President Barack Obama walks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel after the G20 Working Dinner on Global Governance in Cannes, France, Nov. 3, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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Morning birthday girls, morning everyone
Will catch up properly later, busy busy busy for the next couple of hours. Chat away 😉
Also wishing many happy returns to amk and Claire, and thanks again to Ms Chips for all the brilliant photos, articles and videos! I have literally spent hours this morning catching up on past threads; laughing hysterically at the Halloween role-playing (bravo to all!) as well as happily sobbing while watching the incredible footage of the 2008 election night.
I also wish many happy birthdays to amk and Claire and hope they have a wonderful day, and I also wept at watching those videos…what a great night it was. I hope to be crying again Nov 2012, when PBO is re-elected because I will have cast my first vote in a presidential election, my first vote for PBO, as a new American citizen (2009)! It is because this great country was able to elect an African American, that we decided we should become citizens, and although we’ve been appalled at how he’s been treated, it’s places like here that give me hope that there are millions of Americans like us, who know those who voted for him Nov 2008, knew what they were doing. I can’t wait.
We all appreciate that first vote, Betsy! Thank you in advance. I’m sure you’ll try to bring other new voters along, as well, as we will try to do with ya. 🙂
Betsy so happy that you have become part of our American family. Working together we will make the re-election of President Obama a reality, and as a nation we will continue to bend the arc of justice. Each of us can make a difference and I know that although the pace of progress is slow, I believe we will continue to move forward.
I want to believe that despite the amplification of racism and bigotry that does exist in this country, it is not a reflection of what the true majority of Americans believe. Now that it is exposed, we can no longer pretend that it doesn’t exist, and must work to marginalize and eradicate the seeds of hatred that some are so happy to sow to perpetuate division and discord. Love is the greatest force on earth let us continue to let it fuel us in our efforts to make our lives, our nation our world a better place.
Good Morning Mariele Rennie, Happy Belated Birthday. I hope that your day was filled with the joys that made you laugh, smile, and have great fun with family and friends. HZ
Happy Birthday Claire and Amk. I am also a November B-day. Nov. 18th. This is turning into another fun way to build community and find friends on this blog. thanks to chops for thinking of this.
Wishing everyone a blessed day. And for amk and Claire, a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Hey guys, don’t know if anyone posted this already, but if you haven’t read, please check out this NYT Editorial. It nails the Republicans. It places the blame squarely on GOP for their efforts to derail PBO at all costs, voting against their own ideas they’ve presented in the past.
Thank you for this africa. meta posted another scathing editorial from NYT in the previous thread. I am reposting in hopes that everyone gets to see this one too.
Great commentary from NYT– wish we could get it out far and wide. I’m truly beginning to feel sorry for clowns–they don’t deserve the comparisons they get to the outright loonies in the Republican presidential race. Clowns at least have a positive purpose–to make kids laugh and lighten the day. The R candidates have no positive purpose known to man. They’re in it for their egos and to see how much American democracy they can destroy.
Hi, Jackie – Yes, and they’re in it for dollars, since I’m convinced their “backers” (traitors) are what’s really keeping them going, despite the fact that the majority of Americans want the Republicans to do what’s right.
Thanks Africa.Really appreciate this one. You all do so much to bring this great information. I appreciate your work. I am trying to learn how to link, so until I can link here, I will do it on Twitter. I do not have difficulty there. Maybe one of my family members here when you have the time will give me some tips please.
Africa, I often think of you, and pray that you are doing fine. Know that you are so loved by HZ. Hugs coming your way.HZ
good morning TOD family and Happy Birthday to Claire and Amk
do you guys remember the Suntimes article on the Judicial Watch which-hunt against Michelle.Yes I called it a which-hunt since they never went after any of the other First Ladies before Michelle.The whole trip to Africa and Spain thing? well like I always say when you don’t do anything wrong and folks go after you for no reason I always look up and say you take care of it
Any wonder why he was coming up with his plethora of witch hunts. He needs the money. All of these guys who peddle this kind of stuff, are pariahs, preying on the malcontent of others that they know they can manipulate. He hitches his wagon to the most outrageous claims because he knows it will generate funds. Hopefully people are getting tired of their nonsense.
Couldn’t have happend to the this most deserving guy.
Thanks Fred. I hope you are doing great. Get your rest. Fred, thanks for all of the great links that you bring to our wonderful site. I am praying and trying to read up on how to bring good links here as well. I am not computer savvy. So I will need some help. Hopefully, I will learn before we get so busy into our 2012.
I have another house meeting on Sun that is approriate to ask there, I hope, so maybe I will be able to learn how to bring links. Excited about the meeting in Claremont. Thanks to you, Fred, meta, Jovie UT and ALL of you for doing so much. I love you all so much. HZ
Wow! Wow Symmtry11, you have such a great gift. I love it. Thanks for your beautiful sharing. I remember how beautiful your lovely work was for my birthday. Gifted indeed.HZ
Happy Birthday to Claire and AMK, I hope your day is filled with happiness and joy……each of us has a gift to share with the world, today we celebrate the gift of you!
Good morning TOD family and Chips!!! What a wonderful Friday. Happy Birthday AMK and Claire!!!! I love all this birthday celebrations. It makes this a closer family community. The joy we take in each other is wonderful. This isn’t just a polictical blog that only cares about polictics we care about peoples lives and family. This is why we will win. Love you all!
Yes, Mtmarilyn, I truly feel the same. This is just a great family. And our Chipsticks just keep thinking of making this such a classy and beautiful place. I brag to my friends all the time. There is so much joy within our heart in our TOD family. Our leader shows us how to channel that energy and respect. We are so blessed and all of you are so brilliant. Yes, we are going to win this again. I feel it so much in my heart. HZ
♥ ♥ ♥ Good Morning Chips! Good Morning TOD Family! ♥ ♥ ♥
Barack Obama Quote O’ The Day
Hope — Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope! In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation. A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead.
Thanks for the Barack Obama Quote O’ the Day PJ. It’s wonderful to wake up to. It brings a smile to my face as wide the smile I get whenever I see an Obama 2008 and 2012 bumper stickers on cars around the city.
I love the quotes PJ. Thank you so much. It sets a beautiful tone. Keep them coming. We have such a lovely and diverse family here, and it is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Wonderfulllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Hugs PJ. Love you,HZ
Hi Sue. So good to see you here today. I hope you are healing day by day with the beatiful balm of precious balm of hugs, meds,., songs of love and appreciation, candles burning for you in my home, and that beautiful laughter that you send out. Love you so very much, Sue. Rest and relax.HZ
Hz, thank you, I am deeply grateful for the generosity and love that you and all others have extended. I am getting better…..actually so much so that now it’s time to really get moving, although I’ve gotten overly comfortable with the “do nothing” aspect of my recovery. I was warned that depression was an inevitable side effect of this condition, I am not depressed fortunately, but I need to light a fire under my tale and bust a move.
HZ I hope you are feeling well yourself, I worry about you…..I’ll be excited to hear back regarding your meeting on Sunday. You are always an inspiration to so many here, you contribute so much in so many ways to the gift that is this community. Thank you for all that you do….I love you back!
You guys totally OT, – a friend sent me a 9 minute video on gratitude I thought I’d deposit it here. It made me rethink again about all the things that are right in my life and to be grateful for them. It’s from Ted Talk about 9 minutes long.
I think I remember something about you can’t put two url’s together in the same post so here’s the ted talk:
Obama Demands That The GOP Explain To America Why They Refuse To Create Jobs
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Once again, the Republican Party just doesn’t get it. Not only would they gain points with voters if they would have supported the infrastructure bill, but they also gave Obama a win by blocking the bill. Republicans don’t understand that every time they refuse to create jobs, they are allowing Obama to campaign both in favor of job creation and against the GOP.
The Republican strategy is literally a case of cutting off your nose to spite your face. All of the pieces of the American Jobs Act that Republicans have defeated or blocked are very popular with voters. Every time the GOP has said no to job creation, they are also outing themselves to voters as the reason why jobs aren’t being created.
President Obama would love to see his agenda passed, but he will be more than happy to bludgeon Republicans on the issue of jobs every day for the next year. Congressional Republicans think that they are winning, but what they are really doing is playing into the President’s reelection strategy. It is a reflection of the backwards state of our politics that the incumbent president saddled with the bad economy is the candidate who calling for more legislation, while the challenging party is obliviously refusing to act.
Obama may not have won in the Senate today, but he definitely didn’t lose. Maybe Republicans will finally get it when they are watching Barack Obama’s inaugural in January 2013.
There is a petition that we need to sign from Sharrod Brown to Speaker Boehner re- holding jobs
hostage in on politicususa.com, THis AM NOt a single word by the MSM regarding the AJA bill that
the GOP bloked again and Not a word about PBO is doing overseas. But But the talked about the harraser
Cain and Michael jacokson case wooow in other words the MSM do not give a shit about improving
our economy or about the people that do not have jobs. crap!!!!!
Not wanting to bore you with the details of the Conservative view of ”Their Blacks” in comparison to the other sides’ “Blacks”, namely President Obama, I will just give you a few names on the Conservatives’ side that you no doubt are familiar with… Allan West, Michael Steele, Ken Blackwell, Herman Cain, Clarence Thomas and Condoleezza Rice.
REMINDS ME OF THE REFERENCES OF THE FIELD NEGRO AND HOUSE NEGRO…
BUT WHAT IS NOT BEING SAID THAT WHEN BLACKS WERE BEING LYNCHED….IT DID NOT MATTER WHAT CATAGORY WE FELL IN…
AS WE SEE THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN SUBJECTED TO RACISM ALL DURING HIS PRESIDENTCY….
FROM…”YOU LIE”, “TAR BABY”, BEING COMPARED TO “APES”, “DICK”…..TO A HOST OF OTHER THINGS…THIS NOTION OF BLACK FOLKS BEING INFERIOR SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF THE SKIN…PERSISTS…
WHO ARE THESE WHITE FOLKS TO CLAIM THAT ANY OF US BELONG TO THEM….THAT WE ARE SOME KIND OF TOY TO BE SIZED UP AND MEASURED….
BE IT THE CONSERVATIVES ON THE RIGHT OR THE SO CALLLED LIBERALS ON THE LEFT……
AT LEAST ONE REDSTATE COMMENTER IS NOT BUYING HERMAN CAIN’S NONSENSE
In this post by Joy Reid of the Reid Report, she includes a comment from RedState that shows at least one person is not buying the Herman Cain nonsense. The commenter makes the case convincingly that this mess is Cain’s fault completely. So far, it looks like this commenter is the minority view. But that could certainly change if this analysis spreads to more right wingers. It’s a brutally honest critique.
Cain and supporters dealing the race card from the bottom of the deck?
The Today Show producers decided that America needed to hear from Michele Bachmann today. The supposed point was to ask her, “as a woman” to give her deep thoughts on the Cain accusations. She refused to comment and just stared wide-eyed into the cameras. It was pointless. But here’s something to look forward to: Today promised to have her back when HER new book is released. Oh goody. Everyone has a book. Who’s buying all these beltway books? Each other? I see Bill Clinton’s book and tour might be as maddening as Tweety’s. It’s supposed to be loaded with stuff Obama “should have done” and all kinds of unsolicited advice for him. SIGH. And ——I notice every time there are good polls/good news for Obama, you can almost count it down till another poll is whisked out to put a damper on the good news polls. Every time! What a coincidence! And why is the LA Times so anti-Obama? I read some of their stories on Chgo Trib (same owner) site, and they’re always negatively slanted re. Obama. After initial reports from France gave credit to President Obama for working behind the scenes to resolve the Greece crisis, there was a flurry of reports, including in the LA Times, to contradict this praise, saying Obama/U.S. are weakened on the world stage, didn’t play any role at all in helping to ease the economic woes there. This is really troubling—-a power play by the powerful?
I am sorry to say this but someone needs to tell Bill Clinton that his time in office ended and he needs to give space to President Obama to do his thing
I caught a snippet of something on our local ABC affiliate this morning about Clinton saying that PBO should have done something to avoid the debt ceiling debacle. I was between sleep and wake and so I could be wrong, but if this is indeed what he is saying in his new book, he just needs to shut up already.
I am so done with him trying to hog the spotlight. Was it too much for him to write his book without being negative to PBO? IHe had Moveon.,org to fight for him with his sex scandal. PBO is fighting a very nasty crowd with very little help from lots of people in the party.
I am so sick of this double standard afforded PBO.
Okay, we have to burst Clinton’s inflated ego bubble by letting him know in no uncertain terms that we’re on to his game and that he’s turning off tens of millions of potential readers of his book with his anti-Obama idiocy. I’m sick and tired of Clinton and his ilk. He messed up his presidency and helped elect W with his irresponsible behavior and I can barely tolerate him and his lower lip biting face anymore. Someday I’M going to write a book on knowing when your time on the stage is over. The greatest blessing God can give is the sense of peace that comes with accepting that it’s time to pass the torch to another generation. That doesn’t mean you close down and rot. It means you deflate you own ego a little and try to remember that the world is NOT centered around you. Get that Billy? The world does NOT revolve around you. And we do NOT care what you think.
I think it’s time to email, tweet and call Bill Clinton’s office. Maybe the reason he feels so comfortable running his mouth about PBO is because he has not gotten any public pushback. Much of the PL agrees with him and I have not heard any of the MSNBC folk challenge him on his nonsense. What do you guys think? I’ll go first. I just called his office in New York at (212)348-8882 and was given this email address, info@clintonfoundation.org. and his office address is 55 W. 125th St. New York, NY 10027. The receptionist did not know if he was on Twitter.
L3, thank you for the e-mail link. I just e-mailed him and gave him a piece of my mind. Told him if he continued to undermine the president to promote his book, there would be millions of Obama supporters working toward and praying for his book’s failure. Let’s everybody get an e-mail to him or make the call.
He is going to peddle his amendment 14 Thingy!
Meanwhile, for two years, bill big legislative idea was requiring everyone to wear school uniforms!
Remember?
I read Bill has made over $60 million in speaking engagements. Folks it’s about money. For most of these former “whatevers” and pundits like “tweety and why President Obama should be more like Kennedy” (the womanizer) it’s about money. Sarah Palin has a lot of company.
I read somewhere that Hillary has a book coming out soon AND Chelsea is seriously considering making a run for a Senate seat in New York. Would explain why Bill is trying so hard to keep the “Clinton brand” front and center in the public sphere. Or it could be that he’s simply feeling just a wee bit envious of all that President Obama has managed to accomplish in such a short time– in spite of the many obstacles that have been placed in his path. Remember that saying: “Those who can…do…those who can’t…criticize.”~
Exactly. Can you imagine him at the Naval Observatory everyday, trying to wrangle his way to the White House to poke his nose into domestic and foreign issues and being a constant nuisance. Ugh.
Add me to the list of those who are fed up with slick Willie. He’s putting out a book with some criticisism of PBO at THIS particular time, when SO MUCH is at stake in the next presidential election ? How self-centered, ego-driven is this guy?
For months, I’ve been wondering about what Bill Clinton’s game is. Oh he’s slick… From time to time he will be positive; he will say just enough to appear to have the president’s back but when you look at things and especially when you realize that many of his allies in the party don’t shy from criticizing President Obama harsly and openly, it paints a different picture. If Bill Clinton REALLY had the president’s back, he would have “called the dogs off” a long time ago. He has been undermining President Obama since the beginning. I bet he is “holding court” in his home regularly, talking politics and commiserating about President Obama’s “mistakes”. Making sure that democratic politicians understand that President Obama is not as good a politician and a policy wonk as he, Bill Clinton, is. Making sure they don’t forget that Hillary is better and would have been a better president. And Bill is not only talking to politicians, he’s talking to media people too… Watching him manouevering with them in interviews you have to give him props… He’s good at this “game”.
My hope is that by overplaying his hand, Bill will finally get the pushback he deserves and lose his clout with both the party and the media.
I wish Bill would get some push-back but it won’t happen. I agree, he has been undermining PBO since day one. He is the reason so many “Clinton people” have been all over tv any chance they get to criticize the President. I know we all had our suspicions about Slick Willie being behind it, but now, there should be no doubt. He is sickening. i never understood why he just didn’t run for President himself. He couldn’t do 3 consecutive terms, but there was nothing stopping him from running in “08 or even now. I really never thought Hillary wanted to be President as much as Bill wanted it. She always struck me as someone who wanted to make her own way. Bill is so full of himself, he should be embarrassed.
She has a book coming out?? It’s probably a coloring book….she’s such an idiot. I still can’t believe that on one of the GOP debate she said if she was elected President, there would be NO taxes, zilt…zero……..lol….yea that make sense.
Oh yes, I can just imagine what Bill Clinton’s book is all about….as you point out dotser3, loaded with stuff President Obama ”should have done” and unsolicited advices, it’s going to be catnip for the PL………….typical of Bill Clinton! I don’t like him and don’t trust him one bit
He can’t just stay away from the spotlight.
Of course when there’s good polls/good news about the President, the corrupt media has to be creative to make sure it doesn’t come out..
I saw two talking heads trying to explain away how Bill Clinton is trying to tell POB what to do and what he and Dems should have done. I have not seen or heard so many of these people trying to tell POB how to run his Presidency. I have no more respect for Bill Clinton. I personally feel that Bill Clinton is very jealous of POB. He is still angry like John McCain and it is not good for our country.
