Sooner Be Blue

Mostly politics, a few current events, a squirt of seltzer down yer pants .. a little blog for my rambles and rants.

2009/2/26

Just had to share this

@ 08:41 PM (8 months, 13 days ago)
                 
The devil made me do it.
 
It seems that Gov. Bobby Jindal has the power to cast out demons...without any government assistance! Who knew!?
 
You probably thought he was just a little nutty after his response to the President's address the other night. But now we have proof. Bobby Jindal isn't just a little nutty, he's a Cherry Moon Farms gift basket full of nuts. Max Blumenthal over at the Daily Beast found this from Jindal's college days:
 
"Jindal reflected in an article for a Catholic magazine (called “Beating a Demon: Physical Dimensions of Spiritual Warfare”) that “sulfuric” scents hovered over Susan everywhere she went. In the middle of a prayer meeting, Jindal claimed that Susan collapsed and began convulsing on the floor. His prayer partners gathered together on the floor, holding hands and shouting, “Satan, I command you to leave this woman!”
 
While under the supposed control of satanic demons, Susan lashed out at Jindal.. “Whenever I concentrated long enough to begin prayer, I felt some type of physical force distracting me,” Jindal reflected. “It was as if something was pushing down on my chest, making it very hard for me to breathe… I began to think that the demon would only attack me if I tried to pray or fight back; thus, I resigned myself to leaving it alone in an attempt to find peace for myself.”
 
Toward the conclusion of what Jindal called “the tremendous battle between the Susan we knew and loved and some strange and evil force,” Jindal and his friends forced Susan to read passages from the Bible. “She choked on certain passages and could not finish the sentence ‘Jesus is Lord.’ Over and over, she repeated "Jesus is L..L..LL," often ending in profanities,” Jindal wrote. Finally, evil gave way to the light. “Just as suddenly as she went into the trance, Susan suddenly reappeared and claimed ‘Jesus is Lord.’ With an almost comical smile, Susan then looked up as if awakening from a deep sleep and asked, ‘Has something happened?’”
 
Read more here:
 
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-02-24/bobby-jindals-secret-past
 
What a dream ticket for 2012 - Jindal & Palin...two religious crackpots for the price of one. She plays around with witch doctors, he plays around with demons. Their campaign slogan could be something like - "We're so damn crazy no one will dare mess with us."
 
Republicans are slowly sinking into the muck...leaving bubbles of swamp gas in their wake ...
 

2009/2/25

Dang it's great to be inspired by a Presidential address again!

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@ 07:59 AM (8 months, 15 days ago)

President Obama's speech was off the charts. This country hasn't had a dose of vision this large since JFK looked at the moon and refused to blink.
 
We are in capable hands...and the polls show that people know it...
 
There's not a Republican alive who could give the speech that my president gave last night. They couldn't come near it...no matter how many Limbaughs, Hannitys and Coulters they had egging them on.
 
And didn't it tickle me to see the Republican side of the aisle keep jumping up for all those standing ovations...about 40 of them I heard...probably 'bout killed 'em. But they didn't fool me, it was all a big show for their moderate and Independent constituents back home.
 
From CNN: "In his first speech to a joint session of Congress, President Obama outlined the three priorities of the budget he will present later this week: energy, health care, and education. "Now is the time to act boldly and wisely to not only revive this economy, but to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity," Obama said.[..]"
 
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/24/obama.speech/index.html
 
Overall, President Obama's speech was fantastic...what a breath of fresh air to hear our president set goals that will improve our country.
 
Some of my favorite lines: When he called on Americans to get another year of education and when he told parents to monitor their kids and turn off the TV and the video games and read to their kids.
 
And "Dropping out of high school is quitting on your country." Good one.
 
And tax cuts if you make less than $250,000 a year.
 
Remember the spittle-flecked rant that CNBC's Rick Santelli gave last week? "This is America! How many of you people want to pay for your neighbors' mortgage that has an extra bathroom and can't pay their bills?" Well, President Obama addressed it last night, "We have launched a housing plan that will help responsible families facing the threat of foreclosure lower their monthly payments and re-finance their mortgages. It's a plan that won't help speculators or that neighbor down the street who bought a house he could never hope to afford..."
 
And I loved this part: "I intend to hold these banks fully accountable for the assistance they receive, and this time, they will have to clearly demonstrate how taxpayer dollars result in more lending for the American taxpayer. This time, CEOs won't be able to use taxpayer money to pad their paychecks or buy fancy drapes or disappear on a private jet. Those days are over."
 
Hooray Obama! It has only been a few months ago that the Republicans were running the show. And what happened when it was Bush and Paulson at the wheel? What did they do? They gave all this money to the banks...no stress tests, no regulation, no strings. They let the foxes guard the hen house...then the foxes ate the hens...then the Citibank foxes lost 10 billion dollars in a quarter and took that as a green light to buy a private jet. That's how arrogant they are...that's how impervious they've become under a Republican administration.
 
I’ve been waiting a long while to hear talk like this - "I do not accept a future where the jobs and industries of tomorrow take root beyond our borders -- and I know you don't either. It is time for America to lead again." He also said he would eliminate tax cuts for companies who take root beyond our borders.
 
And this - "We'll eliminate the no-bid contracts that have wasted billions in Iraq." Boo hoo, Halliburton.
 
I loved how he looked over at the Republicans as he commented on how 'we inherited this trillion' dollar deficit'...and smiled as he slide that dagger in...
 
Obama's speech was passionate, graceful, warm, charming, earnest and brilliant. Now that is what real leadership looks like.
 
Republicans can't figure out why Obama is popular, so they figure it must be skin tone. Probably why they chose Michael Steele for RNC and Gov. Jindal for the rebuttal. They just don't Get It - that Americans were so enraged about the last eight years that they threw away centuries of prejudice to make a drastic change!
 
Jindal's response was pretty weak...he didn't sound like the star he's supposed to be. Is it just me or does he sound like TV's Mr. Rogers? You know, that voice you use when talking to 5-year-olds?
 
Why didn't Gov. Palin deliver the rebuttal? I thought she was the GOP's savior. Oh...maybe too many headlines about her tax cheating...
 
Jindal's rebuttal was the same old tired Republican talking points...tax cuts, aka investment cuts...yada yada. Imagine a major highway wreck in the fog with 120 cars piled up. Obama wants to bring in ambulances and emergency vehicles...Jindal thinks we should step aside and let the problem fix itself.
 
He had a story about bureaucrats interfering with the rescue efforts after Katrina. They were probably Bush's FEMA guys. And I'm still trying to wrap my head around Jindal using Katrina as an example of how the GOP will lead us out of an economic morass.
 
He accused Obama of wanting to cut military pay? Did he even listen to Obama's speech?
 
Of course, he's still not happy with the stimulus package...will probably ask for his cut in unmarked bills. Wonder if he knows the bill has a provision that it has to be announced publicly if you take the money...
 
And didn't it look like Jindal was auditioning for something? Maybe SNL...
 

2009/2/24

How we know he's doing something right

@ 09:31 AM (8 months, 15 days ago)

Now, I'm not one who thinks that polls are infallible reflections of the truth, or that polled American people are always right about everything...but the following polls are an awfully good sign.
 
