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- Resurgence of the American Auto Industry
- Super Duper Space Toolbox
- Jack Lew Will Replace Bill Daley as Chief of Staff
- A Resurgent America on Display at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show
- Lowering Health Care Cost Growth to Get More Value for Consumers
- Protecting the Nation’s Electric Grid from Cyber Threats
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- White House Office Hours: Taking Your Questions about the New Report on Investing in Innovation
- Weekly Address: Continuing to Grow the Economy in the New Year
OFA
- Update from New Hampshire
- Don’t Miss a Beat
- Field Update—January 9th, 2012
- Did You See: Department of Interior Limits Grand Canyon Mining
- Letter of the Week—January 9th, 2012
- @OFA_NH
- “Yes, We Can”
- The Weekly Wrap-Up
- Romney’s Tax Plan By the Numbers
- A Humane Immigration Policy Proposal
hehe..FIRST..!!
Me? Second.
Thank you so much for this amazing website, Chipsticks! You rock!!! Thanks for pulling together all these great, wonderful, heart-warming videos and news clips. You are the best!!! Obama 2012
I watched what they called the “casing” of the flag this morning ( very early…around 5 AM ) . It was quite moving to see.
I also watched the casing of the colors this morning around 4AM CT and it was incredible moving. Finally, the Iraq war is well and truly over.
I wanna see; I wanna see.
I cannot find a video of it. Sorry. CNN showed it live but did not embed it.
Thank you … but it does not show the actual casing of the colors where they roll up the flag and put the sleeve on it and than march out. I even checked the DOD site
Hopefully this will work, else here’s the youtube link:
http://youtu.be/6dSJLVOTu_A
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dSJLVOTu_A&w=560&h=315
Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!! {{{{{{{{Chipsticks}}}}}}}}}
I have a major crush on Stephanie Cutter.
Riveting story.
Tina Dupuy Column: Confessions of a Child Janitor
http://www.whatisworking.com/2011/12/tina-dupuy-column-confessions-of-child.html
Gingrich is trying to equate poverty with a moral shortcoming. It’s a warped offshoot of the prosperity gospel – riches are a sign of god’s love – poverty is a sign of his indifference.
But also in this richer-and-therefore-holier-than-thou diatribe of Gingrich’s is an attempt to bust unions. He suggested firing union janitors to hire children to clean their own schools. Yes, a janitor with a job that pays him enough to live on is, in Gingrich’s eyes, a problem. In the call for hiring children and ending child labor laws is the call to end working for a living.
Because, really, the greatest threat to America is that janitors are paid too much. Please. Wealthy janitors are, to borrow Gingrich’s phrase, “an invented people.”
included a video of gingrich’s speech about child janitors.
This woman just nails it……
Well, I’m fifth!
Hahahahahaha. Congratulations.
MADISON, Wis. — Organizers of an effort to recall Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker from office say they have collected nearly enough signatures to force an election.
The United Wisconsin coalition said Thursday that more than 507,000 signatures had been collected in just 30 days. They need 540,208 signatures to force the recall election sometime in 2012. Petitions are due Jan. 17.
Love it. He’d better be out soon. And all of the other dreaded tea party aka Koch governors.
Are these signatures signed or signatures verified by United Wisconsin - to at least weed out the phony names, or folks that signed more than once? Because if I was a Walker supporter, I wouldn’t rip up or destroy petitions, I’d be signing them over and over again, so when they are thrown out as duplicates they might not get there minimum number.
I know the goal is 720K now, but I’d like to know if they’ve done any checking on their current signees to see that the vast, vast majority are legit and will not be thrown out.
They cannot turn them in until January 17th to the Government Accountability Office, which oversees state elections. That is who will be checking them.
I understand that, but can’t they enter them into a spreadsheet to see if there is any duplicates or cross check names to make sure they exist and live in Wisconsin?
…We have a goal of collecting far more than just 540,208 signatures. And that’s why we’ve put a premium on our verification system that checks each petition three times for errors and mistakes. Mike Tate Chair, Democratic Party of Wisconsin
http://www.wisdems.org/news/blog/view/2011-12-thank-you
Great. Thanks for the info and link. Exactly what I was wondering.
Thanks….that part was not in the article I read….
Goodbye Scott.
Seriously?!? LOL Day the War ends and unemployment drops to lowest level in over 3 years…Presidents poll numbers drop 6 points on Gallup. I really wonder if they are talking to real people or they just poll pundits?
Gallup is the Fox News of polling agencies.
Next to Rasmussen.
I seriously wonder whats happened to gallup because they don’t act at all like I remember. For one their polls seem to be habitually dishonest and worded in ways that lean republican. Every poll gallup does concerning the healthcare bill seems extremely biased due to the nature of the way the article is worded. They can’t even explain through their data what a liberal and a conservative are and leave it up to the person being polled.
A news flash about this is that people have been persistently mislead to what a liberal and conservative actually are and aren’t. So in short the data is useless. Another one that bothers me is that gallup I found out consistently works with the banks and other lobbying groups which makes me question the validity of this so called ‘polling’ station.
Gallup has also been infected with the Obama Derangement Syndrome (ODS) virus I’m afraid.
As have almost every mainstream news outlet and almost every pundit.
Correct.
So, so true, UT!
Gallup’s credibility has been on the decline for a while now. Not hard to see why.
I remember reading a diary at Kos last year showing that Gallup manipulated the outcomes all the time. They kept changing their formula at will to get the results they wanted.
I think is the other way around PBO poll # might be up by 6 so do not let them crew your mind,
and do not trust them.
Obama Administration rejects Wyden-Ryan Vouchercare Proposal -
“We are concerned that Wyden-Ryan, like Congressman Ryan’s earlier proposal, would undermine, rather than strengthen, Medicare,” said White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer. “The Wyden-Ryan scheme could, over time, cause the traditional Medicare program to “wither on the vine” because it would raise premiums, forcing many seniors to leave traditional Medicare and join private plans. And it would shift costs from the government to seniors. At the end of the day, this plan would end Medicare as we know it for millions of seniors. Wyden-Ryan is the wrong way to reform Medicare.”
I e-mailed Wyden…yelling for him to back off this or resign.
I am sure they could care less, but I always feel better…..
I emailed him also, plus I busted him out on Twitter. Geez, what is his problem? Why would he want to take one of the best issues of Dems off the table.
i like that they called it a ‘scheme’. this is just more banditry, pick-pocketing the seniors.
DITTOOOOOOOOOO…DOUBLE DITTOOOOOOOO
Right there. I knew PBO wasn’t going to play that. If Wyden wants to give Ryan a pass then go right ahead. If he thinks Ryan would do the same for him he’s crazy.
Coupon-Care is more like it… Like a $5,000 coupon is going to pay for 1 month, let alone a full year, of an older person’s medical care that isn’t “healthy as a horse”. Heck, $5,000 won’t get you crap in medical care at any point in your life. It is sick that a Democrat would sign on to GOP-Ryan’s Medicare destruction piece o crap legislation!!! UGH!!!
It seems Jake has brain damage.
Jake has brain damage.
Pelosi To GOP On Funding The Government: You’re On Your Own.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi warns her GOP counterparts that they’ll have to pass legislation to fund the government on their own, unless they quit playing hardball, return to negotiations and meet Democrats halfway on a number of key issues.
“I hope they have the votes for it,” Pelosi told reporters at her weekly Captiol briefing, “because if they don’t they won’t be getting any cooperation from us.”
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/12/pelosi-to-gop-on-funding-the-government-youre-on-your-own.php
Hang tough Nancy. I love this woman. She could lead troops into battle…..
So true - I just hope the Dems hang together.
Chargeeeeeeeeeeeee….Speaker to BE….Pelosi…..HA!!
Let Reid do the negotiating on the spending bill, he is close!
Just hope it’s not negotiating extension of Bush Tax Cuts again. I mean that is what was used to get payroll tax and UEI extensions in the first place, why wouldn’t GOP expect the same deal again?
He could be potentially negotiating a extension of the Bush tax cuts. Repugs could/likely be looking towards 2012, and they’ll want to make sure those are extending again. I am not keen on Harry’s negotiation skills.
Bush tax cuts expire at end of 2012
Those details he is negotiating will be quite interesting.
Hello TOD clan. I didn’ get to hear Jay Carney today I had to rush away from work to take my mum to the doctor.
Did Jay mention the president vetoing the National Defense Authorization Act? The PL say the bill will allow the government to detain American citizens indefinitely and this is just another example of the president kicking his base in the gut.
Hi… Not to worry….they are lying as usual.