I am not a mean spirit, but I really wish that Bill Clinton would STFU and keep is arse off ot the tv screen. I am SICK of him creeping up with his ugly spirit. He is slick and sly with his words, and they are not appropriate and they hurt us all. Please tell him to shut his mouth.
He has a great life and has been given so many beautiful blessings, so why not get in their and help. Seel the books and leave POB out of it. I am tired of his tired old a.. Please forgive me. I just find it so distructive . We need sincere helpers. Bill knows that he can go to the WH and speak with POB. So I think that he is still angry. That is just HZ.
Good morning TOD. Here’s an excerpt from the Labor Department’s report.~
THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION — OCTOBER 2011
Nonfarm payroll employment continued to trend up in October (+80,000), and the unemployment rate was little changed at 9.0 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment in the private sector rose, with modest job growth continuing in professional and businesses services, leisure and hospitality, health care, and mining. Government employment continued to trend down.
Household Survey Data
Both the number of unemployed persons (13.9 million) and the unemployment rate (9.0 percent) changed little over the month. The
unemployment rate has remained in a narrow range from 9.0 to 9.2 percent since April. (See table A-1.)
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate declined for blacks (15.1 percent) in October, while the rates for adult men (8.8
percent), adult women (8.0 percent), teenagers (24.1 percent), whites (8.0 percent), and Hispanics (11.4 percent) showed little or no
change. The jobless rate for Asians was 7.3 percent, not seasonally adjusted. (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)
In October, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) declined by 366,000 to 5.9 million, or 42.4 percent of total unemployment. (See table A-12.)
The civilian labor force participation rate remained at 64.2 percent in October, and the employment-population ratio was little changed at
58.4 percent. (See table A-1.)
The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) decreased by
374,000 to 8.9 million in October. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job. (See table A-8.)
In October, 2.6 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force, about the same as a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally
adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the
prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. (See table A-16.)
Among the marginally attached, there were 967,000 discouraged workers in October, a decrease of 252,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.6 million persons marginally attached to the labor force in October had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities. (See table A-16.)
Halo~ I posted the excerpt to show areas which have improved. Progress is slow on this front, BUT as Africa pointed out–and as we all know–more progress could be made if the GOP stopped blocking the President’s jobs bill.
Thanks for providing more context. Sure, 80,000 jobs isn’t very good, but at least the overall unemployment rate declined a smidge. More importantly, I’d rather see this trend of positive job growth than a continuation of massive job losses like we saw three years ago. Analysts predicted correctly two years ago that it would be a while before the economy regained all of those jobs that were lost between 20008 and 2010. It’s going to take some time, but at least we’re headed in the right direction. Now, if the GOP in Congress would get its shit together and sign the Jobs Bill, or at least parts of it, we’d see even more Americans back at work.
INFRASTRUCTURE BILL AND MISLEADING MEDIA REPORTING
As Steve Benen reports, there are some accurate reports on what transpired yesterday with the infrastructure vote. But too many media outlets continue to carry water for the GOP and shield them from the scrutiny they deserve. The media should be reporting the facts and letting the chips fall where they may. We don’t need misleading headlines that imply a pox on both their houses when we all know that is not true.
When a GOP plan comes together
===========================
The GOP offered a ridiculous alternative, pushing the so-called REINS Act, which doesn’t even try to create jobs, and as Jonathan Bernstein explained, is “not even remotely serious.”
So why did Republican leaders push this yesterday as an “alternative” jobs bill? To get media outlets to tell the public that “both sides” presented jobs bills, even though that’s not true.
And as CNN and Politico helped prove, this little stunt worked.
Revisions way up in august and September, which is why we ticked down.
It is very likely October will revise upward, as well.
For ex- September created 198k private jobs, august 104k, revisions.
That is great considering august was supposedly 0 jobs created!
Democrats need to hammer a simple message: It’s un-American for partisans to hinder political opponents’ efforts to vote. Yet this issue might not resonate with many independent voters. The typical suburban independent voter might think: Who doesn’t have a photo-id, anyway? Democrats and those affected will be angered, but Republicans will still benefit in close battleground states.
Occupy Wall Street organizers: I believe you should resonate with this issue. GOP officials are trying to disenfranchise people like you: college students with university IDs not gun permits, young people and minority urban residents who don’t drive, and so on.
Wherever you live, learn the voter registration and ID rules, and get to work registering people and ensuring that they have the proper ID cards and whatever to actually vote. Bring the drum sets. You may need a hard surface to fill out the proper forms.
Ladyhawke, and TOD, here’s a tool that provides information on a state-by-state basis about specific requirements that must be met in order to register and/or vote.
Republicans: Just a Bunch of Warm Bodies Taking Up Space
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Republicans seem to have forgotten the cardinal rule of President Obama: He’s at his best when he’s on the stump. When he said he was going to bring the jobs bill to the American people and garner support, Republicans should, just maybe, have listened . . . but they didn’t. And they continue to waste time, waste energy, and simply waste space.
Let’s see what Republicans have been up to while President Obama has been selling his jobs package to the public (a jobs package, by the way, that would put about 1.8 million people back to work and that’s supported by72% of Americans).
dotster3 above has a very important thing about which we should have our guard up and that is the way Bill Clinton constantly injects himself into President Obama’s presidency.
I admire the cooperation from Sec Hillary Clinton. But Bill needs to sit somewhere and not creat controversy just when President Obama seems to be making steady steps to dig us out of the mess Bill contributed to creating through his push for deregulation of the financial markets!
Hey here’s some good news. got this email from friends of Sen. Dick Durbin after i signed a petition:
This week, I got word of a very important announcement, and I wanted to make sure you heard about it:
Bank of America will abandon plans to charge customers $5 a month to access their own money with a debit card. Other big banks — including Wells Fargo and Chase — are backing off too.
Members of the DickDurbin.com community played a crucial role in this victory for consumers. Together, we sent nearly 15,000 emails to Bank of America’s CEO calling on him to reverse course, and it made an impact.
It’s clear that consumers now have a much larger voice in this process than they did even a few weeks ago. This is long overdue. Customers are sending a clear message that they’ll only do business with banks that treat them fairly instead of squeezing them for every last dollar — and the message is getting through.
Thank you for your help achieving this stunning victory for consumers.
We Have Two Battles
by BooMan
Thu Nov 3rd, 2011 at 11:58:31 PM EST
At 3 o’clock this afternoon the Senate rejected an effort on a motion to proceed to a vote on the Rebuild America Jobs Act, which would have provided money to rebuild America’s infrastructure. Don’t get me wrong. A majority of the Senate voted in favor of proceeding to a vote on the bill. But that’s not good enough in our constitutional system. We needed 60 senators out of 100 to agree. We got a mere fifty-one. Here’s what the president had to say in response to the Senate’s intransigence
For the third time in recent weeks, every single Republican in the United States Senate has chosen to obstruct a jobs bill that independent economists said would boost our economy and put Americans back to work. At a time when more than a million construction workers are looking for a job, they voted “no” to putting them back to work doing the work America needs done – rebuilding our roads, bridges, airports and transit systems. That makes no sense.
It makes no sense when you consider that this bill was made up of the same kinds of common-sense proposals that many of these Senators have fought for in the past. It was fully paid for. And even though it was supported by more than 70 percent of the American people – Republicans, Democrats, and independents – 100 percent of Senate Republicans said no. It’s more clear than ever that Republicans in Washington are out of touch with Americans from all ends of the political spectrum……
Elizabeth Warren has the pitch-perfect response to a Tea Party heckler who called her a “socialist whore”:
“I actually felt sorry for the guy. I really genuinely did,” Warren later told the Huffington Post. “He’s been out of work now for a year and a half. And bless his heart, I mean, he thought somehow it would help to come here and yell names.”
She also added: “I’m not angry with him, but he didn’t come up with the idea that his biggest problem was Occupy Wall Street. There’s someone else pre-packaging that poison — and that’s who makes me angry.”
I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a first-time candidate who is as talented a natural politician as Warren.
>>>>I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a first-time candidate who is as talented a natural politician as Warren.<<<<
His name would be Barack Obama, 😆 .
I get what he's saying though, Elizabeth Warren is so spectacular because, like PBO, she's fully actualized and settled in her core about what she believes. She's done the hard work of forming and cultivating a principled, consistent inner compass. She cares about people. She's not perfect — and the purists will find something to hate about her, too. However, she is one of our best candidates.
Yeah, that’s short-term memory loss. PBO has never shown anything but compassion for hecklers–he is the gold standard for speakers and he always answers brilliantly. Warren is good and will grow better. But Barack Obama is a political genius.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Holding Your Own Folks Hostage
Posted by Zandar
In other news, Republicans will continue to assure that the economy will never improve until America capitulates and gives them unlimited political power for all eternity.
Senate Republicans Thursday blocked debate on yet another portion of President Obama’s jobs bill — one that would have provided $60 billion for funding transportation projects, and seeded a new infrastructure bank.
The vote was 51 – 49 with only 2 members of the Dem caucus — Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Ben Nelson (D-NE) — joining the GOP.
Naah, infrastructure might be used to justify the government existing. We can’t have that. Not like we have a serious problem with infrastructure in this country or anything. With tax cuts we can build bridges and roads out of Laffer Curves. But Republicans do stand for something, you know……
“WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The longer the Republican presidential hopefuls battle over sexual harassment claims against Herman Cain, the better things look for President Barack Obama as he mounts his campaign for re-election….
The disputes between the Republicans come as opinion polls show voters are responding well to Obama’s push for his jobs bill. A poll from Quinnipiac University this week showed that 47 percent of Americans approve of Obama’s job performance, up six percentage points from early October.
There have also been signs that the U.S. economic recovery, expected to be the most important issue in the 2012 election, is on track. On Wednesday, data showed U.S. private employers added more jobs than expected last month, raising hopes that Friday’s October unemployment report might show improvement from the September’s 9.1 percent rate.
All of this is good for the Democrats, who have wisely stayed out of the controversy, keeping their campaign attacks on Romney, whom Cain replaced at the top of most polls.
“It’s clouding the Republican message right now, so that’s got to be good news for Democrats and they are quite wisely being very quiet about it,” said David Yepsen, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University.”
I for one am thrilled with every single one of the Republican candidates for President and I want them to keep doing what their doing, bless their hearts.
I look forward to their upcoming debates, between each other, followed by Romney’s regularly scheduled debate with himself.
“The Fed now says the economy will likely expand no more than 1.7 percent for all of 2011. That’s down from its June forecast of 2.7 percent to 2.9 percent. And it predicted growth of only 2.5 percent to 2.9 percent next year, nearly a percentage point lower than its June estimate.
The Fed said it doesn’t expect the unemployment rate to be any lower this year. And it sees unemployment averaging 8.6 percent by the end of next year.”
In August, as Jovie pointed out upthread, “the government said employers added zero net jobs that month. It has since been revised twice to show 104,000 jobs added,” so I am looking forward to more happy mistakes from the Fed about job growth for October, November and December as we go into 2012.
300 Days of House Republican control and no jobs legislation
ECONOMIC RECOVERY FACTS (Includes charts)
==========================
Posted on November 3, 2011 by Leader’s Press Shop
Answering a question at her weekly press conference today, Leader Pelosi commented on the lack of jobs legislation by House Republicans and contrasted that with President Obama’s action on the economy:
One week and one day after the President made his inaugural address, one week and one day, we passed the Recovery Act in the House and in a few weeks it was in the Senate saving or creating millions of jobs for the American people. One week and one day. Here we are over 300 days [of House Republican control], no such legislation. From a policy standpoint he was a job creator from day one. Now was the ditch we were in so deep that when you’re talking to people and they still don’t have a job that that’s any consolation to them? No. But I’ll tell you this, if President Obama and Congressional Democrats had not acted we would be at 15% unemployment–again, no consolation to those without a job but an important point to make.
As Leader Pelosi referenced, we would be in a much worse place had it not been for Democratic action. According to a study last year by economists Alan Blinder and Mark Zandi, the unemployment rate would have been 15.7% last fall–instead of the 9.8%–without action, including the Recovery Act. From page 6 of their study:
A big Happy Birthday to Claire and amk! We have quite a November crew. Hope you all enjoy every moment of your special day. Grab your friends and family, dig in and celebrate!
Chips, thanks for posting the videos from one of the happiest days of my life — The election of President Obama. The tears of joy continue to roll down my face.
In 2012 Voters Will Remember That Koch Led Republicans Kept Them Unemployed
As more Americans witness Herman, Richard, and Willard parrot the Koch agenda, they will harken back over the past ten months and recall that when given the opportunity to help Americans by creating jobs, Republicans obstructed, lied, and worked diligently to give the 1% of wealthiest Americans more tax breaks as the poverty level increased and corporations paid little or no taxes. They will also remember the Occupy movement was fighting for 99% of the country that are in jeopardy of joining the ranks of Americans living at or below the poverty level, and they will vote to send the Koch-Republicans back home to count their corporate earnings. Hopefully by then, their dirty profits will be taxed at higher levels to correct the injustice perpetrated by the Libertarians masquerading as Republicans.
The noise in the media and blogs are geting louder about the 15 forgotten Job bill from the republican, the Democrat have to get on this and let the American People know what these Bills are about. They need to talking about the Republican Bills more offen an the flood. I wish they talk more about what the Republican are doing instead of what they are not doing.Please show the Republican 15 forgotten Bills to the American People so they can see it just a JOKE, some don’t know that yet, because they wont say what the bills are, and the media are covering for them.
The Forgotten 15
House Republicans have passed 15 jobs bills that remain stuck in the Senate, they are:
1) The Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act (H.R 872) – Reduces overlapping and unnecessary regulation on
pesticides; thereby reducing costs to both farmers and small business owners.
• Introduced by Rep. Bob Gibbs (OH) on March 2, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 292-130 on March 31, 2011
2) The Energy Tax Prevention Act (H.R. 910) – Prohibits the federal government from regulating
greenhouse gas emissions; thereby by preventing a needless increase in energy prices for American
households and businesses.
• Introduced by Rep. Fred Upton (MI) on March 3, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 255-172 on April 7, 2011
3) A Resolution of Disapproval Regarding FCC’s Regulation (H.J. Res. 37) – Prevents the federal
government from regulating the Internet and broadband providers
• Introduced by Rep. Greg Walden (OR) on February 16, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 240 to 179 on April 8, 2011
4) Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act (H.R 1230) – Helps to reduce energy prices and
promote job creation by expediting offshore oil and natural gas exploration in the Gulf of Mexico and the
Virginia coast.
• Introduced by Rep. Doc Hastings (WA) on March 29, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 266-149 on May 5, 2011
5) Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act (H.R. 1229) – Promotes job creation and reduces energy
prices by reinstating oil drilling permits in the Gulf Coast.
• Introduced by Rep. Doc Hastings (WA) on March 29, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 263-163 on May 11, 2011
6) Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act (H.R 1231) – Promotes lower energy costs and
job creation by allowing drilling in at least 50 percent of the Outer Continental Shelf areas known to contain
the most oil and gas.
• Introduced by Rep. Doc Hastings (WA) on March 29, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 243-179 on May 12, 2011
7) The Jobs and Energy Permitting Act H.R 2021) – Promotes job growth and reduces energy costs by
expediting the process of obtaining an offshore drilling permit.
• Introduced by Rep. Cory Gardner (CO) on May 26, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 255-166 on June 22, 2011
8) The Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act (H.R 2018) – Prevents the federal government from
interfering with a state’s water quality program once that state has already met existing federal standards;
thereby eliminating needless red tape and tinkering by bureaucrats.
• Introduced by Rep. John Mica (FL) on May 26, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 239 to 184 on July 13, 2011
9) The Consumer Financial Protection Safety and Soundness Improvement Act of 2011 (H.R. 1315) –
Improves consumer protection and provides greater economic stability by allowing the Financial Stability
Oversight Council to vote to set aside any harmful federal regulation.
• Introduced by Rep. Sean Duffy (WI) on April 1, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 241-173 on July 21, 2011
10) The North American-Made Energy Security Act (H.R. 1938) – Promotes job creation and energy
security by ending the needless delay of the construction and operation of the Keystone XL pipeline.
• Introduced by Rep. Terry Lee (NE) on May 23, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 279-147 on July 26, 2011
11) The Protecting Jobs From Government Interference Act (H.R. 2587) – Seeks to guarantee private
companies the flexibility to develop their businesses in the state that offers the best opportunities for
growth, job creation and stability.
• Introduced by Rep. Tim Scott (SC) on July 19, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 238-186 on September 15, 2011
12) The Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts (TRAIN) Act (H.R. 2401) – establishes an
interagency committee to evaluate the economic impacts of EPA regulations and delay the final dates for
both the maximum achievable control technology (Utility MACT) standards and the cross-state air pollution
rule (CSAPR) until the full impact has been studied. Both regulations would cost consumers and
businesses $184 billion from 2011-2030 and would skyrocket electrical prices.
• Introduced by Rep. John Sullivan (OK) on June 24, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 249-169 on September 23, 2011
13) The Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act (H.R. 2681) – provides a stay of the EPA’s overly burdensome
rules and allows for the implementation of effective regulation that protects communities both
environmentally and economically.