Republicans have turned on President Obama - what's new? - but, in doing so, they have sided against the American people...and will end up paying dearly in the end.
 
A new ABC News/Washington Post poll shows a high level of popularity for President Obama just one month into his first term...and the high level of confidence that Americans have in his ability to handle the economy vs. that of congressional Republicans is sweet:
 
"...68 percent of Americans approve of Obama's job performance to date...
 
...Obama clearly holds the upper hand, both in overall approval and on the dominant issue of the day. He leads the Republicans in Congress by 61-26 percent in trust to handle the economy, the biggest such lead for a president in ABC News/Washington Post polls since late 1991...
 
...Partisanship, though, seems inescapable: Obama's approval rating, 90 percent among Democrats, dives to 37 percent among Republicans..."
 
http://abcnews.go.com/PollingUnit/Politics/story?id=6939993&page=1
 
That last 90 to 37 percent bit is how I know he's doing something right.
 
Here's another poll which says pretty much the same thing:
 
"President Obama is benefiting from remarkably high levels of optimism and confidence among Americans about his leadership, providing him with substantial political clout as he confronts the nation's economic challenges and opposition from nearly all Republicans in Congress."
 
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/us/politics/24poll.html?_r=1
 
Republicans still want to play the same old game...digging in for a long ideological battle. They want to set President Obama up and knock him down, they want him to fall and never get up.
 
Polls clearly show that Republicans have done nothing to help themselves by opposing the stimulus package...indeed, they look more and more narrow and isolated. They think they can score political points by being obstructionist...but their out of work constituents may surprise them come next election day.
 
These polls show that Democrats are seen to be on the right side of most issues important to the American people...while Republican ideas are seen as stale, unworkable and undesirable.
 
President Obama has a strong bond with the public - notice how he nurtures it - they trust him to bring about the changes that are sorely needed. They approve of Obama's honest effort to negotiate with Republicans, and they don't begrudge him one bit that the talks broke down. Many of them voted for him because he promised to offer Republicans a place at the table, to get their input.
 
Silly Republicans somehow thought that meant they'd have a 50-50 chance in the decision making process and bills written into law.
 
They seem to forget who won...
 

2009/2/23

Bobby Jindal doesn't scare me

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@ 08:38 AM (8 months, 16 days ago)
 
The rift in the GOP became very apparent yesterday on "Meet the Press" as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal faced off with Florida's Gov. Charlie Crist over the stimulus package. Crist welcomed the package, saying his state needed the help, that unemployment lines were long and doing nothing is not acceptable.
 
But Jindal, who is obviously running for President, doesn't want to take any stimulus money. Instead he wanted to offer conservative-based solutions...he started talking about the need for a package plan with more tax cuts, especially capital gains tax cuts.
 
Someone pointed out that we'd just had eight years of that philosophy, and it hadn't worked very well to help create jobs for the middle class.
 
We heard those same Jindal arguments when Bill Clinton raised taxes on the top 2 percent of the richest people in America to get rid of the deficit. Well, guess what happened? We produced 24 million new jobs and the next eight years were the most successful economically of the 20th century.
 
So, in other words, Jindal had absolutely nothing new to say...and what he did say about the stimulus was deliberately misleading.
 
No one knows how well the Obama stimulus, banking and budget plans will work...but everybody already knows how disastrous the Republican philosophy that Jindal offers has been.
 
Republicans are always talking about how Jindal is smart, creative, and honest. Well, I don't know where that guy went, because the one I saw on "Meet The Press" seemed to be dropping his reputation for seriousness and intellectual honesty just so he could appeal to the Republican base.
 
Maybe when you have Sarah Palin to compete with, you have to shed seriousness and intellectual honesty as fast as you can...even at full speed, Jindal might never catch up to her level...or rather, down...
 
Also, sometimes sheer ambition causes people to delude themselves and they start saying whatever Rush Limbaugh believes at the minute just to get on TV or talk radio.
 
I guess when you're trying to suck up to the rabid righties you can't be too crazy...and you can't start too soon.
 
I'd also say Democrats are lucky that the R's haven't learned the lessons of the 2008 election - that all the delusional stuff they say to attract the GOP base scares the hell out of the other 75 percent of voters.
 
So, all joking about Palin running aside, if Jindal is the best they've got, I'm not worried.
 
Wonder if he cares that the only reason his party pays him any attention is because he is the Brown Republican.
 

2009/2/21

Arrest Near In Chandra Levy Case?

@ 11:22 AM (8 months, 18 days ago)

Remember Gary Condit - the California congressman with a creepy smile and dippity-doo hair who touted "pro-family" politics and had an affair with a young woman who was murdered?
 
Poor Chandra's disappearance sure blew his political future out of the water...although he was allowed to keep his seat on the Intelligence Committee, and didn't lose his security clearance. But he did lose his bid for re-election.
 
Looks like police are close to solving the murder. What a relief this must be for her poor family.
 
"WASHINGTON, Feb. 21, 2009, Police Eyeing Inmate In 2001 Murder Of Washington Intern
 
(CBS) Authorities in Washington, D.C. may be close to an arrest in the murder of former government intern Chandra Levy, a case that made headlines, and brought down a congressman eight years ago.
 
There are reports that D.C. police have submitted evidence to the U.S. Attorney's Office in an effort to get an arrest warrant for a man identified as Ingmar Guandique.
 
He's behind bars, convicted of assaulting two women jogging in Washington's Rock Creek Park. [..]"
 
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/21/earlyshow/main4817576.shtml
 
Some people say Gary Condit got a raw deal...that we all assumed he was guilty of Chandra's murder just because he was having an affair with her...that it's hard NOT to look guilty of murder in the glare of TV lights when you ARE guilty of adultery with a girl younger than your daughter.
 
But we mustn't forget his attempts to mislead the police...who caught him trying to hide a gift box in a dumpster.
 
Some people think Condit should have been forced out of office because of the adulterous liaison...but if that's the standard, then several ranking members of congress have to go as well.
 
The lesson here is that innocent until proven guilty should remain an American value...no matter how creepy and sleazy someone is...we should avoid trial by media.
 

Not a penny

@ 08:03 AM (8 months, 19 days ago)

 

In a perfect world we would block funds to those states whose rank partisan Republicans voted against the stimulus package. The folks who direct the money should insure that not a penny of the stimulus money flows to districts represented by the Republicans who worked so hard to obstruct the bill. Then the districts voters - who are affected by votes against relief - will understand the real value of their representatives in congress.

Funny how the R's who screamed loudest and denounced the recovery bill will be there with their hands out.

They're trying to have their cake and eat it too. They vote against it, blabber on the Capitol steps how they were against the stimulus package....but will take recovery money.

Many of them spent their President’s Day recess at home bragging about the programs they will be delivering to their home districts:

Gov. Pawlenty (R-MN) told Rachel Maddow he would nevertheless accept funds for Minnesota: "Our view is, if you buy the pizza, it’s OK if you have a slice."

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he would gladly accept funds for his state. "You don’t want to be crazy here."

Rep. John Mica (R-FL) voted against the bill...but gushed, "I applaud President Obama’s recognition that high-speed rail should be part of America’s future."

Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) insisted that the recovery bill "would have exploded our national debt without providing meaningful job growth." But then Lance toured construction sites in his district...hoping for funds that would come from the stimulus bill.

Rep. Don Young (R-AK) boasted that he "won a victory for…Alaska small business owners" in the recovery bill he refused to vote for.

And the list goes on...

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/18/bond-touts-stimulus/

Republicans to the nation: I refuse to vote for this stimulus as it will ruin the economy.

Republicans to their constituents: I have worked tirelessly to recieve money to put the great workers of our state back to work.

Come next election, Americans are going to remember the Republicans who voted against relief in the short run...who voted against recovery just so they could return to power in the long run. Power they want so they can continue to stifle relief and wreck the country further - because a nation full of desperate, hopeless people is a nation full of people who will work cheap.

They think.

Come next election voters are going to remember who sabotaged every reasonable attempt to provide relief and salvage the economy.

President Obama and the Democrats want to take action - please, I don't want to hear whether or not that action is enough or to your particular liking - while the Republicans want to do absolutely nothing but sneer and gloat and root for the President to fail.

 

Late-night jokes recap 2/21

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@ 06:33 AM (8 months, 19 days ago)
 
"Michigan Congressman John Dingell has set the all-time record as the longest serving member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He's been there 19,421 days. That's the longest a member of Congress has ever been in one place well, if you don't count federal prison." --Jay Leno
 
"Good news and bad news for Sarah Palin. The bad news is that the IRS says she owes thousands of dollars in back taxes. The good news is that she now qualifies to be in Obama’s Cabinet." --Craig Ferguson
 
"In an interview with Fox News, Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter, 18-year-old Bristol Palin -- remember Bristol Palin, who had the baby? Well, she talked in the interview. She said, 'A year ago, I never would have thought I would become a mom or that my mom was going to be chosen to be a vice presidential candidate.' Oddly enough, both things happened because some guy failed to take the proper precautions." --Jay Leno
 
"I think everybody should just calm down. Give Obama four years. See what he can do. Then if he's a miserable failure, we'll do what we did with George W. Bush and elect him to a second term." --Craig Ferguson
 
"Well, here's the latest on the bailout. Democrats may have to bail Senator Roland Burris out of jail." --Jay Leno
 
"More bad news for Senator Burris. Now, the Chicago Sun-Times is calling for his resignation. Remember, he was appointed by Governor Blagojevich. Now he could be in trouble for perjury and for giving conflicting statements in his testimony about campaign contributions. See, that's the trouble with politicians. They think the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth are three different things." --Jay Leno
 
"There are a lot of new taxes coming. California state legislators want to solve our state's giant deficit by taxing marijuana. Meanwhile, Oregon wants to increase a tax on beer, while New York wants to tax Internet porn. You know what this means? By the end of spring break, this whole thing could be paid for." --Jay Leno
 
"And one of the hardest hit businesses in this failing economy is plastic surgery. Fewer and fewer people are getting plastic surgery. How ironic is that? The one time you really need a smile on your face, you can't even afford to get it." --Jay Leno
 
"I tell you, the economy's in bad shape. It is in such bad shape that today, three stock brokers tried to kill themselves by eating peanuts." --Jay Leno
 
"The New York Times is reporting that, in his last days in office, Vice President Dick Cheney repeatedly went to President Bush to try to get him to pardon Scooter Libby, and he was furious that Bush wouldn't do it. They say Cheney is now bitter. Yeah, as opposed to the happy go lucky zippity-do-da Cheney." --Jay Leno
 
"And in Venezuela, a referendum passed that will allow Hugo Chavez to keep running for president indefinitely. So down there, it will be kind of like what Ralph Nader does here." --Jay Leno
 
"Meanwhile, while Obama's signing the stimulus package bill in Denver, John McCain was busy at Denny's, sectioning his grapefruit." --David Letterman
 
"A new study says that the bad economy can lower testosterone levels in men. Scientists say at this rate, by the end of the decade, Ann Coulter could be a woman!" --Craig Ferguson
 
"Hey, you see this? In a new ranking of US presidents by 65 historians, President Bush came in fifth from the bottom. Of course, Bush was thrilled. That's better than he did in high school." --Jay Leno
 
"After withdrawing his name for commerce secretary, Sen. Judd Gregg said he hoped he was just embarrassing himself and not President Obama, to which Joe Biden said, 'Don't worry about it. I do it all the time.'" --Jay Leno
 
"Last week, an American satellite collided with a Russian satellite over Siberia. And Sarah Palin said she could see the collision from her house." --Jay Leno
 
"Everybody has got Fashion Week fever in New York City, where they had a big 50th anniversary tribute to Barbie. Can you believe that Barbie has been around 50 years? During that time, they have had Preppie Barbie, Wedding Barbie, and Republican Running Mate Barbie." --David Letterman
 
"Marvel Comics has come out with a special edition comic book where Spider-Man and Captain America go back in time to watch Abraham Lincoln deliver the Gettysburg Address. It's true. Yeah, so this story finally answers the question, what would happen if Michael Phelps ran Marvel Comics?" --Conan O'Brien
 

2009/2/20

Then he took them all out to eat at Taco Bell

@ 06:44 PM (8 months, 19 days ago)


Ex-Senator Macaca pitches the GOP to minorities.

Read the rest of this entry ... (393 words left)

Sure, Sarah knows how to play the game

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@ 05:03 AM (8 months, 20 days ago)


She's just not very good at it.

Read the rest of this entry ... (498 words left)

2009/2/19

Black President + dead chimp = racist cartoon.

@ 06:24 AM (8 months, 21 days ago)

There's no getting around it. Even my conservative friend says it's offensive.
 
The rightie tabloid (stories of alien abduction), The New York Post, owned by FOX News boss Rupert Murdoch, ran a cartoon implying that a crazed chimpanzee wrote the recent economic stimulus bill, which was actually developed and championed by our nation’s first black president.
 
The cartoon by Sean Delonas shows two police officers, one with a smoking gun, standing over the body of a bullet-riddled chimp. The caption reads: "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."
 
Looks like a classic piece of bigotry right out of the Jim Crow era.
 
"NEW YORK (Reuters) - African Americans criticized a New York Post cartoon as racist Wednesday, saying it likened President Barack Obama to an ape -- a potent image in the history of racism toward blacks.
 
The cartoon, which the newspaper defended as a parody of Washington politics, depicts a police shooting of an ape, playing off the real shooting of a pet chimpanzee in Connecticut this week. One of the police officers says, "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."[..]"
 
http://uk.reuters.com/article/usPoliticsNews/idUKTRE51H7N420090218
 
Now I love a good political cartoon, our country has a rich political cartoon history - Ben Franklin published the first one - but this one stepped over a boundary.
 
There should be a distinct line between attacking a person's political philosophy and attacking a person's racial dignity. Like it's okay to depict a politician as a snake...just leave the snake's race out of it.
 
People of color are very sensitive to racist stereotypes of blacks as monkeys...if the newspaper didn’t mean to be racist, do they really want some people thinking that they might be? Or at the very least, seen as joking about murdering the president?
 
I guess we need to rework our ideas about satire...we have to consider certain sensibilities when dealing with people who have a history that we shouldn't make fun of, or trivialize.
 