As I’m sure you’re aware by now, the National Defense Authorization Act was passed by the House last night and the president is expected to sign it into law. Activists on the left are accusing Congress and the president of subverting civil liberties by signing the law due to the indefinite detention language in the bill. Mainly, the concern is that U.S. citizens could be indefinitely detained.
However, Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, says the language explicitly prevents the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens.
http://bobcesca.com/blog-archives/2011/12/the-ndaa-and-indefinite-detention.html
The bill will not allow the govt to detain US citizens indefinitely. US citizens — as well as foreigners — retain full habeas corpus rights.
Not if they join al Qaeda and try to blow us up.
Sorry, that is what the provision says, snd I think they are right!
The courts have already affirmed that Anyone detained under AUMF has habeas corpus rights and the new legislation affirms that and explicitly notes those detained a QB, Cuba.
One of our strongest defenses against any terrorist - foreign and domestic - is adhering to habeas corpus.
#PRESSON
I just find these daily briefings unbelievable!! That front row just has such a need to go over and over the same snarky comments. Can’t their bosses replace them with people who would reflect better on their organizations? Our local high school newspaper reporters would do a better job. It’s only recently that I have been listening to the briefings. Has it always been like this?
The front row gets their paycheck signed by Reince Priebus!
I’ve been watching for quite a long time but I must say I’m just about topped out on this exercise. They’ve been like this since PBO took office. All they care about is looking for a gotcha scoop, always, always, always spouting right-wing talking points. It’s puerile at best. I watch mostly to hear what Jay Carney has to say and for any announcements about the President’s agenda or itinerary. But it takes a lot of patience to wade through it, that’s for sure.
I don’t watch them…. I feel like my IQ drops by the time they are done.
Wisconsin Democrats made a big announcement Thursday afternoon: That after 30 days, they have collected 507,000 signatures in their effort to trigger a recall campaign against Republican Gov. Scott Walker. This puts them almost at the goal of 540,000 signatures, at the halfway point of the 60-day petition period — and, they announced, they intend to go much, much further.
“The people of Wisconsin have said, enough is enough,” state party chairman Mike Tate said in a live Webcast. “In just one month, in just 30 days, in less than half the time granted, you have done something truly amazing.” Tate also announced a higher goal of 720,000, which would give the Dems a buffer putting them well beyond any efforts at disqualification or public discrediting by their opponents.
When asked by TPM, state party spokesman Graeme Zielinski said that the 507,000 figure does already take into account the party’s own efforts to screen out flawed signatures.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/12/almost-there-wis-dems-announce-507000-signatures-to-recall-walker.php?m=1
Woot !
507,000 figure does already take into account the party’s own efforts to screen out flawed signatures.
That is even better news……
Democratic and Republican sources say that a two track process will likely resolve the current standoff on Capitol Hill — the key questions now are about timing and choreography.
House Republican and Senate Democratic appropriators are close to a deal to avert a government shutdown and fund federal programs through the end of September.
On a separate track, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his GOP counterpart Sen. Mitch McConnell are hashing out a plan to renew the payroll tax cut and extend unemployment benefits that can pass the Senate (though there’s some disagreement about how involved McConnell’s staff is — Republicans say it’s mostly up to Reid to present a viable plan).
Senate Democrats would like to move these two items as a unit, suggesting they still don’t fully trust Republicans to deal in good faith on the payroll tax cut issue if the threat of a government shutdown is off the table. House Speaker John Boehner has publicly vowed to reconvene the House if Senate leaders can’t cut a payroll tax deal until after the government is funded. But Democrats worry that will empower McConnell to make demands he wouldn’t otherwise have the leverage to make.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/12/dems-republicans-negotiate-on-two-tracks-to-avoid-a-government-shutdown.php?m=1
Why We Should Let Sasha and Malia Obama Be Kids, Not Fashion Plates
Over the weekend, the president, First Lady, and their children hung out with Justin Bieber. It was one of those rare photo ops not including animals or infants sure to earn resounding awws from its many postings around the Internet. The First Family was attending the annual “Christmas in Washington” concert, wearing their Sunday-evening best. For Barack Obama, this doesn’t differ from his Monday, Tuesday, or any-other-day-of-the-week best, but for the other three ladies in his family, whose wardrobes noticeably vary day-to-day, the clothes were hard to overlook. And so there was much rejoicing by some members of the media, who seem to have either realized or decided that Michelle Obama is no longer the only First Family member destined to achieve style-icon status. Her daughters are, at least to this group of presidential-children watchers, well on their way.
The Huffington Post has no shortage of coverage of the concert, much of it focusing on how Michelle, Sasha, and Malia looked. The morning of the concert, the girls went to church with their parents in different outfits, which the site called “impossibly chic.” In another post, they gush over Malia for wearing yellow that night:
Yellow has been popping up everywhere this season, so it was no surprise to see that Malia was dressed in the bold hue. The 13-year-old has been spotting in several fashion forward outfits lately and is quickly becoming one of our favorite style gals to watch.
http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2011/12/sasha-and-malia-obama-kids-or-fashion-plates.html
Good article - I hesitated even reading it, because I really am trying not to add to the public attention on these young children. But, the article beautifully makes the case for respecting Malia and Sasha Obama’s privacy, so I’m glad I read it. I hope more people read the article and give the children their space to find their style and not be judged. They’re just so young, and a lot of harm can be done to their psyche if people start invading their privacy, and offering critiques on their choices. Let them be kids.
Kyl in the senate floor fighting for more money for more nuear weapons and renewing underground testing.
Yeah sure, whatever! Go back to sleep- Kyl!
Nuclear weapons…
Jon (no h) Kyl is interviewing for that big paycheck job when he retires in 2012.
Yeah- with the four headless horseman of the Appocalypse!
Because, you know, Dems and Republicans are the same.
Feds: Sheriff Joe Arpaio ‘Promoted A Culture Of Bias,’ Discriminated Against Latinos.
Yeah…but what are they going to do about it ?
Well, to start, this: DHS Cuts Off Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Access To ICE Programs.
Nothing, Eric holder has been effectively neutralized by the Rrpublicans over fast and furious.
Why do you think they did it.
Eric holder is the only member un the cabinet that sucks.
The other cabinet members get an A-.
Don’t agree with that comment about Eric Holder, but we’re all entitled to our own opinions!
Eric holder has not been neutralized by anyone.
Jacquelineoboomer and hopefruit2, I concur with you both on this issue of Attorney General, Eric Holder. I read for personal reasons (which I will not get into here) data coming out of his office daily on multiple subjects and in multiple areas within the DOJ Department, and Mr. Holder is taking care of the business of the people as our Attorney General very effectively.
I honor others opinions, but let us search for the facts within the entire department before we throw Attorney General Holder under the bus. He and the DOJ are doing a terrific job considering that they are still short on many positions that have not been confirmed. That is all I will say. Thank you very much.HZ
You have made me see him in a different light. I’m sure he’s having lots of successes under the radar. My main disappointment has been on the big issues like prosecuting folks in Gitmo and elsewhere for the war on terror. But I know it’s not for his lack of wanting to do the right thing. For some reason, the opposition seems to have done a good job knee-capping him.
Exactly!
Prosecution of folks in Gitmo? He hand was tied when stupid Congess decided not to give any funds to move the detainees. Also they also were those in Congress did not want them to be put on trial in the US. How can you be dissappointed in Holder when it wasn’t even his fault?
Jovie, Have we been watching the same AG and DOJ? While Issa and his boys, and some in the media have been trying to make an issue of F&F, I don’t see them making a lot of headway. They want him out because he won’t cow-tow to them. He’s rebuilt the Civil Rights Division (the one that bush understaffed and basically turned into a political branch of the rnc); is defending ACA in the courts; taking action on voting rights; etc, etc. During the F&F hearing he gave as good as he got. I happy he’s on PBO’s team.
Holder is doing a good job and I am also happy he is on PO’s team.
I feel the same way about Holder. As an black attorney, myself, I had high hopes for Eric as the highest attorney in the land and I’m not sure what he’s been doing on any of the major legal issues swirling around. That’s just my impression.
Mine too!
What high hopes was you expected from him?
I have no problem with Holder.
Well, I can HAPPILY say that the DOJ has been actively pursuing the disgusting excuse for a sheriff of Maricopa County, Joe Arpiao! I hope Holder puts his hooks into him so far that he’ll feel like Richard Harris in a “Man Called Horse” !! ( If you haven’t seen that movie, or know what I’m talking about, google it…and DON’T be eating)
He’s been going after every state that is attempting to go against the Voting Rights Act, as well as dealing with redistricting/gerrymandering issues in each state….I see from Boner in Ohio that he actually had a hand in gerrymandering in Ohio. Criminal that he is, he should be in jail.
