Vicky Hartzler

Looks like tea party darling Vicky Hartzler has gotten herself an opponent!

From the Cass County Democrat Missourian:

Hensley to Challenge Hartzler

Cass County Prosecuting Attorney Teresa Hensley is preparing to challenge Republican freshman U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler in November for her congressional seat.

"This country is facing difficult issues," Hensley said late Friday afternoon. "I want to be part of those discussions. I am forming a committee and will be making a formal announcement in the near future."

"I just love her to death as a candidate for this seat,” [Don Long, chairman of the Cass County Democratic Central Committee] said. “She's just the person to represent the working people of the 4th District, and not the special interests. We need someone who will fight to save Medicare and Social Security. Teresa is the consummate person to represent us in Washington.”

The Democratic political blog "Show Me Progress" posted a headline late in the day Jan. 19 proclaiming Hensley as the challenger to Hartzler in 2012. Underneath the headline, the blog posted an email it had received describing Hensley's accomplishments as the Cass County Prosecuting Attorney and her beliefs as they translate to Congress.

"Hensley will provide a strong independent voice for the middle class," the email read.

Emphasis added.

Fighting to protect Medicare and Social Security?  Fighting for Missouri's middle class?  SIGN ME UP.

KCTV sums it up:

HOUSE DECISION WOULD RAISE YOUR TAXES

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -The U.S. House of Representatives failed to take action Tuesday to extend the payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits for millions.

The House rejected a two-month extension to 160 million Americans on their payroll taxes. This means if you made $50,000 annually then you'll pay about $1,000 more in taxes in 2012.

The Senate-approved bill would have allowed millions of unemployed Americans to continue receiving jobless benefits.

This afternoon, in a purely political move, House republicans voted to hike taxes on 160 million working Americans effective January 1 by rejecting the Senate's extension of the payroll tax cut.

By a final vote of 229 - 113, including Rep. Akin, Rep. Emerson, Rep. Graves, Rep. Hartzler, Rep. Long, and Rep. Luetkemeyer, republicans violated their pledge of not raising taxes.

Here we are, in the middle of a horrible recession and enduring a debate about continuing the payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans, less than a week before Christmas and all Rep. Vicky Hartzler can do is complain about having to go to work.

Today is the 99 in DC day of action on Capitol Hill where thousands of workers, students, veterans and the unemployed are asking our representatives to listen to the concerns of the 99% instead of consistently protecting the 1%.

In Representative Vicky Hartzler's office this afternoon, a number of contituents visited her office in an effort to meet with her and were forcibly removed.  One of her constituents opted to wait for Hartzler in her waiting room and was subsequently arrested.

Arrested.

Arrested for asking to meet with their Representative.

Unconscionable.  It's obvious that Hartzler would rather continue to protect the 1% from having to pay their fair share; and then when confronted with the truth and her own constituents, chooses to have them arrested instead of listening to their concerns.

See video of the action taking place in DC below:

Over at Right Wing Watch, they have a recording of an interview of our very own Right Wing Fringe Representative Vicky Hartzler.  In the interview, Hartzler is talking with Family Research Council president Tony Perkins and they get into a discussion of religious freedom and how the recent building of a pagan worship center at the Air Force Academy was "promotion" of "fringe religions."  Towards the end of the interview, Hartlzer goes on to call this "crazy."

However, in Hartzler's mind, it's no problem if the government "defends" the practice of religion, especially if it's Christianity, America's "main religion" in her view.  I guess Hartzler missed the part of history class where we're taught that we have freedom of reglion here in this country and there is no state-sanctioned religion.

Perkins: Do you see this as a part of a growing trend that we see that there is really kind of a marginalization of Christianity and almost a promotion of other forms of, I would have to say, fringe religions?

Hartzler: I agree, I think so. Christianity is the main religion in our country and as a policy for the Department of Defense we need to defend the practice of religion but we do not have to obligate taxpayer funds to facilitate or accommodate it or pay for it.

Unsurprisingly, Republican politicians like Ed Martin and Vicky Hartzler see the S&P downgrade of the United States’ credit rating as nothing more than reinforcement for the stubborn stance on fiscal policy. However, the S&P’s statement on the debt downgrade suggests that a more aggressive debt reduction plan, similar to the one advocated for by President Obama, could help stabilize our country’s debt situation. 

