Must Reads

Joe Scarborough: Thank You, Mr. President

Rinku Sen: ACORN Is The New Dirty Word

Jesse Lee: Reality Check: Trying to Turn a Point of Pride into a Moment of Shame

Nate Anderson: Memes strike back: Gerbils, gay blood elves, and Glenn Beck

The Rude Pundit: Regarding Polanski and the Rule of Law & Rep. Alan Grayson May Just Fuck Your Shit Up

Roger Ebert: The Anger of The Festering Fringe

More Right Wingnut Elation Over America's Olympic Bid Loss

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

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

President Obama's Weekly Address - October 3, 2009

Health Reform Urgent for the Economy

Shuster Asks GOP Hypocrite Hasner To Denounce All Nazi/Holocast Rhetoric

I'm glad I found this video from yesterday's MSNBC broadcast. Florida State House Majority Rep. Adam Hasner was all ready to jump on the "We Hate Alan Grayson Because He Said Holocaust" bandwagon, but didn't expect to be questioned about other vitriolic statements from members of his own party or denounce Rush Limbaugh's constant use of "Nazi" phrases.

Obviously, Hasner chose not to for fear that he and his helmet hair would suffer the Limbaugh wrath.

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

Chicago Loses Out On 2016 Olympics, GOP Cheers America's Loss - UPDATED

America-loving conservatives who were appalled that President Obama would take less than 24 hours out of his busy schedule to travel to Copenhagen and state his case to host the 2016 Olympic Games in Chicago will now probably take umbrage at the failed attempt, while snickering under their breath.

COPENHAGEN — The Olympics were awarded to a South American city for the first time, when the International Olympic Committee voted Rio de Janeiro as the host of the 2016 Games on Friday.

Rio de Janeiro was voted the winner over Madrid in the final round of voting, the I.O.C. having already delivered the an unexpectedly early knockout blow to Chicago, which was eliminated in the first round. Tokyo was ousted in the second.

...Chicago’s bid leaders had worked for nearly four years and spent close to $50 million to bring the Summer Olympics to the United States for the first time in 20 years. Chicago had been considered among Olympic insiders as a favorite to win the Games, along with Rio.

Instead, the I.O.C. delivered a crushing blow to American hopes for the second straight time. New York’s bid was eliminated in the second round of voting for the 2012 Olympics.

Now the President can get back to the task at hand and watch as Republican Senators try giving even more of our tax dollars to the insurance companies while crapping on the public option.

UPDATE (4:15pm): I rest my case. Why does Rush Limbaugh hate America?

Adding... It seems Rush had his widdle feewings hurt by David Brooks.

What I Want For Christmas!

Well who the hell needs the 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Calendar when you can have this!

This isn't your average teenage pin-up calendar -- not when the women photographed carry titles like congresswoman and columnist.

On Friday, the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute plans to release its fifth annual Great American Conservative Woman calendar. Demand is already so high for the 2010 run that the institute expects it to sell out, and may order a second printing, according to de facto calendar spokeswoman Alyssa Cordova, the lecture director for the institute.

To hell with you Brooklyn Decker, why do I need you when I can have Michelle Malkin's mug on my wall? So long, Bar Refaeli, I'm making ample room for Ann Coulter's Adam's Apple. Oh, Bay Buchanan... how my loins ache for you. And Carrie Prejean, don't speak. Just look pretty. No, really. DON'T SPEAK.



ORDER YOURS TODAY!

Is There No End To The Bachmann Lunacy?

TPM: Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) took to the House floor last night to warn against a provision of the House health care bill, which would authorize non-profit entities to operate health clinics in schools -- which she said would lead to Planned Parenthood "sex clinics" giving abortions to 13-year old girls without the parents knowing about it.

Bachmann said that the bill required the protection of privacy for patient and student records, and asked: "Does that mean that someone's 13 year-old daughter could walk into a sex clinic, have a pregnancy test done, be taken away to the local Planned Parenthood abortion clinic, have their abortion, be back and go home on the school bus that night? Mom and dad are never the wiser, they don't know any different."

This woman is insane. Let's not worry about Swine Flu epidemics being concentrated in schools, or free vaccines easily available to lower income students. No, this dingbat makes yet anther straw man argument about abortion to rile up her shrinking moronic base.

This is what I meant by "I'm not smart enough to run for elected office." Apparently, my intelligence would blow some members of Congress away. Some combined, even.

