Must Reads

Allison Samuels: The Black War Over Obama

Eric Dolan: Kathy Griffin asked Bachmann: 'Were you born a bigot?'

Warren Buffett: Stop Coddling the Super-Rich

Ben Smith & Jonathan Martin: Michele Bachmann's Bouncers: Unnecessary Roughness

Hadley Freeman: Proof of Republican 'Doublethink'

Jonathan Martin & Jake Sherman: Rick Perry’s Loose Lips Worry Hill Republicans

Allison Kilkenny: President Red Herring

Bob Cesca: Rick Perry is a Socialist in a Secessionist Costume

Steve Benen: How About a Bachmann-Inspired Stimulus?

T.P. Pratt: Stop Coddling The Poor

President Obama's Weekly Address - August 20, 2011

Putting Country Ahead of Party

A Vacation From Perspective

I'm kind of disgusted with the constant MSM drum beating about President Obama's vacation in Martha's Vineyard. He should cancel his vacation and sit in the Oval Office and wait for what? For Congress to come back to Washington in September? The bottom line is, no matter what the President does, it is Congress that creates and votes on legislation.

Now I thought I might be teetering on hypocrisy because back in the "good ol' days" I complained about Bush's vacation time, but it's time for a little perspective. In President Obama's 31 months in office, he has taken 61 vacation days. At the same point in their presidencies, Ronald Reagan had taken 112 days off and George W. Bush had taken 180 days off. In fact, it's laughable for a "news" outlet like Fox to whine and moan about Obama's time off when their guy took a combined THREE YEARS off out of his eight years in office. So, no. No hypocrisy. And I may be wrong, but don't remember seeing Bush's vacation time scrutinized nearly as much as what's happening now.

I'm not begrudging anyone their time off to recharge their batteries, especially when you have one of the toughest and most important jobs in the world. But what would your boss say if you took 6 months off in your first 2½ years of employment. Or the equivalent of 10 weeks of vacation time per year? It looks like President Obama's average of about 2½ weeks off per year is more in line with the rest of us plebeians, doesn't it?

Presidential Protection

I'm trying to remember when the last time anyone questioned the Secret Service's actions as it pertains to protecting the president... I think the answer is never. That is of course until this president.

The latest smear tactic of the rabid right wing is to try and pin "wasted tax dollars" on President Obama for two tour buses at a cost of $2.2 million that were used for his 3 day bus tour; vehicles that were commissioned by the Secret Service over a year ago and actually SAVE the country money as part of the permanent Secret Service fleet, as opposed to retrofitting leased buses every four years. Vehicles that the future GOP presidential nominee will also use. But that doesn't stop hacks like Sean Hannity and Eric Bolling from blaming Obama for yet another thing that he's not responsible for. David Shuster takes the hacks down handily filling in for Keith Olbermann.



After a 400% increase in presidential threats since Obama took office, I suppose Hannity or Bolling would prefer him ride around in a convertible... maybe in Dallas... and wave to passersby in Dealey Plaza.

Cartoon of the Day

Christie Running For President? FAT CHANCE!

Earlier today, Jonathan Alter reported via the Twitters that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was conducting focus groups for a possible 2012 presidential run. I mean, hell, if know-nothings like Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry can get into the act, why not lovable, straight talking, education fund blowing, job killing Chris Christie?

Well it seems to have been a misguided rumor.

A top adviser to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie insists the big name Republican is not exploring the possibility of running for president in the next election cycle despite rumors swirling that he could jump into the GOP primary mix...
"It’s completely untrue -- one hundred percent that is not true,” Christie adviser Mike Duhaime said in response to the suggestion, according to The Hill. “Nothing’s changed. I’m not sure who [Alter’s] source is or what they are saying, but nothing’s changed."

... and Alter concurs.

It's a good thing too, especially considering that it was only seven months ago that Christie said he wasn't ready to be President. But hey, he now has the same amount of gubernatorial experience as half termer Sarah Palin, so anything's possible.

Nothing Happened Before January 20, 2009

It's the only reason I can think of that Sean Hannity would blame Obama's policies for the mortgage crisis that began four years before he became president. Or, you know, he's a disingenuous hack.



As Media Matters' Jeremy Holden reports, economists noted as early as the summer of 2005 that the bursting of the housing bubble cause an economic recession.

It's amazing how Hannity reaches new levels of buffoonery on an almost daily basis.

Paul Ryan's Pay To Play Town Halls

I suppose Paul Ryan learned his lesson. After revealing the Ryan plan and the idea of making Medicare a voucher system, he got quite an earful of angry constituents at subsequent town hall meetings and realized no one as buying what he had to sell. So to alleviate that problem, Paul Ryan decided to now charge admission for his town hall meetings.

...Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and other Republican members of Congress have chosen to charge admission to their home-district appearances.

Ryan will speak September 6 to the Whitnall Park Rotary Club in Greenfield, Wisc. Admission to the event is $15 per person and includes lunch.

Ryan has no free public town hall appearances scheduled during the recess.

What a coward.

If anyone who reads this blog happens to be nearby a Ryan event in the next few weeks (maybe the September 6th event) or knows of anyone who does, and would like to continue to give Mr. Vouchercare a piece of their mind but can't afford it, please contact me. Maybe we can strike a deal and I'll try to help you pay the price of admission. I'm not a wealthy man by any means, but I don't want this chickenshit to get away with this type of tactic without some pushback.

