The Zambrellis scoffed at attempts by the Democrats—who mocked Romney in an ad Sunday as “great for oil billionaires, bad for the middle class”—to wage class warfare. “Would you like to hear about the fundraisers I went to for him?” Sharon Zambrelli said of Obama. “Do you have an hour? … All the ones in the city—it was all of Wall Street.” “It’s not helping the economy to pit the people who are the engine of the economy against the people who rely on that engine,” Michael Zambrelli said as the couple waited in their SUV for clearance into the Creeks shortly after the candidate’s motorcade flew by and entered the pine-tree lined estate. “He’s basically been biting the hand that fed him in ‘08. … I would bet 25% of the people here were supporters of Obama in ‘08. And they’re here now.” I wonder honestly how the Zambrellis have been doing in the last 4 years, because they seem to be saying that 90%+ growth going to people like them is unacceptably low and Obama needs to go because of it. Loosely translated, I’m seeing “Well McCain/Palin were basically insane and we weren’t going to help them, but this Obama guy actually is talking about making us pay more here. Who does he think he is?” And we’re all really just ungrateful, stupid bastards to these people, and they really don’t understand why more of us aren’t eager to worship them as the “engines of the economy” when the reality is our consumer-based economy has been driven by the middle class buying crap at a breakneck pace and putting money in the pockets of these people, and as far as they’re concerned they just don’t need us anymore.
like last time when details emerged, it’s almost certain that the actual total for each campaign specifically will be dominated by PBO. we’re in great shape financially and strategically. meg whitman outspent jerry brown many, many times over (almost all of it her own money!) and jerry won in a massive landslide. mittbot is lucky when he gets a few hundred people at one of his robotic presentations. there’s no groundswell of excitement for the mittbot. the media plays this up now since they’re grasping for anything to save r-money, and they hope our people will get discouraged. don’t let them fool you. forward!!!
As Weinstein said, “Romney is the Edsel of politics. That car had more money used to promote it than any other car, and it was a crappy car, and no amount of money could save it.” Romney is a crappy candidate, money can’t save him.
Remember, the MSM wants this to be a “horse race”….they make more money if people watch them. They will ride this until October. Someone posted a link on the previous post that internal Republican polling has them scared to death about Congressional races. They should be.
This. I’m in So Cal. Nothing gave me more glee than watching Meg Whitman AND Carly Fiorina outspend the Dems in their quest to buy the Governorship and a US Senate Seat only to have their asses handed to them as well as significantly depleted campaign war chests.
TOD Peeps, let’s try and focus our energy on ginning up the mighty, mighty power of the collective with getting everyone in your circle of influence to commit to a $1 a day for the President/OFA. BobFr, AMK and others have been tweeting about it mightily, but we all can get in on this idea even without tweeting. Each household of my immediate family (parents, siblings) has committed to set up a $1day for OFA tip jar in their house and put a dollar in every day. At the end of the month, they each will empty their respective OFA tip jars and send it in to PBO’s campaign, then start all over again for the next month. My extended family is next! I’m going to go out on a limb and say that just about everyone can probably set aside a $1 day. Reach out to your family and friends and see if you can get them on board with this idea. Make a game out of it, if there are kids involved (my nephew is “in charge” at his house to make sure a $1 gets put into their house’s tip jar). Don’t get depressed, don’t get defeated.. Get busy!! Okay, rant concluded…
No, Bobfr many thanks to you! Whatever inspiration, confidence, knowledge, courage ,information, handouts I come up with, is without a doubt because of folks like you and Ms. Chips and Every. Single. Person who contributes here. You all are the fountain of knowledge and I’m just a sponge trying to soak it all up. Erk, that was horribly cheezeee, but you know what I mean!
Where’s LL when I need to wax poetic!?!?! I am humbled that you passed along what I call one of my “4 a.m. ephiphanies” onto TPTB at OFA.
#Press on Oh Twitter wizard!
I think someone said we have over $500 Million already….they are just getting started. We have OFA and we are calling folks every week saying they will come out in full force to volunteer. PBO has millions of followers NOW and people flock to see him where ever he goes.
Don’t dispare….Volunteer and take someone with you!
@EricCantor Zero ambiguity. #PresObama proposes a tax policy that protects 98% of Americans & asks the wealthiest to do a tad more.— Bobfr (@Our4thEstate) July 09, 2012
Well this is interesting, I wonder if the so called ”journalists” will have the same reaction as Norah O’Donnell when Gingrish called Romney a liar…which is an undisputed fact of course but the word is taboo in the media apparently.
”Romneyland’s hammer is about to drop…
In a conference call Monday morning, senior staff said Romney’s surrogates would stop shying away from the word “lie” in responding to Democrats’ attacks on his business record, and plan to go on TV to call Obama a “liar,” the source said.
“They are very fed up with these attacks,” said the source.”
Fed up with the attacks? Oh really…..what a joke…well if they start calling the President a liar, they better be prepare for major pushback. Mitt Romney has been lying non stop all his life it seem…..
They’ll experience a firestorm that will truly make them want Nov 6 to be tomorrow so they can all crawl into their gated mansions and count their money and weep …
Let them. So far, PBO’s surrogates have avoided the word as well. This would allow them to be a little more vocal. Additionally, when our side accuses Romney of lying, they have the facts to back up the charge. Let’s see if the other side can do the same. I will offer a sneak preview. They can’t.
That is because it is working and they were supposed to be ahead by now, according to their blame Obama strategy. They cannot figure out why that hasn’t worked, so they are blaming Obama, saying he is a liar!
We know what physical pain is like and we know what mental pain is like, so I am dealing with both this morning, but nothing to stop what is at the core of my being and all of us who are TODer here. We have a core that is complete with goodness of what is right and what is wrong. So we are ready for the arrows of liars because we Know that PBO is a decent and honest man. He speaks with truth and factual not to hurt anyone. “So we will Stand With The Truther.” HZ
Oh please! if Romney had the balls to call President Obama a liar he would have done it already. This is just a weak-ass trial balloon by Romney’s surrogates, they have nothing to offer the public so they play these types of games.
At today’s daily briefing, Norah O’Donnell was being such a complete idiot – pressing Jay on the same point about whether what PBO said last December is the exact same verbatim thing he said today – WTF cares – over and over and over. Jay looked like he was going to tell her to shut up. I turned it off. I just can’t stand these GOPers running the newsroom.
I just heard a caller (woman) on Ed’s show. She offered a couple of EXCELLENT suggestions for PO. Instead of standing at the podium, use a wireless mike and have a chart beside him……have little ‘people’ signifying the 98% and the 2%. She pointed out it would be like what senators do on the floor of the Senate. It would be an attention-getter, pull people in, help them to remember–visual much more powerful than words. Her second suggestion was a football metaphor……comparing Congress to the blocker. I love that first suggestion. Would the word get back to OFA if I put it on Dashboard or would it be better to contact campaign headquarters?
Hi tnmtngirl. Hope all is well with you and Mom. Been out of the loop, but coming back one step at a time. Tnmtngirl, great minds think together, I was thinking of the mic attached to his collar also. Charts are always great. He has used them in the pass. We know that so many people are either visual learners, audiotory learners and cognitive learners, so this is another thoughts to pass on as Bobfr has mentioned.
I called the main office in Chicago, and they are very nice. I know for a fact that PBO’s team is the best, the sharpest and the most focus, and if I trust anyone of them to run his campaign, it would be this team. However, they are also a very humble group of people as well. This would not be another ‘hair on fire’ moment, but a thought to weigh in on. Believe me, nothing goes pass Axe, David, Jim and Valarie, and David Plouffe, as well as that entire team. Plus all things are passed through POTUS. Trust me on this.
Hello sweet HZ. Things are status quo with my mom. At 94.5 she’s certainly not going to turn a corner and improve. She does seem to get weaker which is to be expected. I was so thrilled to see you here the past couple of days. So sorry about your pain but you are a “pusher”. You will keep going, won’t you?! Bless you, friend. May God give you ease from your pain and strength for each day!
I will call the office in Chicago. I’ll do it this afternoon. Glad they are hour behind me. I’m into cooking right now, but will call soon as I finish. Have to go to our grief support group tonight to help facilitate so I am busy!
That’s funny. I usually try not to play the “What Obama should do game,” but I must say that I have had a similar wish/dream where PBO was using a chart to clarify certain things. It’s funny how invested we all are and how we want to see him (and us succeed).
I’ve also been pining for a low-tech element to the campaign as well — things like old-fashioned mailings, billboards, leaflets and flyers. Maybe it’s because I get inundated by political snail mail by Eric Cantor and his ilk.
You are so right! MT @Our4thEstate Encourage supporters to commit #ADollarADayToOFA. The spirit + $$ would be unprecedented!— Obama for America CA (@OFA_CA) July 09, 2012
Just thought that coupling the suggestion about modifications of #PBO’s presentation with the grass roots #ADollarADayToOFA fund raising proposal would be a way of indicating just how close and personal the entire campaign can become. #BainMitt and the Kochs are no match.
That article needs to be passed around for everyone to read. Can it be tweeted? (I am not a tweeter). This message needs to be heard and turned into an Obama ad.
Those pictures from Carnegie Mellon University really touched me. Black and White, Old and young standing side by side. The more older and cynical I get, the more I’m proved wrong. Last week I donated some money to the President Obama campaign, it was my second time in my life that I have ever donated money to any campaign, the first time was also to the Obama campaign.
Don, you are so correct. I understand your thoughts for sure. They are not ready for this. Thanks for your donation. I will continue to try to reach a goal that I set for a senior who is daily inspired by the beautiful young ones on this beautiful blog.
I am going for the $1200.00 now. So help out the seniors who are trying to make a difference also, my loving TOD Family. I am listed as “HZ” in the “Fundraising List here on our blog, thanks to our wonderful Chips. I am under the doctors’ care now, but my nurse said today that I am a very good patient. That is why I get to have some precious time on the site today. Pray for me. My nurse is also becoming a believer. ((((((((((((Smiles)))))))))))) Love you all so much, HZ
Romney’s lame response to PBO’s speech today. I SO want to have this fight!! Charts and graphs would be a great thing to SHOW the American people that can’t seem to understand this without the pretty pictures!!
Mitt Romney, the Harvard MBA presidential candidate has provided yet another word salad in response to President Obama today. The statement is weak and incoherent. Nothing but gibberish. Mitt and his campaign are just pathetic. It’s really hard to believe this man is actually running to be the leader of the free world. Greg Sargent is doing exemplary reporting. The paragraphs below are spot on.
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Putting aside the numbers, note Romney’s claim that this proposal “proves again that the President doesn’t have a clue” how to “help the middle class.” In other words, his response, with no exaggeration, is that extending tax cuts for those under $250,000 won’t help the middle class. Oh, and a tax cut is actually a tax hike!
This is a candidate and a campaign who seem to proceed from the assumption that they can say literally anything, no matter how absurd or Orwellian, without getting called out aggressively by news orgs or suffering any political consequences for it. I guess we’ll find out soon enough whether they’re right.
I am going to stop buying Revlon products…the owner was one of the Romney fundraisers yesterday. He’s not getting MY hard earned money so it can go against my and my famiy’s best interests!
Oh…and someone at one of the fundraisers described Romney as a Ken Doll……
Yes I saw that this morning, never again for me, not that it was the brand that I usually purchased but I did buy some of their products on occasion….I tried their new concealer a few months ago…
Ronald Perelman is not simply the Chairman of Revlon. He was one of the nastiest figures in the takeover world of the1980′s and a regular on Page 6 in the New York Post with his five marriages. Google his Wikipedia page to see the type of friends Willard has.
If I still used makeup(and it has been revlon in the past) I would certainly drop it like a hot freaking nasty thing for supporting a sociopath’s Sociopath.
“Sociopaths, also called psychopaths, have no heart, no conscience and no remorse. They make up 1% to 4% of the population, and they can con anyone.”
Thanks for that info about Revlon. This is something American women could make an impact with: Revlon boycott. I will certainly not buy any more of their lipsticks….that’s all of theirs I used. Bye Bye!!!
I did too…along time ago when the class action suit against them…when one of my client’s family business went out of business because of Walmart…when I found out that Walmart unload in Mexico and then hire cheap labor to transport their goods to the Bay Area (CA).
Bain business experience not working out so well for BainMItt:
PublicPolicyPolling @ppppolls
Romney’s experience at Bain is an 11 point net negative with North Carolina voters
I guess that Republicans want to attack the President for the stimulus…let’s have THAT fight too! Here are the hypocrites that have/ and will…attack the stimulus while asking for money, or otherwise claiming the goodness of it as their own…
The stimulus has launched a transition to a clean-energy economy, doubled our renewable power, and financed unprecedented investments in energy efficiency, a smarter grid, electric cars, advanced biofuels, and green manufacturing. It is computerizing America’s pen-and-paper medical system. Its Race to the Top is the boldest education reform in U.S. history. It has put in place the biggest middle-class tax cuts in a generation, the largest research investments ever, and the most extensive infrastructure investments since Eisenhower’s interstate highway system. It includes the largest expansion of antipoverty programs since the Great Society, lifting millions of Americans above the poverty line, reducing homelessness, and modernizing unemployment insurance. Like the first New Deal, Obama’s stimulus has created legacies that last: the world’s largest wind and solar projects, a new battery industry, a fledgling high-speed rail network, and the world’s highest-speed Internet network.
From Michael Grunwald’s new book, called the The New, New Deal
h/t Politicalcarnival
Fine…let them…. all we have to do is show how much money the States that dropping in Unemployment got ….here is Kasich giving the President ” All the credit ” for the improvement in Ohio.
Only 3 reasons for offshore accounts. 1. tax evasion 2. hide criminal activity 3. you believe country is unstable. What's Willard's reason?— Rich Pfaeffle (@Richpf) July 09, 2012
UPS Pulls Ads From Rush Limbaugh’s Radio Show | UPS has pulled its ads from Rush Limbaugh’s radio show, becoming the latest company to boycott the show since his well-circulated slurs against Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke. Cumulus Media, which owns 38 of the 600 channels that air Limbaugh’s show, told financial analysts that the boycott — now more than 40 companies and counting — cost them “a couple million bucks in the first quarter and a couple of million bucks in quarter two.”
No, he’s being a team player and wants the 250,000 limit. The reason that he originally said $1mil is because so many NY’ers MAKE lots of money….and then there’s this:
Republicans would almost surely have used his previous opposition to a $250,000 threshold to sow discord with Democrats.
