President Obama's Weekly Address - December 26, 2009

Celebrating Christmas and Honoring Those Who Serve

Merry Christmas

Obama's Socialist Christmas Ornament Program

Classic.

Dumbass Tweet of the Day, Part Deux

Somehow, it never seems to fail. Sarah Palin tweets are automatic "Insert Foot In Mouth" moments. Here's the latest gem:



Perhaps Ms. Palin should have thought to look up Griffith's voting record, or maybe just go on the intertubes to see what her teabag loyalists are saying.

“This is why we do the things we do,” [Tea Party activist Les] Phillip told TWI. “This gives us a chance to judge his entire record. If he wants to play on this side of the hall, our voters are very aware of the issues and we hold everyone accountable.”

...“This is an act of desperation to maintain power,” said Phillip. “It’s exactly what people in this district are sick of. When someone lied before, and now says he’s telling the truth, well, was he lying then, or is he lying now?”

...“We’ve known for a long time that Parker Griffith’s principles are either for sale to the highest bidder or can change depending on how the poll results are looking,” said a spokesman for Mo Brooks, a county commissioner who’d gotten some early support from the NRCC, in an interview with Politico. “He seems to speak out of both sides of his mouth.”

...“He’s an S.O.B.,” said Dale Jackson, a conservative radio host who’s posted a banner reading “Parker Griffith Cannot Be Trusted” on his Website. “He’s a liar. Michael Steele should be ashamed of himself. The NRCC should be ashamed of itself for not coming out and immediately repudiating this guy. He was unacceptable a year ago and he’s acceptable now? A year ago, they were saying this guy was a murderer.”

Whoops. How long before Sarah tweets "Thanks, but no thanks on that Parker Griffith"?

Burn of the Week

The Washington Times reported today that RNC Chairman Michael Steele has been raking in the speaking fees and it has former chairmen up in arms. This comes on the hells of Steele, never one to know when to keep his mouth shut, equating the Democratic party pushing health care reform through as "flipping the bird" to the American people.

At today's White House press briefing, NBC's Norah O'Donnell asked Press Secretary Robert Gibbs about the heated rhetoric in the Senate health-care debate, specifically citing RNC Chairman Michael Steele's comment yesterday that Democrats were willing to "flip the bird" to the American public.

Gibbs replied, "How much did that interview cost him?"

OH, NO HE DI'N!!!

Dumbass Tweet of the Day

Maybe if Sarah Palin read the bill she would know what the penalty is, instead of suggesting that the penalty for not buying health insurance is death.

Senator Burris' Christmas Spirit

These three minutes alone were worth all the drama that the Burris appointment scandal caused.



(H/T Paddy)

Coburn's Prayer Was About Electronics

What a joke this guy is.

Coburn: "What the American people ought to pray is that somebody can't make the vote tonight."

When asked what he meant when interviewed by Greta Van Susteren, here's what the "distinguished" Republican Senator from Oklahoma said: "I wouldn't back away from that. I'd love for everyone's alarm clock who would vote for this thing not to work."

Oh! He was praying for alarm clocks not to work. How could we possibly think that he would be suggesting something else when there's a 92-year old Democratic Senator in failing health being pushed around on a wheelchair during a blizzard?

Boy, we can be sooooo cynical sometimes, can't we? I wonder why he wouldn't explain himself on the floor of the Senate at Dick Durbin's request to clear the air? After all, we wouldn't want to continue thinking he was praying for something to befall a sitting Senator. Forgive my naiveté for thinking otherwise, since we find wingnut pastors that would pray for Obama's death and now they're making bumper stickers out of it and getting a good chuckle in the process. Silly of me to think that Senator Coburn would be of that ilk.

Two Down, One To Go

Another early morning session, another 60 votes. This time, to end debate on the Senate health care bill.

Senate Democrats remained united in their goal of passing historic legislation by Christmas, and Republicans were steadfast in opposition. The motion to shut off debate on a package put together by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid passed 60-39.

The final 60-vote hurdle, which would end debate on the bill itself, is expected Wednesday afternoon, starting a 30-hour countdown to a night-before-Christmas vote on the bill, which needs only a simple majority to pass.

The Senate has been voting at odd hours since Monday around 1 a.m. because Republicans have insisted on using all the time allowed them under Senate rules to delay the bill. Not to be thwarted, Reid, D-Nev., has refused to postpone action until after the holidays. Hence the unusual schedule. On Tuesday, they started voting at sunrise.

Let's not forget this when Republicans whine and moan about this being passed in the dead of night with no help from the GOP side. One, they're forcing these crazy hours and two, no votes equates not wanting to help.

Adding... Rachel Maddow explains the useless waste of time.

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

Happy Solstice

At 5:47 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time (that's 12:47 p.m. Eastern Standard Time) Monday, the Northern Hemisphere marked the mid-point of another year, as measured by the sun's highest position each day above the horizon. It marked the day with the fewest hours of sunlight this year.

One For The Ages

Rhode Island Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's comments on the floor of the Senate today.



"The lying time is over."

(H/T GottaLaff)

The Definition of Contradiction

Maine Senator Olympia Snowe cannot vote for the health care bill.  The bill she delayed with her ultimatum of withholding her vote because of the public option and her preference for an unattainable trigger. Why? She's been working on it for a year... but feels it's being rushed through.

“Having been fully immersed in this issue for this entire year and as the only Republican to vote for health reform in the Finance Committee, I deeply regret that I cannot support the pending Senate legislation as it currently stands, given my continued concerns with the measure and an artificial and arbitrary deadline of completing the bill before Christmas that is shortchanging the process on this monumental and trans-generational effort..."

And yet all we hear from the GOP is how this should be a bipartisan agreement when they've pre-determined that not one Republican will vote for it. So why should the Democrats wait?

Brittany Murphy Dies at 32

TMZ reports:

Brittany Murphy died early this morning after she went into full cardiac arrest and could not be revived, multiple sources tell TMZ.

She was 32.

A 911 call was made at 8:00 AM from a home in Los Angeles that is listed as belonging to her husband, Simon Monjack, the Los Angeles City Fire Department tells TMZ.

We're told Murphy was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where she was pronounced dead on arrival.