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twitterRepublicans don’t let facts get in their way
Response to Obama’s Tuesday address takes fallacious swipe at Las Vegas
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal delivers the Republican Party’s official response Tuesday to President Barack Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress.
Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Gov. Jindal's GOP response
President Obama's remarks
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Washington — Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal leveled a colorful if well-worn zinger at Democrats and at Las Vegas on Tuesday in the nationally broadcast Republican response to the president’s address to Congress.
Jindal repeated a favorite Republican explanation for why they voted en masse against President Barack Obama’s $787 billion economic recovery package. He said the bill “is larded with wasteful spending” that includes “$8 billion for high-speed rail projects, such as a magnetic levitation line from Las Vegas to Disneyland.”
It was a strong line, one Republicans have used for weeks.
And it is false.
The bill includes no money for the long-sought high-speed rail link between Southern California and Las Vegas. Instead, the recovery bill signed into law last week allocates $8 billion and launches a competitive process requiring proposals for high-speed rail projects to compete for the money.
“There’s nothing in the language that says, ‘Las Vegas to Disneyland,’ ” said Rob Kulat, a spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration.
So far, at least 11 rail and four magnetic levitation trains, called maglev, are among those likely eligible to apply, according to the Federal Rail Administration. The Transportation Department agency will draft a plan within 60 days for allocating the funding.
The line to Las Vegas has been dreamed of for more than 20 years to ease congestion on the heavily traveled and often dangerous roadways from California.
Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley, who represents Las Vegas and is in favor of the train, believes Jindal was “playing fast and loose with the facts,” a spokesman said. “In this case the lie is the money is going to come to Nevada no matter what.”
But the facts about the proposed train haven’t deterred a long list of Republican opponents of the recovery plan from singling out the Vegas train as a code word for waste — “Sin City Express,” as one lawmaker put it.
The train story came to life two weeks ago after the Associated Press discovered that $2 billion in high-speed rail funding had been increased to $8 billion after a long night of final negotiations over the bill. The story noted that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a supporter of the train to Las Vegas, was a chief negotiator.
Reid insisted that the Las Vegas train would have to compete with all the others, and that Obama had supported the increased allotment. But that was lost in the din that ensued in the final days of the debate.
Days afterward, Politico’s David Rogers reported that Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, had been the one who pushed for the increased rail funding. Emanuel was working on behalf of the president, who believes in the promise of expanded rail capacity.
Rogers got this reaction from Reid over the fire storm that had engulfed him: “It’s amazing. I’m stunned ... I’ll take credit but frankly didn’t have much to do with it other than carry forward what Obama wanted.”
Lawmakers who railed against the train were trying to tarnish not only Reid but also Las Vegas as a symbol of excess. That attempt began a month earlier as Congress debated whether Las Vegas’ proposed mob museum would qualify for federal stimulus funding. Obama opened the door further when he suggested bankers receiving federal bailout money should not meet in Las Vegas on the taxpayers’ dime.
Suddenly Vegas was becoming a toxic asset. At least one conference on the Strip was canceled.
Ross Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University, said Republicans are in dicey terrain picking on Las Vegas.
“To take aim at a state which is definitely a swing state and to ridicule a project is not smart politics,” Baker said.
“Probably a lot of people who vote Republican go to Vegas and play the slots,” he said. “If the Republicans want to get the votes of the people who work in the casinos or serve at the restaurants, it’s not a great thing for them to do.”
As for what comedian Stephen Colbert might call the “truthiness” of Jindal’s train-bashing comments, Baker said it comes with the territory of political speeches.
“It’s unfortunately a fairly common practice,” Baker said. “False inferences — causing people to draw sinister conclusions about things that are otherwise innocent — is unfortunately the ammunition of many politicians.”
The professor added: “I imagine John Ensign was gnashing his teeth when he heard that.”
Ensign, in fact, said Wednesday that he had not heard Jindal’s speech. Ensign opposes spending federal dollars on the train, but believes the Vegas bashing is part of the Republican Party’s efforts to go after Reid and the House speaker — and it’s got to stop.
“It’s being used, I’m sure, because of Sen. Reid, because he’s the majority leader, just like anything they can use against Nancy Pelosi — that’s just a national target,” Ensign said.
Ensign said such comments, including Obama’s, hurt the tip-earning waiters and bell hops who suffer the most when visitor traffic declines.
“It sends the wrong signal.”
Reid spokesman Jon Summers added: “Republicans can say it all they want, but that doesn’t make it true.”
For several observers, the irony was not lost that Republicans relied on the governor of Louisiana, home of Bourbon Street and Mardi Gras, to bash Vegas on national TV.
