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Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-30
- My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-30 – Locum Tenens (Temporary) Dentist – Gregory Cole, D.D.S. http://t.co/50hIH9zC #tcot 22:24:20, 2012-12-30
- Adventure Travel, Gear, and Fitness | http://t.co/HdxaSE1r http://t.co/ZGrrRF1V #tcot 22:24:20, 2012-12-30
- My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-30 http://t.co/a9pBGGqb 21:05:28, 2012-12-30
- Silent sub: Russian noiseless Borei class nuclear submarine immersed http://t.co/3W2RKEe9 #tcot 20:14:46, 2012-12-30
- NFL playoff matchups and dates are set – http://t.co/5MtdTc2x http://t.co/SJycNEMD #tcot 20:14:46, 2012-12-30
- CrossFit Endurance's Unconventional 12-Week Marathon Training Plan | Endurance | http://t.co/HdxaSE1r http://t.co/5SR5KilR #tcot 20:14:45, 2012-12-30
- Hillary Clinton hospitalized after doctors discover blood clot – NBC Politics http://t.co/uz8DM5WJ #tcot 18:44:44, 2012-12-30
- RT @latimessports: NFL playoff matchups and dates are set http://t.co/aaBtgSnE 18:39:07, 2012-12-30
- RT @philipaklein: MT @russellberman: House GOP is setting in motion process for waiving their 3-day requirement for legislation, Rules C … 18:37:22, 2012-12-30
- CrossFit Endurance's Unconventional 12-Week Marathon Training Plan http://t.co/5SR5KilR 18:33:08, 2012-12-30
- Report: Hillary Clinton hospitalized after doctors find blood clot – The Hill's Blog Briefing Room http://t.co/PitK1PQ1 #tcot 18:03:58, 2012-12-30
- Hillary Clinton hospitalized after doctors discover blood clot – NBC Politics http://t.co/6ZJr5sWP #tcot 18:03:58, 2012-12-30
- And, by the way, I wish the Sec of State a swift recovery. Being sick for such an active POL really sucks #tcot 18:00:45, 2012-12-30
- The "other issues" associated with Hillary Clinton's concussion and blood clot do not sound reassuring. Let the rumors commence. #tcot 17:59:28, 2012-12-30
- RT @edhenryTV: Statement vaguely mentions "other issues associated" w/Clinton concussion. Doctors "will determine if any further action … 17:58:11, 2012-12-30
- That Hillary Clinton concussion story was always a little sketchy. So, are they saying she had a TIA or stroke with that blood clot? #tcot 17:55:06, 2012-12-30
- Hillary Clinton 'in hospital' with blood clot http://t.co/cCs8U8tl #tcot 17:25:58, 2012-12-30
- RT @thehill: Report: Hillary Clinton hospitalized after doctors find blood clot http://t.co/9XKIifJL by @danielstrauss4 17:25:02, 2012-12-30
- RT @nbcwashington: Latest on Sec. Clinton's hospitalization: http://t.co/3JPqxfRW 17:24:16, 2012-12-30
- RT @jamiedupree: Sen Mitch McConnell has now left the Capitol; aides say he will keep talking to VP Biden tonight by phone 16:48:31, 2012-12-30
- RT @robertcostaNRO: Just now, outside House floor: MoC1: "Happy New Year!" MoC2: "Yea, but what are we doing here?" MoC1: "Uh… Nothing … 16:33:27, 2012-12-30
- RT @jamiedupree: LATEST CLIFF: House Republicans meeting in basement of Capitol, McConnell still here, talking by phone with Biden 16:32:50, 2012-12-30
- RT @RichEdsonDC: Sen. GOP Aide: VP Biden and Min. Ldr. McConnell have now spoken "multiple times." 16:23:52, 2012-12-30
- Pentagon Readying 800,000 for Rolling Layoffs http://t.co/l3wdoDQN #tcot 16:03:51, 2012-12-30
- RT @philipaklein: RT @LisaDCNN: NEW: Sen. Reid just left the building, our Ted Barrett reports. 15:27:47, 2012-12-30
- RT @TheFix: So sayeth Lindsey. RT @GrahamBlog: I'm incredibly disappointed we cannot seem to find common ground. I think we're going ove … 15:26:24, 2012-12-30
- RT @jamiedupree: Reid says Senate will convene at 11am on Monday; "we'll have further announcements perhaps…I certainly hope so" 14:58:18, 2012-12-30
- RT @dcbigjohn: "It's all up in the air" Sen Cornyn 14:25:00, 2012-12-30
- RT @ChadPergram: Reid aide says Reid's remark that he made a counteroffer was off the cuff response & that there was no counteroffer … 14:07:05, 2012-12-30
- RT @deirdrewalshcnn: Evidently Reid didn't really make a counter proposal after all — talks still between Biden and McConnell 13:58:25, 2012-12-30
- RT @toddstarnes: Harkin says GOP offered $360,000 for individuals, $450,000 for couples. #fiscalcliff 13:57:12, 2012-12-30
- RT @jacksonjk: ML Reid says he just put forward a new offer to McConnell. #fiscalcliff 13:56:11, 2012-12-30
- RT @jamiedupree: LATEST: Still no cliff deal, Senate Dems just broke from their meeting, Biden & McConnell now trying for deal 13:54:59, 2012-12-30
- California Democrats signal they want to reform Proposition 13 – San Jose Mercury News http://t.co/tisLSttM #tcot 13:54:40, 2012-12-30
- Untitled ( http://t.co/G4yT5U23 ) http://t.co/XhV3tAyK #tcot 13:54:40, 2012-12-30
- RT @russellberman: Reid: GOP gives up CPI, but "we're still left w a proposal ..that protects the wealthy & not middle class, & … 13:54:01, 2012-12-30
- RT @robertcostaNRO: Sr GOP sen tells me it's likely that a package w/ near 400k threshold will come to the floor. Says Reid knows 250k w … 13:50:49, 2012-12-30
- California Democrats signal they want to reform Proposition 13 http://t.co/tisLSttM #tcot 13:15:52, 2012-12-30
- GOP Sen. Cornyn will oppose Hagel nomination http://t.co/3X9jqnlU #tcot 13:15:03, 2012-12-30
- As ‘fiscal cliff’ looms, Republicans have no political incentive to make deal with Obama http://t.co/ja2SHDqS #tcot 13:15:03, 2012-12-30
- RT @gallupnews: Very Conservative Americans Least Likely to Want Fiscal Cliff Compromise http://t.co/G4yT5U23 #tcot 13:06:34, 2012-12-30
- RT @BuzzFeedAndrew: BIDEN'D! RT @GlennThrush: Senate Dems feeling good — but worried Biden will swoop in and take a crappy deal, accord … 13:03:38, 2012-12-30
- RT @mmcauliff: Mccain says gop will take chained cpi off the table 13:03:22, 2012-12-30
- RT @robertcostaNRO: RT @rebeccagberg Sen. Snowe on chained CPI: “I don’t think it should be part of” an immediate fiscal cliff deal. 12:58:24, 2012-12-30
- RT @jamiedupree: RT @DanaBashCNN: It appears Dems want to use tax revenue to offset sequester. Repubs want to use chained cpi 12:55:46, 2012-12-30
- For Republicans any deal with Harry Reid and Obama is MORE dangerous than No Deal -keep this in mind while watching the Kabuki theater #tcot 12:21:19, 2012-12-30
- There is NO incentive for the GOP! No Deal RT @TheFix: Why most GOPers could care less about a fiscal cliff compromise. http://t.co/NoF0bobv 12:17:47, 2012-12-30
