POSTED BY JHW22
Between Jane Hamster, the GOP leadership and the Tea Party insurgents, and a deaf and blind media, Obama needs some support. So let's be some stubborn asses and have his back!
POSTED BY JHW22
Three years ago we paid $230/month for my son and my private health insurance plan. Today we pay $411/month. When I signed up for the plan, I put money aside each month to save for the deductible. We paid out-of-pocket for each appointment. In two years we have spent nearly $10,000 in premiums and appointments. The insurance company has covered $600 in covered immunizations (which I imagine they are subsidized for in some way). Me = $10,000. Them = $600. I haven't been able to save toward the deductible in two years.
This morning my son was diagnosed with the all-too-common -- and COMPLETELY surprising to us -- peanut allergy.
This afternoon I called my insurance company to see about changing plans to one that makes more sense and is more affordable. I can lower my monthly costs by raising my deductible and going to a co-pay plan. But because we are existing customers they don't have to cover preventive care.
So, using the handy government health reform site, I was able to compare companies and plans and I am about to embark on the tedious application for new insurance at a new company where I WILL get preventative for my son and me and where my son's allergy can't be excluded from his care.
We will save almost $400 in preventative appointment costs alone. We will save more going to a co-pay plan and raising the deductible. Now I will actually be able to save money for the deductible again.
So I wanted to say, thank you to President Obama, the Democrats in Congress and all the Democrats who encouraged progress. We didn't get everything but we got enough to make this mom feel better about tomorrow.
EDITOR'S NOTE: As JHW22 pointed out on her Facebook page, there's also this:
Before last night's election, all the polls showed that Republican members of Congress had a lower approval rating than Democratic members. Polls showed that more people trusted President Obama to handle the economy better than Republicans. But due to the frustratingly stagnant economy and desperate people with no jobs, when asked who they were leaning towards on Election Day, they would inevitably say the Republicans. That's called cognitive dissonance. But voting against your best interests is nothing new.
And I'm not going to try to sugarcoat the election by saying it wasn't huge for the GOP, even though some of my colleagues may disagree. Before last night the Democrats controlled 255 House seats, the GOP 178. Starting January 20th, currently the Republicans are at 239 seats to 185 for the Democrats and counting. Losing seats is a dent. Losing the majority by 5-10 seats hurts. Losing by 56 and counting is big.
Now, do I believe the current spin that the results last night are due to President Obama's policies? Absolutely not. This is about Americans being fickle bitches and expecting an economic freefall to stop on a dime. This is about not having the patience or not having the comprehension to understand what it takes to turn the tide. After eight years of mismanagement, some say even 30 years of Reaganomics, how is it even fathomable to think it can all be changed in 21 months? So of course, the political party of the president in power is going to pay in the midterm elections. It's happened before (FDR, Truman, Reagan, Clinton) and it'll happen again.
So should've priorities shifted to economic growth and job creation? Perhaps, although a bigger stimulus was rejected by the GOP and weakened by the insistence of including tax cuts. But because we haven't completely crawled out of the biggest recession since the Great Depression, that's not to say that health care reform, credit card reform, financial reform, fair pay acts, the stimulus (a third of which were tax cuts) and a myriad of other policies enacted by the Obama administration hasn't helped American citizens.
As the President said today, you have to separate the policies that were enacted from the emergency spending that was necessary to stop economic collapse. Had they not bailed out the auto industry another million jobs could have been lost. Had they not continued the TARP policies of the Bush administration (and tweaked them to make the banks accountable while returning a profit) the bank collapse could have led to a global financial meltdown. Had they not passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, it's possible we'd be another couple of million jobs in the hole.
So while it was a tough loss yesterday, let's keep things in perspective. Democrats still run The White House and the Senate, and with everything needing 60 votes to proceed in that chamber, we're basically in the same shape we were before. Chances are that just like the Senate is sitting on 400 pieces of legislation because of the Republican filibuster gridlock these last two years, things will now slow down in the House as well.
