|
|
Obama 
Tue Aug 10, 2010 at 02:59:07 AM EDT
|
|
As I pick up the pace of work again, coming into the midterms, I have to get some stories cleared off the desk in order to make room for some others, and that's what we're about today.
We'll be talking about saving more than 300,000 of this country's most important jobs, and paying for it in a way that is not only good policy, but is a real problem for Republicans who are yelling "no new taxes!" once again while pretending they care about actually paying for actual spending and actually want to cut actual unemployment.
We have a bit of work to do today, but we want to keep it somewhat short...so let's get going.
|
|
There's More...
:: (3
Comments, 750 words in story)
|
|
Wed Jul 07, 2010 at 07:58:43 AM EDT
|
|
It's been a while since we had to have a real heart-to-heart, the Obama Administration and I, and last time it was because Rahm Emanuel had been a bit snippy toward those of us who are carrying the water for this Administration.
We need to have another one of those conversations today; this time the circumstances are a lot more positive-in fact, if the Administration follows my suggestions here, we have a real chance to put the Democrats on the road to victory, not just this November, but also in 2012.
What I'm proposing will create hundreds of thousands, if not millions of jobs, and it will stimulate millions more as we create a national source of discount electrical power that can be used by business and consumers alike.
Here's the best part: it's no "pie in the sky" promotion I'm offering here; we've already done the same thing before, it's been working out well for almost three quarters of a century...and even better than all that...my idea first pays for itself, and then...it actually makes the Federal Government a profit, forever after.
|
|
There's More...
:: (4
Comments, 1235 words in story)
|
|
Fri Mar 26, 2010 at 16:43:30 PM EDT
|
(The ENDA vote's probably coming up this week or next. Time to lean on your Congresscritters... - promoted by PerfectStormer)
It wasn’t but a couple of days ago that we had a conversation about The Fear and the emails that are used to spread it, and I figured with that out of the way we had dealt with the topic, and that we’d move on to new things.
Well, we would be moving on, Gentle Reader, if it wasn’t for the fact that an email came in today that was so ugly, so disturbing, and so indicative of what we are about to see as the battle over the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) begins to heat up (ENDA being possibly the next “big contentious thing” that this Administration hopes to accomplish), that I had to interrupt my story schedule to bring it to your attention.
|
|
There's More...
:: (7
Comments, 1982 words in story)
|
|
Thu Mar 11, 2010 at 02:55:02 AM EST
|
It seems like everywhere you look these days, someone’s trying to spread...The Fear.
All around us...in every town...on every corner...a massive Army Of Fear is standing by, according to the Messengers, ready at a moment’s notice to obey the dictates of some unappointed Czar or another.
Just ask Glenn Beck: concentration camps for the white people, jackbooted stormtroopers ready to snatch the guns from your cold dead fingers...Socialist Government-Controlled Healthcare That Threatens Your Not Socialist Medicare...it’s all coming, my friends—and unless we organize, as a community, to return to the values of the Founding Fathers, The Government, meaning that awful Obama and Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and George Soros and all the other Evil Community Organizers, will win.
There’s no government, we’re told, like no government.
You know who would find all of this fear of self-government just entirely bizarre?
The Founding Fathers.
In today’s conversation we’ll consider the fundamentals of American patriotism, we’ll ask one of those Founding Fathers how he saw the role of Government—and we’ll toss in a few words from Abraham Lincoln, just for good measure.
|
|
There's More...
:: (3
Comments, 1109 words in story)
|
|
Sun Feb 28, 2010 at 12:53:46 PM EST
|
LANGUAGE WARNING: Today’s story is uncharacteristically blunt, and from this moment forward we will be using lots of inappropriate language in making our points.
Gentle Reader, you have been officially...warned.
With that in mind, if you take offense when confronted with language strong enough to knock a fuckin’ buzzard off a shitwagon, please stop reading now.
It is by now fairly well known that Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s White House Chief of Staff, had a bit of a blow-up with liberals who were ready to start running ads against “blue dog” Democrats who were working very hard to shut down the health care reform effort.
Now we’re not gonna get in the middle of that argument today; instead, since we’re finally getting a chance to talk, I figured me and Rahm could get a few other things out of the way that have been on everyone’s mind for the past year or so.
|
|
There's More...
:: (1
Comments, 1395 words in story)
|
|
Wed Nov 18, 2009 at 01:44:39 AM EST
|
We strive to be, if anything, a participatory space around here, and I’ve had a question come to my inbox that is very much deserving of our attention.