Would we put up with the NYPost printing a cartoon that lampoons a Jewish person in a prison death camp? Or an American Indian slaughtered at Wounded Knee?
 
There are places that even satire should NOT go. It may seem hip to stretch the boundaries...but, in the end, it just looks like an attempt to be cruel.
 
Of course, the cartoon will be reproduced in papers all over the world...a world that already thinks we're a nation of violent racists. Just when Obama's election was beginning to change people's minds about us...
 
And yes, I know that righties are frothing at the mouth, whining about how certain cartoonists depicted George Bush as a chimp for years. Indeed they did, and were called vicious and unpatriotic for doing so.
 
But those cartoons were not about his race...and I can't recall a single cartoon in the mainstream press showing Bush being shot to death by the police.
 

2009/2/18

Bet that made his ol' pacemaker skip a beat

@ 09:49 AM (8 months, 21 days ago)

"Hi, George, it's Dick. How about that hunting trip I mentioned?"
 
The New York Daily News reports that George Bush and Dick Cheney fought bitterly in the final days of Bush's presidency over a pardon for Scooter Libby. Staffers said Bush finally got so annoyed that he refused to discuss the matter any further...but Cheney would not take no for an answer and was still trying the day before Obama was sworn in.
 
From nydailynews.com: "WASHINGTON - In the waning days of the Bush administration, Vice President Dick Cheney launched a last-ditch campaign to persuade his boss to pardon Lewis (Scooter) Libby - and was furious when President George W. Bush wouldn't budge.
 
...."He tried to make it happen right up until the very end," one Cheney associate said.
 
In multiple conversations, both in person and over the telephone, Cheney tried to get Bush to change his mind. Libby was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in the federal probe of who leaked covert CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity to the press.
 
Several sources confirmed Cheney refused to take no for an answer. "He went to the mat and came back and back and back at Bush," a Cheney defender said. "He was still trying the day before Obama was sworn in." [..]"
 
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/02/16/2009-02-16_exvp_dick_cheney_outraged_president_bush.html
 
Oh how the mighty have fallen. Once Cheney was all-powerful, tearing the constitution to shreds for the benefit of his corporate pals, once he was head good ol' boy of the military infrastructure investment club. Now he’s just a warped, churlish old man, lying and fuming through his gritted teeth.
 
Bush's refusal to pardon Libby is a shot across the bow at Cheney. Bush (probably more Sr. than Jr.) realizes the legal jeopardy they are in and it's boiling down to who will spill their guts to future prosecutors first. Bush's failure to pardon Libby might indicate that he's not opposed to giving up the goods on Cheney.
 
See, Scooter was Cheney’s Cheney...and was promised a full pardon if he took the fall for Deadeye Dick.
 
Why not pardon the guy? There was nothing left for Bush to lose. Surely he didn't think that pardoning Scooter would hurt his legacy? Surely he didn't think that history will ignore the big stupid things he's done over 8 years and somehow reward him for not being as dishonorable as he could have been in the last 10 minutes...
 
Maybe he really was out of the loop about outing Plame, and his refusal to pardon Scooter is an expression of anger at Cheney for putting him in that position in the first place.
 
Can Dick keep the lid on Libby? Might not be long before Scooty Poo figures out just how much of a chump he's been...then he'll repent and call someone to blab. Or write a tell-all book...he has to make a living somehow. He cannot vote or practice law anymore because he is a felon.
 
I would love for the whole Plame episode to be back on the front page...after all, there's no statute of limitations on treason.
 
Will Deadeye Dick blow a pacemaker gasket? Will Scooter squawk?
 
Whatever, I'll be ready with a big bowl of popcorn...heck, I might get to see Karl Rove frog-marched yet...
 

2009/2/17

He'll have to change his tombstone again

@ 07:15 AM (8 months, 23 days ago)

Blago-appointed Illinois Sen. Roland Burris has to go. I thought I'd found a Saturday Night Live skit when I clicked on his news conference the other day...he was sweating, squirming, denying and jabbing his finger in the air..."I am a man of integrity!"
 
This guy reminds us of why we distrust dang politicians so much. They should never have allowed a disgraced, about-to-be-impeached, Governor to appoint a Senate replacement in the first place.
 
See, a week or so ago Roland Burris quietly filed an affidavit to correct the testimony he had given to the Illinois House impeachment panel last month. Why? Maybe because a Chicago newspaper reported that one of Burris's three conversations with the governor's brother was recorded by the FBI.
 
Before his appointment to the Senate he told us he had no contacts - well, maybe one - with Gov. Blago or his representatives about the seat.
 
Now, in the amended affidavit, Burris says there were six contacts, including three with Blagojevich's brother Robert that sound pretty shady.
 
From Chicago Tribune: "Illinois Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan led a growing chorus of Democratic officials Monday calling for a deeper investigation of U.S. Sen. Roland Burris' explanation about how he was appointed by now-ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
 
Burris has maintained there was nothing inconsistent between his testimony before state lawmakers and a recently filed affidavit outlining more extensive contact with Blagojevich insiders than he had previously disclosed. But Illinois Republicans pressed their call for a perjury investigation by the county prosecutor ...[...]"
 
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-burris17feb17,0,6841138.story
 
Sure looks like he perjured himself to me.
 
Back when Blagojevich called a press conference to announce that he had selected Burris to fill Obama's seat, reporters pointed out that Burris' law firm had once contributed $14,000 to Blagojevich's campaigns. If that ain't "pay to play" I don't know what is!
 
Burris should do the honorable thing and resign. Maybe he hasn't yet added "Senator" to his list of accomplishments on that tombstone in Chicago he had built as a monument to himself. Bizarre...that should have tipped people off right there.
 
Anyway, Democrats are happy. Burris is a serial loser...couldn't win when he ran for Mayor...couldn't win when he ran for Senator...couldn't win when he ran for Governor three times. Not to mention his being appointed by Blago taints him big time.
 
Now Dems can concentrate on strong Democratic challengers like Lisa Madigan, Jan Schakowsky, Jesse Jackson Jr., among others.
 

2009/2/16

Late-night jokes recap 2/16

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@ 06:08 AM (8 months, 24 days ago)
 
"Well, the heads of the eight largest banks testified before Congress. Bank C.E.O.'s in a room full of politicians -- they had to flip a coin to see who's going to tell the first lie." --Jay Leno
 
"Down in Louisiana, a porn star named Stormy Daniels announced that before she commits to running for U.S. Senate, she will go on a statewide listening tour. Daniels added, and I'm quoting here, that she may 'be a slut and a whore, but' she is 'not a criminal.' But this is why she will never win. See, in the Senate, you have to be all three." --Jay Leno
 
"And in Minnesota, Republican Norm Coleman, who is in a legal fight with Al Franken over who won the election for Senate, said, 'God wants me to serve.' But here is my question. How bad a candidate are you if you can't win an election when you have the creator of the universe on your side?" --Jay Leno
 
"When President Obama -- this is true -- was getting into his helicopter, he accidentally bumped his head on the door. It was in the news, and when he heard about it, President Bush said, 'See, it's not so easy. Doors are hard.'" --Conan O'Brien
 