So okay, Republicans. Show us what you've got. You can't be the Party of No anymore and hide in the shadows. You're out in front now. And here comes the hard part. You're going to have to work now instead of sitting back with arms folded and holding your breath because it wasn't advantageous to your party. Time to work. Alas, time to actually read some bills instead of tossing them around as stage props. Boy, so many pages!
"If the price of certainty is essentially for us to adopt the exact same proposals that were in place for eight years leading up to the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression -- we don't tinker with health care, let the insurance companies do what they want, we don't put in place any insurance reforms, we don't mess with the banks, let them keep on doing what they're doing now because we don't want to stir up Wall Street -- the result is going to be the same. I don't know why we would expect a different outcome pursuing the exact same policy that got us into this fix in the first place."...if our response ends up being, you know, because we don't want to -- we don't want to stir things up here, we're just going to do the same thing that was being done before, then I don't know what differentiates us from the other guys. And I don't know why people would say, boy, we really want to make sure that those Democrats are in Washington fighting for us."
Rhode Island Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's comments on the floor of the Senate today.
"The lying time is over."
(H/T GottaLaff)
Via TPC:
Gee, Tom, that was a quick turnaround. I have to say I thought the party would hold Lieberman's feet to the fire and not cave in ONE DAY. Also, does this Christmas deadline seem like bullshit to anyone else? What's the fucking point if any form of public option, including the Medicare buy-in, is dead?Senate Democrats "emerged from a special caucus meeting Monday night determined to pass a health-care bill by Christmas -- but without the Medicare buy-in plan that liberals had sought as an alternative to a government insurance option," the Washington Post reports.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg notes Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), chairman on the Senate health committee, said he would be willing to drop a "public option" government insurance program to win passage of a health-care overhaul.
Said Harkin: "This bill, without public option, without Medicare buy-in, is a giant step forward toward transforming American health care. That's reality, there is enough good stuff in that bill that we should move ahead with it."
81% Of Dems Want Lieberman Punished For Health Care Filibuster
I'd actually like to see it taken away regardless. Let stop kidding ourselves about this 60 vote super-duper majority. It was never 60. Not with Lieberdouche in the mix. Not with Ben Nelson in the mix. Not with weak Senate leadership at the helm."Eighty-one percent of Democrats said they would like to see the senator's chairmanship -- which he was allowed to keep despite campaigning for Sen. John McCain in 2008 -- taken away should he sustain a filibuster. Only 10 percent of Democrats said there should be no punishment. Even fewer (nine percent) said they had yet to make up their minds, underscoring just how divisive Lieberman is within the party.
An additional 43 percent of independents agreed that Lieberman should lose his post..."
Apparently, Specter still thinks that the backstabbing GOP ways are the modus operandi of the Democratic Party because within the first week of having a 'D' after his name, Specter has voted against Obama's budget, voted against the rewriting of the bankruptcy bill, backtracked on his "loyal Democrat" statement on Meet The Stretch and what apparently broke the donkey's back, when questioned if he cared about the absence of any Jews in the Republican Senate, made this amazingly stupid statement:
I sure do. There's still time for the Minnesota courts to do justice and declare Norm Coleman the winner.Arlen, just because the Democratic Party's symbol is a donkey doesn't mean you have to act like a jackass. You switched parties because your "loyal" GOP brothers gave you shit about your stimulus vote after 29 years as a Republican in the Senate and told you they weren't supporting you, and yet you want the courts to overturn the legal results in the Minnesota Senate election in which Al Franken (who is Jewish, by the way!) narrowly won the popular vote? This isn't Florida in 2000 all over again, Arlen. And then you have the temerity to say you misspoke because of all the hoopla surrounding your party switch?
New teammates? How fucking stupid do you think we are? Did you just wake up that morning and happened to forget that you were the focal point of one of the biggest political news stories of the year?; you forgot the waves you made by crossing to the other side what, like misplacing your keys when speaking of a Coleman win? You thought you were still a Republican? Let me rephrase that: You forgot to speak like a Democrat? Because we all know you are still a Republican at heart.“In the swirl of moving from one caucus to another, I have to get used to my new teammates,” he said. “I’m ordinarily pretty correct in what I say. I’ve made a career of being precise. I conclusively misspoke.”