To make a long story short, our questioner wants to know why, on the one hand, despite the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA, also known as the “stimulus”), unemployment in the construction industry continues to increase, and, on the other hand, why there is such a giant disparity, on a state-by-state basis, in the cost of saving a job?
They’re great questions, and, having done a bit of research, I think I have some cogent answers.
|
|
There's More...
:: (1
Comments, 1427 words in story)
|
|
Fri Oct 09, 2009 at 05:49:55 AM EDT
|
So we are now finding out the answers to some of our questions about which members of Congress actually represent We, the People...and which ones represent, Them, the Corporate Masters.
We have seen a Democratic Senator propose a policy that would put people in jail for not buying health insurance and a Democratic President who has taken numerous public beatings from those on the left side of the fence for his inability to ram something through a group of people...and yes, folks, the entendre was intentional.
But most of all, we’ve been asking ourselves: “why would Democratic Members of Congress who will eventually want us to vote for them vote against something that nearly all voting Democrats are inclined to vote for?”
Today’s conversation attempts to answer that question by looking at exactly how money and influence flow through a key politician, Montana’s Senator Max Baucus—and in doing so, we examine some ugly political realities that have to be resolved before we can hope to convince certain Members of Congress to vote for what their constituents actually want when it really counts.
|
|
There's More...
:: (1
Comments, 1075 words in story)
|
|
Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 13:26:53 PM EDT
|
So it’s the day of the big speech, Mr. President, and we got trouble with a capital “T” right here in Health Care City.
What are you gonna do? Do we follow the traditional Democratic Party legislative process of passing...something...at any cost, assuming the entire time that the Left and the Netroots will “go along with the program”, or is there a risk that the calculus doesn’t work as well today as it did in 1994 and 1996?
Well, lucky for you, I’m a fake consultant, and I know a few things about your “target market”, so before you answer that question...we need to talk.
|
|
There's More...
:: (3
Comments, 1431 words in story)
|
|
Sun Sep 06, 2009 at 03:20:26 AM EDT
|
We are coming down to the home stretch on healthcare, and we have seen the results of the first couple of rounds of crazy that have been sent forth in an effort to stop the process.
In addition to the Town Halls, opponents are flooding the email inboxes of America’s “low information” voters with no end of lies. Those emails are getting passed around and around and around, and by now some of them have probably appeared in your inbox.
But it’s summer...and who has time to respond to this stuff?
Well, guess what, Gentle Reader: I’ve already done the hard work for you.
Today’s story is an email response that you can send right back to your “inbox friends”. It’s a reminder of some of the frustrations that we all share in this country and some explanations of what’s being proposed...and a few words about socialism, to boot.
So get out there and copy and paste and forward and reply, and let’s see if we can’t fight the madness, one email at a time.
|
|
There's More...
:: (1
Comments, 2047 words in story)
|
|
Thu Sep 03, 2009 at 23:37:09 PM EDT
|
(A fine, fine diary. - promoted by Eric B.)
Tuesday's fundraiser from the Michigan GOP would be funny enough on its own, were it not so earnest. Party chair Rich Weiser outdoes himself (or at least he at least got his money's worth). The Atlantic has the goods. And as they say, it opens with a bang: Some Democrats in Congress, including members from Michigan, are trying to pass laws to cancel your private health insurance and put your family on Medicare.
This is not a scare tactic; it's the truth. Well, say this, at least we now know where Twitter Pete got his "now I know.." ideas from. The "horrors" in the letter keep on coming, not least this: Michigan's Lieutenant Governor John Cherry recently said in a townhall meeting state government should provide a system of health care for all. Cherry also encouraged a group of leftwing activists earlier this year to hit the streets promoting his vision of a government take-over of family health care. This is fevered. Yes, in fairness one can hypothesize that Weiser is referring to Conyer's proposal for national single-payer coverage, but Weiser goes to amp it up one last notch: more...
|
|
There's More...
:: (1
Comments, 515 words in story)
|
|
Sat Aug 15, 2009 at 22:41:33 PM EDT
|
We’ve all been hearing the “Town Hall Meeting” stories the past few days, and the images presented have been of gatherings where you might see some current or former official “death panel” for the benefit of the crowd, where the few people who shout the loudest bully the rest into silence, and where threats of physical intimidation are part of the debate.
I attended one of these meetings, and based on what I saw I’m here to tell you that it is possible to hold an event that features none of the images previously described.
