On This Day: President Barack Obama and Annie Glenn, wife of former Senator John Glenn, greet each other following an event at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 9, 2012 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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Today
9:15 ET: The President departs the White House
11:40 PT: Arrives Eugene, Oregon
12:40: Meets with families of the Umpqua Community College shooting, Roseburg, Oregon
2:45: Departs Eugene
3:45: Arrives Seattle
4:20: Participates in a DNC fundraiser, Seattle
6:05: Delivers remarks at a fundraiser for Sen Patty Murray and the Washington State Democrats, Seattle
7:0: Departs Seattle
8:45: Arrives in San Francisco
9:20: Participates in a DNC fundraiser, San Francisco
****
On This Day: President Barack Obama talks with will.i.am, following an event The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 9, 2012 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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MoooOOOooorning!

























FURST.
Top o the morning to you Sir! An outstanding toon!
Love this AMK. It’s perfect.
yup, best of the today’s lot.
Humor always says what most are thinking - cigarette - close to perfect. Definitely a furst.
it’s a twofer. gop’s chickenlittleism and boner as a chicken.
Congrats, AMK. That tune says so much!
These toons are hitting it out of the park today. Thanks, AMK.
Please hold President Obama close to your heart while he is in Oregon today. I hate it that a few gun fetishists have gotten so much publicity for threatening him. They don’t speak for the vast majority of Oregonians.
Good morning friends :-) I logged onto my computer late last night and see I missed all the action from my hometown boy (Kevin McCarthy) LOL! I’m originally from Bakersfield and graduated a year ahead of Mr. McCarthy from Bakersfield High. My family still living there didn’t expect him to last long but didn’t think he would withdraw before he got started :-)
Ya gotta admit, his mangling of the English language would have been entertaining.
The really bad news: because the MSM has refused to identify teh crazy that has taken over the GOP, some true RWNJ will be third in line for the Presidency.
I’m praying a lot.
Yes it would have been entertaining LOL and Im praying too cause all those RWNJ are crazy
one thing you can bet on. no teabagger is gonna be the speaker.
amk, only if there is a shred of courage in one of these Republicans. And there isn’t. The crazy caucus has been running the show with impunity, MSM doesn’t call them out ever, and this has become the New Normal. When Paul Ryan is the least awful of them all, that is, well, pretty damned awful.
Even if they aren’t all batshit crazy, they all are phenomenally uninformed on how the government work and they are all believers.
I never thought I would see in my lifetime anything like this. We are on the verge of a fascist takeover. But this time there won’t be a war to wake people up. It will be a drip-drip-drip and the upcoming generation won’t have a clue how this country is supposed to be. Always, sanity has shown up in the voters and we don’t go off a cliff. I maintain we started going off the electoral cliff when we elected an idiot like Bush. McCain took the lid off the bottle with Palin, and the MSM has not called it out. For the first time in my life, I think this country is nuts enough to go over the cliff.
Sigh.
Good Morning TOD family Chipsticks, GGail hoping my SoCal friend is doing well, lurkers, Happy Friday. We are heading into triple digits this weekend. Congrats Amk on being Furst!
Libra800 do you think McCarthy refused speakership because he has skeletons in his closet? Also too Speaker is the ultimate leadership role 3rd in line to presidency and the fact Ryan doesn’t want it means he is unfit to lead this country.
I think he knows he is not ready for that position and I also think he is worried about those skeletons. There are a lot of articles online already about him having an affair with an affair with a congresswoman and no telling what else is out there. http://reverbpress.com/politics/rumors-affair-congresswoman-may-forced-mccarthy-drop/
McCarthy didn’t have the votes. It was about being embarrassed. There are rumblings about skeletons but I think if he couldn’t secure it on the first vote, he wasn’t going to be brave enough to fight for it.
Too many like Ryan in the GOP - they want the glory without the work.
