GOP's Hostage-Taking Tactics (for 12/25/11)

In a broken political system, one thing that makes every non-Republican angry is the Republicans' history of holding publicly beneficial programs or policies captive to their extreme demands. Current Republican Presidential contender Newt Gingrich used this mindset to shut down the U.S. Government when he was Speaker of the House in 1995 and 1996. The GOP did this to get the Bush Tax Cuts for the Wealthy extended for another two years. It started with Richard Nixon's 1968 sabotage of President Lyndon B. Johnson's Vietnam peace talks to win the election. Republicans did it again in 1980 as they secretly conspired with Iranian radicals to delay the release of 52 American hostages, helping Republicans to win back the White House from Jimmy Carter. Out of fear, both Johnson and Carter did not go to the public to expose these shady dealings. Republicans currently use these tactics on President Obama on issues such as job creation, the debt ceiling, and the payroll tax holiday. Democrats usually cave in without making the GOP pay a strong political price. http://www.alternet.org/story/153559/the_gop%27s_long%2C_sordid_history_of_shameless_hostage-taking/

Senator Kyl: If you Want Middle Class Tax Cuts, Give the Rich a Massive Tax Cut (for 12/5/11)

Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona says he can support the payroll tax holiday in return for another extension of the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts benefitting the wealthiest Americans. http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/12/05/382453/kyl-could-support-a-middle-class-tax-cut-but-only-if-the-rich-get-a-massive-tax-break-too/