President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama dance with two Storm Troopers from Star Wars in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, Dec. 18, 2015 (Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
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Good morning Chips, TOD, lurkers, etc and Happy Sunday everyone! :) :)
MoooooOOOoooOOoooOoooOOOooooorning Hopefruit!!
GM Ms Chipssssssss….
good morning hf…Happy Sunday to ya
Morning Chips and Hf. Winterās blown in on schedule in our part of the world. How I wish, oh, wish, oh wish I were in Hawaii.
GM Jackiee…..cold here as well.. :)
Just a reminder Jackie, when I rule the world it will always be frosty - no more hotness.
Why??? If itās never warm, there would be no spring flowers or budding trees. Weād have to bundle up for every walk and weād never be able to sit in a chair and feel the sun warm our aching bones. That strikes me as a very mean world.
Well, Iāll have heat lamps for flowers and trees and stuff, so theyāll still blossom, itās just the temperature for humans will be quite low. I might - might - allow the occasional warm day as long as thereās no humidity, dry heat only, but no more than three or four a year.
You are charity itself, Chips. And the heat lamp industry will love you.
:-) (Make sure you buy shares in heat lamp companies before I take over).
Just a point about not seeing enthusiasm for the Dem debate. The fact is there is no competition. Those who support Bernie are tilting at windmills since he will not be the nominee, nor will Martin OāMalley. We at TOD have loved and followed PBO since he came on the scene at the 2004 convention, but there are others in the Democratic Party who feel equally committed to Hillary Clinton and are overjoyed that she is finally having her chance. To give them credit, they stepped up to the plate in both 2008 and 2012 and worked their butts off to elect PBO. Right now the media, owned and operated by corporate Republicans, is jazzed up on the juvenile mud slinging on the Republican side. Theyāre bored with the idea of a certain winner. But when the full on campaign begins and PBO is out in the field campaigning, it is we who will have the last laugh.
Thank you Jackie for your comments
GM JackieG.
Catching up from yesterday, did see comments about lack of enthusiasm for Dem candidate (which I wholeheartedly agree with — IMHO both Clintons have zero ability to spot and encourage real talent [e.g., Mark Penn, Dick Morris, Lanny Davis, ad naseum — compare George Stephanopoulos to Josh Ernest, the difference between night and day]) so I shudder to think of her at POTUS helm.
However, THIS hits the nail of the head:
when “PBO is out in the field campaigning…”
EXACTLY. PBO made it clear in year-end news conference on Friday that he WILL BE on the campaign trail next year, so DWS can crawl back into her hole then.
IMHO we need to keep our eye on the prize (complete the implementation of Obama/Biden vision and secure SCOTUS majority) and not wallow in the self-inflicted damage GOP is doing to themselves during the contemptible primary 3-ring circus.
The MSM is beyond hope.
I agree arapaho, The quality of people around the Clintonās is suspect. When PBO is out there on the trail we will be there to support the Democrats. What we all need to concentrate on is all the local campaigns. We must take the states back if possible.
That explains it all. Thanks and good morning!
Congrats hf2 :)
Good morning TOD
So, these women who are performing a dangerous and incredibly important role have inadequate fire power, while scared, useless people in the US sit on huge stockpiles of automatic weapons. Surely, surely, thereās a way to get modern equipment to these fighters.
Your analysis and comparison are tragically accurate JackieG.
Germany, for sure, is committed to arming the Kurds aggressively. Thatās likely with the full encouragement of the US, UK, ….
As to how aggressive the US is going to be in arming them, that will likely depend on when President Obama decides to bring the hammer to #Erdogan. Itās complicated because the US State Department, since 1997, has listed the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) as a “terrorist organization.” A hopeful sign for the Kurdish fighters confronting #DAESH is that we are seeing evidence of ever closer interactions between US Officials and the Peshmerga leadership.