- RT @zerohedge: Harry Reid: "We are not going to do anything with chained CPI now without debt ceiling. That’s a poison pill." Either/or 12:16:14, 2012-12-30
- RT @edhenryTV: Reid: "We will not agree to cutting Social Security benefits for free handouts for the rich. … I'm not overly optimisti … 11:57:10, 2012-12-30
- Untitled ( http://t.co/XD0DXg98 ) http://t.co/t04fnE9C #tcot 11:46:45, 2012-12-30
- McConnell reaches out to Biden, Reid steps back http://t.co/LbwVjnFc #tcot 11:46:45, 2012-12-30
- Why the War Party Fears Hagel http://t.co/7rITWcCy #tcot 11:46:45, 2012-12-30
- RT @ShaneGoldmacher: Harry Reid in short: "Hang loose" even though talks "real close" to collapse. Still, he's "cautiously optimistic." … 11:45:07, 2012-12-30
- RT @StewSays: Sen. McConnell's speech today on the lack of urgency and his call to VP Biden is here: http://t.co/J5nH97uW #FiscalCliff 11:43:46, 2012-12-30
- RT @jamiedupree: Republicans keep pointing out that they made an offer last night at 7pm and have yet to see a Dem counter offer 11:43:41, 2012-12-30
- RT @HouseFloor: 2:15:44pm – The House recessed. The next meeting is subject to the call of the Chair. http://t.co/cKLXsJhV 11:28:22, 2012-12-30
- RT @dcbigjohn: interestingly, a GOP aide says CPI has always been part of the discussions and that Dems haven't told McConnell its a maj … 11:27:12, 2012-12-30
- RT @murphymike: D's bailing on chained CPI. RT @politico Breaking: Fiscal cliff negotiations have reached a standstill, Senate leaders a … 11:27:04, 2012-12-30
- RT @ZekeJMiller: RT @edatpost: Mitch McConnell reaches out to @VP Biden as Harry Reid steps back http://t.co/RvYIcTEN #fiscalcliff 11:25:23, 2012-12-30
- RT @ChadPergram: R's submitted their 1st offer Friday night. D's counteroffered at 3 and then at 5 pm Saturday. R's countered at 7 pm Sa … 11:25:18, 2012-12-30
- RT @jamiedupree: BOTTOM LINE: GOP made offer last night, Dems yet to counter with their own offer, McConnell asks Biden to help 11:18:19, 2012-12-30
- RT @robertcostaNRO: Per @Politico, if McCon is pushing hard on "chained CPI" (slight SS entmt reform) to be incld, then Reid may bring 2 … 10:45:32, 2012-12-30
- Flap's California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-29 – Flap's California Blog http://t.co/h4IyfEtJ #tcot 06:11:33, 2012-12-30
- Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-29 http://t.co/vhfJR2Hx 04:05:52, 2012-12-30
- Flap's Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-29 – Flap's Blog – FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog http://t.co/ZEESHLep #tcot 03:44:53, 2012-12-30
- Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-29 http://t.co/miafxoNb #tcot 03:02:10, 2012-12-30
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Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-29
- My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-29 – Locum Tenens (Temporary) Dentist – Gregory Cole, D.D.S. http://t.co/1M5etSej #tcot 22:28:38, 2012-12-29
- The Healthy Flap: December 29, 2012 – Locum Tenens (Temporary) Dentist – Gregory Cole, D.D.S. http://t.co/nJJOOCDL #tcot 22:28:38, 2012-12-29
- 52 ways to leave your blubber – http://t.co/5MtdTc2x http://t.co/py5vOUFB #tcot 22:28:37, 2012-12-29
- My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-29 http://t.co/HVD8oMjA 21:03:06, 2012-12-29
- The Healthy Flap: December 29, 2012 http://t.co/8Hzb9Qjq 18:32:41, 2012-12-29
- 52 ways to leave your blubber http://t.co/I2Aa4pNG 18:21:42, 2012-12-29
- Hope for hearing: Cochlear implants http://t.co/lQxkLRuK 18:21:41, 2012-12-29
- Medicare Cuts Loom Large as 'Cliff' Nears http://t.co/pJWdScYZ 18:21:41, 2012-12-29
- The Fiscal Cliff – Something for Nothing? – Flap's Blog http://t.co/YJA261t0 #tcot 18:20:41, 2012-12-29
- House Ethics Committee closes book on Countrywide loans – 95 percent accurate http://t.co/xfyYXAvs #tcot 18:20:41, 2012-12-29
- Lawmakers in VIP loan program violated no rules, House panel says http://t.co/io9ruNeY #tcot 17:56:30, 2012-12-29
- New year means changes for California taxes, driving, light bulbs http://t.co/iZJPU0D7 #tcot 17:56:30, 2012-12-29
- New California law: Texting on hands-free devices while driving will be legal Jan. 1 http://t.co/aiqVSWN4 #tcot 17:56:30, 2012-12-29
- @ali Naps and @KatyEMixon are always good… in reply to ali 17:29:33, 2012-12-29
- @RichardGrenell Secondary boycotts always fail in the political arena. Just ask Rush.. in reply to RichardGrenell 17:28:11, 2012-12-29
- The Fiscal Cliff – Something for Nothing? http://t.co/dyBUYFKK #tcot 17:09:32, 2012-12-29
- House Ethics Committee closes book on Countrywide loans http://t.co/xfyYXAvs #tcot 16:46:03, 2012-12-29
- Gregory Flap @ Ronnie's Diner http://t.co/uJ0bVoIR #tcot 11:43:41, 2012-12-29
- Finished about 12 miles in the rain. Now, the protein plate at Ronnie's Diner. (@ Ronnie's Diner) http://t.co/3O6CicDU 11:10:22, 2012-12-29
- Off soon to Venice Beach and @LAMarathon training with the LA Roadrunners. 14 miles today and then Ronnie's Diner after. Temps in the 50's. 05:34:49, 2012-12-29
- Flap's California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-28 – Flap's California Blog http://t.co/xcJCmwDw #tcot 05:16:08, 2012-12-29
- Flap's Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-28 – Flap's Blog – FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog http://t.co/1O1nZQMp #tcot 05:16:08, 2012-12-29
- Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-28 http://t.co/GImlyC8X 04:10:35, 2012-12-29
- Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-28 http://t.co/a2o9HN9D #tcot 03:06:10, 2012-12-29
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The Fiscal Cliff – Something for Nothing?
House GOP Speaker Boehner and President Obama earlier this month meeting on the Fiscal Cliff
What is the best deal Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell can achieve over the next 24 hours to avoid the Fiscal Cliff?
Byron York says whatever the deal, it will end badly for the GOP.
Under the most likely scenario, Republicans will get nothing — nothing — in return for giving in on tax rates for the highest-income Americans. No spending cuts, at least no serious spending cuts beyond what are already included in sequestration, would be part of the deal done on Sunday or Monday, if that is indeed what happens. . . .
