Heritage letter to Republicans on Capitol Hill: don’t legislate, just scandalize Obama

[kpete]

Heritage letter to Republicans on Capitol Hill: don’t legislate, just scandalize Obama
by Joy-Ann Reid | May 16, 2013 at 6:34 PM


Joy Reid at The Grio reports that the Heritage Foundation, the uber-rightwing think tank that Jim DeMint left the Senate to head up, just sent this letter to Speaker Boehner and Eric Cantor:

Dear Speaker Boehner and Leader Cantor:

For the first time, the activities of the Obama administration are receiving a sustained public vetting. Americans’ outrage over Benghazi is amplified by the Internal Revenue Service’s intimidation of conservative grassroots organizations and a cascade of negative headlines. There is the real sense the Obama administration has been less than forthright with the American people, the press and lawmakers.

Recent events have rightly focused the nation’s attention squarely on the actions of the Obama administration. It is incumbent upon the House of Representatives to conduct oversight hearings on those actions, but it would be imprudent to do anything that shifts the focus from the Obama administration to the ideological differences within the House Republican Conference.

To that end, we urge you to avoid bringing any legislation to the House Floor that could expose or highlight major schisms within the conference. Legislation such as the Internet sales tax or the FARRM Act which contains nearly $800 billion in food stamp spending, would give the press a reason to shift their attention away from the failures of the Obama administration to write another “circular firing squad” article.

Make no mistake, principled conservatives will still oppose bad policy if it comes to the floor. Rather than scheduling such legislation for consideration, we urge you to keep the attention focused squarely on the Obama administration. As the public’s trust in their government continues to erode, it is incumbent upon those of us who support a smaller, less intrusive government to lead.

Sincerely,

Michael A. Needham
Chief Executive Officer
Heritage Action for America

http://thegrio.com/2013/05/16/heritage-to-republicans-dont-legislate-just-scandalize-obama/
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/348555/heritage-action-warns-boehner-dont-spoil-party-andrew-stiles

[Sekhmets Daughter]

1. Is there anything more despicable than an organization

blatantly looking to undermine the public trust?

As the public’s trust in their government continues to erode, it is incumbent upon those of us who support a smaller, less intrusive government to lead.

They've been doing this since Reagan...and look what is has done to the nation and its citizens.

[ProSense]

2. The "organization" is the Republican Party

Can they be charged with sedition and disbanded?

I'm serious!

[Sekhmets Daughter]

5. I don't know...

It certainly is needed.

[southernyankeebelle]

51. There is no doubt about it this is treason.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

52. Well it certainly appears to be...

What I don't know is whether it can be prosecuted as such. Or who would attempt to do so.

[southernyankeebelle]

55. Goodness if it were a dem saying that kind of stuff they would be prosecuted.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

56. We are in this rotten position in this country because DEMS do not say that stuff...

I have come to the sorry conclusion that there are few backbones among the Dems in congress and there seem to none anywhere else willing to call out this crap.

It's been going on since "Gov't is not the solution, gov't is the problem" ass wipe Reagan.

[southernyankeebelle]

58. Your right. Now we see saint Ronnie's solution to no govt.

[Kablooie]

66. The Obama administration would never, ever, ever prosecute any Republicans.

They are scared to death that any opposition to Republicans would harm them.

I don't know why they think this but they've shown this kind of fear over and over again.
Obama always try to pander to the Republicans to appease them instead of calling them out.
I don't expect that to change.

If he would hit back, hard, things might change but he's like the kid who's always bullied but never fights back.
The kid who tries to kiss up to the bully which only encourages the bully to hit him more often.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

67. Not just the Obama administration!

Dems have been spineless since Johnson screwed up in Vietnam....As if he hadn't done so many other great things.

[Gman]

8. I don't know but that's a solid question

[flamingdem]

22. I think about this all the time

Why are they getting away with this?

Who can stop them?