Yep. ….the *perceived* glory….so they can give themselves titles like ‘the Decider’…..without having a clue about the potential havoc their shortsighted decisions can create.
Hi vc - you still working round the clock or having more TOD time?
:shock: What are you doing awake; my current time check says 1:49am?!!!!
Upper management were finally able to interview and engage a qualified person to fill the spot I was holding, so I decided to give myself a long weekend of recovery. :D :D IOW, I’ve blocked myself from on-call duty for three days …..plus the weekend! :)
Nice thing about the internet - if it’s the “wee small hours of the morning” someone somewhere is awake (despite the words of the song) :) - so when I can’t sleep, I TOD. Some 1st world issues keeping me awake - as they do.
NOW WE CAN GET CONGRESS GOING
By John Boehner and Mitch McConnell
November 5, 2025
—————————————-
January will bring the opportunity to begin anew. Republicans will return the focus to the issues at the top of your priority list. Your concerns will be our concerns. That’s our pledge.
The skeptics say nothing will be accomplished in the next two years. As elected servants of the people, we will make it our job to prove the skeptics wrong.
—————————————-
http://www.wsj.com/articles/john-boehner-and-mitch-mcconnell-now-we-can-get-congress-going-1415232759
Hi LH. Looks like it’s:
Republicans: O
Skeptics 1.
Maybe soon someoneS @WSJ, or any other MSM, will focus more on drawing critical attention to the fact Republicans talk about governing but haven’t a clue.
GOP FINDS ITSELF LACKING LEADERSHIP, DIRECTION, AND PURPOSE
By Steve Benen
——————————-
For several years, much of the political establishment has fiercely resisted the idea that congressional Republicans have been radicalized. A wide variety of Beltway pundits and insiders have even blamed President Obama for not successfully compromising and striking deals with the radicalized GOP – if only the president would lead like a leading leader, Republicans would transform into constructive, mainstream policymakers. This is a problem, we’ve been told repeatedly, that schmoozing can solve.
.
.
Under Republican leadership – or what passes for “leadership” in 2015 – the legislative branch has careened between hostage standoffs and self-imposed crises, over and over again, to the point that some have begun to see these ridiculous circumstances, never before seen in the American tradition, as the new normal.
And now, House Republicans can’t even elect their own Speaker.
————————————-
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/gop-finds-itself-lacking-leadership-direction-and-purpose#break
When I run into a good post/article here, I always like to tweet it as well in the hope it’ll get to a few more eyeballs. Thanks, LadyH.
Nice to see you here sharing again. Every time I think of the principles of journalism I think of you and how you often used to share reminders about what they were.
Good morning, Chipstar and TODers. It’s Friday and we’re about to go into a long weekend!
I read Ryan Lizza’s “scooplet” on VP Biden last night and it was another half-yes/half-no piece that managed to throw some shade on VP Biden at the same time. You know the kind. The press just can’t help but try to make him look like a bumbling drifter who’s stumbling around in the darkness. I felt discouraged.
This morning Al Giordano helps put it all in perspective. Do read this and see how you feel. I so hope he’s right.
I read it. The most persuasive bit was asking why PBO/VPB would allow Hillary to be injured by a possible VP run, unless Joe Biden is DEFINITELY going to run?????
Surely, no matter how strongly and negatively the WH feels about the former SOS, surely, they want her to beat any GOP,?
Right?
Yes. I sometimes think PBO is rooting for HRC. Listening to Josh confront the questions on her split over TPP yesterday sort of bugged me. I mean, here she is popping off before reading the freakin’ thing and Josh is saying the President understands what is means to run a presidential campaign and it’s natural that candidates will oppose what he’s doing and he doesn’t expect anyone to run a third term for him. While all that is certainly true, and I realize that they cannot show any pique because if she’s the only one left standing, they’re in a bind, it galls me that she is now continually putting him in that bind. So it leaves me with the conflicting feeling that he both wants her to win and is doing everything in his power to bend over backwards to make that happen, even if it may hurt his signature legislation.
