E!! » Washington

Titus Slams Porter for Yes on Bailout Bill, Then Says She’d Have Done the Same

E!! — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:59:14 +0000

Just received a press release (statement) from the Titus campaign. Here are some excerpts:

Titus: Bailout Package Is One More Example of How Washington Is Broken

“Today’s vote in the House of Representatives is one more example of how Washington is broken and why we need change. Nearly the same bailout bill that failed in the House last week passed today because it was loaded with critical tax breaks that deserved to pass on their own merits…

“For eight years, George Bush turned a blind eye to the unregulated mortgage market. For six years, Jon Porter marched in lockstep, accepting more than $1.6 million from the financial, insurance, and real estate sectors. Their failure to provide proper oversight and regulation has left us in the current economic mess.

And Jon Porter supported this legislation before the tax cuts were added, when it was nothing more than a bailout for Wall Street.“I opposed the original House bill because it did not include the necessary regulation and oversight to ensure that this crisis does not happen again…

“The tax breaks that the Senate added to the package will benefit millions of Americans and have a significant impact here in Nevada… It is unfortunate that in order to pass these important tax cuts Congress had to bail out Wall Street in the process…

“The package voted on in the House today is far from perfect and I am disappointed that more was not done, especially for families facing foreclosure in the Third District. But with so many critical tax breaks in this bill that will help Southern Nevada, I would have reluctantly supported the broader package.”

Let’s review:

1. Titus fails to mention that the government policies which birthed the Fannie/Freddie financial crisis were enacted in the Carter and Clinton administrations with the approval of both Ds and Rs in Congress, so she’s either uninformed or being deliberately dishonest.

2. Titus says Bush and Porter are to blame for the lack of oversight when nearly everyone including the present Democratic leadership was complicit in looking the other way, so she’s either uninformed or being deliberately partisan.

3. Titus rips Porter for being in favor of the imperfect bailout bill, but then says “with so many critical tax breaks” for Nevada she would have “reluctantly” voted for the inadequate bill also, so she’s either very confused…or being hypocritical.

Porter voted for the bill. Titus bloviates at length – and then says she would have voted for the bill. When all the ranting and raving is done, what in Sam Hill is the difference?!

Neither the guy who’s in, nor the gal who wants to BE in, has the gumption to stand on principle and fight for good policy when there are special tax credits to be had. Of course: how else could they ingratiate themselves to the voters? Just look at all they’ve done for you!!

That’s a REAL example of how Washington is broken – and Nevada, too.

#dontgo: The Sequel

E!! — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:56:32 +0000

Not content to let Eric & Allen & Friends have their Happy Ending, Progress Illinois took the Open Left talking points about #dontgo that Eric had debunked on his blog earlier and ran it as fact without doing any checking. From the Progress Illinois site:

Let’s be clear. This is a “movement” that originated at the highest level of powers in Washington. It’s a movement that, if successful, would benefit large oil companies and their rich executives far more than the average American consumer. It’s a movement with protests populated by paid staffers from industry-funded organizations. In short, there is nothing “grassroots” about it.

ROFL

Anyone who knows Eric “the Libertarian” Odom knows he is as anti-establishment as it gets. He isn’t In with the Insiders in D.C. in any way, shape or form. I’ll grant that Eric’s day job is a paid consultant for Sam Adams Alliance, but Eric blogs and Twitters on the side (and only WISHES he got paid to do it).

Eric and Allen are two very enterprising individuals who threw up the Twitter tag, purchased the two #dontgo-affilliated domain names and built the dontgomovement.com website on their own dime and on their own time. They were not paid by Big Oil fat cats, mythical “industry-funded organizations,” or Newt Gingrich. The huge influx of Twitterers and bloggers happened because a lot of good citizens are angry about the lack of Congressional action on energy and were/are interested in what was/is happening on on the House floor…and the Twitter feed was/is the best way to follow the play-by-play.

Isn’t it interesting that the Left just cannot FATHOM the concept of a committed activist who isn’t getting paid and/or receiving some personal benefit for championing a cause? Seems to me their accusations and protests are very revealing. One wonders how many staffers at Open Left, Progress Illinois, or MoveOn.org would spend their own time and money trying to get something worthwhile done. Not too many, I’m guessing.

So, anyhoo, just know that Progress Illinois got the story Wrong. Not surprising, considering they never bothered to contact Eric and took their talking points from an outdated, debunked post on Open Left…which, by the way, continues to get the story wrong. To borrow Open Left’s oh-so-sophisticated Slam-fest sum-up which simultaenously insists #dontgo is (1) backed by “the highest levels of power in Washington” and (2) “insignificant”: whatever! If Dontgomovement.com is so insignificant, why is the national media all over it – and why are you guys still writing about it?

(For those of you who do not know the whole back story, you can read my post from yesterday and/or catch Mary Katherine Ham’s piece in the Washington Examiner.)

Ensign Answers Critics on Energy-Efficiency Amendment

E!! — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 23:38:23 +0000

In the interest of letting Senator Ensign speak for himself on his energy-efficiency tax credit amendment, you can click here for the full text of his Senate Floor Speech (given Thursday).

For those of you who don’t have time to read all 1,216 words, here’s the sum-up:

Ensign refers to the high cost of energy and says we need smart policy for both our economic and national security. He claims his amendment offers tax credits that will encourage more development of alternative, renewable energy (solar, wind, and geothermal).

In answer to those who say his bill has nothing to do with housing, Ensign claims his bill will help create between 100,000 and 200,00 jobs and encourage billions of dollars worth of investment, which will strengthen the economy including the housing market.

Ensign also says the tax credits will reward people who produce their own electricity by going solar, who build or buy an energy-efficient home, or who buy energy efficient appliances…and says these are all related to housing.

In re: to the “not paid for” objection, he claims there are “$2.4 billion in tax-related items that are not paid for in [the housing] bill” and that he therefore challenges the Democratic leadership’s claim that his energy amendment won’t pass in the House.

Ensign asks how the Democrats expect their “not paid for” housing bill to pass if the House is truly not accepting bills that aren’t paid for. (Indeed!)

Finally, Ensign says he is pushing for this now because (1) the private financing of solar, geothermal, and wind power projects is critical to their development, (2) his proposed tax credits will allow private businesses to predict and rely on their return on investment, and therefore (c) investor confidence will immediately rise and more clean/renewable energy projects will happen sooner.