The MountainGoat Report

Friday Poetry Break

Poet and activist Andrea Gibson performs "Birthday."

Coarseness Is Relative

Thought the level of discourse in Congress had degenerated into something less than civil recently?  Well, despite such crudities as, "You lie," "Baby killer" and urging people to pray that a Senator can't make a vote, so far these assaults among elected officials have remained verbal and have not included food or pyrotechnics.

Apparently the Ukraine Parliament feels no such constraints.

Time has the detail in images and with a slide entitled "Less Than Civil Discourse" includes this: 

Deputies of Ukraine's Parliament fight during session in Kiev on April 27, 2010. The melee broke out as parliament ratified a bitterly controversial deal with Russia extending a lease of a key naval base. During the battle, lawmakers threw food and smoke grenades.

Yes, punches were thrown and parasols deployed.  Check it out.

Somehow, it feels a little Jerry Springer-ish resorting to "it could be worse."

GOP Dysentery Infects 1st CD

That sound you just heard?  That was the sound of a GOP congressional hopeful's campaign being flushed.  It's hard to see how a candidate recovers from the week that Vaughn Ward has just had.  Once the front-runner in the Republican primary to challenge Congressman Walt Minnick for Idaho's 1st Congressional District seat, Ward's campaign has all but handed the primary to State Rep. Raul Labrador, despite Ward's dominant fund-raising advantage and prominent national and state endorsements.

Ward's latest faux pas, reported late this morning, is that he failed to pay his property taxes on time and apparently overstated the value of the property on disclosure statements.  That came after the early morning revelation that the U.S. Marine Corps has asked Ward to remove an ad that failed to comply with regulations prohibiting use of information and images that may imply endorsement by the military.

This very bad week began Thursday when it was reported that Ward, who had made railing against government bailouts a centerpiece of his campaign, was being supported, while he campaigned full time, by his wife who worked for the bailed-out, government-backed mortgage giant, Fannie Mae.  The week only got worse Saturday with the additional news that he failed to include his wife's assets on his financial disclosure.

A befuddled Ward has countered with arguments ranging from absurd to laughable, including:

• contending he must be a serious threat to Minnick to merit such media scrutiny,
• Republican lawyers vetted his disclosure,
• he has to comply with new rules every quarter,
• he doesn't know what the wives of Senators Crapo and Risch do,
• his family did not benefit from the taxpayer money invested in Fannie Mae and
• he doesn't need to sell the Marine Corps.

Not to mention other gems like, government jobs aren't real jobs and a GOP failure to take Congress in November means every fighter in American history has died in vain.  At this rate he'll make Bill Sali look like a paragon of sanity in no time.

If this is the product of Republican Party grooming, perhaps we don't need any.

Befitting

If you've been reading MGR for awhile, you've heard about the "Republicans for Walt Minnick" site that once belonged to Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick's campaign.  Through the majik of the interwebs the site now belongs to some enterprising soul whose sole purpose, apparently, is to provide hilarity and nonsense on a regular basis--and they do not disappoint.

Witness:

 

Who could argue with "pick out the everyone that you over wishes make your loved in unison's mouth still water the most?"  Impossible, and one shouldn't even try.  Just accept the insanity and hilarity and move on.

Much like Idaho's 1st Congressional District.  

Today we learn that the Sarah Palin-endorsed Republican candidate, Vaughn Ward (denied endorsement by the GOP establishment arm of the tea-sipping movement, Tea Party Express, choosing instead to back the Democratic-labeled incumbent Walt Minnick) who has been railing against bailouts, and gu'mit in general, is supported by his wife who works for one of those gu'mit bailed out companies, Fannie Mae.

Just accept the insanity and hilarity that will be Idaho's 1st CD race and move on.

Remember, "almost any basket chosen with love choice  be a well-received gift."

Jumping Off the Ledge

Upon receiving their endorsement and becoming a Tea Party Hero, Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick said of the Tea Party Express, "They're just ordinary folks who think the government ought to balance this budget. There's nothing very radical about that so I'm pleased to have their endorsement."