There's still plenty of time to backtrack on you and support Joe Sestak in 2010, Arlen. If you fuck with the donkey, sometimes you get kicked in the head. Deal with it."It was understood that the issue of subcommittee chairmanships would not be decided until after the 2010 election. Some members of the caucus have raised concerns about my seniority, so the caucus will vote on my seniority at the same time subcommittee chairmanships are confirmed after the 2010 election. I am confident my seniority will be maintained under the arrangement I worked out with Sen. Reid."
Not so fast, many in the party said. Concerned with Specter's actions -- and possibly by his cocky insistence to David Gregory on "Meet the Press" that his seniority was an "entitlement" -- members decided to stash the 29-year veteran at the far end of the committee table.
One hates to keep talking about Rush Limbaugh all the time. After all, if you're not a dittohead why would you want your world to be consumed by all things Limbaugh 24/7? But I would be remiss to ignore the continuing clusterfuck that is the Republican party being sucked up in a Limbaugh food vacuole.
Yesterday, I mentioned the ever deepening quicksand the Republicans are sinking into as they try wriggling away from the notion that Limbaugh is the de facto head of their party while being fearful of offending him and feeling the Rush wrath. And now as a testament that the GOP is stuck between a rock and a fat place, Texas Senator John Cornyn has started a petition to get the big, bad "Democrat party" to stop saying mean things about how Rush leads the Republicans.
...just weeks into his Administration the President’s staff has been caught engaging in a coordinated and cynical political attack game – the very diversion and manipulation then-candidate Obama attacked the McCain campaign for last year. The apparent goal of this strategy was to distract public attention from the Democrats’ massive spending proposals by depicting Rush Limbaugh as the new face of the Republican Party.Seriously? What's more of a diversion from "the hard work" than a petition to stop the White House from connecting Limbaugh and the GOP? Instead of Cornyn, or any Republican for that matter, proving the theory wrong and blatantly stating that Rush Limbaugh does not speak for any elected official in the Republican party, he decides to indirectly defend Limbaugh and try to turn the attack on the White House with a ridiculous petition, in essense inferring that the accusations have some merit!
...President Obama owes the American people an explanation.
His staff should apologize to the American people for supporting these tactics and diverting attention to the hard work that needs to be done to get America’s economy back on track.
Please join me in signing this petition and calling on the Obama White House to come clean on this matter. Join me in asking them to work with Republicans on the critical issues facing our country today. The American people deserve better than diversions and manipulations.
...It appears the Obama Administration has forgotten that the salaries of White House staff are paid for by you the taxpayer.And who the fuck is paying Cornyn's salary while writing Save Rush Limbaugh petitions? Limbaugh? Cornyn is under the assumption that all other work stops when exposing the Republican party's Limbaugh ass kissing, puncuated by his petition. He forgets that the Democratic party, unlike his party, has the ability to multitask because they don't march in lockstop with one specific idea.
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) has beaten Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) for the Chairmanship of the House's Energy and Commerce Committee by a vote of 137-122. This is big.
Dingell was always a thorn in the side of Democrats when it came to Detroit and tougher CAFE standards. He is about three months away from being the longest serving House member in the history of Congress. Looks like there was some bitter infighting with this committee, with Dingell seeking a final two years as Chairman and Waxman refusing to wait another term to take over the seat."Our nation faces many challenges, including the climate crisis, and Congressman Waxman understands that we can't delay in taking on these issues," said Karen Wayland, legislative director of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
She also paid tribute to the outgoing Mr. Dingell, saying the group recognized his contribution on toxics, endangered species and other environmental issues.