Instead, what I say was an event where people asked their questions, the Congressman answered—and from time to time the angry members of the audience got their shout on, too...but not in a way that was able to ever take control of the venue.
There were helpful lessons that can be applied by others who want to have these meetings, and today’s conversation examines what can be done to make them work for you, too.
|
|
There's More...
:: (1
Comments, 1373 words in story)
|
|
Tue Aug 11, 2009 at 03:51:44 AM EDT
|
WASHINGTON (FNS) – In a startling development related to the recent disruptions of town hall meetings, FNS is now able to confirm that the Obama Administration, with the assistance of Unilever Group and Queen Beatrix, both of the Netherlands, PepsiCo, Skull And Bones, and the Bilderberg Group, is unleashing a secret plot to dispatch fleets of unmarked aircraft and helicopters to prevent teabag protesters from having access to teabags.
The goal of the plot: to disrupt protesters’ plans to save America from the destruction of our health care system.
FNS reporters have been following a trail of information that includes airport noise abatement records, classified documents, and the testimony of insiders, some of whom are now willing to be publicly identified.
We’ll begin our story by reporting on three events that occurred the evening of Friday, August 8th.
|
|
There's More...
:: (1
Comments, 880 words in story)
|
|
Fri Aug 07, 2009 at 14:12:30 PM EDT
|
|
I am really tired of the spin being made that the citizens who oppose the Obama health care reform plan are right-wing tea-bagging kooks. The people's fear is real and it does not come from pill-popping talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh or white-collar criminal insurance thugs like Rick Scott.
Americans everywhere sense something is gravely wrong with our nation and our government. Many of them may not know exactly what has put their country in its current state, but they know that they are being mislead on many levels. In the last week, that instinct has manifested itself nationwide as citizens voice their anger at lawmakers over the 1,000-plus page health care reform package currently on Capitol Hill.
We the People sense something is amiss with this bill. And our instincts are correct. Read the following quotes and links direct from the bill itself and the eugenicists that crafted the Obama plan. Does it look like partisan disinformation when you read the health care bill and see that it encourages euthanasia beginning on page 429-430?
Quote:
A) For purposes of this section, the term ‘order regarding life sustaining treatment’ means, with respect to an individual, an actionable medical order relating to the treatment of that individual that—
. . . (ii) effectively communicates the individual’s preferences regarding life sustaining treatment, including an indication of the treatment and care desired by the individual;
‘. . . (B) The level of treatment indicated under subparagraph (A)(ii) may range from an indication for full treatment to an indication to limit some or all or specified interventions. Such indicated levels of treatment may include indications respecting, among other items-
. . . (i) the intensity of medical intervention if the patient is pulse less, apneic, or has serious cardiac or pulmonary problems; ‘‘(ii) the individual’s desire regarding transfer to a hospital or remaining at the current care setting; ‘‘(iii) the use of antibiotics; and ‘‘(iv) the use of artificially administered nutrition and hydration.’’.
Gee Mr. President, I guess I have my tinfoil helmet strapped on too tight, because in laymen’s terms it looks like that section basically says:
“Sorry Grandma, you and your disease have become an undue burden to the system. Big Brother says you don't get any hydration, food or antibiotics today.”Folks better not get dementia under Obama's plan. Rahm Emanuel's brother, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, an Obama Special Advisor for Health Policy, would make them worm food. services provided to individuals who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens are not basic and should not be guaranteed. An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia. According to Emmanuel, the sickest will die first in a national system because of rationing of care: Favouring those who are currently sickest seems to assume that resource scarcity is temporary: that we can save the person who is now sickest and then save the progressively ill person later. However, even temporary scarcity does not guarantee another chance to save the progressively ill person. Furthermore, when interventions are persistently scarce, saving the progressively ill person later will always involve depriving others. When we cannot save everyone, saving the sickest first is inherently flawed and inconsistent with the core idea of priority to the worst-off . Here is another portion of the bill causing controversy. It pertains to the fear of the government having access to bank accounts. ‘‘(C) enable electronic funds transfers, in order to allow automated reconciliation with the related health care payment and remittance advice; " If the above passage said: "allow electronic funds transfers, with patient consent, in order to allow . . ." I don't think there would be a problem. However, in its current state, the bill does not say that. That is a problem, IMO.
|
|
There's More...
