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AP: Some of the money from President Barack Obama’s health care law is flowing to places you might not expect.
Two Texas public employee programs are among the top 25 beneficiaries of a $5-billion fund to shore up employer coverage for early retirees, despite Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s vow to repeal what Republicans derisively call “Obamacare.”
And records show the Huntsman family business, where GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman was once a top executive, received about $1 million.
Some see a gap between dire Republican rhetoric about the health care overhaul and the pragmatic impulse to cash in on a new government benefit.
“Lots of Texans are already benefiting from health care reform,” said Anne Dunkelberg, a health care expert at the Austin-based Center for Public Policy Priorities. “Other than for political theater, there would not be the kind of opposition there is.” The nonpartisan center advocates for the poor.
Full article here
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Uggh, he’s at it again:
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner
****
…. with Spain’s PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero
… with Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff
…. with Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
… with International Labor Organization Director-General Juan Somavia
****
CNN: President Barack Obama leads all of his potential Republican challengers in hypothetical 2012 matchups among Pennsylvania adults, according to a new poll.
The Franklin and Marshall College poll released Thursday in the battleground state, shows Obama ahead of potential rivals Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum, but the results are closest when the president is paired with Romney.
Obama leads the former Massachusetts governor 35% to 26% and Cain, the former pizza executive, 38% to 24%. He enjoys a 20% lead over Texas Gov. Perry, 40% to 20% and a 13% advantage over former two-term Pennsylvania Sen. Santorum, 38% to 25%.
Full post here
****
Thanks amk
The Obama Diary 
All so confusing- latest news: The Greek PM is not resigning but has called off the referendum.
Here ya go…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GREECE_FINANCIAL_CRISIS?SITE=CAANR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-11-03-11-02-02
O/T here, I have a favor to ask my TOD friends.
It is my mother’s birthday today….75! wow
She’s so active, she travels a lot, she still work part time at the University, she loves it.
She is a big fan of President Obama.
She’s not as crazy about politics as I am but she keeps herself very informed and she just loves President Obama.
If some of you guys don’t mind wishing her Happy Birthday, she would get a kick out of it….her english is not perfect but she can read it and speak it well enough.
I’ll send her the link later.
Thanks guys…………..it’s maman Denise
Happy Birthday to Christi’s mom!!!!!!! It’s a blessing to live beyond that 70 year mark. I pray she has many, many more wonderful Birth-days! God Bless her and you, ma’am.
Have a beautiful HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Maman Denise!
I told my kids not to give me any birthday, Christmas, or Mother’s Day gifts and instead donate to President Obama’s re-election campaign.
Judy in Portland, Oregon
Happy Happy….Christi’s MOM….((huggs))
Happy Birthday maman Denise!!! Wishing you the best today and always.
Happy Birthday Maman Denise!!!! Hope you have fun, lots of food, lots of drinks, do a silly dance, wear a silly hat. Your daughter Christi is a wonderful person. Have a great day! 🙂
Happy Birthday, Maman Denise. I wish you joy and good health on you special day.
Happy Birthday Denise, have a blissful day! Check the post again ChristiMtl 😉
Happy Birthday, maman Denise. Joy and blessings on your special day and everyday.
Happy Birthday, Christi’s Mom, and many many more healthy Birthdays. May God bless You real good 🙂
OMG Chips, you’re so awesome….thank you.
I always feel that the supporters of President Obama, in the States or abroad, have a special bond.
God knows my mom loves loves loves President Obama.
I obviously don’t think that President Obama is a saint, …….but my goodness, there’s something about him that is so special, so different.
He’s just remarkable.
My mom will get a kick out of this for sure!! Thanks guys.
I’ll bet your Mom will be delighted when she sees the captioned pic of PBO carrying a birthday cake. Stellar job, Ms. Chips!!!
You’re welcome ChristiMtl! I hope your maman has a beautiful day – give her our love!
Ummm……………Luv ya Canada Christi, but in my books I believe President Obama is a SAINT. Yes, I am a Christian and yes I don’t believe what I said is BLASPHEMOUS. He is a gift from GOD when the world needed him. Look at where he is located today. NUFF SAID as they say. 😎
Keith I completely agree with your comment! Well said.
😉 backatcha Sam.
Totally agree!
Happy Birthday Maman Denise! Hope you have a wonderful day.
Beautiful Birthday Wishes to Maman Denise! Have a great, fun-filled day!
*~*~*~*~*~*Happy Birthday Mama Denise*~*~*~*~*~*
Many, Many More!!!!!!!!!
Happy Birthday Maman Denise
Happy Birthday Maman Denise! Enjoy!
Happy Birthday MaMa Denise.
Happy Birthday to you Maman Denise! Here’s to many many more! Cheers 🙂
Happy Birthday Maman Denise – blessings to you!
Happy Birthday to Christi’s Maman Denise!!! Have an awesome celebration.
Happy Birthday, Maman Denise. I know how special it is to be close to your mom! Have a very special day!
Happy Birthday Maman Denise. Sending you wishes for a year filled with good health, abundant love and joy. And of course 4 more years for our remarkable President Obama and VP Biden. Thank you for supporting President Obama, you know a good thing when you see it.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Maman Denise! Enjoy your special day! And THANK YOU for support our great President Obama.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!
Tally! Where have you been! Missed ya.
OOCCHH!!!!
Let’s see…….
mostly just slammin busy. And too much pisses me off so I’ve gotten lost in videogame world…. to save my sanity.
And then there’s THE MLS PAYOFFS (hot men running for 90 min) – my Galaxy have been in FIRST PLACE THE ENTIRE SEASON (again), and have never lost at HOME THIS YEAR (knock wood.) TONIGHT is the 2nd game of the first round (we play NY Red Bulls AT OUR HOUSE – the HDC) and we’re up by only 1 goal (we should be up by 7. Seriously.) (The first playoff round is two games, home & away – and goes by aggregate goals.) So we either WIN OR TIE tonight, or we don’t move on. If they win with one goal – we go to a penalty shootout.
It’s Baby Jesus’, oh sorry, I mean David Beckham’s LAST SEASON – it would be nice to get our money’s worth and WIN THE WHOLE SHEBANG THIS YEAR. Since we have not won since he’s been here…… but then he’s been away, or broken, or….
If we win tonight, we play Real Salt Lake (HERE), and then if we win, we are off to the MLS CUP FINAL on Nov 20th (ALSO HERE.)
So. As long as Becks, Landon Donovan, and Robbie Keane can avoid getting broken, and we don’t have some massive collapse, the stars seem to have aligned (again) – but then that was true last year, and we lost in the last playoff before the final. 😥
TONIGHT – 8pm PDT – ESPN2
Woot, you’re a busy gal!!!! I thought of you when I saw Baby Jesus 😆 interviewed yesterday, I guessed you’d be slightly pleased with the team’s progress. How’s Robbie doing? Last I saw he had a buttock injury (I think that’s where his brain is stored). **** Running for hills ****
Yeah – Robbie’s been broken for a month. Every time we get a shiny new toy, it breaks….
I want Santa to bring us Diego Forlán to replace Baby Jesus. (I don’t care if he just signed with Inter Milan!!!)
Is it Diegos’ footballing skills you admire? Me too.
DEAR GODS!!!!
hai. can I haz? plz?
I could cripple that man – in a wonderful way.
And yeah. He’s AMAZING on the pitch.
He’s not only ridiculously GORGEOUS, he took up futbol after his sister became paralyzed and gives almost every penny he makes to her foundation. Yeah. He’s a serious humanitarian as well.
“hai. can I haz? plz? I could cripple that man – in a wonderful way.”
