REPUBLICAN RECORD   

“We fell in love with power.  We spent way too much money—especially on earmarks.  There was too much corruption when we ran the place.  We were guilty.”

Is that a quote of the President Republicans gleefully refer to as “liberal”  “tax and spend”  “big government” “socialist” “Communist”  “Muslim”  “raghead” etc?

Is that a statement from someone Republicans would describe as a  “liberal” Harvard professor who had evaluated the George W. Bush years in the White House when Republicans controlled Congress ?

Is that a statement from a source Republican’s would describe as the “liberal media” describing the George W. Bush administration when Republicans controlled Congress?

Is that the statement from someone Republicans would describe as a “big government tax and spend liberal Democrat?”

NO—that is a Republican describing what WE REPUBLICANS did when George W. Bush was in the White House when WE REPUBLICANS were in control of  Congress under REPUBLICAN LEADERS McCONNELL AND BOEHNER.   This is a statement of Eric Cantor Republican House Leader one of the WE REPUBLICANS who were in control of Congress when Bush was in the White House!!!

When President Obama was elected in 2008 many Republican leaders were quoted as saying “ I hope Obama fails” and Mitch McConnell said his “number one priority was to make President Obama a one term President.  For the next 4 years Republicans did everything they could to make President Obama fail.

From the time George Washington was President until the end of President Gerald Ford’s term  in 1977 there had never been a filibuster of a Presidential nominee for the judiciary or other office which required a cloture vote.  From the time of President Carter 1977 till the end of George W. Bush’s term in 2009 there were 20 cloture votes on Presidential nominees.  In the first 4 years of President Obama term Republicans forced 16 cloture votes on his nominees!!

During the time President Obama has been in office the time it takes to confirm circuit and district court nominees has skyrocketed.  President Obama has made 212 nominations for circuit and district court judges who waited on average 224 days until their confirmation process began in the Senate. 

When the United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created in 2011 over objections of Republicans 44 of the 46 Republican Senators signed a letter to President Obama BEFORE HE HAD NOMINATED ANYONE TO BE DIRECTOR OF THAT AGENCY saying “they would refuse to vote for anyone as director.”

On July 17, 2011 President Obama announced the appointment of Richard Cordray as director of the United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.  44 Republican Senators under the leadership of Mitch McConnell, as promised in their letter, have prevented a vote on Mr. Cordray’s appointment.

Other nominees of  President Obama some of which Republicans have blocked from a vote  for more than two years Richard Griffin and Sharon Block  to the National Labor  

Relations Board, Fred Hochberg as President of the Export-Import Bank of the U.S., Tom Perez as Labor Secretary,  Gina McCarthy as head of the EPA and many others.

Republican Senators Roberts, Moran, Cornyn, Cruz, McCain and Flake have allowed judicial vacancies to exist in their states more than 3 years without recommending potential judges to President Obama. 

As a result of Republican obstruction 36 judicial vacancies, some for more than 3 years, have not been filled, and in some cases the number of cases assigned per panel of judges exceeds 700 which overload causes undue delay in the disposition of cases for many months and sometimes years.

Lee Atwater a Republican political consultant successfully managed hundreds of  Republican “hate fear and divide” campaigns including 5 Presidential campaigns. When Atwater realized he was dying with cancer he issued a number of public written statements apologizing for his “naked cruelty” in those campaigns. In an article in Life magazine in February 1991 Atwater stated:  “My illness helped me to see that what was missing in society is what was missing in me: “a little heart, a lot of brotherhood.”

In summary Republicans by their own admissions engage in political campaigns of “naked cruelty,”  when George W Bush occupied  the White House and Republicans controlled Congress they  “fell in love with power” “spent way too much money” and there was “too much corruption.”   

Although Republicans lost the White House and Senate at the ballot box in 2012 they have engaged in activities that prevent President Obama and the Senate from doing what the people’s elected them to do and in effect are trying to overturn the results of the last election.

What is missing from the Republican record of political activities —“a littler heart, a lot of brotherhood.”

THE PROPOSED CLEBURNE COUNTY $100 MILLION WATER PARK

An article by James Jackson in The Sun Times on June 28 sets out in detail a meeting of County Judge Jerry Holmes with local real estate leaders about his efforts to revive the plan to build a water garden in Cleburne County. Holmes made it clear this was not a Wild River Country type theme park and said one of the hardest things to do in reviving the project was finding and retrieving the information on the original designs and plans from various archives and institutions. 

Holmes discussed the plan of Herbert Thomas and Senator Fulbright to build a water garden similar to the Tivoli Gardens in Italy which would encompass 549 acres and cost $20 million which plan the Corps of Engineers turned down. President Kennedy supported a plan to build a water garden while in Arkansas for the dedication of Greer’s Ferry Dam and after his death the plan was submitted to President Johnson who referred it to the National Park Service who turned it down.

To gain support of the plan to build the water garden Holmes has written letters to and met with local, state and federal elected officials, Republicans and Democrats, who are fully behind the plan.  At a meeting in Washington the Arkansas Congressional leaders pledged their support for the plan and agreed to help find funding.

Holmes met, with the National Park Service, Corps of Engineers, Arkansas Natural Resources, Arkansas Parks & Tourism, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission who were all behind the plan except the Corps of Engineers.

