U.S. Politics

[Rick Plant]

Adam Kinzinger hints at Ginni Thomas subpoena: 'We'll call in whoever we need to call in'



Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) on Sunday suggested that the House Select Committee to Investigate Jan. 6 may ask for testimony from Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, because she allegedly sent texts to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows about overturning the 2020 presidential election.

During an interview on Face the Nation, guest host John Dickerson asked Kinzinger about reports that the committee has seditious text messages exchanged by Thomas and Meadows.

"I can't as a member of the committee confirm or deny the existence of those," Kinzinger replied. "We are going to in a methodical, fact-driven way get to the answers here. We'll call in whoever we need to call in."

"I think the bottom line for the committee is this: Was there an effort to overturn the legitimate election of the United States?" he continued. "What was Jan. 6 in relation to that and what is the rot in our system that led to that and does it still exist today?"

"So no one is disputing the authenticity of these texts," Dickerson followed up. "It's the question, will the committee subpoena Ms. Thomas and question her?"

Kinzinger said that he wanted to "make sure" that the committee's actions are not driven by political motivations.

"So when it comes to any future potential calling in of Ms. Thomas, we'll take a look at what the evidence is and we'll make a decision and you all will know as soon as we do," the congressman added. "I think what we don't want to do is get into speculating too much."

Dickerson wondered if the "rot in the system" that Kinzinger was referring to reaches the Supreme Court.

"I'm not going to say that," the Republican lawmaker remarked. "I'm not going to say that it does or doesn't. We're just going to present the American people with what the answer is. And the Supreme Court handles its own ethics, they handle their own internal stuff."

Kinzinger concluded: "But what we need to is present to the American people where they've been lied to, where they've believed lies, where there are bad actors out there. ... That kind of stuff is very important so in five or ten years when kids are reading in the history books about Jan. 6, they're not buying into any of these conspiracy theories, they're getting the truth."

Watch the video below from CBS:

[Rick Plant]

The GOP's plan is to raise taxes on hard working Americans and seniors. They are also going to cut social security and Medicare. Something they've been dreaming about for decades. Even a Fox News host called out Rick Scott on his "Tax and Gut plan".

Fox News Anchor Calls  on GOP Senator’s Spin Over Taxing the Poor: ‘It’s in the Plan!’

"It's not a Democratic talking point! It's in the plan,” Roberts exclaimed on Sunday when Scott attempted to spin his proposal on taxing the poor and sunsetting Social Security.



Even Fox News isn’t buying Sen. Rick Scott’s ridiculous spin on his proposal to possibly “sunset” Social Security and force poor people to pay more in taxes.

Ostensibly appearing on Fox News Sunday to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and President Joe Biden’s European trip, the Florida Republican soon found himself being grilled by anchor John Roberts over the legislative agenda he recently unveiled.

As the head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Scott hoped to give GOP candidate a platform to run on by putting forth his “11-Point Plan to Rescue America” last month. The plan, however, was roundly mocked across the political aisle, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell quickly dismissed it.

We will not have as part of our agenda a bill that raises taxes on half the American people and sunsets Social Security and Medicare within five years,” McConnell said earlier this month.

During Sunday morning’s interview with Scott, Roberts brought up two of the most contentious items in the politically ambitious senator’s proposal.

“Two of the big points are ‘all Americans should pay some income tax to have skin in the game, even if a small amount. Currently over half of Americans pay no income tax,’” the Fox News moderator stated. “It also says, ‘All federal legislation sunsets in five years. If a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again.’ So that would raise taxes on half of Americans and potentially sunset programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Why would you propose something like that in an election year?”

Despite Roberts reading directly from his plan, the conservative lawmaker immediately objected and insisted that the anchor was echoing “Democrat talking points,” prompting Roberts to push back.

“No, no, it’s in the plan! It’s in the plan!” Roberts dramatically exclaimed.

“But here’s the thing about reality for a second,” a clearly flustered Scott begged, only to find the Fox host continue to grill him.

“But, Senator, hang on," Roberts declared. “It's not a Democratic talking point! It's in the plan!”

Defending his policy proposals, Scott went on to say that his plan “says we ought to every year talk about exactly how we are going to fix Medicare and Social Security,” adding that “no one that I know of wants to sunset” those programs. Additionally, he appeared to paint poor Americans as freeloaders that need to be taxed more by the government.

“Here’s what’s unfair. We have people that don’t—that could go to work and have figured out how to have government pay their way. That’s not right. They ought to have some skin in the game. I don’t care if it’s a dollar. We ought to all be in this together.”

Roberts, meanwhile, pointed out that McConnell doesn’t agree with Scott’s plan, noting that the Florida senator followed that up with a Wall Street Journal op-ed declaring that he was standing up the “Beltway cowardice” with his proposal.

“Are you calling Mitch McConnell a coward?” Roberts wondered.

Dodging the Fox News Sunday host’s question, Scott instead sounded a familiar right-wing refrain about culture war issues and the “woke left” destroying America.

