Republican Asshole of the Day (so far)

[octoberlib]

Tweet from Ari Fleischer

Ari FleischerVerified
‏@AriFleischer
I increased donations to charity in 2012. This deal limits my deductions so I, & many others, will likely donate less in 2013.


https://twitter.com/arifleischer/status/286150110046474241




If the only reason he donates to charity is for the deductions, he needs a new soul.

[JaneyVee]

1. Like Jesus said: "Giveth to thy poor and saveth your receipts".

[antigone382]

28. In Ari's defense, I believe he's Jewish...so he can't really be judged by Jesus's statements.

However, there are plenty of verses in the Hebrew scriptures condemning greed and advocating support for the poor.

[Taverner]

29. No, he's held to an even tougher standard:

Gleanings and Harvests: The corners of fields and the grapes dropped by the workers were reserved for the poor (Deuteronomy 24:17; Leviticus 19 -10). The poor were also allowed to eat from land that lay fallow or idle in the Sabbath years (Leviticus 25:1-7; Deuteronomy 15:1-11).

Protection from Creditors: Creditors could not charge interest or keep garments (which provided warmth and doubled as one’s blanket at night), nor could they take the tools of a man’s trade as security for a loan. These provisions ensured people’s ability to earn a living and also prevented extreme hardships (Exodus 22:25-27; Deuteronomy 24:12-13).

Right to Timely Wages: The poor worker, whether a stranger or brother, was to receive his wages on the day of his labor, all the more so if he had need of it immediately (Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:14-15).

Year of Jubilee: Once every 50 years, Jubilee provided a comprehensive program of debt cancellation, liberation from indentured servitude, and the complete restoration of each family’s ancestral property, granting the poor a fresh start (Leviticus 25:8-22).


http://library.generousgiving.org/articles/display.asp?id=301

[stevenleser]

41. Correct. Ari's Rabbi is probably going to have a talk with him regarding what Tzedakah means.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzedakah

"Unlike philanthropy or charity, which is completely voluntary, tzedakah is seen as a religious obligation, which must be performed regardless of financial standing, and must even be performed by poor people. Tzedakah is considered to be one of the three main acts that can annul a less than favorable heavenly decree."
.
.
.
It is taught that Tzedakah money was never yours to begin with, rather, it always belongs to God, who merely entrusts you with it so that you may use it properly.

[Taverner]

49. He probably thinks Tea Party donations count...nt

[sulphurdunn]

43. If he attends a synagogue

it's probably one that doesn't get into that stuff anymore than a lot of Christian churches get into the Sermon on the Mount. They're the churches that preach how god has entitled his elect to be rich, that wealth is a sign of his favor, poverty of his displeasure and that charity is and expression of piety to the undeserving and worthy of reward rather than an act of compassion toward the needy for which nothing is expected in return. Sound familiar?

[antigone382]

45. Well, there ya go.

He's an asshole in any faith.

[PCIntern]

36. There is no defense for the slimy sonofabitch...

Weasel...despicable...I'm ashamed when I see him or Cantor ...just disgraceful.

[antigone382]

44. No argument there...n/t

[catbyte]

30. Good one, Janey, lol

[Angry Dragon]

2. He sold his soul to Satan a long time ago

[Loudly]

3. Ha ha, I like the "so far." n/t

[LisaLynne]

8. Yes, it is early and the day is long.

Lots of time for more stupid crap from the repugs.

[appleannie1]

4. When did he have one?

[OldDem2012]

5. Let's hear a BIG "waaaaahhhhh" for poor little Ari. nt.

[Mojorabbit]

6. I read a study a while back that stated

that the wealthy donated less to charity when tax laws did not provide them benefits for doing so. This fits right along with that study.

[MessiahRp]

51. Yep, the funny part is they use their donations to charity to argue against Government services

Why do we need Welfare or Social Security if we have private Charities helping people out? Lower my taxes because I donate to charity!

Except that they do so for PR and write-off purposes. So if we did as they said and got rid of social programs people would suffer and the rich would get richer. And if we made charity something that you did out of the goodness of your heart instead of bankrolling it with our tax dollars, well, that would close another Welfare-for-the-rich loophole and magically you'd see all these charitable organizations dry up FAST.

[niyad]

7. glad you added the "so far" as it is early yet

[KingFlorez]

9. He's always been annoying

One time I called him out for poor spelling when he attacked Public Policy Polling. Of course, he never responded, but I'm sure he saw it.

[octoberlib]

11. People are eviscerating him on Twitter for this tweet. Some of the replies are quite funny. nt

[Fumesucker]

10. "Americans need to watch what they say, watch what they do" - A Fleischer n/t

[TwilightGardener]

12. This tweet serves two purposes: "Look how generous I am!" and

"Let me keep my deductions or the kids in the orphanage GET it!"

[Sunlei]

13. what charities did he donate to? many republican political clubs are set-up as charities.

He should name the exact charities.

