Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Randi Rhodes: Save the Rich!

HOUR TWO GUEST: Cenk Uygur on joining Keith Olbermann at Current TV and the chain of events that led him there.

Republicans are trying to say that taxing the rich costs jobs. Taxing the rich does not cost jobs. If anything, it creates jobs—as tax accountants for the rich. To paraphrase an NRA bumper sticker, the rich don’t create jobs—money creates jobs, and the rich refuse to part with their money. Meanwhile, Republicans want to cut the highly successful Head Start program by over a billion dollars. Tell me that’s not class warfare. Not a lot of billionaires’ kids are enrolled in the Head Start program. The children of the rich have their own Head Start—it’s called being the children of the rich.

The Republican leadership in Congress has sent a letter to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke urging him not to do anything more to stimulate the economy. How was that letter worded? “Dear Federal Reserve, for the upcoming elections we need the economy to be in shambles. Anything you can do would be appreciated. Sincerely, John Boehner.” The letter claims that economists are divided over whether further stimulus would help the economy. The GOP definitely thinks it would help, though. You can tell by the fact that they oppose it.

Rush Limbaugh is ecstatic that Bill O’Reilly defended the rich on his show the other night. I find the idea of Rush Limbaugh listening to Bill O’Reilly disturbing for some reason. It sets up this weird feedback loop of lies. They’ll feed off and reinforce each other until they create a black hole of ignorance that sucks the rational universe into it. Rush said “Frankly, it’s heartwarming to see” O’Reilly defend the rich. Heartwarming! Wow. Seeing an obscenely wealthy idiot pontificating on why his money should be protected from the filthy masses isn’t exactly on my list of Hallmark moments.

Finally, Michele Bachmann posed for a photo op at an Iowa meat plant, in a room with 400-lb beef carcasses hanging all around her. Needless to say, the beef carcasses looked more presidential. Just how impervious to the power of imagery is Michele Bachmann? Michele, when everyone is questioning whether or not your campaign can survive... the last thing you do is pose with a bunch of dead meat.

Today’s Homework | Discuss

Stephen Colbert digs deep to help the GOP tax the poor...


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