The Associated Press reported that Jindal and his family left Wednesday for vacation at Disney World.
Discussion: 41 comments so far…
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Neiman is no doubt going to be on Jindal's butt for weeks for this! With all his rantings about Obama's Vegas jibe, surely Neiman wont stand for this Jindal garbage! Surely he wont!
Are you saying that Jindal's comment is more detrimental to Las Vegas than Obama's comment? Do you really feel that people are going to say to themselves, "I'm not going to Las Vegas because they're building a high-speed rail?"
You should really compare both quotes before you rant about Jindal. Obviously, you and the media are trying to shift the heat from Obama to the Republicans on this matter.
Nice try; no cigar!
No where in the stimulus is there anything that says the $8.0 billion will not be spent on a high-speed rail project for a magnetic levitation line from Las Vegas to Disneyland."
Harry just need to make a phone call to get it directed to his state.
Spin, that's right, it's Bush's fault.
If money is spent on americans then it's deemed wasteful spending, If the money is spent on haliburton on no bid contracts then it is deemed patrotic! What? Gives
Las Vegas is running out of water!
"Las Vegas is a place of gambling, gluttony and girls," Garland, 83, says.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=2...
"trying to shift the heat from Obama"
The only heat for Obama is from the fire Bush and his super-spendy war-loving Repug friends left behind. Just like Saddam's scorched earth policy, you guys run away from the horror you created and leave it to someone else to fix.
Funny too is that the mere mention of that by liberals is labeled as hateful. Frankly, since your side lost, instead of recognizing how you lost you seem to be busy making the winners wrong. I think "real Americans" are down to less than 30% these days. Maybe you guys need your own country?
By the way, you write like Jim Nance. You make broad assumptions about what I must have meant and foist your own projections on me, rather than read and respond my literal words. My post was not about Jindal as much as it was about Neiman. Me thinks you have an agenda.
But since you mentioned Jindal, I hope he's the best you've got. He's like Obama, but without the brains, charisma or ability to speak. Hey! Another Bush!!! Good for you guys!
Go watch Jindal's speech on Youtube again. If this is the best the Repubs can come up with, then they are in big trouble. How about having Sean "God I love you, Newt" Hannity or Rush "Marta get my meds Limbaugh. Marta, Marta?"
I actually watched Jindal's speech. I thought he was condescending toward the American people.
Jindal's just following The Obama's lead. The Chosen One can take a swipe at Las Vegas and get a free pass from the local media, so why can't Jindal?
Sigh. Neither Obama nor Jindal said anything bad about Las Vegas. Obama said businesses in trouble shouldn't be spending money--I believe he said bailout money--going to Las Vegas or the Super Bowl. Should they be? I don't think so, and I don't think anyone else thinks so.
Jindal criticized the building of a high-speed train from LA to Las Vegas by claiming, first, that it was from Disneyland when it is not, and, second, that it is in the budget when it is not. That would be ... truth? Uh, no. It's wrong. Is misinformation automatically a lie? It is when the truth is easily available and known, and Jindal appears to have found it easier to lie or not to seek the truth than simply to try to be accurate.
Furthermore, Jindal quoted a conversation between himself and a public official who is now dead and therefore cannot corroborate or, especially, contradict him, when in fact the records show he was not meeting with the guy as he claimed. Set aside that Jindal looked like an idiot, and consider what he had to say, which was idiotic. Other than that, he and his fellow Republicans had a great night, unless you count having a literate president deliver a speech complete with nouns and verbs, not to mention policies and honesty. I'd forgotten how nice that could be, since it has been more than eight years.
Your right, Mr. Green, but that didn't stop the republican crybabies around here from claiming Obama himself had cost Las Vegas some jobs.
Now when their "Golden Boy" Jindal does the same exact thing, they give him a pass and rush to explain the context behind his words. Funny, they were more than willing to ignore the context around Obama's words.
It's the kind of everyday hypocrisy that bores me to death.
You can tell the writer of the article is drinking the Kool Aid daily. Check out the so called Stimulus Bill It is loaded with PORK. Ok it's not exactly for the Railway but what is the money being allocated to---- Competitive prices for one in same. Duhhhhhh spin spin spin. A rose is a rose and by another name it is a rose and in this case it is Pork!!!!!!!! The Dumocrats, writer of article included still don't get it. You cannot spend wrecklessly out of debt and that is a fact.
Ksand99, I wouldn't claim perfection for myself or for the Democratic party. But you have hit the nail right on the head with this one. Indeed, part of the Democrats' problem is that they--we--aren't MORE hypocritical. We could have blocked everything George W. Bush set out to do in the way that Republicans are now. We could have said, fine, Republican states don't get anything in the stimulus package. But we thought that what came first was the U.S., not our own partisan future. Happily for us, but sadly for the country and those in need, Republicans are not merely shooting themselves in the feet, but they are working their way up their legs.
