From the GOP's lips to Obama's deaf, or egotistical, ears

Hey, Preznit Kumbaya? What you told Peter Baker in the NYT Mag interview about how the GOP would have to cooperate after the midterms?

Here's the GOP's answer: Fuhgeddaboutit.

If you want it spelled out, Preznit Numbnuts, your melliflurous voice and self-legendary charm will be of ZERO avail:

"Look, the time to go along and get along is over," said Rep. Mike Pence (Ind.), the chairman of the House Republican Conference. "House Republicans know that. We’ve taken firm and principled stands against their big government plans throughout this Congress, and we’ve got, if the American people will send them, we’ve got a cavalry of men and women headed to Washington, D.C. that are going to stand with us."

Pence said his party wouldn't compromise on issues like spending or healthcare reform, two of the weightiest items on Congress's agenda next year, when the Republicans could control one or both chambers.

"Look, there will be no compromise on stopping runaway spending, deficits and debt. There will be no compromise on repealing Obamacare. There will be no compromise on stopping Democrats from growing government and raising taxes," Pence told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt Thursday evening. "And if I haven’t been clear enough yet, let me say again: No compromise."

So, doorknob help me, if I hear one more Kumbaya chorus out of your ass ...

Texas Rep. hypocritically whines about govt

Hey, Kevin Brady, if you want more DC Metro trains for the “tea party” last weekend (and Metro doesn’t boost train schedules for a LOT of events, I’ll bet), why don’t you figure out how to pay for them? Wouldn’t your whine be big-spending “conservativism”?

Kumbaya Prez gets GOP reality check

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.), on Monday, plans on introducing a resolution demanding President Barack Obama apologize for his comments about Cambridge Police Sergeant James Crowley after his arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates last week.

And, since Crowley is a police officer, other GOPers will surely play up the law-and-order angle. How many, remains to be seen. Will Jim DeMint introduce something similar in the Senate?

Lenders’ bailout Day 3 roundup

Bewildered GOP blamed by country; China calls for calm, Lehman gets HUGE bonuses; Obama’s well-heeled campaign donors

First, the House GOP reportedly is “bewildered” by the financial crisis. They’re actually bewildered by the political play out in Peoria, and with good reason …

The GOP is blamed for the crisis — by a 2-1 margin — out in Peoria and elsewhere. In some Rust Belt House seats and borderline Senate seats, you’re going to see a lot of Republicans looking like the Flip-Flop Express on this baby.

Surveys also show an eight-point jump in Palin unfavorables and more.

In what would be schadenfreude auf spaten if not for its high seriousness quotient, China is calling for currency calmness, claiming we face a “financial tsumani.” After all those years we’ve been trying to get Beijing to adjust the renminbi, and now, it gets to rub this in the collective American financial face.

At the same time, Beijing is clearly concerned.

Meanwhile, even as Congressional Dems demand CEO pay restraint as part of Crazy Uncle Henry’s bailout, top staff at Lehman Brothers apparently “forget” to take heed — $2.5 billion times.

Up to 10,000 staff at the New York office of the bankrupt investment bank Lehman Brothers will share a bonus pool set aside for them that is worth $2.5bn (£1.4bn), Barclays Bank, which is buying the business, confirmed last night. …

Many of Lehman's UK staff are particularly angry about the US payouts because it has emerged that in the days running up to the bankruptcy, some $8bn in cash was transferred out of the account of the bank's European business into accounts at the New York head office.

Well, that steaming pile of crap ought to smell good in the halls of Congress today.

Meanwhile, at one of the two “survivors,” Goldman Sachs, they average — AVERAGE — $521,000 a year, secretaries included, in 2006. The old Hankster, before deigning to enter the public sector, cleared a cool $38 mil.

That’s how GS can afford to be Obama’s top campaign donor.

Is it any wonder Obama wants to kick regulatory reform of the finance sector down the road past Nov. 4?

Watch out for the duopoly.

Kay Granger tries to explain House GOP political backpedal

Fort Worth Republican Congresswoman Kay Granger valiantly but unsuccessfully tries to explain to pull the wool over the eyes of voters why the GOP agenda is vegetarian this year.

Where is the missing (so far) red meat of guns, God, flag-burnings and abortion? Heck, the GOP hasn’t (so far) even jumped on the California Supreme Court gay marriage ruling.

Here’s Texas’ Little Kay (as opposed to LaPorte’s Cheerleader Kay):

“This may not be the family agenda you expected from Republicans,’’ said Rep. Kay Granger , R-Texas, who was in charge of formulating the “American Families Agenda,’’ the first part of the party’s “Change You Deserve’’ 2008 platform. “It is a change. In the past, the Republican agenda for families was about social issues. This is more straight-forward, talking to families where they are, not where you want them to be.’’

To the degree this is a real shift, rather than eye candy, or bait-and-switch, it’s true that it’s made more difficult by social conservatives diffidence, skepticism or worse toward John McCain.

Speaking of that, not all of Texas’ GOP Congressional delegation is down with the soft shoe. Jeb Hensarling wants some artery-clogging USDA Prime red meat on his plate:

Hensarling , leader of the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC), said there’s no concern about where Republican leaders stand. “We are the family party, for heavens’ sake. I have no fear on that score,’’ said Hensarling, whose group of more than 100 conservatives is the largest bloc in the House GOP caucus.

Hensarling has called a special meeting of the RSC for midday Tuesday to discuss “how best to go forward and define House Republicans’’ and keep conservative issues center stage. On Friday, he sent out a memo appealing to members to return from their districts in time to attend the session.

Will Granger, if she crashes the party, and Hensarling get into it? Could be fun to be a fly on that wall.