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2011/12/13/388360/documents-show-boehner-engineered-gerrymandered-ohio-map-giving-gop-3-of-4-congressional-seats/
And this regarding Arpiao:
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2011/12/15/390264/despite-stonewalling-doj-uncovers-rampant-lawbreaking-by-sheriff-joe-arpaio/
I don’t know about you, but I think he’s doing a FINE job…against people that probably don’t even think we NEED an Atty General! After all, everyone would be just fine policing themselves, right?
Just go to the DOJ Web site and check out what they have done.
I am sorry, Jovie, but that’s just rabbish!
I ment to say “rubbish.”
December 14, 2025 10:04 AM
The GOP policy problem
By Jonathan Bernstein
Ezra Klein has an excellent point to make about Republicans and policy this morning. He’s writing about how many policies Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich once supported that turned out to be Kenyan socialism once Barack Obama adopted them. Jonathan Cohn has yet another excellent example: Newt was an enthusiastic backer (with John Kerry!) of comparative effectiveness research — that is, having the government collect data about which medical treatments actually work. That was way back in 2008, but as Cohn points out, after it became part of ACA a few months later it immediately became evil socialist rationing, something that Gingrich can now get in trouble for with conservatives on the campaign trail.
Klein concludes that the reason that Romney and Gingrich are stuck with having supported so many now-forbidden policies is because they are “wonks.” I think that’s too strong, however, or perhaps not strong enough, depending on your perspective. Klein provides a long list of Republicans who once supported an individual mandate on health insurance, but surely they weren’t all wonks? Nope. Most of them were just Republicans following the standard Republican line of the time, a line that was good enough until Barack Obama and the Democrats adopted a kitchen sink to health care reform and tossed in any decent idea that they could find (remember all that rhetoric back then about all the Republican-sponsored ideas included in ACA? It was true!).
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_12/the_gop_policy_problem034102.php
I have been flipping from msnbc to CNN, they just cannot report anything positive.
Tampon Hall starts her show off saying that all x mas shoppers have buyers remorse and are returning everything.
Then, I turned on CNN, they had a story on a bank closing in Alabama and beung in debt 4.2 billion dollars.
Is it any wonder, people feel sour towards our direction of the Country, with this constant negative cynical reporting?
“all x mas shoppers have buyers remorse and are returning everything”
Oh please….obviously a gross exaggeration by Hall and MSNBC.
Closer to reality:
Cable TV viewers are having buyers remorse about signing up for that 2-yr Cable/Internet/Phone contract of hefty cable bills just to hear empty pundits bray about nothing. It’s time to renege on those damn contracts and demand that we get quality product for our hard earned money.
Tell Tamron Hall and her friends at MSNBC that I said go to HELL!
**dead@Tamponm Hall**
Every news report on every channel begins with how bad everything is. I couldn’t believe that report that msnbc had on all day —-that everyone was returning everything they bought. What a bunch of nonsense. It’s to negate what you saw with your own eyes, all the stores flooded with shoppers etc. I look around where I live, and I don’t see or sense any amount of doom and gloom as is being reported on the teevee. We have had a bunch of new store openings, homes are finally selling, stores and restaurants are packed. And on newspaper websites across the country there is often encouraging news, some plant adding 1000 jobs etc., new condo tower being built in Fl. etc. etc. Corporate media is trying to manipulate the message, to make people pull back, to stifle the economy.
That’s why this recovery has been so sluggish. Everything is negative, almost all of the time.
December 15, 2025
The Gingrich factor
Gallup identifies a Gingrich-voter characteristic which, if extended, worries:
Newt Gingrich’s current lead in Republican preferences for the GOP presidential nomination is largely due to particularly high support from the types of Republicans who might be expected to turn out heavily in the upcoming primaries…. Roughly 40% of Republicans aged 55 and older as well as core Republicans (as opposed to independents who lean Republican) and conservatives currently favor Gingrich for the nomination. This contrasts with 21% to 23% of each group backing Mitt Romney.
Those who turn out heavily in primaries do also in general elections. Thus, with respect to the current frontrunner, there’s the worrisome aspect of my observation last month that “Romney will shatter the party, while Gingrich can unite it.”
http://pmcarpenter.blogs.com/p_m_carpenters_commentary/2011/12/the-gingrich-factor.html
I don’t think Gingrich can unite the Republicons any more than Sarah Palin was able to in ’08, and that didn’t work out so well. Plus, he will really, really unite the Democrats, aling with everyother slightly sane voter.
Yes, Gingrich will be a great tool for “get out the vote” among the Dems. And, there are more Dems that Repubs, so I am starting to feel more calm about the election.
Amen to that , Grumpy Young man. Palin a loser and so is this snake Gingrich.
WASHINGTON — Former Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) a beloved progressive whom activists and party officials had pushed to consider a gubernatorial run in Virginia, will instead head one of Washington D.C.’s premiere Democratic-leaning advocacy organizations.
The Center for American Progress Action Fund, the advocacy arm of the liberal think tank, announced on Thursday that Perriello would become its next President and CEO.
Yippee !
Good and bad. Because I think this likely ends his elected political career.
I was hoping that he would run for congress again. His loss really hurt as he was one of the few that ran on his record of supporting ACA and the President. watched several of his town halls during the summer of ’10, even in the face of hostile crowds, he maintained his composure and stood his ground.
I actually can’t blame hard-working people for choosing to make a difference outside of the halls of Congress or formal government. The way the PL are making things so ugly on the Democratic side - calling for Hillary to run or to replace VP Biden, conducting purity tests, spreading partial information and drumming up chaos on Twitter based on misinformation - who would want to wade into that? And the way they’ve treated President Obama - including Rachel, Katrina Van den Hoevel (or whatever her name is), Olbermann (with his lecturing of the President), Ed Schultz, Chris Matthews - MSNBC as a whole… makes me sick. And then the complete and utter lack of gratitude expressed by those PL and the ones who choose to remain ignorant - so much important and difficult legislation has been put through without many words of thanks. First came 2010 - with the betrayal by the many millions who didn’t vote in order to “fix” President Obama. And now the threats over every little thing to withdraw support for 2012 - even in the face of such dangerous GOP candidates.
I have to admit - I sometimes think that President Obama will be able to freely do more good when he doesn’t have to deal with Congress or the pretend-Democrats. When he leaves the White House in 2017, finishes writing his books, and then launches into his next phase - he’ll do even more great things, and won’t have to be subjected to this ugliness. And I can’t blame any Dems who make the same choice now. I wouldn’t waste my energy in that cesspool - especially if I want to do maximum good. Sorry for the negativity.
Virginia looks to be trending blue-
The new survey of the Virginia Senate race from Public Policy Polling (D), a race that is practically already in general election mode, gives Democrat Tim Kaine a five-point lead.
The numbers: Former Gov. and ex-DNC chair Tim Kaine, 47%, and Republican former Senator (and also ex-Gov.) George Allen 42%. The survey of registered voters has a ±4% margin of error.
In the previous poll from late July, Kaine had a narrow lead of 46%-43%.
Key takeaway from the pollster’s analysis:
http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/12/poll-kaine-leads-allen-by-5-points-in-virginia-senate-race.php?m=1
Shutdown Will Be Blamed on GOP
by BooMan
Thu Dec 15th, 2011 at 10:00:10 AM EST
Personally, since my passport is current and I don’t plan on visiting any National Parks, I don’t care if most of the government shuts down tomorrow. My strong preference is that the Democrats refuse to fund the government until the Republicans have all missed their Christmas celebrations. That should be their punishment for being what can only be described as “unrelenting dicks.” Just to give you one example of the GOP’s bad behavior, Senate Minority Leader blocked the Senate from voting on the payroll bill that Speaker Boehner passed in the House. Why? Because he didn’t want his members to have to vote on it since it won’t pass and many in his caucus don’t support all of its provisions.
It’s appropriate that Newt Gingrich is in the news a lot lately, because he once thought that the president would get blamed for a government shutdown only to discover that people blamed him. We’ve lived through this before, and all Boehner and McConnell’s tricks aren’t going to help them avoid responsibility.
Their strategy is to claim that they passed a payroll tax holiday and unemployment extension in the House and that Harry Reid is holding up the appropriations bills for political reasons. This argument, they hope, will prevent the people from seeing that their extreme and unpopular efforts to shield and protect the richest 2% of the country from any taxation are the real problem.
