Must Reads

Wonkette: David Brooks Went Running On The Mall And Saw No Racism!

driftglass: Unjust For Men

Derrick Z. Jackson: Soda tax: It’s the real thing

Bob Herbert: The Scourge Persists

Christopher Brauchli: The Internet and The Ignorant

Joe Conason: In defense of ACORN

Maha: Strangling Ourselves With Selfishness and You’ll Get a Kick Out of This, Maybe

Roy Edroso: Their Negro Problem - And Ours

President Obama's Weekly Address - September 19, 2009

Progress in the Global Economy

Things People Have Forgotten About

Posted by Fraulein

Remember Hurricane Katrina? It's had some jaw-dropping lasting effects. That no one will talk about. Because they concern mostly black people. But it's not like people are still racist in America, right? Just avert your eyes and carry on...

Personally I still recall the raw horror, the literal nausea, I felt watching the Katrina disaster unfold on TV while King George the Inept ate birthday cake with John McCain. I vividly remember thinking: "We've lost an entire American city due to the Bush administration's ineptitude. NOW, now he's going to get impeached for sure."

So much for that. And today, all these years later, large swaths of New Orleans are evidently still a giant hellhole, and this NEVER makes it on the news. Awesome.

But It's Not About Racism (One of the Most Racist E-Mails Ever Edition)

A friend was appalled at an e-mail he received from a family member living in the southwest. He forwarded it to me for my take. Here is the email, undoctored except for the size and compilation of the photos for space reasons:

Subject: READ THIS AND WEEP!!!!!!!



I wonder how many other governmental type trucks they have been cloning?
Texas DOT Vehicle stopped by an alert DPS Trooper on I-10 between San Antonio
and Seguin , TX .



The Mexicans cloned a Texas DOT Truck and got busted smuggling drugs...
I wonder how long they got away with it before they got busted?
Let's give them more welfare money, more of our Social Security money, and raise your taxes to fund their free-ride... !

BELOW ARE PICTURES TAKEN AFTER A RAID ON A DRUG DEALER'S HOUSE IN MEXICO CITY...THIS HOUSE WAS IN A GATED AND WEALTHY SECTION OF MC. ARE YOU READY FOR THIS???



AREN'T WE GLAD THAT WE HAVE AN OPEN BORDER POLICY BETWEEN US?
JUST LOOK AT HOW WELL IT'S PAYING OFF........



I THINK ALLOWING MEXICAN TRUCKERS IN THE U.S. IS A GREAT IDEA!!! JUST TAKE A LOOK AT THE MILLIONS OF REASONS WHY.........



SEE HOW WELL THESE TRUCKERS ARE DOING? WHAT ARE WE THINKING???



Notice that nearly 100% of this money is U.S. currency!!! Do you now wonder why the cost of living has catapulted in our country??? I don't.

Some of the illegal aliens we're letting in can afford anything at any cost!!! And for the ones who cannot........ we'll give it to them anyway!!!



AND WE HAVE TWO BORDER PATROL AGENTS IN PRISON FOR SHOOTING AND WOUNDING A WELL DOCUMENTED MEXICAN DRUG DEALER

WHO, BY THE WAY, WAS ARMED AND ALSO HAPPENS TO BE A CONVICTED (BY MEXICO ) MURDERER.



MAKES A LOT OF SENSE, DOESN'T IT??? AUTOMATICS, SILENCERS...... THEY'RE ALL HAVING A NICE LAUGH ABOUT THIS STUFF AT OUR EXPENSE!!!



And our Government wants to give ILLEGAL ALIENS amnesty and not build the border fence because of funding!?!?!? SEND THIS TO EVERYONE, INCLUDING YOUR LOCAL CONGRESS REPRESENTATIVE. Our country is bleeding from the outside in!!! Don't you think it's time we take back what WE (NOT the Government) have sacrificed for over 140 years for??? I do. Build the fence higher and deeper, tighten border control, and send EVERY illegal alien home!!!

Nice touch, that patriotic eagle, huh?

So here's my take:

1 - This is one of the most racist emails I've ever seen.

2 – Drug smuggling has been going on forever. Just ask Oliver North. Things like this happen. That’s why it’s call DRUG SMUGGLING and not DRUG CARRYING OVERTLY ACROSS THE BORDER IN PLAIN SIGHT.

3 – ALL Mexican truckers are now to blame? That’s rich.

4 – Notice that it’s all US currency? NO SHIT! We have a horrible drug problem in this country, not only because of the "evil drug lords", but because of our DEMAND for it. (See Oliver North.) By the same token, we can be called ENABLERS of the drug trade.

5 – We no longer have don’t have an “open border” policy with Mexico & Canada. We must now show our passports to get across their borders. This happened under the OBAMA ADMINISTRATION. I don’t know if it’s a holdover from the Bush years, but if it was a real problem, you’d think the Bushies would have done something about it before they left office, or at least after 9/11.

6 - According to this douchebag, all illegal aliens are rich, drug trafficers who can buy anything at cost, driving the cost of living up for us poor, flag loving Americans. But it doesn't matter because if they're not smart enough to be drug dealers, they'll just get on the government teet with...

7 – Welfare? Don’t you have to have documents to receive welfare? And Social Security? Don’t you have to pay into Social Security if you actually have a legally obtained job? Just more racist immigration hyperbole.

8 - Guns: Gee, those look like American made guns to me. You can thank your National Rifle Association for their lobbying against stricter gun laws that make it much easier for US made firearms to fall into the hands of those evil drug smugglers, gang bangers and common criminals to use against our law enforcement officers.

