President Obama's Weekly Address - March 20, 2010

Time for Action on Financial Reform for the Economy

How Much?!

From The Hill: The comprehensive health reform legislation will cost $940 billion over the next decade, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said Thursday.

The nonpartisan budget office told lawmakers that the health bill set for a vote this weekend would cut the deficit by $130 billion over the next decade, and $1.2 trillion in the second decade of the plan's implementation.

...Wow. This is the part where the GOP calls the CBO a bunch of partisan hacks... that is until they get a set of numbers from the same nonpartisan group more in line with what they think the numbers should show, namely blow the deficit out of the water to the point that we'll be living in grass huts within five years. (AAARRGH! FEAR! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!)  But that's never going to happen.  Republican "fiscal conservative" heads explode in 5... 4... 3...

Kucinich To Vote 'Yes' on Health Care Bill

Thank you, Dennis.

"This is a defining moment for whether or not we'll have any opportunity to move off square one on the issue of health care. And so even though I don't like the bill, I've made a decision to support it in the hopes that we can move towards a more comprehensive approach once this legislation is done," [Kucinich] said.

Now if only more progressives could see the forest for the trees instead of working with teabaggers in trying to kill the bill.

I like Dennis Kucinich, but before he decided to vote in favor of the bill, I thought he was wrong. As I think progressives are wrong to throw him under the bus after his years of service because of this one vote.

Jane Hamsher: Dennis Kucinich has called a press conference for tomorrow. Howard Fineman is reporting that Kucinich will vote “yes” on health care...

If... he settles for some worthless reassurances that “Obama will work toward it in the future” (which nobody but Lynn Woolsey is dumb enough to actually believe), or a meaningless symbolic vote that achieves little more than 15 minutes of futile grandstanding, good luck to him. A thousand people have donated over $16,000 to Dennis since yesterday to thank him for standing up for what he believes in. We’ll be asking him to return it.

During the presidential campaign, I donated $50 to Dennis Kucinich when he ran with an idea that he could finance his entire campaign with $50 million. He was looking for $50 from one million donors. He didn't get anywhere close. Are you telling me there aren't a million progressives willing to give $50? Or two million to give $25?

And yet Jane Hamsher gets all crazy on this? Wanting money back from the most liberal representative in the House and working with Grover Norquist to kill the health care bill, under some delusion that they'd what? Start over again next month?  Pathetic.

Dennis Kucinich fought hard, but he's smart enough to know that killing this bill will kill any attempt at expanding health care for at least another decade.

ADDING...  Meanwhile, MoveOn.org has already raised $1 million in just a few days to challenge anti-Health Care Democrats in their primaries. I know they're a much larger organization than FDL, but more and more it just makes it look like Hamsher has jumped the shark.

Light Blogging

Sorry for the light blogging these last few days. I'm in the middle of house hunting and all my energies are scattered to the four winds to the point that I can't formulate a thought. I'd jotted down some notes on the subway regarding the "deem and pass" rigamarole when I first heard of it, but as I was doing some research to make sure I wasn't an idiot, I found out I was. So no post. At least not in its current form. I'll try again later, but no promises.

In the meantime, let's dance!

Telephone - Pomplamoose Music

Re-emergence

posted by Armadillo Joe

Hey, Blog-O-Maniacs, been gone a while. Been busy, but the sched is easing up so I hope to resume posting here with some greater frequency. In the meantime, I've been exercising my re-awakening debate skills on some folks on a friend's page at Facebook.

I enjoy reading all the lefty blogs, but rather than join the "fuck, yeah!" tone of most comments sections I'm more and more drawn to engaging on Facebook because I have come to believe that, apart from our calls-to-arms phoning of Congress at key points, we aren't doing much to actually change minds out there. By focusing on each other, we're ignoring the millions who never meet a liberal in their daily lives, and only hear a steady stream of FOX and Limbaugh and Hannity. They never ever have their assumptions challenged. I increasingly think Facebook might be the only place to really do that, since most of us want to keep the family peace and don't engage when cranky Uncle Ray starts talkin' about the uppity niggers and them wimmin-folk having abortions for fun and sport.

But, on Facebook, we have a real audience and not just the person we're locking horns with, but all your common friends and family and all their friends and family. For many of the silent lurking readers, it might be the first time a lib-ruhl wasn't a burned-out 1960's era relic (a Grateful Dead-ender, if you will) or Alan Colmes. Smart, strong and engaged liberals who don't back down are a rarity throughout most of the country and our recent political history is a testament to the extent we've disengaged our fellow Americans, allowing FOX to fill the void. I urge you, all of you, to go out and give them an example and win their respect or, failing that, their silence.