© 2022 The Daily Beast Company LLC

[Rick Plant]

That is music to republican ears!  A sure strategy to lose by an historic margin in the midterms.  Blaming all the ongoing disasters of Biden's administration on Trump.  Two years into his term Biden is going to say he failed and it was all somehow Trump's fault?  And then raise their taxes.  What an inspirational message to voters!  The red tsunami has formed and will coming crashing down on the Dems in November.   That's the best thing that can happen to Old Joe as he can then use the Obama excuse to blame everything on the republicans. This is the same guy who promised during the campaign that his experience in Congress would allow him to work across the aisle.  But when he gets into office he suddenly can't to do it. That's the classic political bait and switch that led to Trump's election in 2016.   The American public is fed up with the political establishment lying to them and failing to deliver. If you were truly interested in defeating Trump in 2024, it would not be through phony conspiracy theories and politically driven investigations to "lock him up" but through actual results that benefit Americans.  Unfortunately, that is not something Biden can deliver.  He is prototype swamp creature.  Promise the moon, fail to deliver, then blame someone else.  Stay in power so that your family acquires incredible wealth.

Hilarious! More falsehoods and made up nonsense which is why you never cite any sources because it's all fiction.

President Biden promised to Build Back Better from the 4 year Trump disaster and he already has delivered for the American people in less than a year.

7.4 million jobs created and the lowest unemployment rate since 1969. Plus manufacturing jobs are booming where Criminal Donald had manufacturing in a recession. And now a historic bipartisan infrastructure bill implemented into law. 

President Biden already worked across the aisle to pass his historic bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. That's what bipartisan means, working across the aisle. Why are you making up blatant falsehoods again saying "he can't do it"? Biden already did it last year.

No other President has ever gotten an historic bipartisan bill like this passed.

Here are the facts which is sourced and documented.

Congress passes $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, delivering major win for Biden
https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/05/politics/house-votes-infrastructure-build-back-better/index.html

Congress Passes Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill

Late November 5, the House of Representatives passed the long-awaited bipartisan infrastructure bill, totaling $1.2 trillion over five years, including $550 billion of new spending. These investments will go toward “hard infrastructure” such as roads, bridges, water and energy systems, and broadband, including some provisions that could be beneficial for schools. The Senate had passed the legislation in August.

https://ctepolicywatch.acteonline.org/2021/11/congress-passes-bipartisan-infrastructure-bill.html

[Richard Smith]

The bottom has dropped out on Biden.  Even the radical leftist NBC media poll numbers have him now at historic lows after botching Ukraine.

Biden's job approval falls to lowest level of his presidency amid war and inflation fears
Seven in 10 Americans expressed low confidence in the president's ability to deal with Russia's invasion of Ukraine as his approval fell to 40 percent in the new NBC News poll.

"Amid Europe’s largest land war since World War II, 7 in 10 Americans expressed low confidence in President Joe Biden’s ability to deal with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a new NBC News poll, and 8 in 10 voiced worry that the war will increase gas prices and possibly involve nuclear weapons."

[Rick Plant]

Biden’s new plan: Tax the top 0.01% to lower the deficit by $1 trillion and fund clean energy independence.

GOP plan, per NRSC Chair Rick Scott: Raise taxes on households earning less than $50,000 by an ADDITIONAL $4,500 after CUTTING taxes for the rich.

Vote accordingly.

[Rick Plant]

Today, President Biden released a budget outlining his vision to expand on the progress we’ve made in a fiscally responsible way — cutting deficits, improving our country’s long-term fiscal outlook, and growing our economy from the bottom up and middle out.

During the last administration, the national deficit increased every year.



Under President Biden's leadership, America is on the move again.

- We created more than 6.5 million jobs in 2021.
- Our economy had the strongest growth in nearly 40 years.
- The unemployment rate has fallen to 3.8%.
- And the deficit fell last year by over $350 billion.




The President's budget includes investments to keep our communities safe here at home and abroad.




President Biden's budget also includes funding that is focused on helping us Build a Better America for all by expanding opportunity and lowering costs for working families.




The investments laid out in President Biden's budget are more than fully paid for through tax reforms that ensure corporations and the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share.

[Rick Plant]

America is on the move again because of President Biden's strategy to grow our economy from the bottom up and the middle out. His budget details how to expand on our progress—cutting deficits, reducing costs for families, and ensuring our safety & security.

Biden is now the 3rd consecutive Dem President to have seen the annual deficit drop significantly on their watch.

It rose significantly under the last 3 GOP Presidents.

Biden on track to deliver on deficit reduction boast
The Democrat said he’d soon become the only president “ever to cut the deficit by more than $1 trillion in a single year.” He’s on track to deliver.

March 11, 2022



It wasn’t necessarily the most memorable line in President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, but for some lawmakers in attendance, it stood out.

“By the end of this year,” the Democrat boasted, “the deficit will be down to less than half what it was before I took office.” Biden added that he would soon become the only president “ever to cut the deficit by more than $1 trillion in a single year.”

