MBNA - GOP

Putting the screws to the American people...for their own good, of course:

If you have a high balance on your credit cards, you may be in for a shock when the next bill

Within the next month, Bank of America, MBNA and Citigroup will raise minimum monthly payments on their cards from 2 percent of the balance to up to 4 percent, not including interest. Other card issuers are expected to make similar changes by the end of the year.

Credit card companies are under mounting pressure by the government to raise the minimum monthly payments to help Americans get out of debt more quickly. If you can't afford the increase, experts recommend that you contact your credit card company and try to negotiate a lower interest rate, which could offer some relief.

Gee, thanks Mr. GOP. I was having trouble paying my bills before, but now that you've protected me from declaring bankruptcy, allowing the MBNA to take my home and all possesions, and have now doubled my payment rates, I am sure that I'll fullfill the american dream of self-fullfilling riches and fame now.

Why not just go ahead and reintroduce debtors prisons and get it over with.....

Shit, better not give them any ideas. Ooooopps, too late.

What Has Become Of The GOP?

Krugman

...But what we're getting, instead, is yet another impressive demonstration that these days, truth is political. One after another, prominent Republicans and conservative pundits have declared their allegiance to the party line. They haven't just gone along with the diversionary tactics, like the irrelevant questions about whether Mr. Rove used Valerie Wilson's name in identifying her (Robert Novak later identified her by her maiden name, Valerie Plame), or the false, easily refuted claim that Mr. Wilson lied about who sent him to Niger. They're now a chorus, praising Mr. Rove as a patriotic whistle-blower.
Ultimately, this isn't just about Mr. Rove. It's also about Mr. Bush, who has always known that his trusted political adviser - a disciple of the late Lee Atwater, whose smear tactics helped President Bush's father win the 1988 election - is a thug, and obviously made no attempt to find out if he was the leaker.
Most of all, it's about what has happened to America. How did our political system get to this point?

My early (and meager) understanding of what life under the Soviet Union was like was mostly based on a combination of news media and Hollywood. Based on this information, it was my understanding that the everyday people behind the dreaded "Iron Curtain" existed in a world where toeing the party line was mandatory. All media was merely propaganda meant to espouse the greatness of the politico machine. Any opposition to the party or the party line was regarded as opposition to the Mother Country, and therefore was treason. Within the party, there was not such thing as corruption, since corruption could only come from without, not from within. Within the party, there were no criminals, only patriots. Outside the party, there were no patriots, only criminals.

It took nearly 70 years, untold injustices, and great suffering for this system to fail, yet even today it strives for rebirth.

What I wonder more is this: when did the Republican Party, which has spent decades vilifying the Soviet Union, start adopting the very policies and tactics that they used to justify their great struggle against the "evil empire"?

Even Lil' Russ Gets It

From Americablog:


Russert's best line: "As one Republican said to me last night, if this was a Democratic White House we'd have congressional hearings in a second."


When a wad like Russ gets the idea, why can't the rest of the Democratic party figure it out?

Calling for an IC, calling all congressmen, there is scandal and corruption afoot in the White House!

Here are some reminders:

"Should we reward not telling the truth? That is the question of this election: Reward Bill Clinton. Or, vote Republican."
[...]
"These ads spell out very clearly for the public what the differences are between Republicans and Democrats in terms of what direction we want to lead the country," National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Mary Crawford said.

How about this Conservative quote?:
But if any president is able to commit crimes with impunity by using thevast powers and perquisites of his office to cover up, then we will havea danger of corruption and abuse of power that can only grow with the passing years and generations."



Or, what about the immortal words of Tom Delay?

"It would be a travesty to the Constitution for us to lower the standards for breaking the law by not voting for impeachment,"
[...]
"All impeachment is, it's like a grand jury that looks at the evidence, and the House decides whether the evidence warrants sending it to the Senate for trial," DeLay said on Sunday. "That's all it is."

WWRD?

Digsby says Rove should resign:

All of us and all of the Democrats should be screaming bloody murder for what we know he did --- and we should be demanding his resignation. I realize that Bush is not going to fall over weeping when we do this, and the press will probably somnambulently tip-toe until roused, but it begins the drumbeat and it puts pressure on the White House. We are about to enter a huge fight over two Seats on the Supreme Court. Anything to put them off their game is a good thing. And there is no reason that Rove should not be forced to resign over this. If it were any other White House we would naturally assume it would happen...

Now, when the Clinton administration had some paeon in the mailroom stealing stamps, did the republicans call for a resignation? Fuck no, the called for an independent council, expected the reveal that Hillary herself was embezzelling stamps from all branches of government, and killing/hiding bodies of anyone who saw her swiping the coveted mailroom envelopes and postage.

So no, I don't think the Democrats should be calling for resignations. They should be calling for an Independant council, they should be calling for investigations, they should accuse this administration of burying bodies, of using Iraq of being this administrations "wag the dog", etc., etc.

Face it, these people don't respond to anything civilized. Frothing at the mouth reactionism is all they understand. So take it to them then.

Hope You Enjoyed Your Freedom 4th....Cause Now You're Screwed

This is what the democratic party has fallen to.....hoping that we can try to muster up just enough fight against Bush's up and coming SCOTUS nomination of Rev. "Watch me beat my dog" James Dobson in the hopes that he will surrender to our mighty will and merely appoint Mr. "100 Ways to make torture legal (and fun!)" Alberto Gonzales.

The only way I see Democrats "getting a win" on this one is if they actually manage to force the "nuclear option". And that is a meager win at that.

Crap.