[T]he bottom line is that the fiscal cliff fight will not end happily for Republicans. They will have given in on what was an article of faith — that taxes should not be raised on anybody, poor or rich — in return for essentially nothing.
But, what York does not clearly explain and Ramesh Ponnuru does over at National Review does is one LARGE failure of the Republicans.
They LOST the election in 2012 and are essentially boxed into a NO WIN scenario.
The reason we’re not going to get spending cuts beyond those already scheduled in return for tax increases smaller than those already scheduled is that current law doesn’t force larger spending cuts and does force larger tax increases.
What would Republicans get out of a deal? A reduction in scheduled tax increases; the avoidance of a fight with Obama that would be structured in a way that lets him get to Republicans’ right on middle-class taxes and posture as the biggest tax-cutter since Reagan; and that’s about it.
Republicans had two ways of avoiding this scenario. They could have passed smaller tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 but not given them expiration dates. Or they could have done better in the last few elections. At this point it’s hard to see what strategy would undo the effects on the budget from that mistake and that failure.
The House GOP can go along with whatever McConnell-Reid’s deal is or go over the Fiscal Cliff. Remember everyone will have higher tax rates if we go over the Cliff, including the AMT.
At this point, extending the Bush tax rates for everyone, except for those over $400K is probably the only choice.
When Bill Kristol announced a similar strategy a few weeks ago, everyone on the RIGHT cried sell out.
Now, it appears to be the only game in town.
So, the House GOP should accept the deal or be willing to go over the Cliff and endure the wrath of outraged American taxpayers when their first 2013 paycheck is much smaller.
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Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-28
- My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-28 – Locum Tenens (Temporary) Dentist – Gregory Cole, D.D.S. http://t.co/S3q1Ftib #tcot 22:07:04, 2012-12-28
- My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-28 http://t.co/UVrXJDJm 21:07:07, 2012-12-28
- Political Cartoons / Obama's phony Fiscal Cliff negotiations… http://t.co/Q07RhNsr #tcot 20:16:14, 2012-12-28
- Obama's phony Fiscal Cliff negotiations… http://t.co/IWBsUZmP via @pinterest 18:57:09, 2012-12-28
- Republicans Resigned to Getting Blamed http://t.co/EITkNIG2 #tcot 18:56:53, 2012-12-28
- @politicalwire It is not over yet Taegan and nether has ObamaCare been fully implemented. Fiscal Cliff may not be the worst outcome for GOP in reply to politicalwire 18:32:41, 2012-12-28
- SUCH BS RT @politicalwire: "It's a shit show.Tax rates are going to go up on everyone, and we're going to get the blame http://t.co/ZQhHBnpk 18:19:27, 2012-12-28
- $1 Trillion Obamacare Tax Hike Hitting on Jan. 1 http://t.co/CpUD6DgG #tcot 17:35:12, 2012-12-28
- Chevron moving 800 Bay Area jobs to Texas – SFGate http://t.co/k34ghmYR #tcot 17:35:12, 2012-12-28
- Some county judges change sentencing patterns – http://t.co/5MtdTc2x http://t.co/GpkhnXXs #tcot 17:35:11, 2012-12-28
- @conncarroll Agree on AMT. Don't think Dems will offer that deal without postponing debt-ceiling for at least a year. in reply to conncarroll 17:34:17, 2012-12-28
- Let the deal making or sell out commenceRT @markknoller: Senate now adjourned till Sunday at 1pm. House returns on Sunday afternoon as well. 17:02:12, 2012-12-28
- @robertcostaNRO The House GOP will not be amored with any deal McConnell and Reid make. And, why should they? in reply to robertcostaNRO 17:01:02, 2012-12-28
- Chevron moving 800 Bay Area jobs to Texas http://t.co/k34ghmYR #tcot 17:00:35, 2012-12-28
- Some county judges change sentencing patterns http://t.co/GpkhnXXs #tcot 17:00:35, 2012-12-28
- @conncarroll What about AMT? Why would the squester be considered a win? in reply to conncarroll 16:58:38, 2012-12-28
- McConnell and Boehner at this point need to say NO and let everything expire. Make Obama and the Dems OWN it. #tcot 16:05:05, 2012-12-28
- If Mitch McConnell really thinks he can sell out conservatives on #FiscalCliff then he should be thinking primary challenge #tcot 16:02:10, 2012-12-28
- Conservatives will be gunning for McConnell and Boehner RT @samsteinhp: McConnell can't be happy with Boehner right now #tcot 16:01:02, 2012-12-28
- Obama to appear on 'Meet the Press' – http://t.co/0DyymCmz http://t.co/3UnaSwdI #tcot 15:45:04, 2012-12-28
- 16 Things About 2013 That Are Really Going To Stink http://t.co/MPz5YMAF #tcot 15:45:04, 2012-12-28
- California health exchanges – ‘Mo Money’ | CalWatchDog http://t.co/4PPa8Mw6 #tcot 15:45:03, 2012-12-28
- RT @kerpen: The only path forward is for the Senate to bring up HR8 – waiting for 149 days – amend it if it wishes and pass it. http://t … 15:30:28, 2012-12-28
- RT @robertcostaNRO: McConnell: "Hope that we can come forward as early as Sunday & have a recommendation that I can make to my conf … 15:28:44, 2012-12-28
- How about legislating instead – sheesh RT @SenFeinstein: I’ll be a guest on @FoxNewsSunday to speak about the fiscal cliff. 15:27:25, 2012-12-28
- RT @rebeccagberg: From a GOP source who was briefed on WH mtg today, "sequester is not likely to be addressed in any immediate agreement." 15:24:12, 2012-12-28
- More campaigning while USA burns – what a farce! RT @politico: Obama to appear on 'Meet the Press' this Sunday: http://t.co/9Bra5feI #tcot 15:21:32, 2012-12-28
- California health exchanges – ‘Mo Money’ http://t.co/GioAinVD #tcot 15:07:50, 2012-12-28
- Good Luck with that —> RT @jamiedupree: BOTTOM LINE – Senate leaders will try to cut a deal, present it to Senators on Sunday #tcot 15:07:36, 2012-12-28
- White House & Top Lawmakers Hold 'Fiscal Cliff' Talks, Pres. Obama to Deliver Remarks | C-SPAN http://t.co/IWqVoVAn #tcot 14:59:36, 2012-12-28
- Crapo won't fight DUI charge – The Washington Post http://t.co/Bkz8rJE9 #tcot 14:59:36, 2012-12-28
- Obama To Assign Fault; Propose Plan D, Different From Last Friday's Plan C – Live Webcast | ZeroHedge http://t.co/AqVMPFP3 #tcot 14:59:35, 2012-12-28
- Obama's presser wasn't even good optics. He has No more cards to play and nothing new to add – Bleh! #tcot 14:58:35, 2012-12-28
- Now Obama is lecturing = enough already RT @zerohedge: Nothing new or material from Obama: same old. 14:57:15, 2012-12-28
- W ith a hollow threat of a Senate vote – which won't happen RT @zerohedge: Obama repeats last Friday's scaled down proposal speech 14:55:46, 2012-12-28
