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This Congressman Just Compared Rick Snyder To A Woman Beater To Make A Powerful Point About Flint

By Rich Robinson

Hyperbole is the flavor of the month in politics right now.

And Congressman Matt Cartwright (D-PA) was happy to tap into that feeling during a Congressional hearing to make a point about the leadership of Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder during the Flint water crisis.

Cartwright compared Snyder to a domestic abuser who makes excuses about his actions because of wider systemic issues.

“Governor Snyder, plausible deniability only works when it’s deniable, and I’m not buying that you didn’t know about any of this until October 2015,” Cartwright said in a minute long tirade against Snyder.

“I’ve had about enough of your false contrition and your phony apologies,” Cartwright said. “Pretty soon we will have men who strike their wives saying, ‘I’m sorry dear, but there were failures on all levels.”

“I’ve had about enough of your false contrition and your phony apologies … Pretty soon we will have men who strike their wives saying, ‘I’m sorry dear, but there were failures on all levels.'”- Congressman Matt Cartwright challenges Governor Rick SnyderWatch more: http://on.msnbc.com/1R0qNrp

Posted by MSNBC on Thursday, March 17, 2016

The comments came during a Congressional hearing on the Flint water crisis.

Cover Photo Credit: MSNBC (Screengrab)
Featured Politics

If House And Senate Don’t Agree, Could There Be A Government Shutdown Over Syrian Refugee Program Changes?

By Jeffrey Fernandez

The unfortunate recent terror attacks in Paris have led to more than half-31 to be precise of the nation’s governors to declare that they will refuse entry to Syrian refugees into their states.

Florida’s governor, Rick Scott among others had gone so far as to request House Republicans push a bill through Congress to prevent Syrian refugees from entering his state.

On Nov. 19th, the governors’ wishes was granted. The House passed the SAFE Act, with an overwhelming 289-137 vote, enough to override a veto, which President Obama has already said he would do if the bill were to pass the Senate.

The SAFE act wouldn’t stop Syrian refugees from entering the United States, however, it could place a very long pause on the current Syrian refugee program.

The act would add an extra screening process in the already extensive, 18-24 months, vetting procedure refugees must go through before placement in the country by requiring the directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, and Director of National Intelligence personally sign off on each refugee granted entry.

Democrats and Republicans in the Senate are also offering their own alternative to the SAFE Act, which would place limitations on the visa waiver program by refusing eligibility to individuals who have traveled to Syria or Iraq in the past five years, the real question is whether the Senate will be able to block the House’s bill from passing before their alternative can get off the ground.

It’s also possible the House and Senate and the bipartisan coalitions in each will reach a stalemate. If you keep in mind the fact the next government budget deadline is Dec. 11th, then it wouldn’t be completely out of place for House Republicans, (with perhaps some Democratic support) to threaten another government shutdown in order to pass the SAFE Act. In fact, it is entirely possible.

Cover Photo Credit: Freedom House/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
Featured Politics

House Republicans Nominate Paul Ryan As Next Speaker, Expected To Take Office Thursday

By Rich Robinson

House Republicans overwhelmingly voted for Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) to be the party’s nominee to be the next Speaker of the House in a vote Wednesday afternoon.

Ryan made quick work of his only active opponent for the job- Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL) and is expected to face a full house vote tomorrow before taking office. (Ryan is expected to easily win the full house vote, considering his party has a solid majority.)

According to the Huffington Post, the final vote count among Republicans was 200 votes for Ryan, 43 votes for Webster, 1 vote for Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN.) and 1 vote for Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

If he is elected tomorrow, Ryan will be the youngest Speaker of the House since the Civil War.

Cover Photo Credit: Tony Alter/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
Featured Politics

This Florida Democrat Didn’t Vote To Give Gay Veterans Equal Partner Benefits In Congress

By Rich Robinson

Congresswoman Corrine Brown, a long serving Democratic member of the US House didn’t vote to extend federal benefits to the spouses of LGBT couples last Thursday.

In a shocking move first reported by Politico, Brown reversed course on her previous support of an amendment that according to the Human Rights Campaign would “correct outdated language” in statutes that define spouses as a member of the “opposite sex”.

The proposed amendment- the Veteran Spouses Equal Treatment Act was proposed by Dina Titus (D-NV) and was designed to allow same-sex spouses of military veterans to receive benefits entitled to them under federal law.

“This amendment would take a critical step in ensuring in statute that the voices of LGBT veterans are consistently heard and ensure the LGBT community is represented when addressing the issues that affect minority veterans,” a statement from the Human Rights Campaign said.

Brown, the ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee voted present when the amendment came to a vote.

“I never question someone’s motives for how they vote, but what upset us is, one, she changed her vote and second, she didn’t let us know and she is our leader,” Titus was quoted by Politico as saying about Brown. “We’re talking about a number of options….We’re going to do something. We want to hear her explanation and we want her to hear why we are upset. It was really disappointing.”

While Brown’s vote didn’t impact the outcome of the failure of the amendment to pass (12 of the 14 Republicans on the committee voted against it), it has sparked questions about her motivations and whether it is due to her positioning for the 2016 election- when she is expected to compete in a more conservative district.

Twitter was not pleased with the Congresswoman after the vote.

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Photo Credit: JAXPORT/Flickr (CC By 2.0)

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