I find it interesting that Romney will speak, too. What could he POSSIBLY have to say to the AA crowd there? Will he explain why he must support the voter suppression efforts by R govs…since he hasn’t called those govs out. Or the healthcare he wants to take away? Or the jobs he wants to take away? Or the chance to a college education? I’m absolutely DYING to hear what pack of lies he thinks he can tell. If he thinks that AA’s are stupid…that should make things even MORE interesting. None of what he wants is good for the AA community. Nothing.
He will, no doubt, tell about how the high unemployment rate in the AA community are because of PBO’s “failed policies” and whatever lies he can come up with while attacking the President. Maybe he will explain his supporters, like birther Trump, and the other hateful racists who he won’t stand up to, and why he agrees with them.
I hope he doesn’t get booed (that would be more about them as oppose to their dislike for him)…but I would like to be a fly on the wall to see him studder and stammer as he tell his lies.
Key focus on the convention will be on protecting the right to vote in the face of the GOP onslaught of voter suppression tactics and voter ID laws. It’ll be a hoot listening to him justify their actions to this crowd.
Vice President Joe Biden will address the 103rd NAACP Annual Convention in Houston, Texas on Thursday, July 12th. The Vice President will keynote the convention’s final plenary session, scheduled for 9:30 am to 12:00 pm CDT at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
“We welcome Vice President Biden to address our membership in Houston next week,” stated NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock. “The Vice President is a longtime friend to the NAACP. He has been a strong advocate for justice and equality over his decades of service in the Senate and the White House.”
This is the first time Mr. Biden will address the NAACP’s Convention as Vice President. The NAACP values the opportunity to hear from elected officials and candidates for public office.
“We are honored to welcome Vice President Joe Biden to our convention,” stated NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. “This is an important election year and communities of color will play a huge role in deciding the outcome in any number of races across the country. As such, we are pleased that both major political parties will be represented at this year’s convention.”
This year’s convention will run from July 7 – July 12 under the theme “Your Power, Your Decision – VOTE”. This year’s convention will build on the Association’s voter engagement and empowerment initiatives, with advocacy workshops on a myriad of vital issues, including civic engagement, health care, criminal justice, and climate justice. More information about the 103rd NAACP Annual Convention is available here: http://www.naacp.org/pages/convention.
DO YOU THINK THAT ROMNEY WILL BE BRINGING “THE DONALD” WITH HIM….SO YOU THINK HE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT VOTER SUPPRESSION LAWS THAT HAVE BEEN COOKED UP BY ALEC AND BANKROLLED BY THE KOCH BROTHERS…
IF I WAS AT THE CONVENTION I WOULD HOLD UP AN OBAMA/BIDEN SIGN DURING ROMENY’S SPEECH…HE HAS NERVE..
DON’T BE FOOLED BY THIS SPEECH/HIS COMING TO ADDRESS THE CONVENTION IS NOT ABOUT THE BLACK COMMUNITY/IT IS ABOUT THOSE VOTERS ….THOSE SWING VOTERS/THOSE MODERATE VOTES/
SEE I’M NOT RACIST….I’M OK….I WENT TO THE BLACK CONFERENCE AND STOOD ON THE STAGE WITH THEM….I’M OK….
The NAACP membership wil be respectful to him. The convention is focusing on voter suppression and I just don’t think he has the balls to address it. If he does, he’ll probably start lying right out of the box. Remember, those are the people that he’s trying to disenfranchise.
Romney is going to bring Donald Trump to the NAACP. Donald Trump who accused this black President of not being born in this country. Who have shown disrespect to this President. So the wise old Mitt will show up with him. Believe me no one is going to be fool by Mitt Romney. The NAACP always invite Republicans to speak, most turn them down.
Those pictures from Carnegie are just breathtaking. I love Pres. Obama’s campaign because it brings people of all ages, races, incomes, and creeds together. That’s the real America.
This President is trying to turn around the Titanic, trying to finally show everyone that cares to listen that the RW talking points, the scare tactics, the business as usual from the RW doesn’t work and never HAS. He is changing the conversation that the RW has held over the head’s of America for decades, to get their way and to scare the American people with lies and no facts to back their assertions. If he can do this, if everyone stops with the chatter and the preconceived notions about the issues and listen and look at the truth…he will have done what no other President has done in my lifetime. It’s the LONG VIEW…the LONG HAUL…not just for this moment in time, but for generations to come. We need his back.More than ever. What a fearless, courageous, patriotic thing to do.
I totally agree. And what I find the most admirable is that while being very fierce in his attacks on supply-side economics, he limits divisive language as much as he can. He always appeals to the better angels of people, not their darkest fears. He elevates the debates. Romney and republicans are doing the exact contrary. Appealing to the worst in people, blasting all sort of groups, teachers, union workers, “liberals”, gays, and on and on… . Peddling hate, fear, negativity.
American politics, especially today, is a very very nasty business. Barack Obama has to be tough to survive and thrive in this environment. And he manages to do so without losing his integrity, his humanity, his heart and his soul. He is one of the best presidents America has EVER had. Period.
I’ve been at work all day and I still have about 4 1/2 hours to go, but I’ve been following all the talking about the fundraising numbers and about the Obama camp emails asking for additional funds.
I understand that some people feel that the emails are downers or they are depressing or they are too much and all I can say is that personally, I don’t let the fundraising emails get me down or cause me to be aggravated, if I have it to give I do, if I dont’ have it to give, then I don’t. I do not begrudge the campaign for sending out the email, or for the tenor of the emails. The campaign has to do what the campaign has to do to make sure that it has the funds it needs to fund GOTV, rapid response, ads and truth telling ventures.
Let me tell you, they WILL need all they money they can get. Because the heat of the campaign is not even upon us yet. It’s still summer. When After the Olympics, the conventions and Labor day, the barrage of negative ads propaganda by R-Money and Rove et al will have to be counteracted somehow and the campaign needs money to do so. I am as much a twitter and facebook warrior as the next person, but even though there seems to be the whole world on twitter and facebook there are a lot of people who are not, so I know that the campaign will need money to counteract that.
I dont’ think that campaign is trying to “guilt” people into giving as some people have said, nor do I think the campaign is trying to fund themselves by fear, I prefer the campaign’s tell it like it is…i.e. “we are being out-raised” attitude than some completely delusional “the sun is shiny” BS attitude. What’s the saying “don’t pee on my shoe and tell me that it’s raining”.
Also, another reason, I don’t begrudge the campaign is because of people like this who couild afford to give, but won’t because Obama et al ain’t “stroking their ego”. So I hope the campaign continues to send this emails.
Daniel Klaidman has more on the Democrats’ cashflow problem, pointing to liberal discomfort with the idea of Super PACs as well as a lack of enthusiasm from “big-ego Democrats” accustomed to more hands-on treatment:
One of the party’s most prominent donors underscored how the Clintons were far more attentive to him than Obama, whom he is backing. After holding a 2008 fundraiser for Hillary, he noted, he received a gift tea set and note from her, then a personal phone call. It was “maybe an inexpensive, maybe $40 tea set,” he says, but along with the call reflected a level of attention he now finds lacking. This donor does not fault the president himself for not being more personally involved. What’s galling, he says, is poor staff; a lack of follow-up and insufficient stroking of egos, such as invitations to social and other events at the White House.
So a big money donor is withholding money against the Greatest Evil to hit this country since, well, Satan, because he didn’t get a $40 tea set? Seriously?
Personally, I understand the tone of the fundraising letters. I give what I can when I can and I am now making it as big a priority as my paycheck will allow. I know the letters are not a ‘personal’ attack. Frankly, this is a dire situation and the money is more important now while impressions are being set than they will be a month before the election when it will be too late.
And a big effing thanks to the likes of Russ Feingold and others who have planted this purity meme. Did Feingold help the country by allowing a teabagger to become a WI Senator? Will purity stop an insane SCOTUS for the next 60 years? Will purity save Social Security, Medicare, student loans and education and safe water and clean air and safe food and civil rights and voting rights and women’s rights? Is purity worth sending us back to the 14th century?
NO. I’m sorry PAC’s offend your delicate sensibilities (whiny liberals), but 99% of us cannot afford your purity. The only way you get close to a progressive majority that can change this idiotic course is to take some of your comfortable money and elect as many decent Democrats as possible.
We are nothing without President Obama. STFU and buy one less Ferrari and DO SOMETHING. NOW IS THE TIME.
I missed this when PBO tweeted several days ago. I love that he surrounds himself with reminders of the voices of ordinary people.
This letter in my office is a reminder of how health reform benefits Americans. Today's victory is 1 for all of us. -bo http://t.co/ahqFmyMI— The White House (@whitehouse) June 28, 2012
Romney’s Hamptons soiree: Madam Range Rover and “the nails ladies”
Romney’s Hamptons galas provide the perfect backdrop for the president to push the end of tax cuts for the wealthy
BY JOAN WALSH
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Barack Obama couldn’t have picked a better day to announce his plan to extend tax cuts for Americans who make less than $250,000 and to let taxes rise for the wealthy. Mitt Romney’s three Hamptons fundraisers on Sunday were like a Priorities USA ad, except the creative directors of the pro-Obama super PAC would have rejected the script as over-the-top.
In a clusterfuck of conspicuous consumption, Bentleys, BMWs, Range Rovers, Porsches, a Rolls Royce and a Ferrari idled in a line 30 cars long. “Is there a V.I.P. entrance?” one woman shouted to the “help,” according to the New York Times. “We are V.I.P.”
.
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In the meantime, I hope the folks at Priorities USA are getting ready to use Madam Range Rover’s entitled rant against “the common person” in an advertising barrage. If “the nail ladies” figure out who she is, Madam Range Rover better be careful during her next pedicure.
Over the weekend, in his weekly address, President Obama stresses the importance of infrastructure investments. Republicans disagree, although one notable GOP figure seems to think Obama’s on to something.
“For months, I’ve been calling on Congress to take half the money we’re no longer spending on war and use it to do some nation-building here at home,” Obama said. “There’s work to be done building roads and bridges and wireless networks. And there are hundreds of thousands of construction workers ready to do it.”
And while Republicans generally oppose this kind of talk — the notion of creating jobs through public investments simply does not compute in the 21st century — two days after the president’s comments, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) took an identical line.
This is bordering on criminal negligience… oh I forgot, the people of Florida voted in Rick Scott as their governor. They don’t mind criminals running their state!
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More Austerity Government In Action: Florida Covers Up Worst TB Outbreak In Decades, Cuts Services http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/more-austerity-government-action-flor
See, this is why you simply can’t run government like a business. It’s not a business. You can’t just walk away from a non-profitable division when it’s your job to look out for the public’s health and well-being. I know that Republicans and their hard-core enablers like to tell themselves these fairy tales, but it just doesn’t work. (Are you listening, Gov. Scott?) Via Raw Story:
The state of Florida has been struggling for months with what the Centers for Disease Control describe as the worst tuberculosis outbreak in the United States in twenty years.
Although a CDC report went out to state health officials in April encouraging them to take concerted action, the warning went largely unnoticed and nothing has been done. The public did not even learn of the outbreak until June, after a man with an active case of TB was spotted in a Jacksonville soup kitchen.
The Palm Beach Post has managed to obtain records on the outbreak and the CDC report, though only after weeks of repeated requests. These documents should have been freely available under Florida’s Sunshine Law.
According to the Post, the coverup began as early as last February, “when Duval County Health Department officials felt so overwhelmed by the sudden spike in tuberculosis that they asked the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to become involved. Believing the outbreak affected only their underclass, the health officials made a conscious decision not to not tell the public, repeating a decision they had made in 2008, when the same strain had appeared in an assisted living home for people with schizophrenia.”
That decision now appears to have gone terribly awry, partly because the disease appears 0 but also because just nine days before the CDC warning was issued, Florida Governor Rick Scott had signed a bill downsizing the state’s Department of Health and closing the A.G. Holley State Hospital that had treated the most difficult tuberculosis cases for over 60 years.
With health officials preoccupied by the challenge of restructuring, the CDC report went unseen, and an order even went out for the hospital to be closed immediately, six months ahead of schedule.
According to the Post, by April the outbreak had been linked to thirteen deaths, with 99 individuals infected, including six children. Most of those affected were poor black men, ten of whom simply wasted away from the disease before getting treatment or were not treated in time to stop its progression.
Now it is estimated that as many as 3000 people may have been exposed to the strain over the past two years, mainly in Jacksonville’s homeless shelters, jails, and a mental health clinic. Only 253 of those have been found, of whom one-third have tested positive for TB exposure.
So the Romney camp really thinks calling the Obama camp a “liar” is a good strategy to the Bain attacks…um okay that is too funny, maybe in response the Obama camp should check out Steve Benen’s list of Romney lies and untruths. And throw the “liar” meme back at them.
They’ve been calling him a liar all along. They don’t even believe he was born in Hawaii. How is this any different. Glad these strategy-challenged neophytes aren’t working for our side.
That was pathetic. He should be ashamed of himself. He just carries water for Speaker Boehner all the time. He might as well sign on as his press secretary. Pathetic. Thankfully, Martin Bashir was having none of it.
Next Luke Russert who got where he is on his father’s coat tail, is a cheep. I don’t like the jackass. I heard Luke when he said that, and I thought it was a low blow. He should have not even mention Michael Jackson name.
Little Luke was trying to strike back at him in a jr. high school way—-trying to hurt Bashir—–because Bashir made clear that Luke is strictly a GOP mouthpiece, a worthless partisan reporter, would not admit a truth even when it was hitting him in the face. Luke only references GOP sources, as if he was their BFF
That exchange between Bashir and Russert was bizzare. The giggling was disturbing, but the most disturbing part was Russert insisting on what ‘republicans want us to believe’. OMG It was as reveling as the ‘thurston & libby’ crowd at Mitt-The-Liar’s Hamptons fundraiser.
Denise Rich, wealthy socialite and former wife of pardoned trader Marc Rich, has renounced her U.S. citizenship, reports Reuters:
Rich, 68, a Grammy-nominated songwriter and glossy figure in Democratic and European royalty circles, renounced her American passport in November, according to her lawyer.