• Introduced by Rep. John Sullivan (OK) on July 28, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 262-161 on October 6, 2011
14) The EPA Regulatory Relief Act (H.R. 2250) – alleviates the excessive regulatory burden placed on
employers by the EPA’s Boiler MACT rules, potentially costing companies $14 billion and 224,000
American jobs, and replacing them with sensible, achievable rules that do not destroy jobs.
• Introduced by Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA) on June 21, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 275-142 on October 13, 2011
15) The Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act (H.R. 2273) – bipartisan legislation providing
consistent, safe management of coal combustion residuals in a way that protects jobs and encourages
recycling and beneficial use.
• Introduced by Rep. David McKinley (WV) on June 22, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 276-144 on October 14, 2011
Where did you find this? I would love the link. I write down links like this and when I need this type info to rebutt on FB (or somewhere else), I go through my notebook and ZAP, there it is! I would love to have that link. Thanks.
The message Republicans will be emphasizing — today and over the next year — is that we should try things their way. But we already are, and no one’s satisfied with the results.
Indeed, arguably one of the most dramatic Democratic dilemmas of 2011 and 2012 is overcoming the realization that Republicans are getting their way on economic policy and then denying any responsibility for the results. Indeed, it’s a rather extraordinary con: GOP officials see much of their agenda implemented, then see it fail, and then blame Obama when their policies don’t work.
I just watched the video of Grant Park…..that was one of the best nights of my life, and the absolutely best presidential election night I have ever witnessed. Like the rest of you, I cried. The thought that came to me was “There are two GOOD men.” Their goodness comes from the inside. Politicians and naysayers have done their best to destroy that goodness, but they still are good men. Do we deservde them…..probably not. But do we NEED them, a resounding YES! We’ll work and give to make sure that the country realizes what good men these are and that they NEED to be re-elected.
Linda, they are American reporters, it’s a given that they will ask stupid questions and they did i.e.: Norah O’Donnell who PBO came back at by nailing right across her GOP water carrying mouth! It was great! Norah is such a creep.
This just takes the cake: My most horrific teabagger and deadbeat dad congressman, Joe Walsh, was just given a “pro-family” award from the Christian right Family Research Council. He owes over $117,000 in back child support. He got a 100% rating on his family values from this group. He runs around making the most outrageous statements, calling for impeachment of President Obama etc. The ultimate in hypocrisy: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2011/11/04/361149/joe-walsh-family-research-council/
Dotster3, it show the evil in these people. The Family Research Council , well I will leave it there. But the facts just does not measure up to this congressman and his comments about the president and the news that has been reported on this man. ” Out of the heart, the mouth speaketh.” What is in a person’s heart, he/she will speak it. That is all I will say. It is really disgusting. HZ
Good morning Meta and TOD friends. I totally agree wtih you. Just before the presser came on, I heard John King on CNN say that, the repugs were going to criticize PBO as being weak here at home on he economy and he has no standing globally to contribute. My question to the repugs are, what are they going to do and what have they contributed?
Are these people serious? Europe is in crisis. At least the USA has growth even if small and slow and we know why, Republican obstruction..Many of the European economies are in severe negative territory. There have been marches and protests against Cameron and Sarkozy.
These journalists are not just ignorant they are obviously not working in concert with the principles of their profession and need to be exposed.
I was out of my seat when he said he didn’t think 401k’s had been impacted in the last two weeks. And oh by the way remember where the market was when I took office and where it is today. Awesome response Mr. President.
I saw that too SueBee. Quite a different response than what Merkel gave to bush and his shoulder rub at a G20 meeting. It’s nice to see our President getting along so nicely with our allies. I hope Mr. Merkel will be all right with this:-)
The most exasperating dissonance within America’s 21st-century political zeitgeist is that between what “everyone knows” and what nearly everyone, it often seems, then does. This morning the NY Times’ Timothy Egan sets the epistemological stage:
The public already knows the real scandal: our broken politics…. The [GOP] clowns have finally taken over the circus…. The party that got itself into a fever over Barack Obama’s imaginary Kenyan birth … is now overwhelmed by its own nonsense……
I don’t know. The “stupid, naive, little girl’ in me wants to believe that all those elections were rigged. That we got cheated. It’s actually easier for me to believe this than to believe the American people are this pathetic.
November 03, 2011
Cain: an insurmountable perplexity
Today on Fox News, Herman Cain’s mismanager, Mark Block, “said he wants to get over the ‘silliness’ and get on with the campaign.”
Granted, that’s too easy for sophisticated humor. So I’ll pile on anyway and restate the observation that every reader undoubtedly had: Isn’t silliness the campaign?
Which still leaves us with an insurmountable perplexity — how a lubricious huckster of inexpressibly moronic simplicities ever climbed to the top of Republican polls, even nominally. Sure, there’s the multiple-personality Romney thing; and the capricious political media, far more interested in playtime than policy; and of course the GOP base’s advancing cerebral morbidity. But, Herman Cain?…..
Hi rikyrah, thanks a million for all this good stuff! Would you mind, though, only posting extracts (or two-ish paragraphs) from articles so that everyone will visit the blogs where the articles are from? Thank you! 😉
President Obama schools little girl reporter (aka Nora O’Donnell) on the meaning of leadership and the American Jobs Act. Ouch!
Thanks Nora for giving President Obama an opportunity to embarrass your arse and tell the world know about his American Jobs Act and the obstruction of the Republican Party.
The “Ice Princess” was a perfect replacement for Chip Reid. It’s the same kind of question he would have asked. We didn’t see her face, but I could “hear” the sneer in her voice. Unbelievable……
I may be in the minority, but I don’t think Cain’s history of sexual harassment is going to hurt him at all with the GOP, and the insanity of the Republican party will really work to his favor in the short run, at least. Half of them have convinced themselves that this is just a liberal media hit job, and the rest of them think women are property, so I really don’t expect him to lose any support over this. If anything, in the short term, I expect him to gain ground. Wingnuts love crazy shit. It doesn’t matter if Cain has made any number of differing and contradictory statements about what happened, the fact that Cain is not handling this conventionally is all they need. They love a good show, and to them, Cain is fighting back! He’s not taking it! Plus, did you see him show them at the Press Club what he is made of when he broke into song?
The WaPo, today
Businessman Herman Cain and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney are running nearly even atop the field of 2012 GOP presidential hopefuls, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows, with most Republicans dismissing the harassment allegations that over the past week have roiled Cain’s campaign……..
Yep. I don’t know why the media ever thought the wingnuts who support Cain would be troubled by claims of sexual harassment. That just makes them dig in and rally around him more. He’s got to actually betray them, like apologize for sexual harassment or something, in order for them to turn on him.
Norah O’Donnel is a total bitch who just gave PBO repug talking points. She was like: “oh, your bill failed yesterday because the gop don’t want to tax small business……blah, blach, fucking blah.”
PBO nailed with a swift one, two, three and an upper cut for good measure. He was like “norah, YOU say that the bill didn’t pass because the GOP doesn’t want to tax small business, well if that’s true somethings wrong because the bill that got voted down yesterday would have provided tax credits for small businesses…..” That fricking bitch! She is so damned stupid. where the hell do these people come from?
Norah used to work for an outfit that covered Congress (Roll Call?), then Chris Matthews “spotted” her, probably became her protege, then she was pulled onto MSNBC, and now she’s got this gig and her whole persona changed (IMO). She is so far removed from neutral journalism, it isn’t funny. And nobody – but nobody – will ever call her on it but us, because it’s become the norm. Members of the WHPC are an embarrassment in front of the world.
Lisa why are you so angry? The entire MSM agenda is to DESTROY PBO. They have no interests in fair and balanced questions and fair and balanced reporting. Nothing is new here. We just have to make sure PBO is not standing alone these next 12 months through to the election. WE GOT HIS BACK. We need to make sure plenty of other Americans have got his back. PRESS ON!! 😉
Herman Cain’s Abuse Of Power Scandal
Tod Kelly makes a distinction:
The media treats sexual harassment cases similarly to the way they treat stories about secret mistresses. After all, it’s the sex that sells the story, right? … But sexual harassment isn’t the same as infidelity. Sexual harassment, at the end of the day, is about the abuse of power. What’s more, it’s about a particularly denigrating and malicious abuse of power. I would go so far as to say that if someone has a pattern of perpetrating sexual harassment, he is the last person you want in power over others – and you should vote accordingly.…….
Either he invited an employee to his hotel room at a social event, or he didn’t. If he did, and she felt she had to leave her job subsequently because of how her complaint altered the workplace environment, then it matters. We need to lift the woman’s gag-order, and get to the bottom of this……..
my guess is that all this drama around Cain is only going to boost his numbers. The republican field is a joke. Folks are probably pissed off and as a result my swing to poll Cain as leading the party for at least a few more weeks.
I am actually grateful that all our esteemed journalists consistently parrot GOP talking points. Since the President can’t appear at the debates, he is able to take out their memes as they are being spewed by our GOP-friendly media.
GOP Parrot: ‘What do you say to Americans who have watched their 401Ks lose money after the Greek debt deal went sour.’
President Don’t Even Try it: ‘Well you’ll recall the stock market has down 3000 points from where it is now, so I doubt that the losses are as dramatic as you described….
GOP Parrot: ‘The GOP won’t support your jobs bill because it will tax small businesses. Economic growth is anemic and unemployment is at 9%. How would you describe your economic leadership.?
President Don’t Even Try It: ‘The reason you gave for their lack of support doesn’t fly because we talking about taxing Americans that make $1 million. That amounts to 300,000 folks. Less than 3% of small businesses make more than a million. So the Republicans have rejected taxing 300,000 Americans at expense of economic growth for 300 million Americans.’
Thanks for this. I was trying to take notes but I got so enraged. I had to contain myself. But the part I love is that the world got to hear the stupid question from Nora and the brilliant answer from President Obama. And I certainly hope that news conference gets all the attention it deserves in the local media in the United States.
I’m just glad I missed most of the babbling from people like Norah. I was able to hear a part of one of PBO’s responses – in that brilliant, confident, soothing tone of his. Sigh.
Frankly dealing with the GOP talking heads, press, and water carriers is like playing on the school yard when we were 10 and everyone fighting over the teather ball. PBO eally quite amused at their ignorance. Our president is so BRILLIANT. WE all just have to keep chugging along manifesting in the DREAM. When it is all said and done PBO will be having the last laugh as he walks down another parade rout in sub freezing temps in January of 2013. 😎
what?!!!!! Napoleon hates PBO? What? What? I thought he was always jealous of PBO’s looks, intelligence and the way people love PBO, but I never thought he hated PBO? WTF? is that true?
Oh hell to the no! What a two faced clown. The guy’s an ass. I wouldn’t hold by breath that he’ll win re-election, even his political ploys are obvious. PBO is very popular abroad so Little Napoleon tries his best to seem buddy-buddy with PBO in order for some of PBO’s glamour to rub off on him.
Noe we know the reason behind cain’s nien-nein-nein “plan”.
Joel Bennett, the attorney for one of the women who complained about Herman Cain at the National Restaurant Association said Friday that his client’s settlement was dated in September of 1999 and signed by the trade group’s general counsel but not Cain.
I am convinced that people really expected this man to take office, stop the bleeding, fix all the problems from the financial wounds and restore their lives right back to order before the worse economic collapse since the great depression took place. I cannot believe the ignorance of our electorate but then I watch our media do them all this drastic disservice by NOT informing them so what else can I expect. It will just make our jobs twice as hard but I’m up to the task.
These WH so-called press corp are still reeling from the President bringing in local media and going around them to get his jobs bill message out to the public.
Like Bill Maher said last week, there is nothing wrong with trying a new way to win if the current way you are trying is not working. I am not a huge fan of Maher either, but he can be right sometimes…
POLITICO LOOKS THE OTHER WAY AS ROMNEY LIES ABOUT TAXES
Mitt Romney’s Tax Lie And The Occupy Wall Street Movement
=======================
Let’s look at Politico, for example. This is a news organization that exists solely to cover politics. It’s right there in the name: Politico. They don’t cover sports, they don’t review movies or rock concerts. They cover politics. And they churn out endless material each day — a non-stop stream of news, gossip, innuendo, opinion, glorified stenography, investigative reporting, and everything in between. Among the dozens of stories on Politico’s front page last night: Freshmen House Republicans have been slow to pony up their NRCC dues, House Democrats want to get rid of the Defense of Marriage Act, Senators from Missouri won a bet on the outcome of the World Series, and lots and lots of Herman Cain. There’s even a blog post revealing that a consultant for Mitt Romney read a Washington Post article critical of his boss. Seriously: That’s the whole post. No story is too small for Politico. But Politico hasn’t reported Romney’s extremely newsworthy lie.
And that, in a nutshell, is why the Occupy Wall Street movement exists, and is so important: Wealthy elites constantly rig the system even further in their favor and brazenly lie about doing so, and the news media — which is, of course, run by wealthy elites — won’t tell you about it
One of the tactics the 99 Percenters are using to take back the country from the 1 percent is to move their money from big banks to credit unions, community banks, and other smaller financial unions that aren’t gambling with our nation’s future.
Now, the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) reports that a whopping 650,000 Americans have joined credit unions since Sept. 29 — the date that Bank of America announced it would start charging a $5 monthly debit fee, a move it backed down on this week.
To put that in perspective, there were only 600,000 new members for credit unions in all of 2010. “These results indicate that consumers are clearly making a smarter choice by moving to credit unions where, on average, they will save about $70 a year in fewer or no fees, lower rates on loans and higher return on savings,” said CUNA President Bill Cheney.
INFRASTRUCTURE – “A BRIDGE TOO FAR FOR THE REPUBLICANS”
President Obama hands the GOP as much rope as they can carry
==============================
Senate Republicans today blocked a vote on yet another one of the components of President Obama’s jobs plan today. This one would have invested $60 billon in building and repairing our nation’s crumbling infrastructure and was fully paid for by a 0.7% (!!!) surcharge on income over $1 million. A bridge too far for Republicans, apparently.
.
.
These votes are the first in a string of votes that President Obama is lining up like bowling pins for the Republicans to knock down. His timing is exquisite. By the time they pick a candidate, the Republicans will have firmly established themselves as the not just the party of “HELL NO, YOU CAN’T!!!, they will be on the record for vote after vote after vote on bills to help struggling Americans and get our economy going again.
Here’s the President’s official comments on today’s vote:
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Running The Numbers Wrong
Posted by Zandar
I’m not sure if Nate Silver is incorporating way too much beltway conventional wisdom into his analysis or if he’s just decided to move into Firebagger Country, but his latest 35,000 feet analysis of President Obama’s re-election is that he loses unless the economy improves and his chances are 50-50 overall.
The problem is with the input parameters on Nate’s model:
Obama does indeed have a “Jewish problem.” Polls find that his standing among Jews has deteriorated: only about 54 percent of them approved of his performance in the most recent Gallup survey. But this is to be expected when a president has a 40-something approval rating. He also has a Hispanic problem and a problem among the white working class. He has a problem in Ohio and a problem in Florida and a problem in New Hampshire. He even has, to a mild extent, an African-American problem: Obama’s approval ratings among black voters are still high, but down to about 80 percent from 90 percent.
All of these, however, are symptoms of Obama’s larger problems, a set of three fundamental misgivings shared by much of the American electorate.
• First, many of us understand that Barack Obama inherited a terrible predicament. We have a degree of sympathy for the man. But we have concerns, which have been growing over time, about whether he’s up to the job.
• Second, most of us are gravely concerned about the economy. We’re not certain what should be done about it, but we’re frustrated.
• Third, enough of us are prepared to vote against Obama that he could easily lose. It doesn’t mean we will, but we might if the Republican represents a credible alternative and fits within the broad political mainstream.
I’m trying to figure out where somebody so dependent on actual facts, objective figures, and numerical analysis gets such a flawed model to start with. I’ll give Nate the second point there, most of us really are frustrated over the economy are there are serious differences about what should be done about it (although I’ve been yelling about what to do for a couple of years now.) But his assumptions that “we” think President Obama isn’t “up to the job” is just Village idiocy if anyone was capable of measuring President Obama’s accomplishments in an objective manner…which if anyone is supposed to be able to up in Villageland, it’s Nate Silver.
The third point is hokum as well. Has Silver been paying actual attention to the debates, the laughable policy gimmicks, the absurdity of the sound bites coming from the GOP in the last few months, or the current head-shaking controversies? Who is an actual credible alternative that would survive the primaries and still end up in the “broad political mainstream” in the general election next fall? Surely Nate understands this.
Finally he goes on to basically say that unless the economy improves, the President will basically lose the election. In both of his scenarios where the economy is stagnant, the President has long odds against Rick Perry and nearly impossible odds against Mitt Romney. No mention, of course, that if he’s right the Republicans have every reason to continue to obstruct and sabotage the economy, and so far it’s been pretty effective in blocking every attempt by the Democrats to improve the economy.
And finally, FINALLY, Nate basically says that the polls this early that show President Obama winning against every specific Republican in the race are simply too far away from November 2012 to be of any use, but he does throw in this caveat:
Obama has gone from a modest favorite to win re-election to, probably, a slight underdog. Let’s not oversell this. A couple of months of solid jobs reports, or the selection of a poor Republican opponent, would suffice to make him the favorite again.
I’m going to say the selection of any single Republican makes him the favorite again.
Congressional Dems seek to curb tough state voter-screening laws
Democrats on Thursday ratcheted up efforts to combat new voting laws adopted by 13 states that Democrats contend are deliberate efforts to keep its core voting blocs from casting ballots next year.