[octoberlib]

14. Probably ALEC , Karl Rove's Crossroads, Heartland USA nt

[Swede Atlanta]

15. Indeed...he is a fuck ass...my apologies to fuck asses around the world....

If the only reason you give to charity is for your tax deduction then your "intent" has nothing to do with charity. Even in the Jewish tradition, charity is revered. I think Jehovah won't like the idea you weren't giving for charity but rather for self-serving reasons.

Fuck you Ari. You always appeared to me to be stupid but you have revealed the true GOP-ness of your being - love of SELF.

[WashingtonConsensus]

16. kick

[Ed Suspicious]

17. Their MO seems to alway be to threaten the poor and needy. Classy mutherfuckers them publicans are.

[spanone]

18. ari is trying to remain relevant thru twitter...bwahahahahahahahaaaa

ain't gonna happen

his 15 minutes expired years ago

[SHRED]

19. Ari = me me me me me

[Iggo]

20. And that's why we gotta tax the fuck outa your rich ass, Ari.

Thanks for illustrating the need for it.

[GoCubsGo]

21. He's a Hall of Famer.

And, none of the others have souls, either.

[JoeyT]

22. Which technically makes him

the Republican asshole of the year so far.

I have little hope he'll remain that way for long. At least not over this. :/

[Poiuyt]

23. Glenn Grothman is a bigger republican asshole today

Wisconsin state Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) slammed Kwanzaa, claiming "almost no black people" care about the holiday.

"Almost no black people today care about Kwanzaa -- just white left-wingers who try to shove this down black people's throats in an effort to divide Americans," Grothman said in a press release, according to Patch.

"Why must we still hear about Kwanzaa?" Grothman asked. "Why are hard-core left wingers still trying to talk about Kwanzaa -- the supposed African-American holiday celebration between Christmas and New Year’s?"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/01/glenn-grothman_n_2392816.html

[octoberlib]

26. Welp, that only took a couple of hours.

Unbelievable.

[Hekate]

27. Wowie -- and Grothman would know this how?

I suppose "some of his best friends are black" if you count guys like Ken Blackwell, Alan Keyes, and Clarence Thomas.

If Grothman somehow feels threatened by another group's holiday -- secular and yet spiritual at the same time -- I really have to wonder about him.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

24. Slimy bastard - always was. n/t

[Hekate]

25. My fave reply is from Esther...

"I donate to charity and I don't even itemize on my taxes. It's a mitzvah, you shouldn't expect something in return."

Thank you for stating (what should be) the obvious, Esther. That is how we do it, and we don't have anywhere near Ari "Sweating Weasel" Fleischer's income. It's a mitzvah.

[Ednahilda]

38. Esther is absolutely right!

Real charity comes from the heart and doesn't require a pat on the back from the state. Even when we were making enough to actually itemize our taxes I never declared money I sent to political organizations, because I didn't think the IRS had any business knowing whom I was supporting. For the last half-dozen years we haven't been able to itemize, but our donations have increased because we've been relatively lucky during the economic downturn while others have not.

As usual, Charles Dickens was way ahead of us on this. Too bad so many people watch "A Christmas Carol" this time of year - maybe even Mr. Fleischer - yet seem to learn nothing from it:

'Business!' cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. 'Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business.'

[AgingAmerican]

31. Colonel Klink

This has been a meme with Republicans for the last couple years. "Raise taxes and I stop donating to charity," or, "Raise taxes and I fire all my employees," etc.

Soulless SOBs.

[jberryhill]

32. No tree for Israel this year, eh Ari?

[Odin2005]

33. These are the same people that think fear of eternam damnation...

...is what keeps people from murdering other people.

[Plucketeer]

34. Hah! Even the needy have "standards"

Ari could get by giving less if recipients knew where it came from.

[ReRe]

35. Figures......

............those low-life worms. Requiring a thank you, a receipt for tax deductions or any recognition publicly defeats the purpose of donating in the first place. All they do is parade around with their religion on their sleeves, and then open their mouths and spill the beans of hypocrisy by saying they won't donate if they can't get a tax receipt. Donating/giving is about the receiver, NOT about the donor. It makes you wonder what kind of "church" they go to.

[Vanje]

37. It physically hurt me to read that quote.

And now ,I need a tissue.

[Cali_Democrat]

39. Hey Ari

Go fuck yourself.

[Major Nikon]

40. Seeing as how most wingnuts like him are giving to religious organizations anyway...

seems like an added benefit to progressive causes.

[CBHagman]

42. That certainly seems to depart from the spirit of the whole process.

And on top of that, he's attempting to blame his behavior on someone else's.

[obamamyprez]

46. What a jackass

[El Shaman]

47. A real honest-to-goodness:

'schmuck'!!!

[Skittles]

48. OMG ARI IS SUCH A FUCKING ASSHOLE

[donheld]

50. Response.

‏@donheld7
@AriFleischer Inasmuch as you've done it unto the least of these you've done it unto me. #JesusChrist