Rep. Alan Grayson: GOP Nothing But "Knuckle Dragging Neanderthals"

I never thought I could run for elected office because, as evidenced by my blog, I can be crass, foul-mouthed and generally tend to cast any sense of decorum out the window. (I'm not smart enough either, but judging by the current crop of GOP elected officials, I don't think that's much of a hurdle anymore.)

Now I have new found hope! Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Florida) is my new hero. Not only did he turn the tables on the Republican party's use of "death panels" and "health care reform equals dead people" rhetoric, but he refused to apologize for saying that the GOP Health Care Plan is to "die quickly" if you get sick on the floor of the House. And to top it off, while being interviewed by Rachel Maddow, Grayson added that the Republican party is "utterly unscrupulous. These are foot dragging, knuckle dragging Neanderthals."

Crack open a beer, sit back and watch what I can only dream of doing.

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

Our Priorities Are Fucked

I am pissed off. I guess I have been for a little while now but have been trying to organize my thoughts instead of shooting from the hip, hence the lack of posting these last few days.

I've come to the conclusion that our priorities as a country are totally fucked. I know that's been the case for a while now, but it really hasn't been as transparent as it has in the last few weeks where the pushback from the yokels at town hall meetings defending the very insurance companies that are fucking them in the ass on a regular basis and the inane neocon talking points and conspiracy theories have taken root with the so-called leaders of the Republican party boggle the mind.

I say this because I can't begin to comprehend the mindset that doesn't blink at the amount of money we spend as a country on certain things but blow a gasket on the spending proposed for something worthwhile and beneficial to all Americans, like health care.

The Department of Defense budget for Fiscal 2009 is $651 BILLION. $136 Billion of that is used for emergency discretionary spending and supplemental spending. That's extra money for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This number doesn't include funds for Homeland Security, Energy Department, FBI counter-terrorism, NASA, Veterans Affairs, interest on debt incurred in past wars or the black budget. That brings the total to somewhere between $859 Billion and $1.16 TRILLION.

We will spend a minimum of $859 billion this year on the defense budget alone but the powers that be in the beltway are in a panic over $90 billion a year to make sure Americans don't die for lack of health care. They are screeching and howling and flinging their poo over spending one tenth of what they spend on the defense budget yearly. Do you see something wrong with that?

Our presence in the Middle East is costing somewhere in the neighborhood of $11 billion a month. Health care reform would cost $7.5 billion a month.

We will spend over $36 billion this year on Homeland Security to insure that there isn't a repeat of the terrorist attacks on 9/11 when 3,000 were killed, but hesitate on spending money to insure people who are uninsured or under insured don't die from lack of health insurance. According to a Harvard medical study released just two weeks ago, approximately 45,000 Americans die yearly due to lack of health insurance. Figure out the math. That's one 9/11 every 3½ weeks.

Congress takes precious time passing resolutions to prevent funding to organizations like ACORN for the approximate $3.5 million it receives yearly for such things as census work or fighting for a higher minimum wage, but doesn't bat an eyelash at the multi-billion dollar contracts held by Lockheed-Martin and Northrop-Grumman even though there are 20 fraud cases pending bewteen them.

So what kind of country do you want to live in? One that takes care of its citizens' health even if we have to pay a little more for it? Or one that spends multiple times the projected health care reform cost to continue being the cock of the walk militarily while losing tens of thousands of citizens to illness in its "protection" of us against "the terrorists." Remind me again how many people were killed by terrorists in the US this year? Just to clarify, I'm not saying we shouldn't spend any money in defense of our country, but you have to wonder when that figure is currently 29% of our budget and rising.

So now you know why I'm pissed after a couple of hours of monkey watching on C-Span.

The Truth vs. Fiction About The Public Option

Rachel Maddow did an outstanding job explaining what's going on in the Senate Finance Committee and the rejection of the public option amendments during yesterday's markup.

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

Rockefeller Public Option Amendment Fails

TPM: The final vote was 8-15 with 5 Democrats--Sens. Kent Conrad (D-ND), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Tom Carper (D-DE), Bill Nelson (D-FL), and Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT)--voting with all Republicans to kill the proposal.

Keep these fuckers in your mind and your wallet for anyone running against them in their respective primaries.

Update (5:15pm):

Schumer's Amendment Fails.

Bob Cesca: Why Baucus Is Full of Shit

Schoolchildren Singing Songs to President...Nixon

Posted by Fraulein

As a follow-up to Carl's post about this week's Douchebag, Michelle Malkin, and her efforts to alert the nation to the dangers of children singing songs about elected officials, I refer you to Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog, where you can view video of kids singing the following to then-President Richard Nixon:

We love you president
Oh yes we do
We love you president
And we'll be true

I'm sure we can expect Malkin's apology any time now. Right?