Her maiden name, Denise Eisenberg, appeared in the Federal Register on April 30 in a quarterly list of Americans who renounced their U.S. citizenship and permanent residents who handed in their green cards. (link.reuters.com/naq28s)
By dumping her U.S. passport, Rich likely will save tens of millions of dollars or more in U.S. taxes over the long haul, tax lawyers say.
The big campaign news out today is that Mitt Romney raised $106 million in June, swamping the president’s $71 haul. That’s a pretty big deal.
Yet, for all the focus on the money chase, we rarely get a firm measure of how effectively the campaigns are spending all that cash. Today marks an exception: hard data that Obama’s swing state ad blitz — which kicked off in May with a $25 million ad buy in states like Colorado, Florida, Ohio, and Virginia — has done his opponent serious damage.
The Obama campaign may not have much mon, but they have used it wisely to define Romney early on, and Robney has not helped himself by being transparent. I love it.
It’s really important to give as much as we can NOW. PBO’s campaign gets it — we MUST set the narrative and frame Willard NOW. October is too late.
I only wish my property taxes hadn’t gone up 50%. That’s supposed to include my husband’s senior citizen ‘freeze’ which only freezes a particular number, not the taxes.
My home in the middle of the North side of Chicago is now valued a shade less than it was at the top of the bubble, and my property taxes are 50% more than they were at the top of the bubble. Now, my almost 100 year old home couldn’t sell at all in this housing market that now demands that homes be perfect before they sell. I’d have to put $100,000 into it or sell it for the land and tear down this Frank Lloyd Wright protegee home.
There is something really wrong when a senior citizen who has owned this home for over 25 years is socked with this kind of increase.
Then Bank of America managed to credit May’s mortgage payment to someone’s credit card account (!) and their promises to fix it haven’t come through. They actually told my husband to make the additional payment to cover the missed month and they’ll sort it out later. We don’t have that kind of money!
I’m not terribly thrilled with my mayor or my governor right now. Huge increases in fees and costs that affect everyone but seriously affect the poorer of us, with no move to increase fees or taxes on those that can afford it. Services are being cut in order to pay the double-dipping pensions that exist in IL. It’s a mess.
Spousal unit gets paid tomorrow. We donate $25 monthly to OFA. Tomorrow they’ll see another donation from us.
By the way, I think I’m going to LOVE my new credit union. And my work makes it easy to switch direct deposit. They’ll keep depositing my check in our Chase account, and then after 2 or 3 pay cycles it transitions seamlessly to the CU. Awesome sauce!
Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives Sam Kass will give the keynote address at the “Focus on Obesity” conference hosted by The Root this Friday, July 13, in Washington, DC. Kass will speak about the challenges of obesity in the African American community and the Let’s Move! campaign at a noon luncheon during the day-long event, part of the”Black, Fit & Healthy” series. The event is co-sponsored by the nation’s largest soda lobby, the American Beverage Association, and President and CEO Susan K. Neely will participate in a panel devoted to “School-Based Solutions” for child obesity.
Other sponsors include the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health and HBO, which will screen the child obesity segment of its documentary Weight of the Nation. The full agenda: https://www.signup4.net/Public/ap.aspx?EID=FOCU34E
The event will be at The Washington Post building on 15th Street NW. Registration closes on Tuesday
80,000 jobs growth. Not as big a number as we wanted, but still moving in the right direction. Ask the 80,000 people who are/will be filling those jobs if it’s “crappy.”
Better question: How crappy is the GOP obstruction of the President’s plans to grow the economy and create more jobs? Ask the American people what they think of THAT!
That was Michael Smerconish, the guest host, who said it, and it was highly irritating. Now he is talking to some guy about praying away the gay. Tweety needs to get back to work. There is a lot of important stuff going on.
I picked up on that meme du jour. I guess we can expect to hear that from most of the gasbags. Today, the Ice Princess Norah O’Donnell asked Jay Carney if the announcement was made today to take the attention off the unemployment numbers. You can always count on a snarky and sarcastic question like that from Norah.
This is something that has to enter the national conversation BIG TIME. In 2010 americans, worried sick and misled by a ton of misinformation, decided to go for divided government. In domestic politics, Congress has enormous power because they’re the ones who legislate and control budgets. So FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, can the media and the “conventional wisdom” stop making everything about President Obama and look at the real culprits of the sluggish recovery ??!!!
To be fair, the Obama team seems reluctant to go full force on the theme of obstructionism. They talk about it, but it’s always lost a bit within broader themes. Different philosophies, “stalemate” because of taxes, etc… I know they must have a long-term strategy, but still…
What in the world??? The GOP are getting so desperate, they’re hysterical. There is no conspiracy theory re. President Obama that is beyond their limits. They’ve all gone nuts.
That means pres Obama is not Kenyan, any more? Only US citizens can be CIA agents. Or has the right figured out when pres Obama received his citizenship papers? These rightwingers are nuts. Shame on Drudge.
Along with Willard Romney, John Boehner, and Michele Bachmann, Rep. Mary Bono Mack, Rep. Dan Lungren, Rep. Bob Dold, Rep. Judy Biggert, Rep. Bobby Schilling, Rep. Nan Hayworth, Rep. Chris Gibson and others want a full repeal of President Obama’s constitutional, legal, conservative Chief Justice Roberts-supported Affordable Care Act.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is going after them.
You can’t lead by being a mystery,
… you can’t lead by being an enigma,
… you can’t lead by being aloof,
… you can’t lead by being programmed.
NJ Governor Chris Christie
CNN) — Russia will not deliver new weapons to Syria so long as the situation in that country is unstable, an official at the body in charge of monitoring Russia’s arms trade said Monday, state media reported. “Russia, as well as other countries, is concerned by the situation in Syria,” said Vyacheslav Dzirkaln, deputy head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, RIA Novosti reported. “We are not talking about new arms supplies to that country.”
“Until the situation stabilizes we will not deliver any new weapons (to Syria),” said Dzirkaln. He specifically said Russia would not supply Syria with Yak-130 aircraft. Russia has signed a $550 million contract for the delivery of three dozen such planes, RIA Novosti said.
Still, it was not clear whether the official was saying Russia would discontinue the delivery of all arms, or whether it was stopping just the supply of “new weapons.” The report seemed to leave open the possibility that Russia could continue to deliver some arms to Syria under existing contracts.
The move could be a major blow to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is fighting to stay in control after more than a year of popular protests and a brutal government crackdown.
Russia has been the long-time principal supplier of arms to Syria since the days when it was the Soviet Union. The weapons sales have more than doubled in recent years. According to Congressional Research Service, Russia sold Syria $4.7 billion in arms from 2007 to 2010, compared with $2.1 billion from 2003 to 2006.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last month the continued supply of arms from Russia has strengthened al-Assad’s regime, despite denials by Russian President Vladimir Putin that any munitions it was providing to Syria were being used against its own people.
Public Policy Polling signals good news in Virginia:PublicPolicyPolling @ppppolls
Another very good poll for Obama in Virginia. Going to be pretty surprised if he doesn’t win it again.
Obama’s up 11 with independents in Virginia, and he’s getting 9% of Republicans while losing just 4% of Democrats
“If it was not for President Obama, my beloved daughter may not be alive”
By Elizabeth Zaretsky on July 9, 2012
“My daughter Michaela was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in March of 2011. She was 23 years old and had graduated the prior year with a degree in nursing. She was diagnosed four months after being on the job and therefore did not have much sick time. If it were not for the Affordable Care Act, she would have been without insurance. Michaela needed five months of chemotherapy, six weeks of radiation, and had both breasts removed. She is now back at work taking care of patients. If it was not for President Obama, my beloved daughter may not be alive today.”
We need this woman in the Senate! She’s running an uphill battle against Bob Corker.
——————————-
“I am tired of liars, cons and thieves, a filthy environment and the subjugation of the poor, let alone the middle class. I am not buyable, and I don’t have $7.5 million for my campaign. But I have you, or some of you, and I believe, I believe, I believe!”
- Park Overall,Candidate for U.S. Senate
Isn’t she just the best!! I never tire listening to this video. Do you know how her campaign is going? I know she SHOULD win, but do you think she can win??
The Democratic Party is continuing to attack Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney over reports of his offshore bank accounts.
Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz on Monday called on Romney to release 10 years of his tax returns in order to answer lingering questions about his investments. “I question why an American businessman and particularly a candidate for president needs to invest vast sums of money in offshore accounts in typical notorious tax havens, that usually mean you’re trying to avoid taxation,” Wasserman-Schultz told reporters Monday in Boston. “If that’s not why he made those investments, he needs to come clean and show us he didn’t do that.”
Wasserman-Schultz spoke at a press conference with Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair John Walsh at the Massachusetts Democratic Party headquarters…[more in the article]
Click on the tweet. Click on Details. It will take you to another page. Copy the URL and then come to TOD and paste it in the comments box and it will appear in a box like other tweets.
“Rep. Tammy Baldwin stood in the Friendship Cafe, giving voters a populist pitch for why she should be elected to keep Wisconsin’s open Senate seat in Democratic hands, where it’s been for the last 55 years. When she began to field questions, a 70-year-old retiree offered the first comment, and hit on one of the most difficult issues confronting Baldwin as she tries to break the Democrats’ recent losing streak in the battleground state.
“I’m not sure how to deal with your situation of who you love and who your partner is,” said Harry Davis, a retired Internal Revenue Service worker. For Baldwin, the first openly gay candidate elected to Congress, questions about her sexuality evoke her reputation as an unabashed liberal and a product of left-leaning Madison, and reinforce concerns about her viability in the more conservative parts of the state she’ll need to win the seat in November….[snip]
“With Baldwin running unopposed in the Democratic primary, attention has been focused on the GOP field, where four Republicans are vying for their party’s nod to succeed retiring Sen. Herb Kohl, a Democrat. Leading the pack is former Gov. Tommy Thompson, who is trying to shake off accusations from his challengers that he’s not conservative enough while also positioning himself to win the general election in a state President Barack Obama won by 14 percentage points in 2008.
But despite her lack of a primary challenge, Baldwin isn’t running toward the middle in an attempt to sway independent voters. Instead, she casts her campaign as a fight for the working class while also speaking out about saving Medicare, reforming Wall Street and embracing Obama’s health care reform.
Democrats are counting on Baldwin to snap a series of losses in Wisconsin that began in 2010, when Republicans took control of both houses of the Legislature, Scott Walker was elected governor and tea party favorite Ron Johnson knocked off then-Sen. Russ Feingold. Then the conservative-backed candidate for state Supreme Court prevailed last year and Walker fought back a recall effort with a decisive 7-point victory in June.
The election could sway the balance of power in a closely divided Senate come 2013. The GOP needs a net gain of four seats to take over, or three if Republican Mitt Romney is elected president, giving his vice president the tie-breaking vote.”
Video of @BarackObama saying the American people need to know the life of presidential candidates is an open book: bit.ly/MhcH23— Ben LaBolt (@BenLaBolt) July 09, 2012
HOUSTON (AP) — The head of the NAACP on Monday likened the group’s fight against conservative-backed voter ID laws that have been passed in several states to the great civil rights battles of the 1960s.
Benjamin Todd Jealous, the CEO and president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said these are “Selma and Montgomery times,” referring to historic Alabama civil rights confrontations. He challenged those attending the NAACP’s annual convention to redouble their efforts to get out the vote in November.
“We must overwhelm the rising tide of voting suppression with the high tide of registration and mobilization and motivation and protection,” he said.
“Simply put, the NAACP will never stand by as any state tries to encode discrimination into law,” Jealous said.
The power to vote will be a key theme of the weeklong 103rd convention, which was expected to host about 8,000 attendees. An appearance by Attorney General Eric Holder was postponed from Monday until Tuesday, and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and Vice President Joe Biden were also expected to speak at some point.
Since 2010, at least 10 states, including Texas, have passed laws requiring people to show a government-issued photo identification card when they go to the polls.
The full audio isn’t online yet, but Radio Iowa had a phone interview with Mitt Romney today and he apparently denied knowledge of his offshore investments, claiming that because they are in a blind trust, he doesn’t know anything about them.
Romney re: off-shore investments – they’re in a blind trust. “I don’t manage them. I don’t even know where they are,” he says.
— @okayhenderson via tweetymail
Ex—actly! Offshore tax havens cost U.S. $100 billion a year.
Romney’s offshore tax havens helping cause the deficit problem he complains about bit.ly/NlkaOB via @leanforward— Steve Weinstein (@steveweinstein) July 09, 2012
Then as a Republican screaming about the debt and deficit…THAT HE’S CONTRIBUTING TO….he should be ashamed. PBO and his surrogates need to point this little factoid out. A LOT!
If girlfriend from 1:25 and 1:58 shows up at any of the President’s speeches, Secret Service and FLOTUS will need to keep an extra eye on her. And if she’s TOD lurker, she may have already earned lifetime membership in the Naughty Mat Club!!
On Tap Tuesday: Senior Obama administration officials will gather with state-based energy regulators Tuesday to chat about Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air pollution rules that have come under fire from Republicans and some state officials.
Gina McCarthy, EPA’s top air pollution regulator, and White House Council on Environmental Quality Deputy Director Gary Guzy will be among the panelists at the Washington, D.C., conference.
EPA over the last year has finalized a pair of major rules to curb smog-forming, particulate and toxic emissions from power plants. The agency is also crafting greenhouse gas performance standards for new power plants.
The rules will be addressed at a conference hosted by a trio of state-regulatory groups: the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, and the National Association of State Energy Officials.
Other federal officials speaking Tuesday will include Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Jon Wellinghoff and Patricia Hoffman, who heads the Energy Department’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.
Well, well … the OFA_CA folk dig #ADollarADayToOFA
You are so right! MT @Our4thEstate Encourage supporters to commit #ADollarADayToOFA. The spirit + $$ would be unprecedented!— Obama for America CA (@OFA_CA) July 09, 2012
Now, maybe they’ll encourage all OFA State orgs to push the theme
Thank you, df. Sent Chips a Twitter DM as heads up. Maybe she can leverage @OFA_CA’s interest and bring more attention to it in a future post. Also thanked her, yet again, for TOD because this is the community that has spawned and nurtured all these efforts!
You’ll see upstream this additional tweet to @OFA_CA and @Messina2012 … let’s hope they dig purpleshoes’ cool suggestion!!!
General Motors Will Slash Outsourcing In IT Overhaul
GM’s new CIO Randy Mott plans to bring nearly all IT work in-house as one piece of a sweeping IT overhaul. It’s a high-risk strategy that’s similar to what Mott drove at Hewlett-Packard.
