Hastert

Hastert https://www.dailykos.com/news/Hastert News Community Action Copyright 2005 - Steal what you want Sun, 26 Jan 2020 12:41:40 +0000 Sun, 26 Jan 2020 12:41:40 +0000 Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) Sunday BATTLE! Tip O'Neill vs Dennis Hastert https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/6/16/1865123/-Sunday-BATTLE-Tip-O-Neill-vs-Dennis-Hastert Tip O’Neill was a Democratic congressman that held the longest continuous term as House Speaker. Dennis Hastert was the longest serving Republican House Speaker, and speaker during W Bush. O’Neill was famous for: <ul> <li>breaking with LBJ on Vietnam,</li> <li>leading the charge against Nixon (see Breslin’s “How the Good Guys Finally Won”)</li> <li>supporting universal healthcare and jobs programs</li> </ul> Hastert is famous for: <ul> <li>the Hastert Rule, by which if a majority of the House wants to pass a bill, but only a minority of republicans do, the bill is not brought to the floor in the first place. ← still used by pugs</li> <li>being a pedophile that preyed on his male students as a high-school coach. As the judge in his case said, being a “serial child molester”.</li> </ul> rss@dailykos.com (GBCW) DEMVREP hamberdergate Hastert ONeill Tip vs _1865123 Sun, 16 Jun 2019 15:00:23 +0000 Frank Bruni Says Bill Clinton is like Donald Trump -- a Sultan of Self-Pity https://www.dailykos.com/story/2018/6/5/1769718/-Frank-Bruni-Says-Bill-Clinton-is-like-Donald-Trump-a-Sultan-of-Self-Pity I disagreed. The NYT did not post my comment. Compare Donald Trump to Dennis Hastert, the Republican Speaker of the House, who was a wrestling coach who raped teenage boys and succeeded in keeping his crimes out of the press for over 30 years. Donald Trump has kept his crimes out of the press for over 40 years. Perhaps Frank Bruni can use the imprimatur of the Times to investigate and report about Trump’s crimes. Congress spent over $100 million to investigate the life and loves of Bill Clinton. NOTHING was kept out of the press. In contrast, Congress has spent NOTHING to investigate Donald Trump. We don’t know what’s beneath Trump’s suit. The Starr Report thoroughly described Clinton’s anatomy. We know how Bill Clinton has made his money and the taxes he has paid because Mr. and Mrs. Clinton’s tax returns for the past 40 years have been released to the public. None of Trump’s tax returns have been released. Comparing Clinton to Trump traduces Clinton and flatters Trump. It’s worse than calling George W Bush a regular guy who’d be a good President and calling Al Gore a liar. rss@dailykos.com (888guy) Bruni bubba Clinton Evil Gore Hastert Hypocrisy NYT Starr trump W _1769718 Wed, 06 Jun 2018 02:28:17 +0000 The Hastert (Man having sex with boy conviction) Rule https://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/3/26/1647538/-The-Hastert-Man-having-sex-with-boy-conviction-Rule There is one thing that is particularly bothering me with Republicans in the House. Even when they seem to get slightly reasonable, they are still mentally totally constrained by the Hastert (Conviction of sex with underage boys) Rule. A Congressman, Representative Ted Poe, Texas, left the House Freedom Caucus because he was upset by the intransigence of that caucus. No news there by the way. I don’t understand how he didn’t see it before. However, he left because he recognized that with their intransigence it will make it very hard for Republicans to govern as the moderates will object if they go with the Freedom Caucus ideas and vice versa. The Elephant in the room (how appropriate, eh?) is the Hastert (Man on boy pedophile conviction) Rule. If they jettisoned that rule the world to governing successfully would open up and the Freedom Caucus can then go pound sand for all the rest of the House cares. But no, the Hastert (Older man forcing blow jobs by boys on his penis conviction) Rule is just so deep in their brains they don’t even know it is there anymore. So my suggestion is whenever you hear a Republican mention how they are unable to compromise so they can pass something in the house, remind them of the Hastert (NAMBLA actualized and convicted) Rule and be creative to help make it stick. Every time you mention it use something different. If that is too hard just use one of my inserted word constructions. Who knows, maybe using a rule named after a pedophile will finally get them to reassess their thinking. rss@dailykos.com (Rustum) Blow Caucus Freedom Hastert House nambla Pedophile Penis Republicans Rules Sex _1647538 Mon, 27 Mar 2017 00:25:31 +0000 Hypocrite and sex-abuser Dennis Hastert thinks guy he molested should give back hush money https://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/1/20/1622713/-Hypocrite-and-sex-abuser-Dennis-Hastert-thinks-guy-he-molested-should-give-back-hush-money If you want to know how shameless Republican hypocrisy is, you need go no further than <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/5/28/1388600/-Whoa-Former-Republican-House-Speaker-Denny-Hastert-indicted-for-lying-to-FBI-hiding-transactions" target="_blank" title="">disgraced former Republican Speaker of the House</a> <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/dennis-hastert-wants-sex-abuse-accuser-return-hush-money-n709116?cid=public-rss_20170119" target="_blank" title="">Dennis Hastert.</a> <blockquote> Jailed former House Speaker Dennis Hastert says a man who accused him of sexual abuse should return $1.7 million in hush money because he broke his silence by talking to the feds. [...] "To the extent any contract existed between plaintiff [Individual A] and defendant [Hastert], plaintiff breached that contract," Hastert's lawyers wrote. "Plaintiff's breach of conduct resulted in damages to defendant and plaintiff is accordingly required to return $1.7 million to defendant." </blockquote> These lawyers are probably trying to get some money having spun the wheels of logic for a very long time in attempting a defense of Hastert. At one point they tried to limit his sentencing by saying the <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/4/7/1511987/-Dennis-Hastert-s-lawyers-Having-the-public-find-out-about-his-crimes-is-punishment-enough" target="_blank" title="">public humiliation of being an actual sexual predator was punishment enough.