He's Got Our Back, Now Get HIS!

Posted by JHW22

I just watched Democratic Representative Marcy Kaptur on The Rev Al's show (video later) basically second-guess why the President is choosing the towns and states he is visiting on his bus tour and saying he needs to talk about infrastructure jobs.

Well, Representative Kaptur, I now have you in my Sanders column. That column is where I am putting Democrats who are working AGAINST President Obama rather than with President Obama.

Here's the deal, Representative, unless I am mistaken, you haven't won a national Presidential campaign. Am I right? Let me check. Yep, I'm right, you haven't. Maybe you are the next David Plouffe and I missed the Obama for America memo. I get emails from them every day, but I am pretty sure I didn't get one that says you are the new mastermind behind the amazing machine I call Team Obama. So, questioning where the President is speaking, really, should be left to those who actually know how to run a national campaign. Okie doke?

Second, I suggest you Google "Obama, infrastructure bank". Go ahead, I'll wait. Now, I will also suggest that you actually leave your schedule clean whenever the President has a town hall, no matter what town he's holding it in, and listen to the entire thing. I recommend you watch it at the White House site or CSPAN because the MSM will cut away for the most valuable portion -- the Q & A. You'd be amazed at the great questions average Americans ask and the wonderful answers he provides. If you would listen to the President directly, you'd hear him talking about the jobs you don't seem to think he's talking about.

Your comments today remind me of right after the debt ceiling deal was made and I read Luke Russert's report that

A source close to the House Progressive Caucus tells NBC News that after reading media reports about a potential debt deal between the White House and Senate Republicans, many members are, "sufficiently spooked."

MEDIA REPORTS. I do NOT want my members of Congress basing their votes on MEDIA REPORTS! Why? Because of what I just posted above. Someone told someone who told someone that a member of the Progressive Caucus said that. But I didn't hear it said, did I? So, should I base a crucial vote on a game of hearsay? No. And you shouldn't form your judgment of the President on what is clearly not his first-hand speeches, statements or memos.

Here's my beef:

President Obama is constantly second-guessed, Monday Quarterbacked and hindered by his VERY OWN PARTY! STOP IT! STOP NOW!

Here's what you need to do, Representative Kaptur and Senator Sanders and all the other Democratic members of Congress who fall into my column of jackasses: you need to listen to the President, support what he says and focus on how the GOP is saying the opposite. You need to get your own damn House and Senate on board working WITH the President to get the best deals possible instead of fracturing into a left-wing version of the right-wing critics. How about when Al Sharpton asks you how Congress can pass the utopian policies you answer what YOU can do to get those policies passed rather than passing the buck onto the President who you just hindered and doubted and treated like a naive, stupid child.

I have accepted that the liberals in the MSM are going to twist and ignore and analyze based on tidbits when it comes to the President. But I expect far more from elected Democrats.

It is LONG PAST TIME for Democrats to start standing shoulder to shoulder with our President instead of twisting the GOP knife in his back.

Quit expressing disappointment and begrudging support of the President who has been going it almost alone in every battle. Democrats have been chicken shits when the big fights come and have been so easily distracted by their own fears that they have turned on him, requiring his energy to be divided between the GOP and his own damn party.

Quit putting your principles in front of your principles and MAYBE you will actually HELP the President get closer to your damn principles. Each time you treat him like he's not lifting heavily enough as you step back from the lifting to criticize how he's bending his knees, you weaken this party and this country.

Support this country by supporting this President. AND I MEAN NOW, GODDAMMIT! NOW!

Iowa Loves Them Some Crazy, Hates Milquetoast

CNN: Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann won the Ames Straw Poll Saturday, besting eight other Republican candidates in a nonbinding but politically significant vote in the first caucus state of Iowa.

"This is the first step toward taking the White House in 2012," Bachmann told the crowd. "And you have sent a message that Barack Obama will be a one-term president. This is a wonderful down payment on taking the country back -- and it started in Iowa."

Once again, Iowa shows its irrelevancy by dismissing any possible legitimate candidate for the GOP presidential nomination in their Ames Straw Poll and instead choosing Michele Bachmann as the person they'd like to represent Iowans, closely followed by Ron Paul.

The vote tallies were:

Michele Bachmann: 4,823
Ron Paul: 4,671
Tim Pawlenty: 2,293
Rick Santorum:1,567
Herman Cain: 1,456
Rick Perry: 718
Mitt Romney: 567
Newt Gingrich: 385
Jon Huntsman: 69
Thad McCotter: 35

Of course, this poll means practically nothing if you look at past winners. I mean, Pat Robertson won the thing in 1987, the same Pat Robertson that said Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment because of America's abortion policy.

The real winners of this Straw Poll were Mitt Romney and Rick Perry, who didn't even have to spend any time in Iowa and let Bachmann knock off Tim Pawlenty, a more legitimate but intensely boring candidate, who decided to call it quits after coming in, not second, but a distant third behind Ron Paul.

I suppose when you shoot yourself in the foot by coining "Obamneycare" and then show you have no balls by walking it back the next day in Romney's presence during the GOP's first primary debate, have no money and no support, it's probably the smartest thing you can do. No Pawlenty can go back to being irrelevant and ignored on the local level.