Today, about 90% of GM’s IT services, from running data centers to writing applications, are provided by outsourcing companies such as HP/EDS, IBM, Capgemini, and Wipro, and only 10% are done by GM employees. Mott plans to flip those percentages in about three years–to 90% GM staff, 10% outsourcers.
Insourcing IT on that scale will require GM to go on a hiring binge for software developers, project managers, database experts, business analysts, and other IT pros over the next three years. As part of that effort, it plans to create three new software development centers, all of them in the U.S.
Robme says his investments are controlled by a “blind” trust….BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO FILE RETURNS AND SIGN THEM! The Dems are NOT saying the right things. The Blind Trust does not file your returns and sign them without your knowledge. We live in world of brain dead zombies who can’t think fast enough for me.
Isn’t that Reince Priebus the most disgusting human being? Every single thing he says is so over the top hyperbole, just crazy stuff. Obama’s destroying freedom! and liberty! and ending the United States as we know it, we’ve got to rid the country of This Guy—etc. etc. etc. He always sounds insane to me, like the guys in the white coats will be arriving any minute to cart him off. Not a shred of sanity in evidence. And this is the current head of the Republican Party??? The GOP cannot possibly sink any lower.
I would like to know, what parents with the last name of Priebus, would name their son Reince? There are just TOO MANY names to make off of those two!!! The name sounds like it has to belong to a prissy wuss.
“@PlanetPOV: @edshow What is a Reince Priebus?” it's one of the "Bat Shit Crazy" viruses affecting the RW and republican party….— EdwardGlen (@GLEN_MICH) July 10, 2012
It’s frustrating that every one of Frank Luntz’s talking points get picked up by the MSM and become mainstream….
The Republicans repeat them like robots……over and over and over again.
The hosts and pundits integrate these talking points in interviews., it’s expected of course by the Republican hacks on tv but it should not be repeated by the left in the MSM.
So when, for example, Ed says….”the GOP doesn’t want a tax increase on the job creators”…even if he says ”job creators” in a mocking tone.he is still repeating their talking points”.
”Job creators” is a GOP talking point…they had to find something to replace ”corporations”…..the left in MSM should not repeat it .
Indeed ChristiMTL! Like you I am tired of everyone repeating the GOP’s talking points. It’s no wonder they silenced that millionaire, I can’t remember his name now, who exposed the absurdity of this GOP nonsense about the rich being “Job Creators.” In truth, the mainl, and the the most important, “Job creators” are consumers. For example, as a businessman you may invest your money in, lets say, opening a restaurant. However if your customers are laid off workers who can no longer patronize your restaurants, you will not create a single new job and you will probably go under and let go of all your workers. The same is true if you are selling cars, gasoline, houses, clothes, painting rich folks’ nails, etc. Taxes, especially as low as they are compared to the past, play a minor role, if any, in job creation. A restaurant owner with no customers can get 100% tax cuts, he/she will still create no jobs. To be able to costume products and services you have to have money which, for the vast majority of us, means that you have to be employed. Contrary to the other nonsense I hear from Republicans, It really doesn’t matter whether you are employed by private business or by the government. Government workers are consumers who spend their money supporting private businesses, and hence help in creating employment for others. A restaurant that is patronized by cops, fire fighters, teachers, social workers and other public employees will end up hiring cooks, waiters/waitresses, dishwashers, etc. The restaurant example can be applied to all businesses, including the news media business.
T Paw just lied to Piers Morgan. He just stated that Mitt Romney “has released SEVERAL YEARS of tax returns.” Did not even blink. Just sat there and lied right into the camera.
Ask yourself this “why isn’t NIKE sponsoring the strongest woman in the US”? Maybe because she ain’t T&F thin or with model looks? Not having model looks sure didn’t hurt Jackie Joyner Kersy or Michael Phelps. It’s a damn shame that this woman does not have a sponsor.
“I still can’t figure out how getting rid of teachers, police, firemen, snow plow drivers helps The American People.”
It’s absolutely idiotic! The last time I checked the cops, fire fighters, teachers, snow plow drivers, social workers, sanitation workers, etc., bought homes, cars, clothes, food, televisions, washers and dryers, furniture and cell phones. If you get rid of these government workers, all the businesses that depend on their patronage will end up loosing customers (meaning revenues) and thereby be forced to lay off their private sector workers. Why is this so hard to hard to understand?
Supporters of President Obama’s push to build more railways in the United States are hoping that a pair of high-profile approvals will help get the president’s beleaguered rail effort back on track.
After a string of setbacks for Obama-backed rail proposals since the 2010 elections, lawmakers in California and local officials in Northern Virginia last week gave the green light to controversial railways identified by the Obama administration as critical transportation projects.
my thoughts are not as sharp as so many political minds.
However, I believe there is a way we can turn the huge corporate and billionaire donations to mitt the bullying entitled lying out-sourcer-in-chief and tax dodger into an an advantage for PBO.
Why should PBO not wear with pride the fact that all these people are fighting against the ordinary people by trying to silence our collective voices :
- tax-dogding rich people,
- out-sourcing pioneering and promoting corporations,
- greedy financiers,
- wall-street law breakers,
- destroyers of education and educators,
- environmental polluters,
- abusers ot rights women,
- abusers of law enforcement public servants,
- war-mongers,
- stand-your-ground law sponsors,
- union-busting greedy employers and politicians,
- voter suppressors,
- anti-immigrant law sponsors;
- health care hoarding corporations and deniers or basic health care
@metaquest: Thanks for info re @revlon. Garbage bin now full of their
stuff. At least garbage dumps will now be 'beautiful'.— HOPE44 (@HOPE44FWD) July 09, 2012
@metaquest: Thanks for info re @revlon. Garbage bin now full of their
stuff. At least garbage dumps will now be 'beautiful'.— HOPE44 (@HOPE44FWD) July 09, 2012
@metaquest: Thanks for info re @revlon. Garbage bin now full of their
stuff. At least garbage dumps will now be 'beautiful'.— HOPE44 (@HOPE44FWD) July 09, 2012
“I think everytime a meek jobs report comes out, the Democrats should hit Robney hard, on this issue!”
I am not sure what you meant by this? Are you suggesting that Democrats should be otherwise quiet about this until ” a meek ( Did you mean to say weak) jobs report comes out…..?”
bummed out over the campaign dollars. I need a lift!
It didn’t bother me one bit. I thought of Harvey Weinstein and what he said on Rachel last week and it made so much sense.
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/the-rachel-maddow-show/48101871#48101871
This is a fascinating piece from balloon juice….
gives a good explanation as to why BigMoney donors may be not giving to the President but have switched sides and are now giving to Rommey….
after all…MONEY IS THICKER THAN PRINCIPLE!
***********************************************************************
The Zambrellis scoffed at attempts by the Democrats—who mocked Romney in an ad Sunday as “great for oil billionaires, bad for the middle class”—to wage class warfare. “Would you like to hear about the fundraisers I went to for him?” Sharon Zambrelli said of Obama. “Do you have an hour? … All the ones in the city—it was all of Wall Street.” “It’s not helping the economy to pit the people who are the engine of the economy against the people who rely on that engine,” Michael Zambrelli said as the couple waited in their SUV for clearance into the Creeks shortly after the candidate’s motorcade flew by and entered the pine-tree lined estate. “He’s basically been biting the hand that fed him in ‘08. … I would bet 25% of the people here were supporters of Obama in ‘08. And they’re here now.” I wonder honestly how the Zambrellis have been doing in the last 4 years, because they seem to be saying that 90%+ growth going to people like them is unacceptably low and Obama needs to go because of it. Loosely translated, I’m seeing “Well McCain/Palin were basically insane and we weren’t going to help them, but this Obama guy actually is talking about making us pay more here. Who does he think he is?” And we’re all really just ungrateful, stupid bastards to these people, and they really don’t understand why more of us aren’t eager to worship them as the “engines of the economy” when the reality is our consumer-based economy has been driven by the middle class buying crap at a breakneck pace and putting money in the pockets of these people, and as far as they’re concerned they just don’t need us anymore.
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2012/07/09/the-cake-were-apparently-supposed-to-be-eating-is-a-lie/
like last time when details emerged, it’s almost certain that the actual total for each campaign specifically will be dominated by PBO. we’re in great shape financially and strategically. meg whitman outspent jerry brown many, many times over (almost all of it her own money!) and jerry won in a massive landslide. mittbot is lucky when he gets a few hundred people at one of his robotic presentations. there’s no groundswell of excitement for the mittbot. the media plays this up now since they’re grasping for anything to save r-money, and they hope our people will get discouraged. don’t let them fool you. forward!!!
Spending money on a crappy message just gives you a very expensive defeat. The Koch bros. will learn that lesson this year.
As Weinstein said, “Romney is the Edsel of politics. That car had more money used to promote it than any other car, and it was a crappy car, and no amount of money could save it.” Romney is a crappy candidate, money can’t save him.
Remember, the MSM wants this to be a “horse race”….they make more money if people watch them. They will ride this until October. Someone posted a link on the previous post that internal Republican polling has them scared to death about Congressional races. They should be.
This. I’m in So Cal. Nothing gave me more glee than watching Meg Whitman AND Carly Fiorina outspend the Dems in their quest to buy the Governorship and a US Senate Seat only to have their asses handed to them as well as significantly depleted campaign war chests.
TOD Peeps, let’s try and focus our energy on ginning up the mighty, mighty power of the collective with getting everyone in your circle of influence to commit to a $1 a day for the President/OFA. BobFr, AMK and others have been tweeting about it mightily, but we all can get in on this idea even without tweeting. Each household of my immediate family (parents, siblings) has committed to set up a $1day for OFA tip jar in their house and put a dollar in every day. At the end of the month, they each will empty their respective OFA tip jars and send it in to PBO’s campaign, then start all over again for the next month. My extended family is next!
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that just about everyone can probably set aside a $1 day. Reach out to your family and friends and see if you can get them on board with this idea. Make a game out of it, if there are kids involved (my nephew is “in charge” at his house to make sure a $1 gets put into their house’s tip jar). Don’t get depressed, don’t get defeated.. Get busy!! Okay, rant concluded… 
This is fantastic!!!! Thank you so much.
No, Bobfr many thanks to you! Whatever inspiration, confidence, knowledge, courage ,information, handouts I come up with, is without a doubt because of folks like you and Ms. Chips and Every. Single. Person who contributes here. You all are the fountain of knowledge and I’m just a sponge trying to soak it all up. Erk, that was horribly cheezeee, but you know what I mean!
I am humbled that you passed along what I call one of my “4 a.m. ephiphanies” onto TPTB at OFA.
Where’s LL when I need to wax poetic!?!?!
#Press on Oh Twitter wizard!
So, OFA_CA thinks the idea of #ADollarADayToOFA is cool … so passed on your suggestion to them …
I think someone said we have over $500 Million already….they are just getting started. We have OFA and we are calling folks every week saying they will come out in full force to volunteer. PBO has millions of followers NOW and people flock to see him where ever he goes.
Don’t dispare….Volunteer and take someone with you!
hi
Purple elephant taking a dump on our gov’t. Just Wow.
they’ve been doing shamelessly for years. Only this time caught on camera (cartoon) !!!
Yo Romney, the 25% Bushites cant save you from this onslaught, you tax dodger
So true, ourman, so true ….
I’m posted this just before Chips new thread……
Well this is interesting, I wonder if the so called ”journalists” will have the same reaction as Norah O’Donnell when Gingrish called Romney a liar…which is an undisputed fact of course but the word is taboo in the media apparently.
”Romneyland’s hammer is about to drop…
In a conference call Monday morning, senior staff said Romney’s surrogates would stop shying away from the word “lie” in responding to Democrats’ attacks on his business record, and plan to go on TV to call Obama a “liar,” the source said.
“They are very fed up with these attacks,” said the source.”
Fed up with the attacks? Oh really…..what a joke…well if they start calling the President a liar, they better be prepare for major pushback. Mitt Romney has been lying non stop all his life it seem…..
Their stupidity and ineptness know no boundaries … bring it ….
It’s exactly what I thought Bob….if they want to call the President a liar on national tv, it will backfire big time.
They’ll experience a firestorm that will truly make them want Nov 6 to be tomorrow so they can all crawl into their gated mansions and count their money and weep …
Sadly Lootenant, they don’t give a SierraHotelIndiaTango! They’ll suffer any and all indignities to get a puppet in the White House.
Stupid is as stupid does. Question asked by Dan Senor: “Are you suggesting that Mitt Romney is guilty of some kind of felony …”
You said it Dan, not us.
Let them. So far, PBO’s surrogates have avoided the word as well. This would allow them to be a little more vocal. Additionally, when our side accuses Romney of lying, they have the facts to back up the charge. Let’s see if the other side can do the same. I will offer a sneak preview. They can’t.
That is because it is working and they were supposed to be ahead by now, according to their blame Obama strategy. They cannot figure out why that hasn’t worked, so they are blaming Obama, saying he is a liar!
In summary ….
We know what physical pain is like and we know what mental pain is like, so I am dealing with both this morning, but nothing to stop what is at the core of my being and all of us who are TODer here. We have a core that is complete with goodness of what is right and what is wrong. So we are ready for the arrows of liars because we Know that PBO is a decent and honest man. He speaks with truth and factual not to hurt anyone. “So we will Stand With The Truther.” HZ
(((((HZ)))))
HZ please take care. I hope you get to be feeling better soon. ((((HZ)))))
Oh please! if Romney had the balls to call President Obama a liar he would have done it already. This is just a weak-ass trial balloon by Romney’s surrogates, they have nothing to offer the public so they play these types of games.
At today’s daily briefing, Norah O’Donnell was being such a complete idiot – pressing Jay on the same point about whether what PBO said last December is the exact same verbatim thing he said today – WTF cares – over and over and over. Jay looked like he was going to tell her to shut up. I turned it off. I just can’t stand these GOPers running the newsroom.
I just heard a caller (woman) on Ed’s show. She offered a couple of EXCELLENT suggestions for PO. Instead of standing at the podium, use a wireless mike and have a chart beside him……have little ‘people’ signifying the 98% and the 2%. She pointed out it would be like what senators do on the floor of the Senate. It would be an attention-getter, pull people in, help them to remember–visual much more powerful than words. Her second suggestion was a football metaphor……comparing Congress to the blocker. I love that first suggestion. Would the word get back to OFA if I put it on Dashboard or would it be better to contact campaign headquarters?