Thanks for that explanation, Bobfr. I had wondered why we didnāt support them more. This diplomacy thing is so complicated, thatās why I worry about any other President really understanding it all as well as PBO.
Lovely image, Bob! Good morning.
Well done, President Obama …
Education + women (girls) == a much better future for humanity
bbl ….
#Hope4ALL
Thank you so much for highlighting the stories of these women
She is so beautiful and so full of hope. The rest of the world could draw inspiration from young women like this.
She reminds me so much of my 12-year-old granddaughter. Our hope for the future!
Good West Coast morning Chipsticks & TOD family.
Moooooooooorning GGail!!
Goooooooooooood morning Chips! <3
good morning everyone!
have a fantastic day!
I suspect that there are some in the Democratic Party apparatus who thought that they would be doing a huge favor for one candidate by protecting her from having a competitive primary;
some huge benefits of a competitive primary include:-
(a) each candidateās campaign working its hardest to look for new voters wherever they may be and convincing them about the partyās core message and how it would benefit them;
(b) mobilization of all kinds of creative and dedicated volunteers who use the primary election to get to know each other and establish a more smooth working relationship;
(c) a chance for the party to work out shortcomings in it GOTV infrastructure and continuously improve it;
(d) candidates sharpening their message and their ability deal with all kinds of attacks thrown at them
to me, the lack of a competitive primary, is one grave mistake which may affect the Demsā ability to take back the Senate and make a play for the house (I donāt believe that it is really impossible to reduce the number of the gerrymandered gop in congress if this was a focus & many people voted);
it is hard for people to become enthusiastic if they feel that the choice of the candidate has already been made for them and that there is not much room to change the odds
…those that support Hillary Clinton feel enthused…those that support Bernie Sanders…feel enthused…those that support OāMalley feel enthused…our primary here in PA is in April….not sure when the primary race will be decided….but i look forward to the day that the President gets involved in the GOTV efforts…
true, but in order for the Dems to win in this :
- fear-gened-up environment &
- with the media on the gopās side &
- the added official gop-legislated voter suppression,
there is a need for the whole party and some independents to be enthused
i agree…that is my anxiety…i can only hope that things will change once the voting starts…
your hope is mine too;
if it is any consolation, remember what PBO said before he left for Hawaii => “Next year, I will leave it all on the field”;
that should help us sleep easier because there is so much at stake in 2016
The desire to hide a President Obama Win runs strongly through the media, both parties, and All the candidates.
You donāt think so?
Bernie, Martin and Hillary could have mentioned the amazing success in Paris—-but they didnāt. Climate change never came up. Not in their opening statements. Not in their closing statements.
Hillary Did mention PBO and the agreement on Syria this week. But then she took credit for it.
Bernie seems to be running against POTUS. I guess heās going for Ron Paulās followers. Hopeless.
yes Vicki…the ODS is strong in the Democrats…none of them are able to truly embrace the success of the President…unless like Hillary they take credit for it.. .even when they agree with an outcome…there is always some kind of disclaimer…like it is not soon enough or not good enough….
the only prominent DEM to give the President praise has been Nancy Pelosi..
I hope that they do not allow ODS to get in the way of GOTV
Viewing the picture of POTUS and FLOTUS at the top makes me think of their joy in life, their children, their country, their duty, yes, their duty, their love for each other, and so much more. And then I thought, that they have not let the naysayers, bigots, haters, second guessers…steal their joy in each other, life, Sasha and Malia, his chance to turn our country around……they both are obviously inner directed, and this joy emanates from inside. They are indeed inspirational and role models.
<3
noted :
- PBOās happy face;
- rusty putting on his shoes and ready to quit;
- free stuff from BS - priceless;
- getting the “exploding server” out of the undisclosed location it was hidden
…notice the missing OāMalley….also notice how they put Trump in front and made his image larger than the others..