[landolfi]

46. What attorney here will take up this cause? I'll start the funding

with my meager resources, I am going to need a lot of help. But the behavior of people like this and sentiments like this letter prove there is no invisible hand.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

71. RICO statutes...

... I have said for over a decade that the GOP should be prosecuted using the RICO statutes. Look how Cheney ran all those no bid contracts to Halliburton, etc... places where he and other GOP "leaders", have/had vested interests.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

57. NAMBLA? They can at least claim to be less disgusting than NAMBLA. nt

[Tarheel_Dem]

3. This is so disturbing. To think we're in for four more years of this crap, so Repukes....

can avoid actually doing their jobs, to appease a slither of the populace. It's sickening.

[Jamaal510]

17. 2020's reapportionment cannot come soon enough.

[Tarheel_Dem]

19. But my concern is who gets to do that reapportionment. The Republicans were....

very smart. Right after they took over state legislatures in 2010, they set out to ensure their futures, and that included redrawing districts to their benefit. Hopefully, a win in 2014 & 2016 will swing things back in our favor.

[mountain grammy]

28. Can't wait till 2020, we can flip these seats.

[freshwest]

4. Sound of crickets from mainstream media.

[Anansi1171]

9. Our guardians. the press. keepers of liberty. in your dreams.

[freshwest]

10. Not even in my dreams.

[cui bono]

37. Yeah, guarding us from the truth. n/t

[Cha]

6. No Problem.. they're too damn lazy stupid and mean to

legislate anyway.

[freshwest]

11. But by not addressing the sequester, they are doing harm. Next pain is their debt ceiling game.

Tea Party Victory of 2010:

The pestilence that keeps on killing Americans.

Next up: 2014. GOTV.

[Art_from_Ark]

35. The problem is,

they'll be doing harm whatever they do.

[freshwest]

40. It's their intent.

[giftedgirl77]

7. Heritage Foundations Tax Status

This is a perfect example of 1. why groups need to be scrutinized by the IRS 2. a group that probably has tax exemption status & is blatantly politically motivated & 3. is clearly not working as a public service organization.

[magellan]

12. You know what? They're a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization

I've just been reading IRS the rules on this, and they're so broad that just about anyone calling themselves a political think tank, with some chutzpah and a halfway decent lawyer to guide them around the legal obstacle course, can do it.

It's DISGUSTING that the Heritage Foundation is tax exempt for the amount of damage they inflict on our government.

[giftedgirl77]

16. hmm I had to do tax law this year

I hate most federal laws because as with any interpretation always comes into play. However, there is a very very fine line for tax exempt status & last I checked writing letters to Congress telling them to not act on anything should catapult them into another bracket.

The IRS has a tip line to call in suspected fraud. I guess I will have to do some legal research, see if the evidence backs it up & see what sticks.

[magellan]

18. I wish you luck, but I think you'll find they're well-insulated

...from within and without. The HF has been around since the 70s. It's one of many leeches firmly attached to the corpus of our government.

[giftedgirl77]

23. it's getting to the point wherewe need to take a stand

That damn Citizens United bs just opened up the flood gates. Unfortunately it seems other than OWS we don't really do loud vocal protest or anything so the only people that ever get coverage are the nut balls.

If the only thing I can do one my own is dig up case law, document my findings, & be really annoying then that's what I'll do.

[raouldukelives]

24. Best we can do is not support it as individuals. Money in Wall St = Money in Heritage.

The only real voice we have left is the one we choose not to use. Or as I'm fond of saying, if you want to stand against something, not standing with it is a good start.

[giftedgirl77]

25. true but we can do what we can to expose them

I have a solid background in federal law so I figure between using that to pish back where I can & try to get people where I live to wake up is all i can do.

I find it sad that my 15yr old son has a better grasp of what's going on then the people in our community.

[magellan]

26. I know. It's long past that point, really.

But definitely, rattle some cages. It can't hurt to try.