As a re-introductory post, I thought I'd cross-post and get your reactions, to gauge how I did.

This is long, but worth it, I think.

---

Armadillo Joe’s high-school friend - Can we just portray history? Dear God.

Texas Hearing Considers Deeper Conservative Stamp on Textbooks - NYTimes.com www.nytimes.com
The Texas school board held hearings on proposed changes to the state’s social studies curriculum that would portray conservatives in a more positive light.

Thu at 8:12am · Comment · Like · Share

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Armadillo Joe’s high-school friend
What a bleeped up mess. Feel free. Add some of this. I'm not a Reagan fan, but to not emphasize him in a curriculum is dumb. BUT to no longer use the term American "imperialism"? Seriously people? Or to talk about how the Civil War set up unrealistic expectations? Ah man, I have a raging headache now.
Thu at 8:18am

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Armadillo Joe
K, the only way these people can support their political agenda is to make up a glorious history chock-full of "facts" to support it. Since reality has a well-known liberal bias, they have to make up their own facts, just like authoritarians always have from the Nazis to the Soviets, and implant them in the unformed minds of the young. Its called indoctrination and its the only way the GOP can hope to have a coherent political party in the coming decades, by cultivating a whole generation of mis-educated nitwits.

Orwell said it best: "Who controls the past, controls the future; who controls the present, controls the past."

This post from one of my favorite bloggers sums up the whole ugly recent history of things very nicely -- http://driftglass.blogspot.com/2005/09/depraved.html
Thu at 9:06am

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Armadillo Joe’s high-school friend
Aaaahhhh - deep sigh of relief. Missed you!
Thu at 9:42

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Wingnut Douchebag's wife
I love starting the morning being called a nazi.
Thu at 9:46

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Armadillo Joe’s high-school friend
You could've chosen the Russkie analogy. I'll admit you and B are on remarkably different sides of the spectrum, but I guarantee he was not intending to call you a murderer.

I think anything history is a difficult world because years away give you different perspective. But I think some of the things they are trying to push through on textbooks here is truly damaging.

More importantly, I missed B because I have a couple other threads with my nut job conservatives.
Thu at 9:58

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Armadillo Joe’s high-school friend's husband
Erica, didn't you only convert to Judaism after you met Dan? Are you a sleeper agent?!?
Thu at 10:14

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Armadillo Joe’s high-school friend
Ok, I'm hoping she enjoyed that as much as me. I laughed out loud!
Thu at 10:16

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Wingnut Douchebag's wife
Nice. You're really gonna hit the fan when you find out i also used to be liberal
Thu at 10:36

---

Armadillo Joe’s high-school friend
Ah shit! Guess my request to get the families together is going to have to be flushed. D is obviously a brainwasher!
Thu at 10:38

---

Armadillo Joe
I wasn't calling anyone a murderer. Nor was I calling anyone a Nazi. Or a Soviet. I was calling them authoritarians and likening their strategy and tactics to those of the Nazis and Soviets. Anyone who signs on for this program of school book purification in Texas is an authoritarian with an agenda, less interested in creating a generation of well-educated citizens able to join in the give-and-take of our participatory democracy than churning out fact-averse robots, making the whole population adhere to their private system of religious and political beliefs. That's authoritarian.
Thu at 11:53am

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Armadillo Joe’s high-school friend's husband
I'm gonna hit the fan? Are you calling me shit? Freakin' Nazi....
Thu at 12:06pm via Email Reply

---

Wingnut Douchebag
There's really nothing suspect in having kids read Jefferson Davis's inaugeral address...

[***Editor's Note:  Continue reading the fireworks between Armadillo Joe and Wingnut Douchebag here.] 

Must Reads

Mutant Poodle: Dennis Kucinich and the Agent’s Fallacy

Bob Cesca: The Tea Party Is All About Race, Part 2.  Read Part One here.

Linda Greenhouse: Clarence Thomas, Silent but Sure

Rep. Alan Grayson: HR 4789 and The Public Option: The Way Forward

Glenn Greenwald: The Democrats' Scam Becomes More Transparent

Mary Bottari: Progressive Senators Fight for Real Reform

Amitabh Pal: Elections Don’t Justify Iraq War

President Obama's Weekly Address - March 13, 2010

Education for a More Competitive America & Better Future

Harry Reid's Wife In Accident

If you pray, pray for Harry Reid's wife.

