Today’s Register Star coverage of the Kinderhook Gibson Office "Drop By".
The following above the fold front page photo was the Register Star’s depiction of the peaceful and civil “drop by” attended by people from Dutchess, Greene and Columbia Counties.
A neighbor on her way to the post office, Diane Welton entered the fray with the assertion that her research indicated that the Obama administration had hidden away in it health care bill secret provisions for an army to serve at the presidents discretion….
The front page article today’s Register Star is a prime example of successful spin by Congressman Gibson. The article is just beneath the photo of the lone Tea Party person who loudly interrupted the civil and peaceful proceeding. The article then prints Congressman Gibson’s spin on the protests throughout the district. Only the photographer attended the gathering. There was no reporting upon the issues raised by the various speakers.
All participants were invited to speak from a podium and many of the over 40 people did. The lone Tea Partier just shouted inanities from the middle of the crowd. The issues were:
1. Where are the jobs?
2. Extend the Debt limit
3. Save Social Security
4. Save Medicare
5. Save Medicaid
Many signs repeated these often stated issues. The peaceful nature of the protest is shown here with people patiently waiting to be heard at the make shift podium. The only lack of civility was the yelling by the Gibson Tea Party supporter.
Mr. Gibson’s purported responses are reported in the Register Star, even though Mr. Gibson was in Washington. Those reported responses were:
1. Jobs. Not addressed except to say that: keeping taxes low while spending less will eventually grow the economy… Since lack of jobs is the immediate need, how long does he think it will take to “eventually grow the economy"?
2. Debt Limit. Mr. Gibson claims that the “debt ceiling needs to be raised”. However, he claims the only bill he voted for was the “Cut, Cap and Balance” proposal. Not only was that shear posturing so he and the rest of the GOP could claim they did something, it like Speaker Boehner’s proposal isn’t consistent with the Ryan Budget, which Congressman Gibson’s also voted for. The Ryan Budget would be unconstitutional under any of the Balanced Budget Amendment proposals. In addition the GOP has refused to identify the “cuts”. Many former GOP leaders have pointed out the craziness of idea. Bill Hoagland, a budget adviser to Republican leaders from 1982 to 2007, called the amendment “a political cheap shot,” while Scott Galupo, a former staffer for Boehner, has called the idea “quite simply, insane.”
Although Mr. Gibson gives lip service to the idea of the increase in the debt ceiling, he is following Speaker Boehner’s and the Tea party mandates right down the line.
3. Medicare. Mr. Gibson says in his Register Star that he “concurs “with the protesters concerns. However the Ryan Budget which he voted for destroys the current Medicare system and substitutes an uncontrolled market based system by which seniors would purchase medical policies. Under this plan seniors would pay over $ 6,000.00 per year more than they are paying now. Plus it cuts the amount to be spent on Medicare by $ 500 Billion dollars.
4. Social Security, he has refused to sign a pledge submitted by local people that he would protect Social Security but has signed the Grover Norquest pledge, which, if followed will destroy Social Security.
5. Medicaid. This program which not only helps the poor with their medical care, it is the single biggest supporter of our Nursing Homes. Without Medicaid – no middle class person could afford Nursing home care.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
