GOP Congressman Admits Romney/Ryan Would ‘End Medicare As We Know It’

By Sy Mukherjee/Think Progress

During the fourth and final debate between incumbent Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) and his Democratic challenger, Tammy Duckworth, the Republican Congressman openly admitted that he and his GOP colleagues want to “end Medicare as we know it.”

Walsh defended the Romney/Ryan plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program, which would provide retirees with adepreciating premium support credit to purchase private insurance or traditional Medicare. Duckworth pointed out that Obamacare reforms extend the solvency of the Medicare program by a decade — and reminded Walsh of his unabashed support for Paul Ryan’s budget, which guts the core Medicare entitlement. And Walsh admitted that Duckworth’s assessment of Ryan’s plan was right:

DUCKWORTH: [Congressman Walsh] voted three times for the Ryan budget which will end Medicare as we know it. That is not my comment — that is the Wall Street Journal that says it will end Medicare as we know it. He wants to put seniors the street with a voucher. And he wants to go even further than the Ryan budget. He wants to eliminate the prescription drug benefit. Do you think that’s going to save Medicare? You want seniors to pay more for Medicare? You want seniors to pay more for prescription drugs? That’s not a single senior has come up to me and said that.

EDDIE ARRUZA (MODERATOR): Quickly, Mr. Walsh, respond.

WALSH: Ms. Duckworth says end Medicare as we know it. What the Chicago Tribune and every other responsible person has said if we don’t end it as it is, it’s going end all by itself — we won’t preserve it for future generations. We have to do that.

Watch it:

Wary of public backlash and the overwhelming popularity Medicare enjoys, Republican candidates across the country — including the Romney/Ryan ticket — describe their proposal as a way to strengthen Medicare for future generations. Last night, Walsh publicly confirmed that it is actually a fundamental restructuring of the entitlement and a raw deal for seniors.

Veterans Group Condemns Rep. Joe Walsh For Attacking Double Amputee’s Military Service, Calls For Resignation

By Scott Keyes/Think Progress


A leading veterans group has denounced Rep. Joe Walsh’s (R-IL) attack on his opponent’s military service, firsthighlighted by ThinkProgress this morning, and called on the Illinois Republican to resign.

At a town hall on Sunday, Walsh blasted his Democratic opponent, Tammy Duckworth, for having the temerity to note that she’s spent two decades serving in the military. Walsh dismissed Duckworth, an Iraq War vet who lost both her legs in an RPG attack, as not a “true hero.”

Vote Vets, a non-partisan PAC that supports veterans issues, condemned Walsh’s comments in an exclusive statement to ThinkProgress. The veterans group wrote that “Telling a veteran to shut up on the 4th of July is beyond the pale.” They called on Walsh to “step aside and and stop embarrassing his district and America.”

Their full statement:

Joe Walsh’s disgust for our veterans’ sacrifices knows no bounds. First, he falsely and maliciously claims that Tammy Duckworth, a veteran who lost her legs in Iraq didn’t have much of a record of service. Now, he denigrates that same American hero for talking about how her experience shaped her worldview and strengthened her resolve to serve even more – a conversation that isn’t just legitimate to have, but crucial as America charts its course domestically and internationally. This is a new low for this deadbeat dad.Telling a veteran to shut up on the 4th of July is beyond the pale. We are past the point of calling on Joe Walsh to apologize. He should step aside and and stop embarrassing his district and America.

Joe Walsh Challenged Duckworth To A Debate At The Same Time That She Was Serving Army Duty

By Faiz Shakir/Think Progress

Last Friday, Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) challenged his Democratic opponent — Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth — to a debate. Walsh posted an announcement on his campaign website which stated that the congressman would be hosting a town hall on Sunday, and that he “has invited his opponent Tammy Duckworth to join him because he believes the voters deserve to have the ability to directly compare their competing views on the issues.”

Unfortunately, she was unable to attend. Why? Because Duckworth, who serves in the Army National Guard, was on duty this past weekend. As VoteVets told ThinkProgress, under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Duckworth was legally prohibited from appearing at any campaign events while on duty. VoteVets Chairman Jon Soltz issued the following statement:

Joe Walsh just cannot stop trying to use Tammy Duckworth’s service against her, and he needs to stop, now. Whether or not his campaign was aware of her Army obligations, he now is, and should immediately apologize for this stunt.We should be thankful for the service of all of our troops, not use their time in uniform as an opportunity to play a political stunt.

The Duckworth campaign has made clear that it would like to hold a series of debates with Walsh.

Walsh’s denigration of Duckworth’s service seems to be a recurring theme. In a recent interview with Politico, Walsh diminished Duckworth’s sacrifice for her nation (she lost both of her legs and has a damaged right arm because her helicopter was gunned down in Iraq in 2004) by saying, “What else has she done? Female, wounded veteran … ehhh…. She is nothing more than a handpicked Washington bureaucrat.” Walsh refuses to apologize for those remarks and has instead doubled down. “Wearing the uniform should immediately earn everyone’s respect. It should not, however, earn everyone’s vote,” he said earlier this month.

