Thank you Bobfr….I accept this award from the TOD Academy, I’d like to thank all my peeps here at TOD and all those who were still sleeping or working which allowed me to be first…..
hopefruit2, This is great news, I heard about it early today. There are something you need to keep politics out of and saving women’s lives is one of them.
SGK saying they will continue to fund PP is a good thing, but they have already been exposed. They have turned breast cancer into politics, and everyone now knows they the act a lobbyists at times, and cave to right wingers.
What was most shocking to me was that they work behind the scenes to derail efforts that would help women’s health and women in general. To hear that they hired Lieberman’s wife to try and convince him to vote against he public option (interesting that he came out and declared that he would filibuster a public option… I wonder if the GOP will investigate), and that they were secretly lobbying against other programs – it’s just disgusting. They’re as bad as the juggernaut Walmart. Can’t beat a good dose of sunlight to flush out the cockroaches.
@politicoroger Warren Buffett:"It takes (20 years) to build a reputation & 5 minutes to ruin it" SusanG has lost me forever w/ this stunt!— HSC for Obama 2012 (@pinkbunny70) February 03, 2012
I don’t trust them anymore! And it was clear from a comment that was deleted by Karen Handel’s Twitter timeline about another RW person disparaging our outrage.
So it’s just a PR move, and they have shown their true colors. I’ll only donate to PP & American Cancer Society
BREAKING NEWS: Komen foundation apologizes to Planned Parenthood. Komen founder Nancy G. Brinker says Komen will restore Planned Parenthood funding. One again, the GOP loses!!! hahahahahaha.
Let Brinker spend her lies. I say their reversal implies the opposite. The foundation couldn’t have failed to see that PP had received over $600,00 in donations less than 24 hours after it announced it was de-funding PP, that Bloomberg announced a $250,000 donation to PP, the negative impact on the organization of Brinker’s failure of the interview with Andrea Mitchell, the resignations of top officials in its own organization, the letter written by our dem senators, and/or the emails/tweets/FB postings expressing the outrage of women and men from every part of the country.
Good that means I can still continue my support for Race For The Cure. I told me sister yesterday I would not walk, run or job in that event again after what Komen did.
And the President didn’t have to get involved at all! Take that, all those who demanded he put his running shoes on in Wisconsin. People have power – they just need to use it.
One of President Obama’s greatest gifts is his realizing that it is important to teach people to help themselves and not do everything for them. In watching many videos and reading stories of his life working as a Community Organizer you saw over and over again how he taught people to advocate for themselves. How he patiently lead them to having confidence to help themselves. As a retired teacher I saw how important this act and realization was. It’s kind of like the old teach people to fish saying. It has carried over into his presidency.
Good for the Komen Foundation for reversing their Planned Parenthood decision. It was wrong what they did, but it takes a lot to admit to a mistake and simply change course. On the bright side, their actions led me to donate directly to PP, and I’ll be making another direct donation to PP this month. Hopefully this story will start to change minds about what this crucial organization does, and how important PP is to the lives of women, particularly women who are younger and poorer and who are underserved with regards to reproductive health serviecs.
While we are all focused on PP, here are the other funds Komen Foundation cut,
“In addition to pulling funds from Planned Parenthood for The Susan G. Komen Foundation also decided to stop funding embryonic stem cell research centers making it fully transparent the organization has evolved from non-political non-profit to a partisan advocacy organization.
That means the loss of $3.75 million to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, $4.5 million to the University of Kansas Medical Center, $1 million to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, $1 million to the Society for Women’s Health Research, and $600,000 to Yale University. That’s a loss of nearly $12 million dollars in research money to eradicate breast cancer this year alone.
amk, i have wondered about this as i am new to twitter. if someone follows you that you do not wish to have follow you can block them? does that work to stop them from following?
Hey Amk and LovingandLaughing, you can indeed block someone from following you. If you click on the person icon you’ll see Block @electromer or Blcok and report @electromer for spam. Ta da! That person will be blocked forever until you unblock them if you want. Hope this helps.
“One voice can change a room, and if one voice can change a room, then it can change a city, and if it can change a city, it can change a state, and if it change a state, it can change a nation, and if it can change a nation, it can change the world. Your voice can change the world.”
― Barack Obama
The Power of the People
Komen for the Cure just released the following statement from Nancy Brinker and the Susan G. Komen Board of Directors:
We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women’s lives.
Didn’t realize y’all were on this new thread, so I’ll re-post this, if I may:
Komen accomplished several things. First, they exposed the inner workings of their organization (and the people they have there, now), which don’t look too good in the light of day. Second, no one will ever look at their pink ribbon brand again with the same eyes. Third, Planned Parenthood has temporarily been taken out of the hands of the Republican barbarians, and is getting more active support from the rest of us. Shame it had to happen, but this outcome is good.
Oh I forgot this morning while I was trying to watch Joe eat crow about the Jobs Report…Mark McKinnon of Americans Elect was yapping about who the poobahs of Americans Elect want to elect as a candidate…and what do ya know Joe Shmuck was on the list. Baffling isn’t it? The guy who has been whoring this group around gets selected to be its leader. Color me surprised.
LOL, I think Mark is with No Labels, but Morning Joe does love it and perks up when anyone mentions him as a candidate for anything. Joe seems to think he has arrived and is a member of the elite.
They can’t be serious. We’ve got years of footage now of Morning Joke spouting nonsense from his arrogant perch on his show. And he’s still got that scandal of the dead intern that was never cleared up. They fail at Congress, and then they want to be President? Unbelievable.
The fallout and pushback which Komen has now earned will handle the matter, for a while. We can’t celebrate, but at least it’ll be a little heads up to the right wing that we’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore. Now, it’s up to all of us to keep watch for the next thing they pull.
What I love about this is that the people are starting to make it clear that this right wing nonsense just won’t cut it. Especially from a group that has no business being partisan, since cancer strikes Democrat, Republican and Independent, alike. I hope this continues.
On a related note: Mitt should have been raked over the coals yesterday for getting an endorsement from an open racist who continues to disrespect the Office of the Presidency, which Mitt is currently seeking – and the fact that the media didn’t touch that point makes it clear that we still have a long way to go to drive these extremists back into their caves. But the Komen debacle is a good start.
Well you can all add me to February’s job numbers when they come out. After THREE YEARS of looking (two years being a full time babysitter), I FINALLY got a job and will start next Wednesday!
Hahahaha. So true Christi. Today really is a day full of good news. But a word of caution: I wish all these American tourists and travelers would refrain – for the time being – from visiting countries that are currently undergoing political and social upheaval or ones where the U.S. has no diplomatic relationship or has strained relationships. Americans and especially PBO, do not need this anxiety any time, but especially in an election year.
utaustinliberal, I say this every time someone get caught up in some craziness in foreign countries…I don’t understand why people just can’t wait until things settle down…
Exactly. And he has a lot to back up his swaggerific mode, including all of the improved economic and employment stuff coming out, not to mention these great ideas he keeps putting forth! Hope he slams the podium today, when he finishes his remarks!
For what I am about to say, let me first define TOD Family for my purposes:
TOD Family: Individuals on this site (commenters & lurkers) who are genuine and unwavering supporters of PBO and VPJB, and are dedicated and committed to their reelection in 2012.
A CHALLENGE FOR TOD FAMILY–ESPECIALLY TOD FAMILY LURKERS:
That all TOD Family (TODF), especially TOD Family Lurkers (TODFLs) make a commitment, starting today, to get at least 9 new individuals to register and ultimately vote for the reelection of Obama/Biden as well as a straight Democratic ticket.
This would consist of one (1) new individual per month until election day (i.e., Feb. thru Oct.). As a TODFL, I feel that I have been on a joy ride in a wagon with Chips and a few others pushing the wagon. The journey has been educational, soothing, humorous, loving, etc. and I have enjoyed every minute. However, the wagon has now arrived at a steep hill, and in order to reach the top to beat the Republicans, we must ALL get out of the wagon and help to push. Thus, pushing means each of us getting at least 9 new voters. A new voter is one who did not vote for Obama/Biden in 2008. We must follow-up with each individual to ensure that he/she does indeed register and ultimately cast a vote. Where possible, we should urge and promote early voting. If early voting is not allowed, then it is our responsibility to ensure that our new voters get to the polls on election day.
This is a great opportunity for one (those who, for whatever reason do not wish to volunteer at OFA) to participate from the comfort of his/her home. Whether via phone, fax, e-mail, texting, etc., we can contact relatives (including voting age children/grandchildren), high school/college classmates, sorority/fraternity mates, etc. We also urge that we contact people outside our own state, especially those in toss-up states such as NC, VA, FL, MI, OH, NM, NV, AZ, etc. We can also ask our contacts to get 9 new voters, etc. I call this “Get Out The Vote Networking”.
I would like to ask two or three TODF, especially TODFL who can comment at different times of day to help in reminding our TODF of this commitment . Unfortunately, sometimes excellent ideas or suggestions are made, but there is no lasting follow-up. Hopefully, we can report our progress as time goes by.
So please, TODF–especially TODFLs, “LETS PUSH” OUR OBAMA/BIDEN WAGON TO THE TOP OF THE HILL FOR A LANDSLIDE VICTORY! I know that we can do it!
Every niece and nephew who has come of age to vote next year has heard from me. I direct them to their state voter registration form. So far I had 3 new relatives register last year. Next I’ll start working on friends to make sure their relatives are registered to vote.
OFA is always looking for volunteers to help with voter registration as well.
All my Indian friends and their family in US are voting for him in 2012, just like they did in 2008. That’s about 40 votes, of course in different states like GA {this one works in koch company, GP } , MA, FL, NY and CA.
Bebe–A number of us have school registrations planned this spring and in the fall. We get permission from the schools to set up a table in the cafeteria and register those who will be 18 in November. Most kids are eager to sign up. Also we have a movie theater in own town that allows us to register voters outside their doors. And ALWAYS set up a voter registration table at events like Spanish fairs, Memorial Day parades and summer picnics. Walmart will allow voter registration outside their doors in many areas.
We are working steadily here in Colorado. Please add Colorado to the list above. We are a very important swing state too. We now have 9 votes instead of 8. Please talk to anyone you know in Colorado and make sure they are registered, and make sure they vote for President Obama. There are OFA teams everywhere. We will eventually have offices too. Please encourage everyone you know in Colorado to step up! Thanks for your support.
I’m joining the challenge! I’ve got one who’s a new citizen who has committed to vote for President Obama, even though she claims to be mostly Republican (fiscal, but not so much social). I’m not sure she’s registered, so I’ll make sure she is.
I’m late but want to give you a big hoopteedoooooooo GoBrooklyn. I am pushing the good thoughts your way and congrat the person who hired you since you will be perfect. Such a relief. I know you are excited!!!!!!! You go girl!!!!!!!!!!
I also would like to say hello to all the TODERS . This is the most perfect place to laugh and be serious. You guys are so smart. I never miss a day without being here for at least a few hours. I have been talking to my college age granddaughter and her boyfriend about getting out the vote since 2008. She is in with a great group of sorrors, (if that how you spell it)? She is an AKA and this month they are spreading the word on stalking. Each day she puts out a piece of information on who they can be, how to recognize and what to do on facebook. These girls and guys are big President Obama followers and I have been encouraging her for a year now to get out the vote at her University even if it is in Kansas. I do have a little concern when several thousand African Americans get to work on the election in this state where there are some haters.
I am going to pass along the plan of gettting 9 new voters and having them pass the news to 9 others. I did that
in 2008 with my coworkers. I had good luck bringing in some Independants and only had a problem with one doctor I worked with and told him off. Now never never do that. Fortunately, he just laughed me off. I told him he was stupid for not recognizing the remarkable Senator Obama.
I need to keep my cool this year and I’ve heard all your discussions on how to approach and listen to peoples concerns and answer questions. Yep, I’m not going to cuss anyone out this time.
love your post, barb! i get frustrated, too, when talking with idiots–and those cuss words just rise to the surface. but you’re right, that does no good and may turn someone listening away from pbo and the dems. so all my foul language gets shouted at the tv now. sure feels good!
Chips, LOD had an excellent segment on last night in his rewrite. He clearly defined what liberal means by showing a debate from The West Wing. Of course Smits’ character’s first comment was that a liberal freed the slaves. Alda’s character said “He was a Republican” and Smits’ character answered a LIBERAL Republican.” He then went on to tell the good things which were accomplished by liberals, beginning with women’s right to vote, and proceeding through Medicare, Lawrence is disgusted with letting the Republicans demean the proud term liberal. The Declaration of Independence was a liberal idea, so was the Constitution…so, Chips if you could find that clip, it would be good for all of us. We can’t let the right wing steal that honorable term and drag it through the mud.
Carolyn – I was the West Wing’s #1 Fan, and I loved that segment on Lawrence last night. i’m also looking for the clip, because a person can’t help but be proud after watching that – and even Lawrence’s little blurb at the beginning as he explained why he wrote that scene for the West Wing. I think the writing on that show is what educated me about Democrats and Republicans, and the difference between the two. I was even more impressed when I heard that they fashioned Jimmy Smits’ character on then-Senator Obama. I could definitely see the President saying those words, and the truth is, he says a variety of those declarations all the time – and he even praises Republicans for what they once were, before they went crazy.
I loooooooovvvveee the West Wing, sorry theo67, I’m their #1 Fan..LOL!! My husband bought me the boxed set a Mother’s Day a few years ago. Now if I can just convince him to get me the Law and Order boxed set!
So cute. Kenny Salazar is with the President at the firehouse today, and I just saw him looking adoringly at the President – twice. They must all just respect him so much.
I absolutely adore the relationship between PBO and Sec. Salazar. I believe they were both colleagues in the Senate and the admiration and respect they have for each other is a joy to witness.
Totally agree ut. The chemistry between Sec Salazar and President Obama is so cute. And as always, I love to hear Ken say President Barack Obama. No one says his name with such gusto.
Ken Salazzar used to be one of our Senators. He and President Obama were freshmen together and spent lots of time together. That is why President Obama pulled him to Washington. He is very good, and has the same values as President Obama. Ken Salazar usually wears a cowboy hat. They make a good pair. So different, yet the same. Men of character.
EVERYONE LOVES OUR PBO AND FOR GOOD REASON…THE ONLY ONES WHO DON’T ARE THE GREEDY REPUBS AND RIGHT WINGERS WITH CRAZY IDEOLOGICAL BELIEFS…AND THE DISGUSTING RACISTS! BUT…WE SHALL PREVAIL…WE ARE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY AND HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL. WE HAVE THE GREATEST PRESIDENT AMERICA WILL EVER SEE IN ITS HISTORY!
I LOVE OUR PBO…WHAT GREAT IDEAS PRESENTED TODAY FOR OUR VETS…COPS,FIRE DEPT, RANGERS, AND TRAINING FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO START A BUSINESS. GREAT NEW JOBS REPORT…OF COURSE ‘RUSTY’ HAS ALREADY BEEN OUT TRYING TO DOWN IT! I AM SO TIRED OF HIM…NEXT TIME HE GOES TO A TANNING BED…THIS GIRL IS GOING TO SUPER GLUE THE LID SHUT! OF COURSE…WHERE HE’S GOING IN ETERNITY…THE AMBIANCE WILL BE THE SAME!..LOL! NOW…I FEEL BETTER!
I’M ANXIOUS TO SEE WHAT THE REPUBS. IN INDY DO WITH THE SUPERBOWL $$$$$$…WE NEED AN EXCELLENT MONEY TRAIL SNIFFER. DANIELS IS GREAT AT MANIPULATING THE BUCKS…I’D LIKE TO VELCRO HIM TO A WALL!
243K jobs added. Unemp. rate down to 8.3%. American hostages released by Egyptian authorities. It really is good to be @BarackObama today.— (@utaustinliberal) February 03, 2012
UT, Hopefruit, and Donna dem 4obama, You are all so wonderful! You always contribute so much wisdom, insight and passion to this wonderful site. I personally learn so much from reading your commentaries.
The timing of this is amazing. I’ve been giving Komen the side eye for close to 2 years now but this PP fiasco is the straw that broke the camel’s back. Don’t think we’ll forget about this by the time October comes around. I wonder if they’ll have a major drop in donations.
The House on Friday morning approved legislation that calls for $63 billion in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding through 2015, after 23 short-term extensions that members of both parties said was making it harder for the agency to perform its air safety functions.
The House approved the conference report to H.R. 658, the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, by a 248-169 vote.
Chipsticks – GREAT!
I saw Red Tails last Friday and it is an amazing movie that had everyone in the Theatre clapping at the end.
It is a must see for sure.
Obama administration to move forward with closing Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac – The Washington Post wapo.st/AzTTmM— Rick Cooley (@rcooley123) February 03, 2012
Interesting – and also encouraging that the Obama Administration are planning long term legislative efforts, which extend well into their second term. I don’t know how Geithner will ever be able to tear himself away from such an exciting time. Anyone who survives the first term should stick around for a second term so they can actually do what they wanted to do in the first term, without the pressure of having to get re-elected. More freedom!
I hope the surviving Tuskegee Airmen get some of the proceeds from this film. People didn’t think it was a story worth telling – but these men actually lived it.
I second your proposal for honoring the surviving Tuskegee Airmen. I lost a very good friend of mine, three years ago, who was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. His widow and children could also use some support and recognition.
With this caving to rabid rightwingers Komen has definitely tarnished its brand. They never expected this backlash, but in this, the social media turned against them and showed that the power of the people shouldn’t be trifled with. Yes, there may be no guarantee of future grants, but I think Planned Parenthood will do just fine and if there is any more hint of political foul play in consideration of future grants, you can bet Komen will feel the brunt of donors and a sharp drop in donations.
MUST READ!!!! So, one of these journalists on TIME mag’s political page is more or less against the president and his policies. But today, after the BOFFO jobs report, he was eating crow and drinking gutter water. The beauty of it is that he made a post about his delicious breakfast this morning.
An excerpt
Post titled “Jan Jobs Report Good news for economy, bad news for pessimists”
Some Obama opponents are struggling to find a cloud in the silver lining of January’s jobs numbers, which estimated that there was a 243,000-job boost and a big drop in the unemployment rate, from 8.5% to 8.3%, last month. Their biggest gripe focuses on the size of the labor force: As the unemployment rate has trended down over the last few months, anti-Obama commentators have argued that the official percentage for those without jobs is deceptive because the Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t count those who have stopped looking for work. In Friday’s report, they found a sharp increase in that group: More than 1.2 million people joined the non-job seeking pool of working-age Americans last month.
I was ready to join the pessimists Friday morning when I saw the sharp drop in the unemployment rate, but for a different reason. The January unemployment report, I had been forewarned by BLS, was the first to be based on models using 2010 census figures
* He explains why in his post*
And just as a final kick in the teeth to those of us who tend to look at the glass as half empty, the Institute for Supply Management on Friday reported that factory orders were up 1.1% in December, suggesting job growth may continue, at least in the manufacturing sector, as producers hire more workers to meet demand.
All in all, it was a very grim day for serial pessimists, this writer included.
I wonder if these pessimists realize they’re rooting for US failure? For American families to suffer? For America to decline in the world? When I heard that one GOP Congressman (Hensarling, I think) depressingly trying to find a negative thing to say about the jobs numbers, I was disgusted. They’d look much better if they just came out and celebrated good news for the American people at least once during this Presidency. They tried to steal the OBL news. They have tried to steal the news of the end of the Iraq war. And now, they want to steal joy away from Americans about the economic recovery. Just once, can they give the people something to feel good about?
Actually, I take that back. The American people can feel good about this news with or without the GOP. The people who vote for the GOP have to decide if they want to stick with their lying, nay-saying party or come into the light. It’s nice and warm over here.
exactly right, theo. the repugs have to do the work of looking at the truth about pbo’s leadership and then make a decision : am i for the repugs, or am i for america?
Hahaha…..I just love how Lawrence get under his skin…..He is almost the only one who tells the truth about that clown. That he has to work, he needs the money….the fake billionaire…..
So that’s all he could come up with today.
realDonaldTrump Donald J. Trump
The New York Times/Bill Carter/Sept.26, 2011: “On MSNBC, meanwhile, Lawrence O’Donnell has lost 100,000 viewers from the numbers Mr. Olbermann posted last September, with 185,000 viewers in the 25-54 age group, a drop of 35 percent.” @Lawrence
His bully tactics seem to work with most people but never did with Lawrence, on the contrary and Trump knows it.
I remember when he threatened to sue him and Lawrence said: Donald Trump cannot afford to sue me lol…..
”I bet the dumbest political commentator on television, @Lawrence, will soon be thrown off the air for poor ratings. He’s a total loser–a face made for radio! (Already off Friday”
Oh yes,
From a guy with a raccoon on his head to say that Lawrence has a face for radio lol.
