decisively rejected in a national election.
3. It’s wrong to cheat the American people by voting to fund ObamaCare before a new Congress elected not to fund it can be seated.
On some level, you have to really admire the brazenness.
Kryptik
I’d really rather not admire it, thank you, considering how utterly damaging this bullshit will be for at least the next 2 years.
JPL
If you are republican you can impeach a President during the lame-duck season though.
jacy
Obviously if you look at the results of the election, we should forthwith re-institute serfdom, slavery, child labor, and debtor’s prison. It’s what the voters want.
Delia
4. Let them eat cake.
beltane
If you were a billionaire you would be just as brazen. Brazenness would be more admirable if it came from a less wealthy source.
Sly
Really? The man has an army of people willing to immiserate themselves for the sake of his multiple yachts. If I had that kind of loyal following among a multitude, the temptation to use it for my own personal benefit would admittedly be very great.
Skepticat
Admire is not the word that springs immediately to mind.
catclub
I think any election where all the self financed multi billionaires lose does not qualify as a one where
“class-warfare, tax-the-rich ideas were decisively rejected in a national election.”
But they will repeat it as if its true.
Whitman, Fiorina, McMahon, Maes.
But Barney Frank and Nancy Pelosi won theirs.
I say tax the rich and class warfare are still popular with the american people. (Certainly me, and I am one.)
Calouste
Why is there even a lame duck session? It made sense to start the new Congress a few months after the elections when the Constitution was written in the 18th century when the newly elected Congresscritters had to move from their states to the capital and that took quite a while with sailing ships and horsedrawn carts in them days. But these days? Why not start the new Congress the day (or maybe a week) after the election like the countries in the modern world?
cat48
Well, Koch will be disappointed to learn that Gallup weekly poll ratings for Obama jumped from 43 to 47 yesterday. I think that gives him some rights to wield all types of Executive Orders re: EPA controls Koch might not like. After all, both results were polls of public opinion and we must respect the “Murican people” when they speak “loud and clear” and “give mandates.”
Alex S.
The voters might not have intended to confirm these claims but their behavior will lead to the same results. It’s just like that bisexual man who voted for Rand Paul from the earlier thread. Maybe the Republicans have found out that people, rather than to cut their losses, would rather like to pull everyone else into the abyss with them.
Roger Moore
That’s great. I wonder if they realize that the tax cuts will expire during that time, and it’s only by explicit action of Congress that they can be extended. So if they want their tax cuts, they’d better encourage Congress to do something or everyone will see their taxes go up.
meh
I dream of being enraptured in a fugue state devoid of imbecilic quotes from megalomaniacal billionaires fighting for the common man. Having said that, this shit would be so much easier for the put upon Galtian overlords if we could just hunt poor people with rifles. Or with bows if your delicate sensibilities required giving them a sporting chance.
Dennis SGMM
I’m so certain that the AFP made statements characterizing the 2006 midterm as a repudiation of Bush-era policies that I won’t even search for it.
me
@catclub: Ahhh… but Toomey won therefore the government must be drowned in a
bathtubdumpster immediately.bemused
We’re all municipal waste now.
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
@bemused:
You don’t need a trashman to know which way the trash blows.
danimal
Please, please, please take this advice and do nothing during the lame duck. If Dem priorities are non-starters, then we might as well close up shop until the new Congress is seated.
Pass that upper income tax break then, bitches.
kdaug
@meh: We already do. See: Iraq, Afghanistan.
Cliff
I’d rather not see armys of dicks and cocks setting our political priorities, Thanks.
kommrade reproductive vigor
Alternate title: Tell ’em what they’ve won, Johnny!
Paul Siegel
Don’t admire Republican gall. You are encouraging it.
This is a common mistake among liberals. They are too eager to give credit or to praise Republican nonsense. Just criticize. Don’t say how brilliant Republicans are.
ed drone
@ThatLeftTurnInABQ:
Plumbers’ code:
Hot on the left,
Cold on the right, and
Shit runs downhill.
Ed
bjacques
For me, AFP will always be Amanda F*cking Palmer!
But sentences #2 & #3 in that article are tl;dr. They should fire their copywriter.
DougW
It’s obvious that these guys are asshats. They should meet up with the Furies. That should set them straight… Perhaps…
Jado
HEY!! IT’S NOT FAIR!!
FAIR IS OUR RALLYING CRY, AND WE ARE ALL ABOUT FAIRNESS, WITH THE FAIRNESS BEING THE BE-ALL END-ALL OF FAIR AND EVEN FAIRNESS WITH LIBERTY AND FAIRNESS FOR ALL.
NOW DO WHAT WE TELL YOU.