:: (0
Comments, 1791 words in story)
|
|
Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 15:25:09 PM EDT
|
|
There has been a lot of talk this week about the surprising move by Walmart to publically support President Obama’s health care reform plan, supposedly positioning themselves as a
leader in the fight to bring health care to all Americans. As we mentioned in a post on our blog
yesterday, this might be easier to swallow if Walmart had any history of leading by example. Instead, they usually do just the opposite. Given
Walmart’s long record of trying to build a positive
reputation on ineffective work-arounds to health care coverage
for employee, the recent revelations about sacrificing quality for cheap perescription drugs, and their deceptive PR campaign that severely overstated their workers’ health
care coverage, it’s not hard to understand our skepticism. [get the details in the extended entry]
|
|
There's More...
:: (0
Comments, 237 words in story)
|
|
Mon May 18, 2009 at 11:33:13 AM EDT
|
|
Breaking news from the Detroit Free Press: WASHINGTON – Gov. Jennifer Granholm will visit theWhite House on Tuesday amid speculation that she’s on President Barack Obama’s short list to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court but a senior administration official says the event is unrelated to the spot on the court. What the event is and who else will be in attendance were not immediately revealed. The official was unwilling to be identified because the meeting and its topic had not yet been made public.
As I mentioned yesterday, it's widely known that Granholm is on the short list of SCOTUS nominees, and she's highly regarded by legal experts as a wise choice to replace Souter. Granholm, 50, graduated from Harvard Law School with honors and was editor-in-chief of the Harvard Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Law Review. She's been a lawyer at the local, state and federal level, and authored legal opinions as well as scholarly law journal articles. She was a judicial clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit Court, which includes Michigan. In 1990, she became a federal prosecutor in Detroit, where she racked up a 99 percent conviction rate. Four years later, she was appointed Wayne County Corporation Counsel. In 1998, she was elected as Michigan's first woman attorney general. In that post, she authored 115 quasi-judicial legal opinions supervising civil, criminal and appellate cases. -snip- Granholm has an appealing personal story, as a career mom who juggled demanding jobs, marriage and three children. She also has been scrutinized by the media and has had no major scandals. "Granholm's an excellent candidate," said Richard Friedman, a law professor and Supreme Court expert at the University of Michigan.
And to the unnamed White House source who says that her meeting tomorrow isn't about SCOTUS, c'mon, do you really think they're gonna say that is? Silly wabbit, that's not how the game of politics is played. Stay tuned...
|
|
Discuss
:: (2
Comments)
|
|
Sun May 17, 2009 at 12:48:15 PM EDT
|
|
When word leaked out last week that Gov. Jennifer Granholm's name was on the short list of possible Supreme Court nominees to replace retiring Justice David Souter, the casual observer probably wouldn't have played the odds. But for the insiders and those paying careful attention to what President Obama himself said when making the announcement, they're feeling pretty confident. Now, the process of selecting someone to replace Justice Souter is among my most serious responsibilities as President. So I will seek somebody with a sharp and independent mind and a record of excellence and integrity. I will seek someone who understands that justice isn't about some abstract legal theory or footnote in a case book. It is also about how our laws affect the daily realities of people's lives -- whether they can make a living and care for their families; whether they feel safe in their homes and welcome in their own nation.
I view that quality of empathy, of understanding and identifying with people's hopes and struggles as an essential ingredient for arriving as just decisions and outcomes. I will seek somebody who is dedicated to the rule of law, who honors our constitutional traditions, who respects the integrity of the judicial process and the appropriate limits of the judicial role. I will seek somebody who shares my respect for constitutional values on which this nation was founded, and who brings a thoughtful understanding of how to apply them in our time. The articles in the state's two largest papers pretty well seem to agree with the insiders, and as they say, it's because Granholm's about as qualified as they can get.
|
|
There's More...
:: (1
Comments, 562 words in story)
|
|
Thu May 07, 2009 at 11:34:40 AM EDT
|
So a Supreme Court justice that hardly anyone noticed has announced his retirement and all of a sudden the lips of The Experts are all a-flutter with the word “Empathy”.
President Obama reports he wants his nominee to have it; and Republicans are convinced that the word is a secret code for something that eventually ends in the death of free speech, massive roundups of guns by the Secret United Nations World Police, and the Internment Of All The White People In Reeducation Camps Run By Americorps And ACORN And Gay People Who Want To Marry And Are Funded By George Soros.
It is suggested that Evil Activist Judges will trample the Constitution as they create Law out of whole cloth; and that only those who interpret the Constitution just as it was written can bring the proper attitude to the Court.
It sounds like somebody needs to come along and provide a couple of cogent thoughts about this whole empathy thing...and lucky for you, Gentle Reader, we have before us today specific examples of how the quality of empathy can express itself in Court Doctrine.
|
|
There's More...