So, no, I’m not convinced that Giordano’s take is the scenario at play. I think there is likely genuine concern that the time for mounting an effective campaign is really slipping away. HRC is playing that to the hilt by announcing her super delegate roundup and her endorsements, both from unions and Congress. The press are increasingly down on VP and Democrats are being sent out to discourage him. So what can POTUS and the White House do without hurting anyone? It’s a tough position, I think.
what i think is that pres obama doesnt want hillary at all - he is doing all the right things and saying the usual diplomatic stuff but if u look at his actions - letting joe biden step up and do more and more high profile events is his way of supporting his own vp. i think pres obama is clever and smart enough to realise that hillary will want to dismantle his own policies unlike his own vp - i know that vps always have lots of high profile stuff to do but joe has been doing lots more than usual - and practically every single day. i think pres obama values loyalty above anything else and with hillary - she is definitely suspect/
Agree entirely with you, Norah.
Meta, not for the first time our vision is different.
PBO is very diplomatic and knows that anything even remotely critical of Hillary will be exploited by her team. He will not give her an opening.
BINGO!
norah - I am with you 100%
Roger that, 100%.
GM Meta,
At this point I just don’t know what to believe. There is so much speculation that its hard to decipher what the reality is. I am becoming concerned about getting operations going in those early states. We need people on the ground doing the work that Lizza talks about in his “scooplet” and nothing is happening. VP Joe must still think that if he decides to enter the race that he can get a formidable campaign together otherwise I think he would shut all this speculation down. I take my cues from him so until he says no there is still a chance that he is in.
Donna, 2 more persuasive bits are that Biden’s team met with the DNC to clarify rules and procedures.
Plus, what Al Giordano concluded. Every day there is uncertainty weakens HRC. I think that Hillary coming out strongly against the WH policies is hurting her and If there was no Biden threat she would be running a very different campaign.
I don’t really agree. I think HRC is running exactly the kind of campaign she wants to run. She may be a bit surprised at Sanders’ huge crowds and fundraising but I doubt she seriously believes he’s a real threat. She may be doing some things around the edges as a warning shot to VP Biden in terms of policy but I believe her take on Syria (let’s fight harder), Israel (no daylight), Obamacare (I can fix it) and TPP (PBO’s standards don’t meet my ultra super goldeny goldiest GOLD standards) are real.
Ash Carter just announced withdrawal of funds for Syrian training. HRC can join McCain if she wants to.
Thanks for that info. I don’t know that she would mind that at all!
its more than that - her latest opposition to the tpp is being called out by pple - saying that it just another ploy to get more support. and that is so obvious esp when during being sos she supported the tpp.
Yes, it’s so confusing. I guess we’ll know rather quickly. I’m not sure of anything and will be completely surprised either way. I mean, that’s how confused I am!
it’s like asking someone to go with you to the prom……the prom is a week away and he still hasn’t answered you…
noah’s night.
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/10/noah-mocks-rupert-murdochs-vaguely-racist-tweet-obamas-not-black-enough-for-conservatives-anymore/
Good Morning Everyone :)
the teanuts not only claimed boner and mcnut but also two of their own.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/the-gavel/2015/10/ribble-leaves-freedom-caucus-214596
I expect the already lil teabagger pool to shrink further by the debt ceiling debate starts. Amazing how boner didn’t want confront these lil shits before.
if i did not know better…i would think that Boehner did this on purpose….
Except that he has seemed to lack any insight or courage throughout his tenure, Pf. If Boehner did this deliberately, it must have been on the advice of someone smarter than him, I think, and he doesn’t even seem courageous enough to accept smart advice. It might just be a case that he’s stumbled into a potential scenario where if he hangs on, he can recapture some power. Problem is, if so, will he be cunning enough to play it well (meaning for responsible governance) going forward?
great points
Despite being dissed by the DNC and current crop of DEM Candidates….PBO does fundraisers for them…Fundraisers that are based on the Accomplishments that the DNC and those same DEM Presidential Candidates ignore…
Good morning, prettyfoot.