</a> Dennis Hastert’s “hush money” is the bare minimum he owes to the person he took advantage of and violated. rss@dailykos.com (Walter Einenkel) DennisHastert Hastert Hubris Hypocrisy Molestation sexualassualt _1622713 Fri, 20 Jan 2017 16:19:26 +0000 Dear GOP. Suggested principles for your reform. https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/10/9/1579858/-Dear-GOP-Suggested-principles-for-your-reform The shame of Donald Trump, and all who supported him longer than they should have, may be the long-awaited opportunity for the Republican Party to purge its most intolerant and anti-democratic tendencies. Gridlock. Grandstanding. Gamesmanship. Pandering to racists, misogynists, and homophobes. Divisiveness. Hypocrisy. Here are ways you can do better. 1. Give the District of Columbia a congressman. Birtherism, denying the legitimacy of our first non-white U.S. president transparently obvious racism every step of the way. It was so popular in the GOP that you made Trump your nominee. The GOP has been equally cynical, equally racist, in denying congressional representation to our mainland colony, the District of Columbia. DC has more population, and more people in the armed forces, than several states. Its residents pay more in federal tax than at least a dozen different states. Their people deserve a voice in government. 2. Stop being anti-science. I would welcome hearing the viewpoint “Global warming is real. It is caused by human activity. There will be winners and losers. This is manageable and our GOP plan is better than yours.” But do not call it a hoax. That’ a lie and you know it. Get the lies out of your arguments here, and you can practice that skill elsewhere. 3. Give every nominee a hearing. Refusing to hold any hearing on any nominee, simply because an election is coming, obstructs the constitutional right and duty of the sitting president to fill essential jobs by appointment. Scalia’s death was no strategic resignation of an aging liberal so Obama could pack the court his way. It was sort of vacancy the framers expected, with a constitutional requirement that the Senate review the President’s nominee. 4. End voter suppression. Trying to gain political advantage by disenfranchising large numbers of voters from the opposing party is immoral. It must end. If your policies, or simply a shortage of polling stations, lead to hours-long lines where poor people go to vote (on a Tuesday, a work day), you have an obligation to help fix it. Fight for your issues on the issues, not through a conspiracy to strip people of their right to vote. 5. End abusive gerrymandering. Deliberately packing as many minorities as possible into a small number of congressional districts, in order to amplify political power for (more conservative) white voters everywhere else, is anti-democratic and racist and wrong. 6. Recognize that the “Hastert Rule” is hyper-partisan and anti-democratic, and end it. The House GOP has been running this scheme, in which a bill can’t even come to a vote unless more than half of the GOP is in favor. Once a bill passes that test, bloc voting by the GOP pushes a bill through, untouched by any whiff of compromise or discourse with Democrats in the House of Representatives. One party only has been responsible for shut-down-the-government brinksmanship and rancor. Allow the whole of the House of Representatives to make law. 7. Put country ahead of party. The Republican-controlled Congress can strip money from the Veterans Administration, or the TSA, until long lines at hospitals or in airports make anger boil over at “the government”, meaning the Democrat in the White House. End the cynical practice of engineering government failure for the purpose of running as a Republican opposed to “Failed Government.” 8. Recognize structural racism, and overt racism where it occurs. This includes the cradle-to-jail pipeline. The outsized role of hereditary wealth in getting half a shot at success. Absurdly high interest rates for student loans. The overwhelming reliance on local property taxes to fund public schools, and the very real problems that cities have and suburbs don’t. 9. Turn your attention to economic predators: the Martin Shkrelis and Mylan Pharmaceuticals and Trump Universities and for-profit prisons and patent trolls and ambulance chasers and Wells Fargo Banks. Offer credible GOP solutions, not obstruction. Nixon campaigned on “Law and Order” before Trump did. It was a racist dog whistle then, and it is now. I’m a lot more scared by who might be looting our 401-Ks. Aren’t you? 10. Police the rhetoric of your own members. Argue GOP policy positions on their merits (such as they are), not through dog whistles, innuendo, and ad hominem attacks. Stand up to the NRA on background checks. No more Willie Horton ads, no bogus claims of “Death Panels,” no more delighting in the willful distortions of Fox News, no more tolerating Pat Buchanans, Sarah Palins and Donald Trumps in your midst. I will still oppose you, probably, on policy after policy. But in places, we will agree. I will gladly discuss ideas for reform, such as replacing some revenue from payroll taxes on factory labor with a phased-in use of the Value-Added Tax (VAT). That change would help balance our trade, without the need to cripple trade. Today, the Republican Party looks like a cynical conspiracy of the anti-immigrant, anti-minority, anti-non-Christian, anti-poor, anti-choice, anti-LGBT, anti-solar, anti-science, pro-coal, pro-oil, pro-mass-incarceration, pro-billionaire, and pro-massive-military spending. Maybe the GOP could become a “Party of Ideas.” I would like to see you try. And then you can explain “American Exceptionalism” to me. But first, you have a lot of work to do. rss@dailykos.com (modestproposer) cli Climate DC Exceptionalism Hastert Party Politics Republicans Shame trump _1579858 Sun, 09 Oct 2016 16:48:27 +0000 Because Jesus https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/4/30/1521894/-Because-Jesus Back in the day, 2003, when moral superiority was important, and assuming his paying his victims off had worked for him, Dennis Hastert, still high after going after Bill