"Good news and bad news from FEMA. The bad news is FEMA says some of the disaster relief food they have may contain salmonella-tainted peanut butter. The good news is that since it's FEMA, it will be years before it gets to anybody." --Jay Leno
 
"Barack Obama held his first press conference as President of the United States, and it was fascinating because his press conferences are very different than the George Bush press conferences in many ways. There were verbs. There were syllables. There were complete sentences." --Jay Leno
 
"How about President Barack Obama's first primetime press conference? He was cogent, eloquent, and in complete command of the issues. I'm thinking to myself, what the hell am I supposed to do with that?" --David Letterman
 
"And an elderly man in Boynton Beach, Florida, was arrested after he called 911 to report that the Burger King he was standing in had just run out of lemonade. It is so sad to see what's happened to John McCain since the election." --Jay Leno
 
"The economy is so bad, New York Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez had to switch from steroids to Flintstone vitamins." --Jay Leno
 
"And the jobless rate has jumped to 7.6 percent, the worst since 1974, and economists are now worried this could lead to a resurgence of disco." --Jay Leno

2009/2/15

Stimulus bill heads for Obama's desk

@ 06:20 AM (8 months, 25 days ago)

Historic win for Obama. Lest we forget - the bill passed with zero Republican votes in the House and just three Republican votes in the Senate. The three were Senators Specter, Snowe and Collins.
 
Specter said many Republican senators supported the bill, but they didn't want their fingerprints on it. Yep, cover your political behind first, the needs of the country second.
 
There's been plenty to complain about as we look back over the events surrounding the stimulus bill - it wasn't ambitious enough, Democrats made too many concessions and President Obama got too caught up with bipartisanship and lost control of the message.
 
You get the picture.
 
But the Washington Post had an interesting article that adds a little perspective to what's happened during the past two weeks...a little reminder that while certain trees were ugly, the forest looks pretty good.
 
"Twenty-four days into his presidency, Barack Obama recorded last night a legislative achievement of the sort that few of his predecessors achieved at any point in their tenure.
 
In size and scope, there is almost nothing in history to rival the economic stimulus legislation that Obama shepherded through Congress in just over three weeks. And the result -- produced largely without Republican participation -- was remarkably similar to the terms Obama's team outlined even before he was inaugurated: a package of tax cuts and spending totaling about $775 billion. [...]
 
[E]ven before the plan passed the Senate last night, the president's top advisers were crowing. "We've been in office, what, 2 1/2 , three weeks? We've passed the most major sweeping comprehensive legislation as relates to economic activity ever in a three-week period of time," White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said Thursday evening in the West Wing.
 
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) credited Obama's leadership on the legislation yesterday, saying, "The American people know, and historians are judging, that this is one remarkable president."[..]"
 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/13/AR2009021303475.html
 
The Post also noted that we haven't seen a legislative win this big for a president since FDR overhauled the bankers in 1933, "which cleared Congress within days of his inauguration."
 
Right after the election we heard a lot of talk from Obama and his team about hitting the ground running...looks like they meant it.
 
You have to wonder if Hillary Clinton could have gotten something similar through. McCain would have said "tax cuts" and that wouldn't have worked even if it did pass. On the other hand, Obama used his huge popularity, went to the people, to pass something that while it may be imperfect, actually has substance.
 
Then too, we can't forget the other things this brand new administration has done - the Lily Ledbetter law, S-CHIP, stopping off shore drilling and lifting Bush Error health policy restrictions. Okay, he had a couple of cabinet posts vetting bumps (which president hasn't?) and one Republican treachery...but for the most part, he's abiding by his high ethical standards and getting rid of people who don't measure up.
 
So for 3 weeks, it's a monumental success. So bravo!
 
The Republicans, who chose to continue their failed policies are now paddling their boat straight toward the huge waterfall. Their new-found fiscal concerns are so laughable...they probably lost all the independent voters.
 
Now if only Obama *would* overhaul the banking system...
 
I saw an interesting conversation on Bill Moyers Journal with Simon Johnson (former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund) about that very thing, he had some good ideas:
 
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/02132009/transcript3.html
 

2009/2/14

I Got Your 'Stimulus Package' Right Here

Tags:
@ 05:30 AM (8 months, 26 days ago)

 

Sorry, this post has little to do with that header...it just makes me giggle...

Seriously, the header should really be about Democrats losing the message war on the stimulus package...and how the success or failure of the stimulus could make or break Obama’s first term.

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting piece about what they’re calling Rahm Emanuel’s "wide ranging interview with reporters."

[...] Mr. Emanuel owned up to one mistake: message. What he called the outside game slipped away from the White House last week, when the president and others stressed bipartisanship rather than job creation as they moved toward passing the measure. …

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123449249590080699.html

They got that right. While Republicans latched on to the term "spending bill" and spun it into the ground, the White House was stuck with the "bipartisanship" talking point. Obama and the Dems seemed too concerned with getting Republican votes for the stimulus.

But then, Obama couldn't very well railroad the bill through and just hope for the best. At least now the lines are clear - the Republicans were more interested in obstructing for political reasons than for their principles. No matter what they say...it was plain to see.

Also...it's not a given that all Dems will fall in line...

With Judd Gregg pulling his name from Commerce (thank goodness), maybe Democrats can now sober up to the fact that bipartisanship is good in theory, but you just can't ignore your principles. That’s especially true when only one side is trying, while the other side simply plays charades.

I still admire Obama’s platform of bringing people together...I just hope it's not his first priority. He needs to concentrate on promoting the progressive agenda, for which he was elected...but that's never been an Obama strong suit.

Many on the left are still trying to come to grips with Obama the politician in action...as opposed to the idealized candidate they voted for.

There's little in Obama’s history to show a hard core Democratic partisan...he usually tries to compromise rather than go down fighting for ideological principle.

We lefties need to wake up to this harsh reality.

 

2009/2/13

Don't laugh...

Tags:
@ 06:08 AM (8 months, 27 days ago)

...but one thing I would like to see President Obama do is legalize the growing of hemp...the kind grown for industrial use that has no drug properties because of its low THC content.
 
Growing hemp could help revitalize our agriculture industry...would allow tobacco farmers a way to earn a living while switching from growing tobacco.
 
Just think - one acre of hemp will produce as much fiber as two acres of cotton. It's stronger and softer than cotton, lasts twice as long as cotton, and will not mildew.
 
One acre of hemp will produce as much paper as two acres of trees. While it takes years for trees to grow until they can be harvested for paper or wood, hemp is ready to harvest only 120 days after it is planted.
 
It's environmentally-friendly, requires no pesticides, no herbicides, and only small amounts of fertilizer.
 
We need to strike down archaic US marijuana laws which prevent farmers from growing it.
 
Take a look at this:
HISTORY FACTS
*Hemp has been grown for at least the last 12,000 years for fiber (textiles and paper) and food. It has been effectively prohibited in the United States since the 1950s.
 
*George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew hemp. Ben Franklin owned a mill that made hemp paper. Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper.
 
*When US sources of "Manila hemp" (not true hemp) was cut off by the Japanese in WWII, the US Army and US Department of Agriculture promoted the "Hemp for Victory" campaign to grow hemp in the US.
 
