Showing House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, a clip from a Fox News focus group in Iowa in which half a dozen participants said they believe President Obama is a Muslim, “Meet the Press” host David Gregory asked: “As the speaker of the House, as a leader, do you not think it’s your responsibility to stand up to that kind of ignorance?” Boehner said, “The president says he’s a Christian. I accept him at his word.” But the speaker deflected any responsibility to correct such people, saying, “It’s not my job to tell the American people what to think.”
When Republicans helped Democrats repeal the health reform bill’s “1099” mandate on businesses, did they walk into a trap? Marc A. Thiessen thinks so, writing in the Washington Post: “Expect Democrats to replicate this approach in the months ahead, supporting other fixes that tinker around the edges of Obamacare. Each individual proposal will seem entirely reasonable and an opportunity for bipartisan cooperation. But if Republicans go along, before they know it they will find that they have been drawn into a strategy of ‘fix and save’ instead of ‘repeal and replace.’”
Federal judges have been retiring at a rate of one per week this year, driving up vacancies that have nearly doubled since President Obama took office, the Washington Post reported. As a result, workloads are increasing dramatically in some federal courts. Arizona, for example, recently declared a judicial emergency, extending the deadline to put defendants on trial. “It’s a dire situation,” said Roslyn O. Silver, the state’s chief judge. The White House has been slow in making nominations, but much of the blame for the unfilled positions rests with GOP delaying tactics. Fortunately, Senate Republicans are now vowing to speed up confirmations. Last week the Senate approved Obama nominees for judgeships in Arkansas, Oregon and Texas.
The following satirical headlines come from borowitzreport.com and theonion.com:
Republicans Cut Shirts From Budget
Obama Delivers Whispered, Untelevised Speech on Gun Control
Senator Honored for Work With Overprivileged Americans
Republicans Vote to Repeal Obama-Backed Bill That Would Destroy Asteroid Headed for Earth
Showing House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, a clip from a Fox News focus group in Iowa in which half a dozen participants said they believe President Obama is a Muslim, “Meet the Press” host David Gregory asked: “As the speaker of the House, as a leader, do you not think it’s your responsibility to stand up to that kind of ignorance?” Boehner said, “The president says he’s a Christian. I accept him at his word.” But the speaker deflected any responsibility to correct such people, saying, “It’s not my job to tell the American people what to think.”