“Election legislation and administration appear to be increasingly the product of partisan plays,” says a letter to election officials in all 50 states signed by 196 Democrats in the House of Representatives. “Election officials are seen as partisan combatants, rather than stewards of democracy. … We are asking you, as front line participants, to put partisan considerations aside and serve as advocates for enfranchisement.”
Members of the House Democratic leadership, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus unveiled the letter they’re sending to election officials urging them to oppose new voting measures that a recent study said would adversely impact the ability of more than 5 million people to register or vote.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) is still going all out to defeat a referendum next week that would repeal his union-busting bill, curtailing collective-bargaining rights in the state.
He may, however, have just lost some support from football fans.
As part of his campaign in support of Issue 2, Kasich realizes he has a lot of ground to make up, since polls show voters leaning against the anti-worker law. To make this point this week, he decided to turn to a sports analogy.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) fumbled the facts of Cleveland football history this week, when he tried — and failed — to make a sports analogy about heroic comebacks.
Kasich, in the midst of a fervent statewide tour in support of Ohio’s Issue 2, a ballot measure to affirm the state’s anti-collective bargaining legislation signed by the governor earlier this year, ran into trouble when asked if he thought his outmanned effort could stand up to well-organized pro-union forces.
As the governor put it, “We never thought [former Cleveland Browns quarterback] Bernie Kosar would bring the Browns back and win that big championship game.” In this little analogy, if Kosar could lead a comeback to win the championship, then maybe Kasich can lead a comeback to defend union-busting.
The problem is that Kosar never brought the Browns back to win that big championship game. Cleveland is one of just four NFL teams to never appear in a Super Bowl, and the Browns have gone 0 for 3 in conference title games.
I suspect there are a few fans in Cleveland who are aware of this little detail.
On a more serious note, though, Kasich may not know local sports history very well, but he knows how to recruit right-wing financiers to help his anti-worker campaign.
In case you needed further proof of how enormous the stakes are in the Ohio labor fight for national conservatives, consider this: Right wing groups are pouring over $2 million into TV ad campaigns in the final few days of the fight, I’m told.
National conservative groups view the showdown over Issue 2 — a referendum on Governor John Kasich’s law rolling back bargaining rights — as the central front in their drive to break labor’s back in the middle of the industrial heartland. Polls show that labor is poised to win this fight, though union operatives aren’t all sanguine.
This video of Arsansas Republican Judge William Adamas, a family court Judge in Texas, viciously beating his daughter with a belt, has gone viral:
Judge William Adams beats daughter for using the internet
Again, like I said, and requoted earlier regarding the Cain situation- “Half of them have convinced themselves that this is just a liberal media hit job, and the rest of them think women are property, so I really don’t expect him to lose any support over this.” As he savagely beats his daughter, he screams about “beating her into submission” and the mother tells her to “take it like a woman.”
Apparently the statute of limitations has passed, so he will not be charged, but it does look like the video, released by his daughter, may end his career as a judge dealing with child abuse cases. This is just the extreme edge of an extremely anti-woman mentality and sentiment running rampant through the GOP. The list of abusive legislation the GOP has pushed is extensive, and just a couple weeks ago, Jim Demint suggested making it a crime for women to talk over the internet with a doctor. This isn’t just one person acting in a subhuman manner, it’s all a part of the same anti-woman agenda, just to differing extremes.
Bonus fact- the 16 year old daughter has cerebral palsy. And to think, people got upset when Markos called these scumbags the American Taliban.
This is extremely disturbing to watch……if you choose to, please be forewarned. The judge needs to be removed from the bench……what is equally disturbing in the wake of this is the judge’s response. He is in total denial, and like so many Republicans claims to be a victim.
Here’s what’s going to happen today: Republicans and many in the media will look at the weak job numbers and argue that it’s evidence that President Obama’s economic policies aren’t working. Here’s what’s not going to happen today: a public discussion about the extent to which President Obama’s economic policies aren’t even being tried.
The political dynamic has changed quite a bit since the early spring, when Republican leaders were eager to take credit for the positive numbers they had nothing to do with. Needless to say, GOP officials are no longer claiming responsibility, and are in fact now eager to point fingers everywhere else. It’s a nice little scam Republicans have put together: when more jobs are being created, it’s proof they’re right; when fewer jobs are being created, it’s proof Obama’s wrong. Heads they win; tails Dems lose.
In case anyone’s forgotten, the GOP whining is misguided — whether they want to admit it or not, the economy is advancing as they want it to. The private sector is being left to its own devices; the public sector is shedding jobs quickly; and lawmakers are focused on debt-reduction.
This is the script the GOP wrote. When it’s followed to the letter, Republican complaints are absurd.
I understand the politics. Obama’s the president, so if the economy stinks, Republicans want voters to think it’s his fault. But in order for this to make sense, the administration would have to be getting its way when it comes to economic policy.
But that’s simply not the case. I’m reminded of this Greg Sargent post from a couple of months ago.
No hiring surge is going to happen until Obama and Dems actually agree to do it their way in policy terms.
No hiring surge will happen until that job killing stimulus spending winds down; until Dems allow Republicans to extend the Bush tax cuts on the rich; until Dems agree to deep cuts to Federal programs; until municipal governments are forced to cut back and fend for themselves; until Dems embrace the notion that government must tighten its belt to restore business confidence; and until Dems begin seriously basing their policy response to unemployment on the conservative idea that if we only reduce the deficit, a thousand economic flowers will bloom. Only then we’ll see the surge in employment we’re all waiting for.
Oh, wait…
The message Republicans will be emphasizing — today and over the next year — is that we should try things their way. But we already are, and no one’s satisfied with the results.
Indeed, arguably one of the most dramatic Democratic dilemmas of 2011 and 2012 is overcoming the realization that Republicans are getting their way on economic policy and then denying any responsibility for the results. Indeed, it’s a rather extraordinary con: GOP officials see much of their agenda implemented, then see it fail, and then blame Obama when their policies don’t work.
It’s not too late. We can boost public investments. Republicans can stop killing meaningful jobs bills. We can stop pretending spending cuts will create jobs. We can prevent public-sector layoffs (nearly a quarter million public-sector jobs have been lost, on purpose, thanks entirely to spending cuts, this calendar year).
Under ideal circumstances, the president would come up with an economic plan and execute it. If the agenda succeeded, he’d get the credit. If it faltered, Republicans would call him on it. Voters could evaluate the results and decide whether to keep the president around or go back to GOP economic policies.
But those circumstances are nowhere to be found. Rather, we’re stuck looking in this funhouse-mirror in which Republicans block Democratic economic policies, and then condemn the policies for failing.
But US News & World Report noted in September 2011 that there had been 600,000 public sector job losses since the official end of the recession in June 2009 and that there were 200,000 fewer state and local government employees nationwide in 2010 than in 2009.
I sent a birthday shout out on here and it disappeared lol
so let me try this again… HAPPY ‘BORN’ DAY to Claire and amk.. I hope you both have a great start to the weekend and are having a wonderful day so far!! It’s 05:40am Saturday here and its time for me to get some TOD reading done…….. LETS GET MOVING!!! :-):-):-) (wow so much content coming through to read on here.. I might have to quadruple my latte intake to read them allllllll *wheww*)
I see Obama’s poll numbers up in Reuters/Ipsos poll, from 47-49. Of course Reuters couldn’t just report that news without including a “but”—-“but it’s good news for John McCain”—–(but he’s still facing a tough race, they warn, as always)
It is obvious that Republicans are creating all kinds of schemes to suppress voters access to their right to vote.
One scheme is the requirement for photo ID and all the barriers being erected to acquiring a valid photo ID.
An unassailably valid photo ID is a US Passport.
Thus, I request that you immediately instruct the Department of State to wave the fee for a US Passport for any US citizen eligible to vote on 8 Nov 2012 and makes less than $ 250,000.00 per year.
Thank you for your attention to this request and I hope soon to learn that you have implemented it.
The Republican Meltdown; Herman Cain and Sexual Harassment; Mitt Romney and Mormonism; Rick Perry and His Inability to Form a Sentence; Tea Party Loudness; Teleprompters; More Right Wing Radio Nonsense; The Stupid Czar Attack; Tea Party Racism and Support for Cain; Tea Party Attacks on Elizabeth Warren; More Violent Rhetoric from the Republicans; Naked Body Scanners; and much more! Brought to you by Bubble Genius! – (Not safe for work!)
So, here we go…. since it’s short and sweet, I posted it here in its entirety. The Evil Ones trying to reset the narrative in order to blame PBO. “But, but, but, the House HAS passed jobs bills and the bad, bad Democractic Senate is blocking all of it and the President isn’t fully engaged in the legislative process, WAH!!” Never mind that Congress’ sole function IS the legislative process, not the President’s. Never mind that PBO’s AJA, and all his recent executive orders a clear demonstration of being 200% engaged in the legislative process because of these #$%#@ !! I have to wonder if Cantor’s recent “personal” dinner with the Bidens wasn’t some attempt to get Biden to get involved and force the Senate Dems to vote on their so called “jobs-related” bills
————————————————————————————————————————————
House Republicans to Obama: Help pass jobs bills
ALAN FRAM
From Associated Press
November 04, 2011 9:47 AM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) — House GOP leaders say the latest unemployment numbers show it’s time for the Democratic-led Senate to begin approving jobs-related bills that the Republican-run House has passed.
The government reported Friday that unemployment rate in October fell to 9 percent from 9.1 percent in September, and that the economy added 80,000 jobs. House Speaker John Boehner wants President Barack Obama to press the Senate to act. The Ohio Republican says it’s “unacceptable for the White House to be anything less than 100 percent engaged in the legislative process.”
I’m just getting a chance to check the site. I have had a beautiful day at the beach. I will be here for 4 more days. This is a wonderful birthday! THANK YOU so much Chipsticks for the fabulous graphic. Also, THANK YOU everyone for your heart warming birthday wishes. TOD family you made #50 spectacular. I feel the love and am sending it back to all of you. God bless every one of you.
The Obama Diary 
Also wishing many happy returns to amk and Claire, and thanks again to Ms Chips for all the brilliant photos, articles and videos! I have literally spent hours this morning catching up on past threads; laughing hysterically at the Halloween role-playing (bravo to all!) as well as happily sobbing while watching the incredible footage of the 2008 election night.
I also wish many happy birthdays to amk and Claire and hope they have a wonderful day, and I also wept at watching those videos…what a great night it was. I hope to be crying again Nov 2012, when PBO is re-elected because I will have cast my first vote in a presidential election, my first vote for PBO, as a new American citizen (2009)! It is because this great country was able to elect an African American, that we decided we should become citizens, and although we’ve been appalled at how he’s been treated, it’s places like here that give me hope that there are millions of Americans like us, who know those who voted for him Nov 2008, knew what they were doing. I can’t wait.
Thank you, Betsy! People like you inspire me to work harder registering voters and building our neighborhood teams to re-elect President Obama!
We all appreciate that first vote, Betsy! Thank you in advance. I’m sure you’ll try to bring other new voters along, as well, as we will try to do with ya. 🙂
Americans re-electing PBO in 2012 will be my best birthday gift evah, Betsy.
Betsy so happy that you have become part of our American family. Working together we will make the re-election of President Obama a reality, and as a nation we will continue to bend the arc of justice. Each of us can make a difference and I know that although the pace of progress is slow, I believe we will continue to move forward.
I want to believe that despite the amplification of racism and bigotry that does exist in this country, it is not a reflection of what the true majority of Americans believe. Now that it is exposed, we can no longer pretend that it doesn’t exist, and must work to marginalize and eradicate the seeds of hatred that some are so happy to sow to perpetuate division and discord. Love is the greatest force on earth let us continue to let it fuel us in our efforts to make our lives, our nation our world a better place.
Happy Birthday to all the November birthday’s celebrates Amk, Claire, Mariele Rennie-Mambu, Sukeyber6964, and my sister Sandra.
And me geegee (Tuesday, 11/8). 69 wonderful years; whoopeeeee 🙂
Happy birthday Claire and Amk. It’s nice to share my birthday month with you. I celebrated mine yesterday.
Good morning TOD family. Much love from Bklyn.
Happy birthday November babies. Mine is on the 15th.
Happy Happy Birthday…….AMK…….
Happy Happy Birthday….Claire….
CELEBRATEEEE YOU!!
My birthday is November 6, this Sunday. Next year, I will get my birthday wish When President Obama is elected for 4 more years!!!
I love all these birthdays!
Happy B-day Claire and Amk!!
Mine too!
Mariele, Happy Birthday a day late….hope your day was special and the year ahead is filled with joy and happiness.
Good Morning Mariele Rennie, Happy Belated Birthday. I hope that your day was filled with the joys that made you laugh, smile, and have great fun with family and friends. HZ
Happy birthday to you, too, Mariele! and all the other November birthday boys and girls!
Happy Birthday Claire and Amk. I am also a November B-day. Nov. 18th. This is turning into another fun way to build community and find friends on this blog. thanks to chops for thinking of this.
Good morning everyone.
Wishing everyone a blessed day. And for amk and Claire, a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Hey guys, don’t know if anyone posted this already, but if you haven’t read, please check out this NYT Editorial. It nails the Republicans. It places the blame squarely on GOP for their efforts to derail PBO at all costs, voting against their own ideas they’ve presented in the past.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/04/opinion/the-senate-puts-millionaires-before-jobs.html?_r=1
Thank you for this africa. meta posted another scathing editorial from NYT in the previous thread. I am reposting in hopes that everyone gets to see this one too.
Political Class Clowns
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/03/political-class-clowns/?smid=tw-nytimesopinion&seid=auto
Great commentary from NYT– wish we could get it out far and wide. I’m truly beginning to feel sorry for clowns–they don’t deserve the comparisons they get to the outright loonies in the Republican presidential race. Clowns at least have a positive purpose–to make kids laugh and lighten the day. The R candidates have no positive purpose known to man. They’re in it for their egos and to see how much American democracy they can destroy.
Hi, Jackie – Yes, and they’re in it for dollars, since I’m convinced their “backers” (traitors) are what’s really keeping them going, despite the fact that the majority of Americans want the Republicans to do what’s right.
Thank you, africa. Tweeted and emailed to my entire list. This is exactly what the public needs to understand.
Tweeted and posted on my Facebook.
Thanks Africa.Really appreciate this one. You all do so much to bring this great information. I appreciate your work. I am trying to learn how to link, so until I can link here, I will do it on Twitter. I do not have difficulty there. Maybe one of my family members here when you have the time will give me some tips please.
Africa, I often think of you, and pray that you are doing fine. Know that you are so loved by HZ. Hugs coming your way.HZ
good morning TOD family and Happy Birthday to Claire and Amk
do you guys remember the Suntimes article on the Judicial Watch which-hunt against Michelle.Yes I called it a which-hunt since they never went after any of the other First Ladies before Michelle.The whole trip to Africa and Spain thing? well like I always say when you don’t do anything wrong and folks go after you for no reason I always look up and say you take care of it
Judicial Watch Founder Larry Klayman In Trouble With The FL Bar
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/11/judicial_watch_founder_larry_klayman_is_in_trouble.php?ref=fpb
Any wonder why he was coming up with his plethora of witch hunts. He needs the money. All of these guys who peddle this kind of stuff, are pariahs, preying on the malcontent of others that they know they can manipulate. He hitches his wagon to the most outrageous claims because he knows it will generate funds. Hopefully people are getting tired of their nonsense.
Couldn’t have happend to the this most deserving guy.
Go figure.
What you sow is what you reap. Klayman you brought it on yourself!
Hahaha. Karma is H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S.
Thanks Fred. I hope you are doing great. Get your rest. Fred, thanks for all of the great links that you bring to our wonderful site. I am praying and trying to read up on how to bring good links here as well. I am not computer savvy. So I will need some help. Hopefully, I will learn before we get so busy into our 2012.
I have another house meeting on Sun that is approriate to ask there, I hope, so maybe I will be able to learn how to bring links. Excited about the meeting in Claremont. Thanks to you, Fred, meta, Jovie UT and ALL of you for doing so much. I love you all so much. HZ
。☆。*。☆。
★。＼｜／。★
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
AMK & CLAIRE!!
★。／｜＼。★
。☆。*。☆。
You made fireworks! w00t! Happy Birthday AMK and Claire 🙂
🙂 🙂 🙂
Wow, that’s fantastic. Consider it stolen.
Thanks symmetry, Chips (for the honor) and all the TOD’ers for your kind wishes.
Wow! That is absolutely cool. You’ll have to share your secret.
Wow! Wow Symmtry11, you have such a great gift. I love it. Thanks for your beautiful sharing. I remember how beautiful your lovely work was for my birthday. Gifted indeed.HZ
I love how you do that! Happy birthday, amk and Claire:)
Happy Birthday to Claire and AMK, I hope your day is filled with happiness and joy……each of us has a gift to share with the world, today we celebrate the gift of you!
Good morning TOD family and Chips!!! What a wonderful Friday. Happy Birthday AMK and Claire!!!! I love all this birthday celebrations. It makes this a closer family community. The joy we take in each other is wonderful. This isn’t just a polictical blog that only cares about polictics we care about peoples lives and family. This is why we will win. Love you all!