😆
Even though he generally forgot how to score goals in his spell with Manchester United, I forgave him when he singlehandedly beat Liverpool when he scored twice. And from then on he was a God.
so. true. And he just gets prettier.
That 3rd place game of WC2010 was THE BEST OF THE ENTIRE CUP. In the POURING RAIN. No dirty playing (Hey Netherlands – I’m looking at YOU.) And that LAST KICK in the LAST seconds and Diego hits the crossbar. SO HEARTBREAKING!! NO ONE can control that Jubalani ball like Diego. NO. ONE.
have you seen the photos of him in a wet suit???? :SHOCK: purrrrrrrrrrrrr
“have you seen the photos of him in a wet suit????:
You know Tally, I’m not sure my heart could stand the sight. **** Running away to Google ****
😆
Il est tres omnom, oui?
“OOCCHH!!!!”
PS You must have Scottish blood?
tis true lassie!
When the weather turns cold, I crave haggis.
😆
Is this guy any relation?
Hello Daddy!
I girl can dream.
My DNA wants to breed with Gerry Butler. ooooooooooh yeeeeeeees pllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!!!
😯
Ooooooooooooooooooo yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees, Gerard Butler. He was so hot in “Phantom of the Opera”, even with only half a face.
yup. AND 300, AND Mrs Brown, AND Atilla, and every film he’s been in – even the unwatchable Bounty Hunter…..
P.S. Tally, wasn’t Gerard Butler also in one of the “Laura Croft” movies? I think a major reason for my affinity with the Scots is my son who plans to be married this spring in his Scottish Tartan…kilt and all.
yup. The second one. Cradle of Life.
Nothing hotter than a man in a skirt – kilt or sarong. purrrrrrrrrrrr.
I’m not Scottish, but love me some Highlanders. Is that Sean Connery? Sure looks like it. Kind of looks like my older brother. Too bad we are related. 🙂
“love me some Highlanders”
😆 😆
In you go Roberta:
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!
There can be only ONE.
Speaking of Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod – He plays for the LA GALAXY!!!
Please see: Jovan Kirovski
[img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1t_zGVkONh0/SZ3fkIdvBSI/AAAAAAAABhM/qw1qtyXEvRo/s400/MORA0182-JovanKirovski.jpg[/img]
dammit. I am fired for trying to post an image.
😥
AND – I’ll be in the corner with THE LA RIOT SQUAD!
GO GALAXY!!!!!
Happy Birthday Ms. Denise – and many many healthy more!!!!!
Happy Birthday maman Denise! Many blessings for the years to come!
Happy Birthday to Christi’s Mom. Here is to 75 and I wish you many more happy years, cheers!
Bon aniversaire maman Denise.
ChristiMtl, apologies to your mom for my spelling – I can speak French but not spell too good in it. Hope your mom has a great day.
Happy Birthday to your precious Mom Christi. I hope that she will enjoy her life with many wonderful joys today and everyday going forward. Happy joys today Mom. Hugs coming your way.HZ
“Happy Birthday to Christi’s maman Denise”
Feliz Cumpleanos! Happy Birthday, maman Denise! I wish you many, many more!
Happy Birthday, maman Denise. If you are a fan of our wonderful president, you are part of this family. Today, our president is in France, acting graciously and looking tres handsome among all the world leaders. Does “maman” mean you have a little French in your background? If so, Bon Anniversaire!
With pleasure : Happy Birthday Christi’s mom and many more, and thaks for supporting PBO.
Oh no—Tweety is going to be on The View. I may not survive his book tour. When does it end??? Someone help us! Someone save us from this horrible punishment! Oh, I just remembered—–CLICK!
Maybe Joy will tell him to back off on his dissing our President….
Tweety is a Dick. I remember he went on jay Leno and told everyone that this President scares him…
I concur Jovie. Tweety is indeed a dick!
He was on Rev. Al last night. I turned to Rosie and felt much better. I hope his book crash and burn. He is such a DIPSTICK.
I’m not even watching TV, just getting the gist of his crazy assed book promotion from the comments here…..which is punishment enough!
I am going to order Toure’s book, maybe I should buy an extra copy and send it to Tweety. Maybe he will begin to recognize the ways his vanilla wrapper skews his vision.
I tweeted Tweety 😉 the first half of PJ’s Obama quote earlier.
Senate Leaders Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) quarreled in a back and forth on the chamber floor Thursday morning over the merits of rival “jobs” plans that will face off in votes later today.
The argument came to a head when Reid threatened to McConnell that he would stay on the floor all day until he got the last word in the argument.
“I would say to my friend we can stay here all day but I will get the last word so we can extend … but I am going to get the last word in our conversation here today,” said Reid.
The fight started when Reid tore into Republicans for their anticipated unified opposition to a $60 billion spending bill, calling it “unbelievable” that Republicans would oppose the included “small tax” on the rich as a pay-for. That bill, which was broken off President Obama’s $447 billion jobs plan, will face a procedural vote later on Thursday along with a Republican alternative that does not raise taxes.
McConnell, however, quickly snapped back that Reid had made an excellent “campaign speech” but that he wished the majority leader would delay campaigning until next year and join Republicans to create jobs today.
Reid replied by accusing McConnell of campaigning on the Senate floor “every single day … in the hopes that he can get my job, perhaps.”
“My friend the minority leader comes before this body and says we should do our campaign speeches next year when the world knows that my friend has said that his No. 1 priority in Congress is to beat President Obama,” accused Reid.
The fight was defused when McConnell agreed to give Reid the “last word.”
“It is certainly the case that the majority leader can always get the last word but I would say with all due respect that my friend the majority leader just made another campaign speech,” said McConnell.
Jovie, and TOD, I think McConnell’s boxers were in a twist early this morning because of THIS:
Protesters Occupy Mitch McConnell’s Office |
As Senate Republicans prepare to filibuster a bill to create jobs and rebuild infrastructure because it is paid for with a small tax increase on the top 0.1 percent of earners, about 40 unemployed District of Columbia residents have occupied Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) office, refusing to leave until McConnell grants them a face-to-face meeting about the bill. Watch a video of the occupation, via Our DC, which is organizing the protest:
http://thinkprogress.org/special/2011/11/03/360611/protesters-occupy-mitch-mcconnells-office/
Senate Republicans have put forward a transportation bill that would fund highway infrastructure spending, highway safety programs and public transportation needs for the next two years, and pay for it with a $40 billion rescission to unobligated federal funds.
The Senate on Thursday afternoon will vote on a motion to proceed to this bill, S. 1786, after the Senate votes on a motion to proceed to the Democratic alternative. The Democratic bill would spend $60 billion on transportation infrastructure programs and pay for it with a new tax on income earned above $1 million.
////
This ain’t that bad! Why not except this and get some money on some big projects now, instead of beautification projects?
Just asking?
~pay for it with a $40 billion rescission to unobligated federal funds~.
WHAT IS THIS….
DO WE HAVE MONEY THAT IS UNOBLIGATED…WHAT DOES THIS MEAN…IS THIS ANYTHING LIKE MAD MONEY???
It means they reallocate!
reallocated from????????????
Jovie you know the Rethugs….they will be re-allowcating funds from social programs. Namely Social Security or Medicade/medicare. Read between the lines dear. Any costly legislation should have known revenue streams. The GOP are just trying to make it look like they are making an effort to compromise. You are politically astute. I don’t trust the Teapublican bastards. Excuse me LORD……. 😳
Did anyone see Countdown last night ?
I wonder what Bush was doing at the Goldman Sachs offices in New York last night……
Hey chip,
Mark halperin says that in a general election mitt Romney would take the high road.