I watched some of the hearing and I fell even more in love with AG Holder. Man oh man don’t get on his bad side. The GOP were trying to undermine him, call him dumb and stupid, call him grossly incompetent and every insulting name under the sun. Holder fought fire with fire. He kept slamming them with fact after fact after fact. I would not want to get into a verbal spat with him. He has a sharp, sharp, sharp tongue. It was wonderful and hilarious to watch the GOP floundering. They thought he’d be meek and come with his tail between his legs but he as much as said to them…… don’t ever muck – PBO’s words…. – with me you juvenile brats.
Thanks so much for the update! I adore Holder and his wife. He is such an intelligent, diligent, positive, and straight forward kind of person. I am so happy to know that he is not taking their garbage!
I loved his comment to Labrador. Paraphrasing here: “That may be how things are done in Oregon(?) but not in DC. This was in response to Labrador showing a video clip of something AG Holder had said about President Clinton pardoning some guy in the 1990s. I think one of the main problems that so many GOPers in Congress have with AG Holder is the same one they have with PBO–they’re smart and they know their stuff. Many of the new GOPers in the House have never bothered to know anything except RW talking points crafted by Frank Luntz, so when they run into people like our PBO and AG Holder, they are simply outmatched. For examples, think about Joe Walsh and Allen West, for starters.
I am so protective of PBO and his ‘Crew’ I couldn’t watch the hearings…after the first 5 minutes I had to turn…if I had watched any longer I would have been on a plane to DC to kiss some butts!!!!! I am glad to hear that Holder handled his business. The GOP remaind me of my ex-husband…bullies…the whole bunch of them.
Rethug is right, amk! I’ve never seen a congressman so thuggish looking. From Idaho? Just north of me, filled with many extremely intelligent and respectful people, and this hooligan is elected?
I try not to linky to POLITICO but Good Heavens. Fox News, of fair and balance fame, buried the jobs number report today. Take a look at the all of the MSM screenshots
Well I’m sure this surprises no one on this blog and after all Murdock or Ailes (I can’t remember which one) said they are NOT a news organization they are entertainment. Yet every major real news network treats Fox if they really are a news organization. I guess this is why GOPolitco felt the obvious needed to be pointed out.
Oh they did…maybe not live. But on their website blared “Obama uses Jesus to explain raising taxes” or something of that nature…nothing about them is fair or balanced
oh man LOL! The tweet i read must have been referring to fox not covering it live. I wonder what their coverage of the prayer breakfast was like when the president was GWB?
Get out your handkerchiefs, boys and girls, because you’ll need it after this video of a young girl in NJ testifying to let her two gay dads marry. BTW, I am from NJ and I attend a progressive church that is very inclusive where everyone is welcome, (there are two wonderful gay men that practically run the place). There are also two gay dads at our church with adorable twin daughters who were born via surrogacy with the help of one of the men’s sister. She didn’t provide the gestational egg but agreed to carry the babies. After the babies were born the sister who identified as lesbian were turned against the fathers by their born-again mother and has been successful in trying to get at least partial custody of the twin girls. These guys have spent thousands fighting for their rights as parents and it just breaks my heart. Please pray or have the strong intention, that NJ passes the same sex marriage law.
I can’t watch the video from work, but what a strange story! I would expect that gay sister to have more compassion for her brother – and what did she think was going to happen when she agreed to carry the baby for them? Since her DNA isn’t involved, why does she get partial custody? Very strange story.
How progressive of your church, though. There’s actually a Catholic church close to my house that is equally progressive, and welcomes everyone: gay, straight, everything, all of the above. That’s how it should be, I think.
Well, the fantastic news is that the guys got custody! I hadn’t been to church in a few weeks. I am so, so happy. This is awesome.Below is a link about it from the NJ papers. I am just beyond thrilled!
FACT: ObamaCare saved nearly 4 million seniors over $2.1 billion on prescription drugs in 2011 thkpr.gs/w0FByD#icymi— ThinkProgress (@thinkprogress) February 03, 2012
Revisions also good: November goes from 100K to 157k. Dec. from 200k to 203k. Everything in this report is good.— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) February 03, 2012
Velma Hart was surprisingly pro-Obama in her appearance today on Nowwithalex. I was shocked. She praised PBO for his strategic moves re; jobs. I couldn’t believe my ears.
If you ever needed proof that Repubs were rooting for a bad economy here it is:
Rep. Allen West (R-FL) struck a suspicious note about today’s positive job numbers. He put up the following on his official Facebook wall:
“Can someone tell me how employment in the black community has improved at a rate three times the national average in just a few months?? With numbers like today, urban communities should be well on their way to economic recovery then! There is something suspicious about the job numbers released today and it has me very concerned. Sept/2011 Black unemployment: 15.9 %, Americans overall: 9.0 %. Jan/2012 Black unemployment: 13.6 %, Americans overall: 8.3%. Is this dramatic supposed decrease in black unemployment a result of job creation or is someone playing around with the census numbers?? Americans need truth, not these number games.”
I knew one of them was going to come out with conspiracy theories. Allen West needs to tell us what he’s been doing to help the black community, other than telling people to “get the hell out of the USA”. The President released a summary of what they’ve been doing to help the black community, and has started a new “African Americans for Obama” group – we can see where the President is spending his energy, and so I’m not surprised that things are improving for the black community along with the rest of the economy. What can Allen West point to as evidence of his own work for blacks?
I can’t wait until he’s out of Congress. He’s toxic.
“Can someone tell me how employment in the black community has improved at a rate three times the national average in just a few months?? With numbers like today, urban communities should be well on their way to economic recovery then! There is something suspicious about the job numbers released today and it has me very concerned. Sept/2011 Black unemployment: 15.9 %, Americans overall: 9.0 %. Jan/2012 Black unemployment: 13.6 %, Americans overall: 8.3%. Is this dramatic supposed decrease in black unemployment a result of job creation or is someone playing around with the census numbers?? Americans need truth, not these number games.”
Actually, I do believe that the numbers WERE being played with – but that was before the President called the GOP/Wall St./MSM’s bluff and proposed his American Jobs Act. Since the capture and killing of Bin Laden, the economic news (which had been on an upswing the previous months) suddenly started being negative and continued that way through the summer – with the MSM gleefully chanting that foreign policy was not going to determine the election – it was the economy. Then there was this sudden concern for the plight of the Black community with Troubled Waters, West, Smiley, etc all trying to make a name for themselves with the media’s help – they were all blaming PBO and no one else. Then came OWS with it’s fake agenda of taking money out of politics when it was being funded by Romney’s Wall Street guy. I think our President AND a few honest Democrats knew there was a lot of BS going on just to make it easier for the GOP in the upcoming election year. Once he announced the AJA, then the employers had no choice but to release the proper numbers because now the GOP were backed into the corner and tasked with voting for the jobs act and not against it. All these upward revisions we’re now seeing, I suspect were based on figures that were being suppressed all along in an attempt to hurt the President.
WORD! I thought I was the only one with this understanding about what is (really) going on….so many people have their heads in the sand and/or clouds (my friends think I am a tad bit weird) and they won’t think beyond what they are being feed…
The truth is these idiots like Allen West can’t deal with the fact that Barack Obama will be re-elected. West is a disgrace to the black community. West has some anger issue, it is clear he needs help.
Congratulations on your job gobrooklyn. Whoever hired you is very fortunate. I hope this is a career you can enjoy and progress in.
My take on the Komen apology….it’s window dressing, trying to abate a little the storm they stirred up. You do realize they’re headquartered in Texas and Texas has passed one of those nasty ultrasound anti-abortion laws. I totally believe they are under political pressure from wealthy legislators in the state. Oh how I wish Molly Ivins and Ann Richards were alive to kick these people where they’d feel it!
NEW YORK, Feb 3 (Reuters) – New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on Friday accused three major U.S. banks of fraudulently using an electronic mortgage database to avoid the need for recording mortgage transfers.
Schneiderman’s office said he was suing Bank of America Corp , Wells Fargo & Co and JPMorgan Chase & Co in New York state court in Brooklyn.
“The mortgage industry created MERS to allow financial institutions to evade county recording fees, avoid the need to publicly record mortgage transfers and facilitate the rapid sale and securitization of mortgages en masse,” Schneiderman said.
MERS, the Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, is a system for tracking mortgage ownership. (Reporting by Karen Freifeld; Editing by Eddie Evans)
Lots of good news today so here’s a personal one. This morning I had my first MRI to figure out the source of hearing loss in my right ear. Since I’m slightly claustrophobic I was afraid of getting a panic attack in an enclosed space. Got through the whole excruciating 40 minutes by replaying Chip’s Adele video in my head. Goes to show the healing power of TOD.
When he heard about our Two-Term Fund, he tweeted:
“Saw another @BarackObama fund appeal for $3 gift. Good mktg or forced by low enthusiasm? Bet many upset 08 donors are taking pass this year.”
We often ask people for $3 because we believe as many people as possible should take ownership of the political process. It’s easy to understand why that might not compute to the guy doing a lot of the selling for a party bought and sold by special interests.
Since we launched the Two-Term Fund Wednesday afternoon, 41,978 people have stepped up and chipped in an average of $40.63 each.
Can you help — with $3 or whatever you can afford?
It’s telling that Karl Rove is planning to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for the 2012 campaign — but hasn’t endorsed or worked for any of the candidates.
That’s because he doesn’t care who wins the nomination.
His singular, obsessive focus is defeating Barack Obama.
So, knowing Karl Rove is watching, here’s my real question:
okay, amk, i’ll donate some more, this time for you! rover must really miss the shrub days, when he could imagine he was relevant. here’s some news rover: i’ve already donated twice what i gave in 2008, and it’s still february! why? because pbo is so good! four more years!
as of now, the donation page reports the two-term fund has raised $2,139,303 !! and the goal was $2million! there were 55,772 people donating this money. so proud of us, and of our president!
Well, Hopefruit2, either way you look at it, President Obama is busy creating jobs. Some of the most beneficiaries for his job creation have been people, like Velma Hart, who trashed him. Velma Hart should be thankful that Barack Obama is the President. Otherwise, there is no way she would have been employed as a CNBC contributor if she was out bashing a President John McCain.
Pink Ribbons, Inc. Documentary starts today in Canada, US screenings may not be until later in the spring. See link below. Gotta wonder if Komen’s “apology” wasn’t prompted in some part to take some attention away from this film. The clips from the documentary that are on You Tube are pretty scathing and Komen’s foundation is front and center in the documentary.
INDEED…MITTENS NEEDS A COMPASS TO REALIZE WHERE HE IS…THAT STATEMENT IS ALSO A VERY POOR INTRODUCTION TO OUR PRECIOUS NATIVE AMERICANS THAT LIVE OUT THERE!
Maybe we all need to stand at the borders of the various states to keep Romney OUT. I agree – hands off our precious Native Americans and their land; as in: it’s not your land, Romney, even if you break into what you call a “song.”
‘Maybe we all need to stand at the borders of the various states to keep Romney OUT’
Not at all, Jacque. For now we need to open the doors wide and let him in. With what goal? So that he can RELAX and tell us all what he really thinks about America and her people, and show us the America HE believes in. That way when America says ‘No, thank you’ and he wonders why she’ll have lots to tell him about his wooing shortcomings. VC
Romney should check the party credentials of his advisors. They might be supporters of President Obama! I can’t believe he’s saying and doing some of the stuff he’s doing.
My husband watched the push-ups video for the first time this morning. He said, “Michelle Obama is the finest, the best, the most authentic First Lady of my lifetime, and I remember Eleanor Roosevelt.”
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) launched a special fundraising political action committee in October, pledging to use the money to fight illegal immigration and take on other issues she believes in. But based on financial disclosures filed this week, she has so far used it to do little more than buy copies of her own book.
The governor had raised only about $22,000 for Jan PAC by the end of 2011 and spent nearly a quarter of the cash, buying books from Amazon and paying a bill at the luxurious Waldorf Astoria hotel in Orlando, Fla. The rest of the money is still in the bank.
Brewer spent $3,423 on books and shipping from the online retailer, according to the financial reports. On her fundraising website, she offers a signed copy of her book “Scorpions for Breakfast” to every donor who gives $100 or more.
In early December she also spent $624 for a night at the swank Waldorf Astoria in Orlando, which her financial disclosures repeatedly misspell as “Orlanda.” Another $513 went to airfare on Southwest Airlines.
A message left for representatives of Jan PAC was not returned.
In October, the governor launched the PAC with several goals: fighting illegal immigration, defeating the president’s healthcare plan, creating jobs and reducing the size of government.
The financial disclosures represent a time before Brewer’s now famous encounter with President Obama on an airport runway in Phoenix last week. Sales of “Scorpions for Breakfast” spiked on Amazon after the event and the governor used her renewed notoriety to encourage people to donate to Jan PAC.
Among the donors revealed in the financial disclosures were former US Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, who lives in the Phoenix suburb of Peoria and gave $250, and wealthy real estate developer Mike Ingram, who gave $1,000.
Brewer’s final term as governor ends in 2014 and she has not said whether she plans to run for another office after that.
but, isn’t keeping her name and her face and her nasty book in the public eye an excellent immigrant deterrent? it’s like, if you put those scary red balloons with the big eyes in your garden, so the birds don’t eat your crops–she’s the scary red balloon with the big eyes. works on me, anyway. i’m never going where she is.
He says he hates the accelerated drawdown in Afghanistan. Ackerman ponders Romney’s spin:
Remember, a major part of Romney’s foreign policy critique of Obama is that Obama callously mistreats and neglects U.S. allies. The allies, however, want the 2013 timetable. Romney surely had to bash the change in the timetable; that’s all in the game. But Mitt doesn’t seem to have thought through the angles here.
Larison tries to square the circle:
At present, Romney’s complaint is that Obama is publicly announcing something that all of the allied governments involved support, but he also wants to keep saying that Obama has done a terrible job of managing relationships with allies. Romney is remarkably flexible when it comes to policy positions, but I don’t think he will be able to keep making two mutually contradictory attacks at the same time.
plus, he doesn’t seem to register in his brain what is coming out of his mouth. given that, he wouldn’t even notice making ‘two mutually contradictory attacks at the same time.’ no brain? no problem.
New edition of Romney's most offensive falsehoods of the week (this one covers 2 weeks) on.msnbc.com/yhjxnB— Steve Benen (@stevebenen) February 03, 2012
That’s my Stevie. Love him. Just imagine where we would be now if his colleagues in the mainstream media were also focused on debunking the GOP lies. I am glad Steve is focusing on Willard, but pathological lying is the thread that runs through Republican Party. They are morally bankrupt and they have nothing of substance to offer the American people. So lying and making stuff up has become their stock-in-trade.
Feb 3 (Reuters) – Goldman Sachs Group Inc was ordered by a federal judge to face a securities class-action lawsuit accusing it of misleading investors about a 2006 offering of securities backed by risky mortgage loans from a now-defunct lender.
U.S. District Judge Harold Baer in Manhattan certified a class-action lawsuit by investors in the GSAMP Trust 2006-S2, a $698 million offering of certificates based on a pool of second-lien home mortgages.
The underlying loans were made by New Century Financial Corp, a subprime mortgage specialist that went bankrupt in 2007.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit said New Century ignored its own underwriting standards and used improper appraisals when making the loans, and Goldman failed to conduct adequate due diligence when it bought the loans and packaged them into securities.
Huffington Faux is having a major meltdown over the positive news report. So far their main headline has not featured the jobs report (that rarely happens). Instead, they’ve been putting out one negative article after another about how bad the report is really is, and blah, blah blah blah…
I no longer post there and rarely visit/browse…I just checked to see what the headline was because I know that the (negative) jobs numbers used to be one of their favorite things to report enthusiastically in big bold red 96-font headlines…The contrast in enthusiasm with which today’s report was met by HuffnPuff was duly noted by me
They are transparent and unbearable. I had to stop going there shortly after the inauguration, and only go if someone posts a good link. They seem so tabloid-ish now. No better than National Inquirer.
I can’t even go there if someone posts a good link. I’ll usually wait until someone describes what’s there. Sad, because there used to be (and may still be) a lot of good writers on that site, not the Arianna types who buffaloed everybody into thinking they were “one of us.”
Special new right wing calendar: Bush presidency began on 9/11; Obama presidency began at the start of the economic meltdown.— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) February 03, 2012
Arizona Republican Cecil Ash suggested that the state consider celebrating “White American Day.”
Arizona Republican Cecil Ash could be the new standard bearer for his state’s racist reputation. During a discussion in the state house about perhaps enacting a Latino American day or month like Black History Month, Ash suggested that the state should also consider a “White American Day” of some sort.
“I’m supportive of this proposition. I just want them to assure me that when we do become in the minority you’ll have a day for us,” said the Caucasian lawmaker, local KPHO reports. Not surprisingly, Ash is a Birther who believes Obama’s blackness somehow signals foreignness. http://www.angryblacklady.com/2012/02/03/arizona-lawmaker-proposes-white-american-day/
Can someone explain to me why Team Chicago is telling reporters “on background” that if UE is at 8.5%, it’s going to be “impossible to win?” Why the hell would you say something like that? It’s idiotic to try to set ANY expectation of the UE rate other than “We have to move it in the right direction.” This President has done Herculean things to right the ship and now they’re telling reporters they can’t convince the public WITH ALL THE POSITIVE data and all the good things PBO has done?!! Ugh.
I’m assuming Axelrod, Messina, and those guys. They do talk to reporters on background or off the record, just like in Game Change, so the likelihood is that it’s true. I’ve also heard this figure at least four times the last two days from different reporters, and not your campaign embed reporters. The big shots like Dan Balz and Jim Vandehei who have access to the main players. It’s just baffling to me why they would even bring it up! PBO can WIN with 8.5%, god forbid it goes back up to that. He has done so many good things. He’s a one of a kind campaigner against a soulless robot. Trying to set expectations is just a dumb idea, esp. with something as volatile as the economy. PBO never said 8%. It never crossed his lips, but that has now been all over the news as a metric because of Christie Romer. And it shot us in the foot bc it created a threshold. This 8.5% these guys are repeating could turn into another one of those artificial metrics when PBO is completely capable of winning in that environment.
No, I agree Desraye that it will be tough if UE shoots back up, but why would you say “It’s impossible to win?!” PBO has a STRONG record and a GOOD narrative to cite to say he was able to stop the bleeding and we’re healing even if it does slightly tick up.
Never set a hard expectation in politics!! Psyche is just as important as facts in media reporting. For example, let’s say Christie Romer had said 9% and not 8% if the stimulus had passed. PBO would be cruising right now and have huge amounts of political capital to persuade undecideds. Setting an expectation of 8% really hurt us and just gave an easy talking point for the GOP liars to repeat UNFAIRLY. Saying 8.5% as “impossible to win” is just idiotic. They shouldn’t even be talking about a NUMBER to anybody. Just KEEP PUSHING! PBO is an amazing politician and has a record to show for it! Chances are UE will go up or down in the next 9 months which makes the media reporting even harder if they see that 8.5 number.
You got to remember that PBO likes to be the underdog. I like that they said that it will be impossible to win because it let Obama supporters know that this will not be an easy election. It encourages supporters and volunteers.
Folks – At no time would anyone in the campaign ever announce that unemployment will be at record lows on X date. Ain’t gonna happen. It’s a political trick to present yourself as the underdog. If anything were purposely said “off the record,” it would be so that low expectations are put out there by the media, only to be beaten before election day.
Don’t fall for the hype. Nothing anyone in the Obama campaign has ever said is “off the record” – they know better – it’s all a strategy. Remember they are experts at politics.
Because they’re expecting unemployment to be at 2% or 3% by election day — if we have a “really bad” six months ahead — and they don’t mind letting everyone focus “like a laser beam” on an easily tracked economic statistic?
To be blunt: I think many people wildly underestimate this President and his team.
Regardless of your politics, I think that is an extremely unwise inclination that should never inform your strategy.
‘Because they’re expecting unemployment to be at 2% or 3% by election day’
Funny I was thinking along those lines before coming down to your answer, Ralph. But I was thinking more ‘reasonably’, like 7.8-8%. Yeah, I tend to be a cautious one and not much of a gambler.
I gave up questioning what these guys say/do a LOO-OONG time ago, and find that I am far, far more relaxed about each point that pops up. Truth is, I can’t put a finger on the moment when my confidence/trust in Prez O and his team solidified unquestionably, or even the moment when I became aware that it had. I can say though, that I so take it for granted now that even were they to make a decision (gamble?) that failed, it wouldn’t shatter me. I would just think, ‘Ah well, that didn’t work out as well as we hoped. What’s our detour guys, so we can continue the war?’ I’m not a history scholar, but I have this vague idea that most wars don’t romp, or ramp, their way to victory without challenges, and winning majors/generals (the top military guys?) don’t always make the right call EVERY time. My dream, and it’s a big dream I know, is for the day (BEFORE the victory on Nov. 6) when all troopers would follow the team into battle with UNQUESTIONING loyalty. Yes, we are all different personalities, but I do not really see how asking the leader ‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING?’ at every step we did not predict helps. In my mind that moment of pause while we question might be the really pivotal moment that causes the soldiers behind us, who were also fearful but who were trying to be courageous, to doubt and turn tail and run. To use Jovie’s favourite words, ‘Just saying’ VC
Well, VC, I could just burst out crying right now. That was heartfelt, beautifully said, and much appreciated. I feel the exact same way you so graciously described.
