Monthly Archives: May 2015

The Toughest Vote

BY JOHN FEEHERY
MAY 12 | Reprinted from TheFeeheryTheory.com

Robin Hayes openly wept on the House Floor after voting to give President Bush fast track authority late in 2001. He thought the vote in favor of TPA would cost him his seat.

He wasn’t the only one.

Many folks cried when Republicans passed TPA at President Bush’s request, but many shed only crocodile tears, hoping upon hope to get political and other help from the White House and the GOP Leadership. Continue reading

Deflating Footballs, Not Egos

BY B. JAY COOPER
MAY 12 | Reprinted from The Screaming Moderate (bjaycooper.com)

Politics ain’t bean bag. Neither is football.

The New England Patriots are having one of their worst weeks, and this after yet another Super Bowl championship. They cheated, or so says the NFL. Therefore, quarterback and all-American perceived nice guy Tom Brady will be suspended for four games, which means a loss of about $2 million in pay, and his team is being fined another million. Why? Because, the league says, they intentionally deflated footballs to make them more easily gripped by one of the best QBs ever to play the pro game. As if he needs such an advantage.  Continue reading

Polling

BY RICH GALEN
MAY 11 | Reprinted from Mullings.com

The results of the elections in the United Kingdom last week were the latest, not the first, surprise if “surprise” is based upon what the pre-election polls were saying. The Conservative Party had been tipped (as they say in the British papers) to play to a tie with the Labour (as they spell it in Britain) Party at the the six-week campaign.

When the dust settled (as they said in the old West), the Tories (another name for the Conservative Party) romped not just to the most seats in the 650-seat Parliament, but an absolute majority of 331 seats – a feat the Tories had not accomplished since 1992. Continue reading

Jim Wright: Leaving a Mark

BY JOHN FEEHERY
MAY 8 | Reprinted from TheFeeheryTheory.com

Jim Wright left a mark.

I came to Washington to work for House Republican Leader Bob Michel in September of 1989, about four months after the Texas Democrat stepped down in disgrace.

Wright had run roughshod over the House Minority, radicalizing Members like Dick Cheney, and empowering bomb-throwers like Newt Gingrich.

The future House Speaker was strangely inspired by the Speaker he successfully deposed. He too would be brought down by a passion to sell books. He too would marry a Congressional Continue reading