Wwwwwwhhhhhhaaaaaatttt?
😆 You know Jovie, Halperin is fast turning in to my favorite comedy act – sometimes I can’t distinguish between him and Stephen Colbert!
Yes! And much appreciated!
HAVE I TOLKD MY TOD FAM…HOW MUCH I DESPISE HALPERN…
I really wish he lost his job for good at MSNBC as a contributor and not just ‘suspended’ for what he called the President.. actually, I wish he would stop acting like contributing to Political dialogue is his expertise… lol!! He doesnt know a damn thing, he lies about it, so Im with you PF58.. I cant stand that dude!!
I, for the life of me do not understand how he achieved and continues to hold his current position…it is a complete mystery.
I smile every time I see him knowing that his father works for George Soros at Open Society.
BWAHAHAHA 😆 It must eat Dick Halperin alive everyday.
So what Halperin is saying that Mitt Romney will just FLIP FLOP some more if and when he makes it to the general election. Why am I not surprised? He just can’t help himself.
Greek PM says Greek membership in euro zone is not in question. I’m getting more and more confused about his referendum.
http://bit.ly/vCQpee
Referendum is off, for now, until you know, the republicans and Grover Norquist gives him a call!
The Greek PM spoke for about 45 minutes and I am still scratching my head. The referendum is still a possibility but it won’t be about the membership in the Eurozpne? There will be a vote of confidence tomorrow. It’s still very confusing. I can’t imagine how frightened and angry the people of Greece are. This is just wrenching.
Paparandeu has walked back everything-
He just said, Greece would Never use Euro as referendum question.
Hmmm. I wonder what everyone said to him to flip like that?
this guy is giving me a serious headache 🙄
Breaking News – The Greek PM is speaking right now on BBC World News. He is addressing parliament.
O/T: TRUMP GOES AFTER JON STEWART ON RACISM, GETS PWNED
Jon Stewart Turns Donald Trump’s Accusation Into An Indictment Of GOP Racism
—————————————————
Jon Stewart showed the mainstream media how they should have treated Trump last spring, and how they should always treat him every time he pops up looking for attention. Jon Stewart treated Donald Trump like the buffoon that he is. By attacking Stewart Trump was trying to get himself back into the headlines, and create a diversion to get the media attention off of Herman Cain. (Trump is one of the numerous Republicans who aren’t impressed with Mitt Romney).
What Donald Trump apparently didn’t count on was the fact that Jon Stewart would devote less than five minutes of airtime to his attack, and that Jon Stewart would reply to Trump by pulling out the big gun. When Stewart played Trump’s comments about “the blacks” that pretty much ended any potential good publicity that Donald Trump was going to get out of this, and The Daily Show didn’t even have to use the rest of Trump’s comments blaming “the blacks” for Obama’s election.
Jon Stewart treated Trump like the joke that he is. Instead of being put on defensive by The Donald’s nonsensical rant, Stewart used it as opening to highlight the racism of the same people who are trying to defend Herman Cain by labeling anyone who dares to critically think about Cain’s ever changing sexual harassment story, a racist.
Stewart turned the tables on Donald Trump, Ann Coulter, and rest of the Cain apologists who are crying liberal racism. Once again, it takes a comedian on a fake news show to point out to the American people what is really going on.
————————————————–
http://www.politicususa.com/en/jon-stewart-trump-gop-racism
Just watched the video.. im glad Stewart threw it back in Trumps face!!
The panel at the end was absolutely brutal. I love John Oliver. He had some great lines.
Sam Bee was good too.
If Trump new how stupid he sounds and does he think by asking POTUS for his birth certificate is NOT
racist. Oh I for got he is white and rich.
Thanks Ladyhawke! I knew when I saw Trump went after Jon there’d be blowback. The donald ended up looking more stupid than ever.
An asteroid the size of an aircraft carrier will zoom past Earth on Tuesday just inside the orbit of the moon.
The space rock poses no danger, as its nearest approach will be a comfortable 202,000 miles distant. But the event marks the closest flyby of an asteroid this large since 1976, according to NASA.
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Weigh InCorrections?
Asteroid 2005 YU55 has a name only a scientist could love. They’re also loving the chance to stare at the nearly round, slowly spinning chunk of space debris as it flies by at some 30,000 mph.
“It will be scanned and probed and scanned some more,” said Marina Brozovic, an asteroid researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Starting Friday, Brozovic will ping the approaching asteroid with radar from giant dishes at Goldstone, Calif. She wants to map every crater and boulder while refining estimates of the asteroid’s path, which swings inside the orbit of Venus and then out near Mars, crossing Earth’s orbit.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/as-asteroid-flies-by-scientists-will-stare/2011/11/02/gIQA8FTngM_story.html?hpid=z4
Just when you think it is safe to go outside…
Any polling out yet, post cain gropegate ?
Found one via McClatchy
Despite days of intense coverage about allegations of sexual harassment, presidential hopeful Herman Cain is still the top pick of likely S.C. Republican primary voters, leading former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney by 10 percentage points.
A new Rasmussen poll conducted Tuesday — two days after unsubstantiated allegations surfaced that Cain had harassed sexually two women — shows the Georgia businessman continues to be the preferred candidate of 33 percent of likely S.C. Republican primary voters.
And that lead shows no signs of slipping — at least not yet.
A third allegation of sexual harassment was reported by the Associated Press Wednesday, after the poll was completed.
“He’s holding strong,” said Karen Floyd, former chairwoman of the S.C. Republican Party, who now runs a website, Palladianview.com, aimed at conservative women. “These types of allegations can be found so offensive, a candidate can even benefit by the charges.”
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/11/03/129130/cain-holds-lead-in-sc-poll-as.html#ixzz1cevu0KMw
Can’t say I’m surprised. Since when do Repblicans really care about sexual harassmant?
😯 The rightous Right has no SHAME!!
Not only that Gumpy.. the GOP are always talking about ‘Family Values’.. and yet they’re usually the ones with the BIGGEST scandals aired out in the media (using RNC money for Strip club private events, cheating on spouses with the same sex/child pornography or staff members in their party etc etc).. They have real f**ked up way of expressing their moral beliefs of ‘Family Values’
NZ their family values apply to everyone else but themselves. In my book actions, not words best reflect ones commitment to Christ’s lessons.
The conservatives a POTUS Republican do not have to have, Integrity. Character and Intelligence.
This is disgasting.
I’m curious to see if Cain’s poll numbers will hold up when (or if) the latest development gets traction. Despite the title, this will be the FOURTH accusation; this is actually an update to said article. If the story gains traction, and is verified, in all likelihood Cain’s supporters will continue to make excuses, blame others, or just double down on their denial–even though the current accusation comes from a conservative talk show host.
Update: Now an Iowa-based conservative talk show host is accusing Cain of making “awkward” and “inappropriate” comments to two female staffers when he visited the station last month, adding that the fact that Cain’s wife, Gloria, rarely travels with him is “a warning flag to me.” This story is moving fast…
http://www.alternet.org/sex/152951/3rd_woman_comes_forward_with_sexual_harassment_claims_against_herman_cain_–_witness_to_incident_says_revelations_could_end_his_campaign/
lol the only polling I could find on Cain post Gropegate, is the one where 36% of Americans say that Cain hasnt explained himself enough on the sexual allegations from his past 😀
from politico
The whole campaign season so far has been a comedy of errors, with one candidate after another being swooned over only to be rejected as untenable almost as quickly as Kim Kardashian’s husband.
