The GOP Circular Firing Squad, Part 7,045

Now it's Steve LaTourette -- GOP Congresman from Ohio -- who is taking his turn at the guns. He's part of the Mainstreet Advocacy group, which is a Republican PAC looking to push back on the Teajhadis and to get more moderate GOP candidates elected. Their announcement card specifically pushes back on Club for Growth, FreedomWorks and the Tea Party:
So, Where Was The Republican Outrage On Insurance Ethics Pre-Obamacare?

So, Where Was The Republican Outrage On Insurance Ethics Pre-Obamacare?

Upfront, let me tell you I was hugely disappointed when the public option and/or single payer got shelved in the formation of Obamacare. And as one in the health care industry I was amazed that candidate Obama was willing to trust the health insurance industry to do the right thing for a revamped health insurance public policy, having seen them in action up close and professionally.
Friday Open Thread [11.8.13]

Friday Open Thread [11.8.13]

Kavips or Kilroy, I can't remember which, said recently that we were still obsessed with George W. Bush. I think it was said in jest, but still. I racked my brain to think of any posts that concentrated on the former disasterous President. I came up with nothing. If anything, we are preoccupied with the current Republican Party and its horrible members. So here is a GWB item, so we can live up to the Kavipsian or Kilroyian characterization. And its a doozy. It would seem that the former President has an interesting speaking engagement on his calendar:
Next week, former President George W. Bush is scheduled to keynote a fundraiser in Irving, Texas, for the Messianic Jewish Bible Institute, a group that trains people in the United States, Israel, and around the world to convince Jews to accept Jesus as the Messiah. The organization's goal: to "restore" Israel and the Jews and bring about about the second coming of Christ.
So W is now a "Jew for Jesus?" And he is not just speaking....
Open Letter to John Carney

Open Letter to John Carney

Representative Carney, Your Democratic colleagues in the House are supporting an effort to expand Social Security benefits. I think it is time for you to break with the right-wing policies you've supported in the past and join your fellow Democrats in helping restore sanity to the debate over this vital social insurance program that has done so much to allow our nation's elderly to live in dignity. At a time when the 401k system has been proven to be a failed experiment, based on legalized theft, it is not time to cut social security benefits. Rather, it is a time to ensure Social Security's long-term solvency by "scraping the cap" and stop excluding income over $113,700 from the social security tax. The current proposal, supported by your Democratic colleagues, would [...]
Thursday Open Thread [11.7.13]

Thursday Open Thread [11.7.13]

Hey, the economy was doing pretty good until the Republicans decided to throw a temper tantrum. From the Huffington Post.
The U.S. economy expanded at a 2.8 percent annual rate from July through September, a surprising sign of strength ahead of the 16-day partial government shutdown. Exports rose, businesses stocked up, home construction increased and state and local governments spent at the fastest pace in four years. [...] The third-quarter outcome was nearly a full percentage point stronger than most economists had predicted. Analysts expect the shutdown will slow growth in the October-December quarter.