VC – I totally agree with you! We’re so on the same wavelength. If a CEO was questioned every time he/she made a move or a decision, companies would never take risks. That’s why Romney’s claim of superiority because he was involved in business (and even that involvement is questionable, since he seems timid) is a load of bunk. The Presidency is so different from a business. People vote for a president because they trust his judgement and trust that the decisions he/she makes will positively affect their lives. That’s not to say we follow blindly, but we trust them – and there’s an election every so often to send them a message (and impeachment, if necessary).
This is why the nonsense coming from the right, and the apathy of those in the left and the middle – terrifies me. The GOP voters don’t care about policies or consequences, they just want the satisfaction of defeating the President. The same mentality of 2010 with the Dem voters. No regard for the effect on people’s lives, no real consideration of judgement or trustworthiness of the candidate. That attitude is a threat to real democracy, in my opinion.
I will hope with you that we’ll see the day when people finally arm themselves with information (Bachmann-style) and give this man the benefit of the doubt – especially after three years of honest, thoughtful, consistently exquisite leadership.
thanks so much for this beautiful message. i, too, can’t remember when my trust in this president and his decisions became absolute and unquestioning. i just know it was years ago. there are so many voices tearing this presidency down and doubting our pbo’s skill and wisdom–we need to make sure our voices are spreading the news of all the good, all the progress, all the hoped for, planned for change that is going on right now!
pbo and his team are superb–but not divine. their adversaries are stupid–but not weak. not every little thing, or every big thing, will go our way. that doesn’t mean our strategy was wrong. please, halo, check your sources, breathe, think for a minute, and recognize that pbo is on this. he’s got it. all we have to do is help him get re-elected.
@chucktodd Chuck Todd
Two days in a row, have a GOP senator tell me they support Obama admin plan to speed up end of combat ops. Heller yesterday, Johanns today
Time for PUSH BACK, Guys just almost destroyed my TV. Just watched CNN interview of Allan Krueger the Presidents Economic Adviser. and he was doing his best to say what we all has been saying that this economy has been improving but the anchor standoffish and gleefull bringing tea party and retug talking bpiont even nto the extent of saying that The President and his Team are doing a victory dance. Whats wrong with this Black anchors on cnn that they think that bringing the President down is how they get ahead or an upward mobility I am just incensed about how they treat The most brilliant intelligent President ever, ever.
Even if the President is doing a victory dance, why shouldn’t he? He deserves it! After three years of begin bashed about unemployment, and listening to Boehner demand to know “where are the jobs”, the real question is – why aren’t the GOP doing a victory dance? Why are they and the media all sour-faced, trying so hard to make this into bad news?
The President should dance until his feet hurt. He deserves it!
But knowing our President, he will not do any victory dance till every American who wants a job can find one. He knows we have a long way to go, but he will keep fighting for the poor and middle class.
Sweet, I like his style. The man is fierce. He is the GOP and Wall Street’s worst nightmare. Anyone wanting more details on this amazing and dedicated public servant can check out the website below:
Meet NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, The Man Who Could Be Wall Street’s New Worst Nightmare
I don’t care if Susan G. Komen for the Cure “reversed” their decision by honoring current Planned Parenthood grants (with no promise of new grants). I don’t like the way they manage the funds they receive. Too little of it goes to actual breast cancer research.
I think it is important to look for alternative places to contribute and volunteer like:
-Planned Parenthood
-The Breast Cancer Research Foundation ( http://www.bcrfcure.org ) – 90.9% of donations go to research and awareness.
I’m with you. The more I learn about this corporate shill of an organization, the more disgusted I get. Typical right-wing business practices. Willard would be right at home with their business model — and they’re probably paying little or no taxes!
In addition to the orgs you listed, I’ve heard American Cancer Society may be an option. I’m gonna do more research.
YOU CAN’T UN-RING THE BELL, THIS WAS AN EPIC FAIL FOR KOMEN
I am looking at this reversal with a jaundiced eye. The cynic in me feels this is just being done because they did not anticipate the magnitude of the outrage they got from this decision. Now, they are trying to ease their hand out of the lions mouth in hopes of tamping down this public relations disaster. There should be a full reversal to the previous state with no strings attached.
For me, the Susan G. Komen organization’s name has been severely tarnished. I will never feel the same way about them again. The fact that they could have made this decision in the first place is just horrifying. And it infuriates me to have them try to pretend that the decision was not political. I find that insulting beyond belief. They must really think we are idiots.
Susan G. Kormen will not be getting one red penny from me. I will be donating directly to Planned Parenthood.
Obama Uses Unemployment Drop To Take Down Boehner and The GOP
======================
President Obama not only sent the message to congressional — specifically House –Republicans not to screw up this recovery, but he also set them up to be the cause of any future tumble that the economy might take. Obama’s point was that he got the economy on the right track again, and if it goes off the rails because Republicans in Congress continue to play their obstruction games, it will be their fault.
President Obama also let it be known that he is about to tolerate John Boehner’s plan to attach Keystone XL to any bill extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits. This is what the president was referring to when he said, “no ideological side issues.” Obama was sending a message to Speaker Boehner that he can forget about Keystone XL.
Finally found out who the cute Dr. Alan Krueger is – President Obama’s Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. Smart guy, and good spokesman. He was on Andrea Mitchell’s show, which I’m only watching again because of her stance on Komen, along with Sens. Boxer and Murray, yesterday.
Andrea also covered the drop in the African American unemployment rate from 15.8 to 13.6% U.S. Economics writer Greg Ip of The Economist was on her show and he said the economy may be less of an issue in November for the President.
Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN)
Last week, ThinkProgress Green reported that Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN), joined the oil industry in lobbying Congress on behalf of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, using taxpayer dollars. Although the proposed pipeline does not go through Indiana, and few, if any, Indiana workers are expected to be employed in its construction, the state’s DC representatives received $66,000 from Indiana taxpayers to lobby Congress in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Citing the ThinkProgress Green report, House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) wrote one of those lobbyists yesterday, noting that her disclosed Keystone KL lobbying “seems unusual” as Indiana lacks any “obvious interest” in seeing the pipeline completed. In the letter, addressed to lobbyist Deborah Hohlt, Waxman “would appreciate the opportunity to learn about Indiana’s interests in the proposed Keystone XL pipeline” and requested a briefing from her.
“You’re kind of catching me off-guard,” Hohlt told Politico when asked about her tar-sands lobbying:
Hohlt had no answers when POLITICO contacted her Thursday, saying she still hadn’t seen Waxman’s letter. “You’re kind of catching me off-guard,” she said.
But Jane Jankowski, the press secretary for Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, said Hohlt simply listed in her disclosure report “any topic she’s spoken about on behalf of the state.”
“Gov. Daniels has talked about the need for the Keystone pipeline and issued a statement about it, which she passed on to our delegation, so she included it on her report,” Jankowski wrote.
Hohlt’s disclosure form lists the pipeline as one of four energy-related issues on which she lobbied both Congress and the Department of Energy.
A second lobbyist, Griffin Foster, also reported lobbying Congress and the Obama administration on the Keystone XL pipeline on Daniels’ behalf, over the same period.
—
Can someone please tweet this to David Gregory….I think Daniels is on MTP on Sunday.
With one policy change, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure has gone from a respected heal advocacy charity, to a crass political actor. And that’s a shame.
He organization’s socialite founder was all over TV today trying to contain the damage from a decision they actually started making in December: to hire a right wing, anti-abortion, anti-contraception conservative firebrand on the rebound from a failed run for Georgia governor, and then, likely at her direction, to sever it’s grant-making ties to Planned Parenthood.
The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg has done some excellent reporting on the controversy and has this today:
Mahalos, Ladyhawke. That tweet above the article said something like..,”Just like a pro abortion group to turn a cancer orgs decision into a political bomb. Cry me a freaking river.”
First of all..nobody is pro abortion, idiot and secondly..the cancer org fired the shot discriminating who gets cancer screenings. Just like anti choice to make up shit.
* Retired Supreme Sandra Day O’Conner quips about GOP presidential candidates at Alfalfa Club dinner: “[O]ne is a practicing polygamist, and he’s not even the Mormon.”
“The Two-Term fund just broke $2 million!” That’s very good news.
And Willard has raised 750k less–and he doesn’t show how many donors which means it’s not many…
OFA shows the number of donors, and it’s currently over 52k.
yes! great news! a few minutes ago i was thinking of donating a dollar more since i’ve already donated a number of times very recently. if a million supporters all give even a dollar right now it’ll help!
Just tweeted Phil Gingrey: and called him a sack of names for walking out of the prayer breakfast. These Republicans are such skunks. They don’t respect President Obama nor the office of the Presidency. I tweeted Orrin Hatch and called him out for the stupid stuff he said about President Obama on the Senate floor. Talking about he doesn’t walk on water, blah, blah, blah, I told him he sounded like a two year and to look in the mirror and he’ll know why Congress has an 11% approval rating. Someone corrected me and said it’s 9%.
To show you how morally bankrupt these jackasses are: Ralph Reed said Obama’s speech was “theologically threadbare.”
Exactly what Jesus do these people believe in? I used to think it was a joke but these fools are deadly serious: if Jesus loved you, he would make you rich. If you’re not rich, you’re failing Jesus.
And ignore the entire meaning of Jesus’ teachings? Has this entire country gone batshit crazy?
That would be the same Ralph Reed who palled around with Jack Abramoff and made a living faking piety while fleecing the evangelicals every chance he got.
There was a report a couple of years ago about the Family. They talked about this very subject – I think it was a book that a man wrote who embedded himself in the house on K street. Anyway, he was talking about how the Family has this exact theory, and they believe that ultimately, there’s a chosen elite, and the rest of the people are supposed to serve them. They believe that the teachings of Jesus were incorrectly translated, and that he came for the rich, not for the poor. I’ll try and find the footage – it was on Rachel, I think. Once I listened to this, I was able to maintain my sanity when I heard their nonsense.
I can’t find the footage where they actually said that Jesus’ teachings were misinterpreted, but I did find this segment of Rachel’s series on the C-street house and The Family. It’s chilling. There are two parts in this one – the first video, and then the interview with the author further down on the page. Worth watching.
Eureka! I found it – hearing it again sent shivers down my spine. Here’s a sample:
“The family began, it’s the oldest Christian conservative organization in Washington and it goes back seventy years. And the founder believed that god gave him a new revelation saying that Christianity had gotten it wrong for two thousand years and that what most people think of as Christianity, as being about, you know, helping the weak and the poor and the meek and the down and out, he believes god came to him one night in April in 1935 and said what Christianity should really be about is building more power for the already powerful. And that these powerful men who were chosen by god can then if they want to dispense blessings to the rest of us, through a kind of trickle-down fundamentalism”.
Did y’all get the email from the campaign, mentioning Karl Rove’s tweet that the campaign is begging for $3 donations because there must be an enthusiasm gap between now and ’08?
After I tweeted the has-been Rove, saying, “You wish,” I upped it to $4 for 4 more for 44.
(Chips & Donna – I was so frosted I forgot to use your fundraisers! Wish I had thought of that! I’ll catch you next time, with a larger donation.)
The original of that image is “Rosie the Riveter” from WWII – sorry ugly Brewer borrowed it, since she’s anything but a role model for women, in any century.
WASHINGTON — At a private three-day retreat in California last weekend, conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch and about 250 to 300 other individuals pledged approximately $100 million to defeat President Obama in the 2012 elections.
A source who was in the room when the pledges were made told The Huffington Post that, specifically, Charles Koch pledged $40 million and David pledged $20 million.
The semi-annual, invitation-only meeting attracts wealthy donors, Republican politicians and conservative activists. Last year, hundreds of activists gathered outside the walled-off resort to protest the meeting. This year, however, the conference went off quietly.
“Conference organizers and their guests successfully slipped in and out of the Coachella Valley without being detected, by buying out nearly all of the 500-plus rooms at the Renaissance Esmeralda resort in Indian Wells,” reported The Desert Sun. “The resort closed its restaurants, locked down the grounds with private security guards and sent many workers home.”
This is the ninth straight year the Kochs have hosted the conference. As Politico reported last year, the meetings often adjourn “after soliciting pledges of support from the donors — sometimes totaling as much as $50 million — to nonprofit groups favored by the Kochs.”
The fact that the wealthy conservative donors pledged $100 million for the 2012 elections shows how intent they are on trying to get Obama out of office — and previews how intense, and likely nasty, the general election will be.
—
These people are traitors to America and scare the heck out of me.
It was inevitable considering the original crew didn’t want to vote, call their Congressperson or anything else which may have made a difference. You can’t go sit in a park, do drum circles or throw paper airplanes at the Goldman Sachs building and claim to be making a difference.
Clearing out whole towns or whole areas to do stuff behind closed doors (in “quiet rooms,” as Willard would say) with evil intent – how American; how patriotic.
Eyes wide open, folks, until we get President Obama re-elected in a landslide!
As I read this, I thought how empty these attendees of this meeting must be. They don’t love America. They will try to destroy whatever they imagine will impede their existence. Hate and greed has consumed their minds and hearts and they want to fill a void that money will never satisfy. They want to use their wealth to oppress the people. Their money is their god and they have stored their riches for the poor.
Even after they spend massive amount of their money, they will not succeed against President Obama because God will not allow it. God will show them that they have no power outside of Him. You can’t kick against the prick and win. The Koch brothers and their minions will see that they are fighting a losing battle. Their motives are wrong. You can’t obtain wealth at the expense of destroying the poor. Any gains unjustly gotten, a man can not keep.
It’s all automatic from your email address log-on. Don’t worry – nobody else should be able to see it. When I clicked on the link, it was my information – not yours.
Your browser’s cookies will automatically fill in your information based on your IP address. No one else can see it. As JO’B says, when I click on it I see my own personal info.
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A surge in hiring in the world’s largest economy last month drove the Nasdaq to an 11-year high on Friday as optimism grew that the labor market is on a steady path to recovery.
The broad-based gains on solid trading volume also sent the Dow Jones industrial average near a four-year high. The S&P 500 extended its 2012 advance to about 7 percent and was at its highest level in more than six months.
The U.S. economy created jobs at the fastest pace in nine months in January and the unemployment rate dropped to nearly a three-year low of 8.3 percent, the government said.
“It is really hard to find something not to like in the jobs report,” said Andrew Goldberg, market strategist at JP Morgan Funds in New York. “There is genuine strength in this report with broad-based jobs creation.”
‘it’s really hard to find something not to like in the jobs report.’
so, that’s pretty clear–they’re searching for something negative to say, and they just can’t. darn it pbo! you’re making it hard to be a repug nowadays!
EXCLUSIVE: Ari Fleischer Secretly Helped Guide Komen Strategy On Planned Parenthood
Ari Fleischer, former press secretary for George W. Bush and prominent right-wing pundit, secretly helped guide Komen Foundation’s disastrous strategy regarding Planned Parenthood. Fleischer personally interviewed candidates for the postion of “Senior Vice President for Communications and External Relations” at Komen last December. According to a source with first-hand knowedge, Fleischer drilled prospective candidates during their interviews on how they would handle the controversy about Komen’s relationship with Planned Parenthood.
Fleischer’s relationship with Komen and the Planned Parenthood controversy was previously undisclosed. Fleischer confirmed to ThinkProgress his recent role in filling key communications positions at Komen. He stressed, however, that another communications firm (Ogilvy PR) was retained by Komen to deal with the explosive controversy over the last few days.
This is also part of the bigger picture. Maybe the PP funding issue was a distraction?
——————————-
Headline: Susan G. Komen Foundation Also Stops Funding Embryonic Stem Cell Research
In addition to pulling funds from Planned Parenthood for The Susan G. Komen Foundation also decided to stop funding embryonic stem cell research centers making it fully transparent the organization has evolved from non-political non-profit to a partisan advocacy organization.
That means the loss of $3.75 million to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, $4.5 million to the University of Kansas Medical Center, $1 million to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, $1 million to the Society for Women’s Health Research, and $600,000 to Yale University. That’s a loss of nearly $12 million dollars in research money to eradicate breast cancer this year alone.
This is a new position for the organization which had previously supported all sorts of scientific research targeted at finding a cure for breast cancer and saving women’s lives. It’s new position is that the organization will categorically no longer support any embryonic stem cell research.
And Bernie Sanders can kiss my butt: on Thom Hartman today, the manufacturing jobs are smokes and mirrors because people are earning less at those jobs than they were 15 years ago. I don’t dispute that, I know it impacts the middle class and how well the middle class thrives. But how, exactly, does Bernie Sanders intend to bring back high paying manufacturing jobs? Crickets. Are we supposed to WAIT until there’s some miraculous new world order where that is true?
You can’t effing celebrate a good jobs report?!?!? Why can’t these jackasses celebrate progress, for God’s sake?
He said that so someone would recognize his existence. Mission Accomplished because you commented on it. I’ve given up on the Debby downers in our Country. Sanders is a socialist, enough said for me.
Sanders is no socialist. He’s a miserable part of the PL faction who have their panties in a bunch because of who is currently in the WH. Sanders voted to defund ACORN. Sanders voted to not fund the closing of GITMO. Sanders voted against the payroll tax cut extension for middle class families. I repeat – Sanders is no socialist. I wish he were, quite frankly.
No shite, hopefruit!? I saw on TPM today where they were discussing candidates for 2016 and someone posted..”Bernie Sanders..a real Solcialist!”
I think I’ll go back and post that information. Bernie doesn’t even sound like a pragmatist
Paul Wellstone was a pragmatist..his friend wrote a piece on it for Blue Wave News one time. The suckers of the profiteering “left” Did Not Like That. LOL.
BERNIE IS ALWAYS DEPRESSING TO ME…NO MATTER THE SUBJECT, HE IS ALWAYS NEGATIVE. I REALLY FEEL HIS TIME HAS COME TO RETIRE….WE NEED FRESH BLOOD IN THE DEMS SENATE…TOO DAMN OLD…GRUMPY LIKE MC CAIN !!!!
HE IS FROM THE PAST!!!!
Florida Republican Stripped Of Senate Chairmanship For Opposing Prison Privatization Scheme
Last year a judge threw out a similar plan because proponents tried to sneak it into the budget, but Republican sponsors have revived the bill. And they have a clear personal interest in fighting so hard. The country’s biggest private prison companies, who stand to make millions from the Florida plan, have given generously to many state legislators.
GEO Group, a private prison company based in Boca Raton and one of the largest contributors to the Florida Republican Party in 2010, gave over $11,000 to the campaigns of 14 of the 20 members of the Budget Committee that approved the privatization bill. They also gave the maximum $25,000 to Gov. Scott’s inaugural fund.
The Corrections Corporation of America, the nation’s largest corrections company, also has close connections to GOP statehouses across the country. The company has spent $373,000 in political contributions in Florida since 2003, over 60 percent of which have gone to Republicans.
Romeny’s surrogates are HORRIBLE! Chris Matthews is killing Mitt’s surrogate with facts. Mitt’s surrogates are ALWAYS defensive, without a telepromter Mitt is a mess and they know. They are always trying to turn questions around and about POTUS and other people.
Wasn’t Joe one of the Congress with the most modest means? He has spent his entire life in public service, his wife is a teacher. There is no depths to which they won’t go.
No Mr. 13% Mitt, if it wasn’t for the obstruction of Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Eric Cantor, and the rest of the Republicans, the economy would be doing alot better.
The only good thing is, Donna – Rep. Gingrey, Karl Rove, Jan Brewer, and all the others just make us work harder for a landslide Obama-Biden victory. Then, I’m going to chug down a whole bottle of white wine (not the mini bottles I can barely “handle” now!).
donna these people aren’t Christians, except in name only. What is wrong with talking about the poor? And you bet I am tired of the disrespect that this President has had to deal with.
Wilmington @OFA_NC office opening was a smashing success tonight: ow.ly/1FqKgF – how was tonight's Pittsburgh opening, @OFA_PA?— Jeremy Bird (@jeremybird) February 03, 2012
Rep. Gingrey’s (R-GA) and Senator Hatch’s (R-UT) comments on PBO’s talk at the prayer breakfast are enough to make one give up on religion as it is practiced in the US. Note: The keynote speaker, Eric Metaxas, campaigned for Santorun in SC last month.
God grant me the courage to change the things I can and the serenity to refrain from slapping the shit out of Republicans.— Yellowdog71 (@yellowdog71) February 03, 2012
Israel is supposed to launch air strikes on Iran by the Spring or during the Spring. I pray that President Obama doesn’t decided to engage in this potential war. I would be crushed if he decides to do this.