Holmes urged all those at the meeting “to contact their representatives and other government leaders to show their support for the project” which he said would cost somewhere in the area of $100 million and would encompass around 30 acres.

To most folks in Cleburne County $100 million is a great amount of money, $4,000.00 for every man woman and child.  Building a $100 million water park would be the largest project in the history of Cleburne County.  That would be twice the amount of money required to build Greers Ferry Dam ($46.5 million) and more than ten times the cost of building the Community Center ($9.3 million.

Before deciding to support or oppose spending $100 million to build a water park it would appear prudent to carefully study (1) the water garden plan and the cost estimates (2) who will provide the $100 million to build the water garden—taxpayers or private donations (3)  the reports  of the National Park Services and the Corps of Engineers setting out their reasons for opposing  a water park  (4) any studies of the impact this water garden would have on the economy of Cleburne County  (5) how the water park will improve the quality of life for most of the people in Cleburne County  especially the 13.10%  living below the poverty level, 17.10% of which are under age 18. (6)  the sponsors of the water garden and what individuals or groups would gain the most financially if the water garden were built.

Citizens of Cleburne County have elected many Republicans to local, state and federal offices on their promise, which all Republicans have been repeating for 100 years--lower taxes and less government.  Is it accurate to describe elected officials who would spend $100 million of taxpayer dollars to build a water garden as Republicans  or should they be described  as  “liberal” “tax and spend” Democrats dressed in RINO (Republican In Name Only) clothing?

 

CORRUPTION

“The Obama gang is the most corrupt and dangerous administration this country has experienced in one hundred fifty years.”   Quote from an article attacking President  Obama without setting out the alleged “corruption” for a very good reason—THERE HAS NOT BEEN ONE MEMBER OF THE OBAMA “GANG” CONVICTED OF A “CORRUPT ACT.”

Corruption is defined as “inducement to do wrong by unlawful or improper means such as bribery.”

The following people are some of the “gang” members who plead guilty or were convicted of a “corrupt” act or acts during the George W. Bush administration.  This  Bush “corrupt”  list does not include: (1) the names of the hundreds of people responsible for corporate “corruption” acts at Enron, World Com or dozens of other corporations.   (2)  the names of the hundreds of people guilty of “corruption” at dozens of Wall Street securities firms which required a Bush $700 billion TARP bailout.

On January 3, 2006, Jack Abramoff, a Republican lobbyist, plead guilty to three felony counts, conspiracy, fraud and tax evasion, was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison and agreed to pay $1.7 million in taxes and make restitution  of $27 million to clients he had defrauded.

White House Secret Service records show Abramoff had 7 appointments with the George W Bush White House staff..  On May 9, 2001 President Bush had his picture made with an Indian tribal official who was an Abramoff client.

Felipe Sixto Special Assistant to President Bush sentenced to 30 months in prison for stealing $600,000.

Scott Block Special Counsel to President Bush pleaded guilty to criminal contempt of Congress.

Lewis Libby, Chief of Staff to Vice President Cheney, convicted of perjury and sent to prison for 30 months and fined $250,000.

Roger Stillwell, Bush Department of the Interior, pled guilty to accepting hundreds of dollars worth of concert tickets from Abramoff and received a 2 years  sentence

Steven Griles, Bush Deputy Interior Secretary plead guilty to obstruction of justice for lying about his relationship with Abramoff.

David Safavian, Bush White House Official, found guilty of covering up his dealings with Abramoff and sentenced to 18 months in prison. 

Bob Ney, Republican Congressman from Ohio plead guilty to accepting bribes from Abramamoff and was sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison.

Neil Volz, Chief of Staff to Ney left to work for Abramoff, plead guilty to conspiring to corrupt Ney and other congressmen.

William Heaton, Chief of staff for Ney plead guilty to federal conspiracy charges.

Thomas Hart, Chief of staff for Ney plead guilty to federal conspiracy charges.

Italia Frederici, Bush Interior Department Staff, plead guilty to tax evasion and obstruction of Justice of a Senate investigation of Abramoff’s relationship with the Bush Interior Department.

Mark Zachares, aide to Republican Congressman Don Young plead guilty  to accepting thousands of dollars from Abramoff in exchange for official acts on Abramoff’s behalf.

Kevin A. Ring staff member of Republican Congressman John Doolittle was convicted of 5 charges of corruption.

Michael Scanlon, staff member of Republican House Majority Leader Tom Delay, plead guilty to bribery.

Tony Rudy, staff member of Republican House Majority leader, Tom DeLay plead guilty  to conspiracy

Tom Delay, Republican House Majority leader was reprimanded twice by the House Ethics Committee and resigned from the House June 9, 2006 and was convicted of two counts of illegally channeling  campaign funds.

John Albaugh, chief of staff of Republican  Congressman  Ernest Istook pled guilty to accepting bribes connected to the Federal Highway Bill.

Jared Carpenter Vice-President of Republicans for Environment Advocacy pled guilty to income tax evasion.

Robert Coughlin, Bush Justice Department, plead guilty to accepting bribes from Abramoff.

Horace Cooper, Bush Labor Department , and former aide to Republican Dick Armey, pleaded guilty to falsifying a document by not reporting gifts from Abramoff.