Chips this is overwhelming. I love you so MUCH. GOD only knows where us Obamabots would be without this terrific site. It is almost too much. I can’t keep up. Everytime I login there is something fresh and new to review and a whole new smorgageboard of comments. I’m a TOD addict. I can’t get enough. Here I have to run errands before I go to work and I will have to check back later on my droid from work. GEEZ.
BTW we are coming down to the last few days before Tues. Nov. 8th and we are expected to purge the SB5 anti collective bargaining law from the books through voter REPEAL. 😀 Next up Voter REPRESSION. Keep Us FIGHTING OHIOANS in your prayers my TOD family. Thanks again for all ya’ll do. 😉 Obama/Biden 2012
Thanks so much Keith, you’re very kind! 😉
No problem Chips. Praise for you is well deserved. Excellence should be recognized. 😎
Keith, thanks for your continued efforts to right the ship……praying for the best possible outcome for the good people of Ohio.
Thanks Sue, you are always so supportive. Love you Minnesotans, except there are a few of you who are a little deranged keeping M. Bachmann around for so long. YIKES!!
Keith I am still trying to wrap my head around how Minnesota could have elected such an extreme and crazy dunderhead like Bachmann.
It is both shocking and hugely embarrassing.
count me in as equally flummoxed
found a priceless video on Ron Christie and Bill Maher/ “brother” Cornell
http://wearerespectablenegroes.blogspot.com/2011/11/perpetual-line-stepper-cornel-west.html
Oh Fred, thanks for that. What a load of crap Christie served up and then proceeded to contradict it. He says it’s not about winning…….bunk. He wouldn’t recognize compromise if it smacked him upside the head.
Anyone here know what Ron Christy was talking about when he said Ray LaHood said lets get back to the transportation act and the Dem controlled House and Senate did not pass it? I figured that Bill Maher sounded about right as the GOP brings up stuff they do not have the info to answer on then find out it was crap and not relevent later. Ron Christy is doing that a lot on Hardball. I wondered if Cornell West was right in that it was due to the blocking and obstruction of the GOP when they were not letting anything come to a vote as they needed 60 votes to bypass a filabuster. Also they could have mentioned PBO was against the Iraq War from the start during the conversation about getting into Iraq when Chrisy was being critical of the potential endangering of soldiers in the Libyian action.
Forgot to mention I have heard of so many GOP people serving as teaching staff at Harvard lately. I figure they are invading the typical progressive jobs to convert people to their politics. I also heard of students in a class at Harvard being taught by a former GW Bush administration financial advisor boycotting his class and being tied to the OWS movement. The teacher was interviewed on NPR this morning and I felt sad that his propoganda is being spread around at Harvard.
Help me out TOD’ers, What you you know about the Robin Hood Tax that Bill Gates is pushing at the G20? It sounds like a great deal. I read that the Obama administration is holding it up. How, and in what way? Any help here? It sounds so good, but I trust the President. Can someone explain it.
how is one president holding it up? they can’t just agree on a tax and then implement it on their own.
I sooooooooo love the fact that President Obama is Forbes most Powerful person in the World at #1 spot with Putin 2nd lol The GOP folks must be spewing at the idea hes still at the top after all that they’ve done to try and bring him down!!! Love this President!!!
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner
Uggh – he’s at it again!
UGH, he is disgusting. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner lost her husband suddenly a year ago.
I thought he only went for brainless 18-20 year olds with grandpa issues? That’s a change.
😆
LOL, lisa. Berlusconi makes my skin crawl.
Good lawd he is a creep. I hope she gives him the stink eye!
He really is. I remember when he tried to hug and garb FLOTUS and POTUS quickly intercepted the creep.
UT, I remember that as well. PBO was like back of jack before I KUNG FOO your ass.
I hope all you young gals are as fortunate in meeting your soulmate as Barack and Michelle.
So, chuck Todd is saying the Presidrnt was basically on the sidelines snd did not have much say in the Greek Thingy!
But, we dll know, if it turned ugly, they all would have blamed the President!
Toad Boy is such an ass. What does PBO have to say about something that is basically a Eurozone thing in terms of strategy and application? This is all about what the British, French and Germans want to do. Even reports say that China’s role isn’t all that huge even though they want President Hu to buy up bonds. Toadie needs to sit down, shut up and keep outta grown folk business. 🙄
Exactly lisa. No matter what is happening domestically or internationally, somehow someway the media has to find a way to blame President Obama. Chuck Todd is front and center with the criticism.
Amen – had PBO said something then – Todd would report that he needs to pay attention to what’s going on here at home. There’s no winning with the likes of him. But we know they are just haters and come Nov 2012 – we will see who has the last laugh!!
Chuck Todd, and his fellow stenographers in the media, are the ones who “need to pay more attention to what’s going on here at home.” Case in point:
Tomorrow, billionaire David Koch and presidential candidate Mitt Romney are set to speak at the a Tea Party conference financed by the same Koch brother’s fortune. The Defending the Dream Summit, a conference funded by Koch and sponsored by his Americans for Prosperity group, is a yearly event where Republican politicians come to praise the Koch brothers and their political network. For instance, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), as he was seeking the Republican nomination, paid tribute to the Koch’s political network at the same event in 2007.
Meanwhile, the Washington Examiner, which happens to be owned by an allied billionaire named Phil Anschutz, obtained a Romney campaign memo that details its outreach effort to the Koch brothers and the Tea Party. The memo acknowledges what ThinkProgress has reported for two years now — that the Kochs are the “financial engine of the Tea Party,” as the memo put it. Moreover, the memo expands on Romney’s courtship of the billionaire petrochemical brothers, including a meeting in January at an elite social club in Manhattan and an August meeting that had to be canceled because of Hurricane Irene:
~snip~
Indeed, not only did Koch endorse Romney in 2008, but one of Romney’s first major campaign fundraisers for the 2012 cycle was hosted at Koch’s mansion in the Hamptons last year.
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/11/03/360433/romney-koch-tea-party/
I despise Chuck Todd, the expert on nothing.
Happy Birthday to Mama Denise.
Chuck Todd: the perfect example of failing upwards.
Yah! Chick Todd did pretty well with his math and statistical odds on the election map, but is too opinionated in his current position and he does not think far enough ahead to see the forest instead of just the trees. So many of them base everything on past ways of dealing with foreign relations and do not see that the success PBO has achieved is due to respecting our counterparts and supporting their own efforts for what is best for them. That is preferred over bullying them into doing it our way and gets us much further when we need their help that the WE ARE NUMBER ONE!! DO WHAT WE SAY WAY! That goes for the current Chris Matthews opinions too.
DesertXpress Project to Move Forward – Brings 3,200 Jobs to Nevada
http://www.whatisworking.com/2011/11/desertxpress-project-to-move-forward.html
Obama to block new uranium-mine claims near Grand Canyon
http://www.whatisworking.com/2011/11/obama-to-block-new-uranium-mine-claims.html
Facebook teams with Department of Labor to help the unemployed find jobs
http://www.whatisworking.com/2011/11/facebook-teams-with-depratment-of-labor.html
Thanks so much for all the good information and articles WiW. It makes for great tweeting and great spreading of information. 🙂
Thanks WIW, sent out a tweet on it. POTUS always moving and working for all of us. Remember the townhall with the tech company up north months ago. We have a great President. Keep PRESSING On.HZ
Restaurants are super-sizing their nutritional disclosures
http://www.whatisworking.com/2011/11/restaurants-are-super-sizing-their.html
Happy Birthday, Denise 🙂
Except for Cristina Kirchner, every one in that photo are in political trouble in their home.