Since 2006, Duckworth has been serving our nation’s veterans, first by directing the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, and more recently by serving as an Assistant Secretary in the federal Department of Veterans Affairs. But Walsh has been “trying to pretend that [Duckworth’s] service ended when she came home from war.”

99 Percenters Occupying Joe Walsh’s Office Until He Meets With Them

By Zaid Jilani/Think Progress

This afternoon, at least 99 different groups of Americans outraged at income inequality and the lack of jobs are at the U.S. capitol, demanding that Members of Congress support jobs legislation. The action, called “Take Back The Capitol” is one of the few times that Members of Congress will be directly confronted by unemployed people.

About half an hour ago, a group of demonstrators entered Rep. Joe Walsh’s (R-IL) office. These protesters asked to meet with the congressman. The Chief of Staff, Justin Roth, said that Walsh was busy and could only meet with them later but offered to meet with the protesters himself. “I think we’ll stay,” said one protester. Roth shrugged and the protesters sat down and decided to occupy the office until Walsh arrives. Watch it:

ThinkProgress spoke with one of the protesters, Andy Gebel. Gebel said he is 56 years old and has been unemployed for two years four months, a hundred and twenty three weeks. He ran out of unemployment insurance last summer and has been living on Social Security disability benefits because he needed a liver transplant last year. He doesn’t have enough money to pay for health insurance so he’s anticipating getting Medicare benefits next year.

Gebel and the rest of the protesters want Walsh and the rest of Congress to stop trying to balance the budget on the backs of middle class priorities like Medicare and Social Security. “I’d like to see some kind of commitment from him to not cutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid,” said Gebel. “And get some sort of jobs program going and boost the economy.”

UPDATE

A staffer asked the protesters if they’d like to watch some news rather than the House floor on the television in the office. The protesters said they would, and it was quickly decided by consensus that the television channel would be changed to Fox News.

UPDATE

Rather than meet with activists at 3 P.M. as his staff suggested he would do, around 3:20 he left his office by a side door and fled down the hallway, refusing to even acknowledge his constituent. Read more and watch the video of Walsh taking off here.

Rep. Joe Walsh Apologizes For Screaming At Post Office Worker, Telling Her That Her Job Isn’t Necessary

By Lee Fang/Think Progress




On Tuesday, ThinkProgress broke the story of Rep. Joe Walsh’s (R-IL) unhinged pro-Wall Street rant, in which he shook his finger and yelled “don’t blame the banks” at a couple of constituents earlier this week. The constituents asked simply why banks have so much political power, and have been able to place lobbyists at the highest level of government. Yesterday, Walsh said his rant was caused by an “empty stomach.”

WLS-TV, ABC News’ Chicago affiliate, spoke with Melissa Rakestraw, one of the constituents berated by the freshman congressman. Rakestraw, who asked several thoughtful questions about bank regulation, said she was insulted when Walsh wouldn’t stop yelling into her face, even as she responded at one point, “please don’t yell at me because I’m not yelling at you.” The most offensive part of Walsh’s rant, however, wasn’t even his hysterical defense of Wall Street and corporate lobbyists. Rakestraw, a post office worker, said she was taken aback when she asked Walsh about how to save jobs like her own. Walsh replied bluntly, “I don’t care about the loss of public sector jobs.” Watch the WLS-TV report below:

As brazen as Walsh appears on tape, yelling at the top of his lungs that banks and hedge funds had no active role in creating the financial crisis, he acted shamelessly in the past. Walsh has earned the moniker as “the deadbeat congressman” for his refusal to pay $117,000 in child support.

According to WLS-TV, Walsh reportedly apologized to Rakestraw, but did not back away from any of his political views. “When we talk about creating jobs in this country,” said Walsh, “we are not talking about government jobs, we are talking about private sector jobs. That was the point I was trying to get across.”

Rep. Joe Walsh Explains His ‘Don’t Blame Banks’ Rant: I ‘Was Working On An Empty Stomach’

By Lee Fang/Think Progress




Yesterday, ThinkProgress reported on a testy exchange between Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) and a group of his constituents during a meeting. At several points during the discussion, Walsh lost his temper, screaming and threatening to eject participants in the meeting. “Don’t blame banks,” yelled Walsh, who disagreed with a constituent who correctly noted that banks use the revolving door and campaign contributions to dominate government.

