Bad Deeds for 1/7/2010

 

Top Republican Strategist Can’t Name One Thing Republicans Have Done for the Country in 20 Years – Yesterday, I told you about the ranking Republican on the Homeland Security Committee, who when asked for a specific recommendation on how to improve fighting terrorists, could only recommend saying the word “terrorism” more often. Clueless.

Well, to complete the picture of how clueless they are, during Hardball on Wednesday, Chris Matthews asked Republican strategist Todd Harris what have the Republicans done for America in the past couple decades.

Matthews repeatedly asked for examples, while citing negative examples like Bush-era spending bills, Katrina, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Harris tried to keep the focus on the 2010 elections and expressed hope that Democrats would keep going after Bush so the GOP could stay on message about being a balance against the current Democratic leadership.

Matthews suggested one answer, which Harris latched onto. “The Bush administration kept the country safe,” said the guest.

“Except the one big day,” the host shot back.

“YouTube is watching,” he told Harris. “You’re the Republican consultant. One of the best in the country. Tell me what the Republican party has done for this country in the last ten to 20 years.”
Harris stayed silent.

“Thank you,” Matthews said to his recurring GOP guest as he closed the segment. “We’ll have you back with the answer.”

 

But Don’t Criticize Republicans – Michael Steele has a message for those criticizing his leadership: Get a life and shut up.
“I tell them to get a life,” he told ABC News Radio on Thursday. “If you don’t want me in the job, fire me. But until then, shut up.”

 

Sean Hannity Blatantly Lies About Global Temperatures – In three separate instances over two weeks, Sean Hannity has baselessly asserted that “this is one of the coldest years on record” to claim that climate change is a “hoax” or not “real.” However, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), and Britain’s Met Office have stated that to date, 2009 is among the warmest years on record.

 

All Spin and No Facts – Here were the first two lines of the top headline story at The Hill on Wednesday (other news outlets had similar commentary):

Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd (Conn.) on Wednesday announced that he will not seek another term after facing a tough reelection bid.

Dodd’s decision to retire is another blow to the increasingly fragile Democratic majority in the Senate.
But here are the facts:

Dodd replacement candidate Blumenthal leads potential Republican candidates Rob Simmons 59-28, Linda McMahon 60-28, and Peter Schiff 63-23, whereas Dodd trailed Simmons for the 11th consecutive time in a publicly released poll, 44-40, and also found himself locked in a tie with McMahon at 43. Democrats score a 32% boost in Connecticut Senate polling in one-day, and it is called “a blow” to their Senate election chances? This is just shoddy, pro-Republican reporting.

 

People Who Say There’s No Positive Change Aren’t Paying Attention – From the NRDC’s Assessment of the Obama Administration’s Environmental Record:
“In his first year in office, President Barack Obama and his administration have taken a remarkable number of actions to address a wide variety of environmental challenges. From investing in clean energy technology through the stimulus bills to increasing energy efficiency, the Administration has done more in its first few months to protect our air, water and communities than we’ve seen in the last decade.”
Read the whole report at the link:

Regards,

Jim