Put it on dashboard and contact them directly. Tweet it to @Messina2012 @BarackObama @stefcutter & @davidaxelrod
I don’t tweet, Bob. But, I’ll do the other two things.
Here’ya go
Thanks, Bob!!!!!!! I did call.
Happy to help!! Glad you called
Thank you Cha!!
BUENO, BOB!!
And call the headquarters. I did today, directly and talked to a wonderful young man. Get your message to them several ways.
Hi tnmtngirl. Hope all is well with you and Mom. Been out of the loop, but coming back one step at a time. Tnmtngirl, great minds think together, I was thinking of the mic attached to his collar also. Charts are always great. He has used them in the pass. We know that so many people are either visual learners, audiotory learners and cognitive learners, so this is another thoughts to pass on as Bobfr has mentioned.
I called the main office in Chicago, and they are very nice. I know for a fact that PBO’s team is the best, the sharpest and the most focus, and if I trust anyone of them to run his campaign, it would be this team. However, they are also a very humble group of people as well. This would not be another ‘hair on fire’ moment, but a thought to weigh in on. Believe me, nothing goes pass Axe, David, Jim and Valarie, and David Plouffe, as well as that entire team. Plus all things are passed through POTUS. Trust me on this.
We pray for wisdom, and we will get it.
Hello sweet HZ. Things are status quo with my mom. At 94.5 she’s certainly not going to turn a corner and improve. She does seem to get weaker which is to be expected. I was so thrilled to see you here the past couple of days. So sorry about your pain but you are a “pusher”. You will keep going, won’t you?!
Bless you, friend. May God give you ease from your pain and strength for each day!
I will call the office in Chicago. I’ll do it this afternoon. Glad they are hour behind me. I’m into cooking right now, but will call soon as I finish. Have to go to our grief support group tonight to help facilitate so I am busy!
HZ, tnmtngirl … keeping you both in my thoughts … #PRESSON
This is a great suggestion!…I remember when they came out with the bikini graph of job creations, it helped a lot to visualize the progress.
That’s funny. I usually try not to play the “What Obama should do game,” but I must say that I have had a similar wish/dream where PBO was using a chart to clarify certain things. It’s funny how invested we all are and how we want to see him (and us succeed).
I’ve also been pining for a low-tech element to the campaign as well — things like old-fashioned mailings, billboards, leaflets and flyers. Maybe it’s because I get inundated by political snail mail by Eric Cantor and his ilk.
Constructive suggestions to Team Obama for the campaign should be fine in my opinion…..all they could do is say thanks, use it or not.
Low tech, hi yield.
Both! Put it on Dashboard but also call. Make the point strong about visuals being easier for people to remember than words. Thx!!
Hey, tnmtngirl, everyone … check it out!!!
Did this, because of …
Just thought that coupling the suggestion about modifications of #PBO’s presentation with the grass roots #ADollarADayToOFA fund raising proposal would be a way of indicating just how close and personal the entire campaign can become. #BainMitt and the Kochs are no match.
Republicans say they are against raising taxes, except if you’re middle class…then it’s alright! MUST READ AND PASS
http://www.washingtonpost.com/middle-class-would-face-higher-taxes-under-republican-plan/2012/06/19/gJQAD4auoV_story.html
That article needs to be passed around for everyone to read. Can it be tweeted? (I am not a tweeter). This message needs to be heard and turned into an Obama ad.
so powerful! the last paragraph especially–shifting the tax burden toward the middle class.
Those pictures from Carnegie Mellon University really touched me. Black and White, Old and young standing side by side. The more older and cynical I get, the more I’m proved wrong. Last week I donated some money to the President Obama campaign, it was my second time in my life that I have ever donated money to any campaign, the first time was also to the Obama campaign.
I don’t think Romney is built for this shit, some of you know exactly what I’m saying.
Yes, know exactly what you are saying, Don (and, neither is his wife) ….
Thank you for your donation, as well!!!
I know exactly what you’re saying. He’s a mean summamabitch, but he ain’t ready for this.
Don, you are so correct. I understand your thoughts for sure. They are not ready for this. Thanks for your donation. I will continue to try to reach a goal that I set for a senior who is daily inspired by the beautiful young ones on this beautiful blog.
I am going for the $1200.00 now. So help out the seniors who are trying to make a difference also, my loving TOD Family. I am listed as “HZ” in the “Fundraising List here on our blog, thanks to our wonderful Chips. I am under the doctors’ care now, but my nurse said today that I am a very good patient. That is why I get to have some precious time on the site today. Pray for me. My nurse is also becoming a believer. ((((((((((((Smiles)))))))))))) Love you all so much, HZ
Aye, aye Don. Your assessment is on the mark.
that kid in the last photo shaking PBO’s hand looks JUST LIKE PBO when he was a kid!
It sure does…..good eye.
That photo just chokes me up. So sweet and so emblematic of what PBO’s presidency means to all of us.
Romney’s lame response to PBO’s speech today. I SO want to have this fight!! Charts and graphs would be a great thing to SHOW the American people that can’t seem to understand this without the pretty pictures!!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/mitt-romney-middle-class-tax-cut-wont-help-middle-class/2012/07/09/gJQAXtmJYW_blog.html
ANOTHER WORD SALAD FROM ROMNEY
Mitt Romney, the Harvard MBA presidential candidate has provided yet another word salad in response to President Obama today. The statement is weak and incoherent. Nothing but gibberish. Mitt and his campaign are just pathetic. It’s really hard to believe this man is actually running to be the leader of the free world. Greg Sargent is doing exemplary reporting. The paragraphs below are spot on.
————————-
Putting aside the numbers, note Romney’s claim that this proposal “proves again that the President doesn’t have a clue” how to “help the middle class.” In other words, his response, with no exaggeration, is that extending tax cuts for those under $250,000 won’t help the middle class. Oh, and a tax cut is actually a tax hike!
This is a candidate and a campaign who seem to proceed from the assumption that they can say literally anything, no matter how absurd or Orwellian, without getting called out aggressively by news orgs or suffering any political consequences for it. I guess we’ll find out soon enough whether they’re right.
————————–
I am going to stop buying Revlon products…the owner was one of the Romney fundraisers yesterday. He’s not getting MY hard earned money so it can go against my and my famiy’s best interests!
Oh…and someone at one of the fundraisers described Romney as a Ken Doll……
Yes I saw that this morning, never again for me, not that it was the brand that I usually purchased but I did buy some of their products on occasion….I tried their new concealer a few months ago…
They are on my boycott list……
Thanks for the heads up. No Revlon for me either.
Ronald Perelman is not simply the Chairman of Revlon. He was one of the nastiest figures in the takeover world of the1980′s and a regular on Page 6 in the New York Post with his five marriages. Google his Wikipedia page to see the type of friends Willard has.
If I still used makeup(and it has been revlon in the past) I would certainly drop it like a hot freaking nasty thing for supporting a sociopath’s Sociopath.
“Sociopaths, also called psychopaths, have no heart, no conscience and no remorse. They make up 1% to 4% of the population, and they can con anyone.”
Thanks for that info about Revlon. This is something American women could make an impact with: Revlon boycott. I will certainly not buy any more of their lipsticks….that’s all of theirs I used. Bye Bye!!!
DITTO….I STOPPED GOING TO WALMART…SMALL THING…BUT IT MEANS ALOT TO ME!
I did too…along time ago when the class action suit against them…when one of my client’s family business went out of business because of Walmart…when I found out that Walmart unload in Mexico and then hire cheap labor to transport their goods to the Bay Area (CA).
Probably anatomically the same too…
Martin Bashir: Mitt Romney Will Go Down as the Most Secretive Presidential Candidate in History
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/martin-bashir-mitt-romney-will-go-down-mos
Bain business experience not working out so well for BainMItt:
PublicPolicyPolling @ppppolls
Romney’s experience at Bain is an 11 point net negative with North Carolina voters
I went to the flicker stream, there are some great photos of our VP Joe in Iowa. Ya gotta love him!
Debz, can you please post the link to the flicker stream? Thanks.
Duh, I just looked again and saw the link.
I’m glad you found it.
Obama makes his pitch for middle-class tax break
http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/09/12644867-obama-makes-his-pitch-for-middle-class-tax-break
I guess that Republicans want to attack the President for the stimulus…let’s have THAT fight too! Here are the hypocrites that have/ and will…attack the stimulus while asking for money, or otherwise claiming the goodness of it as their own…
http://thinkprogress.org/report/touting-recovery-opposed/ Lists those RW hypocrites and the money they asked for and TOOK.
Some of the goodness of the stimulus:
The stimulus has launched a transition to a clean-energy economy, doubled our renewable power, and financed unprecedented investments in energy efficiency, a smarter grid, electric cars, advanced biofuels, and green manufacturing. It is computerizing America’s pen-and-paper medical system. Its Race to the Top is the boldest education reform in U.S. history. It has put in place the biggest middle-class tax cuts in a generation, the largest research investments ever, and the most extensive infrastructure investments since Eisenhower’s interstate highway system. It includes the largest expansion of antipoverty programs since the Great Society, lifting millions of Americans above the poverty line, reducing homelessness, and modernizing unemployment insurance. Like the first New Deal, Obama’s stimulus has created legacies that last: the world’s largest wind and solar projects, a new battery industry, a fledgling high-speed rail network, and the world’s highest-speed Internet network.
From Michael Grunwald’s new book, called the The New, New Deal
h/t Politicalcarnival
Fine…let them…. all we have to do is show how much money the States that dropping in Unemployment got ….here is Kasich giving the President ” All the credit ” for the improvement in Ohio.
I see an ad in the making…using Kasich
Well, if Willard is such a patriotic American, why did he hide his millions in a foreign countries? WHO’S country comes first???
Great tweet.
all of the above!
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/07/bush-tax-cuts-chart-obama.php?ref=fpblg
Better late than never — I didn’t realize there were still advertising on Limpaugh’s show:
http://thinkprogress.org/media/2012/07/09/513169/ups-pulls-ads-from-rush-limbaughs-radio-show/
UPS Pulls Ads From Rush Limbaugh’s Radio Show | UPS has pulled its ads from Rush Limbaugh’s radio show, becoming the latest company to boycott the show since his well-circulated slurs against Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke. Cumulus Media, which owns 38 of the 600 channels that air Limbaugh’s show, told financial analysts that the boycott — now more than 40 companies and counting — cost them “a couple million bucks in the first quarter and a couple of million bucks in quarter two.”
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entries/schumer-now-supports-obamas-middle-class-tax-cut
I am guessing they will settle at a number somewhere in between…..Maybe that was the strategy all along…
The President says 250 …Pelosi and Schumar say 1 million….
No, he’s being a team player and wants the 250,000 limit. The reason that he originally said $1mil is because so many NY’ers MAKE lots of money….and then there’s this:
Republicans would almost surely have used his previous opposition to a $250,000 threshold to sow discord with Democrats.
Yes.
AND FROM MY UNDERSTANDING THE TAX INCREASE WILL BE ON THE INCOME OVER $250,000…NO INCREASE ON INCOME UNDER $250,000
AND INDEED…FOR THOSE WHOSE INCOME COMES FROM FINANCE CAPITAL, WHAT WILL THEY BE PAYING…
Do anyone know when VP Biden suppose to speak at the NAACP convention?
Thursday. I believe.
I find it interesting that Romney will speak, too. What could he POSSIBLY have to say to the AA crowd there? Will he explain why he must support the voter suppression efforts by R govs…since he hasn’t called those govs out. Or the healthcare he wants to take away? Or the jobs he wants to take away? Or the chance to a college education? I’m absolutely DYING to hear what pack of lies he thinks he can tell. If he thinks that AA’s are stupid…that should make things even MORE interesting. None of what he wants is good for the AA community. Nothing.
He will, no doubt, tell about how the high unemployment rate in the AA community are because of PBO’s “failed policies” and whatever lies he can come up with while attacking the President. Maybe he will explain his supporters, like birther Trump, and the other hateful racists who he won’t stand up to, and why he agrees with them.
I hope he gets booed..
I hope he doesn’t get booed (that would be more about them as oppose to their dislike for him)…but I would like to be a fly on the wall to see him studder and stammer as he tell his lies.
http://www.naacp.org/news/entry/mitt-romney-to-address-naacp-convention-in-july
Key focus on the convention will be on protecting the right to vote in the face of the GOP onslaught of voter suppression tactics and voter ID laws. It’ll be a hoot listening to him justify their actions to this crowd.
Vice President Joe Biden to Address NAACP Annual Convention in Houston
http://www.naacp.org/news/entry/vice-president-joe-biden-to-address-naacp-annual-convention-in-houston
Vice President Joe Biden will address the 103rd NAACP Annual Convention in Houston, Texas on Thursday, July 12th. The Vice President will keynote the convention’s final plenary session, scheduled for 9:30 am to 12:00 pm CDT at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
“We welcome Vice President Biden to address our membership in Houston next week,” stated NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock. “The Vice President is a longtime friend to the NAACP. He has been a strong advocate for justice and equality over his decades of service in the Senate and the White House.”
This is the first time Mr. Biden will address the NAACP’s Convention as Vice President. The NAACP values the opportunity to hear from elected officials and candidates for public office.
“We are honored to welcome Vice President Joe Biden to our convention,” stated NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. “This is an important election year and communities of color will play a huge role in deciding the outcome in any number of races across the country. As such, we are pleased that both major political parties will be represented at this year’s convention.”
This year’s convention will run from July 7 – July 12 under the theme “Your Power, Your Decision – VOTE”. This year’s convention will build on the Association’s voter engagement and empowerment initiatives, with advocacy workshops on a myriad of vital issues, including civic engagement, health care, criminal justice, and climate justice. More information about the 103rd NAACP Annual Convention is available here: http://www.naacp.org/pages/convention.
DO YOU THINK THAT ROMNEY WILL BE BRINGING “THE DONALD” WITH HIM….SO YOU THINK HE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT VOTER SUPPRESSION LAWS THAT HAVE BEEN COOKED UP BY ALEC AND BANKROLLED BY THE KOCH BROTHERS…
IF I WAS AT THE CONVENTION I WOULD HOLD UP AN OBAMA/BIDEN SIGN DURING ROMENY’S SPEECH…HE HAS NERVE..
