Boehner vs DeMint? The American Taliban vs America?

The Evil Clown must be stopped!

This week, a slightly inebriated-- or hung over-- John Boehner told Face the Nation that he wouldn't try to hold a tax break for the middle class hostage to the GOP mania for more tax cuts for millionaires. But there was such an outcry from the extremists on the right that Boehner almost immediately backed off, apologized and went along with the doctrinaire conservative ideologues who claim that if the wealthy get no tax cuts, no one else will either. Boehner isn't what you would exactly call a strong leader. You might call him a corrupt, weak, lazy, orange-tinged drunk. That about covers it. And that's probably why only 33% of Republicans want to see him take the Speaker's chair from Nancy Pelosi. (Even fewer Republicans want to see Miss McConnell continue as Senate Republican Leader.)

So what firm attempt to sound reasonable will Boehner back away in panic from next? Well... early yesterday I saw a pronouncement that caught my attention immediately: No Government Shutdown Under GOP Control.

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) rejected the idea that Republicans will shut down the government if they come to a legislative impasse with President Barack Obama, even as some conservative activists have predicted and even pushed a shutdown next year.

“Our goal is to have a smaller, less costly, and more accountable government here in Washington DC. Our goal is not to shut down the government,” he said.

Republicans like Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) and Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller have said recently that Republicans will shut down the government if they can’t agree with Obama on spending bills.

They’ve spoken favorably about former House Speaker Newt Gingrich stalling government operations after disagreeing with then President Bill Clinton about spending in 1995.

That approach may have backfired on Gingrich and helped Clinton get reelected in 1996.

“If the government shuts down, we want you with us,” Westmoreland told audience members at the conservative Faith and Freedom conference last week.

Boehner couldn't care less what an imbecile like Lynn Westmoreland babbles. Teabaggy kingmaker Jim DeMint, however, is something else entirely. And this one has every intention of shutting down the government, Boehner or no Boehner. Yesterday he was bragging that "his goal for the Senate is 'complete gridlock' and that he wants to stop programs that violate his anti-Big Government ideology. 'What happens in the Senate is the Republicans sink to the lowest common denominator,' he says, taking a quick break between TV appearances. 'People want an alternative to some kind of watered-down Republican philosophy.'"

What does this mean in the real world, the way it impacts real people? Here are just two examples from the last few hours. First one saw the e coli Republicans kill the Food Safety Bill... just because they could. Jill Richardson's got the full story. "Tom Coburn (R-OK) decided to block the bill. He says it 'adds to the deficit and expands the power of an already troubled agency.'" That children will get sick and die doesn't seem to phase Doctor Coburn one bit. After all, he lives in Oklahoma where there are enough people who just do not care one bit so that his reelection is assured.

And yesterday the House passed H.R. 4785, Jim Clyburn's Rural Energy Savings Program Act 240-172, Nancy Pelosi leading all but 5 right-wing Democrats to vote YES and Boehner leading all but 6 mainstream conservatives to vote NO. Two very divergent outlooks on the role of government in society.

Rural homeowners could get loans of about $3,000 to $7,500 to make their homes more energy-efficient under legislation the House passed Thursday.

Democrats, who pushed through the bill on a mainly partyline vote, said the loan program would promote construction jobs, boost American manufacturers, and help bring down rural energy costs. It passed 240-172 and now must be considered by the Senate.

The bill authorizes the spending of $993 million over five years to cover the cost of the program, although supporters said it would be paid for through repayment of the loans.

Under the legislation, the Agriculture Department would make zero-interest loans to rural electric co-ops, which in turn would make loans to qualified consumers at interest rates not to exceed 3 percent.
The loans would be repaid over 10 years on the consumers' utility bills, with savings from the energy upgrades covering much of the cost.

...The program, dubbed Rural Star, is part of a series of bills that House Democrats are promoting to promote manufacturing and keep jobs in America. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the initiative would create as many as 40,000 jobs a year in the construction industry.

The measure also includes a loan program that Republicans succeeded in stripping out when the House passed the Home Star energy efficiency program last May. Home Star, also known as Cash for Caulkers, would make many homeowners eligible for thousands and dollars in rebates for carrying out energy-efficient renovations to their homes. The Home Star bill has yet to be considered by the Senate.

Speaking for the GOP minority, Big Oil's fully-owned congressman, Joe Barton, a close Boehner crony, who voted NO, of course, said "I don't see the need for another program." Speaker Pelosi had a different perspective:

"Today, the House acted to create American jobs that can't be outsourced, invest in the clean energy industry of tomorrow, preserve our environment, and reduce energy bills for our families and farmers.  By passing the Rural Energy Savings Program Act, we are supporting local workers and strengthening demand for products made in America-- such as insulation and windows-- because when we 'make it in America,' we create jobs and lead the world economy. I salute Majority Whip Jim Clyburn for his leadership on behalf of this job-creating legislation.

"The Rural Star program will create as many as 40,000 jobs per year in construction, manufacturing, and retail, on top of the 168,000 jobs from Home Star. These initiatives will strengthen rural economies and relieve the burden of rising electric costs on local families. This legislation is good for our national security and our environment, and it is fiscally responsible.

"In voting for this bill, Democrats are working to move our country forward and rebuild our economy. Congressional Republicans want to take us back to the 'exact same' failed agenda that cost us millions of jobs and caused the Bush recession."

In November the American people have an opportunity to choose between the two visions.