Here is what Ed Martin had to say in a statement, which disregards all the spending during the Bush administration and the call for an end to outrageous political posturing: 

The reckoning is on its way, and congress did nothing more than what it always does – spend money today, promise cuts tomorrow. For decades this has been the case, and the President's party's intractable desire for more spending destroyed an opportunity to take appropriate action.

And Vicky Hartzler took to Twitter to provide some spin about why her vote against a deal to raise the debt ceiling and cut spending is exactly what S&P wanted: 

S&P's decision to downgrade our credit rating is no surprise: the debt ceiling package wasn't big enough--one reason I voted 'no'.

UPDATE: It seems Billy Long didn't look too closely at S&P's downgrade justification either. 

In reality, S&P suggests that letting the Bush tax cuts on the highest earners expire would be a step that could help stabilize the United States’ debt situation.

On the other hand, as our upside scenario highlights, if the recommendations of the Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction--independently or coupled with other initiatives, such as the lapsing of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for high earners--lead to fiscal consolidation measures beyond the minimum mandated, and we believe they are likely to slow the deterioration of the government's debt dynamics, the long-term rating could stabilize at 'AA+'.

If only Republican Congressional leaders like Eric Cantor didn’t take revenue increases off the negotiating table, maybe we could have avoided a downgrade all together. 

Tweeting about the weather seems inocuous enough. The exception is when you use the weather on a particular day to justify your denial of climate change, even though national academies of science in many civilized nations say global warming is real. 

However, Vicky Hartlzer wasn't really mocking anyone when she asked her Twitter followers to pray for rain today. Similarly, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin asked the people of her state to pray for rain during a drought in her state. No doubt this heat wave has been brutal in Missouri -- just look at the record highs set in July. 

Maybe it is time to stop treating climate change like it is a joke as well. In fact, people of faith have called for action to be taken to reverse the trends of global warming. People of science and people of faith can be one in the same. 

During the past week, Republicans like Representatives Vicky Hartzler, Todd Akin and Billy Long have suggested that letting the government default on its debt is really not that big of a deal. Never mind the fact that failing to raise the debt limit could plunge our economy into a deep, dark hole.

Well, someone decided to ask Senator Roy Blunt why he thought his colleagues were suggesting that it might be acceptable not to raise the debt ceiling.

Rep. Todd Akin, R-Wildwood, said this week he thought missing the Aug. 2 deadline would offer a lesson in living within our means and "shock us as a nation into saying that we really have to deal with this problem."

Responding to a question, Blunt said he had no explanation as to why some of his fellow Republicans feel that way.

"I do think there will be problems if we don't change the debt limit and I do think there will be problems if we change the debt limit and don't change behavior," he said.

Blunt should have said I have no explanation because that is a completely reckless and irresponsible position. When Roy Blunt sounds a bit like voice of moderation and sanity for the Republican party, something has gone terribly wrong.

I am pretty sure that credit agencies want the debt limit gone completely, but I am just going off of what they actually say. Vicky Hartzler on the other hand…

But Hartzler insisted that the bigger threat to the United States’ credit rating is the deficit itself. She said it’s an issue that could only be resolved through the kind of hard and fast spending limits proposed in the House bill.

“(Bond rating services are) not saying we’re going to downgrade your credit rating because you don’t raise the debt limit and borrow more,” Hartzler said. “They’re saying that the real threat to our economy and our credit rating is because congress has not passed something like the cut, cap and balance plan.”

Vicky Hartzler took a considerable amount of heat for comparing gay marriage to polygamy, incest and three-year-olds driving cars, but she would really prefer that people not take offense to those stances.  

At a town hall meeting in Butler, Mo., she was asked by a young man who is gay about her position on gay marriage. In response, she said that she is not trying to change the law, and he shouldn't feel bad about her stance:

ALEX: The 2004 amendment to ban same-sex marriage…in combination with the statement you made earlier this month where you said…allowing same-sex marriage would start us down a slippery slope toward things like sanctioned incest and bestiality. How do you think…

 

HARTZLER: No, no, no, you misunder…. That was a mis… a misunderstanding of the quote…. That was really taken out of context.

 

ALEX: How do you think that makes young people, like me, who are gay feel about ourselves, to come up in a society that to us seems like it doesn’t value us in the same way straight people are valued?

 

HARTZLER: We’re not the ones changing the policy. Ok, so you shouldn’t feel bad at all.