9 - "Sacrificing for 140 years"... Hmmm... that would have been 1869. What were we recovering from back then? Oh yeah, The Civil War. This imbecile is citing the time around the end of the Civil War as the starting point of their "sacrifice." What happened back then? Oh, I remember. Slavery ended. Negroes were freed by that Rupublican bastard Abraham Lincoln. Sounds like subtle secessionist talk to me.

But I really don’t get surprised by this type of stuff anymore. This email combined with the fact that the whole racism debate with Obama that is happening right now only goes to further prove the point that racism is not only a factor, but a significant one in this country. Electing a black man to the Presidency has only exacerbated it. It was hidden for a while now, just bubbling under the surface. The sleeping giant of Racism has now awakened – it didn’t go away because smart people actually voted for the smart guy.

Instead of being happy the Drug Enforcement Agency caught this particular crime and that our law enforcement is working, the racist who originated this email just decides to blame a WHOLE RACE of people. Because as we all know everyone else is evil if they don’t need sunblock. Did this same person blame the entire Caucasian race for Bernie Madoff? By their standard are all white people now thieves?... Or would it just be the Jews?

Pathetic.

ADDING... By the way, Texas racist email originator, this happened in your state. Stop your whining and start cleaning it up. Or better yet, just go ahead a secede already. Take your Governor's advice. We don't need you, we don't want you. Leave us Austin, and go away. Form your own banana republic and see how far that gets you when we sanction your ass.

Immune To Irony

How do these people get elected into office? Did they stop drooling on themselves long enough to convince the rubes they call their constituents that they would be of use in Congress? ANY USE?

After receiving a complaint from a rube/constituent of their inconvenience during their recent travel, Republican Texas Rep. Kevin Brady decided to write a letter on their behalf, which would be a nice gesture if it weren't for the purpose of the trip and the specific travel complaint, as the Wall Street Journal so aptly describes:

Protesters who attended Saturday’s Tea Party rally in Washington found a new reason to be upset: Apparently they are unhappy with the level of service provided by the subway system.

Rep. Kevin Brady asked for an explanation of why the government-run subway system didn’t, in his view, adequately prepare for this past weekend’s rally to protest government spending and government services.

Seriously.

This would be funny if it weren't so pathetic. But what do you expect? These people who, as Brady writes in his letter of complaint to DC's Metro system, "came all the way from Southeast Texas to protest the excessive spending and growing government intrusion by the 111th Congress and the new Obama administration" complained that said government's transit system did not spend extra money to provide extra service for the teabagger event.

Seriously.

And the newest Republican MENSA member to step into that dubious Spotlight of Superstupid decides to write a letter on the behalf of an 80-year old woman, who is most likely in that evil, socialized Medicare program, with absolutely no conception of the irony of the situation.

Seriously.

And the kicker of this whole affront to the teabagging community? In July, the House voted on a resolution for appropriations for the Departments of Transportation, HUD, and related agencies including emergency funding for the Metro DC subway system. Brady voted against the resolution.

Seriously.

Texas Republican Rep. Kevin Brady: SUPERGENIUS.

(H/T Wonkette)

Frank Schaeffer Kicks Ass

Schaeffer on Rachel Maddow's show: "A village cannot reorganize village life to suit the village idiot. It's as simple as that. And we have to understand we have a village idiot in this country: it's called Fundamentalist Christianity. And until we move past these people... until the Republican leadership has the guts to stand up and say it would be better not to have a Republican party than a party that caters to the village idiot, there's going to be no end in sight."

Wow.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Mary Travers Dies at 72

NY Times: Mary Travers, whose ringing, earnest vocals with the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary made songs like “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “If I Had a Hammer” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” enduring anthems of the 1960s protest movement, died Wednesday night in Danbury Hospital in Connecticut. She was 72 and had lived in Redding, Conn.

The cause was cancer, said her spokeswoman, Heather Lylis.

But It's Not About Racism (The Jimmy Carter Edition) - UPDATED

This past Tuesday, former President Jimmy Carter, an old white Southern man who would probably know racism when he sees it, commented that the Joe "YOU LIE!" Wilson outburst, as well as the teabagger 9/12 demonstrations, was based in part on racial politics.

"I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, that he's African-American," Carter told NBC News. "I live in the South, and I've seen the South come a long way, and I've seen the rest of the country that shares the South's attitude toward minority groups at that time, particularly African-Americans."

"That racism inclination still exists, and I think it's bubbled up to the surface because of belief among many white people -- not just in the South but around the country -- that African-Americans are not qualified to lead this great country. It's an abominable circumstance, and it grieves me and concerns me very deeply," Carter said.

No sooner had he made that comment, the attack dogs were on the cable chatter stations to debate whether Carter was right in his assessment. Matt Lauer interviewed Michael Eric Dyson and Frank Luntz (Frank FUCKING Luntz!) as if there were equal sides to this debate. Conspicuously absent from the piece was any video or images of the racists signs being carried at the 9/12 protests. Dyson was also on Morning Joke™ where MENSA member Maria "Why Isn't 45 Year Old Anthony Weiner On Medicare If It's So Good?" Bartiromo tried to dismiss racism on the grounds that President Obama once enjoyed a 70% approval rating. Dyson astutely breaks down the arguments, but of course on the Morning Joke™ set, it falls of deaf ears.

