Kennedy to Republicans: "What is it about working men and women that you find so offensive?"

[donheld]

It's a sure bet that Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) has a lot of bottled-up frustration from years of fighting the Republican party to get a simple minimum wage increase for America's families and it boiled over on the floor of the Senate Thursday night.

Angry about Republican filibustering of the minimum wage increase that easily passed the House of Representatives two weeks ago, Kennedy erupted on the Senate floor, demanding of the other side of the aisle "When does the greed stop?"

After listing many of the unrelated and pricey amendments for business that the GOP has tried to join to a minimum wage hike, Kennedy blasted Republicans and demanded to know how they can be as cruel as they are to the working poor in America.

"We have now had amendments that have been worth over 200 billion dollars… Amendments that have been offered. We've had amendments on education of 35 billion dollars. We've had health-savings amendments that will benefit people with average incomes of $112,000… We've had those kinds of amendments and we're looking at the Kyl amendment at 3 billion dollars. But we still cannot get two dollars and fifteen cents -- over two years. Over two years!

http://bobgeiger.blogspot.com/2007/01/kennedy-to-republicans-what-is-it-about.html

[Steepler0t]

1. You tell those bastards!

When does the greed stop?

[Hieronymus]

2. God, what a great question for the selfish republic party.

[GreenZoneLT]

3. Duh. The smell.

It's as if they do physical labor or something. Their hands are a mess; not a manicure among them. And their clothes, my God. They are SO out of fashion.

[tbyg52]

6. Nah, it's that we don't have money. nt

[SOS]

34. and therefore

our concerns are of no interest to the plutocracy. They only want us right before an election and at tax time.
Otherwise we don't even exist to these bastards.

[Rosemary2205]

44. Money is stinky. Ever tour a US mint?

the stink is really not much better than a meat factory. Different smell but equal amount of stinkiness.

[Ken Burch]

8. And, well, "work", that's so TACKY...

It's what Republicans have servants for.

[CrazyOrangeCat]

4. Greedy corporate sycophants.

:grr:

[Auggie]

5. Ironic that Republicans keep making it easier for the Democrats in 2008

[hippiechick]

21. Not ironic ...

... would YOU want to be President in January 2009 and have Georgie's mess waiting to be cleaned up ??

:cry:

[MasterDarkNinja]

67. Yeah, they're really making those GOP incumbent senate seats more vunerable in 08

I just hope that the repubs can't somehow outrageously convince some stupid people that the 110th congress is a do nothing congress because of GOP filibusters and Bush's vetos.

[malaise]

7. Expose them Teddy

Expose them.

[salin]

9. k & r

[C_U_L8R]

10. Republics still haven't gotten the message

conservatism is dead

[anarchistmanifesto]

63. RE: Conservatism

Actually, conservatism is still alive but the conservative
movement has already been splintered into different factions. 
These factions would include your
"paleoconservatives", "neoconservatives",
and your "social conservatives".  Conservatism is
meeting the same fate that all ideologies meet when they get
too powerful: sectarianism.

[ms liberty]

11. I saw it, Sen. Kennedy was magnificent!

I thought he was going to have a heart attack or a stroke...his face was red, and he was screaming at the top of his lungs. He was so angry! It was an awesome sight to behold.

[Raffi Ella]

24. wow

I would've liked to see that.I got chills just reading your post.

[femrap]

41. Wish I had seen it....let us know

if you find video of it, OK?

[cosmicdot]

54. check the OP's link

there's a 7-minute YouTube link

[femrap]

65. Saw it!

Damn that was great. Now that man knows how to fight. $2.15 compared to the billions that the repugnants want to give to the rich in tax breaks.

Sure hope KO or someone gives this some national coverage.

[Cass]

12. I sit in awe of that man. He is a treasure.

more exerpts from his speech from the link in the OP:

"240 billion dollars in tax breaks for corporations. 36 billion dollars in tax breaks for small businesses. Increase in productivity -- 42 percent over the last 10 years," yelled Kennedy emotionally. "But do you think there's any increase in the minimum wage? No. At 12 after five today, on Thursday, I speak for all of our Democrats and say we're prepared to vote now. Now!"