Yes, Mtmarilyn, I truly feel the same. This is just a great family. And our Chipsticks just keep thinking of making this such a classy and beautiful place. I brag to my friends all the time. There is so much joy within our heart in our TOD family. Our leader shows us how to channel that energy and respect. We are so blessed and all of you are so brilliant. Yes, we are going to win this again. I feel it so much in my heart. HZ
♥ ♥ ♥ Good Morning Chips! Good Morning TOD Family! ♥ ♥ ♥
Barack Obama Quote O’ The Day
Have a great day, everyone! 😛
I love this quote of the day thing JP it’s really inspiring. thx
I am going to post this on my FB page.
Good day, PJ. I love, love this quote.
Thank you, PJ! What a wonderful way to begin the day.
PJ…
THESE QUOTES FROM OUR PRESIDENT…ARE RIGHT ON TARGET AND TRULY INSPIRATIONAL…..
LOVEE IT
Glad you all are enjoying the quotes. So much inspiration to choose from, lucky for us!
Thanks for the Barack Obama Quote O’ the Day PJ. It’s wonderful to wake up to. It brings a smile to my face as wide the smile I get whenever I see an Obama 2008 and 2012 bumper stickers on cars around the city.
Thank you, my Facebook friends love the daily quotes of President Obama.
If anyone knows how to make apps, that would be an ideal app for iPhone/pad/touch or Androids. Just saying!
I love the quotes PJ. Thank you so much. It sets a beautiful tone. Keep them coming. We have such a lovely and diverse family here, and it is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Wonderfulllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Hugs PJ. Love you,HZ
This is one I plan to commit to memory, never forget. Thanks PJ….inspiration is necessary to keep us reaching for all that is possible.
YES.WE.CAN.
Hi Sue. So good to see you here today. I hope you are healing day by day with the beatiful balm of precious balm of hugs, meds,., songs of love and appreciation, candles burning for you in my home, and that beautiful laughter that you send out. Love you so very much, Sue. Rest and relax.HZ
Hz, thank you, I am deeply grateful for the generosity and love that you and all others have extended. I am getting better…..actually so much so that now it’s time to really get moving, although I’ve gotten overly comfortable with the “do nothing” aspect of my recovery. I was warned that depression was an inevitable side effect of this condition, I am not depressed fortunately, but I need to light a fire under my tale and bust a move.
HZ I hope you are feeling well yourself, I worry about you…..I’ll be excited to hear back regarding your meeting on Sunday. You are always an inspiration to so many here, you contribute so much in so many ways to the gift that is this community. Thank you for all that you do….I love you back!
These quotes are so great, thanks again
*~*~*~*~*~*Happy Birthday amk & Claire!*~*~*~*~*~*
Many, Many, Many More!
You guys totally OT, – a friend sent me a 9 minute video on gratitude I thought I’d deposit it here. It made me rethink again about all the things that are right in my life and to be grateful for them. It’s from Ted Talk about 9 minutes long.
I think I remember something about you can’t put two url’s together in the same post so here’s the ted talk:
That was profoundly beautiful and extreemly touching! Thanks for sharing a4alice.
Oh Yes! Thank you *a4alice* 🙂 I enjoyed that so much:-)
Obama Demands That The GOP Explain To America Why They Refuse To Create Jobs
======================
Once again, the Republican Party just doesn’t get it. Not only would they gain points with voters if they would have supported the infrastructure bill, but they also gave Obama a win by blocking the bill. Republicans don’t understand that every time they refuse to create jobs, they are allowing Obama to campaign both in favor of job creation and against the GOP.
The Republican strategy is literally a case of cutting off your nose to spite your face. All of the pieces of the American Jobs Act that Republicans have defeated or blocked are very popular with voters. Every time the GOP has said no to job creation, they are also outing themselves to voters as the reason why jobs aren’t being created.
President Obama would love to see his agenda passed, but he will be more than happy to bludgeon Republicans on the issue of jobs every day for the next year. Congressional Republicans think that they are winning, but what they are really doing is playing into the President’s reelection strategy. It is a reflection of the backwards state of our politics that the incumbent president saddled with the bad economy is the candidate who calling for more legislation, while the challenging party is obliviously refusing to act.
Obama may not have won in the Senate today, but he definitely didn’t lose. Maybe Republicans will finally get it when they are watching Barack Obama’s inaugural in January 2013.
=====================
http://www.politicususa.com/en/obama-demands-gop-jobs
There is a petition that we need to sign from Sharrod Brown to Speaker Boehner re- holding jobs
hostage in on politicususa.com, THis AM NOt a single word by the MSM regarding the AJA bill that
the GOP bloked again and Not a word about PBO is doing overseas. But But the talked about the harraser
Cain and Michael jacokson case wooow in other words the MSM do not give a shit about improving
our economy or about the people that do not have jobs. crap!!!!!
A Look At ‘Their Blacks’…They Are Blacker Than…
Not wanting to bore you with the details of the Conservative view of ”Their Blacks” in comparison to the other sides’ “Blacks”, namely President Obama, I will just give you a few names on the Conservatives’ side that you no doubt are familiar with… Allan West, Michael Steele, Ken Blackwell, Herman Cain, Clarence Thomas and Condoleezza Rice.
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/11/03/a-look-at-their-blacks-they-are-blacker-than/
yikes!
YANNO…THIS MAKES ME VERY UNCOMFORTABLE…..
REMINDS ME OF THE REFERENCES OF THE FIELD NEGRO AND HOUSE NEGRO…
BUT WHAT IS NOT BEING SAID THAT WHEN BLACKS WERE BEING LYNCHED….IT DID NOT MATTER WHAT CATAGORY WE FELL IN…
AS WE SEE THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN SUBJECTED TO RACISM ALL DURING HIS PRESIDENTCY….
FROM…”YOU LIE”, “TAR BABY”, BEING COMPARED TO “APES”, “DICK”…..TO A HOST OF OTHER THINGS…THIS NOTION OF BLACK FOLKS BEING INFERIOR SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF THE SKIN…PERSISTS…
WHO ARE THESE WHITE FOLKS TO CLAIM THAT ANY OF US BELONG TO THEM….THAT WE ARE SOME KIND OF TOY TO BE SIZED UP AND MEASURED….
BE IT THE CONSERVATIVES ON THE RIGHT OR THE SO CALLLED LIBERALS ON THE LEFT……
E–N–O–U–G–H……GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
AT LEAST ONE REDSTATE COMMENTER IS NOT BUYING HERMAN CAIN’S NONSENSE
In this post by Joy Reid of the Reid Report, she includes a comment from RedState that shows at least one person is not buying the Herman Cain nonsense. The commenter makes the case convincingly that this mess is Cain’s fault completely. So far, it looks like this commenter is the minority view. But that could certainly change if this analysis spreads to more right wingers. It’s a brutally honest critique.
Cain and supporters dealing the race card from the bottom of the deck?
http://blog.reidreport.com/2011/11/this-weeks-herald-column-and-a-new-web-ad-cain-and-supporters-dealing-the-race-card-from-
the-bottom-of-the-deck/#more-26920
😯 Amazing that his type of attitude and thought is still festering in our society in the 21st century. Are some Americans really still this ignorant?
Happy Birthday to amk and Claire
Just saw a tweet (from Knoller) that the economy added 80K jobs in October and unemployment fell slightly to 9%.
The Today Show producers decided that America needed to hear from Michele Bachmann today. The supposed point was to ask her, “as a woman” to give her deep thoughts on the Cain accusations. She refused to comment and just stared wide-eyed into the cameras. It was pointless. But here’s something to look forward to: Today promised to have her back when HER new book is released. Oh goody. Everyone has a book. Who’s buying all these beltway books? Each other? I see Bill Clinton’s book and tour might be as maddening as Tweety’s. It’s supposed to be loaded with stuff Obama “should have done” and all kinds of unsolicited advice for him. SIGH. And ——I notice every time there are good polls/good news for Obama, you can almost count it down till another poll is whisked out to put a damper on the good news polls. Every time! What a coincidence! And why is the LA Times so anti-Obama? I read some of their stories on Chgo Trib (same owner) site, and they’re always negatively slanted re. Obama. After initial reports from France gave credit to President Obama for working behind the scenes to resolve the Greece crisis, there was a flurry of reports, including in the LA Times, to contradict this praise, saying Obama/U.S. are weakened on the world stage, didn’t play any role at all in helping to ease the economic woes there. This is really troubling—-a power play by the powerful?
I am sorry to say this but someone needs to tell Bill Clinton that his time in office ended and he needs to give space to President Obama to do his thing
I caught a snippet of something on our local ABC affiliate this morning about Clinton saying that PBO should have done something to avoid the debt ceiling debacle. I was between sleep and wake and so I could be wrong, but if this is indeed what he is saying in his new book, he just needs to shut up already.
I am so done with him trying to hog the spotlight. Was it too much for him to write his book without being negative to PBO? IHe had Moveon.,org to fight for him with his sex scandal. PBO is fighting a very nasty crowd with very little help from lots of people in the party.
I am so sick of this double standard afforded PBO.
Okay, we have to burst Clinton’s inflated ego bubble by letting him know in no uncertain terms that we’re on to his game and that he’s turning off tens of millions of potential readers of his book with his anti-Obama idiocy. I’m sick and tired of Clinton and his ilk. He messed up his presidency and helped elect W with his irresponsible behavior and I can barely tolerate him and his lower lip biting face anymore. Someday I’M going to write a book on knowing when your time on the stage is over. The greatest blessing God can give is the sense of peace that comes with accepting that it’s time to pass the torch to another generation. That doesn’t mean you close down and rot. It means you deflate you own ego a little and try to remember that the world is NOT centered around you. Get that Billy? The world does NOT revolve around you. And we do NOT care what you think.
I think it’s time to email, tweet and call Bill Clinton’s office. Maybe the reason he feels so comfortable running his mouth about PBO is because he has not gotten any public pushback. Much of the PL agrees with him and I have not heard any of the MSNBC folk challenge him on his nonsense. What do you guys think? I’ll go first. I just called his office in New York at (212)348-8882 and was given this email address, info@clintonfoundation.org. and his office address is 55 W. 125th St. New York, NY 10027. The receptionist did not know if he was on Twitter.
I’m sick of his bullshit.
L3, thank you for the e-mail link. I just e-mailed him and gave him a piece of my mind. Told him if he continued to undermine the president to promote his book, there would be millions of Obama supporters working toward and praying for his book’s failure. Let’s everybody get an e-mail to him or make the call.
He is going to peddle his amendment 14 Thingy!
Meanwhile, for two years, bill big legislative idea was requiring everyone to wear school uniforms!
Remember?
I read Bill has made over $60 million in speaking engagements. Folks it’s about money. For most of these former “whatevers” and pundits like “tweety and why President Obama should be more like Kennedy” (the womanizer) it’s about money. Sarah Palin has a lot of company.
I read somewhere that Hillary has a book coming out soon AND Chelsea is seriously considering making a run for a Senate seat in New York. Would explain why Bill is trying so hard to keep the “Clinton brand” front and center in the public sphere. Or it could be that he’s simply feeling just a wee bit envious of all that President Obama has managed to accomplish in such a short time– in spite of the many obstacles that have been placed in his path. Remember that saying: “Those who can…do…those who can’t…criticize.”~
I think Bill Clinton has a SERIOUS ego problem……….I think he is crass and self-aggrandizing. I no longer am interested in anything he has to say.
One of the big reason why Hillary wasn’t offer the VP position, ……………her darling husband Bill Clinton.
Exactly. Can you imagine him at the Naval Observatory everyday, trying to wrangle his way to the White House to poke his nose into domestic and foreign issues and being a constant nuisance. Ugh.
Add me to the list of those who are fed up with slick Willie. He’s putting out a book with some criticisism of PBO at THIS particular time, when SO MUCH is at stake in the next presidential election ? How self-centered, ego-driven is this guy?
For months, I’ve been wondering about what Bill Clinton’s game is. Oh he’s slick… From time to time he will be positive; he will say just enough to appear to have the president’s back but when you look at things and especially when you realize that many of his allies in the party don’t shy from criticizing President Obama harsly and openly, it paints a different picture. If Bill Clinton REALLY had the president’s back, he would have “called the dogs off” a long time ago. He has been undermining President Obama since the beginning. I bet he is “holding court” in his home regularly, talking politics and commiserating about President Obama’s “mistakes”. Making sure that democratic politicians understand that President Obama is not as good a politician and a policy wonk as he, Bill Clinton, is. Making sure they don’t forget that Hillary is better and would have been a better president. And Bill is not only talking to politicians, he’s talking to media people too… Watching him manouevering with them in interviews you have to give him props… He’s good at this “game”.
My hope is that by overplaying his hand, Bill will finally get the pushback he deserves and lose his clout with both the party and the media.
I wish Bill would get some push-back but it won’t happen. I agree, he has been undermining PBO since day one. He is the reason so many “Clinton people” have been all over tv any chance they get to criticize the President. I know we all had our suspicions about Slick Willie being behind it, but now, there should be no doubt. He is sickening. i never understood why he just didn’t run for President himself. He couldn’t do 3 consecutive terms, but there was nothing stopping him from running in “08 or even now. I really never thought Hillary wanted to be President as much as Bill wanted it. She always struck me as someone who wanted to make her own way. Bill is so full of himself, he should be embarrassed.
She has a book coming out?? It’s probably a coloring book….she’s such an idiot. I still can’t believe that on one of the GOP debate she said if she was elected President, there would be NO taxes, zilt…zero……..lol….yea that make sense.
Oh yes, I can just imagine what Bill Clinton’s book is all about….as you point out dotser3, loaded with stuff President Obama ”should have done” and unsolicited advices, it’s going to be catnip for the PL………….typical of Bill Clinton! I don’t like him and don’t trust him one bit
He can’t just stay away from the spotlight.
Of course when there’s good polls/good news about the President, the corrupt media has to be creative to make sure it doesn’t come out..
Pathetic
I saw two talking heads trying to explain away how Bill Clinton is trying to tell POB what to do and what he and Dems should have done. I have not seen or heard so many of these people trying to tell POB how to run his Presidency. I have no more respect for Bill Clinton. I personally feel that Bill Clinton is very jealous of POB. He is still angry like John McCain and it is not good for our country.
I am not a mean spirit, but I really wish that Bill Clinton would STFU and keep is arse off ot the tv screen. I am SICK of him creeping up with his ugly spirit. He is slick and sly with his words, and they are not appropriate and they hurt us all. Please tell him to shut his mouth.
He has a great life and has been given so many beautiful blessings, so why not get in their and help. Seel the books and leave POB out of it. I am tired of his tired old a.. Please forgive me. I just find it so distructive . We need sincere helpers. Bill knows that he can go to the WH and speak with POB. So I think that he is still angry. That is just HZ.
Happy Birthday Claire and amk! 🙂
Happy Birthday *AMK* and *CLAIRE*, and many many more. This Is your Day, soo enjoy 🙂
Happy Birthday Claire and amk, and many many more!!!
Economy Adds 80K Jobs In October; Unemployment Drops To 9 Percent
The U.S. economy added 80,000 jobs in October. Unemployment is now at 9 percent, according to the Labor Department.
80k isn’t a good number at all. Eurocrisis is killing confidence. At least the rate went down.
No thanks to GOP. Those numbers could have been higher if they were blocking the president’s jobs bill.
TOTALLY AGREE!
Good morning TOD. Here’s an excerpt from the Labor Department’s report.~
THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION — OCTOBER 2011
Nonfarm payroll employment continued to trend up in October (+80,000), and the unemployment rate was little changed at 9.0 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment in the private sector rose, with modest job growth continuing in professional and businesses services, leisure and hospitality, health care, and mining. Government employment continued to trend down.
Household Survey Data
Both the number of unemployed persons (13.9 million) and the unemployment rate (9.0 percent) changed little over the month. The
unemployment rate has remained in a narrow range from 9.0 to 9.2 percent since April. (See table A-1.)
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate declined for blacks (15.1 percent) in October, while the rates for adult men (8.8
percent), adult women (8.0 percent), teenagers (24.1 percent), whites (8.0 percent), and Hispanics (11.4 percent) showed little or no
change. The jobless rate for Asians was 7.3 percent, not seasonally adjusted. (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)
In October, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) declined by 366,000 to 5.9 million, or 42.4 percent of total unemployment. (See table A-12.)
The civilian labor force participation rate remained at 64.2 percent in October, and the employment-population ratio was little changed at
58.4 percent. (See table A-1.)
The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) decreased by
374,000 to 8.9 million in October. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job. (See table A-8.)
In October, 2.6 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force, about the same as a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally
adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the
prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. (See table A-16.)
Among the marginally attached, there were 967,000 discouraged workers in October, a decrease of 252,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.6 million persons marginally attached to the labor force in October had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities. (See table A-16.)
~snip~
http://bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
Halo~ I posted the excerpt to show areas which have improved. Progress is slow on this front, BUT as Africa pointed out–and as we all know–more progress could be made if the GOP stopped blocking the President’s jobs bill.
Thanks for providing more context. Sure, 80,000 jobs isn’t very good, but at least the overall unemployment rate declined a smidge. More importantly, I’d rather see this trend of positive job growth than a continuation of massive job losses like we saw three years ago. Analysts predicted correctly two years ago that it would be a while before the economy regained all of those jobs that were lost between 20008 and 2010. It’s going to take some time, but at least we’re headed in the right direction. Now, if the GOP in Congress would get its shit together and sign the Jobs Bill, or at least parts of it, we’d see even more Americans back at work.