Clinton for having consentual sex with another adult declared, “It is important to have a national notification system to help safely recover children kidnapped by child predators, but it is equally important to stop those predators before they strike, to put repeat child molesters into jail for the rest of their lives and to help law enforcement with the tools they need to get the job done.” But when his activities were uncovered, former House Speaker Dennis Hastert begged for leniency for covering up decades of sexual abuse. Instead of life, Hastert got 15 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release and sex offender treatment. Oh, but he wasn’t told to stay out of public restrooms. He can still use those. This sentence, I mean slap n the wrist, resulted from Hastert’s pleading guilty to withdrawing large amounts of money in small amounts to avoid detection and then using the cash to pay off one of his victims. In a real ballsy move, Hastert had asked his former political protege, Tom Cross, to write a letter of support in hopes of receiving a lighter sentence. This act was beyond despicable because Tom Cross is the brother of Scott Cross, one of Hastert’s victims. Instead, sticking by his brother he stated, “We are very proud of Scott for having the courage to relive this very painful part of his life in order to ensure that justice is done today. We hope his testimony will provide courage and strength to other victims of other cases of abuse to speak out and advocate for themselves.” U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Durkin called Hastert a serial sex abuser, someone who Hastert believes, or claimed to believe, should be put away for life. But Hastert had his defenders. The religious crowd. “I have observed him in many different and difficult situations. He has never disappointed me in any way. He is a man of strong faith that guides him. He is a man of great integrity. He loves and respects his fellow man. I have never witnessed a time when he was unkind to anyone. He is always giving to others and helping anyone including me so many times. So I know his heart and have seen it up close and personal. We all have our flaws, but Dennis Hastert has very few. He is a good man that loves the lord. He gets his integrity and values from Him. He doesn’t deserve what he is going through. I ask that you consider the man that is before you and give him leniency where you can,” wrote Tom DeLay. Representative Thomas Ewing, a former colleague wrote, “Denny Hastert and I were as close as brothers, sharing our goals, ambitions, and our family life, both the ups and the downs. I know him as a man of faith, integrity and honesty. He was an extremely hard worker, always willing to extend a helping hand to others. With his achievements during his record-setting years as Speaker, he ranked with the greatest of our former Speakers, bar none.” He loves Jesus, so let’s just turn our backs. He got support from over 40 Republicans and his wife who, while pleading for mercy, seems to forget that the victims’ lives were not easy, and that they suffered. Notice how callous his wife comes across. “If one of his students or wrestlers ever needed anything of him, he would be there for them, and he was never happier than when he could watch someone he helped succeed. Now, with his failing health, I worry about how much time we will ever get together … This has taken a terrible toll on our family.” Because no toll was taken on the victims or their families. Dave Hastert, his brother wrote, “He’s looked down upon by the county and a lot of people, who came to him in the past for help (and not for what he being charged with), now no one wants anything to do with him. Depression, that’s going to set in sooner or later … If it were me, I’d be wheeling that [wheel] chair to the highway and waiting for a semi.” Because the victims were never depressed David Dreier, another former colleague wrote, “I write to tell you that Dennis Hastert is one of the most dedicated and hard working public servants I’ve known. More than a decade ago we established the House Democracy Partnership which has worked to strengthen legislative bodies in new and reemerging democracies across the globe. It’s an important part of his long list of accomplishments. Colombia was one of our partner countries. His efforts to transform that country are widely recognized.” The other writers asked the court to remember his years of dedicated service in politics, and reminded the court that Hastert is in poor health. They include former California Representatives John T. Doolittle , Thomas Ewing, and Porter Goss, who also once headed the CIA along with former Illinois Attorney General Ty Fahner, former Illinois state Representative Doris Karpiel, retired Kendall County Sheriff Richard Randall, and, for some reason, Leo Kocher, a wrestling coach at the University of Chicago. When the letters were submitted to the court, the writers thought they would remain sealed. But when the judge ruled they had to be made public, 19 writers withdrew theirs. Apparently, although they defend and support Hastert, they don’t want people to know who they are. They are that committed to what they believe. The judge dismissed concerns that the public’s knowing about Hastert’s conduct would be rough on him. “If there’s a public shaming of the defendant because of the conduct he’s engaged in, so be it”, said judge Durkin as he handed down his sentence. rss@dailykos.com (joe quigley) ChildAbuse Hastert Recommended _1521894 Sun, 01 May 2016 01:11:14 +0000 Time For a New Hastert Rule? https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/4/29/1521607/-Time-For-a-New-Hastert-Rule Many times in the past laws and change for the better has come from the evil and greedy acts of people like Hastert. What good may come from the Hastert situation? Perhaps a new law could be proposed to hold elected officials to a higher standard by eliminating the statute of limitations for them and doubling sentences for any violation before, during or after public office. Maybe the elimination of the republicans use of the old rule by embarrassing them for “Hasterting” when they refuse to let their members vote. Use your