DON’T BE FOOLED BY THIS SPEECH/HIS COMING TO ADDRESS THE CONVENTION IS NOT ABOUT THE BLACK COMMUNITY/IT IS ABOUT THOSE VOTERS ….THOSE SWING VOTERS/THOSE MODERATE VOTES/
SEE I’M NOT RACIST….I’M OK….I WENT TO THE BLACK CONFERENCE AND STOOD ON THE STAGE WITH THEM….I’M OK….
Well I hear The Donald has a good relationship with “The Blacks” /snark
The NAACP membership wil be respectful to him. The convention is focusing on voter suppression and I just don’t think he has the balls to address it. If he does, he’ll probably start lying right out of the box. Remember, those are the people that he’s trying to disenfranchise.
Romney is going to bring Donald Trump to the NAACP. Donald Trump who accused this black President of not being born in this country. Who have shown disrespect to this President. So the wise old Mitt will show up with him. Believe me no one is going to be fool by Mitt Romney. The NAACP always invite Republicans to speak, most turn them down.
Those pictures from Carnegie are just breathtaking. I love Pres. Obama’s campaign because it brings people of all ages, races, incomes, and creeds together. That’s the real America.
This President is trying to turn around the Titanic, trying to finally show everyone that cares to listen that the RW talking points, the scare tactics, the business as usual from the RW doesn’t work and never HAS. He is changing the conversation that the RW has held over the head’s of America for decades, to get their way and to scare the American people with lies and no facts to back their assertions. If he can do this, if everyone stops with the chatter and the preconceived notions about the issues and listen and look at the truth…he will have done what no other President has done in my lifetime. It’s the LONG VIEW…the LONG HAUL…not just for this moment in time, but for generations to come. We need his back.More than ever. What a fearless, courageous, patriotic thing to do.
I totally agree. And what I find the most admirable is that while being very fierce in his attacks on supply-side economics, he limits divisive language as much as he can. He always appeals to the better angels of people, not their darkest fears. He elevates the debates. Romney and republicans are doing the exact contrary. Appealing to the worst in people, blasting all sort of groups, teachers, union workers, “liberals”, gays, and on and on… . Peddling hate, fear, negativity.
American politics, especially today, is a very very nasty business. Barack Obama has to be tough to survive and thrive in this environment. And he manages to do so without losing his integrity, his humanity, his heart and his soul. He is one of the best presidents America has EVER had. Period.
I love your statement here desertflower. So right on.
THISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
Well, looky here, y’all! Their timing is impeccable!
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/07/09/513181/white-trash-reception/
I am going to link to HP because I cannot find this anywhere else yet……..
Rove Gave Secret Speech Outside Romney Retreat… Ducked Campaign Finance Laws By Going Through Romney’s Son
Also attending was Fred Malek ( Nixon’s ” Jew ” hunter ) These people are scum
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/09/karl-rove-speech_n_1656013.html#comments
Robert Gibbs wipes the floor with Romney spokesperson Dan Senor about Mitt’s hidden money in Bermuda, the Caymans and Switzerland
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036789/ns/msnbc_tv-morning_joe/#48117624
Barnicle makes me sick……this morning he said 3 more months of low jobs numbers ” OBAMA IS THREW ” !
“the devil is a liar”…on the morning of November 7th, barnicle and others will those words for breakfast. HA!
I’ve been at work all day and I still have about 4 1/2 hours to go, but I’ve been following all the talking about the fundraising numbers and about the Obama camp emails asking for additional funds.
I understand that some people feel that the emails are downers or they are depressing or they are too much and all I can say is that personally, I don’t let the fundraising emails get me down or cause me to be aggravated, if I have it to give I do, if I dont’ have it to give, then I don’t. I do not begrudge the campaign for sending out the email, or for the tenor of the emails. The campaign has to do what the campaign has to do to make sure that it has the funds it needs to fund GOTV, rapid response, ads and truth telling ventures.
Let me tell you, they WILL need all they money they can get. Because the heat of the campaign is not even upon us yet. It’s still summer. When After the Olympics, the conventions and Labor day, the barrage of negative ads propaganda by R-Money and Rove et al will have to be counteracted somehow and the campaign needs money to do so. I am as much a twitter and facebook warrior as the next person, but even though there seems to be the whole world on twitter and facebook there are a lot of people who are not, so I know that the campaign will need money to counteract that.
I dont’ think that campaign is trying to “guilt” people into giving as some people have said, nor do I think the campaign is trying to fund themselves by fear, I prefer the campaign’s tell it like it is…i.e. “we are being out-raised” attitude than some completely delusional “the sun is shiny” BS attitude. What’s the saying “don’t pee on my shoe and tell me that it’s raining”.
Also, another reason, I don’t begrudge the campaign is because of people like this who couild afford to give, but won’t because Obama et al ain’t “stroking their ego”. So I hope the campaign continues to send this emails.
“Obama’s Weak Money Legs”
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/07/the-fundraising-enthusiasm-gap.html
So a big money donor is withholding money against the Greatest Evil to hit this country since, well, Satan, because he didn’t get a $40 tea set? Seriously?
Personally, I understand the tone of the fundraising letters. I give what I can when I can and I am now making it as big a priority as my paycheck will allow. I know the letters are not a ‘personal’ attack. Frankly, this is a dire situation and the money is more important now while impressions are being set than they will be a month before the election when it will be too late.
And a big effing thanks to the likes of Russ Feingold and others who have planted this purity meme. Did Feingold help the country by allowing a teabagger to become a WI Senator? Will purity stop an insane SCOTUS for the next 60 years? Will purity save Social Security, Medicare, student loans and education and safe water and clean air and safe food and civil rights and voting rights and women’s rights? Is purity worth sending us back to the 14th century?
NO. I’m sorry PAC’s offend your delicate sensibilities (whiny liberals), but 99% of us cannot afford your purity. The only way you get close to a progressive majority that can change this idiotic course is to take some of your comfortable money and elect as many decent Democrats as possible.
We are nothing without President Obama. STFU and buy one less Ferrari and DO SOMETHING. NOW IS THE TIME.
I missed this when PBO tweeted several days ago. I love that he surrounds himself with reminders of the voices of ordinary people.
Outstanding! This is why he should remain President for another 4 years.
Controversial Preacher Bradlee Dean Ordered To Pay Maddow’s Legal Fees In His Lawsuit Against Her
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/07/bradlee_dean_maddow_msnbc_lawsuit.php?ref=fpnewsfeed
This made me laugh. The comments are great too. “I was forced to celebrate after reading this so he should pay my bar bill too”.
Romney’s Hamptons soiree: Madam Range Rover and “the nails ladies”
Romney’s Hamptons galas provide the perfect backdrop for the president to push the end of tax cuts for the wealthy
BY JOAN WALSH
————————————–
Barack Obama couldn’t have picked a better day to announce his plan to extend tax cuts for Americans who make less than $250,000 and to let taxes rise for the wealthy. Mitt Romney’s three Hamptons fundraisers on Sunday were like a Priorities USA ad, except the creative directors of the pro-Obama super PAC would have rejected the script as over-the-top.
In a clusterfuck of conspicuous consumption, Bentleys, BMWs, Range Rovers, Porsches, a Rolls Royce and a Ferrari idled in a line 30 cars long. “Is there a V.I.P. entrance?” one woman shouted to the “help,” according to the New York Times. “We are V.I.P.”
.
.
In the meantime, I hope the folks at Priorities USA are getting ready to use Madam Range Rover’s entitled rant against “the common person” in an advertising barrage. If “the nail ladies” figure out who she is, Madam Range Rover better be careful during her next pedicure.
—————————————
http://www.salon.com/2012/07/09/madam_range_rover_and_the_nails_ladies/
One Chart That Shows What The Bush Tax Cut Battle Is All About
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/07/bush-tax-cuts-chart-obama.php?ref=fpnewsfeed
Graphic of the chart only:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/images/romney-obama-tax-cuts-2.png
PDF with detailed explanation and additional charts:
http://www.ctj.org/bushtaxcuts2012/us.pdf
Secretary Clinton: ‘sand is running out of the hourglass’ for Syria’s Assad
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/07/08/clinton-sand-is-running-out-of-the-hourglass-for-assad/
Christie endorses Obama line on infrastructure
By Steve Benen
—————————-
Over the weekend, in his weekly address, President Obama stresses the importance of infrastructure investments. Republicans disagree, although one notable GOP figure seems to think Obama’s on to something.
“For months, I’ve been calling on Congress to take half the money we’re no longer spending on war and use it to do some nation-building here at home,” Obama said. “There’s work to be done building roads and bridges and wireless networks. And there are hundreds of thousands of construction workers ready to do it.”
And while Republicans generally oppose this kind of talk — the notion of creating jobs through public investments simply does not compute in the 21st century — two days after the president’s comments, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) took an identical line.
——————————–
http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/09/12645745-christie-endorses-obama-line-on-infrastructure
This is bordering on criminal negligience… oh I forgot, the people of Florida voted in Rick Scott as their governor. They don’t mind criminals running their state!
—————————————————————————————————————————————————-
More Austerity Government In Action: Florida Covers Up Worst TB Outbreak In Decades, Cuts Services
http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/more-austerity-government-action-flor
See, this is why you simply can’t run government like a business. It’s not a business. You can’t just walk away from a non-profitable division when it’s your job to look out for the public’s health and well-being. I know that Republicans and their hard-core enablers like to tell themselves these fairy tales, but it just doesn’t work. (Are you listening, Gov. Scott?) Via Raw Story:
The state of Florida has been struggling for months with what the Centers for Disease Control describe as the worst tuberculosis outbreak in the United States in twenty years.
Although a CDC report went out to state health officials in April encouraging them to take concerted action, the warning went largely unnoticed and nothing has been done. The public did not even learn of the outbreak until June, after a man with an active case of TB was spotted in a Jacksonville soup kitchen.
The Palm Beach Post has managed to obtain records on the outbreak and the CDC report, though only after weeks of repeated requests. These documents should have been freely available under Florida’s Sunshine Law.
According to the Post, the coverup began as early as last February, “when Duval County Health Department officials felt so overwhelmed by the sudden spike in tuberculosis that they asked the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to become involved. Believing the outbreak affected only their underclass, the health officials made a conscious decision not to not tell the public, repeating a decision they had made in 2008, when the same strain had appeared in an assisted living home for people with schizophrenia.”
That decision now appears to have gone terribly awry, partly because the disease appears 0 but also because just nine days before the CDC warning was issued, Florida Governor Rick Scott had signed a bill downsizing the state’s Department of Health and closing the A.G. Holley State Hospital that had treated the most difficult tuberculosis cases for over 60 years.
With health officials preoccupied by the challenge of restructuring, the CDC report went unseen, and an order even went out for the hospital to be closed immediately, six months ahead of schedule.
According to the Post, by April the outbreak had been linked to thirteen deaths, with 99 individuals infected, including six children. Most of those affected were poor black men, ten of whom simply wasted away from the disease before getting treatment or were not treated in time to stop its progression.
Now it is estimated that as many as 3000 people may have been exposed to the strain over the past two years, mainly in Jacksonville’s homeless shelters, jails, and a mental health clinic. Only 253 of those have been found, of whom one-third have tested positive for TB exposure.
So the Romney camp really thinks calling the Obama camp a “liar” is a good strategy to the Bain attacks…um okay that is too funny, maybe in response the Obama camp should check out Steve Benen’s list of Romney lies and untruths. And throw the “liar” meme back at them.
Plus doesn’t this just reek of desperation?
“… doesn’t this just reek of desperation?”
Yes it does!
Red meat for the 27%.
They’ve been calling him a liar all along. They don’t even believe he was born in Hawaii. How is this any different. Glad these strategy-challenged neophytes aren’t working for our side.
THEY HAVE BEEN…ESP WHEN THEY HAVE A BIRTHER DOING FUNDRAISING FOR THEM
Once the campaign actually starts using the word LIAR, the cowardly MSM will have ‘permission’ to use it too.
Holy Moly….Luke Russert just got pawned by Martin Bashir…..
Luke is officially a GOP stenographer as of today for me.
I was so happy that Martin put him in his place. Kudos to Martin!!
That was pathetic. He should be ashamed of himself. He just carries water for Speaker Boehner all the time. He might as well sign on as his press secretary. Pathetic. Thankfully, Martin Bashir was having none of it.
Thanks, Linda..could you give those who don’t have a tv..a little rundown on the exchange?
He kept asking him if the Republicans are fighting for the 2 % of individuals and the 3 % of small businesses that make over 250k a year.
Luke kept trying to deflect it to the GOP talking point…..he kind of got flustered and started to giggle…
He kept saying …well the GOP .. Job creators……blah….blah…
And Luke always has a goofy cheshire cat smile. Just like Ed Henry.
Luke needs to be asked..”How much is willard’s campaign paying you?”
Thx Linda!
Was Luke Russert trying to crack wise on Martin just now, by referencing Michael Jackson.
Martin had him in a corner, had him giggling like grade schoolers. Was that his weak way of coming back?
I just said the same…
Luke earned his GOP wings just now.
Sure did.
Next Luke Russert who got where he is on his father’s coat tail, is a cheep. I don’t like the jackass. I heard Luke when he said that, and I thought it was a low blow. He should have not even mention Michael Jackson name.
Little Luke was trying to strike back at him in a jr. high school way—-trying to hurt Bashir—–because Bashir made clear that Luke is strictly a GOP mouthpiece, a worthless partisan reporter, would not admit a truth even when it was hitting him in the face. Luke only references GOP sources, as if he was their BFF
That exchange between Bashir and Russert was bizzare. The giggling was disturbing, but the most disturbing part was Russert insisting on what ‘republicans want us to believe’. OMG It was as reveling as the ‘thurston & libby’ crowd at Mitt-The-Liar’s Hamptons fundraiser.
President Obama Mourns the death of Ohio restauranteur Josephine Ann Harris
http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2012/07/president-obama-mourns-death-of-ohio.html
Thx for the link, Dudette.
Denise Rich, wealthy socialite and former wife of pardoned trader Marc Rich, has renounced her U.S. citizenship, reports Reuters:
Rich, 68, a Grammy-nominated songwriter and glossy figure in Democratic and European royalty circles, renounced her American passport in November, according to her lawyer.