AP: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's wife remained hospitalized Friday with serious injuries suffered when a tractor-trailer rear-ended the minivan she and their daughter were riding in on a suburban Virginia interstate, officials said.

Landra Reid, 69, suffered a broken back and neck in Thursday's crash, but her injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. Mrs. Reid and their daughter, Lana Barringer, 49, were taken by ambulance to Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Va. The daughter was released Thursday night, hospital spokesman Tony Raker said.

The Palinization of Politics

We've all gotten used to Sarah Palin accusing the media of playing "gotcha journalism" while simultaneously using the press to her advantage until there's some pesky reporter asking questions for which she hasn't written the answer on her hand. Now it looks like others are catching on, but they're not getting away with it.

Former eBay President and CEO and current California Gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman took it to another level when she called a press conference for the publicity but refused to answer questions and actually threw out the press once it became inconvenient.



(H/T Jonathan Turley)

More Like This, Please

Fuck bipartisanship. The GOP isn't voting for the health of the people anyway.

Rather Explains His Watermelon Comment

...in a column at The Huffington Post.

"...I was talking about Obama and health care and I used the analogy of selling watermelons by the side of the road. It's an expression that stretches to my boyhood roots in Southeast Texas, when country highways were lined with stands manned by sellers of all races. Now of course watermelons have become a stereotype for African Americans and so my analogy entered a charged environment. I'm sorry people took offense.

But anyone who knows me personally or knows my professional career would know that race was not on my mind...

...I can understand why someone who just happened upon my comments could take offense or want clarification. But what has caused this comment to "go viral" is the trumpeting of an online and cable echo chamber that claims the banner of news but trades in gossip, gotcha, and innuendo. Furthermore, even for those who brook no prejudice, when everything is condensed to 140 characters or a small YouTube clip, many people who got this "news" did so without any context, just a headline that popped up on their phone or inbox."

Sorry Dan, but this isn't the 60's, you've been on the national scene for 50 years now, and times have changed. I'm not calling you a racist, but was you said was perceived as such, as you well know. Your comment going viral was not the fault of an "online and cable echo chamber." Had you chosen your words more carefully, you wouldn't be explaining yourself.

Still, I can't help but wonder if the "selling watermelons" analogy would have been used had the President been, you know, white.

Eric Massa, WTF?!

I hate to kick a man when he's on the verge of/in the middle of a nervous breakdown, but what the hell is up with Eric Massa? He punched a one-way ticket to Crazytown yesterday with his appearance on Glenn Beck last night (an instant classic) followed up with a Larry King appearance, but refused to go on Countdown being hosted by Lawrence O'Donnell.

But seriously, I feel sorry for the guy. There's something definitely wrong there. His excuses for the past couple of weeks ranged from resigning due to health reasons, to being forced out because he wouldn't automatically vote for whatever the Democrats wanted him to vote for, to re-enacting a shower scene between he and Rahm Emanuel akin to Caged Heat, to "forcing himself out," to taking responsibility for er, "rough housing" with some of his aides. And then confusing his Navy time for a stint with The Village People?

Man, when you outcrazy Glenn Beck on his own show, you've got issues.

Adding... Glenn Beck, hoping to take down the White House and Congress with Massa, got nothing! (...heh.) And then he apologized to his audience for "wasting an hour of their time" at the end of the show. Why bother? He wastes their time every night.

But It's Not About Racism (The Tennessee Hospitality Edition)

"Walt Baker, the prominent CEO of the powerful Tennessee Hospitality Association who was a key figure in gaining approval of the controversial $585 million convention center, sent the kind of "joke" email last night -- comparing First Lady Michelle Obama to Tarzan's Cheeta..."

At least the story has a happy ending. Walt Baker was fired.

(H/T GottaLaff)

But It's Not About Racism (The Dan Rather Edition)

Seriously, Dan Rather? Is this the first metaphor that came into your mind? You couldn't use "can't punch his way out of a paper bag" or "can't hit the broad side of a barn" or "couldn't hit the water if he fell out of a boat"? Nothing like that? The first thing that came out of your feeble brain was this?!

"...part of the undertow in the coming election is going to be President Obama's leadership, and the Republicans will make a case, and a lot of independents will buy this argument, 'Listen he just hasn't been...' Look at the health care bill. It was his number one priority, it took him forever to get it through and he had to compromise it to death, and a version of 'Listen, he's a nice person, he's very articulate' this is what's going to be used against him. But he couldn't sell watermelons if you gave him the state troopers to flag down the traffic."