- Drink! RT @zerohedge: "I am optimistic" – 5 shots 14:53:57, 2012-12-28
- Blah Blah Blah RT @jamiedupree: Obama calls talks with Congressional leaders "good and constructive" 14:53:11, 2012-12-28
- RT @cspan: President Obama statement on #FiscalCliff – LIVE on C-SPAN http://t.co/P4jJemkA 14:52:07, 2012-12-28
- Vodka Shots! RT @TheFix: RT @postpolitics: Crapo won't fight DUI charge http://t.co/8uhoaGLr 14:50:44, 2012-12-28
- Ridiculous farce RT @jamiedupree: So the Senate will try to take up a House-passed revenue bill and try to amend it with a fiscal cliff deal 14:47:10, 2012-12-28
- RT @zerohedge: Obama To Assign Fault; Propose Plan D, Different From Last Friday's Plan C – Live Webcast http://t.co/2MUcLpkQ 14:33:13, 2012-12-28
- RT @zerohedge: A week ago Obama says he is proposing a scaled down deal. Today he said he has no deal to offer. But it's someone else's … 14:33:07, 2012-12-28
- Obama urges GOP leaders to back his ‘cliff’ plan or offer acceptable alternative – The Washington Post http://t.co/FH2KZELh #tcot 14:18:15, 2012-12-28
- Bloodbath | ZeroHedge http://t.co/XDXO2EJk #tcot 14:18:15, 2012-12-28
- Here's how the Dow plunged after word that "Obama m… on Twitpic http://t.co/QX5f0Gfw #tcot 14:18:14, 2012-12-28
- RT @HotlineReid: Obama giving statement in the briefing room at 5:45pm, per WH 14:07:40, 2012-12-28
- RT @ChadPergram: Reid: There's no concrete proposals. There's a lot of different directions this could take #fiscalcliff 14:07:18, 2012-12-28
- RT @marcthiessen: RT @johnston_kelly Completely agree with @MarcThiessen: Let everyone's taxes rise and pay for the gov't you voted for. … 13:40:17, 2012-12-28
- RT @mpoindc: RT @frankthorpNBC: Boehner staffers arrived back at the Capitol and said @SpeakerBoehner is not coming back here today. 13:36:37, 2012-12-28
- Did Pelosi EVER find her mind? RT @BuzzFeedAndrew: Did Nancy Pelosi ever find her car? 13:34:25, 2012-12-28
- After Obama's last minute futility, I better run to the super market and load up on some milk and coffee creamer. #tcot 13:33:43, 2012-12-28
- Pffftt RT @rachelweinerwp: Obama called on GOP to support his plan or offer clear alternative, no new offer http://t.co/Zesprt4y #tcot 13:27:34, 2012-12-28
- But, this should come as NO surprise. WH meeting over and it is over the Fiscal Cliff RT @zerohedge: Bloodbath http://t.co/ZtmTXOsQ #tcot 13:26:53, 2012-12-28
- RT @IngrahamAngle: So Matt Damon's announcement that he's "giving up on politics" is unrelated to fact that his anti-frack film was pan … 13:16:02, 2012-12-28
- RT @philipaklein: RT @JoshuaGreen: Here's how the Dow plunged after word that "Obama makes no new offer" http://t.co/rMEpO5E4 13:15:11, 2012-12-28
- RT @tinadaunt: Polo Lounge menus… http://t.co/cfc6R2TR 13:06:28, 2012-12-28
- Feinstein Drops Gun Bill Before Police Give Report on Newtown Shooting http://t.co/fe1GvU3g #tcot 13:03:27, 2012-12-28
- Obama making demands of GOP as stock market heads downward. Over the Cliff….#tcot 13:03:20, 2012-12-28
- RT @mkraju: Obama demanding up-or-down vote on Democratic tax bill in House and Senate, w/@cbudoffbrown. http://t.co/UR9uXhbW 13:02:36, 2012-12-28
- Looks like the DJIA will close down over 150 points on the news that Obama has made no new offer in Fiscal Cliff talks now at the WH #tcot 13:01:47, 2012-12-28
- Stocks sink below 13,000 as Obama offers nothing new in #FiscalCliff talks at White House. #tcot 12:44:47, 2012-12-28
- RT @zerohedge: "No New Offer" From Obama Sends ES Sliding http://t.co/6HLExWwu 12:43:19, 2012-12-28
- RT @zerohedge: OBAMA SAID TO ASK CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS WHAT THEY CAN SUPPORT 12:43:04, 2012-12-28
- RT @zerohedge: OBAMA SAID REITERATING PROPOSAL FROM LAST WEEK ON FISCAL CLIFF 12:41:00, 2012-12-28
- RT @zerohedge: OBAMA SAID NOT TO MAKE NEW OFFER IN FISCAL CLIFF TALKS 12:40:55, 2012-12-28
- Feinstein Drops Gun Bill Before Police Give Report on Newtown Shooting http://t.co/opfVlXpr via @BreitbartNews 12:33:16, 2012-12-28
- Iran Launches "Massive" 6 Day Naval Wargame – Video Coverage | ZeroHedge http://t.co/VMK5MpIa #tcot 12:31:35, 2012-12-28
- RT @zerohedge: Iran Launches "Massive" 6 Day Naval Wargame – Video Coverage http://t.co/TZ2Iknyi 11:18:43, 2012-12-28
- GOP senators propose $1 trillion debt ceiling deal http://t.co/wlsgF5aV #tcot 10:49:14, 2012-12-28
- Tough Year Ahead for California Taxpayers and Wealth Producers http://t.co/irAIxh1K #tcot 10:17:37, 2012-12-28
- Murder and theft up in LA, but overall crime down again http://t.co/5rnpQnoG #tcot 09:41:40, 2012-12-28
- Simi Valley businessman returns disputed $70,000 grant http://t.co/A1HTnl6O #tcot 09:41:40, 2012-12-28
- Used to be called "Dirty Tricks" RT @jaketapper: RT @AdamSerwer: How dark money helped Dems keep a key Senate seat http://t.co/xA5XObK8 09:38:56, 2012-12-28
- GINGRICH AND NOLAN: Criminal justice reform saving states billions – Washington Times http://t.co/bxEgw0cf #tcot 09:01:48, 2012-12-28
- Untitled (http://t.co/Pf66hTuy… http://t.co/JQz04Di3 #tcot 09:01:47, 2012-12-28
- Union pickets gain special protections from state justices – http://t.co/5MtdTc2x http://t.co/t25VOosF #tcot 09:01:47, 2012-12-28
- Day By Day December 28, 2012 – What’s in a Name? http://t.co/D9ej1ZlG #tcot 08:59:26, 2012-12-28
- Union pickets gain special protections from state justices http://t.co/t25VOosF #tcot 08:29:59, 2012-12-28
- House members did not violate rule with Countrywide loans, ethics panel says http://t.co/JQz04Di3 #tcot 08:29:59, 2012-12-28
- GINGRICH AND NOLAN: Criminal justice reform saving states billions http://t.co/bxEgw0cf #tcot 08:29:59, 2012-12-28
- The California Flap: December 28, 2012 http://t.co/reakShtR 08:24:57, 2012-12-28
- Californians to Watch: Peter Lee will launch California's health exchange http://t.co/gJgklYGm #tcot 07:49:02, 2012-12-28
- Fiscal cliff stumble could doom California's budget recovery http://t.co/TApZtTZL #tcot 07:49:01, 2012-12-28
- Political winners, losers of '12 emerge http://t.co/f0njBJv5 #tcot 07:49:01, 2012-12-28
- What Happen After the Cliff http://t.co/gveNXShF #tcot 07:43:20, 2012-12-28
- Health Reform: The ObamaCare Political Storms are Far From Over http://t.co/ZLkh318O #tcot 07:43:20, 2012-12-28
- No charges in Countrywide VIP loans probe http://t.co/UFWW5GjW #tcot 07:43:20, 2012-12-28
- RT NO! @CSMPolitics: Immigration reform: Is 'amnesty' a possibility now? http://t.co/jrCClM2r #tcot 06:57:23, 2012-12-28
- RT @robertcostaNRO: A Repub senator tells me that a "clean," $500k tax threshold + unemplymnt would pass the Senate and House. But not s … 06:53:21, 2012-12-28
- The Morning Flap: December 28, 2012 http://t.co/tqUR6GA5 #tcot 06:38:10, 2012-12-28
- "The best pace is a suicide pace, and today is a good day to die."