What a mean thing to say!! LOL. Hopefully the American people will wake up and come out to vote in record number next year for PBO. He truly deserves a second term, and we are very lucky to have him at the helm right now.
Happy Birthday Maman Denise. Happy birthday, may this day always be a special one to remember.
Justice Thomas wife interviews Herman Cain.
Really?
November 03, 2011 12:35 PM
Romney struggles with his own tax plan
By Steve Benen
A few months ago, soon after the “corporations are people” flap, Mitt Romney made an effort to appear moderate on tax policy. “I don’t want to waste time trying to get tax cuts for wealthy people because frankly, wealthy people are doing just fine,” the Republican presidential candidate said at the time.
Yesterday, he pushed this line again in an interview with a local TV interview in Tampa. “The policies I put forward are tax cuts for the middle class,” Romney said. “I’m proposing no tax cuts for the rich.”
I can understand why Romney would make the claim; more tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires isn’t exactly a winning issue when the vast majority of American voters want the exact opposite.
The problem, of course, is that Romney is either lying or he’s not familiar with his own proposals. Pat Garofalo said the candidate’s claim is “simply absurd on its face.”
His tax plan consists of $6.6 trillion in tax cuts, the vast majority of which goes to the wealthy and corporations. In fact, Romney dedicates an entire section of his economic plan to discussing elimination of the estate tax, which only the very richest households in the country ever have to pay (since, right now, an estate must be worth more than $5 million to pay any estate tax at all). Currently, more than half of the estate tax is paid by the richest 0.1 percent of households.
Meanwhile, Romney’s claim that his tax plan cuts taxes for the middle-class has little basis in reality. A ThinkProgress analysis found that the vast majority of middle-class households would get no benefit from Romney’s tax plan, since it’s based on a capital gains tax cut when most middle-class families have no capital gains.
That’s true, and we can go a little further. While Romney’s pitch is focused on “tax cuts for the middle class,” Romney has also said — repeatedly — that he considers it a “problem” that so many working families are not currently eligible to pay federal income taxes. Indeed, he recently told voters, “I think it’s a real problem when you have half of Americans, almost half of Americans, that are not paying income tax.” It’s a problem Romney intends to fix by raising taxes on those least able to afford it, while cutting taxes on those at the top.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_11/romney_struggles_with_his_own033262.php
Somewhere Mitt Romney is looking at these pics of our Prez on the world stage and pining away. Sorry, Willard, it will nevah be you!
pj, you read my mind. I was thinking the same thing. I was going to post a comment saying close your eyes and try to imagine Mitt “Multiple Choice” Romney on the international stage at the G20 Summit. That’s a nightmarish thought.
A few weeks ago Romney gave a so called “foreign policy” speech. It was amateurish and it was panned. If his campaign is watching any of the G20 activity, you can just imagine a few sphincter muscles tightening up.
President Obama just exudes leadership and confidence. You can see it in his body language, the press conferences and the way other leaders respond to him.
I can’t imagine it, Ladyhawke, I really can’t. The core-less, stiff, plain old weird Willard on the international stage representing the US? Nope. Can’t see it.
toon for the day.
3 Nov 2011 11:16 AM
Quote For The Day
“David Axelrod has always been skillful at creeping into your room in the middle of the night and slicing out your heart, somehow without leaving behind a single fingerprint or drop of blood that ties him or his candidate to the crime,” – Obama biographer David Mendell, predicting the Obama campaign’s negative campaign against Romney.
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2011/11/quot.html
WOW lol!! :O
Good grief.
😎 WORD! and David’s skills will be sorely needed to extinguish the Flip/Flopper.
Go Axe, Go!
I wonder if that’s where Halperin, aka “the dick”, derived his inspiration for his “Romney will take the high road sewage. Wasn’t Halperin the same person who rhapsodized that “Drudge rocks my world”?! Feel free to correct me if I have the wrong attribution.
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A US drone strike killed at least three militants in northwest Pakistan on Thursday, destroying a compound in a mountain stronghold of the Afghan Taliban’s Haqqani network, officials said.
The attack took place in Darpakhel Sarai, just outside Miranshah the main town of North Waziristan, the most notorious bastion of Afghan Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked fighters in Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal belt.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5joPZXHzv6FOZmS_odklFIn6gNSAA?docId=CNG.09c2df9cabd892a9620340615f2792f4.461
Reality vs. Republicans on Immigration
by BooMan
Thu Nov 3rd, 2011 at 12:00:39 PM EST
It’s basically a waste of time for one chamber of Congress to spend a lot of effort on a bill that has no chance of passing the other chamber. In an ideal world, neither chamber of Congress would bother working on bills that have no chance of becoming law. But politics has its place. Sometimes you just want to highlight the fact that the other party opposes something popular. What makes zero sense, however, is to debate legislation that will never become law that divides your own party. That’s what House Republicans are doing with Rep. Lamar Smith’s (R-TX) E-Verify immigration bill.
Like it or not, our agriculture sector relies on undocumented workers. When Georgia and Alabama passed strict immigration laws this year, they quickly discovered that without workers to pick the crops farmers lost millions of dollars and food went to waste. Republicans are in complete denial about this. They simply don’t want to acknowledge economic reality. They’re incapable of crafting a solution because they won’t agree on the basic facts.
Yet, Republicans who represent agriculture-rich districts have to answer to their farmers, and they don’t want an E-Verify system that would be immediately ruinous.
California Rep. Dan Lungren (R) told The Hill that he supports E-Verify but that “it has to be accompanied by a workable guest worker program for agriculture.”
“A bill on E-Verify won’t come to the floor unless we address agriculture, I am convinced,” Lungren said.
The bill is creating some revelations. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce supports it because the bill would supersede state and local laws making it easier for businesses to comply. Then we have Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA), who made a name for himself as the rapidly anti-Latino mayor of Hazelton, Pennsylvania, saying that he opposes the bill.
“I have no faith that the federal government is serious about enforcing our immigration laws. They haven’t, I don’t believe they will. And the Supreme Court agrees that the states have the right — why would we come along now and take that away from them? And the United States Chamber gets solidly behind this preemption — which raises all sorts of red flags for me — this is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, this bill,” Barletta said in an interview with The Hill.
I’m not sure what he’s talking about with the Supreme Court, but Barletta is a classic paranoid freak.
As i said at the top, this bill is not going to become law. What’s interesting is that it might not even pass the House. Why would the Republicans bring it up then?
Because John Boehner isn’t very good at his job.
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2011/11/3/12039/5493
Beside the fact that “Boehnor isn’t very good at his job” is the rebubs. want to muddy the waters.
The House on Thursday afternoon decided for the first time this year to conference with the Senate on H.R. 2112, a FY 2012 spending bill that both chambers have approved, but in different forms.
In the House, the bill is a 2012 agriculture spending bill. But in October, the Senate amended that bill to include Commerce/Justice/Science and Transportation/Housing and Urban Development.
about damn time they start working 🙄
Happy Birthday Maman Denise!!!
Semper Fi!!!
Happy Birthday to Maman Denise all the way from Trinidad & Tobago. Hope you live to see many more. Have a good day.
Eurozone Debt Crisis now on BBC World News. French President Sarkozy is taking questions from reporters.
I hope none of you has missed the really big news of the day? No, no, not Greece and the G20 meeting and all that – this:
Rick Santorum has unveiled a series of policy points that include:
– Calling on Congress to reinstitute Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell;
– Defending the Defense of Marriage Act in court;
– Reinstating the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.
I’m so impressed I’m thinking of changing this place to TURD – The Unreal Rick Diary.