The whole point of these most recent morning interviews was to discredit Carter's valuation, just as they attacked him for his Palestine book. They try refuting Carter's argument with no facts or images to bolster their non-racial argument from the teabaggers in DC. They discredit him and thereby try to show that race has little or nothing to do with the 9/12 marchers in Washington on Saturday who were soooo angry at the government "spending its tax dollars" that they showed up bearing signs with Obama dressed as a witch doctor with a bone through his nose, or telling him to go back to Kenya and take his "arrogent" wife with him (Arrogant... perhaps they meant "uppity"?) or calling him a "Muslim Marxist" as though no freedom of religion existed in this country, let alone probably not knowing the definition of Marxism. To them it's just another thing to repeat that they heard from "their hero, Glenn Beck."

Anyone who refuses to believe that race is not only an issue, but the main issue for the upswell in opposition is purposely ignoring what is plainly visible; the deep seated feeling that they really are racist but can't admit it. Where were these protesters when former President Bush bailed out financial institutions with $700 billion? President Obama continues the Bush policy and all of a sudden it's socialism? But you bring a sign like this to your protest?



I'd like to know how many 9/12 teabaggers "protesting the government spending" are A) Democrats and B) voted for Obama? I have more respect for David Duke than some I do for some of these teabaggers or Glenn Beck. At least Duke admits to being a racist and is proud of it.

UPDATE (9/17/09, 6:45am): Keith Olbermann takes on the race issue and backs it up with examples.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Too Soon?

Oops...

Glenn Beck's 9/12 loonies hate Communism...



...but loooooove the artwork.



TEABAG FAIL!

Must-read Robert Borosage Column

Posted by Fraulein

Robert Borosage, the very smart and insightful co-director of the Campaign for America's Future, has written a must-read column for Huffington Post today. Borosage sums up where we stand today regarding reform on a number of fronts, from health care to the financial system, and, in my view, paints a pretty accurate picture of the risks we face if these reforms fail. It's worth reading the whole thing, but among the points worth noting:

Despite all the fantasies of the rabid right, Obama is moderate by temperament, creative at compromise. He is, as one of his White House staff described him, a "raging minimalist." He really does believe you put everyone around a table, have a "civil conversation," find areas of agreement and move forward. He does believe that everyone -- from billionaire hedge fund operators to insurance company CEOS to conservative legislators -- will in a crisis put the country first.

But he and his reform program are getting mugged. He's taken on the most powerful private interests in America -- Big Oil, Wall Street, the insurance and drug lobbies -- and they are winning. Republicans, despite the shattering of their conservative shibboleths, have chosen, with lockstep unity, obstruction over compromise. And too many Democrats have shown themselves more beholden to the private interests that pay for their campaigns than the public interest the president of their own party invokes.

This is precisely my fear at this point. In pursuit of some fantasy of bipartisan compromise, the Obama administration is backing itself into a corner from which there might not be an easy escape. Borosage continues:

We are witnessing a harrowing test of our democracy. America is a big, bustling and entrepreneurial country. We pursue our own passions and pursuits, are jealous of our freedoms, and begrudge governmental intrusions. But in a crisis -- faced with depression or war, our history tells us, many become one. We join together for the common good.

But will that happen this time? Will the Republicans join with the Democrats "for the common good"? My fear is that the Obama administration is being awfully optimistic, waiting for this to happen. If the Republicans were to put country above party now, let's face it, it would be the first time. It's just not likely to happen. So then what? Will Obama call them out on it?

With George W. Bush, flawed in a million ways as he undoubtedly was, many people rallied around him because he gave off the air of being "a strong leader." And this, to me, is what we desperately need at this moment in our history. As Borosage says:

Middle income Americans lost income over the last decade, for the first time since we began keeping records. Financial speculation drove the economy off the cliff. Catastrophic climate change is already melting the ice caps. We cannot afford another lost decade. If reason cannot prevail, angry people will increasingly look for a strong man to get something done. And that could make the teabaggers look like a tea party.

What do you think--is Obama up to the challenge?

Patrick Swayze Dies at 57

NY TIMES: Patrick Swayze, the balletically athletic actor who rose to stardom in the films “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost” and whose 20-month battle with advanced pancreatic cancer drew wide attention, died Monday. He was 57.

His publicist, Annett Wolf, told The Associated Press in Los Angeles that Mr. Swayze died with family at his side.

Quote of the Day

If you saw a woman struck by a car, would you call an ambulance right away? Or would you first ask for her papers to make sure she was not an illegal immigrant? - E.J. Dionne on the prospect of Rep. Joe Wilson and other GOP members spreading the health care coverage for illegal aliens lie.

Puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

Frank Schaeffer on the 9/12 Marchers

...Ordinary folks from Planet Earth may ask why the Republican Party, right-wing activists and members of the Religious Right seem so unreachable with mere facts let alone decency and decorum. (As the proud father of a US Marine who fought in Afghanistan I'm particularly outraged that these people would exploit the 9/11 attacks after my son and others were prepared to give their lives in response to our enemies.)

As a former Religious Right leader, who was raised (and home-schooled by my Evangelical-leader parents, Francis and Edith Schaeffer) in the movement, let me explain just why the ordinary rules of decency don't apply to the right these days...

Read the whole post here.

Classic Stupidity - UPDATE

These are the boneheads we are dealing with.


(Photo via Bob Cesca)

These are the imbeciles that "want their country back" as if it was taken away from them in the first place. I wonder how morons like these get by day to day without being killed by walking into traffic? Or walking off a cliff? Or having an anvil fall on their head?