imagination in the comments. rss@dailykos.com (Idontknowwhy) Congress Corruption Hastert Politicians _1521607 Sat, 30 Apr 2016 00:22:27 +0000 Tom Delay and 40 others write letter to court saying Hastert gets 'integrity and values' from God https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/4/28/1521132/-Tom-Delay-and-40-others-write-letter-to-court-saying-Hastert-gets-integrity-and-values-from-God Former Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert is a pedophile. He molested young boys. He’s a serial rapist of children. Last week, former Republican House Majority leader Tom DeLay and 41 other colleagues wrote, signed and sent a letter that was presented by Hastert’s defense in the hopes of receiving leniency in Dennis Hastert’s sentencing. Lowlights from this letter care of <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/dennis-hastert-tom-delay-letters-court-sentencing-222344" target="_blank">Politico</a> and <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/04/22/tom-delay-ex-cia-director-ask-judge-go-easy-dennis-hastert/83412948/" target="_blank">USA Today</a>: <blockquote> DeLay, a Texas Republican, recalled in his letter that Hastert started a Wednesday Bible study that the two men took part in. "So I know his heart and have seen it up close and personal," DeLay wrote. "We all have our flaws, but Dennis Hastert has very few. He is a good man that loves the lord. He gets his integrity and values from Him. He doesn't deserve what he is going through. I ask that you consider the man that is before you and give him leniency where you can." </blockquote> Sounds like your Bible class is about a God that is okay with molesting boys. If you “know his heart” then you know he’s full of bullshit. <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/4/14/1515221/-Remember-when-Hastert-said-child-molesters-should-get-life-sentences" target="_blank">Hastert asked the justice system to send people who have done what he has done away for the rest of their lives</a>—regardless of what religious <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/dennis-hastert-tom-delay-letters-court-sentencing-222344" target="_blank">book group they join while in prison.</a> <blockquote> “We all have our flaws, but Dennis Hastert has very few. He is a good man that loves the lord. He gets his integrity and values from Him. He doesn't deserve what he is going through. I ask that you consider the man that is before you and give him leniency where you can,” it concludes. </blockquote> Once again, I can only surmise that the “Him” you are referring to is “God.” Dennis Hastert, by Tom Delay’s estimation, shares values and integrity from God—and those values are being a serial rapist. rss@dailykos.com (Walter Einenkel) ChildAbuse Delay Hastert Molestation Pedophile Recommended TomDeLay _1521132 Thu, 28 Apr 2016 17:23:50 +0000 One more Hastert Diary and why it's important. https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/4/28/1521128/-One-more-Hastert-Diary-and-why-it-s-important <h2>Does not excuse this image of the same man at an earlier age.</h2> <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned width-xl"><img alt="hastert-speaker.jpg" class="width-xl" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/245385/large/hastert-speaker.jpg?1461862758" title="hastert-speaker.jpg"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> The headlines and the stories of former Speaker D Hastert’s sordid actions and his downfall are all over and well known by now. I am sure this story is hitting a lot of people in ways that the majority of Americans are not aware of: in terms of our own personal experience. This has caused me to have some serious discomfort and reflection on events of my youth, events that I had kept secret and revealed to no one even until this day. It’s time to ‘let it go’. What Hastert ( and countless others throughout life apparently ) have done is despicable in so many ways. My experience from NW GA late 1960’s follows. I was starting in the 7th grade at a new school where I was expected to settle after going to a different school every year (sometimes 2 a year ) up until that time. I was 12, but one of those boys who was more physically mature than others my age due to growth spurts and genetics. Awkward because of those growth spurts, I was the last kid picked for any sports team, when I tried to dribble a basketball, I could only hit my already size 10 feet and send the ball rolling across the court. Still, I did go out for junior football and played on the Jr High team, second string ( size helped at 5’10” already, but a beanpole ...) I was never good at it. I could run, but I couldn’t catch well, and I was so thin I had little chance of dominating as a guard or tackle. But I played almost two seasons. Aside from being non talented, I was picked on ( well, yeah ) by the other guys. It happens, I don’t blame them. Some were prescient, even knowing things about me that I didn’t know (or realize at the time) about myself. I was also the kid who changed and dressed in the farthest corner I could find to shield my self from others, and my view of them as well. Between the 7th and 8th grade, I had my first encounters with another boy my own age, and, well, then I understood. That’s not the purpose of this diary, but it lays out some groundwork for my story. Also, during my 7th grade, I joined the school band. The band teacher also taught the high school, and the Jr High band trekked to the High School band room for our daily band time. Admittedly, I was not a very good musician either. As a poor family, I could not buy an instrument. The band director ‘loaned’ me one from the school stash. I mean, what beginning band student starts out on the oboe? Seriously? Between the 7th and 8th grade, I joined the HS marching band: nope, oboes don’t march, but I was put on the male ‘color guard’ Flags and fake rifles, and trips with the HS band. I gave up Jr High football, (thankfully!), and was all in on the marching band. The band director even directed covering my terrible playing by having a muted horn cover all my musical messes during concert season. I got to be with the marching band. He saw something in me. Well, yes, apparently