The way I’m reading this is that when VP Joe is our nominee the DNC will matter in our efforts to get him elected.
yeahhh… i know…but these folks are just so small
As we all know, PBO always sees the big picture, while others do not. He knows that the eventual nominee will need big money and he’s the most successful fundraiser on the planet. He will keep on raising money and encouraging big donors to contribute, no matter who the Democratic nominee is. Above all else, he loves his country and knows what a disaster a Republican president would be for this nation’s future.
Yeahhh i know…sometimes it is irritating to be an adult about things…:(
This, jackieg!!!
This annoys the hell out of me!
same here
Thank you all for the wonderful birthday greetings on previous thread!
Bill, I missed the birthday announcement! Was it yesterday or is it today? Either way, haaaaaaaappy birthday!!!
Happy Birthday Bill R!!!!!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILL R….SORRY I MISSED THAT…I HOPE IT IS MIGHTY AWESOME!
Happy Birthday Bill. Enjoy the day,
Bill, I hope you’re having a terrific day and managing to indulge yourself with lots of treats.
I missed your birthday? Happy Birthday, Bill R.!!!!!!!!
Happy Birthday, Bill R. Wish I could say that in Italian!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Bill R. saw it on the last thread but too late to send you wishes. Glad to see you here and cancelebrate with you today. Have a wonderful leftover day. Young’n.
Happy Belated Birthday Bill R!
GOOD MORNING TOD FAMILY….DOES ANYONE KNOW WHEN PBO AARIVES IN OREGON TODAY…I WANT TO KEEP AN EYE ON THIS………………………………PRAYERS FOR HIS SAFETY AND PROTECTION FROM THE IGNORANCE OF HATE!
11:40 PT: Arrives Eugene, Oregon
MERCI AND GRACIAS JER….I DON’T LIKE THE WAY THE PUBLIC IS ACTING…THERE IS A RAGE OUT THERE AND IT WILL GET WORSE…I CAN’T BELIEVE I HAD TO LEAVE MY CHURCH BECAUSE OF THEIR OBAMA FEARS…ITS A SAD TIME IN AMERICA…INFECTED WITH THE HATESPEAK DISEASE…PLEASE PROTECT OUR PRESIDENT…I SHALL BE WATCHING WHEREVER I CAN WATCH!
Special prayers for President’s safety and well being.
Good Morning BFF and TOD.
Some are disappointed at the decision of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, that came out this morning.
I offer:
That is not a cop out. I have read enough about restoring enough trust in Europe after WW II (of which afterward my early years were filled) that I know the value (and the danger !) of doing this.
Goodness, that orange head on the ground with the cigarette in place actually does remind me of Boehner! :shock: :D Way to go Bennett!
Good morning/evening TODobots, wherever you are! I have another day to play (except for going grocery shopping later).
Thanks to all TODobots - Bts and commenters - who have been keeping the home fires stoked and burning. It’s been very reassuring for me to be able to drag myself in and get somewhat of an overview of what’s been on the stove before my brain zonks out.
Have a great day, VC. Our son leaves for CA tonight and then tomorrow we pick up our little granddaughter for a week’s visit. Like you, I’ve only been getting little snatches of the news.
TY, JackieG! Your week flew, didn’t it?Though you haven’t been in TODland as much, I’d bet you’ve been having some great adult time with your son, and after one night of ‘rest’ (you’d best make good use of it) I’m pretty sure granddaughter will keep you on your toes! :D Have fun!
The President departs Joint Base Andrews. Click here ► ► http://www.cbsnews.com/liveFeed/widget.shtml
President Obama leaves the White House this morning on a 4 day fundraising and holiday weekend golf trip to WA and CA. Stops in Roseburg, OR on way west.
Don’t think this trip will be much of a holiday!
It truly is not a good thing to wake up and hear of another campus shooting while we still haven’t recovered from the last one. With this stomach churning easy access to guns, there truly is nowhere safe.
