What Do House Republicans Have Against the Northeast?
By anniepa
@anniepa (27955)
United States
January 6, 2013 4:33pm CST
It always used to be that no matter how contentious things were in Washington and no matter who was in charge of what branch(es) of our government whenever a disaster struck those in need would be helped without hesitation. I'm not talking about the kind of bureaucratic snafus and delays that always seem to occur but about our Congress, the House and the Senate, both of which in the past had always stepped up to the plate.
Until "Super Storm" Sandy, that is...
Everyone here has probably heard by now about how Speaker of the House Boehner suddenly and unexpectedly canceled the vote for Sandy relief on New Year's Eve, angering several members of his own party who happen to represent affected areas as well as incurring the DEEP wrath of Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey. As it turned out a very small bill was passed but it was only a fraction of what 's needed for the thousands of families and businesses devastated by the storm. Even then, a significant number of Republicans voted against the relief, some of whom have frequently voted FOR relief with no strings attached for other disasters, most of which affected areas in the south and west.
Which leads to the question - WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE NORTHEAST?
The FACT of the matter is Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, the states that were hit the hardest, are primarily donor states, meaning they pay in far more in federal taxes than they take out. That can't be said of some of the southern states such as Mississippi and Louisiana that, despite being big time "red states" claiming to want "less government", that actually take far more than they pay.
So it's obviously NOT that the "Sandy" states haven't been pulling their own weight.
I have my own theories, two actually, and I think a combination of the two was in play here.
1/ The states affected by Sandy are basically "blue states" full of hated "Northeastern liberals".
2/ Some in the GOP are still furious at NJ Governor Christie for having the audacity to be civil to President Obama when the storm first hit and for daring to give him credit for a job well done in his state's hour of need.
Any thoughts?
Annie
2 people like this
10 responses
@thegreatdebater (7316)
• United States
8 Jan 13
The problem republicans have with the northeast is that they don't vote republican. We didn't see them question funding for the clean up after Katrina because those states vote for republicans. Now that states need the governments help, and they can't get political favors for their actions, they have no desire to help them out. But, what should we expect from republicans?
@sierras236 (2739)
• United States
8 Jan 13
No, the problem was that the bill was a horrible distribution of funds. 95% was a "bribe" to get Republicans to vote for it. There was so much extra bs in there that you probably wouldn't have voted for it had you read it. It stunk.
@rodney850 (2145)
• United States
8 Jan 13
WOW,debater, did I dream that the republicans and GWB were horrible people because they did nothing to come to the aid of New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina? No, liberals like you and Annie want to make a contentious statement ALWAYS blaming the republicans in every way for things completely out of their control. To you I say, get your pork slathering liberal democrats to put ONLY what needs to be in the bill and see how easily it get passed. The people in NEW YORK were affected by Sandy not people in DesMoines or any where else that their congressmen want to throw pork. Looking back over the years, if you are honest, where the money in our government is wasted is in pork, not wars or even most welfare but PORK. If the congress wanted to up their ratings with the American people the could do so on a large scale by making PORK in a bill, any bill, illegal!
@rodney850 (2145)
• United States
8 Jan 13
sierras,
So 95% was a bribe to get republicans to vote for it but they didn't? Do you have any idea how rediculous that sounds? Sound like it wasn't a very fortuitous bribe. Or could you have your facts wrong?
@Fatcat44 (1141)
• United States
7 Jan 13
Annie, You really need to research a little what is going on here and not just post the left talking points.
1. The final costs of the Sandy disaster is not done yet. The original amount of damage appeared to be 20 billion. Congress has already passed 20 billion dollars of funding for the area.
2. Doesn't these areas have private insurance? The private insurance needs to be kicking in to take care of a lot of this.
3. The 60 billion more of aid is so full of pork that it is ridiculous. The congresspeople who added this pork should be arrested for looting. This totally absurd of people who added this pork and they should be ashamed. The republicans have been refusing to pass the bill because of the pork.
To let you know I live in the mid-west where a few years ago we had flooding that did more damage than what was done in Louisiana from Katrina. You did not here a lot of whining from the mid-westerners about government funding. We trotted forward, took care of ourselves and life went on. Yes I had friends who lost their houses, but life went on. So I am tired of hearing of this whining from the easteners, about all of this, they got a lot of assistance already, now we have to let the system work and straighten itself out. Also, we did not have a bunch of hollywood phonies do a lot of fund raising for us (even thou we are a blue state.) The biggest help we got was bottles of water for a while. Finally, after a few years, some of the houses are being bought out and are being turned into wetlands where no one can ever build on those properties ever again.