You know a good way for Israel to lose most of its support in the US? Start an unprovoked war with Iran that pushes gas prices to $6 or $7 a gallon. That would be the perfect excuse that PBO would need to distance the US from Israel. And the vast majority of voters would be behind him.
If you remember during the GE McCain’s main advisor had a contract with the country Georgia and there was some hanky panky stuff going on close to the election involving Russian and Georgia. McCain was talking hard about us protecting Georgia and there was questions as to whether Georgia started the so called squirmish or not. It was assumed that it might have been staged to help McCain look tough on foreign affairs.
Israel – Iran is a distraction. If Israel think that it have the capability to start this shiggedy, they better be able to execute until the end without trying to drag the USA into this muck.
“Obama has seen his job approval rating nearly flip from the last Granite State Poll in October, with 51 percent now saying they like the job the president is doing, compared to 43 percent who don’t. Just 41 percent said they approved in October.”
/snip/
“Obama’s improved fortunes are also reflected in head-to-head matchups against the Republican field in New Hampshire. In hypothetical matchups, Obama leads Mitt Romney by 10 points, Ron Paul by eight points, and trounces Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum by 25 and 21 points respectively.”
Personally, I don’t care if it appears Komen is backing down- I still intend to boycott anything related to Komen, because them backing down doesn’t make them any less a political organization staffed with fringe right-wing lunatics, nor does it change any of the information I have learned this week about how Komen is a terrible organization that donates very little while acting as a marketing shill for major corporations…
Komen is backpeddling, which is good, but it doesn’t change who they are. All that has changed is that they realized they were just a tad too brazen this time around. The nature of the beast has not changed, the same people who cut stem cell funding to Hopkins and other universities are still there, the folks who attempted to play petty partisan games by attacking Planned Parenthood are still there, and they will do the same sorts of things in the future, only this time they will try to be more sophisticated in the PR efforts. Keep up the pressure. Keep calling companies and pressuring them to drop Komen…
I use acronyms to remember things and I chose to remember the Supreme Court Judges voting for Citizens United by the same acronym but added to the end of it. I chose RATS+Kennedy. Roberts, Alito, Thomas, Scalia and Kennedy. Those were the five judges passing Citizens United.
UN to vote on resolution asking Assad to step down on Saturday at 2pm GMT. Watch for more on reuters.com— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) February 03, 2012
Ok, read the decision. Pretty much, it was a judicial smackdown of the plaintiffs. It’s almost as if the plaintiffs were relying on the judge to be anti-Obama and not look at case law, because from the decision it’s clear that they presented no case.
I think it was well played strategically. The decision is a good one (and a good read). By setting forth all the legal precedent for PBO to be on the ballot in GA and striking down each one of their “claims” based on case law, it is highly unlikely that any higher court up the food chain would overturn the decision if she tries to appeal. And with this decision on record, it could also likely foreclose any future attempts on her part if she tries to forum shop and try this nonsense in another court. This decision becomes legal precedent as well.
Totally agree. Even though he’s put the case on record, and now that can be used in other courts, it’s still offensive that it even got this far, given that there are already many such records in place. These people have such little respect for the institutions of this country, that they would drag the entire country into the gutter like this.
And where are the lawsuits for John McCain? He wasn’t born within the borders of the United States – shouldn’t they have hauled him in front of a court four years ago?
By JONATHAN MARTIN and MAGGIE HABERMAN | 2/3/12 6:25 PM
A GOP campaign operative who won plaudits for bolstering Mitt Romney’s recent debate performances is not being retained by the frontrunner’s campaign, an apparent victim of internal tensions over staff receiving too much credit for the candidate’s comeback, POLITICO has learned.
What an ego! So, Romney doesn’t want anyone to get credit for his “comeback”? Imagine what this man would be like if he had any chance of becoming the President of the United States, Leader of the Free World, most powerful man alive.
Not sure how to post links here, but here are some pics of Romoney with children. We already know what animals think of him, now we see the kiddies aren’t that crazy about him either. It makes you wonder if he even held his own kids as babies and toddlers. He’s completely uncomfortable and the kids just want to cringe.
Notice how he primarily holds them away from him….backwards? His warmth-o-meter doesn’t move with these kids. I’d love to see a side by side of these pics and those of PBO with kids. Mitts are like GWB’s were with kids. Redumblicans are vacant inside, kids and animals know this.
LOLLLLLLLLLLLL…I’VE NOTICED THAT…HE DOESN’T WANT TO GET ANY ‘PEOPLE BURP’ ON HIS CORPORATE PEOPLE SHIRT! SOMEHOW I CAN’T IMAGINE MITTENS STICKING HIS MITTENS INTO A DIAPER CHANGE DETAIL.
Hmm. Whoever his campaign photographer is probably needs to be “let go” as well. Pictures of screaming children reaching for their Mom or Dad while “Swiss Mitts” is holding on to them awkwardly doesn’t exactly trigger the “aww” factor in a registered voter. Love his campaign slogan, “Believe In America”. I DO believe in America, Mittens very much so. That’s why I’m not voting for your ass on November 6!.
Navajo Code Talker Jimmie Begay’s Life Commemorated by President Ben Shelly
Flags across the Navajo Nation are whipping in the wind at half mast this weekend, as Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly ordered the move in honor of Sgt. Jimmie Begay.
Begay, a Navajo Code Talker walked on February 1 at the Tsehootsoi Medical Center in Fort Defiance, Arizona. He was 88.
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of Sgt. Begay. His efforts to defend this country and his people make me proud. My prayers, and the prayers of the First Lady, the Vice President and the Navajo Nation are with the family,” Shelly said.
The flags will be flown at half mast until February 5 in honor the Navajo Veteran who trained as a Code Talker at Camp Eliot before serving in the 1st Marine Division, 2nd Battalion during campaigns at Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Guam, Saipan, and Tinian in the midst of World War II.
Begay was 17 when he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in November 1942…
Wonderful story. I hope he knew how much we all deeply appreciated his service, and the service of all of the code talkers – which helped to end the war.
If he is this irresponsible on the campaign trail, how dangerous will he be as President? (Ha – even just the thought of Santorum as President is laughable).
say what now? Chips, for the first time ever, I’ve been placed in the Dungeon of Jerkoffs and Trolls. It says I am awaiting moderation. Have I been a vewy baaaad gurl? :big doe eyes and baby pout: :blink: :blink:
Yikes, found you and freed you Lisa!! That comment only ended up in the dungeon of jerkoffs and trolls – – because it had a few links, the spam detector usually automatically puts them in pending. You’re always a baaaaaaaad gurl, but in a way that’s entirely acceptable at TOD!!!!!!
Results of a new study made possible by a Recovery Act grant may lead to longer-lasting hip implants.
Scientists had previously believed that naturally occurring proteins in the human body formed a lubricating layer on metal-on-metal hip implants. But a study conducted by an interdisciplinary team of physicians and engineers from the United States and Germany found that, in fact, the layer is composed of graphite carbon, and it works similarly to how a lubricant in a combustion engine does.
It’s still not clear what produces the graphite carbon in the body. But doctors and engineers working at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany are confident that the results of the study, funded by a $670,000 Recovery grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), may lead to longer-lasting hip implants
THEY CANCELLED OUR HOMELESS FEED IN DOWNTOWN INDY TOMORROW…I’LL MISS MY HOMELESS..BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THERE WILL BE NO PARKING FOR OUR CARAVAN KITCHEN. HOWEVER…ALL THE SHELTERS ARE GIVING PARTIES..SO I KNOW THEY WILL HAVE LOTS TO EAT.
Hey?!!!!! How dare you???!!!!! How can you blame poor little Willard! You know how important being able to fire people is to him!!!! You know it’s essential to his wellbeing! You won’t understand until you can walk a day in that poor man’s $11,000 Ferragamos! Hm!!!
First!
Congratulations.
Here’s the video of the President’s speech – http://www.c-span.org/Events/Pres-Obama-Discusses-Jobs-and-the-Economy/10737427962-1/
I know it’s not one of Chips’ wonderful awards, but it’s the best I can do
#PRESSON
Thank you Bobfr….I accept this award from the TOD Academy, I’d like to thank all my peeps here at TOD and all those who were still sleeping or working which allowed me to be first…..
#PRESSON
And I, for one, would totally agree and say it the way VP Biden would! ;o)
Yay!
woooot hoooooo…!
Confettii & sunshine….Have a great Friday Everyone…going to work now!
Today is a good day: Unemployment rate down, jobs up, Romney looks like a fool accepting the Donald’s endorsement.
I say Yippee!!!!
Obama’s two-term fund. 40,861 donors donated $1,663,737.
4 more for 44
Tweet this peeps.
For you !!
Thank you pink.
Get ready for a chuckle!
Former SC Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on Noot:
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2012/02/03/madam-justice-thwack/
oh, my! justice sandra is funny!
Go Nancy.
AHA!
Is this for real?
Not really……they left themselves an opening to deny further grant requests. That is how I read it at least.
Just more damage control which I hope does not work.
Then they will lose donors. Big time.
hopefruit2, This is great news, I heard about it early today. There are something you need to keep politics out of and saving women’s lives is one of them.
SGK saying they will continue to fund PP is a good thing, but they have already been exposed. They have turned breast cancer into politics, and everyone now knows they the act a lobbyists at times, and cave to right wingers.
Much of their donations go to overhead, and I will never eat at a Brinker restaurant again.
What was most shocking to me was that they work behind the scenes to derail efforts that would help women’s health and women in general. To hear that they hired Lieberman’s wife to try and convince him to vote against he public option (interesting that he came out and declared that he would filibuster a public option… I wonder if the GOP will investigate), and that they were secretly lobbying against other programs – it’s just disgusting. They’re as bad as the juggernaut Walmart. Can’t beat a good dose of sunlight to flush out the cockroaches.
I don’t trust them anymore! And it was clear from a comment that was deleted by Karen Handel’s Twitter timeline about another RW person disparaging our outrage.
So it’s just a PR move, and they have shown their true colors. I’ll only donate to PP & American Cancer Society
BREAKING NEWS: Komen foundation apologizes to Planned Parenthood. Komen founder Nancy G. Brinker says Komen will restore Planned Parenthood funding. One again, the GOP loses!!! hahahahahaha.
BUt But Brinker said their donations were up through the ROOOOOOOF..LOL
Let Brinker spend her lies. I say their reversal implies the opposite. The foundation couldn’t have failed to see that PP had received over $600,00 in donations less than 24 hours after it announced it was de-funding PP, that Bloomberg announced a $250,000 donation to PP, the negative impact on the organization of Brinker’s failure of the interview with Andrea Mitchell, the resignations of top officials in its own organization, the letter written by our dem senators, and/or the emails/tweets/FB postings expressing the outrage of women and men from every part of the country.
I just saw that…..they never expected that kind of outrage……..
Oh wow!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is FANTASTIC!!!!! Thank you UT!!
Good morning all. They will honor current grants, but future ones, none!!!!
Good that means I can still continue my support for Race For The Cure. I told me sister yesterday I would not walk, run or job in that event again after what Komen did.
Power of the people
Indeed!
Is this true ?
Yes, they issued a statement………what a mess they created in 24 hours.
Excellent. Great push back the peeps. Way to go guyz and gals.
And the President didn’t have to get involved at all! Take that, all those who demanded he put his running shoes on in Wisconsin. People have power – they just need to use it.
One of President Obama’s greatest gifts is his realizing that it is important to teach people to help themselves and not do everything for them. In watching many videos and reading stories of his life working as a Community Organizer you saw over and over again how he taught people to advocate for themselves. How he patiently lead them to having confidence to help themselves. As a retired teacher I saw how important this act and realization was. It’s kind of like the old teach people to fish saying. It has carried over into his presidency.
Good for the Komen Foundation for reversing their Planned Parenthood decision. It was wrong what they did, but it takes a lot to admit to a mistake and simply change course. On the bright side, their actions led me to donate directly to PP, and I’ll be making another direct donation to PP this month. Hopefully this story will start to change minds about what this crucial organization does, and how important PP is to the lives of women, particularly women who are younger and poorer and who are underserved with regards to reproductive health serviecs.
While we are all focused on PP, here are the other funds Komen Foundation cut,
“In addition to pulling funds from Planned Parenthood for The Susan G. Komen Foundation also decided to stop funding embryonic stem cell research centers making it fully transparent the organization has evolved from non-political non-profit to a partisan advocacy organization.
That means the loss of $3.75 million to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, $4.5 million to the University of Kansas Medical Center, $1 million to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, $1 million to the Society for Women’s Health Research, and $600,000 to Yale University. That’s a loss of nearly $12 million dollars in research money to eradicate breast cancer this year alone.
Link: http://www.care2.com/causes/susan-g-komen-foundation-also-stops-funding-embryonic-stem-cell-research.html#ixzz1lMKuigA6
I am also reading that they disburse less than 25% of donations received. I do not support any organization with a 75% overhead. I
YEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAH..PLUGGED IN FOR THE PREZ…HE MAKES ME SMILE!..:)
Some nut called electromer is following me @ twitter. Look at my fucking handle, you fucking moron. How do I tell this nut to fuck off ?
Pahdon my FF.
amk, i have wondered about this as i am new to twitter. if someone follows you that you do not wish to have follow you can block them? does that work to stop them from following?
I really don’t know. Hopefully the twiterratti here will help us both.
Yes, just block them if you don’t wish to be followed. This means that they cannot tweet to you.
One lives & leans, meta. Thx. You taught me to how to post tweets here. I shall call you Jedi Miss.
Easy peasy!! Learning is what makes life so exciting!!
True dat.
Hey Amk and LovingandLaughing, you can indeed block someone from following you. If you click on the person icon you’ll see Block @electromer or Blcok and report @electromer for spam. Ta da! That person will be blocked forever until you unblock them if you want. Hope this helps.
Thx ut,the twitter jedi master.
Amk, you Sir, have paid me the highest compliment. “Jedi Master??!!” Hell yes!
From now on you must always refer to me as the Jedi Master.
Yes, Jedi Master.
Done. Thx.
thank you ut!
I usually tell them I only talk to smart people, and that I will be donating to OFA on their behalf. And I leave it with Obama2012
Then I block them by reporting as spam, that way their stupid replies get removed from my timeline.
I am glad that the Komen foundation backtracked. It was right what they did. Breast cancer prevention should NOT be a partisan thing.
They did not!!!! Honoring grants awarded already. NO NEW ONES!!!
“One voice can change a room, and if one voice can change a room, then it can change a city, and if it can change a city, it can change a state, and if it change a state, it can change a nation, and if it can change a nation, it can change the world. Your voice can change the world.”
― Barack Obama
The Power of the People
Komen for the Cure just released the following statement from Nancy Brinker and the Susan G. Komen Board of Directors:
We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women’s lives.
http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2012/02/komen-apologizes-for-recent-de.html
Love that quote by our President Barack Obama, thanks for sharing that today and especially in light of the Komen policy change!
Additional info (haven’t read it all yet, myself)
http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/2012/02/03/not-so-fast-on-the-komen-reversal/
Didn’t realize y’all were on this new thread, so I’ll re-post this, if I may:
Komen accomplished several things. First, they exposed the inner workings of their organization (and the people they have there, now), which don’t look too good in the light of day. Second, no one will ever look at their pink ribbon brand again with the same eyes. Third, Planned Parenthood has temporarily been taken out of the hands of the Republican barbarians, and is getting more active support from the rest of us. Shame it had to happen, but this outcome is good.
Just shows how this things can be if people get really, really involved.
Yep and if you read their statement PP may or may not receive further grants. The whole affair has been quite ugly.
Oh I forgot this morning while I was trying to watch Joe eat crow about the Jobs Report…Mark McKinnon of Americans Elect was yapping about who the poobahs of Americans Elect want to elect as a candidate…and what do ya know Joe Shmuck was on the list. Baffling isn’t it? The guy who has been whoring this group around gets selected to be its leader. Color me surprised.
LOL, I think Mark is with No Labels, but Morning Joe does love it and perks up when anyone mentions him as a candidate for anything. Joe seems to think he has arrived and is a member of the elite.
They can’t be serious. We’ve got years of footage now of Morning Joke spouting nonsense from his arrogant perch on his show. And he’s still got that scandal of the dead intern that was never cleared up. They fail at Congress, and then they want to be President? Unbelievable.
Not getting too happy over Komen “reversal”. Right wing says one thing while doing the opposite.
The fallout and pushback which Komen has now earned will handle the matter, for a while. We can’t celebrate, but at least it’ll be a little heads up to the right wing that we’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore. Now, it’s up to all of us to keep watch for the next thing they pull.
Congrats on your new job!
What I love about this is that the people are starting to make it clear that this right wing nonsense just won’t cut it. Especially from a group that has no business being partisan, since cancer strikes Democrat, Republican and Independent, alike. I hope this continues.
On a related note: Mitt should have been raked over the coals yesterday for getting an endorsement from an open racist who continues to disrespect the Office of the Presidency, which Mitt is currently seeking – and the fact that the media didn’t touch that point makes it clear that we still have a long way to go to drive these extremists back into their caves. But the Komen debacle is a good start.
The CNN livestream has begun!
NO AUDIO ON CNN STREAMING…THEY ARE GOING TO RUN HIM ON MSNBC!
U.S. factory orders up 1.1% in December
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-factory-orders-up-11-in-december-2012-02-03
Wonderful. Let’s go for 4.4%, next report!
Obama has reached 57% on intrade which is the highest he has had for awhile.
Woot. PBO is on track to CRUSH the wingnuts like a gnat. ha!
Coverage has started:
http://edition.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=4
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/president-obama-speaks-economy-18
I GOT IT ON BOTH NOW!
Mr. Prez. looking particularly extra handsome today. What did FLOTUS give him this AM to him this much super swagga today? Hmmm!!!
He does looks extra bad ass today.
I tells ya. He’s on fiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
It’s the jobs report. He’s happy…
Well you can all add me to February’s job numbers when they come out. After THREE YEARS of looking (two years being a full time babysitter), I FINALLY got a job and will start next Wednesday!
Congrats GoBrooklyn. You deserve the very best and this super good news.
Congrats!
Woooooooooooooooooo Hooooooooooo!!!!…Congratulationsssssssss……if i could do that confetti thing i would….
Wonderful…..Congratulations !!!!
Congratulations! Go Brooklyn!
Yeaaa! CONGRATS ^_^
Congratulations! That is wonderful.
Congratulations gobrooklyn!! I’m so happy for you
Congrats. Go brooklyn.
(I was a resident there from 1983-85)
Much has changed.
You betcha. Also.Too.
Congratulation gobrooklyn, we are all so happy for you!
Congratulations!
WOOOOTTT!!!! So happy and excited for you, gobrooklyn!!
Go GOBROOKLYN!!!! I have a couple of things in the work too.
Super CONGRATULATIONS, GoBrooklyn; I’m so thrilled for you.
Excellent!
Congratulations Gobrooklyn. So happy for you!
YAH!!!!! Congratulations, gobrooklyn. Good luck in your new job!!!!
More good news! Congrats!
Thanks Everyone!! Really appreciate it.
FANTABULOUS NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats:)
wonderful!!
And the good news just keeps on rolling in….
I am soooo happy for you.
Congratulations GoBrooklyn!!!!!!!!
That is magnificent news gobrooklyn, absolutely thrilled for you – CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
Excellent. You have been such a positive force on here. I sincerely hope your job is everything you want it to be.
Thanks Sabreen60 and Thanks again everyone!!
congrats!!!!!!!!
Congrats!!!! Former Brooklynite here
….. gobrooklyn! gobrooklyn! gobrooklyn!
GOOOOOOOOOOOOObrooklyn!!!!
Congratulations and best wishes for a happy future.
I’m really happy for you !
Way to Go!!! My wishes for all the best for you and your family. It could not have happened to nicer person.
YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a Blessing!
Congratulations!!! Lucky employer!
Well done gobrooklyn, Huge Congratulations to you!!
Congrats!!!!!!
Best of times in your new job. Your employer is the lucky one.
Congratulations GoBrooklyn. You rock.
Congrats! Hopefully it’s a job you’ll love and wake up looking forward to.
I certainly hope so but if not I’ll have to grin and bear it until another comes along.
Wow gobrooklyn!!! I am SO pleased for you! This is amazing news.
Right on GoBrooklyn! Right On! Congratulations on your new job! Happy Friday everyone! It’s a bee-yoo-tiful day in the TOD neighborhood.
Woo-Hoo!!! Congrats! This is a very good day indeed.
Brooklyn, congratulations! Hope you love your new job and makes lots of new friends.
Many blessings to you. May your transition be all that you want it to be. Yippee!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations GoBrooklyn….I hope you find your new job a perfect fit, and that it brings out your best.
Yahoo!!!!!
VaHoo!
CONGRATS!
No small feat. Happy to hear that gobrooklyn. CONGRATS!
Congratulations!!! What a way to start the weekend
Hooray! Congratulations!!!