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2011/12/15/10010/047
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that states and territories across the nation have reached the goal of weatherizing more than 600,000 low-income homes– including more than 125,000 multi-family homes like apartment buildings – more than three months ahead of schedule. The Department reached this major milestone as part of its efforts to save energy and reduce home utility bills for families, while creating jobs in communities throughout the country.
On a conference call to make the announcement, Secretary Chu was joined by Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, who spoke about Minnesota’s efforts and progress on the ground making homes more efficient with weatherization upgrades.
Through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, states and territories supported by the Department’s Weatherization Assistance Program set the aggressive goal to reduce energy waste in approximately 600,000 low-income homes with energy efficient upgrades such as insulation, air-sealing, and more efficient heating and cooling systems. The program is helping families save money on their energy bills and creating thousands of jobs locally – putting carpenters, electricians, and others back to work. While the original target date for completing 600,000 weatherization upgrades was the end of March, 2012, the Department announced today that it had met that objective more than three months ahead of schedule.
http://energy.gov/articles/energy-department-announces-major-recovery-act-milestone-600000-homes-weatherized-three
Shhh, it’s a secret. Don’t tell anyone.
White House to Americans Elect: We’ve Got Our Eye on You
—By Siddhartha Mahanta| Wed Dec. 14, 2011 10:30 AM PST
Reformers have also taken issue with Americans Elect’s shadowy “Candidate Certification Committee”—populated by a cadre of former politicians, political operatives, and wealthy financiers. That body, critics say, could potentially overrule whatever ballot line voters create in the online nominating convention next June. But the group insists that the committee is designed only to ensure the ticket is sufficiently balanced.
So the notion that the group wants to open up the electoral process without opening up its own internal processes is kind of hilarious. The White House seems to think so too, but acknowledges the potential problems it could present, the National Journal reports: In a meeting with reporters [on Tuesday], Obama campaign manager Jim Messina and top strategist David Axelrod said they expected the group, Americans Elect, to be on the ballot in most states next year. And though the group says it will use the most open, democratic process possible to select a nominee, Obama’s campaign is questioning both their means and motives. . . .
~snip~
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/12/americans-elect-white-house-online-campaign-finance-dark-money
Isn’t the current process the most “open, democratic process possible”? Why do they need another method? They are suspect, and their dubious deeds will be brought to light, I’m sure.
Uhn hun…what does this tell you?
Meet the Political Reform Group That’s Fueled by Dark Money: Americans Elect says it wants to reform the political system. Campaign watchdogs say it should start by reforming itself.
—By Siddhartha Mahanta| Fri Nov. 18, 2011 3:00 AM PST
Americans Elect officials say they need secret contributions in order to upend a sclerotic system. “We have to be able to raise significant amounts of money to be able to take on the status quo,” says Kahlil Byrd, Americans Elect’s chief executive officer. Were the group compelled to disclose its donors, he says, there would be “a chilling effect…on people’s willingness to participate in this process.” That is, increased disclosure would dissuade potential big donors. (Before the group switched its tax status, the group received $1.55 million from its chairman, former financier Peter Ackerman, whose son, Elliot, is the group’s COO.)
The source of Americans Elect’s money is not the only cause for concern. Pamela Smith, president of VerifiedVoting.org, a voters’ advocacy group, questions the group’s reliance on internet voting. Smith and other election experts argue that it is insecure and exceedingly difficult to audit. Kahlil Byrd and Dan Winslow agree that internet voting is not a reliable tool for general or primary elections. But they insist that what Americans Elect is doing is “very different,” and that the voting in the online convention will be audited. By who? Americans Elect is “in the early stages of those conversations,” Byrd says.
~snip~
Based on what Americans Elect officials have told her in a series of conversations, Smith remains unconvinced that they have brought on the right people and the right technology to implement a transparent, easily audited internet voting system. “They say…its time to stop playing by the old rules,” Fred Wertheimer says. “But these are the old rules that they’re trying to play by.”
http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/11/americans-elect-dark-money-campaign-finance
December 14, 2025 1:39 PM
Stepping back and watching a mugging
By Jonathan Bernstein
Newt Gingrich, as far as I can tell from 1000 miles away (I’m in San Antonio), is just getting hammered right now in Iowa. Either in ads or in their stump speech, at least four of Newt’s competitors are slamming him hard.
There are two theories about how this will play out. One is what conservative Jonah Goldberg said today: Newt is not vulnerable to attacks, because everyone already knows all the dirt about him. This is often combined with the theory that the link between Newt and conservatives is especially strong because of Newt’s perceived role in the 1994 landslide and in battling Bill Clinton in the 1990s.
The other theory is that most people don’t pay much attention to politics and know little or nothing of Newt’s negatives, and when they learn about the ethics problems, the deviations from conservative orthodoxy, the ad with Nancy Pelosi, and other things that his support will tank just as Michele Bachmann’s and Herman Cain’s did. Which would be what I’ve been saying.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_12/stepping_back_and_watching_a_m034107.php
Would Gingrich Be a Nominee Without a Party?
by Steve M.
Thu Dec 15th, 2011 at 02:30:37 PM EST
It seems less and less likely with every passing day — hell, with every passing hour — that Newt Gingrich will survive the gang beatdown he’s being subjected to right now and go on to win the Republican presidential nomination (see yesterday’s all-Newt-hate Washington Post op-ed page; see also the forthcoming all-Newt-hate issue of National Review).
But if Gingrich does — somehow — survive this Establishment gang attack, will the party even support him?
Here’s a scenario I’m imagining:
If Gingrich really is unstoppable, the real GOP money — from the Rove-connected Crossroads groups and other super PACs — may simply dry up for him. Where will it go? I know everyone mocks this Americans Elect thing, but the group is well funded. What if GOP insiders game the AE nominating process to get a candidate who’s to their liking chosen as the nominee — Daniels, Christie, Barbour, Jeb Bush, Rubio, Jindal, Huntsman? And what if the “Democrat” who fulfills AE’s quest for a bipartisan ticket is … Joe Lieberman?
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2011/12/15/131323/17
What is booman getting at? Some of those proposals, American Elect part being well funded, is scary.
Who is funding AE? Michael Moore, Arianna, etc?
American Elect is funded by Wall Street.
I think so. We will find out, I am sure axelrod is doing oppo research!
For that matter, so is the RNC!
We already found out.
//Elliot Ackerman has a vision. Seated at a huge boardroom table in a fancy Manhattan advertising agency, he speculated on who might win America’s presidential election next year. He does not dream of Barack Obama’s second term. Or a Republican candidate snatching back the White House for the Grand Old Party.
Instead, he hoped for a third candidate to emerge victorious, destroying the two-party system that has dominated American politics since the Civil War. “Fewer and fewer Americans are represented by the ideologies of the two major parties. Nature abhors a vacuum and there is a vacuum at the centre of American politics,” Ackerman said.
Which is where he believes he comes in. He is chief operating officer of Americans Elect, a new internet-based organisation that intends to shatter America’s two-party system. The idea is simple.//
//The original funding for the project has come from 50 or so wealthy individuals, including Ackerman’s father, Peter Ackerman, the head of wealth management firm Rockport Capital. Other known backers, such as Kirk Rostron and Melvin Andrews, are often also from the world of finance, especially hedge funds. Another backer is Jim Holbrook, president of a trade association that lobbies for the marketing industry. Many other backers remain a secret due to the group having registered itself as a non-profit and thus having no obligation to reveal donors. //
I think they’re going to try and bring in a woman to grab people’s attention. Some just want to make history - again, or because they missed it the first time. I’ve been rummaging around in my brain trying to think of anyone who’s been just beyond the radar these past months - and I honestly can’t think of an attractive candidate that they can bring in, who isn’t either tied to the GOP party or already washed out. I also wonder if people are just so fickle, that they will “try out” an unknown, with some imaginings that this new unknown can perform miracles or leverage non-existing contacts in Congress to make things happen. Should be interesting to watch, and infuriating.
Oh here’s the link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/09/americans-elect-group-gaining-steam
American Elect got its seed money 5.5 million from Peter Ackerman….who worked for Michael Milken.
Peter Ackerman is a billionaire, and is it difficult to believe Milken is not involved. The horrible former Hillary supporter and PBO hater, Lady Lynn Forester de Rothchild is involved. American Elect is not required to reveal their donors. There could be big, big bucks involved. I could see American Elect as a problem by taking away moderate votes away from PBO. This may be their objective.
Buddy Roemer has said he is going to try and get their support. Which only proves he is a fraud to me.