Douchebag of the Week: Michelle Malkin

This week brought us another non story of children in a school singing a song during President's Week and Black History Month, (yes, back in February) as more wingnut proof of children getting "indoctrinated" to all things Obama. The faux outrage was palpable, but leave it to Michelle "WWII Japanese Internment Was a Good Thing" Malkin to go over the top once again.

It seems that this is becoming a forte for Malkin, who I suppose is not afraid of one certain demographic to malign and attack. Those most vulnerable among us: children. First she posted some college students' phone numbers who were protesting military recruitment at their campus causing them to get death threats. Then she was quick to hunt down Graeme Frost, the 12-year old boy who's struggling family was used as an example in favor of S-CHIP. Yeah, Malkin stalked them at their house and gave us distorted, detailed information of their "lavish" lifestyle, causing wingnuts across the land to fling their poo.

And now Malkin is in a lather over the evil indoctrination of second graders and their brainwashing, sing songs hailing President Obama. She went so far as to do some handy dandy investigative work and name the principal and the school responsible for the brain melting, and guess what? Yep. Death threats. Looks like Malkin's audience actually has a skill.

"The tension at B. Bernice Young Elementary School escalated to such a degree Thursday that the school was placed temporarily on lockdown after its principal received death threats over a YouTube video that showed nearly 20 children being taught songs lauding the president, though back-to-school night events continuing as planned Thursday night at the school."

That would never happen if kids were singing the praises of President Bush, right? And if that were the case, Michelle Malkin would be all over it like stink on shit, right? ...Right?

Actually, no.

"...back in 2006 children from Gulf Coast states serenaded First Lady Laura Bush with a song praising the President, Congress, and Federal Emergency Management Agency for their response to -- of all things -- Hurricane Katrina. The lyrics were as follow:

Our country's stood beside us
People have sent us aid.
Katrina could not stop us,
our hopes will never fade.
Congress, Bush and FEMA
People across our land
Together have come to rebuild us
and we join them hand-in-hand!"

A song about FEMA and Hurricane Fucking Katrina?! That's pretty ballsy. I guess Michelle missed that one. After all, it's not like it was widespread like some movie.

(Via Cesca)


Great job, Malkin. Once again you display your idiocy with such expertise.

Oh, one other thing. About that internment thing? Does Malkin not look in the mirror and realize that she probably would have been swept up in the racial profiling that she defends during World War II? Sure, she's of Filipino descent, but they all look the same, right Michelle?

Michelle "The Child Hunter" Malkin: Douchebag of the Week.


Here's a more impartial take on the story. You form your own opinion.

Must Reads

Bob Cesca: The Impeachment of President Obama

Naomi Klein: America's Teacher

Laura Flanders: Oops! ACORN Ban could snag Lockheed Martin & Christian Charities

Bill Maher: New Rule: If America Can't Get it Together, We Lose the Bald Eagle

John Amato: Will the media ever report about how low in the polling Republicans have sunk?

Rude Pundit: A Note on an Absence of Hysteria Regarding a Possible Terrorism Plot

Steven D, Booman Tribune: Michelle Malkin - Ace Reporter

President Obama's Weekly Address - September 26, 2009

Progress with the G-20 in Pittsburgh

John Kyl Is A Scumbag

What. The. Fuck?! I wonder if Kyl was against the Family and Medical Leave Act for expectant fathers because they don't have a uterus? What a narrow minded, little bastard he is. So he doesn't want maternity care covered, but I'm sure Viagra and Cialis are okay with this First Class Asshole.

Good for Senator Stabenow to call him out on it with a kick to the nads. And look as his face as he is interrupted yet again. He can't stand it! They should take turns and do it to him every time he speaks just to drive him mad.

I always had a feeling Kyl was a jerk, but man, he's really shown himself to be a real dick these last couple of days.

Big C-Span Day on Health Care - Liveblogging

I don't know if I'll be able to sit through the entirety of the mind numbing experiment that is the Republican opposition to any health care bill, even one that favors what the GOP wants, but today is a big day for the Senate Finance Committee Health Care Bill Markup, or as I like to call it, The "How Many More Pages Can I Use To Wipe My Ass?" Baucus Bill.

Senators Chuck Schumer and Jay Rockefeller are introducing amendments to include a public option in the Baucus bill today. So I'm hoping that whatever induced coma I fall into while watching the debate, I'll be startled awake to some fireworks similar yesterday's little tiff between Baucus and Senator John "I'll Crap My Cage If You Don't Let Me Repeat Things Ad Nauseum As A Delay Tactic" Kyl.