1 person likes this
@burrito88 (2774)
• United States
7 Jan 13
Fatcat, within 10 days of the Katrina disaster, Congress passed a bill providing $60 billion in funding. It's now be more than 2 MONTHS since hurricane Sandy. Couldn't an acceptable bill have been passed by now?
Many of the areas affected are not in normal flood zones and therefore people did not have flood insurance. There needs to be aid to help with infrastructure also. The coastline has bee drastically affected leaving many of the areas open to future flooding.
@Fatcat44 (1141)
• United States
7 Jan 13
Burrito,
They have passed twp bills totaling 20 billion dollars. This covers all the spending that will be done through 2013. They have the money that they need for now. What is the problem?
So now lets take the pork that this thieves have put in the 60 billion and take it out and do it correctly.
@Bluebell18 (636)
• United States
7 Jan 13
Fatcat, the reason you guys took care of your own is because granted you are a blue state (just like we are) no matter what the situation, you got funding. No one told you about it...
@sierras236 (2739)
• United States
7 Jan 13
Did you read the full context of the bill yourself? I am assuming you didn't because you would have had lots of questions about the bill itself. You would also be asking why there were so many unnecessary pork projects in a bill that was supposed to be helping Sandy victims.
Christie was right about his criticism though.
1 person likes this
@sierras236 (2739)
• United States
7 Jan 13
So, the question is how much of that money in the bill was actually for Hurricane Sandy victims? $2 out of $60 billion? Do you know?
1 person likes this
@Adoniah (7513)
• United States
7 Jan 13
Did you read any of the original bill for Sandy victims? It had so much unrelated PORK in it that anyone who would vote for it is an idiot!
For heavens sake they had a couple of million in there for the head start program...what the hell does that have to do with Storm victims...and don't try to tell me it was for the head start in the New England area.
Then tell me why New Orleans is still a disaster area in the areas where the poor lived and why They Never got the help that they were promised.
And the Gov. of Jersey is a Republican is he not?
For heavens sake they had a couple of million in there for the head start program...what the hell does that have to do with Storm victims...and don't try to tell me it was for the head start in the New England area.
Then tell me why New Orleans is still a disaster area in the areas where the poor lived and why They Never got the help that they were promised.
And the Gov. of Jersey is a Republican is he not?1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
8 Jan 13
It's always about the "pork", isn't it? I've known and I've never condoned the way every single bill that comes before the House or the Senate is always full of pork that has absolutely nothing to do with the original bill but unfortunately for now it is what it is. The solution is to CLEAN IT UP!
The thing is, one person's pork is another one's treasure. I'd guess most lawmakers' secret motto is "No pork but MY pork" or something to that effect. If that was the problem with the original bill, you'd never have known it by the way some of the GOP House members from the affected areas, most notably Rep. Peter King, carried on about it.
Anyway, the tiny relief bill that did pass apparently was "clean" and there were STILL a large number of Republicans who voted against it. One was our esteemed and reportedly "brilliant" losing VP nominee Paul Ryan. Below is a list of those who voted against Sandy relief but had a whole different attitude when it was in their home states:
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/01/07/1407641/37-congressional-republicans-opposed-sandy-relief-after-supporting-disaster-aid-for-home-states/
Please don't try to tell me all those bills were "pork-free"!
In case anyone is interested, below is a list of all 67 who voted no:
http://fromtheleft.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/67-house-republicans-voted-no-on-hurricane-sandy-relief-bill/
Annie
@sierras236 (2739)
• United States
9 Jan 13
Of course not. But you couldn't get more blatantly obvious then with a bill that is supposed to help Sandy victims and the money goes everywhere else but to where it is supposed to go. I am sure that even you agree that there is such a thing as too much pork. At this point, I wouldn't trust anything Harry Reid puts up to a vote in the Senate.
He has put up way too much "Presidential dictatorial legislation."
1 person likes this
@Bluebell18 (636)
• United States
7 Jan 13
Adoniah,
Yes, Gov. Christie is a republican. No, I don't agree with many of his policies, but, he is after all, the Governor of New Jersey, one of the states hit hardest during Hurricane Sandy. (And as Governor he has responsibilities to uphold whenever a disaster strikes sort of like this one he's dealing with right now...for instance, asking the House for aid to get the mess cleaned up from disasters like Hurricane Sandy, but we're not going to go there right now.)
