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The Keane Edge

by Brendan Patrick Keane

Jon Stewart on low ground at Ground Zero, defending Weiner's 9/11 rant

Posted on Friday, August 06, 2010 at 08:57 AM
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Jon Stewart stood up for his friend Congressman Anthony Weiner in a long Daily Show segment analyzing who killed the 9/11 Workers Bill. If Stewart had been less biased, he could have helped his audience see how Weiner's grandstanding was obstructing getting the bill back to the House for a regular 50%+ vote this time.

Stewart comes down hard on weasely Republican politicans, calling one an "asshole" (cool), but then pretends Democrat Weiner (bigger asshole) was being a good guy for pulling his famous shouting stunt. Stewart failed to explain the clip which was edited in a misleading way. Weiner was not being a good guy. He was covering up what he and the Dems did. He could have passed the bill by normal vote (50%+), but changed the rules so that 66% was needed to win. That's why the bill that won, lost.

If you're a 9/11 Responder trying to understand why Congress voted yes, but the Bill failed, it comes down to the party's choice of abnormal vote. Democrats and Weiner changed the rules before the vote, and all their hacks in the media are staying away, letting Weiner's grandstanding be the party's cover.

Why did they do this? Answer: to avoid a floor debate which they were afraid would damage election results in November.

The Democrats chose to kill the bill with a 66% requirement. Republicans were given the chance to kill the bill by voting no, except for King's renegade republicans, on the basis, largely, that they wanted a debate on all sorts of stuff Democrats did not want to talk about at election time.

But what about the sick workers who were told by the EPA that it was ok to breathe the air at Ground Zero, that they would be fine, only to discover months later, now NINE years later, that they would get painful excruciating lung diseases and die!? Democrats chose the completely unusual 66% rule to avoid debate and kill the bill. Weiner's speech is what you call a grandstand, a diversion.

Weiner is the viral video politican famous for shouting at "the gentleman" on the floor of the US Congress for being a bad guy. Weiner's rant was insulting and directed at a man, Congressman Peter King, who should have been praised for his years of work trying to get this bill passed. Weiner was trying to pervert the story to seem like Peter King, "the gentleman," killed the bill. Weiner's trick is slowly becoming understood.

"The gentleman" Weiner kept screaming-at for killing the bill was in fact the bill's greatest champion.

Normally this would just be politics, but Weiner is playing tricks with 9/11 workers and he's not getting away with it, no matter how much I love Jon Stewart.

The politics-as-usual argument dies on 9/11 matters in New York. Weiner represents too many 9/11 workers in his district to be let fool them. These are NEW YORKERS who went to work on 9/11 and months afterwards, that are now sick, workers that are dying, workers that have been waiting nine years. They don't need their Congressman playing games and causing delays again.

As Stewart explains, the Democrats changed the bill's vote so that it would become muc harder to pass. That meant the 9/11 Workers Bill would go down in a fiery ball of flames, because there was no way they could get that many Congressman to vote for this bill without the usual debate. And it did die.

Weiner did that--Weiner and the Democratic leadership made a calculation that they could trick the public into blaming Republicans for voting no, when it was the Democrats choice not to use their clear majority to simply vote the Bill into law instead.


Stewart--just before "giving up"--kicked Congressman Kevin Brady in the teeth for voting no, and it makes sense to be mad at people like that. At least, however, Brady was honest and said why he did so. Asshole?, yes. Liar?, not about 9/11. Demanding people vote without a debate--as Weiner and Democrats orchestrated--is not fair to thoughtful lawmakers. If Brady is an asshole, Weiner is something deeper up, dirtier, because Brady was upfront about his voting choice.

Stewart's calling Brady an asshole, while implying Weiner a good guy, did his duty by friend and Democrats, but hurts 9/11 Workers who need the truth to get this bill back to vote. Stewart should help, not make that harder.

Weiner denied Republicans a chance to debate, so we can't really know what a normal debate-then-vote would have looked like. Weiner and the Dems chose the harder and stranger 2/3rds route, requiring a lot more votes to pass the bill.

Stewart is a good friend to risk his 9/11 reputation on the fallings from Weiner's blustering hole.

Weiner really can't hide behind Stewart though. He can't hide behind the strawman he tried to make of "the gentleman" either.

Instead of employing a funny man defense, Weiner needs to apologize to King, whom he slandered on the floor of the United States Congress. He then needs to apologize to his constituents whom he tried to trick. After that he needs to fix the bill, and put it to the floor--under a normal vote this time, so that when it wins, it wins, as it would have.

In the meantime, he has very sick constituents, left waiting.


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50 Comments

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2BorNot2B | Aug 14, 2010, 03:34 PM EDT
GanAim: **..those immigrants are no different than your own parents when they came out here, before they were lucky enough to be able to regularize their status, something they would not be able to do today.** -- Absolutely misleading! "those immigrants' are not like our parents who went through Ellis Island and/or the Mexican border. Among the many economically displaced and honest workers there are many of the petty criminals, burglars drug carrying mules, etc. the Mexican government and the Mexican elite are all too glad to be rid off, to continue living guiltlessly in a supremely RACIST society, in which the whites -with few exceptions- have the political and economic clout.-- These racists want to live in a society that mimics the American way of life, without having to erect 12' walls crowned by barbed wire and broken glass, to keep their ill-gotten wealth and lifestyle undisturbed by the 'flotsam and jetsam' they've created, and now, successfully -aided by democrap pols playing political games- have laid on the lap of the US. -- Further, these illegal people are intent on not assimilating; they not only want to live in their Mexican ghettos, but are unaware, careless and heedless of the anger their mexican flag-waving imposes, and how their cultural ills rub on the face of the citizens as well as on the legal immigrants this society. -- I stood next to some of them during a 'naturalization ceremony,' while they refused to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance and swearing in. That gave me enough proof of the regard, loyalty and commitment many of these people hold for this country. Had I had any power upon seeing that, I would have thrown the lot out back on the face of the Mexican government, right on the spot!