Nothing surprises me anymore about these BABOONS. I know there will be a lot of work to be had between now and then, but I want Jan. 2013 to come quickly so we can get past the politcal silly season. This is going to be a THREE RING CIRCUS……..but guess who will be the Ring Master? 😎
They never disappoint in showing how crazy their mindset is on the right lol They have no sense in them when they bring out policy points like this!
Little Ricky is toast. He’s so far out of the main stream he’s in another planet in another galaxy, etc. I wonder what state he thinks he would carry as an incentive to be put on anyone’s ticket? It sure won’t be PA and the last I heard Romulans don’t get to vote.
When I see pictures of the President on the World Stage with other World Leaders… it’s almost like the body language of other Leaders tells you.. that they want to be standing next to President Obama in the photo-op, and despite the seriousness of the issues theyre facing in the World they are seen to be having fun with Obama in sight, they are very fond of him when they shake/hug him (male & females).. and even if a World Leader is standing a few rows behind President Obama.. they’re still giggling/laughing and looking in his direction, even if he is facing elsewhere laughing lol It just makes me smile that he can have that kind of affect on all of them
He is absolutely charming. That smile, that baritone, that charisma, that intellect is like a magnet. I just get a kick out of seeing the world leaders show so much respect, admiration and affection for President Obama. It’s such a good feeling. I am so proud of him.
Ditto!!
I totally agree with you. I would add that other factors at play are President Obama’s calmness and optimism. He never panics so they don’t panic. He makes them believe there are always solutions and that if they work hard at it, bit by bit things will get better.
Finally, they TRUST him because of his obvious integrity. He never gives them BS. He tells them what he can deliver, what he can’t. He doesn’t play them.
President Obama has exceptional leader skills. The fact that a man of this caliber is treated so harshly in his own country speaks loudly about the degradation of the political and media institutions in America.
Beautifully stated lp. Thanks for that.
So well put Lovepolitics…
Absolutely spot on…
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/02/us-explores-faster-afghan-handover/
Obama administration looking to handoff security to afghan forces earlier than 2014!
Yup! That is what I sm talking about!
Let The Women Speak
Cain’s decision to blame Perry for the sexual harassment charges seems to me a pivotal moment. The narrative of Cain versus evil-librul-media was, if anything, a plus for the guy. The narrative of Cain reminding people he’s not a political neophyte and is capable of the usual bitter campaign rivalries … not so good for the brand. And without any clarity of what on earth really happened – and specifics are vital to making any kind of judgment – this can only get worse. I think the Cain campaign via the NRA needs to release all the women from a gag order and get this on the table as soon as possible. If it’s trivial, we can move on. If not, we can assess. And I have to repeat my first impression: sexual harassment is almost never a one-off event; it is about abuse of power, always a relevant issue when assessing a possible president; the Clinton years revealed what can happen when politics is frozen by rigid denials of sexual misconduct. We have now learned that the pay-out to a second woman was $45,000. That’s a lot for some mild banter.
The only way past this for Cain is through it. Let the women speak, if they wish. If they refuse to come forward or detail the accusations, then there’s nothing more to be done. But the golden rule of political scandal applies: disclose everything, apologize for what needs to be apologized, and get it over with. But Cain seems unable to get there. Why?
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2011/11/a-republican-civil-war.html
CNN: President Barack Obama leads all of his potential Republican challengers in hypothetical 2012 matchups among Pennsylvania adults, according to a new poll.
The Franklin and Marshall College poll released Thursday in the battleground state, shows Obama ahead of potential rivals Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum, but the results are closest when the president is paired with Romney.
Obama leads the former Massachusetts governor 35% to 26% and Cain, the former pizza executive, 38% to 24%. He enjoys a 20% lead over Texas Gov. Perry, 40% to 20% and a 13% advantage over former two-term Pennsylvania Sen. Santorum, 38% to 25%.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/03/poll-its-a-lead-for-obama-in-pa/
Great news Chips. As Mark Halperin would say, Obama is the underdog here.
True M4O – and we always listen to Dick Halperin’s expert analysis, don’t we? 😆
😯 Nice poll, but there is only a tad over 60% of their electorate that knows who they would vote for? hmmm…………. Much greater plurality out of the most recent Ohio 2012 prez polls, which PBO is leading all Rethug candidates as well. WE can do this folks, we just need to get out the vote and be watchdogs, educate, and voter supression prevention to take us over the top. OFF my DROID and off to work now. See ya at one of my off times or dinner break. 😉
“Nice poll, but there is only a tad over 60% of their electorate that knows who they would vote for?”
Yup, and as time goes on I’ll bet you anything the majority of the undecideds will go the President’s way 😉
My thoughts exactly.
Unfortunately, the Pa legislature and Tea Party governor Corbett will use this to push their electoral rigging proposal to deny the president the states’s electoral college votes even if he wins the popular vote. They need to believe an R will win the state in order to leave the rigging idea alone. I’m glad to see Pennsylvanians are waking up from their stupor, but I don’t want to tip the vote toward electoral disaster.
Happy Birthday Denise. You do have a lovely daughter @christiMTl . I wish you many, many more birthdays filled with Love and Happiness.
Happy Birthday, Denise! Hope you enjoy your day. Thank you for your support of President Obama!
OCCUPY MITCH MCCONNELL
Protesters Occupy Mitch McConnell’s Office
==================================
As Senate Republicans prepare to filibuster a bill to create jobs and rebuild infrastructure because it is paid for with a small tax increase on the top 0.1 percent of earners, about 40 unemployed District of Columbia residents have occupied Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) office, refusing to leave until McConnell grants them a face-to-face meeting about the bill. Watch a video of the occupation, via Our DC, which is organizing the protest:
http://thinkprogress.org/special/2011/11/03/360611/protesters-occupy-mitch-mcconnells-office/
Good for the OWS. Maybe they will finally get with the program and focus their anger at the real CULPRITS and support PBO. Of course they are supposed to be a-political and hate all politicians and government. Anarchist anyone? 🙄
Now that’s an “occupy” that makes sense. McConnell would rather hide under his desk or in the bathroom shower than face anyone who dares to disagree with him. He will do something ugly.
Excellent.
I heard some other OWSers surrounded a Goldman Sachs building where George Dubya was being hosted and shouted “Arrest George W. Bush!” 😆
Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!
Whoops! Ladyhawke~ my apologies for duplicating your post. I didn’t scroll down far enough to see whether it had been posted already…
Fun to watch Goldie Taylor of TheGrio.com and NBC on Twitter. She’s obsessed with the Cain fiasco.
Bonne fete, Denise, maman de Christi!
“Bonne fete a vous.
Bonne fete a vous.
Bonne fete. Bonne fete
Bonne fete a vous!” [A vrai dire je ne peux pas du tout chanter, mais vous avez l’idee, et peut etre vous sourirez.] 😆
Que Dieu soit specialement avec vous, aujourd’hui, et dans les anness prochaines!
ps.Denise,
Est-ce que c’est vous qui avez peint l’image de President Obama pour votre fille? J’etais tres jalouse quand elle l’avait decrit.
Happy Birthday Maman Denise and may you have many more. Keep active and enjoy your wisdom. I have an Aunt who is 86 years young and she has a busier life than I do .
All the best to you.
It always takes me a while to realize that I’m alone, 🙄 so I’m going to repost this comment re Prez O in France from the bottom of the last thread:-
While reading that Mother Jones post Chips linked IN THE PREVIOUS THREAD this suddenly popped into my head “Wouldn’t it be awesome if PBO offered a way to fix the Euro problems, which when followed pulled them sharply back from the brink?” Much in the way of his auto bailout? Man that would be the ideal way to highlight for rank and file Americans that the slow moving economy here is definitely the work of the Repubs!!!!