:: (1
Comments, 1634 words in story)
|
|
Fri Apr 17, 2009 at 14:17:18 PM EDT
|
|
Today's Washington Post brings one of the answers to Marcie Wheeler. In an earlier meeting with the banks, Steve Rattner gave them the news: To save Chrysler, he told them, the four banks and several other financial firms would have to surrender their claims to most of the $7 billion the automaker owed them. And what would the banks get in return for this sacrifice? Nothing. As the article notes, "jaws dropped." And it's one more affirmation why we have Gary Peters. "These are banks that have received substantial investments from the government," said Rep. Gary Peters (D-Mich.)..."We hope they will understand that what was given to them was not for their benefit, but to get the economy moving again and maintain American jobs." The banks didn't see it this way at all, and rejected the 15 cents/dollar proposal. It was unfair. And besides, says one unnamed spokesperson, " What's the incentive to provide loans if the government can come in at any time and trump you?" The article helpfully fills readers in as to what's at stake: 180,000 jobs. And with that the further descent of Michigan, despite the best efforts of our leaders. There is, however, one other item to bring to the fore: what will the Obama administration do? Will they cave to the banks? At this point, I wish I were much more economically literate. But for the moment, as Simon Johnson, James Kwaak and others have pointed out, the real challenge in the present crisis is by the financial oligarchs, and the corresponding need for their constraint. The battle for Chrysler is a case in point. The financial community's determination to harvest their share (estimated at fifty cents on the dollar) regardless of the damage such behavior does to community -- this is the challenge before the Obama administration. Will they they have the backbone? A Democratic Party unable to constrain the banks will face much more difficult time as it turns to pick up the pieces with a gubernatorial election looming.
|
|
Discuss
:: (0
Comments)
|
|
Fri Apr 17, 2009 at 01:17:35 AM EDT
|
So if you’re like me, you have been wondering just exactly what all this “tea party” stuff is about. There’s going to be some sort of protest, that we know; but beyond that the whole thing seems a little...vague.
Alternatively, it’s possible that you were unaware that “tea party” has recently become a word reborn in conservative political circles.
Well, whether you knew it or not, April 15th was indeed a day of protest, with citizens gathering for what were reported to be a series of grassroots events across the nation that was intended to invoke the spirit of the Boston Tea Party.
In an effort to find out exactly what is motivating these folks, and to find out what they are trying to accomplish, I took my handy recorder and captured a conversation with a “tea bag” protester.
We will review that conversation, and we will follow it up with a few thoughts about how this group of voters might impact electoral politics going forward.
|
|
There's More...
:: (1
Comments, 2194 words in story)
|
|
Wed Mar 25, 2009 at 08:31:32 AM EDT
|
|
Watching last night's press conference, I was struck by two things: first, how proud I am to have a president who not only is able to speak in complete sentences but also has the adult skills to defer gratification and focus on long-term goals.
Second, I noticed the disappointing level of questions from the floor. With a few exceptions (budget, Middle East, global currency), the majority of questions were daytime talk-show material.
Seriously, folks. Our economy is tanking, the level of world craziness is reaching impressive levels, and Ann Compton of ABC felt the most important question she could ask Obama was how race has impacted his [63-day] presidency. Ed Henry of CNN got huffy over the "several days' delay" in expressing official WH outrage over the AIG bonuses.
I'm not alone in thinking this: Ezra Klein of The American Prospect
I managed to miss it, but the transcript suggests that there wasn't a single question about the massive plan to risk a trillion dollars in taxpayer money to save the banking system. But The Washington Times managed to ask about stem cells. WTF, press?
What irritates me the most is that the same press corps sat meekly through eight years of warrantless wiretapping, torture, fear-mongering, reckless wars and irresponsible spending (to name but a few) without making a peep.
Obama has more than enough to deal with right now as he tries to turn the ocean liner. Why does the press corps think it's good journalistic practice to count the days like a reverse advent calendar? We've all seen the headlines: "Day 39! -- things are still bad!" "Day 62 -- Obama fails to provide puppies and candy to everyone!"
Grow up. There are plenty of questions that need to be asked, what with $700 billion and more pouring into an utterly opaque financial system, a military that needs rebuilding, a health care system that is hurting families and businesses and a budget that needs a lot more explanation.
Ask those questions, national press corps -- the country needs you to do your job.
|
|
Discuss
:: (0
Comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
