So Boehner didn't blame the poor for the financial crisis? Really?

[toddwv]

I guess we're supposed to forget the right-wing memes that were propagated for the past 3 years or so...

John Boehner is the Speaker of the House, a major figure in the Republican's political chain.

If the "poor" didn't cause the financial crisis in the Republicans' tiny corporate-addled minds, then why are they going after Medicaid, Social Security, W.I.C. and other social programs that have existed for decades? Why are they going after infrastructure and public education? Why are they trying to dismantle collective bargaining rights for America's workers who grow poorer and poorer each decade after Reaganomics became the "golden measure" while wealth disparity, probably the NUMBER ONE indicator of a terminally ill economy, continues to grow?

So others are whining because they are distressed that words are being put in poor John Boehner's orange-tinted mouth. Yet these words "The poor caused <insert current economic problem here>" are part and parcel of the right-wing's agenda.

I'm sick and tired of the right-wing's Reverse Robin Hood Syndrome and the apologists who enable them.

I had to sit and listen to MSNBC's coverage of the Republican's "Budget" proposal. I could have easily taken that until they trotted out some Congressional teabagger who started off with a glowing epithet to how Ryan is a hero and is brave and yada,yada,yada. I sat there with my mouth open waiting, hoping that some form of rebuttal would also be presented. Nothing, nada, zilch. The douchebag just kept prattling on with his glowing praise. So finally I turned it off and won't be turning it back on.

So some here on DU think that we should all be "ashamed" because a thread about a Boehner satire piece was recced to the top of the list. Big hairy frickin' deal. He may not have said it but it was a "too-close-to-home" cut at a meme that has been a cornerstone of right-wing economics since the Gipper lamented the "welfare queens" living high on the hog.

So cry me an orange river Boehner-bots...


Did the Poor Cause the Crisis?
Republicans claim that poor homeowners are to blame for the global financial collapse. New economic evidence proves they're wrong.
By Simon Johnson
Posted Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011, at 4:52 PM ET

The United States continues to be riven by heated debate about the causes of the 2007-09 financial crisis. Is government to blame for what went wrong, and, if so, in what sense? In December, the Republican minority on the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, weighed in with a preemptive dissenting narrative. According to this group, misguided government policies, aimed at increasing homeownership among relatively poor people, pushed too many into taking out subprime mortgages that they could not afford.

http://www.slate.com/id/2281718

ARE THE POOR TO BLAME FOR THE ECONOMIC CRISIS?
by Kristen French on Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011 at 4:49 pm

Republicans lay much of the blame for the collapse of the financial markets in 2008 and 2009 on low-income homeowners–or rather, on misguided government policies that encouraged home ownership among the relative poor. But in a column for Slate, Simon Johnson says this line of thinking is totally misguided, citing new research from Daron Acemoglu of MIT , who presented his findings at the American Finance Association’s annual meeting in early January.

http://blog.registeredrep.com/copsandcrooks/2011/02/02/are-the-poor-to-blame-for-the-economic-crisis/

More Than Half of Republicans Don’t Believe Banks Are to Blame for the Financial Crisis

By Megan Carpentier | 03.22.10 | 5:36 pm

A new ABC News poll asks what Americans have to say about the newest economic villains — banks — as they return to profitability well ahead of America’s burgeoning unemployed population. There are few surprises there: The vast majority of people don’t believe the banks have done enough to “make up” for their role in the economic meltdown — and Americans think the best way for them to help is to lower credit card interest rates, simplify their paperwork requirements and, to a lesser extent, hold off on foreclosures until the economy improves. Notably, only the last bit has been part of a government program to aid Americans during the crisis, and only to a very limited (and often paperwork-choked) degree.

More interesting than the fact that nearly 80 percent of Americans polled are angry about bonuses at banks that got bailed out is the political breakdown, at least insofar as the economic crisis is the stated reason to undertake the financial reforms that Republicans are opposing. Participants were asked whether it was “fair” that the bailed-out companies have started making money again even as non-bailed-out Americans are struggling. About 47 percent called it unfair and 48 percent called it fair — but Republicans and Democrats hardly agreed.

Republicans call the outcome fair by 55-39 percent; Democrats call it unfair by a narrower 54-44 percent. (Independents split down the middle.)

http://washingtonindependent.com/80022/more-than-half-of-republicans-dont-believe-banks-are-to-blame-for-the-financial-crisis


Republicans Blame Blacks for Financial Crisis
Conservatives are looking for a scapegoat upon which to blame the failure of Wall Street; it's the fault of black people. Fox News is the biggest culprit.

By Ed Knudson

Update: The cable news shows have been constantly talking about Sarah Palin calling Wiliam Ayers a terrorist with close associations with Obama, and Acorn, which Republicans are accusing of voter fraud in its campaign to register new voters. The news coverage has been constant on this since Palin started the attacks.