UPDATE (2:30pm): Update on The Stupid.

Via Wonkette:

Would-be teabaggers and and other easily duped dingbats are proudly emailing each other wonderful pictures of a million teabaggers crowding the National Mall, but these pictures are actually from the Million Man March of 1997, an event attended by, ahem, colored people.

Oh, the irony! AHAHAHAHAAHAAHAAHAAAAAAA!!!

Kayne West Is A Dick

I don't usually write about pop culture on my blog and those who frequent this site know my musical tastes are not mainstream by any means, but last night's display by Kanye West at the MTV Video Music Awards was something truly sickening to watch and I felt the need to comment.

The first time I'd ever heard of Kanye West was when he uttered his now famous, "George Bush doesn't care about black people" quote during a broadcast concert for hurricane relief to benefit Katrina victims. His emotions got the better of him that night and I thought then that either he was pretty ballsy or pretty stupid. Now I know it was the latter. If you weren't sure before, you certainly know it now.

Taylor Swift got a surprise when she accepted the award for Best Female Video at Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards.

After Swift, looking shocked, beat out Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Pink and Beyonce for the honor, she took the stage and accepted the award. As she was thanking MTV, Kanye West ran up on stage, took her microphone, and said Beyonce had been robbed for her "Single Ladies" video.

"Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time!"

Swift, 19, stood silently holding her trophy, cameras cut to Beyonce looking stunned in the crowd, and MTV then cut to break.

MTV Shows

What. A. Dick. Just goes to show you that money doesn't buy class. Or brains. Or a good haircut.

Luckily, Beyonce is pretty damned classy herself and when she was awarded Video of the Year towards the end of the program, she called out to Taylor Swift to come on stage and finish her interrupted acceptance speech.

MTV Shows

New found respect for Beyonce! And Kanye can kiss my ass. He has since apologized on his blog for his intrusion in an obviously effort at damage control, but sometimes an apology just doesn't mean anything. You can't always do what you want and think an apology will make it all go away. And it's clear that he still doesn't get it.

"I'm in the wrong for going on stage and taking away from her moment," he wrote. "Beyonce's video was the best of this decade . . . I'm sorry to my fans if I let you guys down . . . I'm sorry to my friends at MTV . . . I will apologize to Taylor."

Sorry, Kanye, it's too late. Maybe you should have sought out Taylor and apologized before posting your ALL-CAPS comment on your blog. And if you're going to apologize, don't try to justify your actions in the apology. Asshole.

Kanye West doesn't care about 19-year old white country singers!

The More Things Change...

This cartoon was posted by a Facebook friend with the caption, "This cartoon is over five years old. Things have gotten even WORSE since it was drawn."



The slow death march of journalism continues...

Sunday Must Reads

Armadillo Joe recommends...

Frank Rich: Obama’s Squandered Summer

Alex Koppelman: Conservatives march on Washington

Douchebag of the Week: Joe "You Lie!" Wilson

It's a no-brainer this week. The gentleman from the state of South Carolina was anything but gentlemanly in his outburst during President Obama's joint session of Congress this past Wednesday, calling the President a liar in his ignorant refusal to believe that HR3200, the health care bill being brought up in the House would not cover illegal aliens.

Of course, there is no provision in the bill that states they will be covered. In fact, it specifically states that non-citizens will not be covered. But why would that stop a Birther like Wilson from lying about it?

Not only was his douchebaggery evident in his dirty diaper tantrum, but it was plain for all to see in the subsequent apology, which he then said was requested by GOP leadership and then just deciding to shake his tin cup for donations after he realized he's the new wingnut darling, while continuing to lie about health care coverage for illegal aliens.



Joe "YOU LIE!" Wilson: Douchebag of the Week.

Smell It? The Stench of Crazy In The Air

I am sticking to my self imposed blackout of all things Glenn Beck and 9-12 Project today as I value my health, but I couldn't help but click on a 50 second AP video, and this sign just made me chuckle.



If you can't make it out, it reads:

OBAMA
WE HAVE WAKEN (sic) UP
TO YOUR EVIL PLANS
TO DESTROY OUR
COUNTRY. TAKE YOUR
RACIST UN-AMERICAN
ACORN GROUPS AND
ARROGENT (sic) WIFE
BACK TO YOUR OWN
COUNTRY AND STRIP
THEIR RIGHTS AWAY!

Well, looks like they surely have "waken" up.

Two things:

1 - I don't know about you, but if I happen to make up a sign for public display, I'd think about spellchecking it and making sure the words I use actually exist in the English language first.

2 - I was under the impression that Glenn Beck's 9-12 Project was intended to make people feel the way they did the day after September 11th, "when even French newspapers proclaimed: 'We’re all Americans' — we were united." It was all about unity. Looking at some of these pictures, looks like Beck missed the mark by a little bit.

Must Reads

The Rude Pundit: 9/11 Wants to Fade Into Your Rainy Background

Bob Cesca: The Most Nightmarish Health Care Reform Bill Ever

Bill Maher: New Rule: Float Like Obama, Sting Like Ali



Robert Reich: The Final Sprint for Health Care Has Now Begun, and Where the White House is Placing Its Bets

driftglass: Like A Virgin



Rep. Barney Frank: Post-Bipartisan Depression

Jason Linkins: Luke Russert Presses Joe Wilson On College Football

Larry Gelbart Dies at 81

NY TIMES: Larry Gelbart, the writer whose caustic wit was a creative force behind the enduring success of the television series “M*A*S*H,” Broadway hits like “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and film comedies like “Tootsie,” died Friday at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif. He was 81.