[giftedgirl77]

29. not to mention entertaining

I live in a very red district in SC. So between my kids rattling cages @ school about teachers preaching or the fact that I told a bank manager that I was afraid of the mental well being of his employees & customers for having Fox News on the tv it at least gives us good entertainment.

[magellan]

32. lol!

Your handle ought to be moxiegirl. The people in your town don't even see you coming I bet!

Thanks for picking up my spirits and giving me a laugh tonight. You've got a great attitude, and it's good to know you're passing it on to your kids.

[flpoljunkie]

54. MSNBC reported today Jim Demint's Heritage Action is a 501 (c) (4) tax exempt organization

The scandal is that 501 (c) (4) groups are allowed to describe themselves for tax purposes as 'primarily social welfare' organizations when they are anything but! Has the IRS investigated Heritage Action or the 'elephant' in the room, Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS?

[magellan]

61. Deleting - read your post wrong!

I thought we were still talking about the Heritage Foundation.

[Thinkingabout]

15. K & R

[meow2u3]

13. K and a very important R

[Luminous Animal]

14. Assholes.

[Mr. Evil]

20. "principled conservatives"

WHAT?!!!

[HughBeaumont]

43. " . . . will still oppose bad policy if it comes to the floor."

DOUBLE WHAT?!!

They need to explain 2001-2008, then.

[tiny elvis]

21. too plainly partisan for HF, i think

that is Heritage Action for America, which calls itself the sister org of HF

http://heritageaction.com/about-heritage-action/

As a 501(c)(4) organization, Heritage Action for America allows unprecedented coordination and communication with concerned citizens who want to be part of their national dialogue.

[calimary]

27. Damn these people!

What the fuck do they want? The Dis-United States of Somalia?

[mountain grammy]

31. Total global power. Sounds like something out of a comic book

but, really, what the fuck do they want? Number one: to redistribute as much of their wealth as they want to and where they want to. No government to tell them they have to pay for programs they don't like. They have all the money in the world to buy the government they want. They have already bought the hearts and minds of nearly half of American voters who consistantly vote against their own interests.
One of the robber barons once said he could pay half the workers to kill the other half. The billionaires today have managed to do it.

[NYtoBush-Drop Dead]

30. These fucks should be lanza'd...

and if that gets under the skin of the DU mods who feel I'm being mean or inappropriate....

[libodem]

34. Yes

It is inappropriate to advocate violence even casually. I'll help you hate them but don't make the site look like we advocate violence or your post may be hidden by a jury.
Just sayin'.

[Rex]

33. You know what should be done?

These domestic terrorist, hate groups should be the ones getting investigated by the IRS AND AP AND DOJ. It is groups like the Heritage Foundation that helped GWB steal the election. They are writing policy for the GOP along with idiotic morans that work for the Weekly Standard and the AFA.

These domestic terrorist, hate groups are writing policy out of whole cloth for the GOP. No wonder the GOP always reminds me of the Taliban. They listen to fringe extremists that want to control what we do in the bedroom. They also want a caste system to keep us permanently divided between rich and poor.

They are necrotic soothsayers, always causing damage where ever they go. Cloaked as a Think Tank or research foundation. Once again they have found a way to pervert science to push their agenda of social purity.

[peoli]

36. This is nothing more than an ATTEMPT AT BRAINWASHING SOCIETY!

n/t

[DallasNE]

38. Translation: Doctor More Emails

To keep Obama in whack-a-mole mode. Nobody remembers what finally comes out as the truth.

Just today is the latest. The NYT is reporting that one of Secy. Clinton's top aides failed to report a 2nd source of income as required by disclosure laws. Twofer's are good. Not sure I trust the NYT but who knows now. Meanwhile the Heritage recommendation is being implemented. You can be sure they have a backlog of similar items that will be trickling out.

[ZRT2209]

39. anti-American slime

[kentuck]

41. Very interesting.

kick and rec

[kpete]

44. yep

instructions from "The Top"


peace, kp

[Hekate]

42. As I keep saying, WHY would ANYONE here give GOP scandal-sources any credence whatsoever?

Every single time a GOP congresscritter opens their mouth in public, they are spewing talking points from sources like Heritage Foundation. It gets into the "news" media. It gets repeated here. It gets denied by the White House. It still gets repeated here.