And while it’s impossible to say with certainly what to expect in the coming months, at least for now, the president appears to be on track to deliver on his boast. Bloomberg News reported yesterday:

"The U.S. budget deficit shrank by more than half in the first five months of the latest fiscal year as government pandemic spending wound down and revenue jumped. The shortfall in the October-to-February period was $475.6 billion, 55% smaller than the same five months a year earlier, and the least for the timeframe since the fiscal year ended in 2018, according to Treasury Department data released Thursday. The gap narrowed to $216.6 billion last month, compared with $310.9 billion in February 2021.

The deficit in Biden’s first year was $360 billion smaller than the budget shortfall from Donald Trump’s final year in office, and in the Democrat’s second year, it’s on pace to be $1 trillion smaller.

There’s no great mystery as to why: As the economic recovery continues, and spending related to the pandemic becomes less necessary, the deficit is predictably getting much smaller in a hurry.

As for why anyone should care, there are a few angles to this to keep in mind.

First, there’s Sen. Joe Manchin. The conservative West Virginia Democrat, having already effectively killed the Build Back Better plan, has signaled a willingness to support some kind of new package, just so long as deficit reduction is part of the plan.

The White House can now credibly tell the senator his priorities are already being addressed — in nominal terms, at a pace without precedent.

Second, there’s recent history to consider. As The Washington Post’s Catherine Rampell explained before the Covid-19 crisis, “Federal deficits have widened immensely under Trump’s leadership. This is striking not only because he promised fiscal responsibility — at one time even pledging to eliminate the national debt within eight years — but also because it’s a historical anomaly. Deficits usually narrow when the economy is good and we’re not engaged in a major war.... Trump’s own policies are to blame for this aberration.”

That was plainly true. The White House and congressional Republicans swore up and down in late 2017 that they could slash taxes for the wealthy and big corporations without increasing the deficit because, as they repeatedly insisted, “tax cuts pay for themselves.” We didn’t need additional evidence that their ridiculous belief was, and is, wrong, but the evidence soon followed anyway.

Then, of course, the pandemic hit, at which point the annual deficit ballooned to over $3 trillion.

And finally, there’s the historical pattern. As we’ve discussed, when it comes to the deficit, Americans have endured a remarkably consistent pattern for four decades.

It starts with a Republican presidential candidate denouncing the deficit and vowing to balance the budget if elected. That Republican then takes office, abandons interest in the issue, and expresses indifference when the deficit becomes vastly larger. Then a Democrat takes office, at which point GOP lawmakers who didn’t care at all about the deficit suddenly decide it’s a critical issue that the new president must immediately prioritize.

During the Democratic administration, the deficit invariably shrinks — a development Republicans tend to ignore — at which point the entire cycle starts over.

AFP

[Rick Plant]

President Biden
@POTUS

"Here’s what my budget all adds up to:

- Historic deficit reduction
- Historic investments in our security at home and abroad
- An unprecedented commitment to building an economy where everyone has a chance to succeed
- And a plan to pay for the investments we need as a nation

My budget also invests in other areas of bipartisan common ground — what I call my Unity Agenda.
 
Beating the opioid epidemic, taking on the challenge of mental health, supporting our veterans, and ending cancer as we know it.

My budget invests in building more homes to help us deal with skyrocketing housing costs.

Let’s make college more affordable.
 
My budget doubles the maximum Pell Grant to nearly $13,000 and helps the more than 8 million students who rely on Pell Grants pay for college.

Let’s provide universal preschool and cap the cost of child care at 7% of a family’s income.
 
For many families, that will cut the cost of child care in half.

The budget provides the resources we need to keep Americans safe — ensuring that our military remains the best-prepared, best-trained, best-equipped military in the world.

My budget puts more police on the street for community policing and hires more agents. It funds body cameras, crime prevention, community violence intervention, drug treatment, mental health, criminal justice reform, and reentry for people coming home after incarceration.

My budget lowers family energy costs with tax credits to help people make their homes more efficient — and includes research and development investments to broaden the reach of solar and build a clean energy future.

Right now, billionaires pay an average rate of 8% on their total income.
 
A firefighter or teacher pays double that.
 
My budget contains a Billionaire Minimum Income Tax — a 20% minimum tax that only applies to the top one-hundredth of one percent of American households.

My budget also ensures that corporations pay their fair share. 
 
In 2020, 55 of the most profitable corporations paid zero dollars in federal income taxes on $40 billion in profit. 
 
My budget raises the corporate tax rate to 28%.

We can restore fiscal responsibility by rolling back the Trump Tax cuts.
 
Under my plan no one making less than $400,000 will pay an additional penny in taxes. But the wealthy and corporations will finally pay their fair share.

After my predecessor’s fiscal mismanagement, we’re reducing the Trump deficits and returning our fiscal house to order.

This year, my Administration is on track to cut the deficit by more than $1.3 trillion.
 
$1.3 trillion — that would be the largest one-year reduction in the deficit in U.S. history.

My father had an expression: “Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget—and I’ll tell you what you value.”

The budget I’m releasing today sends a clear message that we value fiscal responsibility, safety and security, and the investments needed to build a better America."

https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1508614908413456392

Tune in as I announce my budget for Fiscal Year 2023.
Watch: https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1508518313567166481