Booman has been consistently negative: the other day he said Romney would defeat our president. No way!
It’s not Booman who said that. It’s a blogger on Booman’s site by the name of Steven M. I don’t think Booman has ever stated or implied anything to that effect.
Since it’s Wall St backed, expect it to be nothing more than a spoiler outfit that will put a progressive on the ticket to siphon enough votes away from President Obama to see Romney win. At least that will be their plan.
So far the proposed “delegates” are anything but progressive:
// Selecting the candidate is complex. The group’s computers use a questionnaire to match delegates’ views with politicians and other figures with whom they might sympathise. It is then up to delegates to crystalise around figures who might want to run. Names already being bandied around include right-wing figures like Condoleezza Rice and left-wing figures like Senator Russ Feingold.
They also have a wealth of independents like General David Petraeus, independent Senator Joe Lieberman, newsman Tom Brokaw, Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz and New York mayor Mike Bloomberg.
Some of these names would clearly turn down any attempt to draft them as a candidate. But others might be persuaded by the opportunity of a free shot at the White House. Yet more, like current moderate Republican candidate Jon Huntsman, might join if defeated in the Republican primaries.
And a few are already actively saying yes. One of those is Buddy Roemer, a former governor of Louisiana. Roemer is in many ways a classic example of the sort of cross-party figure Americans Elect wants to produce. He is a Republican but has also embraced many of the complaints of the Occupy Wall Street movement and become a popular figure on left-wing talk shows on MSNBC. //
They’re not going to do all this work and spend all this money to have Buddy Roemer on the ticket. I just don’t trust that the backers of this are altruistic in their desire to break up the two party system and they don’t have ulterior motives with a ready and waiting candidate.
Why would they do this now, not wait until 2016 when there wasn’t an incumbent President?
And the vote is online - Progressives will vote for a progressive, and wingnuts will vote for a progressive as spoiler. Ron Paul is not going to get this spot.
American Elect, has to be watched. They definitely appear to be a group meant to take votes from President Obama as opposed to Mitt or Newt.
Like the Tea Party, OWS, or any shady movement designed to undermine PBO, that group will implode and their antics will backfire in ways that they least expected. And yes, I agree that they need to be watched. But any group that claims to be considering Condi Rice, Bloomberg, Tom Brokaw for candidacy cannot possibly have Americans’ best interests at heart.
I wonder if they have a candidate already in waiting, an unknown. They cannot run Michael B. or Condi, both are still Republicans, eventhough Bloomberg claims to be an indy. I don’t think AE has Americans’ best interests at heart, they essentially have beef with POTUS. I know whoever they unveil as their candidate, our team will be ready.
Plus, Condoleeza Rice belongs in jail.
What doesn’t make sense to me is that the nominee won’t be known until June 2012 - they’ll have no campaign apparatus and no money unless AE is going to raise money to the unknown candidate and have a campaign apparatus built OR they’re going to snag Huntsman who will have a campaign already. And if they can’t raise money than there eventual candidate will be down $500M in fundraising to both GOP and Dems. So they’ll need to get a self-funder like Bloomberg on the ticket somewhere.
Okay, since the candidate won’t be named until June, then the person is definitely not an unknown politician. Maybe, Jon H. is their guy. Whomever they run will likely run left of President Obama.
Jon H. CANNOT run “left” of Obama since he’s already endorsed the Ryan plan which Obama has vehemently opposed. That alone disqualifies him as a “progressive” or “liberal” of any sort. Then he enthusiastically stumped for Sarah Palin a few years back. None of the folks named above can claim to be more “progressive” than Obama.
If American Elect is serious and there is no reason to believe they are not, with their backers they could provide all the money that is needed. I have heard Huntsman’s father say they are all very strong Republicans and Jon, Jr. would never run as a third party candidate. Their candidate could be a Chuck Hagel type, but who knows. It could be a real concern.
Money alone without a coherent or credible message cannot buy election. Furthermore, they have too be extra careful who they use to front this group which already has a credibility issue with extensive ties to Wall Street at a time when most Americans are completely turned off by that. OWS supposedly will be backed into a corner because they will then have no choice but to take a stand against this group - otherwise they will out themselves hypocritical Wall Street supporters.
I agree Bill, AE could become a problem. Especially if their nominee’s platform appeals to indies. I just think it’s weird that their candidate will not be named until 5 months before the election, which makes me think the politician already has a “name.” I think we’ll be fine, but I just am curious as to who they will run.
There are two options, one of which I refuse to consider. The one I refuse to consider is that they plan to bring Hillary in to run as a third candidate, knowing that the Dem party would be split, but that there’s no way she could win a General election. I choose to take Hillary at her word that she has no intention of running. My only reason for bringing this up is because Bill Clinton hedged a bit on the View, when asked whether Hillary meant it or not about bowing out from future elections.
The second option is that they plan to bring in someone like Russ Feingold. The fact that he couldn’t win his own local election, where people know him would hopefully be considered. But, even if he won, how would he get the country to back his progressive ideas, when President Obama has to fight to get people to buy into his more common-sense solutions that are in no way radical?
If Hillary tried to run against PBO she would be fortunate to receive 20% of the vote. The right has a base of 40% and I believe PBO has a solid 40% base. She would immediately go from being very popular to the most hated person in politics. A candidate to the left of PBO would have little support. The trouble with a third or fourth party is that they could take enough away from a major party to sway the election as Nader did in 2000 in FL.
I cannot find the link…but Elliot Ackerman was on Hardball on Nov. 25th . Chris and David Korn torn into him about the funding. He finally gave it up that his ” Daddy” put up the seed money.
Fortunately, the list of the financial backers will be enough to discredit them in the eyes of american voters. I hope the DNC and the Obama campaign is ready for them. Big ads in newspapers and on tv simply presenting the list of those financial backers , that should do the trick.
Money people, big lobbies know that the GOP brand is becoming toxic so they are trying to build another path to the White House. The strategy is so obvious americans won’t fall for it.
Much of their financial backing remains undisclosed. That’s why David Corn rightfully excoriated Ackerman. And that alone will be a huge red flag for discerning voters of any stripe.
A billionaire just offered to fund a Gingrich PAC to the tune of $20M. Don’t know how legal that is considering the whole political process is a shameful mess.
The political process is definitely a mess, money is being thrown everywhere. I think Ron Paul might run third party.
Newton Leroy has a long time billionaire backer from Las Vegas, Sheldon Adelson. It is not surprising if he became involved in a big way. Adelson is a strong supporter of Israel and is probably the reason Newton makes his loopy statements on the mideast.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) Director Joe Pizarchik today announced nearly half a billion dollars in grants for states and tribes to eliminate health and safety hazards caused by past coal mining. This year’s funding – a $90 million increase over last year – will generate more than $1 billion in economic activity and support thousands of jobs across the country.
Funding for Abandoned Mine Land (AML) grants comes from coal receipts and is distributed through a congressionally mandated formula under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA). Fiscal year 2012 grants will total more than $485 million, the highest amount ever awarded.
“When our nation enacted mining reform in 1977, we made a simple and bold promise that the revenues from coal extraction today should help clean up the legacy of coal mining many years ago,” said Secretary Salazar. “These grants help fulfill that promise while putting men and women to work across the country on restoration projects that will bring lands back to life, clean up rivers, and leave a better legacy for our children and grandchildren.”
http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Secretary-Salazar-and-Director-Pizarchik-Announce-485-Million-in-Grants-to-States-and-Tribes-to-Clean-Up-Abandoned-Coal-Mines.cfm
I bet the Presudent polls in the 80s with the Indians. Seriously!
Thanks, Jovie. This is a good thing- putting people back to work while cleaning up the environment.
Also, I hope you’re correct and Native Americans vote in record numbers for PBO in 2012.
Jovie….
sometimes the things that you say give me pause……i am not Native American…..but that last phrase about Native Americans should be revised…..
smh
December 15, 2025 7:59 AM
Catch of the Day
By Jonathan Bernstein
The catch goes to Harry Enton, who read a brand new New Hampshire poll released last night and noticed that “Obama has a higher favorable (22%) than Perry (18%) among GOP primary voters.” Yikes! Yeah, the respondents in this Suffolk U poll include a lot of independents - actually, the GOP/independent split is 59/41. Still, Perry’s numbers are remarkable. An 18/67 favorable/unfavorable split among primary voters in one’s own party? You really don’t see that too often.
Overall, by the way, Mitt Romney did very well in this particular poll: Mitt 38, Newt Gingrich 20, Jon Huntsman 13, Ron Paul only 8. As usual, don’t pay too much attention to single polls, and remember that dramatic late change in New Hampshire is not unusual at all.