"Do you have such disdain for hard-working Americans that you want to pile all your amendments on this? Why don’t you just hold your amendments until other pieces of legislation? Why this volume of amendments on just the issue to try and raise the minimum wage? What is it about it that drives you Republicans crazy? What is it? Something. Something! What is the price that the workers have to pay to get an increase? What is it about working men and women that you find so offensive?"

"We don’t want to hear any more from that side for the rest of this session about permitting or not permitting votes in here when you're denying it on the most simple concept of an increase in the minimum wage," said Kennedy. "We don’t want to hear any more about that."

[Cabcere]

13. Amazing

:) Get 'em, Kennedy. :thumbsup: :yourock: It's about time someone got in the Republicans' faces about this kind of hypocrisy!

[bdamomma]

17. He gave to them, it's about freaking time.

we are nothing but second class citizens to some of these Senators. Go Senator Kennedy!!!!!!!!!!

[Mad_Dem_X]

14. Go, Senator Kennedy!!!

:patriot: :kick:

[AllegroRondo]

15. those pesky workers cut into profits

we cant have that!

:sarcasm:

[JohnnyLib2]

16. Again, the old lion roars....

I hope he has a key convention speech and blows the roof off.

[Vidar]

18. Great line.

[hippiechick]

19. From a man who realistically never had to work a day ....

... in his life, and who nobody would blame for retreating to private life - given all the tragedy he's had to witness and endure - has instead chosen to become a tireless fighter for the poor and eldery, for the average working stiff ...

Senator Kennedy, I bow before you, Sir. You are a national hero.


:applause: :applause: :applause:

[KansDem]

33. You've hit the nail on the head...

Wealthy Dems tend to see a need to look after the less fortunate. It's almost as if they see themselves as having been given the advantage to help the disavantaged; the priviledge to assist the underpriviledged. Repubs, on the other hand, don't see beyond their wallets...

See Why Mommy is a Democrat sample pages. A co-worker of my wife gave her this little children's book for Christmas. It puts a smile on both our faces...:D

[Fawkes]

61. To whom much is given

You're right on, hippiechick. Senator Kennedy is known as the hardest working senator. With his family's wealth, he could choose to play golf in Scotland (or Ireland) every day and stay in the best hotels and lounge in the spa and get massages and eat the best food and collect expensive art but instead he chooses to work for US. For US. For you and me.

I remember reading a long time ago that Rose Kennedy (for you youngsters, Ted's mother) told her children, "From whom much is given, much is expected." She must have been a powerful influence on their hearts, because so many of them have given their lives--literally--to us.

God bless Ted Kennedy and may he be with us for a long, long time.

[cooolandrew]

20. Kennedy has been fantastic since coming back in 07. Hope he never relents and tag teams with Hagel.

WTG

[Lasher]

27. Tag teams with Hagel? Don't think so.

Hagel just voted for an amendment that would have eliminated the federal minimum wage. Thankfully it was defeated.

http://senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00024

Hagel seems to be on the right side right now as far as the war in Iraq is concerned, but don't be fooled. Hagel is certainly no Democrat.

[Spiffarino]

66. Hagel is an anti-worker Publican. Let's get off that bandwagon.

Yes, he has been right on the Iraq situation. I credit that to the insight he gained from his service in Vietnam and he deserves credit. However, he's still a Publican when it comes to economic issues and that's not good enough.

Working people have been screwed long enough. It's time for the Reagan Revolution against the middle class to be overthrown.

[all.of.me]

22. I wish I had seen it!

Where do the Republicans think this country would be without the working class?! Are we invisible? Aren't we like 98% of the population? Their blindness blows my mind.... :crazy:

[Giant Robot]

23. I'm almost tearing up

Thank you Senator Kennedy. I doubt he reads this, but does anyone have a way I, or any of us, can reach him to express our thanks? I live in Michigan so my voice may not mean as much to him, but it would mean something to me to be able to thank him for the effort he has put in and just for fighting the good fight.