UPDATE (11/21/08 1:05am):
Jane Hamsher: This is a huge defeat for the Blue Dogs, who have become the primary recipients of the massive corporate donations which used to flow to the Republicans. They were were hoping to use Dingell as a roadblock to keep any meaningful change from happening with regard to issues under the Committee's jurisdiction -- telecommunications and health care, energy and environmental protection, interstate commerce and consumer protection.
Though she never took a public position, nobody has any doubts that Nancy Pelosi orchestrated this.
This week the Senate voted to remain an exclusive club of self-protection and entitlement by letting the corrupt Bush enabler Joe Lieberman keep his gavel, but the House voted for progress.
Anyone who thinks that other members of the House aren't soiling themselves over this huge blow to the traditional system of seniority and entitlement hasn't been paying attention.
President-elect Barack Obama has informed party officials that he wants Joe Lieberman to continue caucusing with the Democrats in the 111th Congress, Senate aides tell the Huffington Post.
It shows you the type of leader Barack Obama is, putting differences aside in order to work together, but I'm not so sure it's the best move. What's the point of keeping Lieberman's vote if he doesn't vote with you? It's not like he's shown any loyalty to the party, first running as an Independent after losing his Connecticut primary to Ned Lamont and then endorsing McCain and not being too kind to Obama in the process.
Obama's decision could tie the hands of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who has been negotiating to remove Lieberman as chair of the Homeland Security and Government Reform committee while keeping him within the caucus. Lieberman has insisted that he will split from the Democrats if his homeland security position is stripped.
Lieberman was hedging his bets by running with McCain every chance he got, going so far as to saying Obama voted against troop funding and therefore was against the troops. When you gamble there should be consequences. For Lieberman to get away with spitting in the face of the Democratic Party time after time with no repercussions is not a good thing for the party. Don't get me wrong, we don't have to march in lockstep like the Republicans do, but Lieberman's actions are beyond the pale.
ADDING (11/11/08 8:50am) - What really pisses me off is that Lieberman is the one who's finding all this "unacceptable." Shut the fuck up, Joe, you made your bed. Unfortunately, Obama has made a suggestion, recommendation, whatever you want to call it, and that should weigh heavily in the Senators' decision on what to do with Lieberman in deference to Obama. I don't like it but should they consider keeping Lieberman on, they should make it clear he's on the tightest of leashes and if he keeps tacking to the right with the fear mongering and acting as if Israel is more important than the country he was elected to represent, he's done.
Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination for the Presidency of the United States. The best speech I've ever seen in my lifetime.
In the meantime, here's the McCain campaign response:"Tonight, Americans witnessed a misleading speech that was so fundamentally at odds with the meager record of Barack Obama. When the temple comes down, the fireworks end, and the words are over, the facts remain: Senator Obama still has no record of bipartisanship, still opposes offshore drilling, still voted to raise taxes on those making just $42,000 per year, and still voted against funds for American troops in harm's way. The fact remains: Barack Obama is still not ready to be President."
...That's it? Is that all they have? False talking points that have already been debunked? Someone's sleeping at the McCain campaign.
I got my text at 3:31am. How about you? I don't think a middle-of-the-night massive text alert was in the plan (although Keith Olbermann prophetically mentioned it), but it seems the AP reported the Obama campaign plane was sent to Delaware, hence 2 + 2= Biden.
There was also a report on MSNBC that a "Democratic official" stated that Biden was Obama's VP choice. Given the fact that the Obama camp really wanted to make the whole text messaging thing work - under threat of firing if it were to be leaked we're to understand - I wonder who said "Democratic official" was?
Ultimately, I'm glad it's Biden. For all of his perceived shortcomings, he's definitely no milquetoast. Wouldn't a Biden-Romney vice presidential debate be something you'd tune in to watch? Biden tells it like it is, warts and all, and doesn't hesitate to call bullshit when he hears it.
Bayh was too centrist for my taste and one, big, long yawn. Tim Kaine seems like he's got his head on straight, but the perceived combination of inexperience between he and Obama would have been too much fodder for the GOP.