he did. He was married with kids, probably he was more than double my age + (I was now all of 13), probably no more than 30. His wife was also affiliated with the school band / drill team. He seemed like a teacher who was interested in helping students grow and learn. One afternoon after school, he asked me to go with him to get some equipment being given to the band by a community group. We went, got the equipment, and took it back to the band room ( a detached building behind the high school). After we unloaded it, we were placing it in the storage room. He was between myself and the door, stooped near a shelf, I was paying no attention. As he turned towards me, his trousers were open, exposing himself and he was then undoing mine. I was frozen in my tracks. Completely frozen. He attempted to do what he wanted, but my body would not cooperate. The smell of putrid High Karate still makes me retch, the jangle of a gold chain bracelet makes me retch, the thought of him makes me want to break things. When I couldn’t meet his expectations, he stopped and allowed me to leave. In the next week or so, I became a very different kid: I skipped school. I broke my ‘loaned’ instrument. I blamed myself. I thought of my experience with my own age male friend, and I was suddenly aware that I was ‘queer’. I was like HIM!. That made me more self loathing than anything could ever do, aside from the soon to be immersed in family Baptist church. I never told a soul, no one. I dropped out of band, immediately. I gave no reason. My parents were divorced, I stayed at that school one more year even though it was torture, sheer torture. The 9th grade was in the High School, and there I heard the rumors about this band director and his students. It was no secret. It was widely talked about among the band members, some of the guys even supposedly enjoying it because, as I understood it, his wife was part of the deal: one classmate saying one afternoon, “he has his boys, she has hers”. I left and went to my Dad’s. went to my 10th grade there. The band director left (not found out, apparently) and I went back in my Jr and Sr school years. These event changed my life forever. People like Hastert and H***y (my abuser’s name) don’t just pick on any kid based on randomness or opportunity. They identify and groom kids that they think they can use for their own pleasure. I was identified, in part because of my size and age vulnerability, but also because the band director, like many of my classmates, already could tell even before I could that I was gay. His actions didn’t make me gay, his actions made me HATE myself for being gay. I spent the first year or two away from school trying to fit being gay into the mold of the time, and then spent almost 2 decades trying to deny it and be ‘normal’. So the band director’s chair or the coach’s chair or the priest’s chair or the principal’s chair, the wheelchair is not an excuse or a punishment in old age for the hundreds of years of lives that have been affected by these ‘super predators’. If my abuser H***y were to still be alive, I would have a really hard time not kicking him in the nads if I ever walked up on him. I have no idea where he went, or what happened to him. Honestly, I’ve tried to forget about it and just ‘let it go’, but then someone like Hastert gets an easy ride. If not for the banking law violation, he would be free, one victim would be getting paid for his silence ( an act that I vehemently disagree with, BTW ) and the rest would still be suffering in silence. For me it would do no good to go back and try to expose my abuser now, that was 50 years ago. Watch your kids. Trust no one. Know the signs that something is wrong. Thanks for letting me spill after all these years of keeping that inside. rss@dailykos.com (emsprater) Hastert Rescued RescuedtoRecommended SexAbuse _1521128 Thu, 28 Apr 2016 18:01:21 +0000 Watch Bernie fight for Universal Health Care in 1993. His opponent was Dennis Hastert. https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/4/18/1516786/-Watch-Bernie-fight-for-Universal-Health-Care-in-1993-His-opponent-was-Dennis-Hastert Hillary is still making the false accusation (some would say “smear”) that Bernie was nowhere to be found when she was trying to pass “Hillarycare” in 1993. This weekend she repeated it again, at a rally on Staten Island. At 32:35 in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m57_9e9nW1s" target="_blank">this video</a> she falsely accuses Bernie Sanders of being AWOL during the battle for health care of the 1990’s. <blockquote> “Where were you, I mean really?” she laughs. “we were fighting tooth and nail trying to get universal health care coverage passed” </blockquote> This is not the first time she has employed this gross distortion of history. Bernie and 90 other members of the House were pushing for a single-payer health care system. He supported her efforts enough to get a nice letter of thanks, but Hillary would now like everyone to think he just didn’t care about health care back then. <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="CLINTON-bernie-letter-HEALTHCARE.jpg" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/223759/large/CLINTON-bernie-letter-HEALTHCARE.jpg?1457903337" title="CLINTON-bernie-letter-HEALTHCARE.jpg"> <figcaption>Bernie helped Hillary push for health care reform in 1993</figcaption> </figure> </div> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPbF2MTBxFk" target="_blank">This</a> is an interesting 45 minute debate in the House about whether the United States should adopt a Canadian style single-payer health care system. It is a bit depressing, because if people had listened to Bernie and the Progressive Caucus back then, instead of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Hastert#Allegations_of_sexual_abuse" target="_blank">odious </a>Dennis Hastert, things would be so much better now. It’s funny to hear Hastert’s team trying to smear Bernie by calling him a socialist. Bernie just keeps hammering away with facts and ethical challenges to their positions. Other participants included Washington Rep Jim McDermott (D) and Montana Senator Craig L. Thomas (R). In one part of the debate Jim McDermott explains