INFRASTRUCTURE BILL AND MISLEADING MEDIA REPORTING
As Steve Benen reports, there are some accurate reports on what transpired yesterday with the infrastructure vote. But too many media outlets continue to carry water for the GOP and shield them from the scrutiny they deserve. The media should be reporting the facts and letting the chips fall where they may. We don’t need misleading headlines that imply a pox on both their houses when we all know that is not true.
When a GOP plan comes together
===========================
The GOP offered a ridiculous alternative, pushing the so-called REINS Act, which doesn’t even try to create jobs, and as Jonathan Bernstein explained, is “not even remotely serious.”
So why did Republican leaders push this yesterday as an “alternative” jobs bill? To get media outlets to tell the public that “both sides” presented jobs bills, even though that’s not true.
And as CNN and Politico helped prove, this little stunt worked.
===========================
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_11/when_a_gop_plan_comes_together033277.php#
grrrrrrrrrrrr
tweeted to both authors barrett and wong this
@tedbarrettcnn you’ve been duped mr barrett. “Reins act” not serious. pls consider this: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_11/when_a_gop_plan_comes_together033277.php# thx
Way to go a4a. These lazy media stenographers need to know we got their number.
That’s really all they’re capable of–little stunts. I firmly believe they’ve lost the narrative. Let’s keep getting the sabotage message out.
It’s so infuriating,.
Revisions way up in august and September, which is why we ticked down.
It is very likely October will revise upward, as well.
For ex- September created 198k private jobs, august 104k, revisions.
That is great considering august was supposedly 0 jobs created!
From Twitter:
DUH!
Is the sky blue? Come on, Paul, stop mealy-mouthing.
Does hell go with yes?
🙂
What a lame tweet. Donna Brazile does the same kind of thing. It’s like they can’t break out of their Sunday morning talk show nonsense.
OCCUPYING THE VOTING BOOTH
============================
Democrats need to hammer a simple message: It’s un-American for partisans to hinder political opponents’ efforts to vote. Yet this issue might not resonate with many independent voters. The typical suburban independent voter might think: Who doesn’t have a photo-id, anyway? Democrats and those affected will be angered, but Republicans will still benefit in close battleground states.
Occupy Wall Street organizers: I believe you should resonate with this issue. GOP officials are trying to disenfranchise people like you: college students with university IDs not gun permits, young people and minority urban residents who don’t drive, and so on.
Wherever you live, learn the voter registration and ID rules, and get to work registering people and ensuring that they have the proper ID cards and whatever to actually vote. Bring the drum sets. You may need a hard surface to fill out the proper forms.
============================
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/ten-miles-square/2011/11/occupying_the_voting_booth033260.php
Ladyhawke, and TOD, here’s a tool that provides information on a state-by-state basis about specific requirements that must be met in order to register and/or vote.
http://www.votesmart.org/elections/voter-registration/IL
Excellent, thanks creolechild.
Republicans: Just a Bunch of Warm Bodies Taking Up Space
============================
Republicans seem to have forgotten the cardinal rule of President Obama: He’s at his best when he’s on the stump. When he said he was going to bring the jobs bill to the American people and garner support, Republicans should, just maybe, have listened . . . but they didn’t. And they continue to waste time, waste energy, and simply waste space.
Let’s see what Republicans have been up to while President Obama has been selling his jobs package to the public (a jobs package, by the way, that would put about 1.8 million people back to work and that’s supported by72% of Americans).
============================
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/11/03/republicans-just-a-bunch-of-warm-bodies-taking-up-space/
dotster3 above has a very important thing about which we should have our guard up and that is the way Bill Clinton constantly injects himself into President Obama’s presidency.
I admire the cooperation from Sec Hillary Clinton. But Bill needs to sit somewhere and not creat controversy just when President Obama seems to be making steady steps to dig us out of the mess Bill contributed to creating through his push for deregulation of the financial markets!
You can bet that when there is a Repub president and they roll Bush out to make comments, he won’t be so critical.
I used to really love Bill but my feelings have definitely cooled on him the past three years.
Happy Birthday to amk and Claire!
Happy Birthday Claire and AMK!!
HAVE A GOOD ONE!!
Hey here’s some good news. got this email from friends of Sen. Dick Durbin after i signed a petition:
This week, I got word of a very important announcement, and I wanted to make sure you heard about it:
Bank of America will abandon plans to charge customers $5 a month to access their own money with a debit card. Other big banks — including Wells Fargo and Chase — are backing off too.
Members of the DickDurbin.com community played a crucial role in this victory for consumers. Together, we sent nearly 15,000 emails to Bank of America’s CEO calling on him to reverse course, and it made an impact.
It’s clear that consumers now have a much larger voice in this process than they did even a few weeks ago. This is long overdue. Customers are sending a clear message that they’ll only do business with banks that treat them fairly instead of squeezing them for every last dollar — and the message is getting through.
Thank you for your help achieving this stunning victory for consumers.
Sincerely,
Dick Durbin
U.S. Senator
We Have Two Battles
by BooMan
Thu Nov 3rd, 2011 at 11:58:31 PM EST
At 3 o’clock this afternoon the Senate rejected an effort on a motion to proceed to a vote on the Rebuild America Jobs Act, which would have provided money to rebuild America’s infrastructure. Don’t get me wrong. A majority of the Senate voted in favor of proceeding to a vote on the bill. But that’s not good enough in our constitutional system. We needed 60 senators out of 100 to agree. We got a mere fifty-one. Here’s what the president had to say in response to the Senate’s intransigence
For the third time in recent weeks, every single Republican in the United States Senate has chosen to obstruct a jobs bill that independent economists said would boost our economy and put Americans back to work. At a time when more than a million construction workers are looking for a job, they voted “no” to putting them back to work doing the work America needs done – rebuilding our roads, bridges, airports and transit systems. That makes no sense.
It makes no sense when you consider that this bill was made up of the same kinds of common-sense proposals that many of these Senators have fought for in the past. It was fully paid for. And even though it was supported by more than 70 percent of the American people – Republicans, Democrats, and independents – 100 percent of Senate Republicans said no. It’s more clear than ever that Republicans in Washington are out of touch with Americans from all ends of the political spectrum……
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2011/11/3/235831/663
I’m Glad There Is You
by mistermix
Elizabeth Warren has the pitch-perfect response to a Tea Party heckler who called her a “socialist whore”:
“I actually felt sorry for the guy. I really genuinely did,” Warren later told the Huffington Post. “He’s been out of work now for a year and a half. And bless his heart, I mean, he thought somehow it would help to come here and yell names.”
She also added: “I’m not angry with him, but he didn’t come up with the idea that his biggest problem was Occupy Wall Street. There’s someone else pre-packaging that poison — and that’s who makes me angry.”
I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a first-time candidate who is as talented a natural politician as Warren.
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2011/11/03/im-glad-there-is-you/
>>>>I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a first-time candidate who is as talented a natural politician as Warren.<<<<
His name would be Barack Obama, 😆 .
I get what he's saying though, Elizabeth Warren is so spectacular because, like PBO, she's fully actualized and settled in her core about what she believes. She's done the hard work of forming and cultivating a principled, consistent inner compass. She cares about people. She's not perfect — and the purists will find something to hate about her, too. However, she is one of our best candidates.
Yeah, that’s short-term memory loss. PBO has never shown anything but compassion for hecklers–he is the gold standard for speakers and he always answers brilliantly. Warren is good and will grow better. But Barack Obama is a political genius.
Totally agree. Can’t remember? He’ll get a refreshed in 2012.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Holding Your Own Folks Hostage
Posted by Zandar
In other news, Republicans will continue to assure that the economy will never improve until America capitulates and gives them unlimited political power for all eternity.
Senate Republicans Thursday blocked debate on yet another portion of President Obama’s jobs bill — one that would have provided $60 billion for funding transportation projects, and seeded a new infrastructure bank.
The vote was 51 – 49 with only 2 members of the Dem caucus — Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Ben Nelson (D-NE) — joining the GOP.
Naah, infrastructure might be used to justify the government existing. We can’t have that. Not like we have a serious problem with infrastructure in this country or anything. With tax cuts we can build bridges and roads out of Laffer Curves. But Republicans do stand for something, you know……
http://zandarvts.blogspot.com/2011/11/holding-your-own-folks-hostage.html
“WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The longer the Republican presidential hopefuls battle over sexual harassment claims against Herman Cain, the better things look for President Barack Obama as he mounts his campaign for re-election….
The disputes between the Republicans come as opinion polls show voters are responding well to Obama’s push for his jobs bill. A poll from Quinnipiac University this week showed that 47 percent of Americans approve of Obama’s job performance, up six percentage points from early October.
There have also been signs that the U.S. economic recovery, expected to be the most important issue in the 2012 election, is on track. On Wednesday, data showed U.S. private employers added more jobs than expected last month, raising hopes that Friday’s October unemployment report might show improvement from the September’s 9.1 percent rate.
All of this is good for the Democrats, who have wisely stayed out of the controversy, keeping their campaign attacks on Romney, whom Cain replaced at the top of most polls.
“It’s clouding the Republican message right now, so that’s got to be good news for Democrats and they are quite wisely being very quiet about it,” said David Yepsen, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University.”
http://news.yahoo.com/republican-sexual-harassment-furor-boosts-obama-050333930.html
I for one am thrilled with every single one of the Republican candidates for President and I want them to keep doing what their doing, bless their hearts.
I look forward to their upcoming debates, between each other, followed by Romney’s regularly scheduled debate with himself.
followed by Romney’s regularly scheduled debate with himself.
*********************************************
Fired UP
Love this…hahahahahahahaha
O/T but a very important, insight read.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/03/opinion/kristof-the-birth-control-solution.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
Happy Birthday Claire, amk and ALL the November babies.
“The Fed now says the economy will likely expand no more than 1.7 percent for all of 2011. That’s down from its June forecast of 2.7 percent to 2.9 percent. And it predicted growth of only 2.5 percent to 2.9 percent next year, nearly a percentage point lower than its June estimate.
The Fed said it doesn’t expect the unemployment rate to be any lower this year. And it sees unemployment averaging 8.6 percent by the end of next year.”
In August, as Jovie pointed out upthread, “the government said employers added zero net jobs that month. It has since been revised twice to show 104,000 jobs added,” so I am looking forward to more happy mistakes from the Fed about job growth for October, November and December as we go into 2012.
From Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
300 Days of House Republican control and no jobs legislation
ECONOMIC RECOVERY FACTS (Includes charts)
==========================
Posted on November 3, 2011 by Leader’s Press Shop
Answering a question at her weekly press conference today, Leader Pelosi commented on the lack of jobs legislation by House Republicans and contrasted that with President Obama’s action on the economy:
One week and one day after the President made his inaugural address, one week and one day, we passed the Recovery Act in the House and in a few weeks it was in the Senate saving or creating millions of jobs for the American people. One week and one day. Here we are over 300 days [of House Republican control], no such legislation. From a policy standpoint he was a job creator from day one. Now was the ditch we were in so deep that when you’re talking to people and they still don’t have a job that that’s any consolation to them? No. But I’ll tell you this, if President Obama and Congressional Democrats had not acted we would be at 15% unemployment–again, no consolation to those without a job but an important point to make.
As Leader Pelosi referenced, we would be in a much worse place had it not been for Democratic action. According to a study last year by economists Alan Blinder and Mark Zandi, the unemployment rate would have been 15.7% last fall–instead of the 9.8%–without action, including the Recovery Act. From page 6 of their study:
==========================
http://www.democraticleader.gov/blog/?p=4567
CNN and the WH have opened up their livestreams for PBO’s presser:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/
http://live.cnn.com/
A big Happy Birthday to Claire and amk! We have quite a November crew. Hope you all enjoy every moment of your special day. Grab your friends and family, dig in and celebrate!
The Republicans are all about stopping this President. As Rev. Al says, they are all to willing to sink the ship to get the captain.
A very Happy Birthday to Clarre and AMK.
Chips, thanks for posting the videos from one of the happiest days of my life — The election of President Obama. The tears of joy continue to roll down my face.
GOP OBSTRUCTED, LIED AND WORKED DILIGENTLY FOR THE 1%
======================================================
In 2012 Voters Will Remember That Koch Led Republicans Kept Them Unemployed
As more Americans witness Herman, Richard, and Willard parrot the Koch agenda, they will harken back over the past ten months and recall that when given the opportunity to help Americans by creating jobs, Republicans obstructed, lied, and worked diligently to give the 1% of wealthiest Americans more tax breaks as the poverty level increased and corporations paid little or no taxes. They will also remember the Occupy movement was fighting for 99% of the country that are in jeopardy of joining the ranks of Americans living at or below the poverty level, and they will vote to send the Koch-Republicans back home to count their corporate earnings. Hopefully by then, their dirty profits will be taxed at higher levels to correct the injustice perpetrated by the Libertarians masquerading as Republicans.
=====================================================
http://www.politicususa.com/en/koch-republicans-2012
The noise in the media and blogs are geting louder about the 15 forgotten Job bill from the republican, the Democrat have to get on this and let the American People know what these Bills are about. They need to talking about the Republican Bills more offen an the flood. I wish they talk more about what the Republican are doing instead of what they are not doing.Please show the Republican 15 forgotten Bills to the American People so they can see it just a JOKE, some don’t know that yet, because they wont say what the bills are, and the media are covering for them.
The Forgotten 15
House Republicans have passed 15 jobs bills that remain stuck in the Senate, they are:
1) The Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act (H.R 872) – Reduces overlapping and unnecessary regulation on
pesticides; thereby reducing costs to both farmers and small business owners.
• Introduced by Rep. Bob Gibbs (OH) on March 2, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 292-130 on March 31, 2011
2) The Energy Tax Prevention Act (H.R. 910) – Prohibits the federal government from regulating
greenhouse gas emissions; thereby by preventing a needless increase in energy prices for American
households and businesses.
• Introduced by Rep. Fred Upton (MI) on March 3, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 255-172 on April 7, 2011
3) A Resolution of Disapproval Regarding FCC’s Regulation (H.J. Res. 37) – Prevents the federal
government from regulating the Internet and broadband providers
• Introduced by Rep. Greg Walden (OR) on February 16, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 240 to 179 on April 8, 2011
4) Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act (H.R 1230) – Helps to reduce energy prices and
promote job creation by expediting offshore oil and natural gas exploration in the Gulf of Mexico and the
Virginia coast.
• Introduced by Rep. Doc Hastings (WA) on March 29, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 266-149 on May 5, 2011
5) Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act (H.R. 1229) – Promotes job creation and reduces energy
prices by reinstating oil drilling permits in the Gulf Coast.
• Introduced by Rep. Doc Hastings (WA) on March 29, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 263-163 on May 11, 2011
6) Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act (H.R 1231) – Promotes lower energy costs and
job creation by allowing drilling in at least 50 percent of the Outer Continental Shelf areas known to contain
the most oil and gas.
• Introduced by Rep. Doc Hastings (WA) on March 29, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 243-179 on May 12, 2011
7) The Jobs and Energy Permitting Act H.R 2021) – Promotes job growth and reduces energy costs by
expediting the process of obtaining an offshore drilling permit.
• Introduced by Rep. Cory Gardner (CO) on May 26, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 255-166 on June 22, 2011
8) The Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act (H.R 2018) – Prevents the federal government from
interfering with a state’s water quality program once that state has already met existing federal standards;
thereby eliminating needless red tape and tinkering by bureaucrats.
• Introduced by Rep. John Mica (FL) on May 26, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 239 to 184 on July 13, 2011
9) The Consumer Financial Protection Safety and Soundness Improvement Act of 2011 (H.R. 1315) –
Improves consumer protection and provides greater economic stability by allowing the Financial Stability
Oversight Council to vote to set aside any harmful federal regulation.
• Introduced by Rep. Sean Duffy (WI) on April 1, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 241-173 on July 21, 2011
10) The North American-Made Energy Security Act (H.R. 1938) – Promotes job creation and energy
security by ending the needless delay of the construction and operation of the Keystone XL pipeline.
• Introduced by Rep. Terry Lee (NE) on May 23, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 279-147 on July 26, 2011
11) The Protecting Jobs From Government Interference Act (H.R. 2587) – Seeks to guarantee private
companies the flexibility to develop their businesses in the state that offers the best opportunities for
growth, job creation and stability.
• Introduced by Rep. Tim Scott (SC) on July 19, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 238-186 on September 15, 2011
12) The Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts (TRAIN) Act (H.R. 2401) – establishes an
interagency committee to evaluate the economic impacts of EPA regulations and delay the final dates for
both the maximum achievable control technology (Utility MACT) standards and the cross-state air pollution
rule (CSAPR) until the full impact has been studied. Both regulations would cost consumers and
businesses $184 billion from 2011-2030 and would skyrocket electrical prices.
• Introduced by Rep. John Sullivan (OK) on June 24, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 249-169 on September 23, 2011
13) The Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act (H.R. 2681) – provides a stay of the EPA’s overly burdensome
rules and allows for the implementation of effective regulation that protects communities both
environmentally and economically.
• Introduced by Rep. John Sullivan (OK) on July 28, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 262-161 on October 6, 2011
14) The EPA Regulatory Relief Act (H.R. 2250) – alleviates the excessive regulatory burden placed on
employers by the EPA’s Boiler MACT rules, potentially costing companies $14 billion and 224,000
American jobs, and replacing them with sensible, achievable rules that do not destroy jobs.
