The Rooney Report

Breaking News: Brown wants tax cuts for corporations and the rich

It's no surprise to me, but for all of you suburban saps who voted for Scott Brown -- your Senator elect really represents corporations and the really, really rich. 

Appearing with Boston Mayor Tom Menino today, Brown said he "appreciates" the president's efforts to enact middle class tax cuts, but similar tax cuts should be extended to corporations and wealthy capitalists to stimulate job creation.

Ah, just what we need.  Funny, I don't remember you telling the working class guys on the streets of Southie and Lowell that one. 

You mean we should once again subsidize the corporations and capitalists who enjoyed massive tax cuts during King George's eight-year regime and then outsourced or eliminated all of our jobs? The rich got the biggest tax cut in history and then spent the next decade, in collusion with the criminal, inept Republican administration, fleecing the American people.

You claimed to be a man of the people. You claimed that you represented the interests of the working people, good people who lost their jobs under the last Republican administration but sold their soul and gave their vote to you out of desperation.  Mr Brown: You lied to them. 

Here's what he is quoted saying today on Boston.com:  

"While I appreciate his efforts for middle-class tax cuts, we need an across-the-board tax cut for everybody to stimulate the entire economy, payroll taxes in particular," Brown said. "You can give all the middle-class tax cuts you want, but if you don't get ... people creating jobs -- the businesses to create jobs -- what good is it going to do?

Brown also said that when he gets to meet the president and Vice President Joe Biden, he will tell them that Massachusetts -- where he scored a stunning upset a week ago -- is a "microcosm of what's happening nationally – people are very concerned about work." And he said he was glad the president has "shifted gears" and is focusing on the economy.

How arrogant.  Hey, thanks for appreciating the efforts of President Obama. How nice of you. But neither he nor the American people need your counsel. 

Here's a reality check for you and your followers, who can't seem to grasp that it was the Republicans that killed our economy and our jobs, and that under the one-year-old Obama administration:

-- the rate of job losses has slowed.

-- a massive depression was avoided by saving the banking/financial sector. (in fact, taxpayers are enjoying interest on those loans. 

-- stimulus packages have worked very well, say leading economists, including McCain's former economic policy advisor -- who said more are needed.

Obama is working vigorously to turn the ship, but given the staggering damage inflicted by the Republicans, it will take years before it is righted. The corporations had their chance and blew it. Sure, the government ought to provide tax incentives to corporations to stimulate job creation -- but that's it. No more handouts. 

Mr Brown: You did nothing for the state of Massachusetts during your multiple years as state representative and state senator and you will likely do little as US Senator -- aside from aiding and abetting the obstructionists and lobbying for the rich. We are on the right track and don't need a bunch of Republicans deliberately screwing it up to line their own pockets.

You are not there to represent the interests of the people. You are there to represent the interests of the Republicans and yourself. You will do as you are told by GOP leaders in Washington, D.C. in order to secure their support in your re-election campaign.

But I see you. We see you. And you won't get support next time around. 

Browns Love The White Hot Hot Hot Spotlight

Anybody notice how the Scott Brown family is obsessed with being on camera? 

It's awesome that they're all so gorgeous, spectacular and successful. But the obsession with being shot and filmed is downright weird if not narcissistic. 

Scott Brown's Cosmo spread -- real family values. He's beautiful, no doubt. But consider his wife, WCVB-TV reporter Gail Huff, who, according to the Huffington Post, did her own little naughty video before her transformation into a serious journalist. 

What do I know? Sex sells. 

Then there's beautiful Ayla, our American Idol hero who appeared on the show  -- with her hunky Dad. On camera. That's right. Scott Brown appeared on the show with his daughter. 

What will second daughter Arianna do? 

It's laudable that the Brown family aspires high and advances their interests. But their obsession with the public attention -- in combination with the early kinky stuff -- gives me the creeps. 

If Martha Coakley got nailed with a nudi spread, or a naughty video like Huff, she'd be run out of town by the Republicans. 

Let's Have A Party

Republicans have their Tea Party. What about one for Democrats? 

My name is Paula Rooney and I am a 45-year-old woman, partner, mother and resident of Scituate, Mass. I think it's high time we form a united front against the Republican machine -- a citizens group to counter the Tea Party.

Member count? So far, one -- me. 

That makes it an authentic grassroots movement. 

What does that mean? 

It means I am not quietly funded by a slick, Rove-like Washington-based political consultancy for Democrats -- though at times I do wish one existed. 

A citizens group may be helped by the Democratic Party -- but not run by it.  Our main objective would be to promote our values and the ideals of the Democratic Party --you know -- silly little things like supporting the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. 

Another important objective would be to help and support good Democratic candidates and elected officials facing character assassination by the Republican operatives, and their deep pocketed corporate backers. Let's make them accountable for a change.

Why? There are millions of people like me in Massachusetts and beyond who are frustrated and concerned about the dangers to Democracy posed by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and their listeners -- many of whom belong to right wing Republican groups like FreedomWorks and the Tea Party. 

I believe that those are fringe groups and that people like us vastly outnumber people like them. Yet we must acknowledge that the Republican party has been far more effective at rallying and unifying those people into a powerful group.  

We have all silently stood by and witnessed the devastation visited on our nation by the Republican agenda.  And this week, we looked upon with horror the victory of the Republican machine -- well oiled with tons of corporate funding -- in our hallowed state. Perhaps Martha Coakley did not campaign enough. But her record is unblemished and accomplishments for the state of Massachusetts are too numerous to name. 

The Republican machine's ability to step in to Massachusetts at the last minute, trash such a worthy public servant, and take a no-name superficial pinup boy from virtual obscurity to stardom overnight makes that clear. Massachusetts is the ground zero of liberty and democracy. If they can do it here, they can do it anywhere. And they plan to -- starting with Indiana. Will we sit idly by again?

I, for one, will not. I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter and I will not stand and watch the Republican machine, its allied corporate cartels and mob mentality stomp on the ideals of democracy and reduce us to a second class nation.  Bush has done enough damage. Let's try to stop what we can from this day forward.

Democrats tend to be sensible, logical and reasonable people. And too nice. It's time to fight fire with fire. 

Forget about reaching across the aisle. Let's get our agenda done. 

How? We need a new umbrella organization that unifies like minded citizens. MoveOn.org is great. But the Democratic Party has not been able to unify its diverse constituency in a  way that translates well for the camera.  

Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann are terrific, but they can't fight this powerful army alone. We are an intelligent, progressive, dynamic, hip and happening force whose collective intelligence can be tapped to expose the hollow positions of the Tea Party and bring the Republican machine to its knees. 

Let's unify and fight. Let's show up for our brothers and sisters in Indiana and elsewhere. 

We have the right to peacefully assemble and we should. Why not protest? Why not hold signs with our messages?  George Bush popularized stupidity. Let's kill it -- with words, with firmness, with conviction, and with class. We need large numbers of people to show up. Large numbers bring cameras. Large numbers change public opinion. 

The Republicans may try to block us, but let's have our lawyers ready to file challenges. Let's get the Student Democratic Society chapters going strong again. Let's do it peacefully. Let's give our children a better world to live in than the one Republicans envision. 

Let's get this party rolling.  On Boston Common?  Where and when? Please let me know what you think!