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2BorNot2B | Aug 14, 2010, 03:00 PM EDT
Sorry for poor editing and lack of delete button on this website ----- The post should have read: MaryM232: **Weiner and Pelosi played parliamentary games, and they claimed they did so because they didn't want republicans attaching amendments to the bill, and then the dems attached a tax increase to the bill themselves.** -- Exactly right! For the democrap wing it's all about grandstanding, confusing and equivocating in order to ram down whatever entitlement project they create at taxpayers expense, and excusing any demagoguery rant they think will convince those stupid, gun-toting, God-believin' yokels to keep them in power. And if they don't accept their lying... why, they'll just push it through anyway, because the conniving press will keep silent, the political aparatchiks will condone it, and they still have the 'majority,' ...until November, that is! It is said that instead of swallowing Kool-aid by the barrel, they have substituted it by a new drink made of Seven-up and prune juice they have concocted. They've called it "the HURRY-UP."

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2BorNot2B | Aug 14, 2010, 02:53 PM EDT
MaryM232: **Weiner and Pelosi played parliamentary games, and they claimed they did so because they didn't want republicans attaching amendments to the bill, and then the dems attached a tax increase to the bill themselves.** -- Exactly right! For the democrap wing it's all about grandstanding, confusing and equivocating in order to ram down whatever entitlement project and excusing any demagoguery rant they think will convince those stupid, gun-toting, God-believin' yokels to keep them in power. And if they don't accept their lying... why, they'll just push it through anyway, because the conniving press will keep silent, the political aparatchiks will condone it, and they have the 'majority,' ...until November, that is! It swallowing by the barrel, they have concocted a new drink, made of Seven-up and prune juice. They've called it "the HURRY-UP."

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2BorNot2B | Aug 14, 2010, 02:37 PM EDT
MavisPike**Anybody who shouts down that right-wing, IRA apologist Pete King is okay in my book.** -Typical inbred, visceral, unmitigated, reason and logic-supported and debated hatred from left, libturds! Black is white... 'cause I say so!' -- On this one I am with hancock (Aug 8 @7:44 AM) and BrendanP -- Mr BPK, on this one you prove you follow INTEGRITY rather than IDEOLOGY.

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BrendanPKeane | Aug 11, 2010, 10:40 AM EDT
I love Jon Stewart too.

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kathyire50 | Aug 11, 2010, 10:26 AM EDT
I totally agree with Monsoonman, this continuous deal making,and the addition of pork laden bills is sinking our country. if you vote for my crap I will vote for yours has chased a whole generation of honest politicians out of DC. I love Jon Stewart, and everyone deserves a right to speak. if yo don't like what he says turn off the TV. We have created a nation of entitlement and it seems to be getting worse. Why the dems can't get anything passed as the majority is ridiculous.

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pflynn70 | Aug 10, 2010, 05:39 PM EDT
As to Jon Stewart, as well as Weiner (name fits him to a T) What can you expect from a pig but a grunt!

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Monsoonman | Aug 10, 2010, 09:30 AM EDT
The way to solve this is to grant the president line item veto power. It would end the deal making and pork laden bills that get tacked on to most legislation. why do you think West virginia has more bridges leading to nowhere than any other state? Robert Byrd made sure there was always a bit of pork attached to a bill that needed his support, that's why the guy stayed in office until he was carried out in the horizontal position.

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quixotic | Aug 10, 2010, 09:07 AM EDT
Well, there is always another side to every issue. One of the weaknesses of our system of approving bills is the provision that allows additional pieces of legislation (far less popular to the other side) to be attached to the essential bill. Thus, opposition to these 'attachments' results in defeating the essential bill - an often political detriment. It is always more complicated than it first appears. The Republicans voted down the bill rather than to allow the Democrats to succeed with their strategy. What a mess!

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BrendanPKeane | Aug 10, 2010, 02:13 AM EDT
The dems could have passed it and they didn't. Weiner giving cover. (Tricking us all like we're stupid)

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hancock | Aug 09, 2010, 11:14 PM EDT
The dems could have passed it and they didn't.

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jmhickey | Aug 09, 2010, 10:59 PM EDT
Ok, first off. There should be no debate over this matter. And there should be no pet projects amendments attached to the bill. There should not have been any issue getting 66% of the vote. Those who voted against it should be ashamed.

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hancock | Aug 09, 2010, 08:46 PM EDT
Toxic ammendments should never be added , thats what makes me laugh. All of a sudden Weiner cared about toxic amendments? Their both a disgrace , but the dems could have passed it and they didn't.

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BrendanPKeane | Aug 09, 2010, 06:58 PM EDT
exactly--America does this to truth

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GanAinm | Aug 09, 2010, 06:57 PM EDT
Sorry I meant to say it's irrational NOT to acknowledge the Republicans share the blame.

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