President Obama's Weekly Address - September 12, 2009

Losing Insurance Can Happen to Anybody

A Day of Remembrance

There is no need for pictures.
I don't need video to remind me.
The event is seared in my memory as clear as if it were yesterday.
When I heard about the first plane, I thought it was an accident.
When I heard about the second plane, I knew it wasn't.

I could feel the collective fear.
I saw the horrified faces.
Shock. Disbelief. Anger. Sadness.
The hope that it was some sort of nightmare.
The numbness in knowing that it was real.

We watched as the heroes ran in to save us.
We watched as the cowards who ran away would later exploit us.
Noun verb 9/11. Noun verb 9/11.
That would soon be their rallying cry.
Those cowards who talked the talk but never walked the walk.

And then the giants fell.

Wary zombies covered in grime and soot staggered away northbound.
Even if you weren't physically there, you still felt that way, like a staggering zombie as the world watched.
But to them, they didn't see two giants fall.
They saw three.
And it seemed we were all Americans that day. That we were all united.

Until the cowards acted with their Shock Doctrine.
Go shopping. WMD. Aluminum tubes. Yellowcake from Niger. Can we attack Iraq now? After all, it's been in the plans since the beginning.
Osama. Saddam. Al Qaeda.
It was all the same to them.
Noun verb 9/11.

The cowards have come and gone.
Well, most of them anyway.
Some still lurk around in the diluted notion that they were the heroes, not the cowards.
And after all that's happened, they're still admired by some.

This has become a day of remembrance.
But it's not the only day of the year that some remember
As they pass by the hole where the giants once stood.
Eight years later, the hole remains.
Even when they finally fill it, it will always remain.

Ted Kennedy's Letter to President Obama

May 12, 2009

Dear Mr. President,

I wanted to write a few final words to you to express my gratitude for your repeated personal kindnesses to me – and one last time, to salute your leadership in giving our country back its future and its truth.

On a personal level, you and Michelle reached out to Vicki, to our family and me in so many different ways. You helped to make these difficult months a happy time in my life.

You also made it a time of hope for me and for our country.

When I thought of all the years, all the battles, and all the memories of my long public life, I felt confident in these closing days that while I will not be there when it happens, you will be the President who at long last signs into law the health care reform that is the great unfinished business of our society. For me, this cause stretched across decades; it has been disappointed, but never finally defeated. It was the cause of my life. And in the past year, the prospect of victory sustained me-and the work of achieving it summoned my energy and determination.

There will be struggles – there always have been – and they are already underway again. But as we moved forward in these months, I learned that you will not yield to calls to retreat - that you will stay with the cause until it is won. I saw your conviction that the time is now and witnessed your unwavering commitment and understanding that health care is a decisive issue for our future prosperity. But you have also reminded all of us that it concerns more than material things; that what we face is above all a moral issue; that at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country.

And so because of your vision and resolve, I came to believe that soon, very soon, affordable health coverage will be available to all, in an America where the state of a family’s health will never again depend on the amount of a family’s wealth. And while I will not see the victory, I was able to look forward and know that we will – yes, we will – fulfill the promise of health care in America as a right and not a privilege.

In closing, let me say again how proud I was to be part of your campaign- and proud as well to play a part in the early months of a new era of high purpose and achievement. I entered public life with a young President who inspired a generation and the world. It gives me great hope that as I leave, another young President inspires another generation and once more on America’s behalf inspires the entire world.

So, I wrote this to thank you one last time as a friend- and to stand with you one last time for change and the America we can become.

At the Denver Convention where you were nominated, I said the dream lives on.

And I finished this letter with unshakable faith that the dream will be fulfilled for this generation, and preserved and enlarged for generations to come.


With deep respect and abiding affection,
[Ted]

30 Seconds of Morning Joe in 5 Easy Steps

Step One: Turn on TV and tune in to MSNBC.

Step Two: Wait for Joe Scarborough to say something stupid (it doesn't take long).

Step Three: Hear Scarborough say, in reaction to Rep. Joe "You Lie!" Wilson (R-SC), "It was stupid, but he's apologized for it... strange that he would apologize to Rahm... Maybe he should have apologized to Axelrod or Valerie Jarrett."

Step Four: Yell at the TV machine, "How about apologizing to the PRESIDENT, instead of writing a weaselly note like a fucking third grader, you DOUCHEBAG!" Your household pet might scurry away in the process as mine did.

Step Five: Turn off TV before you burst a blood vessel.

Nothing like a little Morning Joke™ to get your blood flowing in the morning.

President Obama's Message for America's Students

A Message of Hope and Responsibility for America’s Students
September 8th, 2009



Now I know why the wingnuts were freaked out at the prospect of their children listening to this speech. Their kids would finally figure out their parents are complete morons.

Framing the Health Care Debate

We've been listening to what classifies as health care [air quotes] debates [end air quotes] nonstop from the talking heads on the television machine for months and there's one thing that's been driving me absolutely insane. Not one, single, solitary person has categorized the public option as a compromised position.

Whether it be a Democrat (save Anthony Weiner) or Republican politician being interviewed, a round table pundit, or a cable studio desk jockey, every time the public option is mentioned, it's framed as what the left wants. Actually, no. What the left would like is a single payer plan. HR676. Medicare for all.