His HEAD is certainly bigger than anyone elseās!
hahahahaha…yup… :D
yes, probably reflecting how the media has been determined to make him larger than life;
I purposefully decided to ignore him & the other gop critter ;
as for OāMalley, I donāt know why he has not made much impact
OāMalley would have been better suited had he announced his intended Candidacy in March or Earlier, at the very least, after April. He didnāt. He allowed Sanders who was already the Favorite of Most Progressive Talk Radio for years to gain traction. OāMalley was being cute by the dozens when he was differential to HRC, and pretentious about his desire to run for the Presidency. Then Baltimore Rose as Freddie was killed. That left OāMalley in a quicksand. He has been stuck in there, unable to move forward.
Hi Linda, look closer, Rusty is trying to put his skate on one foot while his other foot is sitting on the snow :-)
now I see that, I missed it the first time
he is getting ready to skate away and leave behind the mess he helped create
getting “cold feet” :)
of course PBO holding hands with the Iranian leader
OH, this is fabulous.
Good Morning everyone:) Happy Sunday! Shopped yesterday and decided to go to a museum shop to do my shopping and got beautiful, one of a kind sorts of gifts…easy parking, no crowds, friendly staff….I highly suggest it if you still have some shopping to do and live in an area with beautiful museums, like I do. Best part…this one was literally right up the road from me:) Puts me in a good mood…until, one my way home, the fart behind me thought that he should tell me how to drive my car while I stopped waiting for oncoming traffic….he was shaking his fist and yelling at me…I through a flag,(if you know what I mean) and he behaved himself….I WANTED to get out of my car and have a word….but I didnāt, because…well. around these parts you have to assume that everyone has a gun…even the wealthy, crotchity, fart driving the Beemer SUV….. that capped off my day! All good:)
epl 2015 - the year of unsung
Leicester
Tottenham
Crystal Palace
Watford
West Ham
Tottenham sooooo do not belong on that list. Any way, all talk of football is banned around here - rebel, and I will blovid you again.
man u mils
:lol: Bog off! (See what I did there?)
glazer to l(oser)vg soon?
I flippinā hope so, heās a calamity. Got dogās abuse from the fans yesterday, so that might have sealed his fate.
werenāt ya rootinā for him just a year back? #fickle /smh
I was rooting for Martin OāMalley a year back too. Louis and himself have had a similar 12 months :-)
:D
Hahahahaha - thatās truth Chips!
:cry:
Thatās hilarious. Racism only went mainstream in America seven years ago. I guess the previous 225 years was an off-Broadway run.
Good Morning, Everyone :)
Good morning!
twitter truth
SheriffFruitfly @sherifffruitfly
hilarious watching hillary effectively run unopposed and people act like sheās such an awesome campaigner
Iāll just say one thing about her … to me, itās like sheās still SOS, traveling from place to place, countinā up the miles for her travel ledger, calling it in. If you asked me what her current message is, I couldnāt tell ya. Now, if she campaigned on furthering the excellent agenda of President Obama, Iād remember that.
DWS and the DNC are useless; they just want to coast, while Hillary picks out her outfit for the coronation. Even SNL joked last night that the “DNC is sabotaging Bernie Sanders.” We do not need any of that brouhaha. But, unfortunately, weāve got it.
Sheās going from place to place trying to build her coalition. When she was SOS she wasnāt traveling all those miles to get a free trip to Singapore. She traveled those miles because the man she worked for asked her to in order to rebuild shattered relationships.
Hillary goes between crediting the President for his success…claiming credit for his success..or telling us how she would do it better……my goal is to elect one of them President….and to work to ensure of DEMS on the state and local level……when one of them wins the primary…the President will be in gear and i will follow his lead
The New Attack on
Hispanic Voting Rights
After the Supreme Court decision that gutted the Voting Rights Act, tactics
to suppress minority voting are flourishing ā especially in states where
Hispanic voters are reshaping the electorate. Part two of an ongoing series.