[SaveElmer]

25. Good man Teddy...stick it to 'em...

And don't forget this in two years...alot of Republicans up for reelection on that list!

[The Count]

26. "War on the middle class - how do we get those bastarts?" Colbert to Dobbs

when discussing his book "Your title could also be a very good first chapter"

[ceile]

28. Didn't pull any punches, did he?

Why can't all dems react like that? Why do they feel the need to constantly be polite? Call a spade, a spade! Call out the greedy bastards for what they are-greedy BASTARDS! Hopefully, he will have inspired others.....we'll see.

[Lasher]

29. I missed this one but remember a speech he gave a year or two ago

He had introduced a bill to increase the minimum wage and gave a highly moving speech in an attempt to get it passed. It was another example of how he has earned the nickname, Lion of the Senate. The Publican majority knew they had the votes to defeat his bill and they were laughing at him. They were not laughing because it was funny. It certainly was not. They were laughing because they were drunk on power and enjoyed putting Kennedy in 'his place'.

[Strawman]

30. Mitch McConnell is about the worst of them and he's their new leader

[B Calm]

31. Every democrat in the senate should be screaming and pointing

out all the tax relief business has gotten since the last min wage hike! The republicans hate working people and love cheap labor!

[MisterHowdy]

32. So frustrating.

A country that boasts to be the greatest in the world,
that boasts it has a "booming economy",
rejects a 10yr overdue minimum wage increase. Just over 2$, over 2 years is nothing.
American minimum wages are WAY below inflation.

The recent trick by the republicans to prevent such an overdue bill,
IMO, should have incited riots.

Republicans are swine.

[Castleman]

35. and perhaps riots might get their attention

I'm NOT inciting violence by the way, but man, if a whole bunch of pissed off workers went nuts, torched a few factories and heaved a few execs off of balconies?
Do you think they would finally understand that the people are getting tired of being pissed on? AS I said, I'm not for violence, but there will come a time when the corporate greed WILL push people too far. These pinhead rich people and their bought and paid for Congress-people need to realize a simple fact, the working stiffs outnumber them by a freaking huge margin.
Pay people a fair wage for cryin' out loud. How much do the rich really need? Case in point: WalMart, the Number One Scumsuckers of Retail are known to be horrible to their employees, I'm sure they're fighting a wage increase harder than any company, but look at the facts. The Walton family takes in an average of over 30 million a YEAR. For each ONE OF THEM. How the fuck can they NEED any more money? At that point, what can you possibly spend it on? But oh no, you're not taking money out of MY pockets, SCREW THEM POOR PEOPLE!!!!

[theHandpuppet]

36. Just watched the video

Kennedy was magnificent and Republicans are the enemy of working men and women everywhere. They have nothing but contempt for the working poor.

BTW, who was the woman to Kennedy's left who kept smiling and smirking throughout his speech? Someone needed to wipe that smirk off her face.

[AbbyR]

37. Tie this with the other post

about the 20/20 segment on poor children. There is something so sick about a country that will let children live on the streets and in rat holes, and can't give people who are working hard to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps" a break.

Anyone trying to stop this measure is beneath contempt.

[LSK]

38. the video is simply awesome!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=14151&mesg_id=14151

[LibDemAlways]

39. And what's sad is you'll still hear ordinary

people parrot the repuke talking point that an increase in the minimum wage hurts small business and therefore workers in small businesses. If Rush says it, it must be true.

[lovuian]

40. Conservatives are truly evil coldhearted Scrooges

Scrooge was a typical republican
and conservative

thats why capitalism fails the Greed to cheat is great

Socialism is the only answer

[XOKCowboy]

42. Sorry for duping your post...

I posted the crooksandliars link to the video. Man he was yelling till his voice was cracking when he said "What is the price you want from these working men and women?". He really fried the repug Senators.