Biden did vote for the resolution to authorize using force in Iraq which some say is a problem, but if that were the case, you'd eliminate ½ the Democratic Senate at the outset - you'll find a flaw with any possible candidate if you searched long enough. Biden's foreign policy experience makes him an excellent choice. I had hoped Wesley Clark might be in the running - Supreme Allied Commander of NATO Europe is a helluva title to have on your resume, and he seemed like a straight shooter as well, although the Face The Nation appearance probably hurt his chances.
So congratulations to Senator Joe Biden of Delaware for being chosen as Vice Presidential running mate to Barack Obama for the Democratic Party. Now it's on to Denver, then on to the White House!
While Barack Obama was giving a speech in front of an estimated 200,000 in Berlin...
...McCain was explaining how he didn't really misstate the facts of the surge in the cheese aisle of a supermarket during an unscheduled stop in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania...
...and having a press conference outside of Schmidt's Fudge Haus in Columbus, Ohio.
They sure have this media thing down at the McCain camp, don't they?
FISA capitulation passed. And you can hear the evil bastards in the White House laughing their asses off through the walls of the Oval Office.
From Glenn Greenwald:
UPDATE VI: Cloture on the bill just passed 72-26. Obama voted in favor of cloture along with all Republicans. Hillary Clinton voted against cloture.
After the cloture vote, the Senate just approved final passage of the FISA bill, by a vote of 69-28. Obama voted with all Republicans for the bill. Hillary Clinton voted against it.
Democrats voting in favor of final passage of the FISA bill: Bayh - Carper - Casey - Conrad - Dorgan - Feinstein - Innuoye - Kohl - Landrieu - Lincoln -McCaskill - Mukulski - Nelson (Neb.) - Nelson (Fla.) - Obama - Pryor - Rockefeller - Salazar - Webb - Whitehouse.
Democrats voting against final passage of the FISA bill: Akaka - Biden - Bingaman - Boxer - Brown - Cantwell - Cardin - Clinton - Dodd - Dorgan - Durbin - Feingold - Harkin - Kerry - Leahy - Levin - Lautenberg - Murray - Reed - Reid - Sanders - Schumer - Stabenow - Tester - Wyden.
I woke up Friday morning to an e-mail in my box from the Obama campaign. It was a two and a half minute video of Barack Obama and his announcement that he was foregoing public funding for the campaign.
"Join me and declare your independence from this broken system, and let's build the first general election campaign that's truly funded by the American people."
So I gladly donated for a second time to Senator Obama's campaign. I spent the rest of the morning writing a rebuttal to an Obama smear e-mail and taking great joy in sending it to every schmoe that ever e-mailed me crap like that and giggled as I imagined their faces as they read. On my way to work, I felt good for the first time in a while, sending some cash to Obama and fighting the lies. I actually felt a spring in my step.
Then I got to work and read this: House Passes New Steny Hoyer/FISA Bill. KAPOW!
It took me a couple of minutes to regain my breath, and just as I was starting to feel better, I read this: Obama on FISA - "It is not all that I would want. But given the legitimate threats we face, providing effective intelligence collection tools with appropriate safeguards is too important to delay. So I support the compromise, but do so with a firm pledge that as President, I will carefully monitor the program, review the report by the Inspectors General, and work with the Congress to take any additional steps I deem necessary to protect the lives - and the liberty - of the American people."
KABOOOOOM!!!! Kicked in the balls!
Still seeing stars, I decided to take a deep breath, count to ten, and try to sort this all out. Steny Fuckin' Hoyer... that's where the anger needs to be directed. Hoyer and Nancy "impeachment is off the table" Pelosi.
Think about it. It's been barely two weeks since Hillary Clinton suspended her campaign and endorsed Barack Obama. The most recent polls show Obama leading McCain in swing states, rewriting the fucking electoral map by the minute. No scandal du jour to speak of - Rev. Wright is forgotten, and guest preacher Father Michael Pfleger's Hillary rant was the last straw that caused Obama to actually sever ties with Trinity United Church of Christ. Even Michelle Obama co-hosted The View to improve her image and show the world that she's always been proud of her country. A hard stance on the "compromised" FISA bill voted in the House would fan the flames of dying embers.