Back to Perry, however, two things. One is that I’d love to see exactly how it happened. Is it that Perry is just too conservative for New Hampshire? Is it the relatively minor deviations from conservative orthodoxy? Is it the debate performances? The association with George W. Bush?
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_12/catch_of_the_day034118.php
December 15, 2025 10:43 AM
Newt in Free Fall
By Jonathan Bernstein
The Newt implosion is here — at least, the rapid shift in conventional wisdom against the mistaken idea that he had an excellent chance to win the nomination. The last polls haven’t been strong for the disgraced former Speaker, and a new Rasmussen sounding has him slipping behind Mitt Romney in Iowa. This morning I’ve flagged at least three stories about The Fall of Newt, and for what it’s worth his shares at Intrade have tanked, dropping from close to 40% a week ago to as low as 15% chance at the nomination at one point today before recovering some.
Of course, the conventional wisdom can be way off the reality of the contest. The polls have shifted, yes, but not nearly enough for anyone who thought Gingrich was unstoppable last week to believe he has no chance this week.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_12/newt_in_free_fall034123.php
I knew Newt wouldn’t last. Once the polls came out showing that PBO was beating him just about everywhere, I expected to see a new set of polls showing him tanking. I continue to say that Romney will be the nominee, and if the GOP establishment, MSM, PL realize that Romney will lose to PBO, they will start pushing 3rd party groups with someone like Huntsman on the ticket.
Martin Bashir was playing the Marilyn Monroe song about Tiffanys for his report on Newt. It was hilarious.
I almost wish for a Huntsman ticket - because then the crazy element can be put aside, and people will have to just judge the merits of the different visions - GOP (=end of social programs, continued pre-emptive wars, rich get all the attention), versus Dem (=revise entitlement programs to make them more sustainable, invest in the US, give working and poor people a fair chance at the “American Dream”). The only good the crazies do, is they mobilize the Dems to want to defeat them. When it’s a boring policy debate, Dems switch off, it seems - even with so much at stake.
I don’t wish for a Huntsman ticket, not because I think he’s a strong candidate, but because I think it will be too easy for the MSM and PL to rally around him and make it seem that he’s more liberal/progressive than he actually is. Just upthread someone already has bought into that idea by saying that Huntsman will run to the left of Obama - how so? That’s the MSM’s brainwashing into making folks think that Huntsman is more “moderate” than he actually is.
And how would he be able to run to the left of Obama, when he’s spent the whole primary season running far to his right? The ads would write themselves. Today’s just been a weird day all around. I plan to relax tomorrow with some Xmas shopping therapy, stoke the economy, and keep giving PBO some good numbers.
No, I don’t think he’s a strong candidate at all - his stance on Medicare and supporting the Paul Ryan budget, and now this new nonsense about pre-emptively striking Iran - it all makes him exactly the same as the rest, only saner. I just think that the lack of craziness will help people focus on the actual issues that matter, instead of it being a competition of personalities.
December 15, 2025 12:37 PM
The Better Electoral College Reform: DC Statehood
By Jonathan Bernstein
Josh Kraushaar reminds us that an Electoral College tie is entirely plausible:
That would happen if Obama carried all the Kerry states except New Hampshire (where he’s struggling), and added New Mexico, Colorado and Virginia to his column. The Republican nominee would carry the battleground states of Florida, Ohio, Nevada, and North Carolina.
I’m not much for Electoral College reform…the current system has it’s weaknesses, but any system will have weaknesses, and overall there are a lot of better places for reformers to devote their energies, in my view.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_12/the_better_electoral_college_r034126.php
I just have no words for this, but I see it every day in my library.
Census shows 1 in 2 people are poor or low-income.
So, I guess this is what the GOP refers to as “American Exceptionalism”. This is so sad.
Horrible indictment of the greedy and their enablers - especially those who don’t vote and advocate not voting.
Our4thEstate Bobfr
GOP Exceptionalism, from Reagan to Bush, has nearly impoverished 1 of every 2 Americans http://t.co/ziqNcMr7 #ZEROGOP2012 #OccupyTheVote2012
#YesWeCanDOMoreTogether - We Must!
Another end of year circus in Washington - I refuse to participate. I will spend my time and energy on organizing support for the President. The noise will only get worse, the polls will get more skewed and more meaningless. The war against the President is ratching up.
But I do see some interesting developments. When a Republican colonel like Lawrence Wilkerson shares his disgust with the machinations of his party leadership and states that they are on a suicide mission, then regular Republicans as well as Democrats and Independents
around the country will start paying attention. The media’s fabricated portrayal of this President will become less and less convincing. It has already become quite clear to everyone - even to those those who deliberately spread lies and misinformation - that President Obama is far more supportive of the average American than any of his opponents and detractors. The President’s record is clear. He is doing all he can to safeguard the well-being of all the people while dealing with a hostile and obstructionist opposition. The compromises that are negotiated in such circumstance will necessarily be less than ideal. What matters is not that every issue is immediately resolved in the optimal way, but that every catastrophe is averted and the door remains open to move in the right direction down the road.
To all the disaffected and disappointed voters, there is only one comment I would make. It is the responsiblilty of every citizen to participate.
If you allow the election of an extremist right-wing fringe, don’t expect too much progressive legislation to be passed. If you are unable or unwilling to honestly evaluate the record of this President, then you will be compelled to live with the consequences. If you cannot muster the courage and the energy to keep working for your ideals and instead just want to tear down the most progressive President in a very long time, then get ready to face a much larger battle in the future.
As for me, there is no question where I will stand. I will support President Obama, based on his leadership, his intelligence, his caring nature and his intellectual honesty in dealing with the large issues of our time.
Beautiful!
Perfect, hgerhard. Thank you
hgerhard, sharing this sentence on twitter “It is the responsiblilty of every citizen to participate.
If you allow the election of an extremist right-wing fringe, don’t expect too much progressive legislation to be passed.”. Hope you don’t mind. This sentence is what EVERY one should know and think about, period. Thank you for writing.
Right on Right on!!!!!
Whether the nominee be Romney or Gingrich we are prepared. In fact I have been collecting, sorting and making lists of videos of these 2 guys.
Romney
http://www.whatisworking.com/search/label/vid-ads-romney
Gingrich
http://www.whatisworking.com/search/label/vid-ads-gingrich
This is just so fun…
If anyone has any more to add post here and I will snag them tomorrow.
You always do great research.
These are great Linda. Thanks!
You’re right not to get excited. Remember these things: 1) The president operates best when he’s behind. He said he is a 4th quarter player and he’s not going to waste firepower and resources this early on. His sense of timing is impeccable. 2) There is an enormous war chest being built and plans are underway for massive campaigning on the ground and in the media. 3) The president, as the incumbent, has a lot of power to control the message, despite the media. As a candidate he will have countless opportunities to deliver that message to the grassroots.4) He has us and we number in the millions and each of us has a voice and friends and neighbors and families, which makes us very powerful.
I always love and reason to post this.
Oh, Jackie, completely agree and may I add that God has His Hand on him.
Seen on Twitter:
@fleetadmiralj: funny how people will ditch Obama over one issue but will vote for Paul because of only one issue”
Funny and yet so sad
.
Look out for POTUS, FLOTUS and Bo in People magazine tomorrow! Below is a snippet of the interview, along with a very nice pic - enjoy
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20553990,00.html
Thanks, I’ve been looking for that. Super gorgeous photo and PBO is his funny self.
Our4thEstate Bobfr
America – facts over #pottyraging #GOPenabler fiction ‘Fraudster Glenn Greenwald’s Trouble with the Truth’ http://t.co/g8ET5c8i #PRESSON
#YesWeCanDOMoreTogether - We Must!
If anyone follows @JeffersonObama, give him some love, as he’s battling Greenwald acolytes, and doing quite a spectacular job of it. BWD is joining in.
Ugh, such dishonest phrasing from TPM:
Yea, TPM is on its way of becoming Huffington Post.
Folks I am just seething. I belong to an email-network of Africanist academics and some folks have latched onto a CNN report about the Left’s “disappointment with President Obama”. So here’s what I wrote back which I’m sure I’ll be counter-attacked for, but I don’t care. here goes;
____________________________
Here we go again, with the Left’s nihilism.