This framing has shifted the overall center of the sad notion of "bipartishanship" from a public option to some half-assed scheme of co-ops, triggers or what's become apparent, a Max Baucus Bill that has taken a month to be crapped out of the wrinkly asses of the Gang of Six. When will the mainstream media correct the fantastically stupid notion that independents and moderates don't want a public option? When explained and polled, 77% are in favor of a public option. 80% of AARP members are in favor of it. Even 60% of Republicans are in favor of it. When did 77% become the "liberal left"? That looks like a majority to me.

In anticipation of tonight address to a joint session of Congress, I'm hoping President Obama will actually frame the debate correctly. I'm also hoping against hope that he'll call out by name, those that have been fear mongering with the egregious death panel lies, the "government-run" health care misinformation, and the protecters of the health insurance industry.

Enough is enough. There's no problem with disagreeing with certain positions on this debate, but when you have to resort to flat out making shit up like pulling the plug on grandma or inclusion of illegal aliens as the first step toward evil Obama Socialism, you just lose credibility with the 77% of the population that knows bullshit when they hear it.

More Of This, Please

It's time to start calling a spade a spade, or in these cases, a moron a moron.





I do disagree with Tom Brokaw on one point: he said that this is not a partisan issue. I think that is complete bullshit. The is ALL about partisanship and unfortunately, it's about racism. Previous presidents have spoken to students without incident. Of course, those previous presidents weren't black; their citizenship wasn't ridiculously questioned; their religion was never questioned or brought up as an issue, save for Kennedy.

The problem today is that with a 24 hour news cycle, there is too much time to fill with actual news, so we became witness to the ushering in of the era of Infotainment. What used to be a public service has now become a for-profit news industry that has to be controversial and titillating, and if there isn't any "news" that fits that description, the media manufactures it.

All one has to do is to look at last month's town hall meetings full of disinformed, idiotic, tea party freaks blubbering about how they "want their country back." All you have to do it witness the hyperventilating about health care reform to know that as far as the mainstream media is concerned, "if it bleeds, it leads." The uneducated town hallers protecting the insurance company sodomizers in comparison to actual polls showing that a majority of Americans want a public option included in health care reform is a perfect example of the blind leading the moronic, otherwise these people would realize that they are opposing something that would benefit them... not that that's anything new for middle and lower class Republican voters.

So I'd like to see more of this, please. More of so called "journalists" actually being reporters instead of stenographers. I want them to start calling a spade a spade again. I want them to earn their paychecks and dig a little deeper to show their audience the facts, instead of showing the truth and a damnable lie as two equal sides of an argument.

It's not only time to take our country back from the 30% freaks, it's time for journalists to take their journalism back.

President Obama Addresses AFL-CIO

Via Bob Cesca

Must Reads - UPDATED

Dan Froomkin: Cheney Still Manipulating People -- Now In Public

Bob Cesca: The Public Option is Popular, Moral and Inexpensive, Therefore it Must Die

The Rude Pundit: In the Realm of "You Have to Be Fucking Kidding": Obama's School Speech Makes Conservatives Cry

Michael Winship: Coming Soon to a Democracy Near You...

David Sirota: Progressives Pay the Price for Confusing a Party With a Movement

John Nichols: Give States an Option to Lead on Single-Payer

Richard Wolf: White House to reveal visitor names

Megan Tady: Will ‘Astroturf’ Groups Block Net Neutrality Reform?

MUST SEE: Anthony Weiner Blasts Critics of Health Reform VIDEO (You can catch a ton of other Weiner videos as well.)

Armadillo Joe recommends...

James Moore: The Lies of Texas Are Upon You

ADDING...

Davenoon, LGM: While we're at it, let's privatize the fire department, too

US Dept. of Labor: The History of Labor Day

President Obama's Weekly Address - September 5, 2009

Labor Day and Fair Rewards for Hard Work

Senator Franken's Easy Explanation of Reform

The lady with the Tea party shirt wants an answer, but when she realizes how complex the health care reform issue is, she looks bored five minutes in. Franken does a masterful job explaining that we can't sustain the way we do things in regards to health care insurance now, and that there is much more in common with regards to reform that everyone agrees on than there is discord.



Can someone tell me why President Obama hasn't tried this approach? I've seen enough of his town halls to give you his answers by rote, like "keeping the insurance companies honest." You need to spell it out for the six year olds, Mr. President. Talk to them like you would a 3rd grade class.

Don't get me wrong, one of the things I appreciate about President Obama is that he talks to us like adults and doesn't try to sweep the bad news under the rug. But those who usually listen to him and trust him aren't the ones he should be trying to connect with - the crazies and the teabaggers who got really tired of being overtaxed and became so fiscally conscious on January 20th are the ones he should try to reach. How? By speaking to them like six year olds. Use pretty charts with fancy colors, give a slide presentation, use doctor and patient hand puppets, do SOMETHING to make them understand that protesting on the same side as the very insurance companies that ass fuck them on a regular basis might not be in their best interest.

They've been acting like six year olds at town hall meetings all month. Maybe it's time to treat them like six year olds.

Robert Reich Gives The President Some Much Needed Advice

This is another blog I frequent that I failed to mention in my previous post. Robert Reich lays out what I think most Democrats, liberals and progressives have been saying for months now. And the advice is a lot better than what's been coming out of the White House lately.

Reich: ...A record number of Democrats, who took over Congress in 2006, hail from traditionally Republican or swing states and districts.