After our story, the Capitol Fax, an Illinois political website, contacted Walsh for a response. Walsh wrote in an e-mail that he was “working on an empty stomach and had a quicker fuse than normal.” Despite the fact Walsh’s biggest campaign benefactors come from the banking industry — $132,329 in campaign contributions from the finance industry and $18,400 from bank employees — the freshman congressman claims that he’s “no pal of the big banks.” He also reiterated, “but [banks] didn’t get us into this mess — government policy” did:

I do these cup of joe’s every wkend, I show up at a coffee shop or restaurant anywhere in district and anyone can come meet with me and talk to me about anything. They are fun, engaging sessions, I often get people who disagree w me on issues at these events and the conversation can be very spirited. I am very passionate at these events as well as at my town halls. This was no different except I was working on an empty stomach and had a quicker fuse than normal.

The woman I had the heated exchange with was great and she appreciated how open and unusual these events are. I apologized to her for getting a bit to passionate and she smiled and didn’t mind at all. Regarding the substance rich of what I was trying to say – I’m no pal of the big banks and I wouldn’t have voted to bail any of them out. If they’ve abused their charters they need to be prosecuted fully. But they didn’t get us into this mess – goverment policy which has dictated for years that everyone should own a home got us here. The banks only followed the rules government set. And further government meddling will only exasperate the problem.

View the full video and Walsh’s rant here.

GOP Rep. Joe Walsh Melts Down, Screams At Constituents: ‘Dont Blame Banks!…I Am Tired Of Hearing That Crap!’

By Lee Fang/Think Progress

Freshman Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) is known for his anti-Obama rhetoric on cable television and his inability to pay his child support payments. But during a recent meeting with constituents in his Chicago-area suburban district, Walsh lost his cool when several attendees asked about why banks have so much power in government. At one point, Walsh even threatened to eject a man who asked Walsh about the revolving door of bank lobbyists infiltrating Congress and financial regulatory agencies.

Walsh at one point screamed, “don’t blame the banks … this pisses me off!” After several constituents accurately pointed out that bank lobbyists occupy key positions within Congress, the SEC, and other oversight bodies that are supposed to supervise bank practices, Walsh began sticking his finger close to his constituent’s faces, yelling, “quiet for a minute or I’ll have to ask you to leave.” The constituent, who had calmly asked his question before being cut-off midway through his sentence, obliged:

WALSH: Thats not the problem! The problem is you’ve got to be consistent. And I dont want government meddling in the marketplace. Yeah, they move from Goldman Sachs to the White House, I understand all of that. But you gotta’ be consistent. And it’s not the private marketplace that created this mess. What created mess was your government, which has demanded for years that everybody be in a home. And we’ve made it easy as possible for people to be in homes. [...] Don’t blame banks, and don’t blame the marketplace for the mess we’re in right now! I am tired of hearing that crap! This pisses me off! Too many people don’t listen. [...]

WALSH: Quiet for a minute! Quiet for a minute!

CONSTITUENT: Joe, what did I say–

WALSH: Quiet for a minute or I’m going to ask you to leave. You need to listen, or I’m going to ask you to leave.

Watch it:

The conversation moved from talking about influence of the bank lobby to larger structural problems in government. Walsh absurdly claimed that worker unions have more power and money than corporations in America. But he was quickly rebutted by his constituent, who said that in any case, unions serve worker interests while corporate lobbies push for private, selfish interests. The video of the exchange, which occurred during Walsh’s “Cup of Joe with Joe Walsh” event on Sunday in the town of Gurnee, Illinois, was posted on YouTube last night.

Deadbeat Rep. Joe Walsh, Who Owes $100k In Child Support, Receives ‘Pro-Family’ Award From Family Research Council

By Lee Fang/Think Progress

In July, the press learned that Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL), a Tea Party freshman in Congress, owed $117,000 in unpaid child support to his ex-wife. Walsh, despite earning a hefty salary as a member of Congress, has continued to refuse to pay his ex-wife to support his children. Now, it appears, an influential Christian right lobbying group is lending some support to the deadbeat congressman.

The Sun-Times reports that the Family Research Council, a social conservative advocacy nonprofit headed by CNN pundit Tony Perkins, has awarded Walsh a 100 percent rating as a “True Blue” member of Congress. The FRC said it gave the honor to Walsh because of his “unwavering support of the family”:

“We thank Cong. Walsh who has voted consistently to defend faith, family and freedom,” said FRCA President Tony Perkins. “Cong. Walsh and other ‘True Blue Members’ have voted to repeal Obamacare, de-fund Planned Parenthood, end government funding for abortion within the health care law, uphold the Defense of Marriage Act, and continue support for school choice. I applaud their commitment to uphold the institutions of marriage and family.”

“I am proud and honored to be recognized by the Family Research Council as the only member from Illinois with a 100 percent pro-family voting record,” Walsh said in a news release. “Defending American values have always been one of my top priorities, and this reward reaffirms my dedication to that fight.”

