Republican Corker in a tough spot on financial reform

[TomCADem]

Source: The Tennessean

In the wake of McConnell's withering attacks on the bill, a distressed Corker took to the Senate floor Wednesday to defend his efforts while trying not to offend GOP leaders. He said criticisms of the bill's bailout-avoidance provisions were technically accurate but overblown. And he said problems with those provisions could be dealt with in "about five minutes."

By late in the week, Democratic leaders were counterattacking, and a frustrated Dodd was wondering if he'd wasted his time trying to negotiate a bipartisan bill. Democrats accused McConnell of following, almost word for word, a memo by GOP pollster and strategist Frank Luntz that said characterizing the bill as a bailout was the best way to kill it.

Such assertions are based partly on a proposal to create a $50 billion fund — paid for by industry — that would be tapped while a company is being shut down.

"That's all industry money," Corker told Gannett's Washington Bureau. "To classify that as a bailout fund, in fairness, is not intellectually pure."


Read more: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100418/COLUMNIST0106/4180329/1008/OPINION01

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ROFL! Bob Corker is essentially admitting that McConnell is lying.

[annabanana]

1. Got to tell you. I don't care who says it as long as some reasonable facsimile

on the TRUTH gets out to the incurious masses....

[HughMoran]

2. "not intellectually pure." - ummm, you mean intellectually dishonest - AKA - a FUCKING LIE

Hah, don't ever try to work with the Democrats - it serves as a counter to the GOP lie machine.

[krkaufman]

7. Yeah, that was great verbal gymnastics. n/t

[DCBob]

3. McConnel is going to lose this one..

It sounds like they have the votes to proceed even though the GOP put forward that letter signed by all 41... but it did not actually say they would all filibuster. In fact most seem to think they have the votes to pass the bill.. with some revisions.

[DesertDiamond]

4. @Dodd: Answer: Yes. You are wasting your time trying to craft a bipartisan bill.

[tomm2thumbs]

5. did someone say frank luntz?

oh dear, one of the lenses fell out of my x-ray glasses

[JDPriestly]

6. Democrats need to learn to use plain English when they talk

about Republican lies. Democrats should not make such a huge effort to be polite and civil. They gain nothing from their Republican "friends" with their coy language, and ordinary Americans can't understand what they are saying.

A lie is a lie. There is nothing unkind or discourteous or offensive about calling a lie a lie. Trying to please bullies with vague, evasive wording is very offensive, downright insulting to the public.

[TomCADem]

8. Corker Is A Republican, So He Is Not Going To Say That McConnell Is Full Of S*&t

In contrast, President Obama pretty much called McConnell for his lies about the financial reform bill, which were drawn directly from Frank Lutz's talking points.