*Because of its importance for sails (the word "canvass" is rooted in "cannabis") and rope for ships, hemp was a required crop in the American colonies.
 
INDUSTRY FACTS
 
*Henry Ford experimented with hemp to build car bodies. He wanted to build and fuel cars from farm products.
 
*BMW is experimenting with hemp materials in automobiles as part of an effort to make cars more recyclable.
 
*Much of the bird seed sold in the US has hemp seed (it's sterilized before importation), the hulls of which contain about 25% protein.
 
*Hemp oil once greased machines. Most paints, resins, shellacs, and varnishes used to be made out of linseed (from flax) and hemp oils.
 
*Rudolph Diesel designed his engine to run on hemp oil.
 
*Kimberly Clark (on the Fortune 500) has a mill in France which produces hemp paper preferred for bibles because it lasts a very long time and doesn't yellow.
 
*Construction products such as medium density fiber board, oriented strand board, and even beams, studs and posts could be made out of hemp. Because of hemp's long fibers, the products will be stronger and/or lighter than those made from wood.
 
*The products that can be made from hemp number over 25,000.
 
http://www.naihc.org/hemp_information/hemp_facts.html
 
We can work on the smokin' kind later...<off to buy a Michael Phelps "Weedies" T-shirt>

2009/2/12

Country First my Aunt Fanny

@ 05:08 AM (8 months, 28 days ago)

Republicans had such a hissy fit and fought until they had a number of provisions inserted in the stimulus bill...then voted against it en masse...then took to the air waves pleased as punch with themselves.
 
From nytimes.com: "WASHINGTON — House and Senate leaders on Wednesday struck a deal on a $789 billion economic stimulus bill after little more than 24 hours of rapid-fire negotiations with the Obama administration, clearing the way for final Congressional action later this week.
 
The package of spending increases and tax relief, intended to spur an economic recovery and create jobs by putting money back in the pockets of consumers and companies, ended up smaller than either the House or Senate had proposed.
Many Democrats would have preferred a larger bill, but agreed to pare back, including cuts to favored education and health programs, to win three crucial Republican votes in the Senate. [..]"
 
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/us/politics/12stimulus.html
 
Three votes. The bill was loaded with tax cuts designed to make Republicans happy, then a lot of other things were removed that offended their delicate sensibilities...and they were able to provide a whopping three votes. Three. Votes. The entire Republican party, in both houses, voted overwhelmingly against tax cuts for the middle class because it was beneficial to them politically. Country first...yeah.
 
Republicans DOUBLED the deficit from $5 trillion to $10 trillion in 8 short years...yet now they want to pretend they believe in balanced budgets and fiscal responsibility? You have to laugh.
 
When Republicans controlled Congress they would strip bills of all Democrat-friendly provisions. It was okay then...but it's a Constitutional crisis now that the shoe is on the other foot.
 
You reap what you sow. The GOP ran Congress with unbridled arrogance for six years...funny how much that sucks when you find yourself in the minority.
 
They'll bitch all the way, these Republicans, but eventually they'll get in line...because they'll remember that it's easier to sabotage legislation when you’re not on the outside looking in.
 

2009/2/10

Biden the gaffe-machine

@ 07:34 PM (8 months, 29 days ago)

You know, Barack Obama might be a genius on a level we haven't even thought of yet...
 
I thought uh oh when Obama announced Joe Biden would be his running mate. Biden is seen by most as a foreign policy expert and a nice guy, but he does have the foot-in-the-mouth problem...and he is sometimes long-winded.
 
Yet he seemed mostly in control while campaigning with Obama...direct, to the point, and showing off his knowledge and intelligence. Well yes...he did say that Obama will be tested by terrorists within six months, but it could've been worse...
 
Like the other day when he was talking about the stimulus package and said, "If we do everything right, if we do it with absolute certainty, if we stand up there and we really make the tough decisions, there's still a 30 percent chance we're going to get it wrong."
 
Ouchie...and leave it to good ol' FOX News to pounce on this in last night's prime-time presidential press conference. Of all the questions FOX could have asked - and notice that Obama did call on them -  Major Garrett decided the most important issue was Biden's latest gaffe.
 
But maybe Obama saw a silver lining that we haven't noticed....
 
Obama clearly wasn't happy about the gaffe...even though he did smile and say he didn't know what his VP was talking about. But see, the more Biden is a distraction, the less focus there is on Obama. That could be a good thing.
 
There is a lot of pressure on Obama. And if FOX didn't ask about Biden, their question could've been worse, or more obnoxious. So while Obama didn't look pleased, a "normal" vice president wouldn't have been such a distraction.
 
When it comes down to it, Biden is VP because he is experienced and intelligent and will give President Obama no holds barred advice. While he proves to sometimes be a distraction, deflecting attention away from Obama might be one of his more useful attributes in the next four years.
 

Late-night jokes recap 2/10

Tags:
@ 06:43 PM (8 months, 29 days ago)

"President Obama, getting very tough now, has imposed a $500,000 salary cap for executives getting federal bailout money. And, listen to this: Now on weekends, they can only play miniature golf. No more 18 holes." --Jay Leno

Read the rest of this entry ... (504 words left)

The more I hear of Geithner

@ 11:38 AM (8 months, 29 days ago)

...the less I'm liking him.
 
This is really, really upsetting. Banks received TARP money and it didn't help anything but the CEO's bonuses - it sure as hell didn't free up credit - and now it might HAPPEN AGAIN?
 
From nytimes.com: "WASHINGTON— The Obama administration’s new plan to bail out the nation’s banks was fashioned after a spirited internal debate that pitted the Treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner, against some of the president’s top political hands
 
In the end, Mr. Geithner largely prevailed in opposing tougher conditions on financial institutions that were sought by presidential aides, including David Axelrod, a senior adviser to the president, according to administration and Congressional officials.[..]"
 
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/business/economy/10bailout.html?_r=2&hp
 
No wonder he postponed telling us, until AFTER Obama's address last night. So, I wonder when Gov. Palin is going to be invited to the White House for HER advice?
 
I guess this is one of those times when I need to take a deep breath and learn to trust in Obama's Long Game.
 

President Obama's first press conference

@ 08:23 AM (8 months, 29 days ago)

Well, America, this is what you get when you elect a college professor for president...a person who actually answers questions...sometimes in exhaustive detail. For me, it was a pleasure to see...so refreshing to have a lucid, cogent commander-in-chief who can think on his feet and speak proper English. Gah, he even used the word 'bellicose'...
 
We're still reeling from the guy who danced around questions and didn't make sense - "Is our children learning?" - and made funny faces when he tried to exit through locked doors.
 
I noticed that Obama was taking questions from the Huffington Post. I do declare...the new media, you know, pesky bloggers. But the guy asked a serious question. Not like the serious journalist from the Washington Post who, in the middle of this financial crisis, asked about A-Rod admitting to steroid use.
 
I liked it when Obama reminded his audience that he “inherited” the deficit, AND the economic mess he’s dealing with...also that he said something about the “revisionist history” being done by Republicans. An important point.
 
He nailed it when he said -“I’m not sure they have a lot of credibility on fiscal responsibility.” Also, "Part of any stimulus would include spending.” That’s what Republicans won’t accept...that you actually have to spend money to turn the wheels of the country again.
 