Later that day, Minnick spokesman John Foster acknowledged to Boise Weekly, "You’ve got some fringe within the group, that’s for sure," but, he went on, "you've got to base your views on people based on your interactions with them."

Here is some of the tax day protest put on by the Tea Party Express:

Wow, that's enough to make Robert W. Welch, Jr. sit up and take notice.  Kudos if you made it through all eleven minutes.

How often is the fringe of a group given the podium?  Or maybe Minnick thinks this is just what "ordinary folks" believe.  Either way, how do Idaho Democrats justify this?

Either this is mainstream tea party thought and should be repudiated, not embraced, or Minnick believes these fringe-y accusations about communism in the White House are "ordinary."

What is a sane Democrat to do?

Minnick: Tea Party Hero (Update 2)

From Talking Points Memo:

Top Democratic leaders and Democrats in conservative districts are among the names the tea party movement hopes to defeat this year. At the last stop of its nationwide tour in Washington this morning, organizers of the Tea Party Express revealed their list of 2010 "Tea Party Targets," a list that includes Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Rep. Barney Frank and Rep. Alan Grayson.

[...]

The group also announced a list of Tea Party Heroes, which included tea party favorites like Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) as well as a single Democrat -- Rep. Walt Minnick (D-ID).

You've come a long way Congressman Minnick.  It's quite an accomplishment to be named in the same company as Michele Bachmann.

Update:  Here's more from Huffington Post (you know, the blog that can't possibly "understand [Minnick's] position" because, well, they're librul and all; yes, the same blog he ran from last summer):

So, congratulations to Representative Walt Minnick (D-Idaho), because you are the King Of Tea Party Bipartisan Cover!

They're checking to see if he's accepted the endorsement.

Update 2:  The Huffington Post article linked in the first update was almost completely rewritten to reflect that Minnick did accept the Tea Party Express endorsement and to include statements from Minnick spokesman John Foster. (Why not write a whole new article then?  Don't ask me.)  Foster attempted to put the Tea Party Hero status in its best light, as any campaign spokesman would, but in doing so went the revisionist history route.

But Foster tried to make a compelling case that the Minnick endorsement wasn't just window dressing. While the congressman had only spoken to the Tea Party Express once, it was during the infamously contentious August recess. "They invied [sic] all four members of Idaho's delegation and Walt shocked everybody by being the only one who showed up in person and he stood his ground," said Foster. "He got a lot of support for his fiscal stance. But very little support for what he said about the president [for whom he reiterated his support]... By the end of the 90 minutes they gave him a standing ovation."

By most accounts--even the most gushing of the bunch written by a friend of Minnick's wife--there wasn't a "standing ovation" for Minnick, though some did give him credit for being there and a grudging respect for his apparent fiscal stance.  "He paid too much homage to his Republican colleagues to please some Democrats, but not enough to please the crowd. Liberals won’t like it that he thought it was a 'useful suggestion' when someone shouted 'close the borders!'  Republicans who crossed the party line to vote for him hated hearing of his support for President Obama," wrote the Minnicks' friend, Jill Kuraitis, at New West.

As to the accuracy of "standing his ground," it depends on what ground Walt envisions himself standing in the first place and, as Alan reported at IdaBlue, the "panderbear" wasn't standing with the Democrats who had been the largest contributors to his 2008 campaign.

In his opening remarks Walt emphasized how we must "pay for" any health care reform, drawing many approving hoots and much applause. Then he said, and this is a near quote: " I've met with lots of groups, (and he named some clubs and political groups) and North End Democrats, and I think that group is more likely to produce a Fox News moment than this group." Laughs and applause. Which kind of put me off, to be honest. See, he's saying that he thinks N.E. Dems are crazier, or more volatile, then tea baggers.

The blurriness surrounding the location of Minnick's "ground" preceded the townhall with questions about his voting record and why he bothers to call himself a Democrat when he clearly would like to be a bone fide conservative.  He has since voted to accuse the House Democratic leadership of willful deceit, deceptive behavior and willful abuse of power and became the darling of House Republican leadership during debate on financial regulation reform, making crystal clear which ground Minnick is claiming.