Worthless Mc Cain from AZ, state of this campus shooting, sends his useless thoughts and prayers.
He can take a flying leap off a short pier. Disgusting POS
don’t know if donald dreck is depicted here as a c or a p.
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/mass-shootings-are-contagious-asu-professor-says-7528734
In general, violent crime in the United States is on the decline. But, according to a recent FBI analysis, the number of shooters aiming to kill a large number of people in a public space has increased in recent years. On average, a mass shooting occurs approximately every two weeks.
For an average of 13 days after a shooting with four or more victims, the probability that another shooting will occur is heightened.
i’ve read al giordano for while now, and while he’s not always correct in his theories, his track record is better than most, which is especially impressive since he’s often going against conventional wisdom. hope he’s onto something with his latest article:
“No, Team Biden only held this meeting with the DNC as a clever “courtesy,” knowing full well that the in-the-Clinton-tank shop of Wasserman-Schultz wouldn’t be able to help itself but leak it to the press. Which was stupid because here’s another Biden story, another day in which Biden, and not Clinton, is the name on Democrats’ lips.
It’s a total eclipse of the frontrunner.
Here comes Joe.”
Good for him!
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/10/09/professor-resigns-over-open-carry/
So, the Nobel Peace Prize went to a group from Tunisia? I had never heard of this outfit before but it’s good to be reminded that the world is not only made up of people, groups and places *I* have heard of. :D
Congratulations to the National Dialogue Quartet for their/its ‘ “decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy” in the North African country following its 2011 [Jasmine] revolution.’
That area of the world needs some good news in any form! Glad they received it. I thought the Iran Deal diplomats were a long shot for this year both with the timing of the deal and the fact that implementation has not begun. I suspect they will be up for it next year and have a much better shot if there is significant progress in the implementation of the terms.
Morning, Foxfire! Yes, though I was a bit disappointed, I too am glad the group as described won. For me it really was a reminder that the world is not just made up of people and events ‘in my mental corner’, and I also think/hope the Iran + west coalition will be in play next year.
This composite image shows National Quartet Dialogue leaders…. Quartet made up of Tunisian labour, industry, legal and human rights groups
// …………………….
The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet “for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy” in the North African country following its 2011 revolution.
“It established an alternative, peaceful political process at a time when the country was on the brink of civil war,” the committee said in its citation.
The prize is a huge victory for small Tunisia, whose young and still shaky democracy suffered two extremist attacks this year that killed 60 people and devastated the tourism industry.
…………………………….
“More than anything, the prize is intended as an encouragement to the Tunisian people, who despite major challenges have laid the groundwork for a national fraternity which the committee hopes will serve as an example to be followed by other countries,” Nobel Peace Prize Committee chairwoman Kaci Kullmann Five said.
…………………………………………………….
Kullmann Five said the prize was for the quartet as a whole, not the four individual organizations.
The Nobel committee said the quartet played a key role as a mediator and force for democracy, paving the way for a peaceful dialogue among citizens, political parties and authorities across political and religious divides, countering the spread of violence.
It was formed after the July 2013 assassination of left-wing politician Mohammed Brahmi plunged the country into crisis with opposition parties boycotting the parliament. ……………………
………………………….. //
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/nobel-peace-prize-2015-1.3264048
Good morning TOD! While I am trying to remain optimistic about our VP running, we are now 1/3 of the way through October with no announcement. At some point, a decision will be made for him without any actual action simply by the running of the clock. And that in and of itself is a decision. And I think back to the Colbert appearance. A man with his heart so broken merely a month ago is not going to have it healed in the near term. But I do wish the press would lay off him and leave him in peace to do whatever he needs to do. He deserves no less after his lifetime of service to his country.
But I also am very happy to see the Obama Admin is again looking at executive action on background checks. I read a great article somewhere recently that the problem is the implementation rather than the initial action. Of course, on the campaign trail HRC makes it seem so easy.
The one I will say about the Rs is they are doing themselves in on multiple fronts. Between the fiasco in their primary process and the House burning itself down, they are going to lose a ton of Indies no matter what the Dems do.