I'm watching this clip over and over and trying to wrap my head around Rather's rambling. Is he stating that this will be the Republican argument or was that last line a little joke gone wrong? I think it's the latter, which is very sad indeed.

Socialist Sarah?!

This weekend, Sarah Palin, who not four months ago said Canada should switch to a privatized health care system, admitted in a Calgary speech that she and her family would "hustle" over the border into Canada to take advantage of their government health care.

"We used to hustle over the border for health care we received in Canada. And I think now, isn't that ironic?"

What's ironic is her use of the word "hustle." She certainly knows about that, doesn't she? I suppose she forgot to scribble not to disclose that little tidbit of information on her telepalmer.

Supporting establishment politician John McCain, calling the Tea Party illegitimate and how they should choose one of the establishment parties and now this? How soon before the teabaggers jettison Socialist Sarah after realizing that she is nothing but a grifter who will do or say whatever it takes as long as it works to her advantage?

Unfortunately, the answer is "never." Palin will laugh this off like she tried to justify the GOP crib notes on her hand, actually comparing it to God using a Bic on His hand,  and all the Palin puppy dogs will lap it up.

Eve Harrington had nothing on this opportunistic sociopath.

Stupak Abortion Lie is Getting Coverage

Via JHW22:
...Jonathan Karl and Diane Sawyer took action at ABC World News. They covered Rep. Stupak’s lies in their truth squad segment Friday night.

Jonathan Karl: "We've taken out the 10 pages or so that deal directly with abortion. It begins on page 2069 and sets out very specific rules on abortion coverage...

[Nancy] Pelosi is right in that the bill makes it clear, there can be no federal money for abortion except in the cases of rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother... There's a provision that says if you choose a policy that covers abortion you have to pay $1.00 a month out of your own pocket to pay for the abortion coverage. The insurance company is supposed to keep that dollar separate, but Stupak says that line will always be blurred.

Stupak makes a further claim: 'When you read the legislation, one dollar per month for all enrollees must go into a fund for reproductive care, which includes abortion coverage.' That's actually wrong. In fact, you only pay the one dollar abortion fee if you choose a plan that covers abortion. To anti-abortion advocates like Stupak, the only acceptable solution is a complete ban on abortion coverage by any insurance company that accepts any federal money at all."

Kudos to Jennifer for being on top of this story. She pounded the pavement... er, keyboard, and made phone calls until someone listened and the story picked up steam. There is a large list of media contacts on her Kos diary if you'd like to rattle the cage as well, or thank ABC for getting the story right.

Must Reads

Veritas Nihilum Vincet: Meet The Palins

Paul Krugman: Senator Bunning's Universe

Glenn Greenwald: The Full-Scale Collapse: From Murrow to Blitzer

Rep. Anthony Weiner: Let's Put the Public Option to a Vote

Steve Benen: Cheney Faces Blowback Over Cheap DOJ Smear

driftglass: What?

Michael Moore: An Open Letter: President Obama: Replace Rahm with Me

President Obama's Weekly Address - March 6, 2010

What Health Reform Will Deliver – This Year

Republican Hypocrisy: The Judd Gregg Edition

Senator Judd Gregg: "If reconciliation is used, it will be a clear signal to Americans that the administration and the Democratic majority are willing to trample the spirit of the Senate in order to pass a highly partisan policy, regardless of the damage it does to the concept of representative government."

Hypocrite says what?

Fear May Win Again

The terrorists have already won. Even if any planned terrorist attack is thwarted, just the thought of another possible attack inside the US has so freaked out some of the public and elected officials that they are willing to drop Constitutional rights at the snap of a finger as is being demonstrated with the 9/11 trial location.

In a potential reversal, White House advisers are close to recommending that President Barack Obama opt for military tribunals for self-professed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed...

In addition to local opposition to a trial [in New York City due to costs, security and logistical concerns], the administration faces pressure on its goal of closing Guantanamo on another front. Republicans in Congress have proposed barring prosecutions of terrorism defendants in federal courts or in reformed military commissions located in the United States.

...The Obama administration views civilian trials for terrorists as an important demonstration of the U.S. commitment to rule of law. Officials also have cited the numerous terrorism trials already held successfully in U.S. criminal courts.