Her maiden name, Denise Eisenberg, appeared in the Federal Register on April 30 in a quarterly list of Americans who renounced their U.S. citizenship and permanent residents who handed in their green cards. (link.reuters.com/naq28s)
By dumping her U.S. passport, Rich likely will save tens of millions of dollars or more in U.S. taxes over the long haul, tax lawyers say.
UGH, UGH, UGH.
How many millions of dollars do people need that they feel compelled to renounce a country that gave them everything?
It is repulsive…..
Obama Swings the Swingers;
The big campaign news out today is that Mitt Romney raised $106 million in June, swamping the president’s $71 haul. That’s a pretty big deal.
Yet, for all the focus on the money chase, we rarely get a firm measure of how effectively the campaigns are spending all that cash. Today marks an exception: hard data that Obama’s swing state ad blitz — which kicked off in May with a $25 million ad buy in states like Colorado, Florida, Ohio, and Virginia — has done his opponent serious damage.
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/national-affairs/obama-swings-the-swingers-20120708#ixzz209xngZrY
And it’s only just now hitting Romney 2 months later that he’s been stung. He’s in an airtight bubble.
The Obama campaign may not have much mon, but they have used it wisely to define Romney early on, and Robney has not helped himself by being transparent. I love it.
It’s really important to give as much as we can NOW. PBO’s campaign gets it — we MUST set the narrative and frame Willard NOW. October is too late.
I only wish my property taxes hadn’t gone up 50%. That’s supposed to include my husband’s senior citizen ‘freeze’ which only freezes a particular number, not the taxes.
My home in the middle of the North side of Chicago is now valued a shade less than it was at the top of the bubble, and my property taxes are 50% more than they were at the top of the bubble. Now, my almost 100 year old home couldn’t sell at all in this housing market that now demands that homes be perfect before they sell. I’d have to put $100,000 into it or sell it for the land and tear down this Frank Lloyd Wright protegee home.
There is something really wrong when a senior citizen who has owned this home for over 25 years is socked with this kind of increase.
Then Bank of America managed to credit May’s mortgage payment to someone’s credit card account (!) and their promises to fix it haven’t come through. They actually told my husband to make the additional payment to cover the missed month and they’ll sort it out later. We don’t have that kind of money!
I’m not terribly thrilled with my mayor or my governor right now. Huge increases in fees and costs that affect everyone but seriously affect the poorer of us, with no move to increase fees or taxes on those that can afford it. Services are being cut in order to pay the double-dipping pensions that exist in IL. It’s a mess.
Spousal unit gets paid tomorrow. We donate $25 monthly to OFA. Tomorrow they’ll see another donation from us.
By the way, I think I’m going to LOVE my new credit union. And my work makes it easy to switch direct deposit. They’ll keep depositing my check in our Chase account, and then after 2 or 3 pay cycles it transitions seamlessly to the CU. Awesome sauce!
Sam Kass to KeyNote The Root’s ” Focus on Obesity” Conference
http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2012/07/sam-kass-to-keynote-roots-focus-on.html
Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives Sam Kass will give the keynote address at the “Focus on Obesity” conference hosted by The Root this Friday, July 13, in Washington, DC. Kass will speak about the challenges of obesity in the African American community and the Let’s Move! campaign at a noon luncheon during the day-long event, part of the”Black, Fit & Healthy” series. The event is co-sponsored by the nation’s largest soda lobby, the American Beverage Association, and President and CEO Susan K. Neely will participate in a panel devoted to “School-Based Solutions” for child obesity.
Other sponsors include the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health and HBO, which will screen the child obesity segment of its documentary Weight of the Nation. The full agenda: https://www.signup4.net/Public/ap.aspx?EID=FOCU34E
The event will be at The Washington Post building on 15th Street NW. Registration closes on Tuesday
Hardball. ( Paraphrasing )
” What does the President do when he gets a crappy jobs report ? Change the subject ”
Click
Michael Smerconish gives one sided reports!
David Corn is on who is very pro Obama.
David Corn has been great since 2010. He was a tad of a whiny liberal before that but he’s one that’s ‘gotten it’ and has been very supportive.
I cannot stomach him…..
Where is Chris anyway ?
He is probably at his house on Nantucket.
NO. HE ASKS CONGRESS TO PASS THE F**KING JOBS BILL.
A-GAIN.
And we have the media meme for the week… gosh I’m so so tired of them. Always focusing on the political game, instead of policy issues.
Sometimes I feel as if Barack Obama and a few progressive democrats are the only ones in DC who care about what’s happening outside of DC.
80,000 jobs growth. Not as big a number as we wanted, but still moving in the right direction. Ask the 80,000 people who are/will be filling those jobs if it’s “crappy.”
Better question: How crappy is the GOP obstruction of the President’s plans to grow the economy and create more jobs? Ask the American people what they think of THAT!
I’m going to try and turn your comment into a tweet.
Please do.
That was Michael Smerconish, the guest host, who said it, and it was highly irritating. Now he is talking to some guy about praying away the gay. Tweety needs to get back to work. There is a lot of important stuff going on.
I picked up on that meme du jour. I guess we can expect to hear that from most of the gasbags. Today, the Ice Princess Norah O’Donnell asked Jay Carney if the announcement was made today to take the attention off the unemployment numbers. You can always count on a snarky and sarcastic question like that from Norah.
Without GOP, Unemployment Would be Under 6%
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/1025337/without_gop,_unemployment_would_be_under_6/
This is something that has to enter the national conversation BIG TIME. In 2010 americans, worried sick and misled by a ton of misinformation, decided to go for divided government. In domestic politics, Congress has enormous power because they’re the ones who legislate and control budgets. So FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, can the media and the “conventional wisdom” stop making everything about President Obama and look at the real culprits of the sluggish recovery ??!!!
To be fair, the Obama team seems reluctant to go full force on the theme of obstructionism. They talk about it, but it’s always lost a bit within broader themes. Different philosophies, “stalemate” because of taxes, etc… I know they must have a long-term strategy, but still…
TOD Tweeters — this need to be tweeted EVERYWHERE!!!
Please help circulate this info far and wide:
Good news for John McCain?
I wonder how much lower it would’ve been if the Rethugs had obstructed the American Jobs Act.
No more War money to Iraq ?
President Obama to visit with an Ia. family to talk about tax cuts before his appearance tomorrow in Cedar Rapids.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/viewart/20120709/NEWS/307090064/Obama-to-visit-with-family-during-Iowa-stop?Frontpage
HAHAHAHAH…I HOPE YOU GUYS ARE WATCHING…REV AL………OOOOOOOOOOOOWEEEEEEE
What happened?
THE REV HAD AN ACTORS TROUP DO A REINACTMENT OF THE THINGS THAT WERE SAID AT THE KOCH FUNDRAISER THIS WEEKEND….FUNNY SATIRE
Can’t wait to see the video when that’s up.
Found it! Reenactment starts around 2:25
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45755884/#48127053
OMG! That is just horrible. What snobs. Clueless, arrogant, snobs.
What in the world??? The GOP are getting so desperate, they’re hysterical. There is no conspiracy theory re. President Obama that is beyond their limits. They’ve all gone nuts.
Yeah, in his “spare” time. Morons.
That means pres Obama is not Kenyan, any more? Only US citizens can be CIA agents. Or has the right figured out when pres Obama received his citizenship papers? These rightwingers are nuts. Shame on Drudge.
Those Republicans in Congress are going to vote to repeal the ACA…while KEEPING THEIR HEALTHCARE PAID BY TAXPAYERS!
Along with Willard Romney, John Boehner, and Michele Bachmann, Rep. Mary Bono Mack, Rep. Dan Lungren, Rep. Bob Dold, Rep. Judy Biggert, Rep. Bobby Schilling, Rep. Nan Hayworth, Rep. Chris Gibson and others want a full repeal of President Obama’s constitutional, legal, conservative Chief Justice Roberts-supported Affordable Care Act.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is going after them.
You can’t lead by being a mystery,
… you can’t lead by being an enigma,
… you can’t lead by being aloof,
… you can’t lead by being programmed.
NJ Governor Chris Christie
I saw the video with Bashir, was Christie asked about Robney? What was he responding to?
Off-Topic:
Follow US Olympic Team members on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/USOlympic/london2012
BRILLIANT! Thanks dotster~
Love those photos of protesters outside Romney fundraiser in the Hamptons this weekend.
http://leanforward.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/09/12640201-protesters-join-romney-supporters-in-the-hamptons-for-weekend-fundraisers
Was that a sightseer on the bike…..probably wanted to see what the ” little people ” who have debt and pay taxes look like !
Nia Malki Henderson was on book tv interviewing Jonah Goldberg
“The Tyranny of Clichés: How Liberals Cheat in the War of Ideas,” hosted by Nia-Malika Henderson, Washington Post Political Reporter
I don’t trust her
You and I both, I’ve seen some of her work to know that she’s a slippery one. My question is why is she interviewing Jonah Goldberg of all people?
Um because she’s a reporter? Not a democratic surrogate, not an Obama for America employee but a reporter. That would be my guess.
Wow!
Russia suspends new arms shipments to Syria
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/09/world/meast/syria-unrest/
CNN) — Russia will not deliver new weapons to Syria so long as the situation in that country is unstable, an official at the body in charge of monitoring Russia’s arms trade said Monday, state media reported. “Russia, as well as other countries, is concerned by the situation in Syria,” said Vyacheslav Dzirkaln, deputy head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, RIA Novosti reported. “We are not talking about new arms supplies to that country.”
“Until the situation stabilizes we will not deliver any new weapons (to Syria),” said Dzirkaln. He specifically said Russia would not supply Syria with Yak-130 aircraft. Russia has signed a $550 million contract for the delivery of three dozen such planes, RIA Novosti said.
Still, it was not clear whether the official was saying Russia would discontinue the delivery of all arms, or whether it was stopping just the supply of “new weapons.” The report seemed to leave open the possibility that Russia could continue to deliver some arms to Syria under existing contracts.
The move could be a major blow to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is fighting to stay in control after more than a year of popular protests and a brutal government crackdown.
Russia has been the long-time principal supplier of arms to Syria since the days when it was the Soviet Union. The weapons sales have more than doubled in recent years. According to Congressional Research Service, Russia sold Syria $4.7 billion in arms from 2007 to 2010, compared with $2.1 billion from 2003 to 2006.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last month the continued supply of arms from Russia has strengthened al-Assad’s regime, despite denials by Russian President Vladimir Putin that any munitions it was providing to Syria were being used against its own people.
[more in the article, including video]
Public Policy Polling signals good news in Virginia:PublicPolicyPolling @ppppolls
Another very good poll for Obama in Virginia. Going to be pretty surprised if he doesn’t win it again.
Obama’s up 11 with independents in Virginia, and he’s getting 9% of Republicans while losing just 4% of Democrats
I cannot figure out why Tim Kaine is behind.
Rasmussen Poll, that’s why.
Do you mean to tell me that Rove’s Crossroads GPS is NOT a “social welfare” organiztion? Well, I’ll be darned. Shocking!
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/07/09/democrats-challenge-tax-exempt-status-of-gop-campaign-groups/#.T_tIIgiNEJY.twitter
http://www.barackobama.com/news/entry/if-it-was-not-for-president-obama-my-beloved-daughter-may-not-be-alive
“If it was not for President Obama, my beloved daughter may not be alive”
By Elizabeth Zaretsky on July 9, 2012
“My daughter Michaela was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in March of 2011. She was 23 years old and had graduated the prior year with a degree in nursing. She was diagnosed four months after being on the job and therefore did not have much sick time. If it were not for the Affordable Care Act, she would have been without insurance. Michaela needed five months of chemotherapy, six weeks of radiation, and had both breasts removed. She is now back at work taking care of patients. If it was not for President Obama, my beloved daughter may not be alive today.”
—Denise, New York
Tweet it! These kinds of stories need to be widely disseminated. Let people know what it means to repeal the ACA.
We need this woman in the Senate! She’s running an uphill battle against Bob Corker.
——————————-
“I am tired of liars, cons and thieves, a filthy environment and the subjugation of the poor, let alone the middle class. I am not buyable, and I don’t have $7.5 million for my campaign. But I have you, or some of you, and I believe, I believe, I believe!”
- Park Overall,Candidate for U.S. Senate
http://www.parkfortn.com/
She’s really great! Watch this:
Isn’t she just the best!! I never tire listening to this video. Do you know how her campaign is going? I know she SHOULD win, but do you think she can win??
Of course she can win! She speaks to them…I think she’s just down home, straight up with everyone…and they appreciate that.
DF, Dudette, Thank you so much for sharing this. This lady, Park Overall, was amazing! She is definitely the kind of person we need in the Senate.
DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz attacks Mitt Romney for his offshore assets
http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/07/debbie_wasserman-schultz_attac.html
The Democratic Party is continuing to attack Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney over reports of his offshore bank accounts.
Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz on Monday called on Romney to release 10 years of his tax returns in order to answer lingering questions about his investments. “I question why an American businessman and particularly a candidate for president needs to invest vast sums of money in offshore accounts in typical notorious tax havens, that usually mean you’re trying to avoid taxation,” Wasserman-Schultz told reporters Monday in Boston. “If that’s not why he made those investments, he needs to come clean and show us he didn’t do that.”
Wasserman-Schultz spoke at a press conference with Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair John Walsh at the Massachusetts Democratic Party headquarters…[more in the article]
I LOVED that, yardarm!! Thank you:) This needs to get out there!! RT!
Done.
That is very, very good!!! RT’d. Thank you friend!
DMI.
Rt’d and Facebooked. Great. Vid yardarm!
Tks donna. I’m still trying to get with this twitter thing.
You did great!!
This time. There’s always tomorrow.
Thought we should share it with a few friends
You got the power friend.
I loved this very much! Thanks yardarm756 for sharing it.
It’s all good and you’re welcome.
Damn. I’m trying to post a tweet. Help ya’ll. I forgot how.
Never mind, it came through. It’s real slick.
Click on the tweet. Click on Details. It will take you to another page. Copy the URL and then come to TOD and paste it in the comments box and it will appear in a box like other tweets.
Thanks ut. Don’t know exactly what i did but it came through.
Thanks for the tweet. That was a kick ass song!
Agreed! Peace.