how Hastert and Thomas are actually supporting a plan very similar to <a href="http://millercenter.org/president/speeches/speech-3926" target="_blank">President Clinton’s (aka “Hillarycare”)</a> which was very similar to “Obamacare”. They argued for incremental changes to a system that needed fundamental reform. Sound familiar? Enjoy the health care wonkfest and an epic tag team smackdown of the trollish Hastert by two progressive statesmen. Bernie of course raises the issue of money spent by the industry to lobby congress, and the obscene salaries executives were collecting. Hastert and Thomas defended our for-profit “health care” system using a pack of lies and distortions, many of them about taxes. Some of these distortions are <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA2vDGpYMk8" target="_blank">still being used</a> by alleged progressives. <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=UPbF2MTBxFk" data-height="281" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UPbF2MTBxFk" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a> </div> This is a statesman fighting for the people. If we are wise enough as a people, he will be our next president. rss@dailykos.com (racerx) 1993 bernie BernieSanders DennisHastert Hastert HealthCare Recommended _1516786 Mon, 18 Apr 2016 12:31:10 +0000 Remember when Hastert said child molesters should get life sentences? https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/4/14/1515221/-Remember-when-Hastert-said-child-molesters-should-get-life-sentences Back in 2003, a young Utah teenager—Elizabeth Smart—was kidnapped and sexually assaulted and held captive for nine months before escaping. In 2003, this was <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-dennis-hastert-lawmaker-record-met-20160413-story.html" target="_blank">Congressman Dennis Hastert’s statement about that:</a> <blockquote> "It is important to have a national notification system to help safely recover children kidnapped by child predators," he said. "But it is equally important to stop those predators before they strike, to put repeat child molesters into jail for the rest of their lives and to help law enforcement with the tools they need to get the job done." </blockquote> [Bold is me counting to the number four, representing how many alleged victims of Hastert we know of] Last week, <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/4/7/1511987/-Dennis-Hastert-s-lawyers-Having-the-public-find-out-about-his-crimes-is-punishment-enough" target="_blank" title="">Dennis Hastert’s lawyers argued that the damage being done to Dennis Hastert’s reputation</a>—the reputation of being a sexual predator and full of shit—was punishment enough and jail time would be overkill. Dennis Hastert, his lawyers argue, is a man of ill health. Throw away the key. rss@dailykos.com (Walter Einenkel) BLM Dennis Hastert Hypocrisy molester Recommended SexualAssault _1515221 Thu, 14 Apr 2016 15:08:22 +0000 The former Speaker of the House accused of molesting 4 (5?)boys https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/4/9/1513123/-The-former-Speaker-of-the-House-accused-of-molesting-4-5-boys I know we have a primary where the forces of good are pitted against the forces of evil to be the nominee of the Democratic party(over on the other side, I am not so sure they have forces of good). But the former Republican Speaker of the House has been accused of molesting 4-5 teenage boys while he was a teacher and paying hush money to keep the victims quiet. Who kept this quiet over the decades? How did the Republican party decide this guy was a fit replace for the already low standards they had set with Gingrich and Livingston? I suppose if you’re the former speaker of the house and you a history of molesting teenage boys, gaming the financial system to pay people off is no big deal. One has to go back and look at the time he was in power and some of those scandals. They look a little different in the light of a guy who could be so easily blackmailed. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/prosecutors-offer-details-on-dennis-hasterts-alleged-sexual-abuse-of-teenagers/2016/04/08/5a96bd68-fcc8-11e5-80e4-c381214de1a3_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_hastert-952pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory" target="_blank" title="">https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/prosecutors-offer-details-on-dennis-hasterts-alleged-sexual-abuse-of-teenagers/2016/04/08/5a96bd68-fcc8-11e5-80e4-c381214de1a3_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_hastert-952pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory</a> rss@dailykos.com (Dave from Oregon) financialmisdeeds Hastert molester _1513123 Sat, 09 Apr 2016 18:47:55 +0000 Denny Hastert Cops A Plea https://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/11/3/1443948/-Denny-Hastert-Cops-A-Plea A week ago Politico reported that former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert had entered a plea of guilty on a single felony charge of violating bank money transfer laws enacted after 9/11 as part of the Patriot Act to counter illegal money laundering.  The report said only that the illegal transfers were part of a hush money scheme that the indictment in the case said was to cover-up “past misconduct” that occurred back in the eighties when Hastert was still a high school teacher and wrestling coach in Ohio.   rss@dailykos.com (Jerry Anderson) 2016 Election 2016Election Clown Car ClownCar FamilyValues Hastert Justice Republicans _1443948 Tue, 03 Nov 2015 18:51:49 +0000 Democrats: Please link Speaker Hastert's moral failings and Ryan's Speakership! https://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/28/1441656/-Democrats-Please-link-Speaker-Hastert-s-moral-failings-and-Ryan-s-Speakership If there's one thing I know re: Hastert's court case (in which he just plead Guilty to lying to the FBI) it's this: If a Dem speaker who wrote the book on how to run the modern House had legal troubles, the GOP would be tying those troubles together with his legacy. I'm referring to The Hastert Rule. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastert_Rule">The Hastert Rule, as described on Wikipedia is</a>: <blockquote>... an informal governing principle used by Republican Speakers of the House of Representatives since the mid-1990s to maintain their speakerships and limit the power of the minority party to bring bills up for a vote on the floor of the House.</blockquote> So here we have a new (vulnerable, impressionable) Speaker entering the job, PROMISING to keep the Hastert Rule in place, and no one on the Dem side has thought to call him on that? No one has thought to say, "You're going to preserve the House of Representatives that was crafted by a child molester who paid off his victim and lied to the FBI about it!"? Yes, there are moral caveats here. No question. But any narrative that could derail the Hastert Rule is a moral victory. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/28/politics/dennis-hastert-court-hearing/index.html">Hastert pleads Guilty</a> rss@dailykos.com (benjaz) Hastert House Paul Ryan PaulRyan speakership _1441656 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 15:25:02 +0000 Hastert One of Long List of Legislators Gone Bad, Gone Lobbyist https://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/6/12/1392675/-Hastert-One-of-Long-List-of-Legislators-Gone-Bad-Gone-Lobbyist In the midst of the scandal that Dennis Hastert has created for himself, he has had a nice, comfy life since his congressional days.  He has earned millions of dollars as a lobbyist, fronting for some real swell firms supporting fracking and cigarettes, among others. Not bad for a former high school wrestling coach. rss@dailykos.com (kansaslogic21) Blogging Congress Hastert Illinois Lobbying Lobbyist Scandal _1392675 Fri, 12 Jun 2015 13:16:09 +0000 Hastert Coverage: Proof of Corporate Media Bias https://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/6/6/1391177/-Of-Course-the-Media-is-Biassed This is going to be a very short diary, since the facts speak for themselves. There's a  myth that the media leans left - well, maybe individuals who work for corporate media may harbor left-wing thoughts, but hello! - what part of corporate don't you understand? People working in the mainstream media are editorially constrained to cast Republicans and their failed condervative ideologies in the best possible light, no matter what the facts on the ground may be. Here's a simple example: Dennis Hastert has been much in the news of late, due to recent revelations of his long-term sexual abuse of teenage boys. Here are two recent NYT articles on the subject: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/06/us/sister-says-her-brother-was-a-victim-of-ex-speaker-hastert.html">http://www.nytimes.com/...</a> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/06/upshot/when-its-a-crime-to-withdraw-money-from-your-bank.html">http://www.nytimes.com/...</a> What do these artices have in common? Incredibly, neither identifies Hastert as a Republican! Note that Hastert has been out of poltics since 2007, and eight years is a long time in politics. Your average low-information voter may well have forgotten his political affiliation. Yet there's no reminder of his party in these articles, let alone reminders of how he and his fellow Republicans tried to impeach Bill Clinton for having a sex act performed on him by a consenting (and eager!) adult. Obvious cover-up of Republican sin and Republican hypocrisy, right? In contrast, every article that mentions Hillary Clinton makes it clear she's a Democrat - even though even someone living under a rock must be aware she's running for the Dem nomination. There's a reason for this explicit call-out of her party affiliation: these articles are all negative - about those manufactured "Clinton scandals" or just a simple transcription of Republican attacks. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/06/05/us/politics/ap-us-benghazi-clinton-emails.html">http://www.nytimes.com/...</a> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/06/05/us/ap-us-dem-2016-clinton.html">http://www.nytimes.com/...</a> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/06/05/us/ap-us-gop-2016-roast-and-ride.html">http://www.nytimes.com/...</a> And this is the NYT, not the NYPost or Faux News. Your head has to be pretty far up your bottom if you still believe the media is liberal. Here's the challenge, Kossacks: Can ANYONE find a positive article about Hillary Clinton in the "left-wing" NYT? If so, post any such gems in the Comments. rss@dailykos.com (vulcangrrl) Hastert Hillary Clinton HillaryClinton MediaBias Recommended _1391177 Sat, 06 Jun 2015 20:15:04 +0000 How does Hastert have $3.5mil to dole out in hush money? https://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/6/5/1390811/-How-does-Hastert-have-3-5mil-to-dole-out-in-hush-money I've seen this mentioned briefly in comments a while back, don't remember by whom, but the point seems to have disappeared in the current Hastert discussions: how did a small-town high-school wrestling coach turned congressman reach a position where he can has 3.5 million dollars in liquidity to pay off a victim in order to protect his prestige? So I think there are a few issues here. A citizen sexually abusing another citizen (a human being harming another human being, ok multiple human beings more likely). A public servant violating the most basic principle of public service, which is not just serving the public but also not harming fellow citizens--which one would assume would include the particular of not harming citizens in the most intimate and direct way possible without killing them: touching their genitals without an invitation or without them being of an age where they can extend that invitation reasonably. And, lastly, how our congress is a gravy train that brings immense personal profit to election winners, transforming them from whatever they were before into millionaires by the end of their public careers. To be in a position to pay 3.5 million dollars in hush money means there are other Hastert financial resources intact that support a lifestyle we now consider normal for "leaders," even if it turns out that the main project they've been "leading" all along is the feathering of their own nests. I would suggest that Hastert's finances merit a more thorough