..."If this stunning reversal comes to pass, President Obama will deal a death blow to his own Justice Department, not to mention American values," said American Civil Liberties Union Anthony D. Romero. "Even with recent improvements, the military commissions system is incapable of handling complicated terrorism cases and achieving reliable results. President Obama must not cave in to political pressure and fear-mongering. He should hold firm and keep these prosecutions in federal court, where they belong."

Agreed. If there is no way to be able to hold this trial in a civilian court because of logistics, then they should at least attempt to have some kind of civilian trial at a military base as an end around to costs and security.

Using the Federal Court System the right thing to do and it's also successful and has been used in over 300 terrorism trials by the previous administration, which has been conveniently forgotten by the opposition party. Not only would this be a political loss for the Obama administration but more importantly, a tragic loss for the rule of law.

Stupak is Back and Getting Media Coverage

My friend, who shall be known as JHW22, wrote a piece on Stupak and his lying ways on abortion funding yesterday on her DailyKos diary. Seems she was ahead of the curve since the story's been picking up speed today. Here it is in its entirety.

JHW22:

Last night on Hardball with Tweety, Bart Stupak made two dramatic statements that he has made before and will continue making as long as he is given a platform (Tweety loves this topic so one action we can take is tallying the number of times Tweety mentions the Stupak language between now and the final vote). We need to understand the language in this section of the bill thoroughly and then bombard the office with calls and show up at any meetings and raise hands to challenge him in a civil, yet factually correct manner.

Here’s what Tweety and Stupak discussed:

MATTHEWS: Well, let`s take a look at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at Blair House last week. Let`s listen. See if you agree.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Leader Boehner, the law of the land is there is no public funding of abortion, and there is no public funding of abortion in these bills. And I don`t want our listeners or viewers to get the wrong impression from what you said.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEWS: Is the Speaker correct?

STUPAK: No.

MATTHEWS: Explain.

STUPAK: The Speaker is incorrect. In the Senate bill -- in the Senate bill, and that`s what they`re telling us the vehicle we`re using. In the Senate bill, it says you must offer insurance policies that will be paid for by the federal government that covers abortion. You must do so. Also in that same language, if you come in the Senate version, in the OPM, Office of Personnel Management, policies they`ll be putting forth, you must pay -- every enrollee must pay one dollar per month into a fund to help fund abortions.

It`s very clear. I direct the Speaker`s attention to pages 33 to page 44 of the Senate bill as written in the Senate and passed on Christmas Eve.

This is not true. Aside from the fact that the "Senate bill as written in the Senate and passed on Christmas Eve" discusses abortion MUCH later than pages 33-44, the Senate bill says that states can choose whether companies in the exchange cover abortion or not.

SEC. 1303. SPECIAL RULES.

(a) STATE OPT-OUT OF ABORTION COVERAGE.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—A State may elect to prohibit abortion coverage in qualified health plans offered through an Exchange in such State if such State enacts a law to provide for such prohibition.

2070

HR 3590 EAS/PP

(2) TERMINATION OF OPT OUT.—A State may repeal a law described in paragraph (1) and provide for the offering of such services through the Exchange.

(b) SPECIAL RULES RELATING TO COVERAGE OF ABORTION SERVICES.—

The bill also states

(i) nothing in this title (or any amendment made by this title), shall be construed to require a qualified health plan to provide coverage of services described in subparagraph (B)(i) or (B)(ii) as part of its essential health benefits for any plan year; and

(ii) subject to subsection (a), the issuer of a qualified health plan shall determine whether or not the plan provides coverage of services described in subparagraph(B)(i) or (B)(ii) as part of such benefits for the plan year.

As for federal funding, the language abides by current law – currently that is the Hyde Amendment – but the language is written to accommodate any future changes to the existing law. It repeatedly refers to section (1)B(i) which clarifies what is prohibited from federal funding.

But Stupak stated that each policy holder would have to pay $1 into an abortion fund – yep, he said each policy holder would pay for abortions. But that is not what the heading (1) VOLUNTARY CHOICE OF COVERAGE OF ABORTION SERVICES says to me.

Stupak interprets the language to be:

If one buys any health plan through Company A, one pays into an abortion fund.

I interpret the language to be:

If one buys Plan Q with an abortion Rider through Company A, then one pays a separate rider premium. If one buys Plan R without an abortion Rider through Company A, then one DOES NOT pay a separate premium.

Now, this diary isn’t about whether the existing language is something we like or hate. This diary is about a Democrat distorting language in order to make an already difficult process passing this bill even more difficult and frankly, he’s manipulating voters by misrepresenting the language.