• Introduced by Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA) on June 21, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 275-142 on October 13, 2011
15) The Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act (H.R. 2273) – bipartisan legislation providing
consistent, safe management of coal combustion residuals in a way that protects jobs and encourages
recycling and beneficial use.
• Introduced by Rep. David McKinley (WV) on June 22, 2011
• Passed the House by a vote of 276-144 on October 14, 2011
Sorry for the spelling ( Democratic need to talking about the 15 forgotten bills on the floor) is what i was trying to say.
Thanks dun for your contributions. Yes, these 15 forgotten bills need to be exposed.
Hollywood producer comes out against Michale MOOre hyprocisy http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/michael-moore-occupy-wall-street-goldman-sachs-257186
Job situation since the recession began in December 2007:
2008:
Jan_______+13,000 _____(First full month of recession)
Feb_______ -83,000
Mar_______ -72,000
Apr_______-185,000
May______-233,000
Jun______ -178,000
Jul_______-231,000
Aug______-267,000
Sep______ -434,000
Oct.______-509,000
Nov_______-802,000
Dec_______-619,000
2009
Jan________-820,000 ____(Obama enters office Jan 20)
Feb._______-726,000
Mar_______ -796,000
Apr________-660,000 ____(Stimulus spending begins)
May_______-386,000
Jun________-502,000
Jul________ -300,000
Aug_______ -231,000
Sep________-236,000
Oct________-221,000
Nov_________-55,000
Dec_______ -130,000
2010
Jan__________-39,000
Feb__________-35,000
Mar_________+192,000 (gained)
Apr_________ +277,000 (gained)
May________ +458,000 (gained)
Jun_________ -192,000
July__________-49,000
Aug__________-59,000
Sep_________ -29,000
October______ +171,000 (gained)
November______+93,000 (gained)
December_____+152,000 (gained)
2011
January________+68,000 (gained)
February______+235,000 (gained)
March.________+194,000 (gained)
April__________+217,000 (gained)
May.___________+53,000 (gained)
June.__________ +20,000 (gained)
July___________+127,000 (gained)
August________ +104,000 (gained)
September._____+158,000 (gained)
October_________+80,000 (gained)
Where did you find this? I would love the link. I write down links like this and when I need this type info to rebutt on FB (or somewhere else), I go through my notebook and ZAP, there it is! I would love to have that link. Thanks.
It came from the Department of Labor…..but not in that format…
http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CES0000000001?output_view=net_1mth
Heads up everyone:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
Catch ya soon.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-03/obama-campaign-replaces-wall-street-defectors-to-help-funding.html
Those last couple paragraphs are real knee slappers!
ONE SENTENCE EXPLAINS OUR CURRENT PREDICAMENT:
“Republicans are getting their way on economic policy and then denying any responsibility for the results.”
=====================================================
THE DISJOINTED DEBATE
The message Republicans will be emphasizing — today and over the next year — is that we should try things their way. But we already are, and no one’s satisfied with the results.
Indeed, arguably one of the most dramatic Democratic dilemmas of 2011 and 2012 is overcoming the realization that Republicans are getting their way on economic policy and then denying any responsibility for the results. Indeed, it’s a rather extraordinary con: GOP officials see much of their agenda implemented, then see it fail, and then blame Obama when their policies don’t work.
==========================================
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_11/the_disjointed_debate033280.php
Amk & Claire enjoy your day, SMile 🙂 I pray you have many many many many more.
I just watched the video of Grant Park…..that was one of the best nights of my life, and the absolutely best presidential election night I have ever witnessed. Like the rest of you, I cried. The thought that came to me was “There are two GOOD men.” Their goodness comes from the inside. Politicians and naysayers have done their best to destroy that goodness, but they still are good men. Do we deservde them…..probably not. But do we NEED them, a resounding YES! We’ll work and give to make sure that the country realizes what good men these are and that they NEED to be re-elected.
Good Morning Chipsticks and Family. Thank you Chipsticks for another start of a beautiful day. You are so special.
Happy Birthday to Clarie and Amk!!!! There is nothing like having your President serve up a beautiful Birthday cake!!! Enjoy your day!!!
This is What Makes Our Family So Special
Our Brilliant Chipsticks!!!!
We Thank You,
Chipsticks
HZ
I hope there are no American reporters at the news conference asking stupid questions .
I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the jackals asked President Obama about the Solyndra deal. They are a total embarrassment.
I expect there to an in-depth discussion about whether he pronounced Cannes correctly.
Linda, they are American reporters, it’s a given that they will ask stupid questions and they did i.e.: Norah O’Donnell who PBO came back at by nailing right across her GOP water carrying mouth! It was great! Norah is such a creep.
This just takes the cake: My most horrific teabagger and deadbeat dad congressman, Joe Walsh, was just given a “pro-family” award from the Christian right Family Research Council. He owes over $117,000 in back child support. He got a 100% rating on his family values from this group. He runs around making the most outrageous statements, calling for impeachment of President Obama etc. The ultimate in hypocrisy:
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2011/11/04/361149/joe-walsh-family-research-council/
Dotster3, it show the evil in these people. The Family Research Council , well I will leave it there. But the facts just does not measure up to this congressman and his comments about the president and the news that has been reported on this man. ” Out of the heart, the mouth speaketh.” What is in a person’s heart, he/she will speak it. That is all I will say. It is really disgusting. HZ
Ha…UpChuck Todd….wrong on both questions.
Our reporters, first AP and then Chuck T. are asking the most vile and accusatory questions of our president. They are beyond despicable.
Chuck “stumulus measures were 2 or 3 G20s ago”
Even I knew that. GAH.
I feel nothing but shame for the American press corps.
Me too meta. Churck Todd is just embarrassing. Nothing but snarky, sarcastic, gotcha type questions. A total absence of journalistic integrity.
Good morning Meta and TOD friends. I totally agree wtih you. Just before the presser came on, I heard John King on CNN say that, the repugs were going to criticize PBO as being weak here at home on he economy and he has no standing globally to contribute. My question to the repugs are, what are they going to do and what have they contributed?
Are these people serious? Europe is in crisis. At least the USA has growth even if small and slow and we know why, Republican obstruction..Many of the European economies are in severe negative territory. There have been marches and protests against Cameron and Sarkozy.
These journalists are not just ignorant they are obviously not working in concert with the principles of their profession and need to be exposed.
http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-clinton-obama-letting-republicans-rub-debt-ceiling-criticizing-rich-2011-11?utm_source=twbutton&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=politics
Bill Clinton should go away..he is just like everyone else, writing books with Obama’s name all up in it to boost sales…
Stock market meme swatted like a fly.
I was out of my seat when he said he didn’t think 401k’s had been impacted in the last two weeks. And oh by the way remember where the market was when I took office and where it is today. Awesome response Mr. President.
Merkel and Obama, sure love the heck out of eachother..lol 🙂
Nora is asking that same BS question which she always ask. Is that the only questions in her head? Geesh!!!
She is an embarrassment, so is Chuck!! We need a whole new press corp just like we need a whole new congress!!
EXACT same question she put to Jay, who gave her the clearest answer possible.
I saw that too SueBee. Quite a different response than what Merkel gave to bush and his shoulder rub at a G20 meeting. It’s nice to see our President getting along so nicely with our allies. I hope Mr. Merkel will be all right with this:-)
November 04, 2011
Our ailing political zeitgeist
The most exasperating dissonance within America’s 21st-century political zeitgeist is that between what “everyone knows” and what nearly everyone, it often seems, then does. This morning the NY Times’ Timothy Egan sets the epistemological stage:
The public already knows the real scandal: our broken politics…. The [GOP] clowns have finally taken over the circus…. The party that got itself into a fever over Barack Obama’s imaginary Kenyan birth … is now overwhelmed by its own nonsense……
http://pmcarpenter.blogs.com/p_m_carpenters_commentary/2011/11/our-ailing-political-zeitgeist.html
I don’t know. The “stupid, naive, little girl’ in me wants to believe that all those elections were rigged. That we got cheated. It’s actually easier for me to believe this than to believe the American people are this pathetic.
November 03, 2011
Cain: an insurmountable perplexity
Today on Fox News, Herman Cain’s mismanager, Mark Block, “said he wants to get over the ‘silliness’ and get on with the campaign.”
Granted, that’s too easy for sophisticated humor. So I’ll pile on anyway and restate the observation that every reader undoubtedly had: Isn’t silliness the campaign?
Which still leaves us with an insurmountable perplexity — how a lubricious huckster of inexpressibly moronic simplicities ever climbed to the top of Republican polls, even nominally. Sure, there’s the multiple-personality Romney thing; and the capricious political media, far more interested in playtime than policy; and of course the GOP base’s advancing cerebral morbidity. But, Herman Cain?…..
http://pmcarpenter.blogs.com/p_m_carpenters_commentary/2011/11/cain-an-insurmountable-perplexity.html
Hi rikyrah, thanks a million for all this good stuff! Would you mind, though, only posting extracts (or two-ish paragraphs) from articles so that everyone will visit the blogs where the articles are from? Thank you! 😉
Nora O’Donnel (The Ice Princess) is asking a question. Have you been an effective leader when it comes to the economy? WTF????
Norah O’Donnell just embarrassed herself.
President Obama schools little girl reporter (aka Nora O’Donnell) on the meaning of leadership and the American Jobs Act. Ouch!
Thanks Nora for giving President Obama an opportunity to embarrass your arse and tell the world know about his American Jobs Act and the obstruction of the Republican Party.
I bet the President says to himself I wish I could have those S.O.B.s (O’Donnell and Todd ) in America.
The “Ice Princess” was a perfect replacement for Chip Reid. It’s the same kind of question he would have asked. We didn’t see her face, but I could “hear” the sneer in her voice. Unbelievable……
IF TRUE,
then…
BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA AH AHH A
to Willard
they REALLY hate his azz.
…………………………………………
Well, I Called That
by John Cole
Me, on Wednesday:
I may be in the minority, but I don’t think Cain’s history of sexual harassment is going to hurt him at all with the GOP, and the insanity of the Republican party will really work to his favor in the short run, at least. Half of them have convinced themselves that this is just a liberal media hit job, and the rest of them think women are property, so I really don’t expect him to lose any support over this. If anything, in the short term, I expect him to gain ground. Wingnuts love crazy shit. It doesn’t matter if Cain has made any number of differing and contradictory statements about what happened, the fact that Cain is not handling this conventionally is all they need. They love a good show, and to them, Cain is fighting back! He’s not taking it! Plus, did you see him show them at the Press Club what he is made of when he broke into song?
The WaPo, today
Businessman Herman Cain and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney are running nearly even atop the field of 2012 GOP presidential hopefuls, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows, with most Republicans dismissing the harassment allegations that over the past week have roiled Cain’s campaign……..
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2011/11/04/well-i-called-that/
Yep. I don’t know why the media ever thought the wingnuts who support Cain would be troubled by claims of sexual harassment. That just makes them dig in and rally around him more. He’s got to actually betray them, like apologize for sexual harassment or something, in order for them to turn on him.
Why is Nora and Chuck in France asking these dumb questions and shaming us as Americans.?!
SueBee, to answer your question, because stupid people ask stupid questions regardless were they are!!!!!!!!
Amen.
Norah O’Donnel is a total bitch who just gave PBO repug talking points. She was like: “oh, your bill failed yesterday because the gop don’t want to tax small business……blah, blach, fucking blah.”
PBO nailed with a swift one, two, three and an upper cut for good measure. He was like “norah, YOU say that the bill didn’t pass because the GOP doesn’t want to tax small business, well if that’s true somethings wrong because the bill that got voted down yesterday would have provided tax credits for small businesses…..” That fricking bitch! She is so damned stupid. where the hell do these people come from?
he nailed her GOP water carrying arse and it was beautiful to watch 😆
He has the patience of Job. Same dumb questions, same axe to grind, same GOP pail to lift. He must just shake his head sometimes.
Norah used to work for an outfit that covered Congress (Roll Call?), then Chris Matthews “spotted” her, probably became her protege, then she was pulled onto MSNBC, and now she’s got this gig and her whole persona changed (IMO). She is so far removed from neutral journalism, it isn’t funny. And nobody – but nobody – will ever call her on it but us, because it’s become the norm. Members of the WHPC are an embarrassment in front of the world.
Lisa why are you so angry? The entire MSM agenda is to DESTROY PBO. They have no interests in fair and balanced questions and fair and balanced reporting. Nothing is new here. We just have to make sure PBO is not standing alone these next 12 months through to the election. WE GOT HIS BACK. We need to make sure plenty of other Americans have got his back. PRESS ON!! 😉
One would think that unemployment increased, but it is now 9.0, instead of 9.1; it went down.
That’s why the Repugs and their water carrying Press are in full attack mode.
Herman Cain’s Abuse Of Power Scandal
Tod Kelly makes a distinction:
The media treats sexual harassment cases similarly to the way they treat stories about secret mistresses. After all, it’s the sex that sells the story, right? … But sexual harassment isn’t the same as infidelity. Sexual harassment, at the end of the day, is about the abuse of power. What’s more, it’s about a particularly denigrating and malicious abuse of power. I would go so far as to say that if someone has a pattern of perpetrating sexual harassment, he is the last person you want in power over others – and you should vote accordingly.…….
Either he invited an employee to his hotel room at a social event, or he didn’t. If he did, and she felt she had to leave her job subsequently because of how her complaint altered the workplace environment, then it matters. We need to lift the woman’s gag-order, and get to the bottom of this……..
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2011/11/herman-cains-abuse-of-power-scandal.html
my guess is that all this drama around Cain is only going to boost his numbers. The republican field is a joke. Folks are probably pissed off and as a result my swing to poll Cain as leading the party for at least a few more weeks.
I am actually grateful that all our esteemed journalists consistently parrot GOP talking points. Since the President can’t appear at the debates, he is able to take out their memes as they are being spewed by our GOP-friendly media.
GOP Parrot: ‘What do you say to Americans who have watched their 401Ks lose money after the Greek debt deal went sour.’
President Don’t Even Try it: ‘Well you’ll recall the stock market has down 3000 points from where it is now, so I doubt that the losses are as dramatic as you described….
GOP Parrot: ‘The GOP won’t support your jobs bill because it will tax small businesses. Economic growth is anemic and unemployment is at 9%. How would you describe your economic leadership.?
President Don’t Even Try It: ‘The reason you gave for their lack of support doesn’t fly because we talking about taxing Americans that make $1 million. That amounts to 300,000 folks. Less than 3% of small businesses make more than a million. So the Republicans have rejected taxing 300,000 Americans at expense of economic growth for 300 million Americans.’
Thanks for this. I was trying to take notes but I got so enraged. I had to contain myself. But the part I love is that the world got to hear the stupid question from Nora and the brilliant answer from President Obama. And I certainly hope that news conference gets all the attention it deserves in the local media in the United States.
I’m just glad I missed most of the babbling from people like Norah. I was able to hear a part of one of PBO’s responses – in that brilliant, confident, soothing tone of his. Sigh.
Love your recap! *President Don’t Even Try It* should be embroidered on a pillow!
You do make an excellent point FiredUpinCa,
I never looked at it this way…….it gives a chance for the President to set the record straight.
Still…they are pitiful, embarrassing and infuriating.
They always carry the GOP water…it’s a fact….They always have their RW talking points ready.
I think what infuriate me the most is their attitude!!
They really have a high opinion of themselves and are always so arrogant.
President Obama is brilliant and they can’t stand it
Frankly dealing with the GOP talking heads, press, and water carriers is like playing on the school yard when we were 10 and everyone fighting over the teather ball. PBO eally quite amused at their ignorance. Our president is so BRILLIANT. WE all just have to keep chugging along manifesting in the DREAM. When it is all said and done PBO will be having the last laugh as he walks down another parade rout in sub freezing temps in January of 2013. 😎
I meant PBO is really quite amused. My typing got cut off. Sorry folks. 😳
don’t catch a cold now POTUS 😦
I actually love that POTUS walked ahead of Napoleon;in Napoleon’s own backyard nonetheless 😉
Napoleon…….. that’s the right name. I know he and PBO are friends but…………. :frown face:
I think POTUS didn’t have a choice but to call Napoleon “friend”;everyone in Europe knows Napoleon is a POTUS hater and he is jealous 🙄
I wasn’t aware of the “Napoleon” hate. Its appears that Merkel genuinely likes Obama though.
what?!!!!! Napoleon hates PBO? What? What? I thought he was always jealous of PBO’s looks, intelligence and the way people love PBO, but I never thought he hated PBO? WTF? is that true?
yeah he’s made some disparaging comments about POTUS in the past 🙄
Oh hell to the no! What a two faced clown. The guy’s an ass. I wouldn’t hold by breath that he’ll win re-election, even his political ploys are obvious. PBO is very popular abroad so Little Napoleon tries his best to seem buddy-buddy with PBO in order for some of PBO’s glamour to rub off on him.
😆
Thank you all TOD’ers for your kind wishes. I was a bit occupied and could access the intertubes only now.
Happy Birthday amk! Have a great day!
Happy birthday, amk!
Ooops…distracted…happy birthday as well to Claire and the other TOD November babies–whose names I don’t know!
Noe we know the reason behind cain’s nien-nein-nein “plan”.