Just the thought of this possibility sends me into raptures! [A girl can dream, can’t she? And it’s not totally impossible. **She says as she tries to encourage others to entertain the idea** The man has a good mind and the minds at the G20 are likely far more receptive than political minds in America.] Oh boy, now that this possibility has surfaced it’s turning around and around in my head.
Maman Denise! I’m late to the party as usual! But a happy birthday to you, and a wish for great fall weather today.
Here’s a heads up to a conversation that should be interesting. I don’t get Bashir, but I like what I’ve seen of him here, AND Karen Hunter does a good push back for PBO. Maybe some here could watch at about 3pm and report back.
he cannot be serious 🙄
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/whoopi-mocks-ann-coulter-%e2%80%98didn%e2%80%99t-know-we-were-anybody%e2%80%99s-blacks-i-thought-i-was-free%e2%80%99/ whoopi just realized she is still slave owned. GOP clowns really stepped up their racism big time.
Condoleezza Rice says Gadhafi crush was ‘weird and a bit creepy
By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 10:11 AM EST, Thu November 3, 2011
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described Moammar Gadhafi’s crush on her as “weird and a bit creepy,” saying she breathed a sigh of relief when she realized a video he made of her was not raunchy.
In her new book, “No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington,” Rice said the ruler once played her a video montage of herself set to a tune called “African Flower in the White House.”
A Libyan composer wrote the song, she said.
Earlier this year, anti-Gadhafi fighters ransacking his compound in Tripoli found an album of photos of the former top Bush administration official.
“Quite extraordinary, weird and a bit creepy, ” Rice told CNN’s Piers Morgan on Wednesday night about the scrapbook. “I had actually known that he had this fixation on me.”
Rice said when Gadhafi showed her the video montage years ago in Libya, she tried to keep the conversation on business.
Condi Rice denies Cheney claim “My job was to go there and do diplomatic business and get out, so that’s what I did,” she said. “But I have to say I did have that terrible moment when he said that he had the video. I am just glad that it all came out all right.”
http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/03/us/rice-gadhafi/index.html?eref=rss_politics&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_allpolitics+%28RSS%3A+Politics%29
Political AnimalBlog
November 03, 2011 2:05 PM
Pelosi: House majority is ‘in play’
By Steve Benen
Might we see the return of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2013? She believes the pieces are in place.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that Democrats have a shot at taking back the House in 2012.
The former Speaker touted the diversity of the candidates the Democrats have recruited — “two generals, a colonel … legislators, small business people, mayors, many women and minorities” — and noted that the party, despite being the minority, has outraised the Republicans on the campaign trail this year.
“We have definitely put the House in play,” she said during her weekly press briefing in the Capitol.
“From a political standpoint, we’re very proud of the recruitment of candidates — all with the determination to take us off the path that the Republicans have put us on,” she said.
I’m a firm believer in the notion that predictions a year out are a bad idea, since so many factors can and will change, perhaps more than once. But Pelosi’s comments are more than just a boast; there’s reason to think she’s right.
House Dems, who need a net gain of 26 seats next year to take back the House (it will be 25 if Dems win the upcoming special election in Oregon), have fared quite well in recent months, finding success both in recruiting and fundraising.
And then there are the polls. Congress’ approval rating, as is well known, has dropped to a stunning 9% — the lowest since the dawn of modern polling. That, in and of itself, makes electoral volatility rather likely, raising the possibility of the majority and minority swapping roles.
But Dems also fare well in generic ballots. The latest polls from NBC, Reuters, and National Journal all show Americans preferring a Democratic House majority to a Republican one, in margins ranging from two points to eight. When TPM averaged all of the generic-ballot polls, it found Dems with their first lead in nearly two years.
What’s more, the House Majority PAC commissioned surveys from Public Policy Polling in 12 vulnerable Republican districts, and also found Dems looking quite strong.
Like I said, a year is a long time in campaign politics, and there are plenty of variables — retirements, economic conditions, potential scandals, etc. — that are unpredictable. But we know this Congress is extremely unpopular, that Republicans have cast several votes that can come back to haunt (eliminating Medicare, for example), and that Dems have positioned themselves reasonably well to take advantage of the opportunity.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_11/pelosi_house_majority_is_in_pl033264.php
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
I love the Thursday briefings with Nancy. She is our champion. Always looking our for the American people. She gets right to the heart of the matter and does not mince words. She makes Speaker In Name Only John Boehner look like an abject failure.
House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) Weekly Legislative Briefing
http://www.c-span.org/Events/House-Minority-Leader-Rep-Nancy-Pelosi-D-CA-Weekly-Legislative-Briefing/10737425236-1/
Good Day Chipsticks. First, thanks so much for the beautiful photos and information. You keep us so well informed and keeping us up to date when our precious POTUS is travelling around the world. Looking good, Mr. President. I always feel so comforting when I hear his voice. Love you,,Chips.
Great to see Tally is fine. I do not want to sound weird, but I was walking around in the house last evening, and I was thinking, “Where is our Tally, hope she is doing fine.” Then to see the great news today eased my heart.
Off to get med., pain is trying to approach my space. I will be back soon. I need to be ready for a meeting at a planning meeting at a home Sun. afternoon for POB. Wish us well TOD family.HZ
November 03, 2011 1:25 PM
Quote of the Day
By Steve Benen
NBC’s Luke Russert had a good question for Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) at his weekly press conference this morning: is Grover Norquist a positive influence on Republicans?
Boehner, apparently unwilling to answer, replied, “It’s not often I’m asked about some random person.”
The problem, of course, is that as far as the congressional GOP is concerned, Norquist isn’t some random person at all — he’s the guy who forces nearly every Republican candidate to sign an anti-tax pledge that, in turn, makes bipartisan attempts at governing practically impossible. The GOP can’t even bring itself to consider compromises because of the handcuffs he asked Republicans to put on.
But as interesting as that was, I actually cared more about an exchange between the Speaker and Dave Weigel at the same press conference.
I asked Boehner a sort of related question, keying off the one-year anniversary of the GOP’s midterm victory. One year in, what had been the impact of austerity and a spending-cut focus on jobs? The job market was stagnant.
“Well,” said Boehner, “I think the budget deficit and our debt serves as a wet blanket over our economy, and had investor concerned about whether we’re gonna deal with this problem. And that’s why getting this deficit and debt under control is so important — because it’ll lead to a better environment for job creation in our country.”
At a weekly presser on the Hill, it’s tough for reporters to seek more in-depth explanations of why leaders believe what they say they believe, but I’d love to see Boehner try to explain his worldview in more detail.
Why, exactly, does he think the deficit and debt are holding back the economy? That’s not to say it’s impossible — under some economic circumstances, a larger deficit can lead to higher interest rates, for example — but in 2011, Boehner’s argument is just absurd. The nation has a large deficit, but we also have low interest rates, low inflation, and plenty of investors around the world who eager, if not desperate, to loan us money. So how in the world is the budget shortfall “serving as a wet blanket over our economy”?
What’s more, whether Boehner can read economic reports or not, the number one reason the private sector has been reluctant to hire and expand is a lack of demand. Indeed, nothing else comes close — when businesses have more customers, then they’re hire more workers. Boehner wants “a better environment for job creation”? Then the Speaker should be doing everything possible to boost demand.
Except, he’s doing the opposite. Boehner wants to weaken demand — on purpose — while taking money out of the economy and undermining consumer buying power.