So, everyone can RT yardarm’s tweet
Baldwin looks to end Dems’ Wis. losing streak – International News
http://sfluxe.com/2012/07/09/baldwin-looks-to-end-dems-wis-losing-streak-international-news/
“Rep. Tammy Baldwin stood in the Friendship Cafe, giving voters a populist pitch for why she should be elected to keep Wisconsin’s open Senate seat in Democratic hands, where it’s been for the last 55 years. When she began to field questions, a 70-year-old retiree offered the first comment, and hit on one of the most difficult issues confronting Baldwin as she tries to break the Democrats’ recent losing streak in the battleground state.
“I’m not sure how to deal with your situation of who you love and who your partner is,” said Harry Davis, a retired Internal Revenue Service worker. For Baldwin, the first openly gay candidate elected to Congress, questions about her sexuality evoke her reputation as an unabashed liberal and a product of left-leaning Madison, and reinforce concerns about her viability in the more conservative parts of the state she’ll need to win the seat in November….[snip]
“With Baldwin running unopposed in the Democratic primary, attention has been focused on the GOP field, where four Republicans are vying for their party’s nod to succeed retiring Sen. Herb Kohl, a Democrat. Leading the pack is former Gov. Tommy Thompson, who is trying to shake off accusations from his challengers that he’s not conservative enough while also positioning himself to win the general election in a state President Barack Obama won by 14 percentage points in 2008.
But despite her lack of a primary challenge, Baldwin isn’t running toward the middle in an attempt to sway independent voters. Instead, she casts her campaign as a fight for the working class while also speaking out about saving Medicare, reforming Wall Street and embracing Obama’s health care reform.
Democrats are counting on Baldwin to snap a series of losses in Wisconsin that began in 2010, when Republicans took control of both houses of the Legislature, Scott Walker was elected governor and tea party favorite Ron Johnson knocked off then-Sen. Russ Feingold. Then the conservative-backed candidate for state Supreme Court prevailed last year and Walker fought back a recall effort with a decisive 7-point victory in June.
The election could sway the balance of power in a closely divided Senate come 2013. The GOP needs a net gain of four seats to take over, or three if Republican Mitt Romney is elected president, giving his vice president the tie-breaking vote.”
At Barney Frank’s Wedding, Vegan Soba and Pelosi on the Dance Floor
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/09/at-barney-franks-wedding-vegan-soba-and-pelosi-on-the-dance-floor/
NAACP head: Voter ID fight akin to 60s battles
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h-8RzJP5C5LfIym5EvU1_0QyeT1w?docId=479c153f48e443fe98ac7623e128991f
HOUSTON (AP) — The head of the NAACP on Monday likened the group’s fight against conservative-backed voter ID laws that have been passed in several states to the great civil rights battles of the 1960s.
Benjamin Todd Jealous, the CEO and president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said these are “Selma and Montgomery times,” referring to historic Alabama civil rights confrontations. He challenged those attending the NAACP’s annual convention to redouble their efforts to get out the vote in November.
“We must overwhelm the rising tide of voting suppression with the high tide of registration and mobilization and motivation and protection,” he said.
“Simply put, the NAACP will never stand by as any state tries to encode discrimination into law,” Jealous said.
The power to vote will be a key theme of the weeklong 103rd convention, which was expected to host about 8,000 attendees. An appearance by Attorney General Eric Holder was postponed from Monday until Tuesday, and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and Vice President Joe Biden were also expected to speak at some point.
Since 2010, at least 10 states, including Texas, have passed laws requiring people to show a government-issued photo identification card when they go to the polls.
Anybody know whether this will help the U.S. Postal Service get out from under that crazy arrangement where they’re forced to fund 75 yrs of pensions over a 10 yr period?
———————————————————————————
New law gives US companies a break on pensions
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_PENSION_WORRIES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-07-09-13-32-46
Obama campaign wins partial victory in “O” lawsuit
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-07-09/obamas-re-election-campaign-challenging-website
Conservatives make it rough for business
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_REPUBLICANS_CHALLENGING_BUSINESS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-07-09-13-33-07
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/07/09/1107972/-Mitt-Romney-says-he-knows-nothing-about-his-offshore-investments
The full audio isn’t online yet, but Radio Iowa had a phone interview with Mitt Romney today and he apparently denied knowledge of his offshore investments, claiming that because they are in a blind trust, he doesn’t know anything about them.
Romney re: off-shore investments – they’re in a blind trust. “I don’t manage them. I don’t even know where they are,” he says.
— @okayhenderson via tweetymail
Oh yeah…like THIS MItt??
Mr. Romney, we have these things called The Youtube and The Google. Try searching one of these things before you open your mouth.
Ex—actly! Offshore tax havens cost U.S. $100 billion a year.
Then as a Republican screaming about the debt and deficit…THAT HE’S CONTRIBUTING TO….he should be ashamed. PBO and his surrogates need to point this little factoid out. A LOT!
Another reason why we need to keep POB for a second term.
Topic: “HealthCare.gov HHS announces 89 Accountable Care Organizations
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2012/pres/07/20120709a.html
Very good news.HZ
Do you have another link, HZ? That one isn’t working:)
Get to dancin’!! ANd ya’ll KNOW I LOVE the American sign language in it !! O – B – A – M – A !!!
Love that!! New fav!
If girlfriend from 1:25 and 1:58 shows up at any of the President’s speeches, Secret Service and FLOTUS will need to keep an extra eye on her. And if she’s TOD lurker, she may have already earned lifetime membership in the Naughty Mat Club!!
Love this….Thank you Isonprize.
Off-Topic: NPR did a story on this past weekend’s Essence Music Festival
Wish I could’ve gone this year!
http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2012/07/09/156494248/essence-in-new-orleans-a-festival-that-knows-its-audience
[Article has link to the audio story]
On Tap Tuesday: Senior Obama administration officials will gather with state-based energy regulators Tuesday to chat about Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air pollution rules that have come under fire from Republicans and some state officials.
Gina McCarthy, EPA’s top air pollution regulator, and White House Council on Environmental Quality Deputy Director Gary Guzy will be among the panelists at the Washington, D.C., conference.
EPA over the last year has finalized a pair of major rules to curb smog-forming, particulate and toxic emissions from power plants. The agency is also crafting greenhouse gas performance standards for new power plants.
The rules will be addressed at a conference hosted by a trio of state-regulatory groups: the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, and the National Association of State Energy Officials.
Other federal officials speaking Tuesday will include Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Jon Wellinghoff and Patricia Hoffman, who heads the Energy Department’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.
The Hill-
TOD family more information of factsheets for ACA.
http://www.healthcare.gov/factsheets/2010/07/preventive-services-list.html#CoveredPreventiveServicesforAffordable
Well, well … the OFA_CA folk dig #ADollarADayToOFA
Now, maybe they’ll encourage all OFA State orgs to push the theme
Thank you, df. Sent Chips a Twitter DM as heads up. Maybe she can leverage @OFA_CA’s interest and bring more attention to it in a future post. Also thanked her, yet again, for TOD because this is the community that has spawned and nurtured all these efforts!
You’ll see upstream this additional tweet to @OFA_CA and @Messina2012 … let’s hope they dig purpleshoes’ cool suggestion!!!
People Power:) !
WOW! http://www.informationweek.com/news/global-cio/interviews/240002892
General Motors Will Slash Outsourcing In IT Overhaul
GM’s new CIO Randy Mott plans to bring nearly all IT work in-house as one piece of a sweeping IT overhaul. It’s a high-risk strategy that’s similar to what Mott drove at Hewlett-Packard.
Today, about 90% of GM’s IT services, from running data centers to writing applications, are provided by outsourcing companies such as HP/EDS, IBM, Capgemini, and Wipro, and only 10% are done by GM employees. Mott plans to flip those percentages in about three years–to 90% GM staff, 10% outsourcers.
Insourcing IT on that scale will require GM to go on a hiring binge for software developers, project managers, database experts, business analysts, and other IT pros over the next three years. As part of that effort, it plans to create three new software development centers, all of them in the U.S.
Hot damn!
Happy Days!
OMG! Please, please let this happen in other states, like PA. Please, please, please.
Robme says his investments are controlled by a “blind” trust….BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO FILE RETURNS AND SIGN THEM! The Dems are NOT saying the right things. The Blind Trust does not file your returns and sign them without your knowledge. We live in world of brain dead zombies who can’t think fast enough for me.
Isn’t that Reince Priebus the most disgusting human being? Every single thing he says is so over the top hyperbole, just crazy stuff. Obama’s destroying freedom! and liberty! and ending the United States as we know it, we’ve got to rid the country of This Guy—etc. etc. etc. He always sounds insane to me, like the guys in the white coats will be arriving any minute to cart him off. Not a shred of sanity in evidence. And this is the current head of the Republican Party??? The GOP cannot possibly sink any lower.
Yes he is.
The Ron Christie and Alan West ppl are right behind him.
I stood with the remote in my hand and every time Ron Christie opened his mouth, I muted. CanNOT listen to him…not even for 2 seconds.
ME EITHER! I get click that remote OFF fast enough!
WTH! I CAN’T click the remote off fast enough:) Got to go do some phone banking tonight…behave:)
I would like to know, what parents with the last name of Priebus, would name their son Reince? There are just TOO MANY names to make off of those two!!! The name sounds like it has to belong to a prissy wuss.
The list is tooo long……we can name almost everyone in the GOP Federal and State representatives, everyone on Faux Noise, Rove, on and on…..
Yardarm, those two are a disgrace!
For sure. They would not be welcome on the Southside of Chicago at all. It would probably be hazardous for their health.
I wish I knew how to do a tweet about this issue.
It’s frustrating that every one of Frank Luntz’s talking points get picked up by the MSM and become mainstream….
The Republicans repeat them like robots……over and over and over again.
The hosts and pundits integrate these talking points in interviews., it’s expected of course by the Republican hacks on tv but it should not be repeated by the left in the MSM.
So when, for example, Ed says….”the GOP doesn’t want a tax increase on the job creators”…even if he says ”job creators” in a mocking tone.he is still repeating their talking points”.
”Job creators” is a GOP talking point…they had to find something to replace ”corporations”…..the left in MSM should not repeat it .
Frank Luntz knows how to manipulate the media…….
Indeed ChristiMTL! Like you I am tired of everyone repeating the GOP’s talking points. It’s no wonder they silenced that millionaire, I can’t remember his name now, who exposed the absurdity of this GOP nonsense about the rich being “Job Creators.” In truth, the mainl, and the the most important, “Job creators” are consumers. For example, as a businessman you may invest your money in, lets say, opening a restaurant. However if your customers are laid off workers who can no longer patronize your restaurants, you will not create a single new job and you will probably go under and let go of all your workers. The same is true if you are selling cars, gasoline, houses, clothes, painting rich folks’ nails, etc. Taxes, especially as low as they are compared to the past, play a minor role, if any, in job creation. A restaurant owner with no customers can get 100% tax cuts, he/she will still create no jobs. To be able to costume products and services you have to have money which, for the vast majority of us, means that you have to be employed. Contrary to the other nonsense I hear from Republicans, It really doesn’t matter whether you are employed by private business or by the government. Government workers are consumers who spend their money supporting private businesses, and hence help in creating employment for others. A restaurant that is patronized by cops, fire fighters, teachers, social workers and other public employees will end up hiring cooks, waiters/waitresses, dishwashers, etc. The restaurant example can be applied to all businesses, including the news media business.
AH! What WAS that guys name? It was on TED…and he was brilliant!! I got it, nathkatun:) MUST SEE AND PASS
T Paw just lied to Piers Morgan. He just stated that Mitt Romney “has released SEVERAL YEARS of tax returns.” Did not even blink. Just sat there and lied right into the camera.
Ask yourself this “why isn’t NIKE sponsoring the strongest woman in the US”? Maybe because she ain’t T&F thin or with model looks? Not having model looks sure didn’t hurt Jackie Joyner Kersy or Michael Phelps. It’s a damn shame that this woman does not have a sponsor.
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/07/09/512231/why-nike-should-sponsor-olympic-weightlifter-sarah-robles/
Hi everyone! Long day at work, long afternoon thread! Hugs all around, won’t be here much, over 250 comments and iPad goes into t twilight zone!
Some reporter should shock his/her water boy/girl gopack and have the temerity to ask willard the burning question.
“I still can’t figure out how getting rid of teachers, police, firemen, snow plow drivers helps The American People.”
It’s absolutely idiotic! The last time I checked the cops, fire fighters, teachers, snow plow drivers, social workers, sanitation workers, etc., bought homes, cars, clothes, food, televisions, washers and dryers, furniture and cell phones. If you get rid of these government workers, all the businesses that depend on their patronage will end up loosing customers (meaning revenues) and thereby be forced to lay off their private sector workers. Why is this so hard to hard to understand?
Supporters of President Obama’s push to build more railways in the United States are hoping that a pair of high-profile approvals will help get the president’s beleaguered rail effort back on track.
After a string of setbacks for Obama-backed rail proposals since the 2010 elections, lawmakers in California and local officials in Northern Virginia last week gave the green light to controversial railways identified by the Obama administration as critical transportation projects.
http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/236863-wins-for-railway-projects-boost-obama-transit-push
Nice!
Major topic: Iran
my thoughts are not as sharp as so many political minds.
However, I believe there is a way we can turn the huge corporate and billionaire donations to mitt the bullying entitled lying out-sourcer-in-chief and tax dodger into an an advantage for PBO.
Why should PBO not wear with pride the fact that all these people are fighting against the ordinary people by trying to silence our collective voices :
- tax-dogding rich people,
- out-sourcing pioneering and promoting corporations,
- greedy financiers,
- wall-street law breakers,
- destroyers of education and educators,
- environmental polluters,
- abusers ot rights women,
- abusers of law enforcement public servants,
- war-mongers,
- stand-your-ground law sponsors,
- union-busting greedy employers and politicians,
- voter suppressors,
- anti-immigrant law sponsors;
- health care hoarding corporations and deniers or basic health care
any one else???
New post everyone:
http://theobamadiary.com/2012/07/09/catching-up-25/
Sorry about the triple post… still learning this twitter thingy
I like your triple post, HOPE44! FOUR MORE! Way to make a statement~
I think everytime a meek jobs report comes out, the Democrats should hit Robney hard, on this issue!
“I think everytime a meek jobs report comes out, the Democrats should hit Robney hard, on this issue!”
I am not sure what you meant by this? Are you suggesting that Democrats should be otherwise quiet about this until ” a meek ( Did you mean to say weak) jobs report comes out…..?”