Although I'm not holding my breath, when some of these morons speak, I sometimes hope to see something like this.


The Caning of Senator Charles Sumner

You can stream the proceedings here.

UPDATE: Since I've neglected my blog over the last couple of days, and since this session is only supposed to last until 12:30pm, I thought I'd do a little live blogging.

Liveblogging:

10am - Senator Ensign explaining his "Transparency in Czars" amendment. What that has to do with health care, I don't know. Awaiting for the bitchslap forthwith.

10:04am - Baucus: "The problem I have is that the job title of 'Czar' does not exist." BOOM!

Ensign: "This is about a balance of power. These Czars have broad powers." No, they don't, Senator. They are advisors, just like Karl Rove was an advisor. He had no actual "power" to do anything. Maybe Ensign's just wondering if he can be Extramarital Affairs Czar?

10:11am - Rockefeller: "If you want to create that 'Czar' that's in your mind, and put them through a Senate confirmation process, then you will in effect give them power. Currently, they are facilitators available to all of us. I don't think you want to do that."

10:16am - Baucus: Paraphrasing "Currently, there are holds on every health care nominee. The administration complains that they can't get work done with all the holds on these confirmations. How are they going to get anything done if we have to confirm everyone?"

10:22am - Roll call vote on Transparency in Czars Amendment: 13 - 11 against. Down the line party vote. ...Surprise.

10:24am - John Kerry speaking against higher health care premiums on customers based on age by a 4 to 1 margin. Yep, if you are older and therefore maybe need more medical attention, you get to pay four times as much than a healthy young person. Kerry's trying to get it down to no more than double the premiums and states true health reform wouldn't discriminate based on age.

10:37am - "The Young Immortals" and "The Young Invincibles" are how they describe young Americans to whom they'd like to make health care affordable. I now have a superhero group in my head. Would they be required to wear costumes as proof of coverage?

10:49am - Now they are comparing what insurance companies would charge if older customers weren't charged more than double than younger people. Isn't this a moot point if a public option were in place?

10:51am - John Kyl is appalled at the amount of regulation we are shoving down the poor insurance companies' throats when it comes to the prices they are dictating. That's the point, moron! Where's that cane?

10:58am - Kyl is still up in arms about a possible doubling of premiums for those who are mandated to get health care. Guess he doesn't realize that 2 to 1 is better than the current 8 to 1 or in some cases 28 to 1 ratio.

11am - John Kerry wants to meld this into the HELP bill later on and therefore withdraws the amendment.

11:03am - Baucus: "I'm committed to get a CBO score after all amendments have been adopted." I wonder if they'll get done before they have to go on the campaign trail?

11:06am - Baucus is afraid that John Cornyn's amendment to require every amendment to have a CBO score during the process will cause incredible delay. Is Cornyn on crack? He's saying since we have until 2013 before this gets in place anyway, why not use that time? Jebus, John! Let the process work itself out and then get a final score at the end. If we have to wait 2 or 3 days per amendment on 564 amendments for the CBO to score, let alone the redundacy that I'm sure will occur on multiple amendments, it would take about 4½ years without a day off. GET THE CANE!

11:17am - DINO Kent Conrad backs up Baucus as he calls Cornyn's amendment ridiculous.

11:20am - Roll Call vote on Cornyn Amendment C-23: 12-11 against. DINO Blanche Lincoln voted aye.

11:24am - At this point, I don't know how they'll get to the public option amendments. Did they get pushed off until Tuesday? I do need to take a break to walk the dog. That's not a euphemism. Be back later.

60

Paul Kirk was just named interim Senator from Massachusetts to fill the late Senator Kennedy's seat.

[Paul] Kirk, backed for the post by Kennedy's wife Victoria and his two sons, will fill the seat until voters in Massachusetts elect a permanent replacement in January. His appointment will restore a 60-seat Senate majority for the Democrats that could help President Barack Obama's push to overhaul healthcare.

Lawmakers in heavily Democratic Massachusetts passed legislation in the past few days allowing Governor Deval Patrick to name an interim senator, something Kennedy pushed for before he died in August from cancer so his party would not lose a key vote during the healthcare debate.

"The issues before the Congress and the nation are too important for us to be one voice short," [Massachusetts Governor Deval] Patrick told reporters as he appointed Kirk after signing the legislation.

Music Break! John Coltrane

Happy Birthday, Trane.

On Green Dolphin Street

The Comic Stylings of Barney Frank