It’s why the larger debate over the economy is so stunted — GOP leaders like Boehner believe strange things and can’t explain why. It’s not exactly conducive to a constructive debate.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/index.php
November 03, 2011 10:45 AM
At the intersection of ambition and dishonor
By Steve Benen
If there are lingering doubts about the validity of the “no core” criticisms against Mitt Romney, one need look no further than what he communicated to Massachusetts voters before becoming a presidential candidate.
Peter Wallsten and Juliet Eilperin highlight this anecdote, for example, from a meeting Romney had nine years ago with abortion-rights advocates.
[A]s the meeting drew to a close, [Romney] offered an intriguing suggestion — that he would rise to national prominence in the Republican Party as a victor in a liberal state and could use his influence to soften the GOP’s hard-line opposition to abortion.
He would be a “good voice in the party” for their cause, and his moderation on the issue would be “widely written about,” he said, according to detailed notes taken by an officer of the group, NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts.
“You need someone like me in Washington,” several participants recalled Romney saying that day in September 2002, an apparent reference to his future ambitions.
Romney made similar assurances to activists for gay rights and the environment, according to people familiar with the discussions, both as a candidate for governor and then in the early days of his term.
It’s important to appreciate what, exactly, Romney was saying at the time. His pitch to these center-left advocates was that he, a moderate Republican, could slowly work his way into the national GOP spotlight, and in time become a key player, able to shape the Republican Party’s agenda. And if they supported him, they would help empower Romney to change his party, moving it to the left in the coming years.
As Jon Chait put it, Romney “was promising behind closed doors to act as essentially a sleeper agent within the Republican Party, adopting liberal stances, rising to national prominence, and thereby legitimizing them and transforming the Party from within.”
There are a few key takeaways from a story like this. The first is that Mitt Romney has such deep character flaws, I don’t think Americans have seen a politician this craven in a very long time.
Second, if Romney’s rivals for the GOP nomination don’t immediately pounce on this, they’re guilty of political malpractice on a near-criminal level.
And third, I suspect there will be some Romney-loving Republicans who read the Post article and think, “Boy, Romney sure did pull a fast one on those liberals activists! It was smart of him to use them to get ahead.”
But therein lies the rub: how do they know — how does anyone know — which side Romney is lying to? Was he lying to his Massachusetts constituents about helping move the Republican Party to the left, or is he lying to the GOP base now about helping moving the country to the right?
The fact that no one can say for sure seems pretty important.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_11/at_the_intersection_of_ambitio033255.php
Chipsticks, Would it be possible to go back to descriptive titles on posts? Sorry to be picky but you used to have post titles that referred to what was posted in them but now everything’s “chat away”, “good afternoon”, “good evening”. It makes it hard to go back in the archives and find a particular post I remember. I know some people like to use posts as a chat room but some of us never read comments and just like to read/look at the posts and the news/pictures you’ve gathered. I love your blog but I liked the old way better when individual posts were on specific topics or events.
Sorry, this comment sounds much more negative than I meant it to. I do love your blog and appreciate all the work you put into it. But, as someone who doesn’t “chat”, the blog has lost something for me.
Hi Mary, many thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it. I honestly haven’t been happy at all with the changes I’ve made and intend (trying to) fix things very soon, I’m hoping to have time at the weekend to figure out to make it better. I completely understand what you mean about the post titles, I’ll come up with a way of sorting that out while not reverting to too many posts. Thanks again Mary, hang on in there, I’ll come up with a solution!
Thanks, Chipsticks! Again, I don’t mean to sound negative. LOVE your blog.
Maybe you could have a once-a-day “chat” post where everyone can gather and talk about the day’s events, and then separate “newsy” posts on particular subjects. You could even close the “newsy” posts to comments (if that’s possible) so everyone who’s chatting will all gather in the one “chat” post per day and won’t lose each other in separate posts? Just a thought. I have no idea if it would work or if people would like it that way or not.
Great suggestions Mary, thank you. When I get a chance later tonight I’ll post your suggestions and ask for feedback, I seriously need help on fixing this! Thanks again.
I’m just curious…are my eyes deceiving but did the unemployment rate drop an entire percentage point??? Is this not good news or am I missing something? I just haven’t seen the fam talking about it in the posts (or perhaps it’s the afternoon Chardonnay I’m having blurring my vision…oops confessions)
Has the govt come out with its UE data yet? That’s the official record. The Gallup survey is pretty volatile. Although, of course, I hope that the govt report matches Gallup.
Got it. The official data comes out on Friday at 8:30amEST. Thanks for the clarification. I was getting ready to break out in celebration. I do hope the UE data matches or super close. http://www.bls.gov/cps/
Happy birthday Denise!
Love how Obama is kickin ass and taking name (literally)! I saw this link and was wondering if this is true or bc its from Murdoch uk newspaper is it just more lies!?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2056873/Iran-attack-drawn-UK-US-Middle-East-tensions-rise.html
thanks
Hi Jeremy, I wouldn’t pay any attention to anything you ever read in the Daily Mail, it’s the most hateful lying right wing rag on planet earth!
New thread here:
http://theobamadiary.com/2011/11/03/a-very-good-afternoon/
😉
Too much voting going on, apparently
by Kay
Why aren’t our friends on the other side of the aisle democracy enthusiasts?
County boards of election must stop early in-person voting as of 6 p.m. Friday, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted has advised, prompting Democrats to cry foul. This occurs as a number of counties are reporting higher-than-usual absentee mail-in and early in-person voting for an off-year election, perhaps driven by interest in high-profile ballot issues such as Issue 2, which affects collective bargaining.
The early voting issue was created by a voter referendum effort on a controversial overhaul of state election law, House Bill 194, that had a spillover effect on separate legislation, House Bill 224, containing some similar language. The referendum effort has placed House Bill 194 on hold indefinitely, but the latter law passed unanimously and took effect last week.
As a result, Mr. Husted, a Republican, issued an advisory to boards of election in mid-October that early voting is prohibited during the last three days before Tuesday’s election. The Lucas County Board of Elections had scheduled business hours for Saturday and Sunday but canceled them to comply with last month’s advisory. Democrats, however, contend Mr. Husted based his advisory on a law dealing primarily with military ballots that had its legs cut out from under it by the referendum on the first law.
In Lucas County, roughly half of 16,150 absentee ballots requested as of yesterday had been returned. Elections Director Ben Roberts reported the board has received them at the pace of roughly 170 per day, up from an average of 123 at about the same time before the November, 2010, election. “We expect a deluge in the last two days,” he said.
Briefly, Democrats and allies gathered half a million signatures to delay a voter suppression law passed by the Ohio GOP. Now Republicans are using a different law to shut down early voting in some areas, because Democrats have gotten better at “banking votes”, or, getting our voters out prior to election day so it isn’t as crazy on election day.
I don’t know if we’re going to defeat John Kasich’s union-busting law, a law that was loudly endorsed last week by each and every GOP candidate for President, but I think this tactic will backfire. People love early voting, and they love convenient hours for voting, because those things make sense.
One really does have to wonder about a US political party who get all creative with directives and start putting the hammer down when people vote. Too much voting going on here, peons. Cut that out. This must be another brand-new, bed-rock principle of the ever-evolving Conservative Movement.
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2011/11/03/too-much-voting-going-on-apparently/
Surprised?
http://bobcesca.com/blog-archives/2011/11/tea-party-people-beg-for-earmarks-socialism.html As an aside, I was on an IPad at work and checked in….I literally started purring when I saw that pic of the BEAUTIFUL soccer player:) I better start paying more attention to soccer! No wonder Tally has been absent:)