Congratulations, Gobrooklyn. Judging from your contributions here, I’m sure you’ll be a real asset in your new position.
Good for you, GB! Congrats!
AWESOME NEWS & Congratulations! Hope you treat yourself to something nice!
WOW!!! Thanks For all the ‘Well Wishes’ TOD Family.
I’m going to miss coming here throughout the day at anytime I felt like. Love you all!!!
Hand salute! Handle your business. Make us proud.
congratulations gobrooklyn
Yippee do dah
Congratulations, you deserve it.
Outstanding gb! Congratulations! You go, knock ‘em dead!
Congrats, gobrooklyn! Really wonderful news for a very positive and valuable member of this here TOD family.
Yay GB I sent you a tweet!
Congrats gobrooklyn that is excellent news -hopefully this is the beginning of a trend for all TODers seeking gainful employment.
very good news! they’re lucky to have you, gobro. best wishes.
Congratulations. Hope others have the same luck.
OH HAAPY DAY!!!!!!! Congrats gobrooklyn!
Congratulations, gobrooklyn!
2 kidnapped Americans released in Egypt, authorities say
Great news.
I think it went like this….We let them go or President Obama will send the Seals……
It’s great news.
Yep. President Obama and the Navy SEAL team do not mess around.
Hahahaha. So true Christi. Today really is a day full of good news. But a word of caution: I wish all these American tourists and travelers would refrain – for the time being – from visiting countries that are currently undergoing political and social upheaval or ones where the U.S. has no diplomatic relationship or has strained relationships. Americans and especially PBO, do not need this anxiety any time, but especially in an election year.
Here, here!
Thank you so much, UT, for your excellent and wise advice to all American tourists and travelers.
utaustinliberal, I say this every time someone get caught up in some craziness in foreign countries…I don’t understand why people just can’t wait until things settle down…
lolololol I thought the same thing. hah!
Another good news for a good news day!!!!
Ha! I think the President just told Republicans “don’t muck it up,” related to the tax cut extension. We heard you, President Obama!
He’s in heavy swaggerific mode today. Boehner better prepare the tears for the crushing he’s about to receive.
Exactly. And he has a lot to back up his swaggerific mode, including all of the improved economic and employment stuff coming out, not to mention these great ideas he keeps putting forth! Hope he slams the podium today, when he finishes his remarks!
Yes, he really wanted to say “don’t FUCK it up” but he held back. Jimmy Kimmel will take care of that tonite in his “unnecessary censorship” segment!
Yes he will!
Hi Chips & TOD Family,
For what I am about to say, let me first define TOD Family for my purposes:
TOD Family: Individuals on this site (commenters & lurkers) who are genuine and unwavering supporters of PBO and VPJB, and are dedicated and committed to their reelection in 2012.
A CHALLENGE FOR TOD FAMILY–ESPECIALLY TOD FAMILY LURKERS:
That all TOD Family (TODF), especially TOD Family Lurkers (TODFLs) make a commitment, starting today, to get at least 9 new individuals to register and ultimately vote for the reelection of Obama/Biden as well as a straight Democratic ticket.
This would consist of one (1) new individual per month until election day (i.e., Feb. thru Oct.). As a TODFL, I feel that I have been on a joy ride in a wagon with Chips and a few others pushing the wagon. The journey has been educational, soothing, humorous, loving, etc. and I have enjoyed every minute. However, the wagon has now arrived at a steep hill, and in order to reach the top to beat the Republicans, we must ALL get out of the wagon and help to push. Thus, pushing means each of us getting at least 9 new voters. A new voter is one who did not vote for Obama/Biden in 2008. We must follow-up with each individual to ensure that he/she does indeed register and ultimately cast a vote. Where possible, we should urge and promote early voting. If early voting is not allowed, then it is our responsibility to ensure that our new voters get to the polls on election day.
This is a great opportunity for one (those who, for whatever reason do not wish to volunteer at OFA) to participate from the comfort of his/her home. Whether via phone, fax, e-mail, texting, etc., we can contact relatives (including voting age children/grandchildren), high school/college classmates, sorority/fraternity mates, etc. We also urge that we contact people outside our own state, especially those in toss-up states such as NC, VA, FL, MI, OH, NM, NV, AZ, etc. We can also ask our contacts to get 9 new voters, etc. I call this “Get Out The Vote Networking”.
I would like to ask two or three TODF, especially TODFL who can comment at different times of day to help in reminding our TODF of this commitment . Unfortunately, sometimes excellent ideas or suggestions are made, but there is no lasting follow-up. Hopefully, we can report our progress as time goes by.
So please, TODF–especially TODFLs, “LETS PUSH” OUR OBAMA/BIDEN WAGON TO THE TOP OF THE HILL FOR A LANDSLIDE VICTORY! I know that we can do it!
Again, Chips, thanks so much for all that you do!
I’m working on two new registered voters! I’m a month ahead! Thanks for the encouragement.
Gladly joining your challenge.
Excellent idea!
Every niece and nephew who has come of age to vote next year has heard from me. I direct them to their state voter registration form. So far I had 3 new relatives register last year. Next I’ll start working on friends to make sure their relatives are registered to vote.
OFA is always looking for volunteers to help with voter registration as well.
All my Indian friends and their family in US are voting for him in 2012, just like they did in 2008. That’s about 40 votes, of course in different states like GA {this one works in koch company, GP
} , MA, FL, NY and CA.
Bebe–A number of us have school registrations planned this spring and in the fall. We get permission from the schools to set up a table in the cafeteria and register those who will be 18 in November. Most kids are eager to sign up. Also we have a movie theater in own town that allows us to register voters outside their doors. And ALWAYS set up a voter registration table at events like Spanish fairs, Memorial Day parades and summer picnics. Walmart will allow voter registration outside their doors in many areas.
We are working steadily here in Colorado. Please add Colorado to the list above. We are a very important swing state too. We now have 9 votes instead of 8. Please talk to anyone you know in Colorado and make sure they are registered, and make sure they vote for President Obama. There are OFA teams everywhere. We will eventually have offices too. Please encourage everyone you know in Colorado to step up! Thanks for your support.
I’m joining the challenge! I’ve got one who’s a new citizen who has committed to vote for President Obama, even though she claims to be mostly Republican (fiscal, but not so much social). I’m not sure she’s registered, so I’ll make sure she is.
Great Challenge…
i have 2 grandsons who will be of voting age this year…
i neice….
1 neighbor….
these will be my personal connections…
on Saturday i will be out and about collecting signatures to get the President on the ballot here in PA…
Pressssss ON!
I’m late but want to give you a big hoopteedoooooooo GoBrooklyn. I am pushing the good thoughts your way and congrat the person who hired you since you will be perfect. Such a relief. I know you are excited!!!!!!! You go girl!!!!!!!!!!
I also would like to say hello to all the TODERS . This is the most perfect place to laugh and be serious. You guys are so smart. I never miss a day without being here for at least a few hours. I have been talking to my college age granddaughter and her boyfriend about getting out the vote since 2008. She is in with a great group of sorrors, (if that how you spell it)? She is an AKA and this month they are spreading the word on stalking. Each day she puts out a piece of information on who they can be, how to recognize and what to do on facebook. These girls and guys are big President Obama followers and I have been encouraging her for a year now to get out the vote at her University even if it is in Kansas. I do have a little concern when several thousand African Americans get to work on the election in this state where there are some haters.
I am going to pass along the plan of gettting 9 new voters and having them pass the news to 9 others. I did that
in 2008 with my coworkers. I had good luck bringing in some Independants and only had a problem with one doctor I worked with and told him off. Now never never do that. Fortunately, he just laughed me off. I told him he was stupid for not recognizing the remarkable Senator Obama.
I need to keep my cool this year and I’ve heard all your discussions on how to approach and listen to peoples concerns and answer questions. Yep, I’m not going to cuss anyone out this time.
love your post, barb! i get frustrated, too, when talking with idiots–and those cuss words just rise to the surface. but you’re right, that does no good and may turn someone listening away from pbo and the dems. so all my foul language gets shouted at the tv now. sure feels good!
this is such an excellent idea bebe! you can count minnesota in. Hmmm… looking at Donna’s post I think my nephews could use a push!
Chips, LOD had an excellent segment on last night in his rewrite. He clearly defined what liberal means by showing a debate from The West Wing. Of course Smits’ character’s first comment was that a liberal freed the slaves. Alda’s character said “He was a Republican” and Smits’ character answered a LIBERAL Republican.” He then went on to tell the good things which were accomplished by liberals, beginning with women’s right to vote, and proceeding through Medicare, Lawrence is disgusted with letting the Republicans demean the proud term liberal. The Declaration of Independence was a liberal idea, so was the Constitution…so, Chips if you could find that clip, it would be good for all of us. We can’t let the right wing steal that honorable term and drag it through the mud.
Carolyn – I was the West Wing’s #1 Fan, and I loved that segment on Lawrence last night. i’m also looking for the clip, because a person can’t help but be proud after watching that – and even Lawrence’s little blurb at the beginning as he explained why he wrote that scene for the West Wing. I think the writing on that show is what educated me about Democrats and Republicans, and the difference between the two. I was even more impressed when I heard that they fashioned Jimmy Smits’ character on then-Senator Obama. I could definitely see the President saying those words, and the truth is, he says a variety of those declarations all the time – and he even praises Republicans for what they once were, before they went crazy.
As I recall, that episode was taped live, although scripted. One of the great hours of TV.
I would have to say that West Wing is my favorite tv show ever. I own it on DVD. And when I start watching it, I can’t stop……….
I loooooooovvvveee the West Wing, sorry theo67, I’m their #1 Fan..LOL!! My husband bought me the boxed set a Mother’s Day a few years ago. Now if I can just convince him to get me the Law and Order boxed set!
Me too. I can recite entire episodes. I LERV, LERV, LERV my West Wing boxed set!!
Here’s the clip from LOD last night:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45755883/ns/msnbc_tv-the_last_word/#46247303
Great speech by our President!
It was. I listened to him on XM today and yesterday. I can listen intently when I’m not focused on his good looks on TV.
So cute. Kenny Salazar is with the President at the firehouse today, and I just saw him looking adoringly at the President – twice. They must all just respect him so much.
I agree. I think they have a good relationship.
I absolutely adore the relationship between PBO and Sec. Salazar. I believe they were both colleagues in the Senate and the admiration and respect they have for each other is a joy to witness.
Totally agree ut. The chemistry between Sec Salazar and President Obama is so cute. And as always, I love to hear Ken say President Barack Obama. No one says his name with such gusto.
Me too…I crack up every time Sec Salazar says his name.
Ken Salazzar used to be one of our Senators. He and President Obama were freshmen together and spent lots of time together. That is why President Obama pulled him to Washington. He is very good, and has the same values as President Obama. Ken Salazar usually wears a cowboy hat. They make a good pair. So different, yet the same. Men of character.
From a toon in a Indian newspaper today.
One pole expert to his colleagure
“Damn, we shouldn’t have had the internet poll. They voted 25% Sonia; 18% Maya (Indian pols); 31% Obama and 19% romney.”
India loves our President!
Every one except racist bigots love this man.
and of course, Chuck Todd.
I put him in that group.
EVERYONE LOVES OUR PBO AND FOR GOOD REASON…THE ONLY ONES WHO DON’T ARE THE GREEDY REPUBS AND RIGHT WINGERS WITH CRAZY IDEOLOGICAL BELIEFS…AND THE DISGUSTING RACISTS! BUT…WE SHALL PREVAIL…WE ARE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY AND HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL. WE HAVE THE GREATEST PRESIDENT AMERICA WILL EVER SEE IN ITS HISTORY!
WE ALSO HAVE THE MOST AWESOME FIRST LADY WHO HAS DONE AN AWFUL LOT OF WONDERFUL THINGS FOR OUR COUNTRY!
yes, yes, sue.
Here is the today’s coverage on Obama in one of the papers. (sorry about the trashy ad you have to endure)
sorry, the linky
http://expressbuzz.com/videosection/news-5503.html
I LOVE OUR PBO…WHAT GREAT IDEAS PRESENTED TODAY FOR OUR VETS…COPS,FIRE DEPT, RANGERS, AND TRAINING FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO START A BUSINESS. GREAT NEW JOBS REPORT…OF COURSE ‘RUSTY’ HAS ALREADY BEEN OUT TRYING TO DOWN IT! I AM SO TIRED OF HIM…NEXT TIME HE GOES TO A TANNING BED…THIS GIRL IS GOING TO SUPER GLUE THE LID SHUT! OF COURSE…WHERE HE’S GOING IN ETERNITY…THE AMBIANCE WILL BE THE SAME!..LOL! NOW…I FEEL BETTER!
I’M ANXIOUS TO SEE WHAT THE REPUBS. IN INDY DO WITH THE SUPERBOWL $$$$$$…WE NEED AN EXCELLENT MONEY TRAIL SNIFFER. DANIELS IS GREAT AT MANIPULATING THE BUCKS…I’D LIKE TO VELCRO HIM TO A WALL!
TO BE SURE…DANIELS AND CRONIES WILL BE MOVING SOME NUMBERS!
Booya! Komen Caves! And the hits keeping coming. Oh, Happy Day!
I KNOW…THEY RESCINDED…YEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH…THIS IS A GREAT ‘SMILEY’ DAY!
Retweeted!
Aww..thanks hopefruit and thanks for the retweet Donna.
UT, Hopefruit, and Donna dem 4obama, You are all so wonderful! You always contribute so much wisdom, insight and passion to this wonderful site. I personally learn so much from reading your commentaries.
So, does anyone remember how “The China Syndrome” opened 12 days before 3 Mile Island?
Well, guess what documentary just happens to be opening TODAY?
Dang. I need to see this.
The release of this is surreal.
The timing of this is amazing. I’ve been giving Komen the side eye for close to 2 years now but this PP fiasco is the straw that broke the camel’s back. Don’t think we’ll forget about this by the time October comes around. I wonder if they’ll have a major drop in donations.
BBL…HAVE TO MAKE SOME THINGS FOR OUR HOMELESS FEED TOMORROW!
Hoyer is giving it to Cantor right now on the floor!
Of course, the crappy transportation bill that was marked up last night, has a poison pill- Anwar oil drilling.
It figures!
Reading between the lines…
Well, well, well…-
The House on Friday morning approved legislation that calls for $63 billion in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding through 2015, after 23 short-term extensions that members of both parties said was making it harder for the agency to perform its air safety functions.
The House approved the conference report to H.R. 658, the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, by a 248-169 vote.
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/208535-house-approves-first-long-term-faa-funding-bill-in-eight-years
Why so many NO votes from the Democrats ?
Because unions oppose it.
See you later
Thanks Chips – very touching video!
Chipsticks – GREAT!
I saw Red Tails last Friday and it is an amazing movie that had everyone in the Theatre clapping at the end.
It is a must see for sure.
THANKS CHIPS!
“Don’t muck it up – vote Obama/Biden 2012!”
photo/1
Clones.
PROGRESS wins over politics!
After days of controversy, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation has said it will reinstate funding for Planned Parenthood.
Interesting – and also encouraging that the Obama Administration are planning long term legislative efforts, which extend well into their second term. I don’t know how Geithner will ever be able to tear himself away from such an exciting time. Anyone who survives the first term should stick around for a second term so they can actually do what they wanted to do in the first term, without the pressure of having to get re-elected. More freedom!
Komen caves, kinda, but still refusing to approve Planned Parenthood’s funding next year
http://www.americablog.com/2012/02/komen-caves-kinda-but-still-refuses-to.html
#PRESSON
Thank you…everyone go out and watch this movie.
I hope the surviving Tuskegee Airmen get some of the proceeds from this film. People didn’t think it was a story worth telling – but these men actually lived it.
I second your proposal for honoring the surviving Tuskegee Airmen. I lost a very good friend of mine, three years ago, who was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. His widow and children could also use some support and recognition.
Thx Bob.
“In order to overcome obstacles, you have to be excellent.”
Can’t wait for the movie to come to India.
With this caving to rabid rightwingers Komen has definitely tarnished its brand. They never expected this backlash, but in this, the social media turned against them and showed that the power of the people shouldn’t be trifled with. Yes, there may be no guarantee of future grants, but I think Planned Parenthood will do just fine and if there is any more hint of political foul play in consideration of future grants, you can bet Komen will feel the brunt of donors and a sharp drop in donations.
If the board does NOT fund Planned Parenthood then they will get the same outrage that they got right now.
I hope this serves as a message for those in Congress and on the GOP presidential trail that attacking Planned Parenthood is not a good idea.
MUST READ!!!! So, one of these journalists on TIME mag’s political page is more or less against the president and his policies. But today, after the BOFFO jobs report, he was eating crow and drinking gutter water. The beauty of it is that he made a post about his delicious breakfast this morning.
An excerpt
Post titled “Jan Jobs Report Good news for economy, bad news for pessimists”
Some Obama opponents are struggling to find a cloud in the silver lining of January’s jobs numbers, which estimated that there was a 243,000-job boost and a big drop in the unemployment rate, from 8.5% to 8.3%, last month. Their biggest gripe focuses on the size of the labor force: As the unemployment rate has trended down over the last few months, anti-Obama commentators have argued that the official percentage for those without jobs is deceptive because the Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t count those who have stopped looking for work. In Friday’s report, they found a sharp increase in that group: More than 1.2 million people joined the non-job seeking pool of working-age Americans last month.
I was ready to join the pessimists Friday morning when I saw the sharp drop in the unemployment rate, but for a different reason. The January unemployment report, I had been forewarned by BLS, was the first to be based on models using 2010 census figures
* He explains why in his post*
And just as a final kick in the teeth to those of us who tend to look at the glass as half empty, the Institute for Supply Management on Friday reported that factory orders were up 1.1% in December, suggesting job growth may continue, at least in the manufacturing sector, as producers hire more workers to meet demand.
All in all, it was a very grim day for serial pessimists, this writer included.
Read more: http://swampland.time.com/2012/02/03/january-jobs-report-good-news-for-the-economy-bad-news-for-the-pessimists/#ixzz1lLFyGdLZ
I wonder if these pessimists realize they’re rooting for US failure? For American families to suffer? For America to decline in the world? When I heard that one GOP Congressman (Hensarling, I think) depressingly trying to find a negative thing to say about the jobs numbers, I was disgusted. They’d look much better if they just came out and celebrated good news for the American people at least once during this Presidency. They tried to steal the OBL news. They have tried to steal the news of the end of the Iraq war. And now, they want to steal joy away from Americans about the economic recovery. Just once, can they give the people something to feel good about?
Actually, I take that back. The American people can feel good about this news with or without the GOP. The people who vote for the GOP have to decide if they want to stick with their lying, nay-saying party or come into the light. It’s nice and warm over here.
exactly right, theo. the repugs have to do the work of looking at the truth about pbo’s leadership and then make a decision : am i for the repugs, or am i for america?
Hahaha…..I just love how Lawrence get under his skin…..He is almost the only one who tells the truth about that clown. That he has to work, he needs the money….the fake billionaire…..
So that’s all he could come up with today.
realDonaldTrump Donald J. Trump
The New York Times/Bill Carter/Sept.26, 2011: “On MSNBC, meanwhile, Lawrence O’Donnell has lost 100,000 viewers from the numbers Mr. Olbermann posted last September, with 185,000 viewers in the 25-54 age group, a drop of 35 percent.” @Lawrence
His bully tactics seem to work with most people but never did with Lawrence, on the contrary and Trump knows it.
I remember when he threatened to sue him and Lawrence said: Donald Trump cannot afford to sue me lol…..
Ok that tweet is hilarious….he’s losing it.
realDonaldTrump Donald J.Trump
”I bet the dumbest political commentator on television, @Lawrence, will soon be thrown off the air for poor ratings. He’s a total loser–a face made for radio! (Already off Friday”
Oh yes,
From a guy with a raccoon on his head to say that Lawrence has a face for radio lol.
Lawrence is very good looking.
Trump probably knows Lawrence is dating the beautiful and younger Tamron Hall. Jealous.
HAHAHAHA! And who is Trump dating? Romney? Herman Cain? Mankini?
no, trump is busy trying to get permission to be buried in his golf course. such a big problem for such a big important man!
http://www.npr.org/2012/02/03/146342330/fairway-to-heaven-trump-eyes-a-golf-course-burial
Poor Quack..lashing out cause he’s such a dumb ugly, propaganda peddler and no one is buying his hypocritical quacks but willard the lying rat.
Go Holder.
I watched some of the hearing and I fell even more in love with AG Holder. Man oh man don’t get on his bad side. The GOP were trying to undermine him, call him dumb and stupid, call him grossly incompetent and every insulting name under the sun. Holder fought fire with fire. He kept slamming them with fact after fact after fact. I would not want to get into a verbal spat with him. He has a sharp, sharp, sharp tongue. It was wonderful and hilarious to watch the GOP floundering. They thought he’d be meek and come with his tail between his legs but he as much as said to them…… don’t ever muck – PBO’s words….