 

ALEX: Why shouldn’t I feel bad if there’s an amendment, if you champion an amendment prohibiting me from…

 

HARTZLER: Right now it has been the law of the land for a long time. Marriage is between a man and a woman. All we did in 2004 is just put that in the constitution. So we’re not changing policy at all. And, anyway, so you shouldn’t feel bad. Anyway, It was nice to meet you guys.

This seems to be a trend among conservatives in Missouri lately. They want to say things that denigrate people’s beliefs without them taking offense. Here is video of the exchange:

h/t Joe.My.God and ThinkProgress

Who could have guessed that Americans don't like the plan to privatize Medicare supported by Todd Akin, Roy Blunt, Vicky Hartzler, Jo Ann Emerson, Billy Long, Sam Graves and Blaine Luetkemeyer?  

According to the new CBS News poll, 31 percent of Americans support converting Medicare into a sort of voucher program. Fifty-eight percent said they support keeping the program’s existing structure intact.

[The House GOP plan supported by all of the Missouri Republicans in Washington] plan would eliminate the traditional single-payer Medicare system and replace it with vouchers that could be used in the private insurance market.

From Right Wing Watch:  "Yesterday, [Vicky] Hartzler addressed Eagle Forum Collegians 2011 Summit in Washington on why young people should oppose marriage equality. Joined by Eagle Forum head Phyllis Schlafly, Hartzler compared gay marriage to polygamy and incest, and later argued that we shouldn’t give equal marriage rights to gay couples just as 'it’s not a right of a three-year old to drive a car.'"

h/t Think Progress 

No one could have predicted that the House GOP's plan to phase out Medicare as we know it while giving the very wealthy even more tax cuts would be unpopular: "Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich distanced himself on Sunday from a House GOP plan to make cuts to Medicare, calling it 'too big a jump' for the American people."

From Meet the Press:

Boo hoo: Vicky Hartzler, Billy Long and 39 other Republican freshmanare asking President Obama to "rein in" criticism of their votes to phase out Medicare and replace it with a voucher program that will radically alter the lives of seniors for the worse.

This plea comes just months after Hartzler, Long and almost every other federal Republican candidate spewed disingenuous claims about Democrats "cutting" Medicare, and comes as Hartzler continues to lie about the health care reforms passed by Democrats.

If Billy Long and Vicky Hartzler don't want constituents to get grumpy about their votes, they should rethink how they're voting. 

Read their plea here.

Vicky Hartlzer says "It would be a mistake to withdraw from Afghanistan before the job is done." 

What does that actually mean?  

The DSCC is slamming Todd Akin today (release below the fold) for voting against a measure that would repeal tax credits for the five largest oil companies.  Sam Graves, Vicky Hartzler, Billy Long and Blaine Luetkemeyer also voted to protect the big oil tax breaks. 

ThinkProgress summarizes Thursday's vote:

Exxon Mobil is by far the most profitable company in the new Fortune 500 list, riding “high oil prices to a staggering $30 billion in income” in 2010. Exxon made over $10 billion more than fellow oil giant Chevron, the third most profitable company (AT&T edged out Chevron for the number two spot). ConocoPhillips’ $11.4 billion in profits put it in the 16th spot, giving the three oil giants a combined $60.9 billion in profits in 2010.

Today, the Republicans in the House of Representatives celebrated this massive redistribution of wealth from American families to oil executives. With the support of 7 oil-patch Democrats, 234 Republicans voted to block a bill to eliminate a $1.8 billion annual subsidy that treats oil drilling as “domestic manufacturing”...

As they did in March, House Republicans voted unanimously to defend these wasteful, unaffordable and unfair oil subsidies, even though several members told their constituents they want to end them.

Michael Bersin of Show Me Progress transcribes comments from Rep. Vicky Hartlzer at a recent town hall:

We repealed the government takeover of health care. That, that's my version, yes, it's biased, but I can't remember the name. It's fancy name name, the path, uh, the patient protection, well, anyway, you remember, you know what bill I'm talking about. The Pre, the one which passed last year. Anyway, that is very, very costly and very onerous for job creation. Because it, health care costs for business are huge and now they cost have go, gone up even higher. So, the Path to Prosperity, uh, repeals that. In doing that it reduces the national debt which helps reduce that uncertainty, that dark cloud over businesses' heads...

Repealing health care reform would increase the deficit by $210 billion over 10 years, and health care reform was never and is not a "government takeover of health care."