–Steve Prefontaine
Happy Friday! 06:15:36, 2012-12-28
- RT @conncarroll Morning Examiner: After the cliff http://t.co/cZJCnn5w 06:01:37, 2012-12-28
- RT @ByronYork After all this, Gallup says NRA has 54% favorable rating. That's a point higher than Obama's average favorable rating 06:01:08, 2012-12-28
- As Swing Districts Dwindle, Can a Divided House Stand? http://t.co/UQqfNmjm #tcot 05:07:04, 2012-12-28
- The logic of House GOP intransigence http://t.co/RueBOWoB #tcot 05:07:03, 2012-12-28
- Why they want to go over the cliff http://t.co/T3Zdmom3 #tcot 05:07:03, 2012-12-28
- Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-27 http://t.co/zO5YcujT 04:03:33, 2012-12-28
- Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-27 http://t.co/p4ZjB4A7 #tcot 03:02:19, 2012-12-28
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Day By Day December 28, 2012 – What’s in a Name?
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The Morning Flap: December 28, 2012
House GOP Speaker Boehner and President Obama will meet on the Fiscal Cliff this afternoon
These are my links for December 27th through December 28th:
- What Happens After the Cliff – So now what?
- Speaker John Boehner notified House Republicans yesterday that not only should they return to Washington by Sunday, but they should also be prepared to stay in town all of next week. That means nothing will happen in either chamber of Congress until Boehner is reelected Speaker on January 3rd. In all likelihood, House Republicans will then also immediately pass the exact same legislation they passed this summer, extending all the current tax rates and redirecting the scheduled defense cuts into more domestic spending cuts. They will then ask Obama and Reid to craft their own bill addressing these problems in the Senate.In other words, nothing will have changed. We will be right back where we are today, waiting for Obama and Reid to act.Democrats will have a slightly more liberal Senate to work with next year, but it is not at all clear how many more votes for Obama’s preferred outcome he will have gained. If anything the Senate will have less moderates (in both parties) meaning Obama’s chances for a “grand bargain” will have shrunk, not grown.
And while it is likely House Republicans will agree to some type of tax cut in the new year, if anything their opposition to undoing the domestic side of the spending sequestration, let alone agreeing to increase in spending, will rise. “People who have contacted me are asking me to stand firm on what really matters, which is the spending side of the equation,” Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., told Politico.
Obama may have won reelection in 2012 by a four point, 51 percent to 47 percent, margin. But 51 percent of that very same electorate told exit pollsters that, “Government is doing too many things better left to businesses and individuals.” Meanwhile only 43 percent said, “Government should do more to solve problems.” That is hardly a mandate for Obama’s ambitious second term agenda.
- Health Reform: The ObamaCare Political Storms are Far From Over – The actual course of events after January 1, 2014 is likely to be stormy and filled with developments investigative reporters will enthusiastically describe and ACA opponents will point to with relish. There is every prospect that during the years 2014 and 2015 the political storms will be as furious as they were when a committed president and Democratic Congressional leadership gave life to the long-delayed dream of national health reform. Those who said that the presidential election would settle the fate of heath reform will be proven mostly right. But it will become clear that they had the date wrong: the key election will turn out to have been not 2012, but 2016.
- No charges in Countrywide VIP loans probe – onner and Sanchez noted that the full 10-member Ethics Committee unanimously determined “after lengthy and careful consideration that it does not appear that there is any specific credible evidence of actual violations that remain within the jurisdiction of the Committee.”More than a half-dozen current and former lawmakers, including retiring Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), obtained mortgages through the Countrywide VIP program. In some cases they saved thousands of dollars compared with what they would have paid if the transaction were handled differently, according to a report released in July by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.Other lawmakers who received Countrwide VIP loans include former Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), as well as Reps. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.), Pete Sessions (R-Texas), Elton Gallegly (R-Calif.) and former Rep. Tom Campbell (R-Calif.).Dodd and Conrad were cleared of any wrongdoing by the Senate Ethics Committee in 2009.
All of the lawmakers said they were not aware of their inclusion in a VIP program, and denied seeking preferential treatment for the mortgages. Such an action would violate congressional ethics rules and potentially federal laws.
- As Swing Districts Dwindle, Can a Divided House Stand? – In 1992, there were 103 members of the House of Representatives elected from what might be called swing districts: those in which the margin in the presidential race was within five percentage points of the national result. But based on an analysis of this year’s presidential returns, I estimate that there are only 35 such Congressional districts remaining, barely a third of the total 20 years ago.Instead, the number of landslide districts — those in which the presidential vote margin deviated by at least 20 percentage points from the national result — has roughly doubled. In 1992, there were 123 such districts (65 of them strongly Democratic and 58 strongly Republican). Today, there are 242 of them (of these, 117 favor Democrats and 125 Republicans).So why is compromise so hard in the House? Some commentators, especially liberals, attribute it to what they say is the irrationality of Republican members of Congress.But the answer could be this instead: individual members of Congress are responding fairly rationally to their incentives. Most members of the House now come from hyperpartisan districts where they face essentially no threat of losing their seat to the other party. Instead, primary challenges, especially for Republicans, may be the more serious risk.
In the chart below, I’ve grouped the country’s Congressional districts into seven categories based on the results of presidential voting there from 1992 through 2012:
- The logic of House GOP intransigence – In the staunchly conservative districts that most House Republicans inhabit, playing ball with President Barack Obama on taxes and the debt means tempting a primary opponent in the next election. The threat of a challenge from the left that might come from digging in, on the other hand, is almost nonexistent for most members.As a matter of pure political self-interest, the post-election debate within the GOP about how to broaden the party’s appeal and avoid another Romney-esque debacle in four years is irrelevant in this quarter of GOP politics. For the overwhelming majority of House Republicans, the largely white, resolutely conservative electorate that Mitt Romney relied on — excessively, as it turned out — is all they need to ensure reelection.
- Why they want to go over the cliff – Washington’s Democratic and Republican power brokers have sent the message to the nation that going over the fiscal cliff is a worst-case scenario. But they’re not acting that way, not at all.Instead, many of them have calculated that it’s better to go over the cliff — at least temporarily — than swallow a raw deal.
- Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-27 – Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-27
- Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-27 – Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-27 #tcot
- My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-27 – Locum Tenens (Temporary) Dentist – Gregory Cole, D.D.S. – My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-27
- Scott Brown: Obama Sent Fiscal Cliff Proposal – Business Insider – RT @businessinsider: Scott Brown: Obama Has Sent Senate Republicans A Fiscal Cliff Proposal
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: The Morning Drill: December 27, 2012 – The Morning Drill: December 27, 2012
- The Morning Flap: December 27, 2012 – Flap’s Blog – The Morning Flap: December 27, 2012 #tcot
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Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-27
- My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-27 – Locum Tenens (Temporary) Dentist – Gregory Cole, D.D.S. http://t.co/obL4nTp3 #tcot 22:47:39, 2012-12-27
- My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-27 http://t.co/ci6TuaqM 21:04:28, 2012-12-27
- Scott Brown: Obama Sent Fiscal Cliff Proposal – Business Insider http://t.co/8c3rJC8X #tcot 12:12:05, 2012-12-27
- RT @philipaklein: RT @jamiedupree: House adjourns until 2pm Monday 11:13:23, 2012-12-27
- RT @zerohedge: Market can't even hatch a half baked rumor any more 10:28:21, 2012-12-27
- RT @ZekeJMiller: RT @mpoindc: Well then: Senate Dems assert to @KellyO that reports of a new WH proposal on the fiscal cliff are incorre … 10:25:04, 2012-12-27
- RT @businessinsider: CNN: Obama's offer to include extensions of Bush tax rates under $250,000, unemployment insurance, and estate tax r … 10:21:43, 2012-12-27
- RT @businessinsider: Scott Brown: Obama Has Sent Senate Republicans A Fiscal Cliff Proposal http://t.co/r20g6sLG 10:00:36, 2012-12-27
- RT @jamiedupree: MT @DanaBashCNN: GOP source says POTUS told McConnell he would send a scaled back fiscal cliff bill to hill today 09:44:58, 2012-12-27
- Flap's Dentistry Blog: The Morning Drill: December 27, 2012 http://t.co/BBOBmEPM #tcot 07:30:05, 2012-12-27
- The Morning Flap: December 27, 2012 – Flap's Blog http://t.co/6OfF0TSL #tcot 06:49:39, 2012-12-27
- The Morning Drill: December 27, 2012 http://t.co/qmWzDyfe 06:34:58, 2012-12-27
- Why States May Want to Fall off the 'Cliff' http://t.co/3GF9OVXz #tcot 06:05:14, 2012-12-27
- The Year the Dreams Died – 2012 http://t.co/ZbjJAqeN #tcot 06:05:13, 2012-12-27
- Obama's Numbers Went Down, but Romney Never Inspired Voters to Vote | RealClearPolitics http://t.co/Mot9F5Dp #tcot 06:05:13, 2012-12-27
- The Morning Flap: December 27, 2012 http://t.co/JVu1sga5 #tcot 06:03:36, 2012-12-27
- RT @politico Blog turns tables on gun map paper, via @katie_glueck: http://t.co/I20GcBni #tcot 05:38:46, 2012-12-27
- RT @thehill Poll: Most back tighter gun laws but oppose re-instating federal assault weapons ban http://t.co/xjw61u0Z 05:35:10, 2012-12-27
- Piers Morgan: Bible And Constitution ‘Inherently Flawed,’ ‘Time For An Amendment To Bible’ http://t.co/ise7Nc28 #tcot 05:21:07, 2012-12-27
- Supreme Court won't block Obama health law's contraception mandate http://t.co/VeuXbMoU #tcot 05:21:07, 2012-12-27
- Poll: 46% say Obama's second term will be better http://t.co/M45QQl01 #tcot 05:21:07, 2012-12-27
- People with many interests live, not only longest, but happiest.
–George Matthew Allen
Happy Thursday! 04:52:58, 2012-12-27
- Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-26 http://t.co/6oAU6rAW 04:04:25, 2012-12-27
- Flap's Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-26 – Flap's Blog – FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog http://t.co/xF1SMVDD #tcot 03:53:28, 2012-12-27
- Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-26 http://t.co/PSlcXnbG #tcot 03:02:56, 2012-12-27
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The Morning Flap: December 27, 2012
These are my links for December 22nd through December 27th:
- Why States May Want to Fall off the ‘Cliff’ – Falling off the “fiscal cliff” is a bad thing, right? Not necessarily for some state governments that could begin collecting more in estate taxes on wealth left to heirs if the United States goes over the “cliff,” allowing sharp tax increases and federal spending cuts to take effect in January.In an example of federal and state tax law interaction that gets little notice on Capitol Hill, 30 states next year could collect $3 billion more in estate taxes if Congress and President Barack Obama do not act soon, estimated the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, a Washington think tank.
The reason? The federal estate tax would return with a vengeance and so would a federal credit system that shares a portion of it with the 30 states. They had been getting their cut of this tax revenue stream until the early 2000s. That was when the credit system for payment of state estate tax went away due to tax cuts enacted under former President George W. Bush.
- The Year the Dreams Died – 2012 – Barack Obama in 2008 won an election on an upbeat message of change amid hopes that the first black president would mark a redemptive moment in American history. Four years later, the fantasies are gone. In continuing dismal economic times, Obama ran for reelection neither on his first-term achievements — Obamacare, bailouts, financial stimuli, and Keynesian mega-deficits — nor on more utopian promises.Instead, Obama’s campaign systematically reduced his rival, Wall Street financier Mitt Romney, to a conniving, felonious financial pirate who did dastardly things, from letting the uninsured die to putting his pet dog Seamus in a cage on top of the family car.
Obama once had mused that he wished to be the mirror image of Ronald Reagan — successfully coaxing America to the left as the folksy Reagan had to the right. Instead, 2012 taught us that a calculating Obama is more a canny Richard Nixon, who likewise used any means necessary to be reelected on the premise that his rival would be even worse. But we know what eventually happened to the triumphant, pre-Watergate Nixon after November 1972; what will be the second-term wages of Obama’s winning ugly?
- Obama’s Numbers Went Down, but Romney Never Inspired Voters to Vote | RealClearPolitics – The 2012 election was different. Barack Obama got 6 percent fewer popular votes than he had gotten in 2008. And Mitt Romney got only 1 percent more popular votes than John McCain had four years before.In retrospect, it looks like both campaigns fell short of their turnout goals. Yes, examination of election returns and exit polls indicates that the Obama campaign turned out voters where it really needed them.
That enabled him to carry Florida by 1 percent, Ohio by 3 percent, Virginia by 4 percent, and Colorado and Pennsylvania by 5 percent. Without those states, he would have gotten only 243 electoral votes and would now be planning his presidential library.
But the conservative bloggers who argued that the Obama campaign’s early voting numbers were below target may have been right. If Mitt Romney had gotten 16 percent more popular votes than his predecessor, as John Kerry did, he would have led Obama by 4 million votes and won the popular vote 51 to 48 percent.
Romney, like Kerry, depended on voters’ distaste for the incumbent; he could not hope to inspire the devotion Bush enjoyed in 2004 and that Obama had from a diminished number in 2008.
But to continue this counterfactual scenario, if Obama had won 23 percent more popular votes this year than in 2008, he would have beaten Romney by 85 million to 69 million votes and by 54 to 44 percent.
In reality, Obama’s vote and percentage went down. Considering what happened in Bush’s second term, that suggests a course of caution and wariness for the re-elected president and his party.