A couple million due to Head Start Program. (Really?) I'm pretty sure that well's run dry right about now. That comes nowhere near to the damages the state and the other states are dealing with from the storm.
Oh, and the state of Louisiana are still suffering primo damages from Hurricane Katrina...eight years and counting! People are still living in infected FEMA trailers that have insecticides, lead poisoning, and heaven knows what else they're contaminated with. (Not to mention the BP spill...but again, we won't go there.)
1 person likes this
@yoyo1198 (3641)
• United States
6 Jan 13
I think you're right about 'some' of the GOP being ticked at Christie. But he's a guy that tells it like it is and he is right this time. I haven't been a big fan of some of his bombast but I think he has been doing what he was elected to do; Trying to take care of his state.
Boehner's backing away from the vote was pure politics. He didn't think he'd have the votes for a bill with this lot of obstructionists and he would have to depend on some Democrats to get a bill through.
The 51b bill is going to be more contentious so we can expect more of the same. I don't have much confidence in the new house. We're going to be treated with another circus full of clowns.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
7 Jan 13
I think John Boehner is arguably the very WORST Speaker of the House in history! He has zero leadership abilities and he simply wimps out when he knows he doesn't have the support of the fringe members of his caucus. The only courageous and principled thing he's done is bring the "fiscal cliff" bill to a vote knowing Democrats would be key in getting it passed, ignoring the idiotic "Hastert Rule" that states there must be a "majority of the majority" to pass a bill in a GOP led House. As Nancy Pelosi recently stated, it's Speaker of the HOUSE not Speaker of the (insert party here).
I agree with you about Governor Christie. I don't agree with a lot of his policies but, while he DOES sometimes come off a bit harsh, I like and respect that he tells it as he sees it. I really believe he cares deeply about his state and its people and won't sell them out just to suck up to his GOP buddies.
Fatcat, the debt is NOT our biggest problem, especially when dealing with a disaster the proportions of Hurricane Sandy. Yes, "we" are a little backwards if by "we" you mean the Republicans, especially those in the House!
Annie
1 person likes this
@sierras236 (2739)
• United States
7 Jan 13
Nancy Pelosi was much worse a speaker. She didn't even get an acceptable budget passed when she had the Senate on her side. Nope, the worst speaker award goes directly to Pelosi. The Sandy bill was a problem deal designed to "bribe" the red states into passing it.
1 person likes this
@burrito88 (2774)
• United States
7 Jan 13
Just think,had Romney and Ryan won the election was of the first things then wanted to do was to eliminate FEMA.
1 person likes this
@burrito88 (2774)
• United States
7 Jan 13
The Northeast has traditionally paid more in taxes to Washington than it gets back. How do you have an emergency plan for something that has never happened before?
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@Fatcat44 (1141)
• United States
7 Jan 13
Romney said that the states should be the leader on this, not the federal government. Christie wants the federal money, but he doesn't want the feds to tell him what to do with the money. He needs to have plan a better emergency system in his state.
1 person likes this
@irisheyes (4370)
• United States
23 Jan 13
I completely agree with your two points. Plus, one other. At least two of those Noreastern states (Pennsylvania & Rhode Island) have always advocated freedom of religion and were a big influence on the founding fathers decisions that lead to the separation of church and state. Conservatives are nothing if not eager to immpose their religious tenants on the rest of us.
@debrakcarey (19887)
• United States
27 Jan 13
So glad you said freedom OF religion and not freedom FROM religion.
And tell me, are liberals not just as eager to impose their morality on America?
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
7 Jan 13
Come on Annie, you're smarter than that aren't you? Don't tell me you are unaware of all the unrelated crap democrats threw in there. I swear Annie, the democrats have thoroughly embraced the Rahm Emmanuel concept of "Don't let a good crisis go to waste." Why don't you take a look at how the vultures in your own party are trying to capitalize off the storm. Chris Matthews said flat out that he was GLAD the storm hit because it helped Obama.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
7 Jan 13
Yes, I remember that clearly. I also remember Romney/Ryan having fundraisers and collecting donations of goods and money and encouraging people to donate to the Red Cross. Of course morons on the left criticized Romney for having the audacity to purchase goods HIMSELF that were donated as part of the fundraiser.