look. And as a bonus, since Hastert will not be found to have done anything outside the mainstream, he's obviously not that bright and ultimately a follower, looking at the finances of all civil servants, starting with elected representatives, to detect irregular, unethical, illegal, immoral accumulations of wealth and lucrative conflicts of interest. Corruption is a hot worldwide concern, along with and related to inequality and poor governance, and we should be working to ferret it out in our own system. Maybe our news media could help with that. It's staring us in the face. Let's not forget that discussion. rss@dailykos.com (ultramarina) ConflictOfInterest Corruption DennisHastert Hastert wealthofpublicservants _1390811 Fri, 05 Jun 2015 14:38:54 +0000 Alan Dershowitz is a Republican shill https://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/5/31/1389282/-Alan-Dershowitz-is-a-Republican-shill Way back when, in "the good old days", Dershowitz was actually a liberal, I had some respect for him.  That's all evaporated.  Read here:  <a href="http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/Dershowitz-Hastert-indictment-Newsmax-TV/2015/05/29/id/647617/?ns_mail_uid=80669055&ns_mail_job=1622819_05302015&s=al&dkt_nbr=ayphiyng">http://www.newsmax.com/...</a> From the comments and post on Dkos, we have near unanimity on the the fact that structuring and money laundering in violation of federal law are illegal.  So where does this pompous asshole derive his legal theory that Hastert is being persecuted?   Maybe Dershowitz would be comfortable about Denny diddling his own grandsons. rss@dailykos.com (Alligator Ed) ChildMolestation Dershowitz Hastert MoneyLaundering _1389282 Sun, 31 May 2015 08:09:51 +0000 Hastert, blackmail and access to classified intelligence https://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/5/29/1389003/-Hastert-blackmail-and-access-to-classified-intelligence Former Speaker of the House Hastert had access to all our intelligence secrets as ex-officio member of the house intelligence committees.  While money was not paid until 2010, it is probable that the blackmail was in place long before and that payment was in the form of information - land deals, stock tips, and intelligence information that would be valuable to a lot of people.  The Justice Department should investigate intelligence breaches. rss@dailykos.com (calef) Blackmail Hastert intelligencesecrets _1389003 Sat, 30 May 2015 02:28:29 +0000 Denny Hastert, Gay Sex Scandal https://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/5/29/1388929/-Denny-Hastert-Gay-Sex-Scandal Two things strike me as deliciously ironic regarding J. Dennis Hastert's current legal woes. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/29/dennis-hastert-sexual-mis_n_7471330.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000013">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...</a> rss@dailykos.com (4kedtongue) Foley Hastert Hypocrisy underagedgaysex _1388929 Fri, 29 May 2015 19:50:14 +0000 Proof of ALEC/Koch's U.S. Congressional Influence and Passage of ALEC Bill(s) https://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/6/1033547/-Proof-of-ALEC-Koch-s-U-S-Congressional-Influence-and-Passage-of-ALEC-Bill-s Over the years ALEC has steadfastly denied having any influence or involvement in writing or proposing legislation at the federal level.  They "proudly" proclaim their effectiveness at the state level through their legislative membership.  They've continued these denials of interfering at the federal level since ALEC Exposed with their 800+ Model Legislation became public through a joint Center for Media and Democracy and Nation Magazine project in July. This diary is going to expose the cabal's lies concerning denial of influence or involvement in the U.S. Congress on federal legislation. This will show ALEC bringing their pro-corporate agenda directly into both the Senate and House, proposing bills they acknowledge authoring and admit are their "initiatives".  I am only using one of these "Model Bills" to show how they accomplish making "their" laws the law of the land throughout the United States.  I will show the methodology used, the tactics employed to avoid objection or true discussion of the "Bill" and the procedure(s) they employ to guarantee passage of their anti-citizen, pro-corporate agenda. rss@dailykos.com (Bob Sloan) aepa AETA ALEC ALECAlumni AmericanLegislativeExchangeCouncil animaladvocacylegislation Dennis Kucinich DennisKucinich Eco-terrorism fasttracklegislation FBI federallegislation Gingrey GlaxoSmithKline H.R4239 Hastert Indianalegislation Inhofe Koch nabr OregonLegislation PhRMA PoliticalCorruption Recommended S3880 Sensenbrenner us doj usdoj Wyeth _1033547 Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:38:16 +0000 How Many People Can the GOP Scapegoat? https://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/3/12/707876/-How-Many-People-Can-the-GOP-Scapegoat By <a href="http://www.eyesonobama.com/blog/writers/writer_jwilkes">John Wilkes</a> from Eyesonobama.com: The GOP has a new matra: if at first you don't succeed, find a scapegoat. If you still don't, find another. From Michael Steele to George Bush, Republican failures are always <a href="http://www.eyesonobama.com/blog/content/id_48696/title_How-Many-People-Can-the-GOP-Scapegoat/">somebody else's fault</a>. But they don't really believe sacrificing these guys will fix their party. They just hope you will. Bad news, GOP: it's not them, it's you. rss@dailykos.com (eyesonobama) Abramoff Bush Cunningham Dawson Delay Foley Gillibrand Gingrich GOP Hastert Jindal Limbaugh mcCain mcConnell NewtGingrich Palin Republican Party RepublicanParty RushLimbaugh Specter Steele _707876 Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:51:57 +0000 McCain: Dems fight with themselves; Uh,but we ain't LOSING.... https://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/19/518150/-McCain-Dems-fight-with-themselves-Uh-but-we-ain-t-LOSING McPanderer says Dems fighteth too much amongst ourselves; but we're not losing buddy. rss@dailykos.com (LGSutekh) Economy Election Hastert Kentucky mcCain MEDIABUYS Mississippi Obama Presidency Voters _518150 Mon, 19 May 2008 13:26:15 +0000