night everyone

Steve Benen: If you watch this clip you’ll see that President Obama, among his other talents, has the ability to make babies stop crying. (The look he gives the First Lady is priceless.)

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Wish the President luck, he has to spend a few hours on the course tomorrow with Rusty and Union-busting Kasich.

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Tally? You’re a legend 😉 And your mouth is waaaaaaay less potty than mine

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Donna? Thank you again for all the great videos. Jovie, Loriah, Suzanne and GGail (to name but a few), thank you too for all the brilliant links to news and articles written by smart people 😉

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Dan Choi’s poster at Netroots? No, no – a pro-Gaddafi supporter in ….. Sri Lanka:

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Goodnight fellow supporters of ‘The World Biggest Satan’, see you tomorrow 😉

so, choi claimed breitbart got a warm netroots welcome….

‘bombs away’

P M Carpenter: At ‘Netroots Nation’ yesterday:

four panelists – [gay-activist Lt. Dan] Choi, immigration reform supporter Felipe Matos, America Blog writer John Aravosis and Fire Dog Lake Founder Jane Hamsher – said they are planning to hold the White House’s collective feet to the fire for its decisions on civil rights, whether it would hurt Obama’s reelection chances or not.

I’m sorry, I don’t mean to chuckle. I realize these are serious issues, and in no way do I diminish their importance. But being threatened by the adolescent malcontents of the utterly insignificant, whining teapot-tempests of Americablog and FireDogLake is like being under fire from the Italian infantry, circa 1943. One scarcely notices.

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Be good to yourself, subscribe to PM Carpenter’s blog, it’s utterly sublime

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Thank you Betsey

ah yes, choi….

November 2010:

EqualityGiving.org: In its first 25 months, the Obama Administration…

Signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expanded existing United States federal hate crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability – the first positive federal LGBT legislation in the nation’s history

Signed repeal of Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell

Signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act

Reversed an inexcusable US position by signing the UN Declaration on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Extended benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees in 2009 and, further, in 2010

Lifted the HIV Entry Ban effective January 2010

Issued diplomatic passports, and provided other benefits, to the partners of same-sex foreign service employees

Committed to ensuring that federal housing programs are open to all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity

Banned job discrimination based on gender identity throughout the Federal government (the nation’s largest employer)

Eliminated the discriminatory Census Bureau policy that kept gay relationships from being counted

Instructed HHS to require any hospital receiving Medicare or Medicaid funds (virtually all hospitals) to allow LGBT visitation rights

Required all grant applicants seeking HUD funding to comply with state and local anti-discrimination laws that protect LGBT individuals

Adopted transgender recommendations on the issuance of gender-appropriate passports that will ease barriers to safe travel and that will provide government-issued ID that avoids involuntary “outing” in situations requiring ID, like hiring, where a gender-appropriate driver’s license or birth certificate is not available

Extended domestic violence protections to LGBT victims

Extended the Family and Medical Leave Act to cover employees taking unpaid leave to care for the children of same-sex partners

Issued guidance specifically to assist LGBT tenants denied housing on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity

Cut back authority to discharge under Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell from hundreds of generals to just 6 civilian appointees, effectively ending discharges while working toward a permanent end to the policy.

Launched the first-ever national study of discrimination against members of the LGBT community in the rental and sale of housing

Determined that Section 3 of DOMA is unconstitutional, that discrimination against LGBT citizens should be subject to “heightened scrutiny” and that it will no longer defend this portion of the law in court.

Vacated a court order that would have deported a gay American’s Venezuelan partner

Endorsed the Baldwin-Lieberman bill, The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009, to provide FULL partnership benefits to federal employees

Released the first Presidential PRIDE proclamations since 2000

Hosted the first LGBT Pride Month Celebration in White House history

Appointed the first ever transgender DNC member

Testified in favor of ENDA, the first time any official of any administration has testified in the Senate on ENDA

Hired more openly LGBT officials in its first two years – more than 150, including more than 20 “Senate-confirmables” – than any previous administration hired in four years or eight

Named open transgender appointees (the first President ever to do so)

Emphasized LGBT inclusion in everything from the President’s historic NAACP address (“The pain of discrimination is still felt in America. By African American women paid less for doing the same work as colleagues of a different color and a different gender …. By our gay brothers and sisters, still taunted, still attacked, still denied their rights.”) … to the first paragraph of his Family Day proclamation (“Whether children are raised by two parents, a single parent, grandparents, a same-sex couple, or a guardian, families encourage us to do our best and enable us to accomplish great things”) and his Mothers Day proclamation (“Nurturing families come in many forms, and children may be raised by two parents, a single mother, two mothers, a step-mom, a grandmother, or a guardian. Mother’s Day gives us an opportunity to celebrate these extraordinary caretakers”)

Spoke out against discrimination at the National Prayer Breakfast (“We may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree that it is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are – whether it’s here in the United States or, as Hillary mentioned, more extremely in odious laws that are being proposed most recently in Uganda.”)