Disenfranchised
By JIM RUTENBERG DEC. 17, 2015
In September 2000, Oscar Del Toro of Monterrey, Mexico, arrived with his wife and three children at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston to start a new life in the United States. Del Toro, then 38, had spent his whole life in Mexico. His mother and father were naturalized American citizens who lived near Houston and had wanted to bring him to the United States with them. But because he was already an adult, with a wife and a child, he was subject to a long waiting period for a green card. He went on with his life in Mexico, building a business selling laser printers and buying a comfortable four-bedroom house. He had more or less forgotten all about the prospect of moving to the United States when, around Christmas in 1999, his mother told him she had a present for him: an Immigration and Naturalization Service letter inviting him and his family to apply for permanent residency.
Del Toroās parents lived in Pasadena, an oil town on the outskirts of Houston. He moved there, too, to a cramped three-room apartment on the north side of town, above the informal dividing line marked by the Spencer Highway. The north side of Pasadena is a mostly Hispanic area, its streets lined with signs advertising carnicerĆas, peluquerĆas and abogados de inmigraciĆ³n. In recent years, so many Mexicans have moved there that some Spanish-speaking locals have taken to calling the area āāNuevo LeĆ³n,āā for the Mexican border state where many of them, including the Del Toros, came from. As the older part of town ā āāhistoric,āā goes the official city designation ā its compact neighborhoods have streets cratered with potholes, and sidewalks that are slanted and buckling and overgrown with weeds.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/20/magazine/block-the-vote.html?_r=0#
Norman Ornstein ā@NormOrnstein 36m36 minutes ago
————————————-
Pathetic watching Sunday shows pander to Donald Trump. Is there any other candidate allowed to appear by phone? And to bloviate this way?
————————————-
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2015_12/debate_upshot_democrats_are_th059036.php
In a nutshell. There really IS only one choice…
Those who did tune in had the opportunity to hear from three candidates who can be trusted, to varying degrees, to lead the nation. There are some obvious differences between them that donāt need restating here, but the distinction between the Democrats and the Republicans in their debates could not possibly have been sharper. The GOP wants to drop more bombs on anything that moves in the middle east, cut taxes on every corporation and rich person it can, and make life miserable for almost anyone who isnāt older, wealthy, white, straight and male.
Itās not just about morals, though: itās about basic responsibility. Republican foreign policy wouldnāt just needlessly kill untold numbers through needless military aggressionsāit would also generate a massive increase in terrorism and instability just as George W. Bushās invasion of Iraq did. Republican tax policy wouldnāt just benefit the rich at the expense of the poor and middle classāit would also bust the budget, create massive deficits and hurt the demand-side consumer economy. Republican climate policy wouldnāt just benefit fossil fuel companies and increase pollutionāit would also put the entire planet at risk of eventual civilization and species collapse.
Republican candidates are catering to a furious and fearful population of resentful paranoiacs. Their policy platforms are predictably wildly irresponsible.
At least 43 people have been killed in a series of air strikes believed to have been carried out by Russian planes in the Syrian city of Idlib, according to activists and residents.
A marketplace, homes and official buildings were all hit, reports say. Bodies were still being pulled from the rubble, a civil defence worker said.
Russia has not confirmed whether it carried out strikes in the area.
Russia began an air campaign to bolster President Bashar al-Assad in September.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35145806
This is not going to end well.
Not going to end well at all. Iām certain that Trump is so proud.
yes, this is not good at all;
worse still, putin and assad may even turn around and place the blame for these civilian deaths on the US and its coalition
Whereās Dudette?? :)
http://www.reuters.com/video/2015/12/18/hubble-captures-new-lightsaber-star?videoId=366740546&videoChannel=118169
well, they could always vote ‘for a hope & changeā.
yes this article is from Vox;
but I learned a little bit more about what is going on in this community which may have contributed to the residentsā reaction to another solar project amongst them that seems not to be contributing to improving their situation
with that nice imagery, gunnite.
LPās toons!
http://theobamadiary.com/2015/12/20/the-week-in-toons-part-2/