– with me you juvenile brats.
PBO’s team is effing ahhhsome.
Yep. When you take the time to look at all the stuff they are doing ( and so much of it is flying under the radar) , it just is jaw-dropping.
Yes LP. ‘Fundamental’ change. (I’m not letting that racist noot to own that word).
Thanks so much for the update! I adore Holder and his wife. He is such an intelligent, diligent, positive, and straight forward kind of person. I am so happy to know that he is not taking their garbage!
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! Bravo AG Holder.
That’s right UT – “Don’t MUCK…” PBO 02/03/12
Damn! Sorry I missed it! Bernanke pretty much told the Repubs they were first class idiots, too.
I loved his comment to Labrador. Paraphrasing here: “That may be how things are done in Oregon(?) but not in DC. This was in response to Labrador showing a video clip of something AG Holder had said about President Clinton pardoning some guy in the 1990s. I think one of the main problems that so many GOPers in Congress have with AG Holder is the same one they have with PBO–they’re smart and they know their stuff. Many of the new GOPers in the House have never bothered to know anything except RW talking points crafted by Frank Luntz, so when they run into people like our PBO and AG Holder, they are simply outmatched. For examples, think about Joe Walsh and Allen West, for starters.
Must be his ‘bajan’ (Barbadian) roots!
I am so protective of PBO and his ‘Crew’ I couldn’t watch the hearings…after the first 5 minutes I had to turn…if I had watched any longer I would have been on a plane to DC to kiss some butts!!!!! I am glad to hear that Holder handled his business. The GOP remaind me of my ex-husband…bullies…the whole bunch of them.
Face…meet Palm.
Fuck you moron, yeah. Go Holder.
Thx LOL.
WOW, that was a SIZZLER. Wish I’d seen the whole exchange live. Holder is not taking any guff from these mopes.
I LOVE ERIC HOLDER…HE DOESN’T TAKE ‘FILL IN THE BLANKS’ FROM ANYBODY! HE ALWAYS HAS BEEN THE PERFECT MAN FOR THE JOB!..LOL…EYE CANDY TOO!..:)
We must regain the House and strengthen the Senate in addition to re-electing President Obama.
#YesWeMust
Thanks Bob. Retweeted. I love the way the Obama team is fighting back against the malicious rethug lies.
Rethug is right, amk! I’ve never seen a congressman so thuggish looking. From Idaho? Just north of me, filled with many extremely intelligent and respectful people, and this hooligan is elected?
that’s great! go AG holder!
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I try not to linky to POLITICO but Good Heavens. Fox News, of fair and balance fame, buried the jobs number report today. Take a look at the all of the MSM screenshots
http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/
Everyone led with the jobs report, and fox has a blurb on the side.
Well I’m sure this surprises no one on this blog and after all Murdock or Ailes (I can’t remember which one) said they are NOT a news organization they are entertainment. Yet every major real news network treats Fox if they really are a news organization. I guess this is why GOPolitco felt the obvious needed to be pointed out.
Our entire media in this country is a farce!
How pathetic
i read a tweet yesterday which said fox did not cover the national prayer breakfast. was that true? if so, how hypocritical of them.
Oh they did…maybe not live. But on their website blared “Obama uses Jesus to explain raising taxes” or something of that nature…nothing about them is fair or balanced
oh man LOL! The tweet i read must have been referring to fox not covering it live. I wonder what their coverage of the prayer breakfast was like when the president was GWB?
Get out your handkerchiefs, boys and girls, because you’ll need it after this video of a young girl in NJ testifying to let her two gay dads marry. BTW, I am from NJ and I attend a progressive church that is very inclusive where everyone is welcome, (there are two wonderful gay men that practically run the place). There are also two gay dads at our church with adorable twin daughters who were born via surrogacy with the help of one of the men’s sister. She didn’t provide the gestational egg but agreed to carry the babies. After the babies were born the sister who identified as lesbian were turned against the fathers by their born-again mother and has been successful in trying to get at least partial custody of the twin girls. These guys have spent thousands fighting for their rights as parents and it just breaks my heart. Please pray or have the strong intention, that NJ passes the same sex marriage law.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/must-see-15-year-old-testifying-to-let-her-gay-da
I can’t watch the video from work, but what a strange story! I would expect that gay sister to have more compassion for her brother – and what did she think was going to happen when she agreed to carry the baby for them? Since her DNA isn’t involved, why does she get partial custody? Very strange story.
How progressive of your church, though. There’s actually a Catholic church close to my house that is equally progressive, and welcomes everyone: gay, straight, everything, all of the above. That’s how it should be, I think.
Well, the fantastic news is that the guys got custody! I hadn’t been to church in a few weeks. I am so, so happy. This is awesome.Below is a link about it from the NJ papers. I am just beyond thrilled!
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/12/nj_gay_couple_fight_for_custod.html
Great ending to this story! I don’t know why people play around when children’s stability is involved. Thanks for closing the loop.
But, but, but Velma Hart…
Velma Hart was surprisingly pro-Obama in her appearance today on Nowwithalex. I was shocked. She praised PBO for his strategic moves re; jobs. I couldn’t believe my ears.
Is this the same Velma who was “tired of defending” President Obama? She’s a pundit, now? Wow.
I don’t like fair weather folks…they will throw you under the bus in a heartbeat.
Oh this is rich!
If you ever needed proof that Repubs were rooting for a bad economy here it is:
Rep. Allen West (R-FL) struck a suspicious note about today’s positive job numbers. He put up the following on his official Facebook wall:
“Can someone tell me how employment in the black community has improved at a rate three times the national average in just a few months?? With numbers like today, urban communities should be well on their way to economic recovery then! There is something suspicious about the job numbers released today and it has me very concerned. Sept/2011 Black unemployment: 15.9 %, Americans overall: 9.0 %. Jan/2012 Black unemployment: 13.6 %, Americans overall: 8.3%. Is this dramatic supposed decrease in black unemployment a result of job creation or is someone playing around with the census numbers?? Americans need truth, not these number games.”
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entries/rep-allen-west-suspicious-about-positive-job-numbers
I knew one of them was going to come out with conspiracy theories. Allen West needs to tell us what he’s been doing to help the black community, other than telling people to “get the hell out of the USA”. The President released a summary of what they’ve been doing to help the black community, and has started a new “African Americans for Obama” group – we can see where the President is spending his energy, and so I’m not surprised that things are improving for the black community along with the rest of the economy. What can Allen West point to as evidence of his own work for blacks?
I can’t wait until he’s out of Congress. He’s toxic.
Delusion is thy name
“Can someone tell me how employment in the black community has improved at a rate three times the national average in just a few months?? With numbers like today, urban communities should be well on their way to economic recovery then! There is something suspicious about the job numbers released today and it has me very concerned. Sept/2011 Black unemployment: 15.9 %, Americans overall: 9.0 %. Jan/2012 Black unemployment: 13.6 %, Americans overall: 8.3%. Is this dramatic supposed decrease in black unemployment a result of job creation or is someone playing around with the census numbers?? Americans need truth, not these number games.”
Allen West, Moron from Florida
Actually, I do believe that the numbers WERE being played with – but that was before the President called the GOP/Wall St./MSM’s bluff and proposed his American Jobs Act. Since the capture and killing of Bin Laden, the economic news (which had been on an upswing the previous months) suddenly started being negative and continued that way through the summer – with the MSM gleefully chanting that foreign policy was not going to determine the election – it was the economy. Then there was this sudden concern for the plight of the Black community with Troubled Waters, West, Smiley, etc all trying to make a name for themselves with the media’s help – they were all blaming PBO and no one else. Then came OWS with it’s fake agenda of taking money out of politics when it was being funded by Romney’s Wall Street guy. I think our President AND a few honest Democrats knew there was a lot of BS going on just to make it easier for the GOP in the upcoming election year. Once he announced the AJA, then the employers had no choice but to release the proper numbers because now the GOP were backed into the corner and tasked with voting for the jobs act and not against it. All these upward revisions we’re now seeing, I suspect were based on figures that were being suppressed all along in an attempt to hurt the President.
Exactly right.
WORD! I thought I was the only one with this understanding about what is (really) going on….so many people have their heads in the sand and/or clouds (my friends think I am a tad bit weird) and they won’t think beyond what they are being feed…
The truth is these idiots like Allen West can’t deal with the fact that Barack Obama will be re-elected. West is a disgrace to the black community. West has some anger issue, it is clear he needs help.
Congratulations on your job gobrooklyn. Whoever hired you is very fortunate. I hope this is a career you can enjoy and progress in.
My take on the Komen apology….it’s window dressing, trying to abate a little the storm they stirred up. You do realize they’re headquartered in Texas and Texas has passed one of those nasty ultrasound anti-abortion laws. I totally believe they are under political pressure from wealthy legislators in the state. Oh how I wish Molly Ivins and Ann Richards were alive to kick these people where they’d feel it!
Thank you very much Carolyn.
NEW YORK, Feb 3 (Reuters) – New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on Friday accused three major U.S. banks of fraudulently using an electronic mortgage database to avoid the need for recording mortgage transfers.
Schneiderman’s office said he was suing Bank of America Corp , Wells Fargo & Co and JPMorgan Chase & Co in New York state court in Brooklyn.
“The mortgage industry created MERS to allow financial institutions to evade county recording fees, avoid the need to publicly record mortgage transfers and facilitate the rapid sale and securitization of mortgages en masse,” Schneiderman said.
MERS, the Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, is a system for tracking mortgage ownership. (Reporting by Karen Freifeld; Editing by Eddie Evans)
Oh, I LOVE this news.
This Schneiderman is kicking butt and taking names – he’s wonderful, and fearless!
Saw him on the tee vee yesterday. He’s fantastic! Clear, concise, passionate – a great choice for the job as well as a great spokesperson.
LOVE!
Lots of good news today so here’s a personal one. This morning I had my first MRI to figure out the source of hearing loss in my right ear. Since I’m slightly claustrophobic I was afraid of getting a panic attack in an enclosed space. Got through the whole excruciating 40 minutes by replaying Chip’s Adele video in my head. Goes to show the healing power of TOD.
Congrats Jackie…glad to hear that you made it through, with a lil’ bit o help from Chips!
Great story – hoping for a happy ending!
That’s great. Hope the news will be encouraging when you get your results.
Now Ms. Chips, don’t be sending Jackie a bill for ‘services rendered’.
Oops should have thought of that, 57.
{{Jackie G.}}
And now fear of THAT particular is ‘history’. 
E-mail from Juliana Smoot just now
Friend –
Karl Rove tweeted about you.
When he heard about our Two-Term Fund, he tweeted:
“Saw another @BarackObama fund appeal for $3 gift. Good mktg or forced by low enthusiasm? Bet many upset 08 donors are taking pass this year.”
We often ask people for $3 because we believe as many people as possible should take ownership of the political process. It’s easy to understand why that might not compute to the guy doing a lot of the selling for a party bought and sold by special interests.
Since we launched the Two-Term Fund Wednesday afternoon, 41,978 people have stepped up and chipped in an average of $40.63 each.
Can you help — with $3 or whatever you can afford?
It’s telling that Karl Rove is planning to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for the 2012 campaign — but hasn’t endorsed or worked for any of the candidates.
That’s because he doesn’t care who wins the nomination.
His singular, obsessive focus is defeating Barack Obama.
So, knowing Karl Rove is watching, here’s my real question:
Can you pitch in to stop him?
https://donate.barackobama.com/Two-Term-Fund
Thanks,
Julianna
Julianna Smoot
Deputy Campaign Manager
Obama for America
Dang, I wish you could donate. Pushing my US pals will have to do. Sigh….
I really love that they made it personal with that 2 terms fund.
yup bwd. The Obama team knows the right buttons to push.
Velly smart peeps.
okay, amk, i’ll donate some more, this time for you! rover must really miss the shrub days, when he could imagine he was relevant. here’s some news rover: i’ve already donated twice what i gave in 2008, and it’s still february! why? because pbo is so good! four more years!
as of now, the donation page reports the two-term fund has raised $2,139,303 !! and the goal was $2million! there were 55,772 people donating this money. so proud of us, and of our president!
Thank you so much susanne,
my pleasure!
I just made my second donation…in the name of Karl Rove!!!!!!!!!!!!!
VELMA HART IS A CNBC CONTRIBUTOR? WTF
The qualification to be any media news “contributor” these days is to be willing to bash PBO or have have bashed him in the past.
Totally agree Hopefruit.
Well, Hopefruit2, either way you look at it, President Obama is busy creating jobs. Some of the most beneficiaries for his job creation have been people, like Velma Hart, who trashed him. Velma Hart should be thankful that Barack Obama is the President. Otherwise, there is no way she would have been employed as a CNBC contributor if she was out bashing a President John McCain.
She got a job? Good for her.
Pink Ribbons, Inc. Documentary starts today in Canada, US screenings may not be until later in the spring. See link below. Gotta wonder if Komen’s “apology” wasn’t prompted in some part to take some attention away from this film. The clips from the documentary that are on You Tube are pretty scathing and Komen’s foundation is front and center in the documentary.
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2012/02/film_critical_of_komen_pink_ri.php
Romney To Nevadans: I Don’t Know ‘What The Purpose Is’ Of Public Lands
http://thinkprogress.org/green/2012/02/03/418141/romney-public-lands/
This maniac must be stopped ! He would sell off our National Parks
HAAAAAAAAAA – as Bugs would say, “what a maroon!”
Nevada is one of the last places you should ever say anything as batshit crazy as that.
INDEED…MITTENS NEEDS A COMPASS TO REALIZE WHERE HE IS…THAT STATEMENT IS ALSO A VERY POOR INTRODUCTION TO OUR PRECIOUS NATIVE AMERICANS THAT LIVE OUT THERE!
Maybe we all need to stand at the borders of the various states to keep Romney OUT. I agree – hands off our precious Native Americans and their land; as in: it’s not your land, Romney, even if you break into what you call a “song.”
‘Maybe we all need to stand at the borders of the various states to keep Romney OUT’
Not at all, Jacque. For now we need to open the doors wide and let him in. With what goal? So that he can RELAX and tell us all what he really thinks about America and her people, and show us the America HE believes in. That way when America says ‘No, thank you’ and he wonders why she’ll have lots to tell him about his wooing shortcomings. VC
‘his wooing shortcomings’ lol !!
Romney should check the party credentials of his advisors. They might be supporters of President Obama! I can’t believe he’s saying and doing some of the stuff he’s doing.
Just adding to all the tweets:
Not sure if this video was posted already or not, but I just ♥ our First Lady. She can really dance.
My husband watched the push-ups video for the first time this morning. He said, “Michelle Obama is the finest, the best, the most authentic First Lady of my lifetime, and I remember Eleanor Roosevelt.”
Love my hubby.
There is another video where she is dancing as she first came out on stage on the Ellen Show. I can’t get the video to post. She can really dance too. Maybe this will work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Elm-Gu5jG0Q
Yes FLOTUS can dance.
57and Female, you know I agree with everything your husband said about Mrs. Obama.
LOl I thought I had posted the video but it did not show up.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) launched a special fundraising political action committee in October, pledging to use the money to fight illegal immigration and take on other issues she believes in. But based on financial disclosures filed this week, she has so far used it to do little more than buy copies of her own book.
The governor had raised only about $22,000 for Jan PAC by the end of 2011 and spent nearly a quarter of the cash, buying books from Amazon and paying a bill at the luxurious Waldorf Astoria hotel in Orlando, Fla. The rest of the money is still in the bank.
Brewer spent $3,423 on books and shipping from the online retailer, according to the financial reports. On her fundraising website, she offers a signed copy of her book “Scorpions for Breakfast” to every donor who gives $100 or more.
In early December she also spent $624 for a night at the swank Waldorf Astoria in Orlando, which her financial disclosures repeatedly misspell as “Orlanda.” Another $513 went to airfare on Southwest Airlines.
A message left for representatives of Jan PAC was not returned.
In October, the governor launched the PAC with several goals: fighting illegal immigration, defeating the president’s healthcare plan, creating jobs and reducing the size of government.
The financial disclosures represent a time before Brewer’s now famous encounter with President Obama on an airport runway in Phoenix last week. Sales of “Scorpions for Breakfast” spiked on Amazon after the event and the governor used her renewed notoriety to encourage people to donate to Jan PAC.
Among the donors revealed in the financial disclosures were former US Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, who lives in the Phoenix suburb of Peoria and gave $250, and wealthy real estate developer Mike Ingram, who gave $1,000.
Brewer’s final term as governor ends in 2014 and she has not said whether she plans to run for another office after that.
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/02/brewer_pledged_cash_for_immigration_fight_instead_spent_it_buying_copies_of_her_own_book.php
blah blah blah, “I’m Jan Brewer and I hate brown people. Canadians welcome, eh?”
Yeah. She should retire to “Orlanda” or maybe “Alasko.”
I vote “Alasko” under the frozen tundra.
but, isn’t keeping her name and her face and her nasty book in the public eye an excellent immigrant deterrent? it’s like, if you put those scary red balloons with the big eyes in your garden, so the birds don’t eat your crops–she’s the scary red balloon with the big eyes. works on me, anyway. i’m never going where she is.
sully
Romney’s Afghanistan Dilemma
He says he hates the accelerated drawdown in Afghanistan. Ackerman ponders Romney’s spin:
Remember, a major part of Romney’s foreign policy critique of Obama is that Obama callously mistreats and neglects U.S. allies. The allies, however, want the 2013 timetable. Romney surely had to bash the change in the timetable; that’s all in the game. But Mitt doesn’t seem to have thought through the angles here.
Larison tries to square the circle:
At present, Romney’s complaint is that Obama is publicly announcing something that all of the allied governments involved support, but he also wants to keep saying that Obama has done a terrible job of managing relationships with allies. Romney is remarkably flexible when it comes to policy positions, but I don’t think he will be able to keep making two mutually contradictory attacks at the same time.
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/02/romneys-afghanistan-dilemma.html
Oh, he’ll try to make two mutually contradictory attacks at the same time. We know THAT. Truth and reason are not factors with this faker.
plus, he doesn’t seem to register in his brain what is coming out of his mouth. given that, he wouldn’t even notice making ‘two mutually contradictory attacks at the same time.’ no brain? no problem.
Just love Stephen-Colbert-influenced #preparethem tweets! Very creative people.
That’s my Stevie. Love him. Just imagine where we would be now if his colleagues in the mainstream media were also focused on debunking the GOP lies. I am glad Steve is focusing on Willard, but pathological lying is the thread that runs through Republican Party. They are morally bankrupt and they have nothing of substance to offer the American people. So lying and making stuff up has become their stock-in-trade.
Benen is equal opportunity at calling them out on their b.s.
Feb 3 (Reuters) – Goldman Sachs Group Inc was ordered by a federal judge to face a securities class-action lawsuit accusing it of misleading investors about a 2006 offering of securities backed by risky mortgage loans from a now-defunct lender.
U.S. District Judge Harold Baer in Manhattan certified a class-action lawsuit by investors in the GSAMP Trust 2006-S2, a $698 million offering of certificates based on a pool of second-lien home mortgages.
The underlying loans were made by New Century Financial Corp, a subprime mortgage specialist that went bankrupt in 2007.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit said New Century ignored its own underwriting standards and used improper appraisals when making the loans, and Goldman failed to conduct adequate due diligence when it bought the loans and packaged them into securities.
Great News for vets UE goes from 15.2 to 9.1 in a year. UE for men went drastically down, sadly UE for women edged higher.
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t05.htm
Huffington Faux is having a major meltdown over the positive news report. So far their main headline has not featured the jobs report (that rarely happens). Instead, they’ve been putting out one negative article after another about how bad the report is really is, and blah, blah blah blah…
You should just stop going there – it’s clearly toxic…
I no longer post there and rarely visit/browse…I just checked to see what the headline was because I know that the (negative) jobs numbers used to be one of their favorite things to report enthusiastically in big bold red 96-font headlines…The contrast in enthusiasm with which today’s report was met by HuffnPuff was duly noted by me
They are transparent and unbearable. I had to stop going there shortly after the inauguration, and only go if someone posts a good link. They seem so tabloid-ish now. No better than National Inquirer.
I can’t even go there if someone posts a good link. I’ll usually wait until someone describes what’s there. Sad, because there used to be (and may still be) a lot of good writers on that site, not the Arianna types who buffaloed everybody into thinking they were “one of us.”
I saw a headline today on “Marketwatch” that Arianna is going to start a HuffPo live streaming site – for several hours a day.
The new owner is a Romney supporter and contributor.
Quit giving them hits. THere’s no point in going over there. We know they don’t report anything positive about this administration.
Arizona Lawmaker Proposes ‘White American Day’
Arizona Republican Cecil Ash suggested that the state consider celebrating “White American Day.”