Dispatched the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to call on the Senate to repeal Don’t Ask / Don’t Tell

Publicly invited the shunned Mississippi high school prom student to the White House

Successfully fought for UN accreditation of IGLHRC (the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission) – against Republican attempts to block it

Awarded $13.3 million to the LA Gay & Lesbian Center to create a model program for LGBTQ youth in the foster care system

Hosted first-ever White House transgender policy meeting

See more here

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If you’ve had the misfortune to visit PL sites recently you’ll have seen how much the ‘Obama-is-a-Homophobe!’ crew hate “the list” (as they call it) because …. um ….. dunno ….. maybe because it just proves they’re a bunch of lying turds? Or maybe they just think a McCain/Palin administration would have done so, so much more for LGBT rights?

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Wouldn’t it be nice if Dan was honest? eg “Sorry guys, I have no choice but to ignore the facts and continue labeling Obama as a homophobe who is the worst President in American history when it comes to LGBT equality – despite his record being pretty remarkable – because if I did I wouldn’t be a professional left hero any more and my media invitations would dry up. Hey, gotta stay in that spotlight!”

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But hey, he’s a ‘progressive’!

November 2010 – C.D. Kirven (co-founder of Get Equal Now): An appeal to Dan Choi: Stop the gender baiting – Dear Dan: As a member of the LGBT community fighting against bigotry, I understand the depth of your passion….

….A large number of those targeted by the policy (DADT) are women. In 2009, women made up 14 percent of the Army, but accounted for up to 48 percent of DADT’s discharges.

Your comment after the failed DADT vote in the Senate last month – “Harry Reid is a pussy. … He’ll be bleeding once a month” – is almost too insulting to take seriously….

…. I’m a woman before anything else, so I refuse to tolerate anyone publicly demeaning women. Personally, I’m very hurt and disappointed in you as a leader. This truly breaks my heart.

Unfortunately, this type of misogynistic behavior is nothing new in the LGBT community …You should lead our community by opposing gender baiting and understanding that those kinds of comments are unacceptable.

…As efforts to improve race relations within the LGBT community are almost non-existent, and as sexism slowly leaves the shadows, you as a leader will hopefully seize the opportunity to unify us instead of dividing us along gender lines.

My plea will most likely go unanswered because I’m a middle-class lesbian of color who can’t afford to pay to play….

Full article here

More here and here

a word from tally: time to help and stop hurting our own cause

by Tally

NO ONE is going to Primary Obama. NO ONE. Obama is our candidate. Anyone who thinks he’s as bad as anyone in the GOP hasn’t been paying attention to what’s been happening all over the country. They really don’t know about the union busting in WI (and the rest of the US), or the anti-birth control legislation in OK, or the fact we’ve got a chance of at least THREE Supreme Court nominations coming up in the next 5.5 years, or the fact the GOP is trying desperately to get rid of HCR, or to take away voting rights, or make the Bush tax cuts permanent…. the list is fucking endless. I’m glad Elizabeth Warren hasn’t taken any small planes….

Voting third party or a no vote for POTUS is no different than all the Nader voters in 2000. If anyone thinks there won’t be a fight like Bush v Gore in 2012 if the election isn’t a complete landslide, needs their head examined. And NO, no one gets a pass for not participating. Everyone who abstains is responsible. A viable third party without instant runoff elections is a fantasy, as much as some people might desire it, so stop chopping off you’re own head!

Yes, I KNOW many want Obama to be more of a fighter. But while wanting him to physically slap the shit out of every loser in DC might be very satisfying, it’s an infantile fantasy. Most Americans don’t want their POTUS to be the schoolyard bully that Bush Jr was….. but that’s neither here nor there.