At least the American people are still on board according to the latest Gallup polls:
 
"Obama’s 67% approval rating on the stimulus is more than twice that of Republicans"
 
"PRINCETON, NJ -- The American public gives President Barack Obama a strong 67% approval rating for the way in which he is handling the government's efforts to pass an economic stimulus bill..[..]"
 
http://www.gallup.com/poll/114202/Obama-Upper-Hand-Stimulus-Fight.aspx
 
Once and for all I would like the dang Republicans in Congress to either help this economy or get the hell off the road. If they don't want any money spent in their districts...then fine.
 
I'm getting fed up with trying bipartisanship. Like Jim Hightower once said, "The only thing in the middle of the road is a yellow stripe and a dead armadillo."
 
It's obvious to me they just want Obama to FAIL...which must mean they would like to see the whole country slide into a decade-long Depression in the hopes they might gain a few seats in Congress in 2010.
 
Another thing - I wonder if all the Obama squawk about going after the corporate bigwigs - no huge bonuses, no more corporate jets - is firing up a lot of the Republican opposition. You have to wonder if those corporate bigwigs who donate oodles of money to them are yelling at Republican congressmen to stop this madness.
 

New poll shows Limbaugh slipping

@ 04:12 AM (9 months, 4 hours ago)

Here’s why Dems are so eager to make Rush Limbaugh the public face of the GOP - his numbers are tanking, particularly among Independents.
 
From gallup.com: "Limbaugh Well-Liked by Many, but Not All, Republicans
 
"...the data from Gallup's Jan. 30-Feb. 1 poll show that Republican support for Limbaugh is not monolithic. Although a clear majority of 60% of Republicans have a favorable opinion of Limbaugh, a not-insignificant 23% have an unfavorable opinion.
 
...The data from the recent Gallup Poll confirm what has been found previously and what follows from common sense, given the target audience for Limbaugh's radio show. He enjoys a positive image among the majority of Republicans (although about one in four Republicans view him negatively), while having a much more negative image among independents..."
 
http://www.gallup.com/poll/114163/Limbaugh-Liked-Not-Republicans.aspx
 
Some people think we should just ignore Rush...don't give him any more press and notoriety, and possibly more converts. Let him rant to his small share of the lunatic fringe...someday he will become irrelevant.
 
Then other people say you can't hope he just goes away...any more than you can hope termites go away...that you've got to counter the hate and expose the misinformation he spews. More media attention means he's the Dems' best friend. The more the R's are forced to defend him, the farther they're driven into wingnut wilderness.
 
I've always thought that Rush's main attraction is that he's a bully. It encourages his powerless impotent followers to mimic his being a bully. Dittoheads, get it?
 
President Obama is a good symbol for Democrats and America to follow, and where Independents want to go - inclusive, intelligent, pragmatic, kind and helping the community...respected as a leader not a name-calling bully.
 
Limbaugh is a fitting symbol for what the Republican party has mostly become - ignorant hateful loud mouths...who preach about patriotism while running the country into the ground...greedy incompetent failures.
 
So...60% of Republicans view Limbaugh favorably? Three out of every five Republicans think he's a good guy who speaks for them?
 
Really? I used to think he represented just a fringe element of the Republican party...but now I find out that's he's the Republican mainstream.

 

2009/2/8

Delicious!

Tags:
@ 04:46 AM (9 months, 2 days ago)

Oh look what's floating around the Net...I dearly wish I could take credit for this delicious snark, but I just found it in my mailbox. So, in the spirit of national healing, enjoy!
 
"Ben & Jerry have created "Yes Pecan!" ice cream flavor for Obama. For George W. they asked for suggestions from the public. Here are some of their favorite responses:
 
Grape Depression -- The Housing Crunch -- Abu Grape -- Cluster Fudge -- Nut'n Accomplished -- Iraqi Road -- Chock 'n Awe -- WireTapioca -- Impeach Cobbler -- Guantanmallow -- imPeachmint -- Heck of a Job, Brownie! -- Neocon Politan -- RockyRoad to Fascism -- The Reese's-cession -- Cookie D'oh! -- Nougalar Proliferation -- Death by Chocolate... and Torture -- Freedom Vanilla Ice Cream -- Chocolate Chip On My Shoulder -- Credit Crunch -- Mission Pecanplished -- Country Pumpkin -- Chunky Monkey in Chief -- WMDelicious -- Chocolate Chimp -- Bloody Sundae -- Caramel Preemptive Stripe -- I broke the law and am responsible for the deaths of thousands . . . with nuts."
 
I tried to google the original author but alas, couldn't find the starting point. They'll probably come forward any minute now.
 

2009/2/7

Bullpucky!

@ 09:02 AM (9 months, 2 days ago)


Republicans are driving me crazy...no, not Margot Kidder hidin' in the bushes crazy...just yellin' at the TV crazy.

Read the rest of this entry ... (410 words left)

2009/2/6

The Bogeyman is baaaack

@ 07:49 AM (9 months, 4 days ago)


I had to giggle at the sight of Dick Cheney at President Obama's inauguration...sitting there in that wheelchair, looking like a dead ringer for Mr. Potter the evil banker in "It's a Wonderful Life"...or maybe Dr. Strangelove...

Read the rest of this entry ... (548 words left)

2009/2/5

Jay Leno monologue aired 2/4 on NBC

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@ 09:48 PM (9 months, 4 days ago)

"Welcome to “The Tonight Show.” You sound happier than Barack Obama when he found out Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton both paid their taxes.

Read the rest of this entry ... (522 words left)

Britney Spears Guide to the Stimulus Package

@ 07:37 AM (9 months, 5 days ago)

Just vote for the dang thing...then sit down and shut up...

Read the rest of this entry ... (384 words left)

2009/2/4

Jay Leno's Monologue 2/2/09

Tags:
@ 11:04 PM (9 months, 5 days ago)

"Very exciting Super Bowl on Sunday, and they said every seat at Raymond James Stadium was a good seat. Unless, of course, you were sitting behind Aretha Franklin. “Hey, lady, the hat. Take the hat off, lady.”
 
Happy birthday to former Vice President Dick Cheney, who is now 68 years old. So you know what that means? He beat the spread.
 
And the half brother of Barack Obama, a man named George Obama, has been arrested in Kenya for allegedly having drugs. See, here we go again with the dumb presidential brothers. Remember Billy Carter? Then there was Roger Clinton, Bill Clinton’s brother. See, we never had that problem with President Bush. He was already the dumb brother.
 
There was a huge scientific breakthrough today. Researchers say they are very close to finding someone from Obama’s Cabinet who’s actually paid their taxes.
Tom Daschle, whom President Obama wants as secretary of health and human services, apparently did not pay $128,000 in taxes that he owes the government. Did you realize President Obama hasn’t had a cabinet member with an embarrassing tax problem like this since the last guy they appointed?
 
And former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele has become the first African-American Republican National Committee chairman ever. Black Republicans said they were thrilled. Both of them.
 