For the most part, the language in the bill is more about the logistical segregation of premiums that would pay for abortion services coverage from the premiums that would not. And more specifically it’s primarily about keeping premiums that would go toward non-Hyde Amendment abortion allowances segregated from other premiums. The whole gist of the language is about FEDERAL FUNDS NOT TOUCHING abortion coverage as required by existing law. But Stupak wants people to think that anyone who pays a premium funds abortions. He says all of this while saying he is fine with the Hyde Amendment language.

Where the $1 line comes in is during the actuarial part. If you have the abortion coverage Rider, all kinds of calculations have to be done to decide the premium value based on what’s covered under the Hyde Amendment and what isn’t. If it’s not covered under the Hyde Amendment, then that coverage value is determined and you have to pay a separate abortion Rider premium so as not to touch abortion coverage premiums with regular premiums. These premiums are kept in separate accounts by the insurance companies.

The bulk of the section in the bill that discusses this is found on pages 2069 through 2078 in the FINAL Senate Bill.

I have summarized the language but since the main issue here is all about "interpretation" I ask you to please print it out, read it, mark it up and learn it inside and out (if you don't already). Then call Representative Stupak’s office and leave messages telling them that you understand the language and that you’d be happy to explain it to him.

They will be quite prickly over at his DC office, I know because one of the staffers threatened to turn me over to the Capitol Hill Police if I didn’t stop calling today when I was trying to figure out why Stupak told Tweety that this language was on pages 33-44. A staffer later returned my call with the correct page numbers.

When they know you’re right and feel smug, they will ask you where you’re from because they don’t want to hear from anyone in any other district, despite the fact that this is a NATIONAL health care bill he’s willing to stop. And they do have caller ID so they will know if you’re calling from out of state, or from a cell phone that was bought out of state even if you’ve moved to his district. If you know anyone in the district, ask them to call.

Finally, if you feel that you have been brushed aside, call Speaker Pelosi. Her staffer was pleased to hear from me. Ask that Speaker Pelosi speak to Stupak to "educate" him on the language and ask that she make a public statement if he continues his appearances on national TV misrepresenting the language.

If you live in his district, get to a meeting.

Catskill Julie provided the following useful information in the comments of a Daily Kos diary:

Call (202) 225 4735
Fax (202) 225 4744
in District call Toll Free: 800-950-7371 

Alpena, (989)356 0690 Fax(989)356 0923
Escanaba, (906)786 4504 Fax(906)786 4534
Marquette,(906) 228 3700 Fax(906) 228 2305 

GO to meetin' Tawas City, March 8 

For Immediate Release
March 3, 2010 Contact: Michelle Begnoche
(202) 225-4735
STUPAK TO HOLD TOWN HALL MEETING IN TAWAS CITY
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) will host a town hall meeting in Tawas City on Monday, March 8 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. (EST) at the Tawas Area High School cafeteria. The meeting is open to the public and will provide an opportunity for constituents to ask Stupak questions on a range of issues. Stupak will also provide an update on health care reform, job creation, the economy and other issues pending before Congress. 

Tawas Area High School is located at 255 W. M-55, Tawas City, Mich.
"This town hall meeting in Tawas City is a chance to meet with constituents, address their concerns and answer questions about the work I am doing in Congress to strengthen our economy, create jobs and provide Americans with access to affordable health care," Stupak said. "I enjoy the opportunity to receive feedback on these critical issues and hope my town hall meetings spur additional dialogue in communities across northern Michigan." 

Out of respect for all those wishing to attend the town hall meeting, only credentialed media will be permitted to record the event. 

The Tawas City town hall meeting is a continuation of Stupak’s travels around the First Congressional District, which has included town hall meetings in Negaunee, Petoskey, Cheboygan, Escanaba, Standish, Ironwood, Ontonagon and Houghton. Last month Stupak held a telephone town hall meeting reaching 3,390 constituents in all 31 counties in the First Congressional District. 

Residents of Michigan’s First Congressional District can sign up to receive email notice of Stupak’s town hall meetings and to be included in the next telephone town hall meeting by visiting www.house.gov/stupak and selecting "E-mail and Telephone Town Hall Sign-Up" or by calling Stupak’s office at 1-800-950-7371.