Obama is still PARSECS better than any other candidate out there. The biggest problem is the dysfunctional congress WE, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, sent to work with Obama. It’s not Obama’s fault that there are such a bunch of fucktards in both the House & Senate who refuse to work with him, and an entire opposition party who’s only goal is to destroy him, even if that means destroying the country along with him…. THAT’S OUR FAULT FOR SENDING THEM THERE. WE MUST OWN THAT.

WE must OWN that there are pathetic BlueDogs™ who are bought and paid for whores. WE must OWN the fact we didn’t send enough progressives to the SENATE to get past the 60 Magical Vote requirement the GOP stuck to because THEY COULD. WE MUST OWN the fact that so many disgruntled spoiled baby Dems who were easily swayed by all the negative braying about Obama didn’t do XYZ…. and stayed at home and didn’t vote in 2010.

The Rolling Stones are absolutely correct: You can’t always get what you want. And you certainly can’t demand that ANY President work alone, or undo 50+ years of systematic deregulation and destruction of the Middle Class, and The New Deal, and the greatest transfer of wealth in our country’s history, over fucking night.

We’ve become a selfish ME society that demands instant gratification regarding ANYTHING, and we have memories of goldfish. Government change isn’t a sporting event. Obama has gotten a lot done in the face of AN EPIC, WELL FUNDED OPPOSITION, THAT COMPLETELY OWNS THE MEDIA in two and a half years including HCR, shooting the shit out of Somali Pirates, and taking out OSAMA BIN FUCKING LADEN.

It’s time to step up, and stand behind our POTUS, and FOR THE SAKE OF ALL THE GODS EVERYWHERE, STOP BELITTLING HIM AT EVERY TURN.

It’s time to single out who in both houses of Congress we want IN, and who we want OUT. NAME THEM. NAME THEIR REPLACEMENTS AND WHY….

It’s time to help, and stop hurting our own cause.

Every day you should be screaming about being held hostage by a minority who wants 60 Magical Votes in the Senate. And screaming about the ridiculous threat to not raise the debt ceiling, and trying to end Medicare etc – SCREAM ABOUT GETTING RID OF THE SS/MEDICARE CONTRIBUTION CAP SO EVERYONE PAYS THE SAME % INCLUDING THE SUPERRICH.

NAME the Dems who actually fight, and are trying to introduce jobs legislation, then NAME the GOPERS who refuse to allow those bills even to come to the floor……

Obama has gotten a mountain of shit done so far in the face of mind-boggling opposition. For that he needs to be called Superman! Just think how much more he could have done had he had the Magical 60+ votes in the Senate, and a supermajority in the house! If that had happened, everyone would be lining up to suck his dick instead of whining about how less than perfect he is.

(Sorry my TOD family for my potty mouth…….)

gma

A longer version of the video posted earlier – thanks Donna 😉

later!

Hello people, I’ll be out for a few hours but I’ll catch up later – have a perfect day 😉

what?!

This is a ‘teaser’ video from the Jon Huntsman campaign designed to make everyone very excited about his big announcement next week.

Person speedily riding a motorbike through attractive scenery.

“In 4 days.”

“Has seven children, one from India, one from China.”

What?

This is relevant because ……. ?

Bizarre.

toons

The Week

‘downright ugly’

Robert Shrum: …. The GOP debate was not only economically vapid, but downright ugly, as the participants either trafficked in, or fellow-travelled with, appeals to fear and intolerance…..

No one on that stage rose to the defense of American Muslims or ventured to reprove Cain. But most of the candidates rushed to reassure the right wing on the question of gay rights. They were against the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, for a constitutional prohibition of same-sex marriage…

…A former Republican officeholder, still active in the party, lamented that if you want to have a chance you have to cater to the fringe: “And it’s worse now that it’s ever been.”

….Waiting for Huntsman, yearning for Chris Christie of New Jersey, or Rick Perry of Texas: By the end of Monday’s debate, it was easier than ever to understand why. Americans seem to grasp the implausibility of the men – and the woman – who so starkly revealed themselves in New Hampshire. Even in the new economic doldrums, President Obama leads Romney by 6 points – and outside the South by far more – in the new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll. Pawlenty gets trounced – and so would Bachmann, although it’s now conceivable that a fevered GOP might just nominate her.

I know which side I’m on as 2012 approaches, but I know the country deserves a genuine debate about the future. That wasn’t what we saw and heard from New Hampshire the other night. The debate was less serious and less substantive than Saturday Night Live…..

Full article here