And because of our huge budget crisis, California’s now going to delay paying your tax refunds, to which Tom Daschle said, “That’s why I didn’t pay them in the first place.”
 
http://laughlines.blogs.nytimes.com/

He dodged his taxes...we dodged the bullet

@ 06:00 AM (9 months, 6 days ago)

Remember that press conference when President Bush couldn’t think of a single mistake he had made? Well, there’s a new sheriff in town. President Obama told NBC’s Brian Williams ‘I screwed up,’ after Tom Daschle withdrew his name as nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Read the rest of this entry ... (396 words left)

2009/2/3

These be hard times...cough

@ 08:04 AM (9 months, 7 days ago)

Do the Republicans just enjoy being the minority party? This is just comical.
 
Every time I think conservatives have hit rock bottom - that they can’t possibly get any more ridiculous - one of them screams “Watch this!” and makes armpit farts.
 
Oh...My...God....Joe the freakin' plumber is helping the Republicans plan political strategy.
 
If you were a young GOP aide, just imagine getting this email reminding you of Tuesday's regular gathering of the Conservative Working Group, Capitol Hill staffers who meet regularly to chart GOP strategy for the week:
 
From news.yahoo.com: "Fresh off his stint as a war correspondent in Gaza, Joe the Plumber is now doing political strategy with Republicans.
 
When GOP congressional aides gather Tuesday morning for a meeting of the Conservative Working Group, Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher – more commonly known as Joe the Plumber — will be their featured guest. This group is an organization of conservative Capitol Hill staffers who meet regularly to chart GOP strategy for the week.
 
Wurzelbacher, who became a household name during the presidential election, will be focusing his talk on the proposed stimulus package. He's apparently not a fan of the economic rescue package, according to members of the group.
 
If nothing else, GOP aides are using the appearance to get staffers to attend the 9 a.m meeting.
 
“In case you weren’t planning to attend CWG tomorrow morning, you might want to reconsider because Joe the Plumber will be joining us!” Kimberly Wallner, an aide to South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, wrote in a message to her e-mail list this afternoon. [..]"
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090203/pl_politico/18324
 
But don't laugh folks, Joe is an expert on job creation. Just look at this guy! He went from unlicensed plumber’s assistant to all-knowing economic guru...then Middle East policy genius...also hawker of digital TV converters, and published “author.” All since last October. Is there nothing this man can’t do?
 
But hey, when you consider the deeply positive impact he had on the McCain campaign, we ought to wish him luck and encourage the Republicans to keep working him into their act.
 
It will no doubt help them explain how one of their new icons is so much different than people like Tom Daschle or Tim Geithner when it comes to issues like paying taxes, economic stimulus, and Social Security as a value to society...
 

Hang them from the highest lamp posts on Wall Street!

Tags:
@ 07:50 AM (9 months, 7 days ago)
 
In case you missed it, here's MoDo's excellent New York Times column. She takes no prisoners.
 
Disgorge, Wall Street Fat Cats...By MAUREEN DOWD
 
The president’s disgust at Wall Street looters was good. But we need more. We need disgorgement.
 
Disgorgement is when courts force wrongdoers to repay ill-gotten gains. And I’m ill at the gains gotten by scummy executives acting all Gordon Gekko while they’re getting bailed out by us.
 
With the equally laconic Tim Geithner beside him, Mr. Obama called it “shameful” and “the height of irresponsibility” for Wall Street bankers to give themselves $18.4 billion worth of bonuses for last year.
 
They should know better, he coolly chided. But big shots — even Mr. Obama’s — seem impervious to knowing better. (Following fast on Geithner’s tax lacunae, Tom Daschle’s nomination hit a pothole when he had to pay $140,000 in back taxes he owed mostly for three years’ use of a car and a driver provided by a private equity firm.)
 
At least the old robber barons made great products. When you make money out of money, unmoored from morality and regulators, it must unhinge you. How else to explain corporate welfare queens partridge hunting in England, buying French jets and shopping for Lamborghinis?[..]"
 
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/opinion/01dowd.html?_r=1
 

2009/2/2

RNC elected their own "magic Negro"

@ 09:20 AM (9 months, 7 days ago)
 
The Republicans have another Palin Moment...Palin was the anti-Hillary, and now the new RNC leader is the bizarre Obama.
 
Republicans sure are a funny bunch. They’re against affirmative action and all, but they're always able to find a person of color to fill a slot when they need one. When Thurgood Marshall stepped down from the Supreme Court, the first President Bush was lucky to find Clarence Thomas to replace him; then when Barack Obama looked like he would sail into his Senate seat, Republicans scrambled around to airlift Alan Keyes in to run against him.
 
"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Members of the Republican National Committee elected their first African-American party chief Friday, choosing former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele to chair the organization after six tumultuous rounds of voting.[..]"
 
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/30/rnc.chairman/?iref=mpstoryview
 
Well, not all Republicans are happy about the party electing Michael Steele to run the RNC. Former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard and Louisiana Congressman David Duke has really got his klan knickers in a knot. From Duke's website:
 
"To Hell with the Republican Party!
GOP traitors appoint Obama Junior as Chairman of the Republican Party
I am glad these traitorous leaders of the Republican Party appointed this Black racist, affirmative action advocate to the head of the Republican party because this will lead to a huge revolt among the Republican base. As a former Republican official, I can tell you that millions of rank-and-file Republicans are mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore! We will either take the Republican Party back over the next four years or we will say, "To Hell With the Republican Party!" And we will take 90 percent of Republicans with us into a New Party that will take its current place! [..]"
 
http://www.davidduke.com/general/gop-traitors-appoint-black-racist-as-chairman-of-the-republican-party_7443.html
 
Quick...somebody look for a picture of Obama fist bumping Mike Steele....
 
Now that the Republican party is being headed up by a black man, whatever are those angry McCain/Palin mobs going to do?
 
A better question would be whether Chairman Steele and his party will try to reclaim this rabid base of voters. After all, they've used them as "southern strategy" ever since Nixon. But GOP strategists (such as Karl Rove) are so in the habit of using race-baiting campaign tactics that it's second nature...how will the party be able to cure its addiction to xenophobia?
 
I hope the David Dukes of the GOP bellow their discontent so that it's heard far and wide...by all Americans and the rest of the world. Let everybody get a good look at the GOP's underbelly and remember what happens when you give hypocrite racists the support they need to become "credible."
 
If the GOP could purge these angry extremists - let them go form their own party, Sarah is ready to lead them - it could be a fresh start for true Republicans who face a long road back to political power.
 
I want the Barry Goldwater Republicans back. I want my country to have a working two-party system again. Or better yet, a four party system - Lefty extremists can form a party and Righty extremists can form a party. Something for everyone!
 

They're watching your shopping habits

@ 05:21 AM (9 months, 8 days ago)


Yep, American Express looks for patterns on how you spend your money and if they don't like where you shop, they will lower your credit limit accordingly. Without you missing a payment or anything. Like if you shop at "certain merchants" - say Wal-Mart - it must mean you're poor, so you pose a higher risk.

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2009/2/1

Br'er Obama outsmarts Br'er Rush and the GOP

Tags:
@ 06:00 AM (9 months, 9 days ago)


For days I've been reading about how the rabid righties are frothing at the mouth about President Obama "picking a fight" with wimgnut radio host Rush Limbaugh.

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