"includes "$8 billion for high-speed rail projects, such as a magnetic levitation line from Las Vegas to Disneyland."
It was a strong line, one Republicans have used for weeks.
And it is false."
OK.....that means again Reid has failed Nevada yet again!!!!!
Nevada is next to the bottom based on per capita on getting funds from the "stimulus".
That is in line with Nevada getting Federal taxpayes returned back to the state.
By some accounts, Reid is the 2nd most powerful person in Nevada.
He sure as hell does not use that power much to help Nevada. I guess he is too busy carry water for the DailyKos folks.
Reid can not even get his favorite pet project, "Disneyland Train", included in the "stimulus" bill.
Who cares what neiman has to say he is always wrong with his illinformed pro right wing, neo con, Bush loving positions. It has gotten to the point where he is no longer credible in any regard. I still say he lives at home with his parents and has yet to have a full time job.
The point of the stimulus package is to get some money into people's pockets and thus back into the economy. Construction projects at the local level (including the Mob Museum) create jobs and employment that puts money back into the economy. Of course any of this money spent anywhere but my own back yard is pork. Unfortunately, this requires money. Money to pay the workers on the projects. Money for the architects and planners designing the projects. Money for the companies supplying the materials for the projects. Of course all that money will simply be wasted as the workers buy lunch and pay their rent.
I guess my point is that ones person's stimulus is another person's pork, but that pork will help someone bring home the bacon.
You know what, for every dollar Californians per capita pay in taxes we (I'm a Los Angeleno) get $.80 back from the feds. For every dollar Nevadans per capita pay in taxes, they get back $.67.
http://www.nemw.org/taxburd.htm
We pay more in taxes and get less in return!
Simply put, we need the rail and we deserve the rail.
We're about to have thousands of laborers unemployed once the resort construction concludes, and where are they going to go?
In addition, you have to look at this from the long-term growth and competitiveness of the corridor from SoCal to Las Vegas. Imagine living in Barstow and with a high-speed rail, you can find a job in either Anaheim or Las Vegas. I can go on and on about the benefits, but the bottom line is that again WE DESERVE THE RAIL AND WE NEED THE RAIL.
Viva Las Vegas and Viva Los Angeles!
Nance, by your logic, then, Reid was a great success because he shouldn't have been putting pork into that bill, which by your logic never should have passed in the first place, since by your logic we should continuing pursuing the policies that are making our economy work so well right now. And if the train was at the top of the list, you would be on here criticizing him for that.
Excellent post Green.
GIVE "BOBBY" A BIGGER SOAP BOX.........
Why all the grumbling, rail or job creation, whatever. The fact is that we need to print more money and get it out there, how we go about doing it is the rub.
Give it to the rich and they will just bank it, give it to the poor and the rich will cry foul.
What we need is for the Water Progect to become a reality, both Cal. and LV need it.
There needs to be a desalanization plant in OR. then a pipe line the caliber of Alieska to pump the water into Lake Mead as a holding point until used.
Put the train on hold, focus on what we need not what we want.
Build ze train! I want to live in LV and work in LA, so make it a fast train too.
So what is wrong with a rail service?? This country is so far behind other countries in providing rail service. At least someone is talking about doing it and now we have politians kicking the idea. Two steps forward, one step backward.
Spend baby, spend! Soon the gov't will let us know who can go to vegas, what the rules are, how much you can bring or if you can go at all.
All I know Is If they built that train I'd be on it...If you can't see through the lies that we are being fed then god help you. at least when i come to vegas i know the casinos are lying to me..i may win a little but those huge jackpots i'll never see ... if you think the republicans care one bit about pork review the last 8 years of bills that came out of a republican controlled congress. at least the dems pretend to care about the common man.. and like vegas thell give me a little bush gave me 600 bucks and took all back in spades with higher gas and inflation... in case you dont know they all srcew us and to care about one party.. is point less we go back and forth like a ping pong ball... but hey Hanity cares about you... so does Rush... Mr obermin cares too hahha we are all fools
A train from Las Vegas to L.A. Great, how about a train from Fargo to Greenbay? Or maybe a train from Austin to Boulder. There are more important issues than a stupid train. This is not gonna benefit anyone, sounds like Vegas is gonna get more crowded with more L.A lowlifes cause now its easier to get to Vegas. The city of Unemployement and crap education, welcomes you, now lets show them where the SSI offices are because they seem to be more busy than the casinos.