UPDATE SINCE ORIGINALLY POSTED AT THE DAILY KOS: As I said he would be, Stupak is everywhere spewing this incorrect information. HOWEVER, after my calls to his office yesterday telling them he was citing the wrong pages and how could anyone check him if he didn't provide the correct pages, he is now CITING THE CORRECT PAGES. Now I need help getting him to properly represent what those pages actually say.

Music Break! Jamie Cullum

My sister was able to score and extra ticket to Jamie Cullum playing at Joe's Pub last night (a show that sold out in about a minute and crashed their website) and what a great show it was! Usually, I'm pretty low key at these things with regards to recording, but when Cullum climbed off the stage with his bassist to roam around the small room and sing I Get a Kick Out of You (without a mic), I had to pull my BlackBerry out and record it.

Enjoy.

Cartoon of the Day

Pretty Cool

"The latest images of the Earth are the most true-colour images of the entire world released to date, according to Nasa scientists."

Mitt Romney Thinks ER Care is Free

Mitt Romney graced the Morning Joke™ team with his presence this morning and basically lied for about ten minutes. It was a sight to see.  Not only did he participate in the obligatory GOP bashing of President Obama for his "apology tour," which he also pushes in his new book (Scarborough is all to eager to jump in), but claims that Bush kept us safe, that the health care reform proposal is going to cut $500 billion from Medicare Part D, and that Sarah Palin is qualified to be President.

The thing that really got to me is that Mitt Romney believes that hospital care in an emergency room is free and the patient bares no responsibility having to pay the bill.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Mike Barnicle: "...Do you believe in universal coverage?"

Romney: "Oh, sure.  Look, it doesn't make a lot of sense for us to have millions and millions of people who have no health insurance, and yet who can go to the emergency room and get entirely free care for which they have no responsibility, particularly if they are people who have sufficient means to pay their own way."

Clueless.  Obviously, Mitt Romney has never been to an emergency room.  And no one even called him to task because they're all inside the beltway members who have absolutely no sense of the real world.

Why I Don't Watch Jay Leno

Well, Sarah Palin made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (at least it's Leno this week). And not only did she continue her contradiction of supporting the Tea Party's "uprising against the government" while simultaneously announcing she would campaign for an establishment party hack like John McCain, she had the audacity to insult probably every comedian on the planet by doing a little stand up routine of her own. (I say every comedian because Dennis Miller stopped being funny a long time ago.)

Jay posed a couple of reasonable questions and Palin was quick on the answers which makes one hardly wonder whether those questions were pre-screened. Palin was surprisingly self depricating for a second when speaking about the "poor man's teleprompter" on the palm of her hand, but basically justified it.

And this is the main reason I don't watch Jay Leno. His interviews pretty much suck. I know he's not a journalist, but if you're going to have pre-selected questions ready for each and every interview on your little blue cards, wouldn't you want to actually listen to the answers and maybe have a follow up ready? Palin explained she had written three things down on her hand. She always takes notes and will now continue to do so on her hand just to "wee-wee up" the Democrats. (Yes, she used the phrase "wee-wee up" again.) But maybe a Leno follow up could have been, "But Sarah, in all due respect, 'Energy' and 'Tax Cuts' are the staple of the Republican Party. Did you really feel the need to write those specific notes down?" But not Jay. He'll just barrel on to the next question and instead prefers to make little, cutesy comments.

The really sad part of the whole event was the reaction of some in the crowd. In my opinion the David Letterman audience is a little hipper, more in tune and can put things in perspective, while Jay Leno's audience seem to be mostly older, conservative Republicans, and apparently judging by the reaction of some in the crowd, sprinkled with some Teabaggers.

Watch if you dare.

Quote of the Day

"The Rahm Emanuel that Obama hired is the poster child for the timid, pseudo-pragmatism that is inimical to the idealistic Obama agenda so many excited voters responded to last November. And it's a pragmatism that is absolutely killing the Democratic Party in the long run, because American voters have an intrinsic distrust of politicians they see as tacking with the polls or shying away from a fight."

~Dan Froomkin on the latest Obama administration sabotage and the recent Washington Post love affair with Rahm Emanuel.

Completely Out of Touch

If there is a prime example of politicians, namely Republicans, that have absolutely no idea of how the real world works and whose mindset is completely out of touch with reality, it has to be Senator Jon Kyl's (R-Az) asinine comment on unemployment benefits.

Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, the Republican whip, argued that unemployment benefits dissuade people from job-hunting "because people are being paid even though they're not working."

Unemployment insurance "doesn't create new jobs. In fact, if anything, continuing to pay people unemployment compensation is a disincentive for them to seek new work," Kyl said during debate over whether unemployment insurance and other benefits that expired amid GOP objections Sunday should be extended.