1 person likes this
@Bluebell18 (636)
• United States
7 Jan 13
Wow, 1st off, I didn't call you any names.
Second, it's better that he and his pal encouraged people to donate to the Red Cross, but didn't they get into trouble about the donations for Hurricane Sandy? Just a thought.
Thirdly, if there's a crisis, and hypothetically speaking here, let's say for the "Goodness of Romney/Ryan's little black hearts" they did have a fundraiser. How come Jersey and the other states that were hit hard by this storm are still in shambles? Why is the governor still griping about there's no aid from our own government? What did he purchase by the way? Toilet paper? Water? Food? Where did it go? Did he pull any of those millions out of his pocket to help rebuild? Did Paul Ryan go to a shelter and washed a dish that was not clean? Did they go to any soup kitchens? Pass out blankets at the Salvation Army?
Nope. Didn't see coverage on that. It was just business as usual.
You wanna talk morons?! How moronic can you be to disappear when its an election year and you're a leading candidate representing your party and the best idea your posse can come up with is..."Hey, it's better if you showed that you care just by purchasing goods and encouraging people to donate to charity while half of the state that's run by a republican. Good idea. We all know how that panned out!
1 person likes this
@Bluebell18 (636)
• United States
7 Jan 13
Task, every politician is capitalizing off the storm. Not just liberals.
I remember that episode of 'Hardball' with Chris Matthews. He also mentioned that Romney/Ryan were nowhere to be found during the aftermath. You're smarter than that, right?
1 person likes this
@debrakcarey (19887)
• United States
7 Jan 13
Chris Christie is an idiot. Why? HE JUST IS, and he admits to being difficult to like regularly. He's PROUD of being difficult to get along with. It wasn't so much his being 'nice' to Obama, it was his letting Pres. Obama use the 90 min. he spent in N.J. for a campaign photo op and turning his back on the Republican candidate previous to that.
Here's why the bill for storm relief was held up;
http://hotair.com/archives/2013/01/04/bloomberg-blame-pork-not-boehner-for-sandy-relief-delay/
@debrakcarey (19887)
• United States
10 Jan 13
Bluebell, Chris Christie is a pompus a$$ who THINKS he may be president one day.
I DON'T listen to Rush Limbaugh btw....
And FYI, do YOU really think I CARE about YOUR opinion?
@Bluebell18 (636)
• United States
8 Jan 13
[b][/b]ALL OF YOU NEED TO WAKE UP & PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR A!@#$
Adoniah, no matter how many links or Rush Limbaugh episodes you and Deb look at and listen to, things for the matter of government are not going to change. You may think and relate that Chris Christie is an idiot?! Why? Because he wants simple aid to help out his hometown state?! Heaven forbid if your hometown state is hit with a natural disaster, red or blue for that matter, what are you going to do? If Boehner himself came to your end of devastation with a sack of money and told you to "Do what you have to do, don't worry about it," You know for a fact that you are going to take it. Don't say you won't take free money. Please.
And Deb, has it ever occurred to you that maybe...just maybe...NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR LINKS?! Get a life. Really.1 person likes this
@Bluebell18 (636)
• United States
7 Jan 13
Very interesting point, Annie. Took the words right out of my mouth.
I think it was just days before the election took place that Gov. Christie went to the airwaves in a press conference and mentioned...in fact, begged the House to get the 'liberal blue states' much needed federal aid to help them with this disaster. It's the new year and the 'Sandy' states are still in desperate need. Boehner still has a hair up his a*! (and many more conservatives for that matter) about how the Election went down. I don't think anyone was expecting the president to pull in another victory & especially when Christie "took a walk on the wild side". He said, "I really don't give a damn about this election, we just need help right now."
I think that the conservatives now are still very much bitter and want to hide their heads in the sand and not share their toys with the rest of kids. However, us liberals can play the exact same game in some instances. If there is a crisis that calls for help for our fellow civil servants, all of us, democrat, republican, independent,etc. should put our petty jealousy aside and help those that need it, now show how big our n*&$@ are.
And to all of the conservatives on this site (you know who you are) this is not the blame game. It's a non threatening conversation from one bleeding heart liberal to a conservative. We just want answers, that's all. Why aren't these people getting the help they desperately need? 
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