"Republicans don't let facts get in their way"
Apparently, neither do Democrats. Anyone remember Biden saying that FDR held a fireside chat on TV about the stock market crash in 1929? Probably not, because the liberal media overlooked that in their quest to destroy Palin.
You mean the lady who couldn't name one book/magazine she reads/read.
You mean the lady who was blatantly incendiary about Obama hanging out with terrorists.
You mean the lady who set laws to charge rape victims for their rape kits.
Biden has pretty bad foot in mouth disease, but that's not lying. That's just stupidity.
Versus Mrs. Spend, spend, spend. How much was her wardrobe again? 150k?
There was no quest against Palin, she just opened herself up to it the moment she opened her mouth.
Nothing is free and we're all going to pay big time. Get rid of Reid! Hopefully California will also get rid of Pelosi! This spend, spend, spend mentality is going to be the end of America as we have known it. We are in a crisis and all we do is talk about petty things like how stupid Joe Biden is or drag Palin through the mud one more time. Give me a break!
Ah yes, the republican party, which loves to tout itself as the party of "personal responsibility" cries that it's the media's fault they fielded a poor candidate in Palin.
Couldn't be the tone-deaf "aw shucks!" language or her sudden and bizarre turn as rabid Chihuahua, nipping at Obama's heels and all but implicating Obama in the 9/11 attacks. No, the MEDIA is why the majority of Americans took a look at Palin and ran, screaming, the other way.
Tell me, when are the republicans going to take responsibility for fielding one of the poorest candidates in general election history?
Comment removed by staff.
Nevada is near the bottom per capita on getting taxpayer money returned back to the state.
Nevada is near the bottom per capita on "stimulus" money even though we have one of the highest unemployment rates.
Reid can't even get his pet project into the "stimulus" bill.
Reid by some accounts is the second most powerful person in DC.
I guess he is too busy figthing battles for the DailyKos folks to care about Nevada.
UH, "Cignettis," that would be "recklessly," not "wrecklessly," unless you're just talking generally about the Republican Party being a train wreck right now! Hmm. . .I think you said something about "Dumbocrats?"
This is too funny. I see the Sun doesn't like when the shoe is on the other foot. The Sun misinforms on a daily basis about Yucca Mountain. You guys haven't done a factually correct story on that issue since ... forever. Amazing.
Obama, Nancy and Harry have done more damage to the future of the Las Vegas economy in one month than all the Republicans, bankers, storms, strikes, crime, droughts, out of state casinos, and anti-gambling ministers combined in 60 years. Not only are corporate meetings and conventions being discouraged by this Democratic administration, but with the new government spending, tax hikes and fees on businesses, investors and general public there will less money in the hands of vacationers to visit this fine city. To all who voted Democratic, thank you. I hope you remove that Obama bumper sticker before your car is repo'd.
"The Sun misinforms on a daily basis about Yucca Mountain."
It amazes me when someone calls the host on an agenda while at the same time acting oblivious to the own agenda.
Seriously, if you really believe what you said, then why bother coming here at all? If it's nothing but spun lies, then why read it?
hcarson... I do believe with you that the USA should be leading with rail among other things. You CANT COMPARE THE USA WITH EUROPE OR JAPAN. The USA is MUCH LARGER than most of the countries combined so air travel makes more sense than rail travel. Besides I think that the USA is waiting for cars to drive themselves or flying cars all controlled with a computer optimizing everyones traveling. The usa doesnt want to go thru the wasting of money to fund rail if people will just sit in their cars and the cars will drive themselves.
gorespan you couldnt have said it WORSE! are you kidding me a comparing a train from green bay to fargo? to a train from las vegas to la??? besides being incompatible to compare the two train routes it is a GREAT THING IN THIS TOUGH ECONOMY TO BUILD SOMETHING THAT IS CONCRETE WHICH WILL BENEFIT EVERYONE! YOU MUST be REPUBLICAN MONEY FOR THE RICH BUT WHEN THE COMMON MAN HAS A CHANCE TO GET A JOB UNLESS IT LINES YOUR FELLOW RIGHT WINGERS POCKETS YOU SHY AWAY FROM IT
With Reid having as much power as he does, a rail from Disneyland to Vegas may become a money wasting reality. It will destroy more of the landscape and will have to be propped up by the government(your taxes) like the Vegas monorail. Let's hope Reid does not get away with using tax dollars to reward his special interest contributers. I am seeing a lot of people let this political media love affair with the democracks distort thier ability to see that money wasting politicians are common with both crooked political parties. It's almost like we have had the same crooked government for the last three decades. People need to learn how to think for themselves. When a newspaper favors one political party, you are not getting the whole story...
Well, President Obama, partisan politics is as divisive and misleading as ever - from both sides. What a sad waste of time it all is.