The tenor and premise of this debate are precisely why liberals can’t have nice things, and don’t know how to HOLD ON to power. You have got to have power to enact your wish list over a LONG period of time. But more importantly you have got to summon a whole armada of structure-transforming allies, noisemakers, attackdogs, think tanks, think bulldozers, bobbleheads emptyspace-fillers — in short a whole panoply of media and institutional structures to amplify your agenda and message and KEEP power. Governing is not a matter of dipping one’s toes in the pool then running off because the water is too hot/cold.
The left looks for political and social messiahs, then nit-picks them, thereby painting bullseyes on their backs. And when those messiahs get assassinated literally or metaphorically, we run around like headless chicken in despair. The rightwing builds institutions, infiltrates existing structures, and then recruits titular heads who carry out the rightwing agenda. The right never expects perfection from their politicos because that is not necessary to advance their agenda. We all chuckle that George W Bush was a nincompoop. Sure but he moved the GOP agenda with rightwing media and structural support. Without that GWB would have been a corpse at the wheel for right wing interests.
So, since retiring from the streets after Vietnam War protests, exactly what institution building and zeitgeist-shaping has America’s Left done? Zilch, Nada. The left did not fight back against 30-40 years of Nixon-Reagan transformation of progressivism-liberalism into dirty words. Long before candidate Barack Obama came on the scene America’s middle and working classes (except minorities) had consistently been voting against their economic interests, had bought into the deferred dream of also making it into the 1% and so sacrificed their own interests in the service of propping huge wealth shift to the top 1% because they too might get in there someday. How did that happen. The Left sulked, gave up street activism (except to protest Iraq War) and the airwaves they owned. The right wing bought up radio stations on the cheap including Romney’s company Bain purchasing Clear Channel, and proceeded to stitch up relay messaging networks of religious kooks, vulture capitalists, big Oil and Finance titans, while planting fun-house mirrors in front of the American public, and the occasional economic bubble(tech, housing, credit card) to keep discontent down.
How do you counter that ingrained mindset? At the height of the 2008 catastrophic financial/economic debacle 59 million Americans (46% of voters) were willing to give executive powers to a senile ne’er-do-well (who ranked 894th in his class) plus his looney fundamentalist Alaskan sidekick from the same political party that had ground us into this ravine in the first place! President Obama won that election simply because he could dig up 10 million more voters who had not voted before. Mind you Bush won in 2004 with 62 million votes, while Kerry lost with 59 million
So this is the state of the American electorate, one very easily prone to being swayed by rightwing demagogues, just like a battered spouse. To shift this populace’s mindset away from wingnutese demands sustained long-term counter-ideological bombardment from multiple sources that would amplify the virtues of Liberalism, with anything coming out of a Democratic White House simply bow-wrapping it. Let’s not forget that our rumblings today are made possible precisely because this President Obama (warts and all) triaged this country and PREVENTED it from sinking into the abyss. We were saved from feeling the full brunt of the depression that was sure to follow the 2008 debacle. And as is human nature we are incapable of appreciating the fact that the worst that could happen didn’t. FDR came into office 4 years after the Depression was well under way in 1933 yet the the majority of the legislative he pushed for were blocked, overturned, derailed with the exception of the FDIC & Social security (both of which corporate interests want to dismantle today).
So before folks cling on to the “I am disappointed in Pres. Obama” security blanket we must first answer the question where are the Liberal cavalries and institutions charging the GOP ramparts? Zero. Whenever the president announces an initiative that many on the left like, which Liberal leaning institution amplifies it? Who floods the media zone to pump up and turn it into conventional wisdom? No one. Even the members of his own Democratic party never back him up. Case in point: Just today Sen Ron Wyden (D-OR) announced a Medicare voucherized plan with Rep Paul Ryan (R-WI). Why? Why give life support to the Ryan suicidal plan that showed the stark contrasts between what Liberals belief in and which the GOP want to dismantle?
I could go on and on, but I argue that shifting this country’s trajectory was never going to take a charismatic President. If anything at all his 2008 campaign masked the abysmal work America’s Left had done since the end of the Civil Rights battles, to sustain the valence of Liberalism. Like a muscle if you don’t use it, it atrophies. If many on the left will be honest they’ll admit their cries of despair have less to do with Pres. Barack Obama and more to do with what they see in the mirror. Of course scape-goating a man in office with severely limited powers is easier Bashing Obama is easier than convincing the misguided Joe-the-Plumbers in your hardware store, so why not join the disingenuous Repugs to pile on. Sure, but in the end President Obama (imperfect as he is) will not be the loser for our choices in 2012, he’ll just grab his family and head out of the pressure cooker. We on the other hand stare total demolition of the Social Compact and a war with Iran. It is not scare-mongering, it is fact. And when that happens “disappointment” with President Obama will be the least of our worries. It will seem quaint by comparison. President Obama is our President not our boyfriend. And we are in an existential war with Evil evil fascist forces hellbent on flattening labor-force security around the globe with a souped up 21st Century neo-Feudal reality that we cannot imagine. Romney will be the handmaiden of that onslaught. Eyes on the prize people. Eyes on the prize. An enthusiastic vote or an exasperated vote all count the same so long as they are ACTUALLY cast. ‘Nuff said.
zizi,
you rock.
you absolutely rock
Thanks Rik
I am very angry with people who are supposed to be smart
Wow, excellent comments. I really worry about where this country is headed. The president and some of his allies in government are the only people standing between us and destruction.
I look at our country’s institutions - the press, universities, health care, financial, middle class, the so-called “American dream” - and I see nothing but a very big degradation of what used to be commonplace. I see people running around in circles to keep their lives together with no time to see what’s really happening as it edges up against their door. The RW has just about destroyed our country and our population is sitting around whining about every single thing PBO does that isn’t perfectly aligned with their idealized notion of governance, as if the last 30 years never happened. They’ve been totally distracted by so many shiny objects, one after another, they can’t see who is tearing this nation apart. It sickens me.
What you said Meta.
WOW….WOW AND DOUBLE WOW….
AS THE PRESIDENT SAID ….IT WOULD NOT BE EASY…..FIRST AND FOREMOST WE MUST STOP WITH THE WOE IS ME….PESSIMISM…..WHILE IT IS TRUE THAT MANY OF THE POPULACE DO NOT READ BLOGS AND THE LIKE…THEY ARE FAR FROM DUMB….MISINFORMED OR UININFORMED MAYBE….
BUT THAT IS WHAT WE ARE HERE FOR…….. TO INFORM…TO WORK ON THE GROUND….THE PRESIDENT SAYS…THAT HE CAN UNDERSTAND THAT IF YOU ARE ABOUT TO LOSE YOUR HOME….YOU HAVE LOST YOUR JOB AND NOW YOU HEAR THAT YOU MAY LOSE YOUR UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE…YOU WILL NOT FEEL HAPPY….
THE PRESIDENT HAS NOT GIVEN UP,,,NEVER SPEAKS DOWN….ALWAYS UP AND TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO WIN…AND SO SHOULD WE…
TO QUOTE…THE PRESIDENT….
I DO NOT HAVE TIME TO FEEL SORRY FOR MYSELF…..I HAVE TO PRESSSSSSS ON FOR JOBS,,,,,ETC….
THUMP…..
SO I SAY…PRESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS ON!!!!!!!
Diane, I hate to even admit to myself your thoughts on destruction, but I agree.
Excellent post. even if they attack you, you did good with this one……
INCREDIBLE. Thank you for summing up the issue so expertly and persuasively. This needs to be somewhere where more people can read it. GRAND!!
Beautiful, Zizi, well-stated and right on the ball. I’m sick of this emoprog pattern of throwing rocks at the president at every chance they get. They criticize all, but praise nothing. And they have the emotional stability and common sense of a toddler. That’s why I refuse to click on any site that features or promotes these people in any way. TPM came off my bookmark list a long time. They are one in a long list of useless sites dedicated to their own importance and the erosion of truth.
Thank you zizi for this eloquently expressed rare piece of truth. The folks that will attack you will do so because they can’t stand the truth. Honest folks will appreciate this piece.
I rarely post, but I had to commend you for this. Incredible. Sums everything up spectacularly.
Thanks. but please post more we need to hear from all voices.
OMG, Zizi, I got a tingle up my legs while reading this.
This is sooooooooo true. This should be sent to all so-called progressives, including Thom Hartman and “The Nation” crowd. You are a gifted writer and you said everything that I nave been thinking. Thank you.
Ya make me blush COS
Wow. I hope this comment reaches far and wide, especially those with ODS. I am a lurker but I had to commend you.
Well, zizi, you are magnificent when you’re angry! I don’t understand how someone who thinks and expresses herself with such clarity does not have a frontpage slot on one of the pragmatic progressive blogs, or indeed, a blog of her own. I hope you will post this as an article at PolicticusUSA or Addictinginfo or some other site, if they have open access for article writers. I wish Chips had a “guestwriter” section here so cogent pieces like yours would not get lost.