Despite their very poor understanding of what the term “pro-family” means — the Family Research Council was recently designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center because of their virulently anti-gay views — they are disturbingly influential among conservative lawmakers. Their legislative arm’s annual “Values Voters” convention drew such speakers as Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA), House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA), Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX), Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), and former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) this year.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that Walsh’s failure to pay child support isn’t even his only failure to look out for the basic needs of his own family. As Marie Diamond noted for ThinkProgress a few months ago, “Walsh also rejected the congressional health insurance plan for his family on principle, much to the chagrin of his current wife, Helene, who had a preexisting condition and needed surgery while the couple was uninsured.”

Recently, a judge rebuked Walsh for failing to even show up to a court hearing about his missed child support payments, telling the Chicago-area lawmaker that he doesn’t deserve special treatment and that he’s “no different than anyone else.”

Rep. Joe Walsh: Media protects Obama because he’s black

By David Edwards/Raw Story

Tea party Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) thinks that the color of the president’s skin will play a big part in next year’s election.

“[Y]ou see this administration playing class warfare and race warfare games,” Media Research Center’s Brent Bozell told Walsh during a recent interview. “Now, that’s their problem. But what does it say about the national media that they are aiding and abetting this by not exposing the dishonesty here?”

“This guy pushed every one of the media’s buttons,” Walsh replied. “He was liberal, he was different, he was new, he was black. Oh my God, it was the potpourri of everything.”

“They are so vested in our first black president not being a failure that it’s going to be amazing to watch the lengths they go to to protect him.”

Earlier this year, Walsh claimed that Obama was elected because he was black.

“Why was he elected? Again, it comes back to who he was. He was black, he was historic,” Walsh told Slate’s Dave Weigel in May. “They were in love with him because they thought he was a good liberal guy and they were in love with him because he pushed that magical button: a black man who was articulate, liberal, the whole white guilt, all of that.”

Watch this video from CNS News, broadcast Sept. 21, 2011.

Watch this video on iPhone/iPad

Motor City Liberal Comment: Wow not only Joe Walsh is a deadbeat douche bag, he's a racist deadbeat douchebag.

Judge rules against Rep. Joe Walsh in child support case

By Eric W. Dolan/Raw Story

A Chicago judge has ordered the tea party congressman branded a "deadbeat dad" by his critics to explain why he has not paid more than $100,00 in child support to his ex-wife over the past five years.

Cook County Circuit Judge Raul Vega on Wednesday issued a “rule to show cause” against Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL), meaning the congressman has to argue why he should not be held in contempt for falling so far behind in child support.

Rep. Walsh and Laura Walsh divorced in 2002.

Lawyers for the Illinois Republican previously asked his ex-wife to provide extensive documentation, including records of her employment, salary, bank statements, tax returns and expense reports. After she failed to provide the documents, Walsh sought to have her sanctioned by the court.

Laura Walsh’s attorney called that request "harassment."

While Rep. Walsh's lawyer denied that he owes anything near that amount thanks to a stint of unemployment before his surprising election to Congress, Laura Walsh's lawsuit pointed to a $35,000 loan he personally gave to his campaign, claiming that if he had enough for that, he had enough to help support their 9-year-old child.

Members of Congress earn $174,000-a-year, placing them in the top 5 percent of salaried U.S. workers. Combined with their full health benefits, members of the House are compensated at a rate about 3.5 times higher than the average American.

Tea party Rep. wants ex-wife sanctioned in child support case

By David Edwards/Raw Story

A tea party Republican congressman who reportedly owes over $100,000 in child support has filed a motion to have the court sanction his ex-wife.

Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) is also asking the court to force former wife Laura Walsh to pay his legal bills.

In July, court documents showed that Laura Walsh was suing the congressman for more than $117,000 in unpaid child support.

The lawsuit pointed to a $35,000 loan he personally gave to his campaign, claiming that if he had enough for that, he had enough to help support their 9-year-old child.

In a possible effort to slow down the case, lawyers for the Illinois Republican asked his ex-wife to provide extensive documentation, including records of her employment, salary, bank statements, tax returns and expense reports. After she failed to provide the documents, Walsh sought to have her sanctioned by the court.

Jack Coladarci, Laura Walsh's attorney, told The Sun Times that the move was "harassment."

He added that Laura Walsh was under no obligation to produce the records and that the issue should be Walsh not paying his past-due child support.

ack Coladarci, Laura Walsh's attorney, told The Sun Times that the move was "harassment."

He added that Laura Walsh was under no obligation to produce the records and that the issue should be Walsh not paying his past-due child support.

Members of Congress earn $174,000-a-year (PDF), placing them in the top five percent of salaried U.S. workers. Combined with their full health benefits, members of the House are compensated at a rate about 3.5 times higher than the average American.

MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell banned Walsh from his show in July, calling him a "deadbeat dad."