- Piers Morgan: Bible And Constitution ‘Inherently Flawed,’ ‘Time For An Amendment To Bible’ – On Monday, CNN host Piers Morgan invited Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren on his program to discuss gay marriage and the bible. Fresh off his feud with Second Amendment rights activists following his full-throated defense of stricter gun control laws in the wake of the Newtown massacre, Morgan inspired further outrage among the religious when he told the pastor he thought it was time for an “amendment to the bible.” In Morgan’s opinion, the bible, like the American Constitution, is “inherently flawed.”
- Supreme Court won’t block Obama health law’s contraception mandate – he Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to block the Obama administration’s contraception mandate from taking effect.Justice Sonia Sotomayor rejected a request for an emergency injunction that would have shielded employers from the mandate.
by Hobby Lobby, an arts-and-crafts chain. The company’s Catholic owners say the contraception mandate violates their religious freedom.
Hobby Lobby might eventually win on that point, Sotomayor said, but the company didn’t meet the standard for an injunction blocking the mandate from taking effect.
The administration’s policy requires most employers to include contraception in their employees’ healthcare policies, without charging a co-pay or deductible. Churches and houses of worship are exempt, and religious affiliated institutions such as Catholic hospitals don’t have to cover contraception directly. (Their insurance companies cover the cost of making it available at no cost to the employee.)
But some Catholic employers say they should be able to opt out of the mandate simply because it violates their personal faith, no matter what type of business they run.
- Poll: 46% say Obama’s second term will be better – President Barack Obama looks primed to do a “better job” in his second term than he did in his first term, a plurality of Americans say.According to a CNN/ORC poll out Thursday, 46 percent of Americans think the president’s job performance will improve this time around, while 22 percent say Obama will do a worse job. Another three in 10 see Obama offering “about the same” performance as he did during his first administration.
- When will the right start hating Hillary Clinton again? – Her poll numbers are staggering. Fellow Democrats fear her. So do some Republicans. The main question now is, when will the right start hating Hillary Clinton again and kick a “Stop HRC” movement into high gear?You could hear the sounds of the ignition being turned during the past 10 days as an illness that led to a concussion (under circumstances that the public still knows little about) forced Clinton to cancel Senate testimony about the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. That led to charges of a cover-up from some dependably anti-Clinton quarters, such as the New York Post and former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton.
- Obama looks to retain upper hand as ‘fiscal cliff’ negotiations resume – President Obama will strive to retain the political upper hand in negotiations over deficit reduction when he returns to Washington Thursday morning.Obama had been in Hawaii with his family since Saturday but is scheduled to arrive back at the White House just before noon as the nation approaches the year-end fiscal cliff.
- Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-26 – Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-26
- Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-26 – Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-26 #tcot
- My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-26 – Locum Tenens (Temporary) Dentist – Gregory Cole, D.D.S. – My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-26
- Ed Driscoll » The Howard Kurtz Recursion – RT @rsmccain: Wow, @EdDriscoll is all over David Gregory like a cheap suit
- U.S. to Hit Debt Limit Monday | Fox Business – LOL Obama, you really put it to the House GOP, now didn’t you? #tcot
- Where’s Hillary? | The Weekly Standard – I she isn’t in a hospital having surgery then is she in the Middle East?
- Day By Day December 26, 3012 – The Princess American – Flap’s Blog – Day By Day December 26, 3012 – The Princess American #tcot
- Jerry Brown pushes new funding system for California schools – After California schools eliminated art programs and increased class sizes to survive budget cuts, they are finally on the verge of getting more money thanks to voter-approved taxes and economic recovery.But K-12 districts may not share equally in the expanding budget pie.
Gov. Jerry Brown is pushing hard to overhaul California’s convoluted school funding system. His plan has two major objectives: Give K-12 districts greater control over how they spend money, and send more dollars to impoverished students and English learners.
- Labor beat Prop. 32 via social media – Leaders of the California unions that spent $75 million to defeat Proposition 32’s union-busting campaign in November discovered something during the bruising battle: 40 percent of likely voters were not watching any Prop. 32-related TV commercials, even though the spots droned on nonstop throughout the fall.So the forces opposed to the measure, which would have banned the use of union payroll deductions for political contributions, changed tactics.
Fusing a sophisticated data-mining operation with messages sent through social media platforms such as Facebook, the unions changed how they were singling out voters younger than 40 who don’t watch TV. Within weeks, they saw support for their position among younger voters climb from 40 percent to 60 percent.
- In 2013, Millions Of Americans Face Obamacare Tax Hikes – As part of the negotiations over the fiscal cliff, Congress and President Obama are battling over whether to raise marginal tax rates at the very top of the income ladder.Regardless of how these talks turn out, millions of Americans are already facing tax hikes thanks to Obamacare.
Obamacare’s authors chose to offset about half of the trillion-dollar cost of the law through higher taxes. Since the Supreme Court upheld the law’s individual mandate and allowed states to opt out of its Medicaid expansion, though, the cost estimate has swelled to $1.76 trillion between 2012 and 2021.
In 2013, a number of Obamacare’s taxes will go into effect. Each will increase the cost of health care, yield job losses, and deprive our struggling economy of investment. These are the true costs of Obamacare.
- FreedomWorks tea party group nearly falls apart in fight between old and new guard – The day after Labor Day, just as campaign season was entering its final frenzy, FreedomWorks, the Washington-based tea party organization, went into free fall.Richard K. Armey, the group’s chairman and a former House majority leader, walked into the group’s Capitol Hill offices with his wife, Susan, and an aide holstering a handgun at his waist. The aim was to seize control of the group and expel Armey’s enemies: The gun-wielding assistant escorted FreedomWorks’ top two employees off the premises, while Armey suspended several others who broke down in sobs at the news.
The coup lasted all of six days. By Sept. 10, Armey was gone — with a promise of $8 million — and the five ousted employees were back. The force behind their return was Richard J. Stephenson, a reclusive Illinois millionaire who has exerted increasing control over one of Washington’s most influential conservative grass-roots organizations.
Stephenson, the founder of the for-profit Cancer Treatment Centers of America and a director on the FreedomWorks board, agreed to commit $400,000 per year over 20 years in exchange for Armey’s agreement to leave the group.
- Gallup poll: Public’s fear of falling over ‘fiscal cliff’ grows – A new poll finds the public’s fears over the looming “fiscal cliff” growing, as the year-end deadline for a deficit deal nears.Fifty percent of those surveyed in a new Gallup poll released Wednesday believe President Obama and lawmakers will reach an agreement to avoid January’s set of tax increases and automatic spending cuts. Forty-eight percent are doubtful a deal will be reached in time.
- Starbucks makes political push on fiscal cliff – CNN Political Ticker – CNN.com Blogs – RT @PoliticalTicker Starbucks makes political push on fiscal cliff –
- Fiscal Cliff: Fears mount over dive, poll says – POLITICO.com – RT @politico Poll: Americans are rapidly becoming more pessimistic about averting the fiscal cliff
- Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-25 – Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-25
- Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-25 – Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-25 #tcot
- My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-25 – Locum Tenens (Temporary) Dentist – Gregory Cole, D.D.S. – My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-25
- Affordable Care Act presents many unknowns for California officials – As California positions itself at the vanguard of the national healthcare overhaul, state officials are unable to say for sure how much their implementation of the federal Affordable Care Act will cost taxpayers.The program, intended to insure millions of Americans who are now without health coverage, takes states into uncharted territory. California, which plans to expand coverage to hundreds of thousands of people when the law takes effect in 2014, faces myriad unknowns. The Brown administration will try to estimate the cost of vastly more health coverage in the budget plan it unveils next month, but experts warn that its numbers could be way off.