Arizona Republican Cecil Ash could be the new standard bearer for his state’s racist reputation. During a discussion in the state house about perhaps enacting a Latino American day or month like Black History Month, Ash suggested that the state should also consider a “White American Day” of some sort.
“I’m supportive of this proposition. I just want them to assure me that when we do become in the minority you’ll have a day for us,” said the Caucasian lawmaker, local KPHO reports. Not surprisingly, Ash is a Birther who believes Obama’s blackness somehow signals foreignness. http://www.angryblacklady.com/2012/02/03/arizona-lawmaker-proposes-white-american-day/
What is going on in AZ?
Can someone explain to me why Team Chicago is telling reporters “on background” that if UE is at 8.5%, it’s going to be “impossible to win?” Why the hell would you say something like that? It’s idiotic to try to set ANY expectation of the UE rate other than “We have to move it in the right direction.” This President has done Herculean things to right the ship and now they’re telling reporters they can’t convince the public WITH ALL THE POSITIVE data and all the good things PBO has done?!! Ugh.
Ok that’s my chicken little rant for the day.
First of all, who is “Team Chicago?”
I’m assuming Axelrod, Messina, and those guys. They do talk to reporters on background or off the record, just like in Game Change, so the likelihood is that it’s true. I’ve also heard this figure at least four times the last two days from different reporters, and not your campaign embed reporters. The big shots like Dan Balz and Jim Vandehei who have access to the main players. It’s just baffling to me why they would even bring it up! PBO can WIN with 8.5%, god forbid it goes back up to that. He has done so many good things. He’s a one of a kind campaigner against a soulless robot. Trying to set expectations is just a dumb idea, esp. with something as volatile as the economy. PBO never said 8%. It never crossed his lips, but that has now been all over the news as a metric because of Christie Romer. And it shot us in the foot bc it created a threshold. This 8.5% these guys are repeating could turn into another one of those artificial metrics when PBO is completely capable of winning in that environment.
It’s the truth. Team Chicago knows that if the UE does not come down it will mean trouble for them.Also Team Chicago likes to be seen as the underdog.
No, I agree Desraye that it will be tough if UE shoots back up, but why would you say “It’s impossible to win?!” PBO has a STRONG record and a GOOD narrative to cite to say he was able to stop the bleeding and we’re healing even if it does slightly tick up.
Never set a hard expectation in politics!! Psyche is just as important as facts in media reporting. For example, let’s say Christie Romer had said 9% and not 8% if the stimulus had passed. PBO would be cruising right now and have huge amounts of political capital to persuade undecideds. Setting an expectation of 8% really hurt us and just gave an easy talking point for the GOP liars to repeat UNFAIRLY. Saying 8.5% as “impossible to win” is just idiotic. They shouldn’t even be talking about a NUMBER to anybody. Just KEEP PUSHING! PBO is an amazing politician and has a record to show for it! Chances are UE will go up or down in the next 9 months which makes the media reporting even harder if they see that 8.5 number.
You got to remember that PBO likes to be the underdog. I like that they said that it will be impossible to win because it let Obama supporters know that this will not be an easy election. It encourages supporters and volunteers.
Axelrod and Messina are good and dedicated people, but good god, what were they thinking?
Folks – At no time would anyone in the campaign ever announce that unemployment will be at record lows on X date. Ain’t gonna happen. It’s a political trick to present yourself as the underdog. If anything were purposely said “off the record,” it would be so that low expectations are put out there by the media, only to be beaten before election day.
Don’t fall for the hype. Nothing anyone in the Obama campaign has ever said is “off the record” – they know better – it’s all a strategy. Remember they are experts at politics.
Don’t fall for the hype.
Because they’re expecting unemployment to be at 2% or 3% by election day — if we have a “really bad” six months ahead — and they don’t mind letting everyone focus “like a laser beam” on an easily tracked economic statistic?
To be blunt: I think many people wildly underestimate this President and his team.
Regardless of your politics, I think that is an extremely unwise inclination that should never inform your strategy.
‘Because they’re expecting unemployment to be at 2% or 3% by election day’
Funny I was thinking along those lines before coming down to your answer, Ralph. But I was thinking more ‘reasonably’,
like 7.8-8%. 
Yeah, I tend to be a cautious one and not much of a gambler.
I gave up questioning what these guys say/do a LOO-OONG time ago, and find that I am far, far more relaxed about each point that pops up. Truth is, I can’t put a finger on the moment when my confidence/trust in Prez O and his team solidified unquestionably, or even the moment when I became aware that it had. I can say though, that I so take it for granted now that even were they to make a decision (gamble?) that failed, it wouldn’t shatter me. I would just think, ‘Ah well, that didn’t work out as well as we hoped. What’s our detour guys, so we can continue the war?’ I’m not a history scholar, but I have this vague idea that most wars don’t romp, or ramp, their way to victory without challenges, and winning majors/generals (the top military guys?) don’t always make the right call EVERY time. My dream, and it’s a big dream I know, is for the day (BEFORE the victory on Nov. 6) when all troopers would follow the team into battle with UNQUESTIONING loyalty. Yes, we are all different personalities, but I do not really see how asking the leader ‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING?’ at every step we did not predict helps. In my mind that moment of pause while we question might be the really pivotal moment that causes the soldiers behind us, who were also fearful but who were trying to be courageous, to doubt and turn tail and run. To use Jovie’s favourite words, ‘Just saying’ VC
Well, VC, I could just burst out crying right now. That was heartfelt, beautifully said, and much appreciated. I feel the exact same way you so graciously described.
VC – I totally agree with you! We’re so on the same wavelength. If a CEO was questioned every time he/she made a move or a decision, companies would never take risks. That’s why Romney’s claim of superiority because he was involved in business (and even that involvement is questionable, since he seems timid) is a load of bunk. The Presidency is so different from a business. People vote for a president because they trust his judgement and trust that the decisions he/she makes will positively affect their lives. That’s not to say we follow blindly, but we trust them – and there’s an election every so often to send them a message (and impeachment, if necessary).
This is why the nonsense coming from the right, and the apathy of those in the left and the middle – terrifies me. The GOP voters don’t care about policies or consequences, they just want the satisfaction of defeating the President. The same mentality of 2010 with the Dem voters. No regard for the effect on people’s lives, no real consideration of judgement or trustworthiness of the candidate. That attitude is a threat to real democracy, in my opinion.
I will hope with you that we’ll see the day when people finally arm themselves with information (Bachmann-style) and give this man the benefit of the doubt – especially after three years of honest, thoughtful, consistently exquisite leadership.
thanks so much for this beautiful message. i, too, can’t remember when my trust in this president and his decisions became absolute and unquestioning. i just know it was years ago. there are so many voices tearing this presidency down and doubting our pbo’s skill and wisdom–we need to make sure our voices are spreading the news of all the good, all the progress, all the hoped for, planned for change that is going on right now!
pbo and his team are superb–but not divine. their adversaries are stupid–but not weak. not every little thing, or every big thing, will go our way. that doesn’t mean our strategy was wrong. please, halo, check your sources, breathe, think for a minute, and recognize that pbo is on this. he’s got it. all we have to do is help him get re-elected.
Paging Old Man Mccain
@chucktodd Chuck Todd
Two days in a row, have a GOP senator tell me they support Obama admin plan to speed up end of combat ops. Heller yesterday, Johanns today
For LL, terry stripped of England captaincy by FA.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/mobile/football/16866149
Fuck this racist.
It’s almost 3PM. Do you know where Jon Huntsman is? Do you care?
LOL. You’re mean, hf2. I still remember SR’s ‘concern ‘abut jon.
Ha! Hope he’s catching up on his sleep. He always looked in need of a nap.
celebrating the year of the dragon, for sure. oh, but–no, he walked away from that incredible honor.
Time for PUSH BACK, Guys just almost destroyed my TV. Just watched CNN interview of Allan Krueger the Presidents Economic Adviser. and he was doing his best to say what we all has been saying that this economy has been improving but the anchor standoffish and gleefull bringing tea party and retug talking bpiont even nto the extent of saying that The President and his Team are doing a victory dance. Whats wrong with this Black anchors on cnn that they think that bringing the President down is how they get ahead or an upward mobility I am just incensed about how they treat The most brilliant intelligent President ever, ever.
Nobody is doing a victory dance! What a crock of lies. PBO just said don’t FCK it up and keep it going!
Even if the President is doing a victory dance, why shouldn’t he? He deserves it! After three years of begin bashed about unemployment, and listening to Boehner demand to know “where are the jobs”, the real question is – why aren’t the GOP doing a victory dance? Why are they and the media all sour-faced, trying so hard to make this into bad news?
The President should dance until his feet hurt. He deserves it!
But knowing our President, he will not do any victory dance till every American who wants a job can find one. He knows we have a long way to go, but he will keep fighting for the poor and middle class.
OMG! THIS IS A BFD!!!
http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2012/02/new-york-attorney-general-schneiderman.html Stuff is going to hit the fan, and I, for one, could NOT BE HAPPIER!
Sweet, I like his style. The man is fierce. He is the GOP and Wall Street’s worst nightmare. Anyone wanting more details on this amazing and dedicated public servant can check out the website below:
Meet NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, The Man Who Could Be Wall Street’s New Worst Nightmare
http://www.businessinsider.com/meet-ny-attorney-general-eric-schneiderman-the-man-obama-picked-to-find-out-who-caused-the-mortgage-crises-2012-1
I don’t care if Susan G. Komen for the Cure “reversed” their decision by honoring current Planned Parenthood grants (with no promise of new grants). I don’t like the way they manage the funds they receive. Too little of it goes to actual breast cancer research.
I think it is important to look for alternative places to contribute and volunteer like:
-Planned Parenthood
-The Breast Cancer Research Foundation ( http://www.bcrfcure.org ) – 90.9% of donations go to research and awareness.
Does anyone have any other suggestions?
I agree. This reversal is almost the ole rope a dope. They are only restoring “current grants,” but not future grants.
I’m with you. The more I learn about this corporate shill of an organization, the more disgusted I get. Typical right-wing business practices. Willard would be right at home with their business model — and they’re probably paying little or no taxes!
In addition to the orgs you listed, I’ve heard American Cancer Society may be an option. I’m gonna do more research.
YOU CAN’T UN-RING THE BELL, THIS WAS AN EPIC FAIL FOR KOMEN
I am looking at this reversal with a jaundiced eye. The cynic in me feels this is just being done because they did not anticipate the magnitude of the outrage they got from this decision. Now, they are trying to ease their hand out of the lions mouth in hopes of tamping down this public relations disaster. There should be a full reversal to the previous state with no strings attached.
For me, the Susan G. Komen organization’s name has been severely tarnished. I will never feel the same way about them again. The fact that they could have made this decision in the first place is just horrifying. And it infuriates me to have them try to pretend that the decision was not political. I find that insulting beyond belief. They must really think we are idiots.
Susan G. Kormen will not be getting one red penny from me. I will be donating directly to Planned Parenthood.
Well said – and they came up with so many excuses along the way, just compounding the damage.
Just over 73,000. to go to reach Two Million:
http://www.barackobama.com/
Just chipped in more…
he is already at $2.1M
PBO TO GOP: “DON’T MUCK IT UP”.
Obama Uses Unemployment Drop To Take Down Boehner and The GOP
======================
President Obama not only sent the message to congressional — specifically House –Republicans not to screw up this recovery, but he also set them up to be the cause of any future tumble that the economy might take. Obama’s point was that he got the economy on the right track again, and if it goes off the rails because Republicans in Congress continue to play their obstruction games, it will be their fault.
President Obama also let it be known that he is about to tolerate John Boehner’s plan to attach Keystone XL to any bill extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits. This is what the president was referring to when he said, “no ideological side issues.” Obama was sending a message to Speaker Boehner that he can forget about Keystone XL.
=====================
http://www.politicususa.com/en/obama-unemployment-drop
Finally found out who the cute Dr. Alan Krueger is – President Obama’s Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. Smart guy, and good spokesman. He was on Andrea Mitchell’s show, which I’m only watching again because of her stance on Komen, along with Sens. Boxer and Murray, yesterday.
Andrea also covered the drop in the African American unemployment rate from 15.8 to 13.6% U.S. Economics writer Greg Ip of The Economist was on her show and he said the economy may be less of an issue in November for the President.
Good times.
Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN)
Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN)
Last week, ThinkProgress Green reported that Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN), joined the oil industry in lobbying Congress on behalf of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, using taxpayer dollars. Although the proposed pipeline does not go through Indiana, and few, if any, Indiana workers are expected to be employed in its construction, the state’s DC representatives received $66,000 from Indiana taxpayers to lobby Congress in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Citing the ThinkProgress Green report, House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) wrote one of those lobbyists yesterday, noting that her disclosed Keystone KL lobbying “seems unusual” as Indiana lacks any “obvious interest” in seeing the pipeline completed. In the letter, addressed to lobbyist Deborah Hohlt, Waxman “would appreciate the opportunity to learn about Indiana’s interests in the proposed Keystone XL pipeline” and requested a briefing from her.
“You’re kind of catching me off-guard,” Hohlt told Politico when asked about her tar-sands lobbying:
Hohlt had no answers when POLITICO contacted her Thursday, saying she still hadn’t seen Waxman’s letter. “You’re kind of catching me off-guard,” she said.
But Jane Jankowski, the press secretary for Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, said Hohlt simply listed in her disclosure report “any topic she’s spoken about on behalf of the state.”
“Gov. Daniels has talked about the need for the Keystone pipeline and issued a statement about it, which she passed on to our delegation, so she included it on her report,” Jankowski wrote.
Hohlt’s disclosure form lists the pipeline as one of four energy-related issues on which she lobbied both Congress and the Department of Energy.
A second lobbyist, Griffin Foster, also reported lobbying Congress and the Obama administration on the Keystone XL pipeline on Daniels’ behalf, over the same period.
—
Can someone please tweet this to David Gregory….I think Daniels is on MTP on Sunday.
DANIELS IS A WASTE OF AIR TIME!
KOMEN BECOMES A CRASS POLITICAL ACTOR
Susan G. Komen enters the McCarthy era
=====================
With one policy change, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure has gone from a respected heal advocacy charity, to a crass political actor. And that’s a shame.
He organization’s socialite founder was all over TV today trying to contain the damage from a decision they actually started making in December: to hire a right wing, anti-abortion, anti-contraception conservative firebrand on the rebound from a failed run for Georgia governor, and then, likely at her direction, to sever it’s grant-making ties to Planned Parenthood.
The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg has done some excellent reporting on the controversy and has this today:
======================
http://blog.reidreport.com/2012/02/susan-g-komen-enters-the-mccarthy-era/#more-27721
Mahalos, Ladyhawke. That tweet above the article said something like..,”Just like a pro abortion group to turn a cancer orgs decision into a political bomb. Cry me a freaking river.”
First of all..nobody is pro abortion, idiot and secondly..the cancer org fired the shot discriminating who gets cancer screenings. Just like anti choice to make up shit.
Oh my! Did this get posted?
* Retired Supreme Sandra Day O’Conner quips about GOP presidential candidates at Alfalfa Club dinner: “[O]ne is a practicing polygamist, and he’s not even the Mormon.”
yes, and we’re still rolling on the floor!
http://thinkprogress.org/media/2012/02/03/418629/is-fox-news-ignoring-the-good-jobs-report/
The Two-Term fund just broke $2 million! I wonder if if will get to three?
http://www.barackobama.com
Yippee !…. When was that started ????
Yesterday.
“The Two-Term fund just broke $2 million!” That’s very good news.
And Willard has raised 750k less–and he doesn’t show how many donors which means it’s not many…
OFA shows the number of donors, and it’s currently over 52k.
yes! great news! a few minutes ago i was thinking of donating a dollar more since i’ve already donated a number of times very recently. if a million supporters all give even a dollar right now it’ll help!
The 2 term fund just went over 2 million squibs-
http://www.barackobama.com/
Just tweeted Phil Gingrey: and called him a sack of names for walking out of the prayer breakfast. These Republicans are such skunks. They don’t respect President Obama nor the office of the Presidency. I tweeted Orrin Hatch and called him out for the stupid stuff he said about President Obama on the Senate floor. Talking about he doesn’t walk on water, blah, blah, blah, I told him he sounded like a two year and to look in the mirror and he’ll know why Congress has an 11% approval rating. Someone corrected me and said it’s 9%.
To show you how morally bankrupt these jackasses are: Ralph Reed said Obama’s speech was “theologically threadbare.”
Exactly what Jesus do these people believe in? I used to think it was a joke but these fools are deadly serious: if Jesus loved you, he would make you rich. If you’re not rich, you’re failing Jesus.
And ignore the entire meaning of Jesus’ teachings? Has this entire country gone batshit crazy?
That would be the same Ralph Reed who palled around with Jack Abramoff and made a living faking piety while fleecing the evangelicals every chance he got.
It’s the same thing they said about MLK! He’s a radical. He’s crazy.
There was a report a couple of years ago about the Family. They talked about this very subject – I think it was a book that a man wrote who embedded himself in the house on K street. Anyway, he was talking about how the Family has this exact theory, and they believe that ultimately, there’s a chosen elite, and the rest of the people are supposed to serve them. They believe that the teachings of Jesus were incorrectly translated, and that he came for the rich, not for the poor. I’ll try and find the footage – it was on Rachel, I think. Once I listened to this, I was able to maintain my sanity when I heard their nonsense.
I can’t find the footage where they actually said that Jesus’ teachings were misinterpreted, but I did find this segment of Rachel’s series on the C-street house and The Family. It’s chilling. There are two parts in this one – the first video, and then the interview with the author further down on the page. Worth watching.
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/rachel-maddow-show-c-street-part-ii
Eureka! I found it – hearing it again sent shivers down my spine. Here’s a sample:
“The family began, it’s the oldest Christian conservative organization in Washington and it goes back seventy years. And the founder believed that god gave him a new revelation saying that Christianity had gotten it wrong for two thousand years and that what most people think of as Christianity, as being about, you know, helping the weak and the poor and the meek and the down and out, he believes god came to him one night in April in 1935 and said what Christianity should really be about is building more power for the already powerful. And that these powerful men who were chosen by god can then if they want to dispense blessings to the rest of us, through a kind of trickle-down fundamentalism”.
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/rachel-maddow-show-christian-conservatisms
They are in deep trouble and their reactions speak volumes. They threw everything at this man and it didn’t work.
Go Pats–Good Luck NY–but, Go Brady!
Did y’all get the email from the campaign, mentioning Karl Rove’s tweet that the campaign is begging for $3 donations because there must be an enthusiasm gap between now and ’08?
After I tweeted the has-been Rove, saying, “You wish,” I upped it to $4 for 4 more for 44.
(Chips & Donna – I was so frosted I forgot to use your fundraisers! Wish I had thought of that! I’ll catch you next time, with a larger donation.)
Karl Rove’s doing fundraising now for President Obama:
https://twitter.com/?lang=en&logged_out=1#!/KarlRove/status/165095023472422912
mpoindc Mike O’Brien
Two-term fund clears $2 million goal RT @teddygoff: BOOM barackobama.com
photo/1
eww…that is the picture Jan Brewer used on the back jacket of her book with her ugly face on it.
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRciyQGQLOc-Ig14ADql43EHFdCxNOA-sCPrc8_DZO7sRj-NcyG
“…with her ugly face on it.”
The original of that image is “Rosie the Riveter” from WWII – sorry ugly Brewer borrowed it, since she’s anything but a role model for women, in any century.
WASHINGTON — At a private three-day retreat in California last weekend, conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch and about 250 to 300 other individuals pledged approximately $100 million to defeat President Obama in the 2012 elections.
A source who was in the room when the pledges were made told The Huffington Post that, specifically, Charles Koch pledged $40 million and David pledged $20 million.
The semi-annual, invitation-only meeting attracts wealthy donors, Republican politicians and conservative activists. Last year, hundreds of activists gathered outside the walled-off resort to protest the meeting. This year, however, the conference went off quietly.
“Conference organizers and their guests successfully slipped in and out of the Coachella Valley without being detected, by buying out nearly all of the 500-plus rooms at the Renaissance Esmeralda resort in Indian Wells,” reported The Desert Sun. “The resort closed its restaurants, locked down the grounds with private security guards and sent many workers home.”
This is the ninth straight year the Kochs have hosted the conference. As Politico reported last year, the meetings often adjourn “after soliciting pledges of support from the donors — sometimes totaling as much as $50 million — to nonprofit groups favored by the Kochs.”
The fact that the wealthy conservative donors pledged $100 million for the 2012 elections shows how intent they are on trying to get Obama out of office — and previews how intense, and likely nasty, the general election will be.
—
These people are traitors to America and scare the heck out of me.
Is OWS fizzling out, or do they now embrace the Koch brothers?
I think OWS has been taken over by outsiders and troublemakers…..It is really to bad.
It was inevitable considering the original crew didn’t want to vote, call their Congressperson or anything else which may have made a difference. You can’t go sit in a park, do drum circles or throw paper airplanes at the Goldman Sachs building and claim to be making a difference.