[Gothmog]

45. The GOP is going to overplay their hand and this will backfire

The GOP and the conservatives can not help themselves. They are going to overplay their hand and there will be a backlash against these idiots

[AnnieK401]

48. Agreed!

[AnnieK401]

47. Why not focus on this "scandal"

[spedtr90]

49. Heritage Action for America is a 501(c)(4)

The letter seems awfully political and promoting quite the opposite of social welfare....

It does serve as a great example of what a farce these tax-exempt organizations are.

[Blue Owl]

50. Memo to Heritage Foundation: GFY

Go Fuck Yourselves

[kimbutgar]

53. The christofascist demonists strike again.

When are people going to get sick of this $hit?When are they going to fight back? There are so many problems American's face yet all these cretins want to do is smear the President instead of doing the job of legislating for the American people.

[spanone]

59. obstructionists.....bordering on treason.

[Moostache]

60. "I really hate these guys...

I don't know why you don't"

- from "The Newsroom" season 1 when Right Wing hack is describing his dislike for the staff on the fictional staff...sadly, I can relate to that quote quite nicely when I see anything with "Heritage Foundation" on it.

K&R for sure...

[indepat]

62. Can't decide whether Herr Needham is advocating anarchy, insurrection, sedition, or treason,

or maybe going for the full enchilada by advocating all four.

[Mr. X]

63. I don't see how they

Will be able to keep attention on the scandals. They are getting shot to hell and back.

Benghazi? The emails were released and surprise surprise, the leaked emails that the Republicans released? They were edited. Heavily. The only reason this has yet to backfire on Republicans is because of the media attention on other scandals.

The AP scandal? Not really one. The records were subpoenaed , in accordance to the law. In relation to a investigation about leaked classified information. Oh yeah, and Republicans were the ones who shot down a law that would have prevented the DoJ from getting these records as easily as they did. While it does reflect badly, it was all - in accordance to the laws - legal, and those who are raising the most hell about it were the ones who made it possible to occur.

The IRS scandal? This one will go on for a while, but most people are ignoring one thing about it. Obama didn't appoint the people in charge of the IRS. Both the director during the time the events occured, and the acting director who took over when the first stepped down back in 2012, were appointed by Republicans.

Still... Most people ignore these things. Logic and truth, kinda hard for people - Mostly Republicans and their supporters - to understand.

That said, Obama needs to grow a pair of balls already and make some Republican heads roll over this shit. He's apologizing for things that he had no part in. All he's doing is digging himself a grave, hoping that no one decides to push him in it.

[RC]

69. BINGO!*

That said, Obama needs to grow a pair of balls already and make some Republican heads roll over this shit. He's apologizing for things that he had no part in. All he's doing is digging himself a grave, hoping that no one decides to push him in it.

Obama isn't the man that campaigned for office... Twice. He continues to disappoint.

*Capital letters are called for here.

[Myrina]

64. THIS needs to lead every newscast

K&R

[Beartracks]

65. It's swiftboating, but on a government scale.

It's actually kind of incredible, to me, about the Heritage Foundation connection, because I already had the impression this was the case. Not necessarily that Heritage was explicitly involved, but still.... it seemed that when the GOP and the media began huing and crying about one or two scandals per week for the last month, well -- the jig was fairly obvious: distract America from conservatives' role as the Party of No and make people think the administration is "scandal-plagued" by yelling "Scandal!" over and over so fast that most people won't ever hear the truth when and if it comes out. This is how the right wing tries to further its agenda in nearly every case: distribute lies aggressively until everyone thinks they're true.

========================

[Galraedia]

68. Martin Bashir - Boehner needs no obstruction primer from Heritage Action

[spanone]

70. they've been doing just that since the day he became President.

[ProSense]

72. Kick! n/t