In order to get anything meaningful through this session of Congress, then, the President will have to give congressional Democrats far more leadership and more cover. Doing so is harder now than before the recess, when he was still basking in the afterglow of a honeymoon and 60 percent favorabilities.Yet it's not too late. Addressing a joint session of Congress next Wednesday is a good idea but Obama can't rely solely on his exceptional rhetorical skills. He'll need to twist arms, cajole, force recalcitrant members to join him, threaten retribution if they don't come along.

Most importantly, he'll need to be specific about what he wants -- especially about three things.

Read the rest.

Broadway Carl's Blog-O-Mania Recipient of Honest Weblog Award

I stared at my phone waiting for it to ring. I sat on my stoop waiting for the mailman to deliver my trophy or medal or certificate or whatever it is I'm receiving as my Honest Weblog Award. No matter; it is very flattering that those who read my blog (or at least one reader) found my musings, rants, diatribes and random thoughts worthy of such an honor.

Annette, of Just my little piece of the world fame, has seen it fit to bestow upon me the Honest Weblog Award. Her own blog is one I follow and I truly admire her writing and world view. Thanks, Annette, for the kind words and loyal clicks. Now on to the minutia.

Honest Weblog Award Rules:

1. You must brag about the award.

2. You must include the name of the blogger who bestowed the award on you and link back to that blogger.

3. You must choose a minimum of seven (7) blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.

4. Show their names and links and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with the Honest Weblog Award.

5. List at least ten (10) honest things about yourself.

Then pass it on with the instructions!

The following of the rules:

1. Woohoo! Honest Weblog Award, bitches! I rock! Suck on it!

2. See second paragraph above.

3. Seven blogs:

Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog! GO! - I don't know how I initially came across Bob's blog, perhaps by reading a Huffington Post article, but I've been hooked from Day One. Bob Cesca's combination of information, snark and loyal commenters make this my most visited blog daily.

The Rude Pundit - I always anticipate a great post and a good laugh and I am never disappointed by The Rude One. If you're faint of heart, you might want to prepare yourself with a stiff drink before heading into NC-17 territory (they don't call Lee Papa "The Rude One" for nothing), but you'll be sure to learn something and be smarter for it. So what if on occasion you'll be blindsided with certain crass images that will curve your spine? It's nothing a few years of therapy won't fix.

Booman Tribune -Booman is an incredibly intelligent and entertaining writer, tells it like it is and has a kick ass frog logo. Or is it a toad?

The Political Carnival - I don't know how GottaLaff and Paddy manage to put as much great content up in such a quick period of time on a daily basis. If you hear about something in real time and expect to write about it as it's happening, Laffy and Paddy have already beaten you to the punch. Simply amazing.

and doctor biobrain's response is... - Funny, witty, and dextrously analytical, Dr. Biobrain is a joy to read. The good doctor breaks it down so that even a six year old can understand. Unless that six year old brain is trapped in the body of a middle-aged neo-conservative of course, in which case the debating in the comments section becomes a laugh riot!

OsborneInk - Matt is a tremendous writer as can be attested by his blog content, short stories, and letters to the editor. After seeing a month's worth of town hall crazy, it's nice to know a former military man can be a liberal.

Zaius Nation - Man, oh man, are you going to enjoy this site! The graphic content itself is justification enough to bookmark this blog and visit daily, let alone the amazing take on who is writing the blog. I won't give it away, just go check it out.

And of course, I have to include my friend Annette for the reasons mentioned above (see second paragraph.)

4. Inform bloggers... Working on it.

5. Ten honest things about myself:

~ I'm a big time procrastinator.

~ I feel like I have a good work ethic, but if I ever won the lottery, my co-workers would never see my face again. And I am amazed at those who continue to toil at a crappy job after they win a big jackpot. Life's too short to waste time not enjoying it.

~ I'm generous to a fault (at least that's what I'm told).

~ I like nice, new shiny things like laptops and cars to the point of getting depressed when wanting to buy a new, shiny thing but knowing I don't need said new, shiny thing.

~ I like really good food and really good wine and don't hesitate in spending a pretty penny for a night out. I have my wife to thank for that.

~ I should call my mom more often.

~ If the White House kills the public option and loses at least 84 progressive votes in the House in exchange for one Republican vote (Olympia Snowe) in the Senate, this blog is going to get real ugly.

~ I'm a bad swimmer.

~ When I was a kid, I wanted to be an archaeologist. I thought finding old stuff in the dirt was cool.

~ I was a music major in college and used to be a performer (musician, actor and singer). I still miss singing and think I still have pretty good chops - like "well above average" good. If I find some old video, I'll YouTube it.

So that's it. My rules task is done. I think I'll be getting my plaque any day now and I've reserved a space for it on the wall.

The Party of No Sympathy

Over these last few weeks while Congress has been in recess, we've seen some pretty offensive town hall meetings. Birthers and deathers, seniors who rail against a government run health care option but freak at the idea of possible changes to steamline their government run Medicare, and gun-toting 2nd Amendment activists who for some reason show up armed at health care forums have shown us the ugly, misinformed and disinformed underbelly of the Republican voter, uneducated in the ways of the current health care reform battle among many other things.

But lately, we are becoming witness to the lowest of the low. We are watching our elected officials at said town halls cater to the basest fears of their far right wingnut base and turn their backs on constituents coming to them for answers, constituents in need, people looking for help.

