Debt Ceiling EMPTY EXERCISE

The attempt at compromise over the debt ceiling between the House of Representatives and the President failed this evening.  House Speaker Boehner informed everyone that he is no longer working with the President to arrive at settlement to the ceiling for the government's debt ceiling, he is going to work with the Senate and try to reach an agreement with them.  The President asked him to call him this afternoon, however the Speaker did not return the call.

This past two-three weeks of negotiating between these two entities has been for naught.  The Republicans have signed a Taxpayer Protection Pledge, initiated by power broker Grover Norquist in 1986, and they are not going to back down.  The two main sentences from the document are:

      "ONE, oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax

        rates for individuals and/or businesses; and

        TWO, oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits,

         unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates."

The Republicans have 236 Representatives and 41 Senators who have signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge.  Because the House of Representatives has the only power to initiate all money "bills", winning the majority of seats in the past election gives them the power to initiate the bills and carry the House of Representative.  However, the President and the majority of the Senate are Democrats and are in power in their areas (Presidency and Senate).  The ability to pass a "bill" takes all three entities, the House, the Senate and the Executive branch or Presidency.  So, even though the Republicans are walking around like a bull in a china shop, everything they do is an EMPTY EXERCISE without the other two entities voting with them.  The Republicans did similar exercises during the Clinton years and even during the Bush years.  They want to seem larger than life.  This latest EXERCISE is going to cost them big time, it will cost them the Presidency in 2012 and the Tea Party seats in the House, as well as leadership positions in the House.  Boehner is too worried about what he thinks the Tea Party members are going to do.  Grover Norquist Tax Payer Protection Pledge

Mitt Romney's Comical Flip-flop

Romney's New Pledge Highlights Reversals on Abortion, Planned Parenthood, Crooks and liars, Monday June 20, 2011
Here is a prime example of a candidate that is using Empty Exercises to gain political position.  As of this date, Mr. Romney is considered the top Republican Presidential Candidate.
When Mr. Romney was in his 1994 Massachusetts Senate run, Mr. and Mrs. Romney contributed $150 at a Planned Parenthood Event.  By doing so, they gave their support to Planned Parenthood, the group that is Pro-choice, giving the right to the Mother to make the decision what to do with her body.
"Eight years later during his race for governor, Romney assured Planned Parenthood he supported Roe v.Wade, state Medicaid funding for abortion services and access to emergency contraception."
Now, in the role of Republican Presidential candidate, he is under pressure to sign a pledge promising draconian new restrictions on American's reproductive rights.  He has joined the right-wing crusade against Planned Parenthood
He is making an empty exercise.  In gathering your data on him, as a possible candidate, you thought you knew what he believed.  He is going back on his belief on this issue.  If you did not keep up with the issues, you might have voted for him because you thought he was Pro-Choice, based upon his earlier beliefs, when in reality he is Pro-life.  The pledge commits signers to:"nominate judges and appoint executive branch officials who are opposed to abortion.  The pledge continues, signers must push legislation to end all taxpayer funding of abortion and to sign a law to "protect unborn children who are capable of feeling pain from abortion."  The pledge requires ending funding not just for Planned Parenthood, but for"all other contractors and recipients of federal funds with affiliates that perform or fund abortions, which would mean eliminating "federal funding for thousands of hospitals across America." 
Mr. Romney responded in the National Review with "My Pro-life Pledge", which included more: 
   1.  Reversal of Roe v. Wade
   2   He supports the Hyde Amendment, which broadly bars the use of federal
         funds for abortions, and as President he will support efforts to prohibit
         federal funding for any organization that primarily performs abortions
         or offers abortion related services.
  
There is more to the article, but what this is about is an empty exercise, it shows his character and asks the question--What can you believe about him?  Would you want him to be your President if he makes decisions like this?