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The costs will be astronomical and the POLS will be scrambling to pay for it all.
- Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-24 – Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-24
- Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-24 – Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-24 #tcot
- My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-24 – Locum Tenens (Temporary) Dentist – Gregory Cole, D.D.S. – My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-24
- Merry Christmas 2012 – Flap’s Blog – Merry Christmas 2012 #tcot
- Realignment’s unintended consequence: No supervision, rehabilitation for criminals – The first wave of felons sent to county jails instead of state prisons under Gov. Jerry Brown’s public safety realignment plan are back on the streets after serving their sentences, and local law enforcement officials are worried they will trigger a spike in crime.Almost all of the felons are under no obligation to report to a parole agent or probation officer, and many did not get job training and other rehabilitation services while behind bars.
“Of those 9,000 who have been sentenced to jail in lieu of prison, about 90 percent of them are going to come out without supervision by a probation officer or a parole agent,” county Chief Probation Officer Jerry Powers said during a recent meeting of the Southern California Association of Governments.
- Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-23 – Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-23
- Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-23 – Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-23 #tcot
- My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-23 – Locum Tenens (Temporary) Dentist – Gregory Cole, D.D.S. – My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-23
- Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-22 – Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-22
- Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-22 – Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-22 #tcot
- My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-22 – Locum Tenens (Temporary) Dentist – Gregory Cole, D.D.S. – My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-22
- Gregory Flap @ Ronnie’s Diner – The pre- Christmas 10 miles is finished. Now, the protein plate at Ronnie’s! (@ Ronnie’s Diner) [pic]:
- Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-21 – Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-21
- President Obama’s dilemma – Carrie Budoff Brown – POLITICO.com – President Obama’s dilemma – Carrie Budoff Brown – #tcot
- Why States May Want to Fall off the ‘Cliff’ – Falling off the “fiscal cliff” is a bad thing, right? Not necessarily for some state governments that could begin collecting more in estate taxes on wealth left to heirs if the United States goes over the “cliff,” allowing sharp tax increases and federal spending cuts to take effect in January.In an example of federal and state tax law interaction that gets little notice on Capitol Hill, 30 states next year could collect $3 billion more in estate taxes if Congress and President Barack Obama do not act soon, estimated the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, a Washington think tank.
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Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-26
- My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-26 – Locum Tenens (Temporary) Dentist – Gregory Cole, D.D.S. http://t.co/7iuFUfE9 #tcot 23:12:33, 2012-12-26
- My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-26 http://t.co/97gLiS2Y 21:06:00, 2012-12-26
- RT @JakeSherman: FISCAL CLIFF STATE OF PLAY: No one expects a deal. Sen working on fallback. WH involved. House R conf call tomorrow. ht … 18:01:18, 2012-12-26
- Ed Driscoll » The Howard Kurtz Recursion http://t.co/Em7W2Pd6 #tcot 17:24:42, 2012-12-26
- Untitled (http://t.co/fmalDM2y… http://t.co/VK7MsFXE #tcot 17:24:42, 2012-12-26
- RT @rsmccain: Wow, @EdDriscoll is all over David Gregory like a cheap suit http://t.co/fnoPFnzP 16:40:48, 2012-12-26
- Untitled (http://t.co/fmalDM2y… http://t.co/vusTc6vD #tcot 16:15:52, 2012-12-26
- Untitled (http://t.co/fmalDM2y… http://t.co/3RV3NAH5 #tcot 15:42:14, 2012-12-26
- Untitled (http://t.co/fmalDM2y… http://t.co/P9JQy7wl #tcot 15:42:13, 2012-12-26
- U.S. to Hit Debt Limit Monday | Fox Business http://t.co/obXlJ9EU #tcot 15:42:13, 2012-12-26
- Untitled (http://t.co/fmalDM2y… http://t.co/kRTzLnLG #tcot 13:52:13, 2012-12-26
- Untitled (http://t.co/fmalDM2y… http://t.co/z90fmBJp #tcot 13:52:13, 2012-12-26
- LOL Obama, you really put it to the House GOP, now didn't you? http://t.co/tqtqDZW5 #tcot 13:39:19, 2012-12-26
- Untitled ( http://t.co/fmalDM2y ) http://t.co/4n7wF7ti #tcot 12:07:52, 2012-12-26
- Untitled (http://t.co/fmalDM2y… http://t.co/tRs7oK2n #tcot 12:07:51, 2012-12-26
- Where's Hillary? | The Weekly Standard http://t.co/t4kqX3Br #tcot 10:09:39, 2012-12-26
- Day By Day December 26, 3012 – The Princess American – Flap's Blog http://t.co/okzfoH8H #tcot 10:09:39, 2012-12-26
- Untitled (http://t.co/fmalDM2y… http://t.co/nUoipYsq #tcot 10:09:38, 2012-12-26
- I really suspect that Hillary will be meeting up with Obama in Afghanistan in the next 24 hours….Obama won't be returning to DC for Cliff 08:43:40, 2012-12-26
- I she isn't in a hospital having surgery then is she in the Middle East? http://t.co/9D69G1rr 08:34:50, 2012-12-26
- Day By Day December 26, 3012 – The Princess American http://t.co/yPXKmlYp #tcot 07:54:46, 2012-12-26
- Jerry Brown pushes new funding system for California schools http://t.co/pmDiGD8n #tcot 06:18:29, 2012-12-26
- Labor beat Prop. 32 via social media http://t.co/9KYLvgd8 #tcot 05:35:31, 2012-12-26
- In 2013, Millions Of Americans Face Obamacare Tax Hikes http://t.co/CsYCX2sn #tcot 05:35:31, 2012-12-26
- FreedomWorks tea party group nearly falls apart in fight between old and new guard http://t.co/Txaw4fcC #tcot 05:35:31, 2012-12-26
- Gallup poll: Public’s fear of falling over ‘fiscal cliff’ grows http://t.co/Kgd0Nqs2 #tcot 04:56:07, 2012-12-26
- RT @PoliticalTicker Starbucks makes political push on fiscal cliff – http://t.co/t37hUtRE 04:49:27, 2012-12-26
- RT @politico Poll: Americans are rapidly becoming more pessimistic about averting the fiscal cliff http://t.co/JDa1pA6K 04:48:40, 2012-12-26
- "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."
-T. S. Eliot
Happy Wednesday! 04:47:52, 2012-12-26
- Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-25 http://t.co/JKGcw7sp 04:02:21, 2012-12-26
- Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-25 http://t.co/5HfsWftJ #tcot 03:02:11, 2012-12-26
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Day By Day December 26, 2012 – The Princess American
Chris, if the LEFT is successful to undermining the “original”meaning of the Constitution, what is the point in having a union of states?
The U.S. Constitution second and fifth amendments are resolute.
This issue is NOT gay marriage or Big Sodas and rich POLS like Mayor Bloomberg should keep his hands off the Constitution.