Finally, if Walt has such a "firm stance on fiscal accountability" as Foster asserts (and not to be confused with a wide stance), why did he vote against PayGo legislation after touting himself as a "vocal proponent" five days earlier?  Maybe because, like in most things, Minnick isn't always what he says he is.

The Chart

With news that 162,000 non-farm jobs were added in March, reporting "the best job growth since the nation entered a recession in December 2007," and news that "Idaho's jobless rate [fell] for the first time in 32 months," many are confident that the economy is beginning to turn the corner.

Given that, many are touting The Chart, and it is hard to argue with the positive visual.

Wherein . . . Redux

[Editor's Note:  For those recently tuning in to The MountainGoat Report and finding themselves shocked that a Democrat would be unsatisfied with Congressman Walt Minnick's performance,"Wherein MountainGoat Gets Frank With Walt," first published September 1, 2009, is required reading.  Here it is again in its entirety . . . enjoy.]

An open communiqué for Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick:

On Halloween day last year, in an interview with University of Idaho's KUOI radio in Moscow, you scolded your opponent for voting against expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program, saying, incredulously, "Who could be opposed to providing health care to single moms who don't have jobs?"

Bill Sali said we couldn't afford it and voted against it—four times.

You said, "There are some places this country has to invest," and called the votes shortsighted.

You went on to describe your own traumatic health care experience with your young son and on finding yourself facing $600,000 in medical bills to save his life, said:

My company had excellent health insurance and my wife and I only had to pay a few thousand dollars of that, but if we hadn't had that insurance, even though I was running a company, I would have been personally bankrupt.

Every American should have comprehensive, affordable health insurance so that a medical disaster doesn't force them to lose their home, lose all of their retirement and lose everything they've built in their lifetime.

Congressman Minnick, I'd like to introduce you to Tom and Karen.  They are third-generation wheat farmers on the Palouse.  They are among the 138,000 living in your district who don't have health insurance.  Karen hasn't been to the doctor in 13 years; the last time Tom saw a doctor was when a cow stepped on his hand, eventually deciding as blood poured from his mangled finger that an infection from the bacteria-laden manure was something they couldn't treat at home.  Despite medical advice otherwise, he didn't stay overnight.  They couldn't afford it.  They have a young son who has never been to the dentist.

Well, let's let them finish telling their story:

Congressman Minnick, no one, including you, expected health care reform to be easy.  But as you and the KUOI host mused about just how difficult it would be, with an eerie prescience befitting the day, you hoped it could be achieved before it became a "political football."

Hard-working Idahoans like Tom and Karen sent you to Washington because you gave them hope.  Hope that you could and would convince their country to see them as an investment.  People of the 1st District had enough of the rigid ideology that told them they weren't worth the price and sent you to represent them instead.  They didn't expect to get a more finely honed rigid ideologist.  They didn't expect, nor did they deserve to get their lives turned into political footballs—least of all by you.

Yet that is exactly what you've done.  You joined the chorus of townhall crazies and fear mongering ideologues who turned Tom and Karen and every other Idahoan who can't afford medical care into political footballs.

Instead of coming home and working to convince Idahoans that they had nothing to fear and much to gain from health care reform (something many of us were prepared to help you do), you and your advisors (with their legendarily acute grasp of messaging) sent out misinformation-laden press-releases playing up the fears of Idahoans using triggers like "socialized medicine," "big government" and "raising taxes."

Instead of embracing a public option for what it is—an option that would reduce costs by pressuring private insurers to compete alongside government coverage; that would actually save $150 billion over the next ten years, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates—you ridiculed it as "socialized medicine," calling it a big government takeover that would kill private insurance.  Far from killing private insurance, according to CBO estimates the current House bill would actually increase the number of Americans covered under private employer-based policies by about 3 million.