Kick and recommend

[chaska]

43. That's one hell of a powerful question. I can't believe....

that we here aren't up in arms about this. It's absolutely unconscionable that these guys would have the nerve to even just let this bill fail, let alone trying to defeat it.

We should hunt them down like dogs, every god damned one of them, and defeat them.

[sellitman]

45. Hate is all I feel for those BASTARDS.

A searing hate that seems to be with me day and night. Inhuman corporate leaches.

[CrispyQ]

46. One of our finest statesmen!

That gave me goosebumps.

[southern_belle]

47. Keep screaming, Senator

until the MSM hear you! :hi:

[maggiegault]

48. A Great Moment for America, And For Working Americans

Finally, SOMEONE asked the question that has been on everyone's lips for so long now. He cut to the chase and put it beautifully:

"WHAT IS IT ABOUT WORKING MEN AND WOMEN THAT YOU FIND SO OFFENSIVE?"

Could it be that privilege begets privilege, and that most of those GOP lily-livers wouldn't know what a hard day's work is, even if it caused a hangnail on their pudgy, manicured hands?

[Hidden Stillness]

49. It was a Moment to Behold; Glorious

I happened to catch that floor statement by Ted Kennedy yesterday on C-SPAN2, that gloroius moment of truth, and the whole time I was thinking, "God, I wish I was taping this." Yet another example of why Ted Kennedy is so great: this complete and high-level combination of everything it needs to be--the truth, given a fiery treatment; an organized, step-by-step argument; references to history, maybe quotes used, a powerful exposure of the real motivations of the evil opponents, both by understanding them and calling them what they were, and by knowing how Parliamentry stalls work. It was all there, brilliant. Kennedy knows what's what, and who is on the side of right and wrong, and history, and popular opinion, and therefore has nothing at all to worry about, and can just let it blast; it was glorious, I almost cried. Thank God for Kennedys and Roosevelts fighting for us, or we would always lose! When somebody with ordinary vocabulary skills gives a rant like this one, it is great; when someone of Ted Kennedy's brilliance and knowledge, and if I may, "regal bearing," does it, it is a moment of true, "just voice of God" poetry. Ted Kennedy--what a National treasure.

[happydreams]

50. Ted would make a phenomenal president.

He has a grip on things like few others and he voted against the IWR in 2002.

The last liberal President was his brother. Wouldn't that be something if he picked up the torch!

[samsingh]

51. well put!

and why do repugs hate America so much?
why do repugs hate Freedom so much?
why do repugs hate the environment?
why do repugs empower terrorists?

[porphyrian]

52. Fighting the good fight. - n/t

[Lawrence]

53. vvv

Ted Kennedy and his two brothers are some of the greatest heroes our government ever had the benefit of having.

[Kurovski]

55. Democrats will win every election if they keep fighting this way and never give up.

The working poor, the middle class, the sick, the old, the young.

And those people mostly fall into the groups Christ called us to serve. Yes, that's right, my dear right wing friends. Christ calls us to SERVICE. and politicians are--and once were called--public servants.

Keep fighting this way and no Democrat will ever have to hire a strategist again.

The media won't ever be able to spin the actions, and no election will ever be within enough of a margin to be stolen.

[mzmolly]

56. Well now the R's represent the "haves" and the "have mores"

chill out Mr. Kennedy, those poor rich folks need someone to look out for em' :sarcasm:

[mayflower]

57. K & R (n/t)

[vssmith]

58. Someday when the unwashed masses climb the fences of

their gated communities maybe they will get the message. They will feel the pain of Marie Antoinette.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

59. It's up at Huffington Post too.

[upi402]

60. Kennedy is a 100% American patriot

The rightards are on a Chappa-quit-dick tapeloop. Kennedy is true blue and right. He was right that the Iraq crap was brewed up in Texas and has gone to work for workers all the way down the line.

[Codeblue]

62. Answer

We would like them to give up their ill-gotten cash and distribute it.

"When does the greed stop?" Well that's easy, Ted. Never. It never has stopped in the entire history of time. Such hope I see for our world.

[133724]

64. What is my money doing in your bank account.....say the republicons...