He's stuck between a rock and a hard place and it's the House Democrats who put him there. The worst part of the whole thing is that it always seems like the Democrats in Congress don't know what the fuck they are doing. Maybe because they really don't. They are so petrified of being perceived as soft on national security that they capitulate to the whims of a lame duck president who made us less safe in the first place; and they don't realize that the capitulation itself is what truly makes them look weak. It makes the Republicans look like they were right all along.
Let's take a step back and realize that through it all, Barack Obama is a politician. And at this point in time, it's not wise to come out in harsher tones than is necessary regarding a crap FISA bill that still has to pass through the Senate.
Unfortunately, before you can say "telecom immunity", the liberal blogosphere goes apeshit and acts as if Barack Obama just ran over their dog. Twice. Atrios calls Obama "Wanker of the Day." Digby is "tempted to say this is a Sistah Soljah moment." It's understandable to a point. But why trash our own Democratic nominee and likely next President of the United States before we've gotten him out of the wrapper?
Here's John Cole's reaction to the liberal freakout entitled "Things I Learned Today":Obama can not snap his fingers and magically change the minds of hundreds of Democrats elected by people other than Barack Obama, and because of it, he does not deserve the votes of the netroots.
Also, compromise means getting everything you want, not just shifting the debate and working to remove portions of a bill that you find objectionable. Compromise to the netroots is much like George Bush’s definition of compromise. Who would have thunk it.
Additionally, Obama apparently hates the Constitution.
The last thing I learned today is that the ideal candidate goes down with the ship. It does not matter if that candidate was right on the issue all along, did everything he could to win the fight, but that he must go down with the ship. It does not matter if the fight is already over and the battle lost, real candidates try to maximize the loss by inflicting political pain on themselves.
You all make me cranky. Enjoy President McCain, whiners.
And he makes a good point. Is Senator Obama supposed to slit his own throat with a FISA tantrum to satisfy his loyal base, damn the consequences? Don't forget that he also said this in his statement: "It does, however, grant retroactive immunity, and I will work in the Senate to remove this provision so that we can seek full accountability for past offenses."
And is he the only Senator opposed to this bill? Did everyone forget the existence of Russ Feingold? Or Chris Dodd? Filibuster away. My hope is that Harry "Poopy Pants" Reid will get all flustered because nothing else is getting done in the meantime and table the bill. And if they are able to strip the retroactive immunity from the bill, then Mensa Man will veto it anyway and at least the Dems can say they tried, but Georgie doesn't care enough about national security and too much about the corporations that did his evil bidding in the first place.
So chill, people, or I will hide your Firebird keys. Direct your anger at the cowards who voted for the bill.
My other thought (initially, while I was still angry) was that both sides are knee deep in shit (would that be so surprising?) and this is a way for the whole thing to go away. Immunity equals the end of getting the bottom of things and finding out the truth. If there are Democratic hands that are as dirty as Republican ones, then the bill will pass. And that would make me very sad indeed.
And I started the day with a spring in my step.
"The DNC and the Obama Campaign are unified and working together to elect Barack Obama as the next president of the United States. Our presumptive nominee has pledged not to take donations from Washington lobbyists and from today going forward the DNC makes that pledge as well," said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. "Senator Obama has promised to change the way things are done in Washington and this step is a sure sign of his commitment. The American people's priorities will set the agenda in an Obama Administration, not the special interests."
BOOYAH!
In case you missed it.
And doing it in the house that will host the Republican Convention in September... classic!
Favorite lines:
11:43 "We honor the service of John McCain and I respect his many accomplishments even if he chooses to deny mine."
21:55 "What you don't deserve is another election governed by fear and innuendo and division. What you won't hear from this campaign or this party is the kind of politics that uses religion as a wedge and patriotism as a bludgeon."
Click on portrait for a complete list of President Obama's Executive Orders, Presidential Memoranda and Proclamations
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