On a completely different topic, is anyone planning on seeing the movie “He Named Me Malala” which opens today? I am thinking of taking my nearly 8 year old granddaughter on Monday when they’re off school but am concerned about the PG-13 rating. I read the LA Times review which seems to indicate the violence is handled “with sensitivity” and it is appropriate for kids but would prefer to hear from someone here. So if anyone sees it this weekend would love to hear your thoughts!
Hope everyone has a great long weekend.
Rumors that there will be a decision this weekend.
US Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson has sparked controversy after suggesting the Holocaust may have been avoided if people had been armed.
“The likelihood of Hitler being able to accomplish his goals would have been greatly diminished if the people had been armed,” he told CNN on Thursday.
An anti-Semitism monitoring group says linking US gun control to the Holocaust is “historically inaccurate”.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34485358
and this nut raked in 20 mil in the last quarter. glad that rwnj’s are willing to bankrupt themselves for this guy.
Hay Ben I guess slavery could have been prevented if blacks had guns.
don’t know this guy from adam and how influential as a commentator he is but at least he speaks common sense for a conservative
Conservative commentator Ed Berliner tore into Second Amendment extremists and parents of mass shooters in a rant posted to Newsmax on Thursday.
Berliner went off on the parents of Oregon shooter Chris Harper Mercer, Newtown shooter Adam Lanza and of the 11-year-old boy who killed an 8-year-old girl in Tennessee this week after a dispute over puppies.
“Time also to put to bed this Second Amendment absolute right,” he said. “Make it a privilege, not an absolute right of DNA passage. Force gun owners to undergo intrusive background checks including mental health exams. Take required gun safety courses. Renew them every year.”
He added that adults should be held criminally responsible for failing to lock up weapons and keep them away from children.
“Be responsible, and pay the price when your actions are the reason an 8-year-old kid gets blow away,” he said. “And as a gun owner I tell you what. I’ll volunteer. I’ll be the first in line.”
What is more important, he inquired, words on a piece of paper that can be changed, referring to gun legislation, or the death certificate that gets handed to the victims of gun violence.
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/10/conservative-rages-against-the-gun-nuts-firearms-should-be-an-earned-privilege-not-an-absolute-right/
Precisely. The MSM was set up by Bill Clinton for deregulation, and that paved the way for the Corporate (read: GOP) ownership that’s in place today.
Don’t look for any MSM outlet to inform the public about the GOP. They’re there to enable them now.
By design, some low-information voters don’t realize how incompetent, unfit, ignorant and morally bankrupt their GOP elected officials really are. Combine that with those who don’t care and vote them in anyway.
And they’re fomenting a ‘fight’ between HRC and Bernie.
Have these links been shared yet here?
“Hillary Clinton’s flip-flop on the TPP makes no sense”
http://www.vox.com/2015/10/7/9474151/hillary-clinton-tpp-flip-flop
Ezra Klein: “Why Clinton’s TPP opposition unnerves me”
http://www.vox.com/2015/10/8/9477965/hillary-clinton-tpp
“Hillary Clinton Comes Out Against TPP, at Least Until the Democratic Convention”
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/10/07/hillary_clinton_comes_out_against_tpp.html
<3
POLL: Has the shooting at UCC changed your views on additional gun control? http://www.kmtr.com/
TeaNN is claiming there will be 8,000 protesters against PBO’s visit to Roseburg today.
I doubt that.
The hatred has been ginned up on this visit pretty bad.
Must be “Obama’s fault” that the RWNJs are armed and dangerous - as usual the President will be met with love, hugs and cameras.
Good West Coast morning Chipsticks & TOD family.
Chat away
http://theobamadiary.com/2015/10/09/chat-away-686/
Off to do basic grocery shopping before the hordes come out to stack up for Thanksgiving. I hate lineups! :D
Honestly, if this all boils down to Clinton, Bush and Gingrich, I may have to skip town.