But on October 14 in an interview with Rush Limbaugh Palin agrees with Rush that the major media, the "drive-by media" Rush calls it, are refusing to cover the story:
RUSH: This is an attempt by the media to make you stop being who you are. What it means is, they're really worried about the effectiveness that you have.

GOVERNOR PALIN: Well, yeah, I guess that message is they do want me to sit down and shut up. But that's not going to happen. I care too much about this great country. Now, yes, speaking of some of those associations -- and you're right; mainstream media is not holding Barack Obama accountable -- let's talk quickly about ACORN and the unconscionable situation that we're facing right now with voter fraud. And given the ties between Obama and ACORN and the money that his campaign has sent them and the job that he had with them in the past, Obama has a responsibility to rein in ACORN and prove that he's willing to fight voter fraud. We called him on it.
Acorn is an umbrella group of community organizations which work on the benefit of poor and black communities. To attack Acorn is to attack the idea of justice for black people. McCain in his debate called Acorn a threat to the future of democracy in this nation, a ridiculous charge. It represents the classic conservative effort to blame everything on the weakest members of society. Now a little voter registration is going to destroy democracy!

http://www.socialdems.com/page.asp?PID=1069

Republicans Blame Minorities/CRA for Financial Crisis

The latest meme coming out of the right-wing is that the current financial crisis should be blamed on African American and Latino low-income home buyers, and/or on the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). That's right, they want to blame the victims of predatory lending as well as the law that was designed to prevent banks from practicing discrimination (by only making loans in wealthy neighborhoods, a practice known as redlining).

Both claims are patently false, and as we near election day and talk to our family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers, it is important to know the facts about these two bogus claims.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/03/618604/-Republicans-Blame-Minorities-CRA-for-Financial-Crisis

Conservatives try to dodge responsibility for financial crisis by blaming poor people, minorities.

In the aftermath of the financial crisis, conservative commentators have blamed the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), low-income people, minorities, and past Democratic administrations for the sub-prime mortgage meltdown:

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/30/conservative-poor-blame/

Did Poor People Cause the Global Economic Crisis, as Republicans Contend? No, Not if You Look at the Evidence.
posted January 20, 2011 - 11:17pm

[mdmc]

1. r

well put together op

[Loge23]

2. Hell yeah toddwv!!

Way to tell it!
Sure do appreciate all the "editors" on DU! Can't be posting any half-truths about liars!
Kinda like the tune they're all whistling as they pass by the graveyard of what this country used to be (and getting worse over the last few years as I see it)!

[KansDem]

3. Yeah, the poor and lazy bought too much house...

...which lead to jobs being outsourced overseas and that in turn lead to Saddam having weapons of mass destruction which started three wars and a lot of crap coming in from China don't forget about our poisoned pets, and it's all part of God's plan...and...and...

[notadmblnd]

4. I read that post and it bothered me too.

I get so tired of people coming here and attempting to run this website and implement their own rules. If one wants to make up the rules, then one should create their own forum and implement their own rules. I do not appreciate people coming here and speaking in place of the admins when the responsibility has not been placed upon them via the Moderator process.

[louslobbs]

5. K&R

Lou

[SidDithers]

6. With legitimate reasons for criticism like the ones you posted...

There's no need to make shit up.

Sid

[tammywammy]

7. +1 n/t

[Krakowiak]

8. exactly (nt)

[Krakowiak]

9. Since you are referring to my OP, I'll post my reply to you from that thread:

And I will add: Your OP proves the point I make in the last sentence of my (now locked, you might find this one meet the same fate for the same reasons) OP:

"We don't need made up articles to prove how despicable people like John Boehner are. There is plenty of actual, verifiable evidence that demonstrates it beyond a doubt."


_____________________________________________________________________

I'm poor.

I wake up every morning hoping my health coverage hasn't been dropped from the latest Washington State budget (Basic Health Plan).

I think we're all fed up, all angry, and it's been taking its toll for awhile now. The anger that DUers express in the Boehner article is REAL; I feel it too. No one is saying that because he didn't say these particular words that his actions don't bear out the sentiment behind them. But it's important, if only for the sake of keeping our side credible, to keep a look out for these sorts of fake stories that we want to be true.

This one was harmless, the next one might not be. As an example, Dan Rather lost his job over some questionable documents relating to Bush's military service. This was particularly heartbreaking, because it's pretty well known that there are some very real questions about the time Bush spent in the National Guard. We have to keep watch for these sorts of things because occasionally they are planted by the right to undermine us. Truth for truth's sake isn't a bad reason in itself. Cheers.

[Enthusiast]

10. The ones that brought on the crisis

had a ready-made explanation and were all set to shift the blame. Claims of Fanny and Freddy and poor people causing this was the first and overwhelmingly most common explanation heard in the media.

Anyone that relies on a strictly right wing information source has never even heard an alternate explanation to this day. This is what happens when we have a basically unfair and unbalanced media.