Instead of reassuring Idahoans that to make these proposed reforms that, while imperfect, give 97 percent of Americans health insurance, only 6,000 of them (3,000 in the 1st District) would be asked to pay a little more in taxes (that's one percent for individuals making above $280,000 and married couples making more than $350,000), you resorted to fueling fears with the pavlovian specter of "raising taxes."  I suppose raising taxes on yourself and your well-heeled friends is counterintuitive but how else do you propose to pay for reform, Mr. Minnick, as you so often lament that the current bill estimates do not?

When you have anywhere from $220,000 to $650,000 personally invested in health related businesses (among those spending $1.4 million a day in lobbying so far this year); when you have taken over $126,000 in campaign contributions from health related industry (over $52,000 so far this cycle according to the Center for Responsive Politics and refuse to say no to more); and when you, until eight months ago sat on the board of Primary Health, Inc., can you blame Idahoans who are having to choose between medical care and food for wondering exactly whose interests you are representing?  Can you blame people for being skeptical that you are looking out for them—for even being angry at having become your political football?

You say, meekly, that you want health care reform but your actions belie your words.  The health care reform principles that you support look an awful lot like the status quo on steroids.  Forcing Idahoans to buy insurance but offering them only the crappy policies from your campaign donors and business interests feels an awful lot like mandating that everyone buy a Yugo and cheerfully offering taxpayer money to help any who can't afford it and pocketing the proceeds.  You say that increased government regulation will make these crappy policies palatable and affordable but the banking industry, the credit card industry and the mortgage industry were all supposed to be government regulated, too.  That didn't make them safe; when regulation got watered down, they did too.

As pointed out in Congressional Quarterly, over the last decade health insurance costs have increased at three times the rate of wages.  At these rates, even those who have insurance will soon no longer be able to afford the premiums.  A family of three making $55,000 a year (more than the average wage in Idaho) are spending nearly a quarter of their income on insurance premiums.  People can't wait.  In our unconscionable health care lottery system, those lucky enough to have insurance and those unlucky souls who don't were counting on you.  We were all counting on you to make the investment in us.

Four days after that Halloween interview you became Congressman-elect Walt Minnick . . . well, technically five if you count the late-night vote tallying that finally determined your slim victory.

On that fifth day, embattled but euphoric Idaho Democrats gathered on the steps of the Capitol Annex in Boise for a press conference celebrating a campaign season that produced victories large and small:  a stunningly large turnout on short notice to see then-candidate Obama, record numbers turning up at Democratic caucuses, a new Democratic president, state legislative wins and, the icing on the Democrat's cake, your victory over Bill Sali in the 1st Congressional District.

While Idaho Democrats publicly celebrated, you were conspicuously absent.  Your wife A.K. and your son were there.  It was said you were busy.

It wasn't the first time Idaho Democrats were left holding your purse while you careened off on your own Magoo-ian path.

Sadly, it wasn't your last.

Idaho Democrats didn't expect you to roar like a liberal lion but they and all Idahoans deserve more than this type of lion made famous while gracing the big screen in The Wizard of Oz.

[It should be noted that Congressman Minnick went on to vote against health care reform four times:   November 7 on the House bill, March 21 on the Senate bill and again on reconciliation, and March 25 on final reconciliation.]

Is Otter Twisted?

This is what Idaho Governor Butch Otter calls a "great session," praising legislators for their "efficiency, sensitivity and civic virtue?"

The Idaho Statesman's Colleen Lamay reports on the effects of budget cuts on the state's mentally ill:

"We have a lot of panicked people out there and a lot of disarray," said Dr. Larry Banta, a Caldwell psychiatrist who contracts with the Idaho Bureau of Mental Health and Substance Abuse to see state patients.

"We worry as providers that without sufficient funding of the mental health centers, we are going to have more tragic outcomes," Banta said.

Those outcomes could include suicide, homelessness or violence against other people, especially if patients stop taking prescribed medications, he said.

Tragic outcomes and potentially increasing a prison population that is already overcrowded, underfunded and stressed.  Many adjectives would seem appropriate--some would use "difficult"--great isn't one of them.

Is Governor Otter twisted or just out of touch?