"I'm sure most of them would like work and probably have tried to seek it, but you can't argue that it's a job enhancer. If anything, as I said, it's a disincentive. And the same thing with the COBRA extension and the other extensions here," said Kyl.

I'm going to go out on a limb and take a wild guess in assuming Senator Jon Kyl has never been on unemployment. I'm sure he's pulled himself up by his own bootstraps considering his family didn't have enough money to afford the 'H' in his name. But it's examples like these that show how members mostly if not definitively in the Republican Party have no clue what is goes on in the real world.

It's not about job creation, you fucking moron.  It's about bridging the gap between employment opportunities for citizens who have most likely paid into unemployment insurance their entire working lives until the next job so they don't lose their house, their health care and can feed their families in the meantime. And in nearly all cases, the payments you receive are a fraction of what your actual salary actually was when you got the boot.

To Kyl, anyone who has lost their job, and therefore are in danger of or have already lost their health care benefits are nothing but welfare queens who are sucking on the government teat. How dare they collect on the unemployment insurance that they are legally entitled to and that they've paid into over the years? You goddamn lazy fuckers should be out pounding the pavement looking for a job if you've lost yours despite the fact that there are no jobs to be had. I suppose the current 9.8% unemployment rate is just voluntary. These people could find work if they really wanted to work, right, Jo-n?

Compound this idiocy with Senator Jim Bunning's filibuster of a $10 billion bill extending unemployment benefits and standing in the way of transportation projects that will put 2,000 more out of work because... well, who the hell knows why Bunning does what he does, and this is a microcosm of the GOP perspective.

Adding... Chris Matthews doesn't help his cause in his tacit support of Bunning not for any other reason than he's a Hall of Fame pitcher who played for his beloved Phillies in the 60's. Way to go, Tweety.

Must Reads

The Rude Pundit: A Final Word on the Health Care Summit: President Obama Calmly Fucks the Republicans

Bill McKibben: The Attack on Climate-Change Science: Why It’s the O.J. Moment of the Twenty-First Century

Al Gore: We Can't Wish Away Climate Change

You and Me BOTH, Brother!

George W. Bush: "I have no desire to see myself on television. I don't want to be a panel of formers instructing the currents on what to do..."

(H/T GottaLaff)

Strong On Defense Republicans

The perception, or at least what the GOP would have you believe, is that the Republican Party is the party that will keep you safe from evil, foreign boogeymen while the Democratic Party is weak on national security and defense.

And yet, we see stories like Senator Richard Shelby's, who until recently help up every Obama administration nomination until he got paid off, and even after backing off, still has holds on top positions in the Air Force. And he couldn't care less.

CNN's Dana Bash asked the right-wing senator yesterday whether his actions are justified.

BASH: I spoke with Geoff Morrell over at the Pentagon and just asked him what the impact is of not having these three people in place -- one of whom, as you know, is the number two at the Air Force. He said, "Without these people, we're not firing on all cylinders." And he also said, "It does adversely affect the organization."

Are you worried about that? This is a time of war --

SHELBY: The Pentagon is a big place. I don't think one or two will affect anything except on the margins.

BASH: Do you think that the nominees you have holds on are qualified?

SHELBY: Oh, I don't have any idea.

That's right. Republican Alabama Senator Richard Shelby has no idea if nominees for three top positions in the Air Force are qualified, yet he continues to block them. What would Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Michelle Malkin, or any of the Fox News hacks be spewing if this had been a Democratic Senator during the Bush years? Just another example of the infinite hypocrisy in the GOP.

President Obama's Weekly Address - February 27, 2010

The Olympic Spirit, the Spirit of Bipartisanship, and Health Reform

Gearing Up for Health Care Summit

Schwarzenegger Terminates Tea Party & Van Susteren

I have to give California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger credit for sticking to his guns on this one. Asked about the Tea Party movement, The Governator responded by giving it a shelf life.

...they're not going anywhere with it because nobody is coming up and saying, Here's our candidate, here's our solution, here's what we're going to do, and have a whole policy debate over the various different issues.

...when the economy comes back, I think that the tea party will disappear...

There's something to be said for term limits when someone can be this honest about his/her thoughts.

Van Susteren also tried to get him to trash the stimulus even though he's touted it previously, but Schwarzenegger was having none of it.

Jon Stewart's CPAC Coverage

Comedy gold.