The first of these examples came from Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, the heartless representing the heartland, when a distraught woman pleaded for help because her husband's insurance company would not cover his traumatic brain injury. Coburn's response? Call his office, but "government is not the answer." He suggested she should look to friends and neighbors as the sheeple in the audience applauded. I wonder how many of them offered to help this woman and her husband after the meeting was over?

Then came word of Kansas Republican Rep. Lynn "Great White Hope" Jenkins laughing in the face of a young mother with a 2½ year old child who can't afford health insurance when she asked what was wrong with a government run option that she could afford? Here is someone who doesn't want to be on the dole, would rather pay for her own insurance than get subsidized by the government to buy private insurance, and she is basically ignored... as the sheeple again applaud.

But I must say that the latest act of RNC Chairman Michael Steele is disgustingly reprehensible. Steele has shown over and over that in his mind, he is right and anyone who disagrees with him is a moron. It's the Emporer's New Clothes Redux. He knows not of what he speaks and proves it every time he opens his mouth. Well, this time, he not only shows his ignorance but his pompous ruthlessness as well.

Taking a question about health care reform from a student who lost her mother to cancer because she couldn't afford some of the medications, Steele took it all as a big stunt and said, "It makes for great TV. You'll probably make it tonight, enjoy it." He then turned his back on her... and the white sheeple who were bussed in and sat in the front rows of the prodominently black audience applauded.

I mean, I always thought Steele was a bit of a douchebag, but man, that is some cold-blooded shit. What is the point of having a town hall meeting when you don't care what the participants have to say? How does he justify that kind of behavior, not just as a human being, but as a representative, THE representative of the Republican National Committee? Come on, Mike, at least pretend to care. All you're doing is solidifying the notion that the GOP really doesn't give a rat's ass about the average American barely scraping by. He's just as insensitive as he is stupid.

Dave Zirin writes:

...The roots of Steele's unconscionable behavior lie in his own political bankruptcy. The nation faces a health care crisis and has no answer other than telling students, "Everyone in the country needs health care." Lately he has been running commercials telling seniors, "No cuts for Medicare," just two short years after running for senator of Maryland saying that "everything has to be on the table" - including Medicare cuts. As Ron Brownstein wrote in National Journal on Friday, "Steele's pledge this week to 'protect Medicare' might have been more convincing had it not come five months after nearly four-fifths of House Republicans voted to literally end the program as we know it for all Americans younger than 55."

It's one thing to be a fraud. That's politics as usual. But to turn your back on a young person whose mother just died of cancer is more than politics as usual. It's shocking.

UPDATE (10:30pm): Keith Olbermann gives Steele the once over.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Is She Really That Stupid? - UPDATED

CNBC's Maria Bartiromo, a money pundit staple who also has her own weekend Wall Street craptacular show (or at least did, I haven't seen any ads for it lately) was on MSNBC today with Carlos Watson and Rep. Anthony Weiner discussing health care of all things. Why they would have a money person on to discuss something out of their comfort zone, I have no idea.

Well, Bartiromo does her best to show the world that she has absolutely no clue what she's talking about. When Weiner confronts her with the fact that 40% of the population is already on current government run health care, including Medicare recipients, she scoffs and asks if Medicare is so good, "how come you don't have it? How come you're not on it?"

Uh, Maria... you have to be 65 years old. Shhh... it's a secret, so don't tell anyone, okay?

Watch the clip. It's head-banging-into-a-brink-wall delicious.

Adding... Ezra Klein was on remote as part of the debate and added part of the transcript to his blog.

UPDATE (9/2/09 3:20pm): Matt Taibbi's interaction with Bartiromo.

Cheney Thinks He Kept Us Safe

Dick Cheney on Fox "News" Sunday: I guess the other thing that offends the hell out of me, frankly, Chris, is we had a track record now of eight years of defending the nation against any further mass casualty attacks from Al Qaida.

The approach of the Obama administration should be to come to those people who were involved in that policy and say, "How did you do it? What were the keys to keeping this country safe over that period of time?"

I could care less whether you're offended, DICK. Actually, stike that. I prefer you be offended on a regular basis. And even if the Obama administration did "come to those people who were involved in that policy" for advice, that wouldn't be you, DICK. If they wanted advice from your administration, it would be to check your notes for a "How NOT To Run The Government" strategy.

If you'll notice, the crazy Cheney rhetoric has morphed from "keeping the country safe since 9/11" to "keeping the country safe the for the last eight years." Hey, asshole, don't you mean a little over SEVEN years? Or are you thinking, "Well, except for that one time, we kept you safe. Oh, and the antrax thing... uh, that's twice. But other than those two times... uh, we kept you safe."

Uh... no, douchebag. We were hit under your watch. No other administration can make that dubious claim. Why on earth would Obama want advice from the only administration in the nation's history that fell asleep at the switch while vacationing for a fucking month in Crawford, Texas of all places?

Also read Andrew Sullivan ripping Chris Wallace a new asshole.

(H/T Cesca for the quote.)

Douchebag of the Week: Rep. Lynn Jenkins

A freshman Republican congresswoman apologized Thursday for telling a gathering in her district that the GOP was still searching for a "great white hope" to stop President Barack Obama's political agenda.

You know what? I'm going to give Kansas Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R- Whiteyville) the benefit of the doubt. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I don't believe Jenkins seriously meant that phrase in any type of racial connotation. But she's still a douchebag for being stupid enough not to understand its meaning or know its origin. Sort of like "tar baby."

Talk about making a splash in your first year as an elected official in Congress!

Rep. Lynn Jenkins (GO KANSAS!): Douchebag of the Week.