I do think they’ve been seriously infiltrated and they don’t seem to know or care.
Clearing out whole towns or whole areas to do stuff behind closed doors (in “quiet rooms,” as Willard would say) with evil intent – how American; how patriotic.
Eyes wide open, folks, until we get President Obama re-elected in a landslide!
As I read this, I thought how empty these attendees of this meeting must be. They don’t love America. They will try to destroy whatever they imagine will impede their existence. Hate and greed has consumed their minds and hearts and they want to fill a void that money will never satisfy. They want to use their wealth to oppress the people. Their money is their god and they have stored their riches for the poor.
Even after they spend massive amount of their money, they will not succeed against President Obama because God will not allow it. God will show them that they have no power outside of Him. You can’t kick against the prick and win. The Koch brothers and their minions will see that they are fighting a losing battle. Their motives are wrong. You can’t obtain wealth at the expense of destroying the poor. Any gains unjustly gotten, a man can not keep.
@BarackObama
A little over 48 hours, 50,000 people, and $2 million dollars: amazing. http://OFA.BO/9pfKkc
But but but CNN said…
Wow… I clicked your link and all my own information was still there.
It’s all automatic from your email address log-on. Don’t worry – nobody else should be able to see it. When I clicked on the link, it was my information – not yours.
Thanks…..;o)
Oh crap, my information is now Karl Rove. Sigh!
Your browser’s cookies will automatically fill in your information based on your IP address. No one else can see it. As JO’B says, when I click on it I see my own personal info.
I just pledged my $4 more for 44!
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A surge in hiring in the world’s largest economy last month drove the Nasdaq to an 11-year high on Friday as optimism grew that the labor market is on a steady path to recovery.
The broad-based gains on solid trading volume also sent the Dow Jones industrial average near a four-year high. The S&P 500 extended its 2012 advance to about 7 percent and was at its highest level in more than six months.
The U.S. economy created jobs at the fastest pace in nine months in January and the unemployment rate dropped to nearly a three-year low of 8.3 percent, the government said.
“It is really hard to find something not to like in the jobs report,” said Andrew Goldberg, market strategist at JP Morgan Funds in New York. “There is genuine strength in this report with broad-based jobs creation.”
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSTRE80T0J120120203?irpc=932
11 year high you say?
‘it’s really hard to find something not to like in the jobs report.’
so, that’s pretty clear–they’re searching for something negative to say, and they just can’t. darn it pbo! you’re making it hard to be a repug nowadays!
EXCLUSIVE: Ari Fleischer Secretly Helped Guide Komen Strategy On Planned Parenthood
Ari Fleischer, former press secretary for George W. Bush and prominent right-wing pundit, secretly helped guide Komen Foundation’s disastrous strategy regarding Planned Parenthood. Fleischer personally interviewed candidates for the postion of “Senior Vice President for Communications and External Relations” at Komen last December. According to a source with first-hand knowedge, Fleischer drilled prospective candidates during their interviews on how they would handle the controversy about Komen’s relationship with Planned Parenthood.
Fleischer’s relationship with Komen and the Planned Parenthood controversy was previously undisclosed. Fleischer confirmed to ThinkProgress his recent role in filling key communications positions at Komen. He stressed, however, that another communications firm (Ogilvy PR) was retained by Komen to deal with the explosive controversy over the last few days.
http://thinkprogress.org/
TeaNN has the lowest of low working for them…..
Tweet Wolfe blitzer with this info!
No twitter account… ( I don’t dare….my family is already threatening an intervention due to my internet addiction )
This is also part of the bigger picture. Maybe the PP funding issue was a distraction?
——————————-
Headline: Susan G. Komen Foundation Also Stops Funding Embryonic Stem Cell Research
In addition to pulling funds from Planned Parenthood for The Susan G. Komen Foundation also decided to stop funding embryonic stem cell research centers making it fully transparent the organization has evolved from non-political non-profit to a partisan advocacy organization.
That means the loss of $3.75 million to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, $4.5 million to the University of Kansas Medical Center, $1 million to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, $1 million to the Society for Women’s Health Research, and $600,000 to Yale University. That’s a loss of nearly $12 million dollars in research money to eradicate breast cancer this year alone.
This is a new position for the organization which had previously supported all sorts of scientific research targeted at finding a cure for breast cancer and saving women’s lives. It’s new position is that the organization will categorically no longer support any embryonic stem cell research.
Link: http://www.care2.com/causes/susan-g-komen-foundation-also-stops-funding-embryonic-stem-cell-research.html#ixzz1lMbNuQlA
And Bernie Sanders can kiss my butt: on Thom Hartman today, the manufacturing jobs are smokes and mirrors because people are earning less at those jobs than they were 15 years ago. I don’t dispute that, I know it impacts the middle class and how well the middle class thrives. But how, exactly, does Bernie Sanders intend to bring back high paying manufacturing jobs? Crickets. Are we supposed to WAIT until there’s some miraculous new world order where that is true?
You can’t effing celebrate a good jobs report?!?!? Why can’t these jackasses celebrate progress, for God’s sake?
Bernie is a whiny pain……When he is on TV , I mute him or change the channel. He is a broken record.
He said that so someone would recognize his existence. Mission Accomplished because you commented on it. I’ve given up on the Debby downers in our Country. Sanders is a socialist, enough said for me.
And I commented on Linda’s comment on it. LOL!!!!
Sanders is no socialist. He’s a miserable part of the PL faction who have their panties in a bunch because of who is currently in the WH. Sanders voted to defund ACORN. Sanders voted to not fund the closing of GITMO. Sanders voted against the payroll tax cut extension for middle class families. I repeat – Sanders is no socialist. I wish he were, quite frankly.
No shite, hopefruit!? I saw on TPM today where they were discussing candidates for 2016 and someone posted..”Bernie Sanders..a real Solcialist!”
I think I’ll go back and post that information. Bernie doesn’t even sound like a pragmatist
Paul Wellstone was a pragmatist..his friend wrote a piece on it for Blue Wave News one time. The suckers of the profiteering “left” Did Not Like That. LOL.
BERNIE IS ALWAYS DEPRESSING TO ME…NO MATTER THE SUBJECT, HE IS ALWAYS NEGATIVE. I REALLY FEEL HIS TIME HAS COME TO RETIRE….WE NEED FRESH BLOOD IN THE DEMS SENATE…TOO DAMN OLD…GRUMPY LIKE MC CAIN !!!!
HE IS FROM THE PAST!!!!
Someone need to tell old Bernie to stop complaining so much. I am so tired of that man.
Bernie Sanders has totally gotten on my last nerve. I wish the State of Vermont would retire his sorry old wrinkled butt!
Pres. Obama is messing up his hustle.
Florida Republican Stripped Of Senate Chairmanship For Opposing Prison Privatization Scheme
Last year a judge threw out a similar plan because proponents tried to sneak it into the budget, but Republican sponsors have revived the bill. And they have a clear personal interest in fighting so hard. The country’s biggest private prison companies, who stand to make millions from the Florida plan, have given generously to many state legislators.
GEO Group, a private prison company based in Boca Raton and one of the largest contributors to the Florida Republican Party in 2010, gave over $11,000 to the campaigns of 14 of the 20 members of the Budget Committee that approved the privatization bill. They also gave the maximum $25,000 to Gov. Scott’s inaugural fund.
The Corrections Corporation of America, the nation’s largest corrections company, also has close connections to GOP statehouses across the country. The company has spent $373,000 in political contributions in Florida since 2003, over 60 percent of which have gone to Republicans.
http://thinkprogress.org/
Romeny’s surrogates are HORRIBLE! Chris Matthews is killing Mitt’s surrogate with facts. Mitt’s surrogates are ALWAYS defensive, without a telepromter Mitt is a mess and they know. They are always trying to turn questions around and about POTUS and other people.
FORMER Gov. Erlich of Maryland was crushed by O’Mally in his re-election campaign.
What makes him think the Joe Biden is wealthy ?
O’Malley is on the front page of NYT as prospect for 2016.
Yippee ! He is great !
Wasn’t Joe one of the Congress with the most modest means? He has spent his entire life in public service, his wife is a teacher. There is no depths to which they won’t go.
“From the last plane, to the last bullet, to the last minute, to the last man, We fight,
We fight, We Fight!”
No Mr. 13% Mitt, if it wasn’t for the obstruction of Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Eric Cantor, and the rest of the Republicans, the economy would be doing alot better.
This is ad is great. DNC is on it.
WHO THE HELL IS THIS GOPOLITICO GUY ON HARDBALL?
Just a John Harris lap dog. Joe Williams.
So Rep. Gingrey walked out on the Prayer Breakfast yesterday because he didn’t like the President spoke about the poor in his speech?
Wave your hands in the air if you are completely sick of the disrespect that this President is subjected to.
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/martin-bashir/46256673/?ocid=twitter#46256673
President obama was sending those demons out with God’s words. he was casting demons
Oh yeah, light is a disinfectant for the dark. Evil will flee when Truth shows up.
The only good thing is, Donna – Rep. Gingrey, Karl Rove, Jan Brewer, and all the others just make us work harder for a landslide Obama-Biden victory. Then, I’m going to chug down a whole bottle of white wine (not the mini bottles I can barely “handle” now!).
I’m so glad I’m not those awful people. Grrr.
He is the one who tried to keep the F22 in production…..His district has Lockheed and Dobbins Air Force Base.
donna these people aren’t Christians, except in name only. What is wrong with talking about the poor? And you bet I am tired of the disrespect that this President has had to deal with.
waving, waving here…waving!
Full house in Pittsburgh for our office opening!
Pic: http://instagr.am/p/nTMK0/
Rep. Gingrey’s (R-GA) and Senator Hatch’s (R-UT) comments on PBO’s talk at the prayer breakfast are enough to make one give up on religion as it is practiced in the US. Note: The keynote speaker, Eric Metaxas, campaigned for Santorun in SC last month.
That prayer breakfast is a farce, but a necessary evil……
It is run by The Family, one of the most right wing groups in Washington. In his own way PBO stuck it to them yesterday.
The media is dropping the ball on Koman………There is more to it than them continuing the funding…..for the rest of this year up until only October.
love this!
VP at Komen is also anti-gay
http://www.alan.com/2012/02/03/anti-abortion-komen-vp-also-anti-gay/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+liberaland+%28Alan+Colmes+Liberaland%29
NETANYAHU WILL TRY TO ATTACK IRAN AND UNDERMINE PBO.
Cantor was visiting him last month. I would not he surprised if Cantor was encouraging him.
These silly, reactionary half-baked “strategies” by the GOP to undermine our President will FAIL.
I agree with you hopefruit2…NETANYAHU is just a big mouth blowhard…..
Israel is supposed to launch air strikes on Iran by the Spring or during the Spring. I pray that President Obama doesn’t decided to engage in this potential war. I would be crushed if he decides to do this.
You know a good way for Israel to lose most of its support in the US? Start an unprovoked war with Iran that pushes gas prices to $6 or $7 a gallon. That would be the perfect excuse that PBO would need to distance the US from Israel. And the vast majority of voters would be behind him.
The Persian Gulf would light up like a Christmas tree. The straits of Hormuz a grave yard and the whole region a combat zone.
If you remember during the GE McCain’s main advisor had a contract with the country Georgia and there was some hanky panky stuff going on close to the election involving Russian and Georgia. McCain was talking hard about us protecting Georgia and there was questions as to whether Georgia started the so called squirmish or not. It was assumed that it might have been staged to help McCain look tough on foreign affairs.
Israel – Iran is a distraction. If Israel think that it have the capability to start this shiggedy, they better be able to execute until the end without trying to drag the USA into this muck.
President’s poll numbers up in New Hampshire.
“Obama has seen his job approval rating nearly flip from the last Granite State Poll in October, with 51 percent now saying they like the job the president is doing, compared to 43 percent who don’t. Just 41 percent said they approved in October.”
/snip/
“Obama’s improved fortunes are also reflected in head-to-head matchups against the Republican field in New Hampshire. In hypothetical matchups, Obama leads Mitt Romney by 10 points, Ron Paul by eight points, and trounces Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum by 25 and 21 points respectively.”
http://www.wmur.com/r/30373435/detail.html
But
That’s a change.
So Komen is backing off their stupid decision. I’m glad that they did, but I agree with John Cole:
Don’t Let Up the Fight
by John Cole
Wow….Rev Al just said that Planned Parenthood has received over 3 million.
yes, that’s 3M in 3 says, which was twice as much as Komer gave to Planned Parenthood in the entire previous year.
I heard it was six times as much.
No matter. It’s still a lot of cash.
Oh Lawd!!
That’s the truth
YOU’VE GOT THAT RIGHT! THEY ARE A POOR EXAMPLE FOR THE JUDGES THAT DO DESERVE TO SIT ON THE BENCH!
I use acronyms to remember things and I chose to remember the Supreme Court Judges voting for Citizens United by the same acronym but added to the end of it. I chose RATS+Kennedy. Roberts, Alito, Thomas, Scalia and Kennedy. Those were the five judges passing Citizens United.
too bad they’re not the kind you can get rid of with a little d-con.
Russian veto!
Maybe. I’m wondering if a deal has been worked out. We’ll see tomorrow morning.
I hope Russia thinks about all the human beings who are being killed while they sit on their hands.
I think Orly Taitz should now self-deport back to Russia!.
Most excellent. Orly haz a sad.
Yippee !!!!!
I live in Ga and I am relieved to read this…….
They need to fine her for this garbage! Happy it’s over.
Ok, read the decision. Pretty much, it was a judicial smackdown of the plaintiffs. It’s almost as if the plaintiffs were relying on the judge to be anti-Obama and not look at case law, because from the decision it’s clear that they presented no case.
The damned case should have been dismissed. The judge was out of bounds demanding that the President appear.
I think it was well played strategically. The decision is a good one (and a good read). By setting forth all the legal precedent for PBO to be on the ballot in GA and striking down each one of their “claims” based on case law, it is highly unlikely that any higher court up the food chain would overturn the decision if she tries to appeal. And with this decision on record, it could also likely foreclose any future attempts on her part if she tries to forum shop and try this nonsense in another court. This decision becomes legal precedent as well.
Totally agree. Even though he’s put the case on record, and now that can be used in other courts, it’s still offensive that it even got this far, given that there are already many such records in place. These people have such little respect for the institutions of this country, that they would drag the entire country into the gutter like this.
And where are the lawsuits for John McCain? He wasn’t born within the borders of the United States – shouldn’t they have hauled him in front of a court four years ago?
By JONATHAN MARTIN and MAGGIE HABERMAN | 2/3/12 6:25 PM
A GOP campaign operative who won plaudits for bolstering Mitt Romney’s recent debate performances is not being retained by the frontrunner’s campaign, an apparent victim of internal tensions over staff receiving too much credit for the candidate’s comeback, POLITICO has learned.
LOL!
I heard that person came over from Michelle Bachmanns’s campaign. I’d say Mitt Mo’money shoulda kept him.
ROTFLMAO!. This is a dysfunctional campaign.
What an ego! So, Romney doesn’t want anyone to get credit for his “comeback”? Imagine what this man would be like if he had any chance of becoming the President of the United States, Leader of the Free World, most powerful man alive.
Not sure how to post links here, but here are some pics of Romoney with children. We already know what animals think of him, now we see the kiddies aren’t that crazy about him either. It makes you wonder if he even held his own kids as babies and toddlers. He’s completely uncomfortable and the kids just want to cringe.
It’s from Talking Points Memo. http://media.talkingpointsmemo.com/slideshow/mitt-romney-confusing-children
Just saw those. A man who makes babies flinch cannot be elected President.
The first baby is adorable though…..what a cutie
Notice how he primarily holds them away from him….backwards? His warmth-o-meter doesn’t move with these kids. I’d love to see a side by side of these pics and those of PBO with kids. Mitts are like GWB’s were with kids. Redumblicans are vacant inside, kids and animals know this.
Willard holds those babies like they are a sack of potatoes that needs a diaper change. Hilarious.
LOLLLLLLLLLLLL…I’VE NOTICED THAT…HE DOESN’T WANT TO GET ANY ‘PEOPLE BURP’ ON HIS CORPORATE PEOPLE SHIRT! SOMEHOW I CAN’T IMAGINE MITTENS STICKING HIS MITTENS INTO A DIAPER CHANGE DETAIL.
Hmm. Whoever his campaign photographer is probably needs to be “let go” as well. Pictures of screaming children reaching for their Mom or Dad while “Swiss Mitts” is holding on to them awkwardly doesn’t exactly trigger the “aww” factor in a registered voter. Love his campaign slogan, “Believe In America”. I DO believe in America, Mittens very much so. That’s why I’m not voting for your ass on November 6!.
Navajo Code Talker Jimmie Begay’s Life Commemorated by President Ben Shelly
Flags across the Navajo Nation are whipping in the wind at half mast this weekend, as Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly ordered the move in honor of Sgt. Jimmie Begay.
Begay, a Navajo Code Talker walked on February 1 at the Tsehootsoi Medical Center in Fort Defiance, Arizona. He was 88.
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of Sgt. Begay. His efforts to defend this country and his people make me proud. My prayers, and the prayers of the First Lady, the Vice President and the Navajo Nation are with the family,” Shelly said.
The flags will be flown at half mast until February 5 in honor the Navajo Veteran who trained as a Code Talker at Camp Eliot before serving in the 1st Marine Division, 2nd Battalion during campaigns at Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Guam, Saipan, and Tinian in the midst of World War II.
Begay was 17 when he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in November 1942…
http://tinyurl.com/6np3kfg
Wonderful story. I hope he knew how much we all deeply appreciated his service, and the service of all of the code talkers – which helped to end the war.
Martin Omalley and Deval Patrick are the only two democrats on Sunday shows.
Yikes!
Welcome to “Meet the Republicans” Sunday morning propaganda TV.
Well, those two governors are two of the best!
Santorum just said Iran would Nuke Missouri.
Oh hear we go- first Atomic bombs in our cities, and now it’s our States?
Really???
If he is this irresponsible on the campaign trail, how dangerous will he be as President? (Ha – even just the thought of Santorum as President is laughable).
http://mypict.me.s3.amazonaws.com/upload/images3/upload/0/334/33/334033309.jpg
LOL
Well bypass is waaaay nicer than what I was thinking.
I vant dis:
http://store.barackobama.com/featured/bangle-set-with-charm.html
I vant dis too:
http://store.barackobama.com/featured/crew-sweatshirt.html
And dis:
http://store.barackobama.com/featured/silver-pave-rising-sun-pin.html
mmmmmm, yes, dis is vedy vedy nice:
http://store.barackobama.com/featured/obama-biden-metal-water-bottle.html
Especially dis:
http://store.barackobama.com/featured/tote-repeating-logo.html
say what now? Chips, for the first time ever, I’ve been placed in the Dungeon of Jerkoffs and Trolls. It says I am awaiting moderation.
Have I been a vewy baaaad gurl? :big doe eyes and baby pout: :blink: :blink:
Yikes, found you and freed you Lisa!! That comment only ended up in the dungeon of jerkoffs and trolls –
– because it had a few links, the spam detector usually automatically puts them in pending. You’re always a baaaaaaaad gurl, but in a way that’s entirely acceptable at TOD!!!!!!
Merci, Cheri!
Results of a new study made possible by a Recovery Act grant may lead to longer-lasting hip implants.
Scientists had previously believed that naturally occurring proteins in the human body formed a lubricating layer on metal-on-metal hip implants. But a study conducted by an interdisciplinary team of physicians and engineers from the United States and Germany found that, in fact, the layer is composed of graphite carbon, and it works similarly to how a lubricant in a combustion engine does.
It’s still not clear what produces the graphite carbon in the body. But doctors and engineers working at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany are confident that the results of the study, funded by a $670,000 Recovery grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), may lead to longer-lasting hip implants
.http://blog.recovery.gov/2012/01/30/recovery-funded-research-yields-clues-to-better-hip-replacements/
THEY CANCELLED OUR HOMELESS FEED IN DOWNTOWN INDY TOMORROW…I’LL MISS MY HOMELESS..BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THERE WILL BE NO PARKING FOR OUR CARAVAN KITCHEN. HOWEVER…ALL THE SHELTERS ARE GIVING PARTIES..SO I KNOW THEY WILL HAVE LOTS TO EAT.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/72433_Page2.html
WHAT A PETTY LITTLE MAN ROBNEY IS. FIRED A DEBATE COACH BECAUSE OF HIS EGO!
Hey?!!!!! How dare you???!!!!! How can you blame poor little Willard!
You know how important being able to fire people is to him!!!! You know it’s essential to his wellbeing! You won’t understand until you can walk a day in that poor man’s $11,000 Ferragamos! Hm!!!
Especially ones that provide services to him! HE LOVES IT!
At last, new post everyone:
http://theobamadiary.com/2012/02/03/evening-all-32/