As I am catching-up today, I am late to the comment party and others have moved on from here. But I hope someone will re-post this comment on the latest thread as it is a must read and not just for members of the “Africanist academics” readership.
I’m going to send it to a friend so she can tell me how two facebook this lovely writing, as I’m not sure how to do it myself. Do I need your permission to do this?
Anyway, this kind of writing is what the left needs to spread far and wide.
Thank you for it!
Well, today has definitely been a weird day, with the emos in full screech mode. So, a bit of good news.
Red Flags for Congressional Republicans in New Polls.
LL thanks for this!
As for the emos - I’m starting to think they are actually right wingers who staked out “left” positions in their blogging and reporting in order to undermine the President among Democrats/liberals. Now it appears that the President is actually solidifying his liberal support and has been accomplishing his goals, slowly but surely, likewise, the emoprogs’ poutrage trump cards are being removed and the writing is on the wall. Their current reactions are almost Teabagger-like, as they frantically attempt to hold on to whatever shred of influence they may once have had, looking in every nook and cranny, jumping on every and any issue in hopes that they can spin a story about PBO not doing what he promised or disappointing his base. I think the optics of the President and FLOTUS at Ft. Bragg yesterday was just too much for some in the media, lefty blogs, GOP etc to bear. The ODS virus is spreading like wildfire…They are now in full ODS reactionary mode.
ODS is far more virulent than BDS, more so because Obama Derangement Syndrome is based on nothing logical. GWB had a long record of failure; Obama, by and large, has delivered on his promises—just not in the way that the emo’s wanted him to deliver, with desk pounding and purity politics. The thing is, they weren’t the ones who voted for PBO in the first place, so their threats are less than meaningless.
how’d you do the link LL? I wanna learn how to do it.
Here’s a quick tutorial on the href tag in html: http://www.w3schools.com/HTML/html_links.asp
Thanks for this bit of good news Liberal Librarian.
Early Heads Up TOD: Tonight on World News with Diane Sawyer, a snippet of Barbara Walters interview with the Obamas about politics and christmas might be aired. It comes on at 6:30PM ET/ 5:30PM CT.
PS: It’s on ABC.
Thanks UT! Just saw this:
Excerpts of the interview will air tonight on “World News with Diane Sawyer.” The full interview can be seen during a “20/20″ holiday special on Friday, Dec. 23, 10 p.m. ET on ABC stations.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-obama-faults-republican-lurch-extremes-divisiveness-dc/story?id=15163372#.Tup4FkpqFdU
Sounds like Walters was her usual irritating self
don’t forget that Nancy Pelosi will be on Ed tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
O/T Anonymous donors pay off Kmart layaway accounts
At Kmart stores across the country, Santa seems to be getting some help: Anonymous donors are paying off strangers’ layaway accounts, buying the Christmas gifts other families couldn’t afford, especially toys and children’s clothes set aside by impoverished parents.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-12-15/layaway-santa/51980922/1
What a wonderful story!
This is so nice. Tis the season to be giving.
I saw the news story and I was touched by what total strangers were doing for people. What a nice blessing.
Is anybody looking at the clown ar debate tonight? I know I will not. I will try to catch The Year with Katie Couric. I think she will show when PBO annouce that OBL was dead.I think is would be much better than Barbara Walter’s most fascinating people.
I cannot keep myself from watching the clowns. I have been following politics since the 1960′s and thought things had hit bottom in 2008 with the nomination of the half term governor as VP candidate of a major party until this year. While on one side we have the greatest President of my lifetime, on the other side we are watching the destruction of a once great political party. We are watching a major swing in our political landscape, and it is too much fun not to watch.
ANOTHER ONE????????? Yikes.
Study: People Receiving Unemployment Insurance Work Harder To Find Jobs
By Alex Seitz-Wald on Dec 15, 2025 at 4:35 pm
A new study from Congress’ Joint Economic Committee (JEC) debunks the prevailing conservative notion that Unemployment Insurance (UI) dissuades people from looking for a job. “On the contrary,” the report finds, “beneficiaries of federal UI benefits have spent more time searching for work than those who were ineligible for UI benefits.” “In fact, since Congress enacted federal unemployment benefits, time spent looking for a job has tripled among the long‐term unemployed who are out of work as a result of job loss,” the report adds.
As this chart shows, while unemployment rose during the recession, people who received UI benefits spent more time looking for work than those who didn’t qualify for the federal program:
~snip~
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/12/15/390426/study-unemployment-insurance-work-harder/
Pay For American CEOs Rose 27 To 40 Percent Last Year
By Pat Garofalo on Dec 15, 2025 at 11:40 am
According to a new survey by the corporate governance group GMI Ratings, “America’s top bosses enjoyed pay hikes of between 27 and 40% last year.” The top ten CEOs in the country took home a combined $770 million. Meanwhile, workers saw their average wage go up just two percent in the same year.
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/12/15/389942/ceo-pay-increase-2010/
The Obama administration on Thursday rejected Florida’s request for a waiver from Democrats’ healthcare law.
Florida is the fifth state where insurers have been denied an exemption from the medical loss ratio provision that requires them to spend at least 80 percent of premiums on medical care or give rebates to consumers. Florida had asked for an MLR adjustment allowing insurers to meet lower thresholds of 68 percent in 2011, 72 percent in 2012 and 76 percent in 2013.
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/199719-obama-administration-rejects-floridas-request-for-health-law-waiver
hahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahhahhahhahahahahha!! Fuckers! Bastards better take that! I’m still on my parents’ health insurance, no thanks to that busted up wanna-be Gollum.
Fricking Florida, don’t know how we managed to elect that creeper!
Hi Jovie, thanks for this information. This is great news for Floridians.
Of course, the answer is “no one will”.
Wisconsin Republicans have mounted a new response to the effort to recall Gov. Scott Walker — filing a lawsuit today against the state Government Accountability Board, which oversees elections, alleging that Walker’s 14th Amendment constitutional rights are being violated by the procedures the board uses in verifying, accepting or rejecting petition signatures.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/12/wis-gop-files-lawsuit-against-election-officials-over-recall-process.php?m=1
Lol!
Hi everyone, new post here:
http://theobamadiary.com/2011/12/15/barbara-walters-interview-preview/
DOJ Uncovers Rampant Lawbreaking By Sheriff Joe Arpaio Despite His Stonewalling
By Marie Diamond on Dec 15, 2025 at 1:09 pm
When the Justice Department first announced it was investigating Arpaio in 2008 for racial profiling and civil rights violations, Arpaio said “bring it on.” But he refused to cooperate with the investigation, stalling the probe for 17 months by withholding records from federal officials. Moments ago, the Justice Department announced the findings of its three year investigation, concluding that the self-proclaimed “toughest sherrif in America” has indeed committed an extensive array of civil rights violations against Latinos:
~snip~
Arpaio has had a breathtaking 2,700 law suits filed against him between 2004 and 2007. In addition to the DOJ, he has been investigated by Congress, the FBI and a Federal Grand Jury for civil rights violations and abuse of power. In no small part because of Arpaio’s well-documented targeting of people who look foreign but have committed no crime, the majority of inmates in his jails are Latino males. While Arpaio pursued an obessive, politically motivated assault on immigrants to enhance his national profile, he routinely failed to investigate more pressing cases of violent crime, including more than 400 sex crimes. He ignored dozens of alleged child molestations with some victims as young as two. Unsurprisingly, many of the children were undocumented immigrants.
Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2011/12/15/390264/despite-stonewalling-doj-uncovers-rampant-lawbreaking-by-sheriff-joe-arpaio/
As political gridlock again threatens Washington with government shutdown, President Obama faulted Republicans’ election year “lurch into extremes” for keeping compromise out of reach.
“You know, you never want to say, ‘It’s all them,’” Obama said in an exclusive interview with ABC News’ Barbara Walters. “But I do think that right now at least, in the Republican Party there are a couple of notions. Number one is that compromise is a dirty word. Number two, anything that Obama’s for, we’re against.”
The president pointed to the ongoing fight over Democrats’ health care overhaul as an example of what has gone awry, calling out his top two potential Republican challengers for having previously supported elements in his plan.
http://m.yahoo.com/w/news_america/blogs/newsmakers/obama-faults-republican-lurch-extremes-dc-gridlock-212929029.html?orig_host_hdr=news.yahoo.com&.intl=us&.lang=en-us