Chad’s Morning Brief: Tea Party Republicans Flex Muscle, Redskins Name Offends People, and More
Here is your Morning Brief for the morning of September 13, 2013. Give me your feedback below and tune in to The Chad Hasty Show for these and many more topics from 8:30 to 11am. Remember, you can listen online at KFYO.com or on your iPhone/Android with the radioPup App.
1. Tea Party vs. Boehner (link)
Speaker John Boehner has found himself again in the spotlight as Tea Party Republicans begin to pressure him to allow a vote on Obamacare.
House Speaker John Boehner once again finds himself caught in the middle of a Capitol brawl between Tea Party Republicans and his Democratic counterparts, as he tries to navigate the choppy political waters and prevent a government shutdown at the end of the month.
Tea Party-aligned members of Boehner's caucus are flexing their muscle and pressuring him to allow a vote on an anti-ObamaCare measure as part of ongoing budget talks. They want the vote tied directly to the budget measure, and rejected a compromise plan earlier this week -- leaving unclear how Congress might pass a short-term spending bill before funding runs out on Sept. 30.
Boehner, after meeting with bipartisan congressional leaders on Thursday morning, offered no hint of what the next step might be. In the face of heated intra-party squabbling -- and even nastier accusations flying between Republican and Democrats -- he projected cool.
"There's all this speculation about these deadlines that are coming up. I'm well aware of the deadlines. So are my colleagues," he said. "And so we're working with our colleagues to work our way through these issues. I think there's a way to get there. ... There are a million options that are being discussed by a lot of people."
But Boehner realizes that the party's public image going into the 2014 elections could be at stake, with Democrats eager to pin the blame on them if Congress can't reach a budget deal and there's a partial shutdown. Lawmakers came within minutes of a shutdown during a budget fight in 2011, and have continued to pass a series of short-term measures -- leaving the prospect of a shutdown perpetually over the horizon.
This time, the biggest sticking point centers on ObamaCare. House conservatives wanted to make sure the spending measure includes a provision to de-fund the health care law. Boehner floated a compromise that would allow members to take a vote on that, but also keep the ObamaCare provision distinct and allow the Senate to carve it out and vote it down, while still sending the budget portion to the White House.
House conservatives rejected the idea, and Capitol Hill was overtaken by cross-party bickering on Thursday as Democrats tried to shame Republicans into backing down.
"The anarchists are winning," Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said. "Anything that can be done to slow down, hurt or get rid of government in any way -- that's good. Shutting down the government is obviously what the majority of the Republican caucus wants in the House."
Reid said he likes Boehner, but feels "sorry" for him and his predicament.
Democrats generally argue that the anti-ObamaCare votes are pointless, since they stand little chance of passing the Senate or ever being approved by the president.
2. Poverty in America (link)
We have all seen pictures or even traveled to places around the world where poverty exists. What does it look like here in the United States? Well a majority of those living in poverty here would be considered rich there.
Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau this month reveal that most households with incomes below the federal poverty line own cell phones, televisions and computers.
According to data contained in Census Bureau charts “Extended Measures of Well-being: Living Conditions in the United States, 2011” in 2011, 80.9 percent of households below the poverty line own a cell phone and 54.9 percent own a landline phone.
More than 96 percent of households below the poverty line owned a television and 83.2 percent owned a videocassette recorder (VCR).
Air conditioning cooled 83.4 percent of households with incomes below the poverty line and microwaves and stoves heated the food of 93.2 percent and 96.2 percent respectively.
Nearly 98 percent of such households owned a refrigerator, but just 26.2 percent owned a food freezer and 44.9 percent owned a dishwasher.
Additionally, 68.7 percent of households in poverty owned a clothes washer and 65.3 owned clothes dryer.
The Census Bureau derived the data from its Survey of Income and Program Participation.
3. If It Offends One Person... (link)
There is a small but vocal group of people who are offended by the name of the Washington Redskins. These people have nothing better to do than protest and whine and for some reason Roger Goodell takes them seriously.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell softened his stance on the Redskins name on Wednesday when he said that the NFL had to listen to concerns about the team's nickname even if only one person is concerned about it.
In an interview on 106.7 The Fan in Washington, Goodell, who grew up in the region as a Baltimore Colts and then Redskins fan, said, "I think what we have to do though is we have to listen."
“If one person is offended, we have to listen," he said.
Goodell's remarks come after Sports Illustrated's Peter King's website decided to refer to the team as the Washington football team. Earlier in the year, in response to 10 members of Congress who wrote him demanding action, Goodell defended the name. Redskins owner Dan Snyder has said he will "NEVER" change the team name and does not intend to sell the franchise.
"Ultimately it is Dan’s decision,” Goodell said of a possible name change. “But it’s something that I want all of us to go out and make sure we’re listening to our fans, listening to people of a different view, and making sure that we continue to do what’s right to make sure that team represents the strong tradition and history that it has for so many years."
ProFootballTalk believes Goodell's softer stance on the issue leaves "the door open for action if/when the opposition to the name reaches national critical mass. He senses that the day is coming; the only question is whether it happens before or after he retires from the job he already has held for seven years."
Does anyone know someone that likes Roger Goodell?
Other Top Stories:
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