Joel Bennett, the attorney for one of the women who complained about Herman Cain at the National Restaurant Association said Friday that his client’s settlement was dated in September of 1999 and signed by the trade group’s general counsel but not Cain.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/67627.html
Happy Birthday Amk and Claire!
Ugh!!! TOD I attended a business conference this morning and had a frustrating conversation with some Virginia “swing voters”. 😦
I’m going to OFA HQ tomorrow to volunteer to make a difference in next years election. I strongly suggest that anyone else who can please do the same.
Our President looks and sounds brilliant as usual.
I go on Sunday, then we head down to VA..It will be interesting..
Good luck SueBee!
I am convinced that people really expected this man to take office, stop the bleeding, fix all the problems from the financial wounds and restore their lives right back to order before the worse economic collapse since the great depression took place. I cannot believe the ignorance of our electorate but then I watch our media do them all this drastic disservice by NOT informing them so what else can I expect. It will just make our jobs twice as hard but I’m up to the task.
Its sad a lot of us Americans have short memories and is impatient. I will be heartbroken if a Republican gets the White House in 2012..
uugghh, going by your reports on the american msm, there seems to no depth they’ll sink to. Fuck’em all.
These WH so-called press corp are still reeling from the President bringing in local media and going around them to get his jobs bill message out to the public.
I’m ashamed to call these people our media!
You’re right Donna!
Like Bill Maher said last week, there is nothing wrong with trying a new way to win if the current way you are trying is not working. I am not a huge fan of Maher either, but he can be right sometimes…
POLITICO LOOKS THE OTHER WAY AS ROMNEY LIES ABOUT TAXES
Mitt Romney’s Tax Lie And The Occupy Wall Street Movement
=======================
Let’s look at Politico, for example. This is a news organization that exists solely to cover politics. It’s right there in the name: Politico. They don’t cover sports, they don’t review movies or rock concerts. They cover politics. And they churn out endless material each day — a non-stop stream of news, gossip, innuendo, opinion, glorified stenography, investigative reporting, and everything in between. Among the dozens of stories on Politico’s front page last night: Freshmen House Republicans have been slow to pony up their NRCC dues, House Democrats want to get rid of the Defense of Marriage Act, Senators from Missouri won a bet on the outcome of the World Series, and lots and lots of Herman Cain. There’s even a blog post revealing that a consultant for Mitt Romney read a Washington Post article critical of his boss. Seriously: That’s the whole post. No story is too small for Politico. But Politico hasn’t reported Romney’s extremely newsworthy lie.
And that, in a nutshell, is why the Occupy Wall Street movement exists, and is so important: Wealthy elites constantly rig the system even further in their favor and brazenly lie about doing so, and the news media — which is, of course, run by wealthy elites — won’t tell you about it
=======================
http://politicalcorrection.org/blog/201111040003
Wow. Off to tweet that one.
I call it Pollute-i-go !
Perry supports Israeli attack on Iran 🙄
Does Perry even know where those countries are?
probably not but not so sure it would make a difference if he did know.
Of course he does…..the baaastids love war, hates the troops, and never send their kids to war. I hope his son is first in line to go fight.
More President Obama goodness:
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/promise/144/end-the-stop-loss-program-of-forcing-troops-to-s/
One of the tactics the 99 Percenters are using to take back the country from the 1 percent is to move their money from big banks to credit unions, community banks, and other smaller financial unions that aren’t gambling with our nation’s future.
Now, the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) reports that a whopping 650,000 Americans have joined credit unions since Sept. 29 — the date that Bank of America announced it would start charging a $5 monthly debit fee, a move it backed down on this week.
To put that in perspective, there were only 600,000 new members for credit unions in all of 2010. “These results indicate that consumers are clearly making a smarter choice by moving to credit unions where, on average, they will save about $70 a year in fewer or no fees, lower rates on loans and higher return on savings,” said CUNA President Bill Cheney.
~snip~
http://thinkprogress.org/special/2011/11/03/360804/650000-americans-credit-unions/
Lots of folks I know have moved their money from BOA to small local credit unions. Add me to that list.
X2…the service is much better and there are no “hidden” fees.~
Toon for the day
http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/politicalcartoons/ig/Political-Cartoons/Cain-999-Update.htm
INFRASTRUCTURE – “A BRIDGE TOO FAR FOR THE REPUBLICANS”
President Obama hands the GOP as much rope as they can carry
==============================
Senate Republicans today blocked a vote on yet another one of the components of President Obama’s jobs plan today. This one would have invested $60 billon in building and repairing our nation’s crumbling infrastructure and was fully paid for by a 0.7% (!!!) surcharge on income over $1 million. A bridge too far for Republicans, apparently.
.
.
These votes are the first in a string of votes that President Obama is lining up like bowling pins for the Republicans to knock down. His timing is exquisite. By the time they pick a candidate, the Republicans will have firmly established themselves as the not just the party of “HELL NO, YOU CAN’T!!!, they will be on the record for vote after vote after vote on bills to help struggling Americans and get our economy going again.
Here’s the President’s official comments on today’s vote:
==============================
http://www.thepeoplesview.net/2011/11/president-obama-hands-gop-as-much-rope.html
You can watch plenty of videos of Obama speech today at the G20 right here: http://en.viewrz.com/g20/event/23
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Running The Numbers Wrong
Posted by Zandar
I’m not sure if Nate Silver is incorporating way too much beltway conventional wisdom into his analysis or if he’s just decided to move into Firebagger Country, but his latest 35,000 feet analysis of President Obama’s re-election is that he loses unless the economy improves and his chances are 50-50 overall.
The problem is with the input parameters on Nate’s model:
Obama does indeed have a “Jewish problem.” Polls find that his standing among Jews has deteriorated: only about 54 percent of them approved of his performance in the most recent Gallup survey. But this is to be expected when a president has a 40-something approval rating. He also has a Hispanic problem and a problem among the white working class. He has a problem in Ohio and a problem in Florida and a problem in New Hampshire. He even has, to a mild extent, an African-American problem: Obama’s approval ratings among black voters are still high, but down to about 80 percent from 90 percent.
All of these, however, are symptoms of Obama’s larger problems, a set of three fundamental misgivings shared by much of the American electorate.
• First, many of us understand that Barack Obama inherited a terrible predicament. We have a degree of sympathy for the man. But we have concerns, which have been growing over time, about whether he’s up to the job.
• Second, most of us are gravely concerned about the economy. We’re not certain what should be done about it, but we’re frustrated.
• Third, enough of us are prepared to vote against Obama that he could easily lose. It doesn’t mean we will, but we might if the Republican represents a credible alternative and fits within the broad political mainstream.
I’m trying to figure out where somebody so dependent on actual facts, objective figures, and numerical analysis gets such a flawed model to start with. I’ll give Nate the second point there, most of us really are frustrated over the economy are there are serious differences about what should be done about it (although I’ve been yelling about what to do for a couple of years now.) But his assumptions that “we” think President Obama isn’t “up to the job” is just Village idiocy if anyone was capable of measuring President Obama’s accomplishments in an objective manner…which if anyone is supposed to be able to up in Villageland, it’s Nate Silver.
The third point is hokum as well. Has Silver been paying actual attention to the debates, the laughable policy gimmicks, the absurdity of the sound bites coming from the GOP in the last few months, or the current head-shaking controversies? Who is an actual credible alternative that would survive the primaries and still end up in the “broad political mainstream” in the general election next fall? Surely Nate understands this.
Finally he goes on to basically say that unless the economy improves, the President will basically lose the election. In both of his scenarios where the economy is stagnant, the President has long odds against Rick Perry and nearly impossible odds against Mitt Romney. No mention, of course, that if he’s right the Republicans have every reason to continue to obstruct and sabotage the economy, and so far it’s been pretty effective in blocking every attempt by the Democrats to improve the economy.
And finally, FINALLY, Nate basically says that the polls this early that show President Obama winning against every specific Republican in the race are simply too far away from November 2012 to be of any use, but he does throw in this caveat:
Obama has gone from a modest favorite to win re-election to, probably, a slight underdog. Let’s not oversell this. A couple of months of solid jobs reports, or the selection of a poor Republican opponent, would suffice to make him the favorite again.
I’m going to say the selection of any single Republican makes him the favorite again.
http://zandarvts.blogspot.com/2011/11/running-numbers-wrong.html
Congressional Dems seek to curb tough state voter-screening laws
Democrats on Thursday ratcheted up efforts to combat new voting laws adopted by 13 states that Democrats contend are deliberate efforts to keep its core voting blocs from casting ballots next year.
“Election legislation and administration appear to be increasingly the product of partisan plays,” says a letter to election officials in all 50 states signed by 196 Democrats in the House of Representatives. “Election officials are seen as partisan combatants, rather than stewards of democracy. … We are asking you, as front line participants, to put partisan considerations aside and serve as advocates for enfranchisement.”
Members of the House Democratic leadership, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus unveiled the letter they’re sending to election officials urging them to oppose new voting measures that a recent study said would adversely impact the ability of more than 5 million people to register or vote.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/11/03/129225/congressional-dems-seek-to-curb.html#ixzz1ckpihW9i
November 04, 2011 11:20 AM
Kasich annoys Browns fans everywhere
By Steve Benen
Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) is still going all out to defeat a referendum next week that would repeal his union-busting bill, curtailing collective-bargaining rights in the state.
He may, however, have just lost some support from football fans.
As part of his campaign in support of Issue 2, Kasich realizes he has a lot of ground to make up, since polls show voters leaning against the anti-worker law. To make this point this week, he decided to turn to a sports analogy.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) fumbled the facts of Cleveland football history this week, when he tried — and failed — to make a sports analogy about heroic comebacks.
Kasich, in the midst of a fervent statewide tour in support of Ohio’s Issue 2, a ballot measure to affirm the state’s anti-collective bargaining legislation signed by the governor earlier this year, ran into trouble when asked if he thought his outmanned effort could stand up to well-organized pro-union forces.
As the governor put it, “We never thought [former Cleveland Browns quarterback] Bernie Kosar would bring the Browns back and win that big championship game.” In this little analogy, if Kosar could lead a comeback to win the championship, then maybe Kasich can lead a comeback to defend union-busting.
The problem is that Kosar never brought the Browns back to win that big championship game. Cleveland is one of just four NFL teams to never appear in a Super Bowl, and the Browns have gone 0 for 3 in conference title games.
I suspect there are a few fans in Cleveland who are aware of this little detail.
On a more serious note, though, Kasich may not know local sports history very well, but he knows how to recruit right-wing financiers to help his anti-worker campaign.
In case you needed further proof of how enormous the stakes are in the Ohio labor fight for national conservatives, consider this: Right wing groups are pouring over $2 million into TV ad campaigns in the final few days of the fight, I’m told.
National conservative groups view the showdown over Issue 2 — a referendum on Governor John Kasich’s law rolling back bargaining rights — as the central front in their drive to break labor’s back in the middle of the industrial heartland. Polls show that labor is poised to win this fight, though union operatives aren’t all sanguine.
The election is Tuesday.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_11/kasich_annoys_browns_fans_ever033282.php
Thanks rikyrah. I am living that nightmare that is John Kasich. We will overtun that LAW.
Republican Family Values
by John Cole
This video of Arsansas Republican Judge William Adamas, a family court Judge in Texas, viciously beating his daughter with a belt, has gone viral:
Judge William Adams beats daughter for using the internet
Again, like I said, and requoted earlier regarding the Cain situation- “Half of them have convinced themselves that this is just a liberal media hit job, and the rest of them think women are property, so I really don’t expect him to lose any support over this.” As he savagely beats his daughter, he screams about “beating her into submission” and the mother tells her to “take it like a woman.”
Apparently the statute of limitations has passed, so he will not be charged, but it does look like the video, released by his daughter, may end his career as a judge dealing with child abuse cases. This is just the extreme edge of an extremely anti-woman mentality and sentiment running rampant through the GOP. The list of abusive legislation the GOP has pushed is extensive, and just a couple weeks ago, Jim Demint suggested making it a crime for women to talk over the internet with a doctor. This isn’t just one person acting in a subhuman manner, it’s all a part of the same anti-woman agenda, just to differing extremes.
Bonus fact- the 16 year old daughter has cerebral palsy. And to think, people got upset when Markos called these scumbags the American Taliban.
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2011/11/04/republican-family-values-2/#comment-2858334
This is extremely disturbing to watch……if you choose to, please be forewarned. The judge needs to be removed from the bench……what is equally disturbing in the wake of this is the judge’s response. He is in total denial, and like so many Republicans claims to be a victim.
Happy Birthday to Claire & AMK… have a Beautiful day~Enjoy it!
November 04, 2011 10:05 AM
The disjointed debate
By Steve Benen
Here’s what’s going to happen today: Republicans and many in the media will look at the weak job numbers and argue that it’s evidence that President Obama’s economic policies aren’t working. Here’s what’s not going to happen today: a public discussion about the extent to which President Obama’s economic policies aren’t even being tried.
The political dynamic has changed quite a bit since the early spring, when Republican leaders were eager to take credit for the positive numbers they had nothing to do with. Needless to say, GOP officials are no longer claiming responsibility, and are in fact now eager to point fingers everywhere else. It’s a nice little scam Republicans have put together: when more jobs are being created, it’s proof they’re right; when fewer jobs are being created, it’s proof Obama’s wrong. Heads they win; tails Dems lose.
In case anyone’s forgotten, the GOP whining is misguided — whether they want to admit it or not, the economy is advancing as they want it to. The private sector is being left to its own devices; the public sector is shedding jobs quickly; and lawmakers are focused on debt-reduction.
This is the script the GOP wrote. When it’s followed to the letter, Republican complaints are absurd.
I understand the politics. Obama’s the president, so if the economy stinks, Republicans want voters to think it’s his fault. But in order for this to make sense, the administration would have to be getting its way when it comes to economic policy.
But that’s simply not the case. I’m reminded of this Greg Sargent post from a couple of months ago.
No hiring surge is going to happen until Obama and Dems actually agree to do it their way in policy terms.
No hiring surge will happen until that job killing stimulus spending winds down; until Dems allow Republicans to extend the Bush tax cuts on the rich; until Dems agree to deep cuts to Federal programs; until municipal governments are forced to cut back and fend for themselves; until Dems embrace the notion that government must tighten its belt to restore business confidence; and until Dems begin seriously basing their policy response to unemployment on the conservative idea that if we only reduce the deficit, a thousand economic flowers will bloom. Only then we’ll see the surge in employment we’re all waiting for.
Oh, wait…
The message Republicans will be emphasizing — today and over the next year — is that we should try things their way. But we already are, and no one’s satisfied with the results.
Indeed, arguably one of the most dramatic Democratic dilemmas of 2011 and 2012 is overcoming the realization that Republicans are getting their way on economic policy and then denying any responsibility for the results. Indeed, it’s a rather extraordinary con: GOP officials see much of their agenda implemented, then see it fail, and then blame Obama when their policies don’t work.
It’s not too late. We can boost public investments. Republicans can stop killing meaningful jobs bills. We can stop pretending spending cuts will create jobs. We can prevent public-sector layoffs (nearly a quarter million public-sector jobs have been lost, on purpose, thanks entirely to spending cuts, this calendar year).
Under ideal circumstances, the president would come up with an economic plan and execute it. If the agenda succeeded, he’d get the credit. If it faltered, Republicans would call him on it. Voters could evaluate the results and decide whether to keep the president around or go back to GOP economic policies.
But those circumstances are nowhere to be found. Rather, we’re stuck looking in this funhouse-mirror in which Republicans block Democratic economic policies, and then condemn the policies for failing.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_11/the_disjointed_debate033280.php
😆
Ha!!!
I love our First Lady
Okay that was hilarious. Just that she would know what random dancing meant on that show.
Bestest FLOTUS evaaaaah!
But US News & World Report noted in September 2011 that there had been 600,000 public sector job losses since the official end of the recession in June 2009 and that there were 200,000 fewer state and local government employees nationwide in 2010 than in 2009.
Angela Merkel appears to prefer a hug from our President Obama more than a back rub from Bush.
I know…..she seems to be hunging him back. What’s with those little German ladies men like to touch them 🙂 :)!
I sent a birthday shout out on here and it disappeared lol
so let me try this again… HAPPY ‘BORN’ DAY to Claire and amk.. I hope you both have a great start to the weekend and are having a wonderful day so far!! It’s 05:40am Saturday here and its time for me to get some TOD reading done…….. LETS GET MOVING!!! :-):-):-) (wow so much content coming through to read on here.. I might have to quadruple my latte intake to read them allllllll *wheww*)
I see Obama’s poll numbers up in Reuters/Ipsos poll, from 47-49. Of course Reuters couldn’t just report that news without including a “but”—-“but it’s good news for John McCain”—–(but he’s still facing a tough race, they warn, as always)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/04/us-usa-campaign-poll-idUSTRE7A359D20111104
Latest letter to the President
4 Nov 2011
Dear Mr President,
It is obvious that Republicans are creating all kinds of schemes to suppress voters access to their right to vote.
One scheme is the requirement for photo ID and all the barriers being erected to acquiring a valid photo ID.
An unassailably valid photo ID is a US Passport.
Thus, I request that you immediately instruct the Department of State to wave the fee for a US Passport for any US citizen eligible to vote on 8 Nov 2012 and makes less than $ 250,000.00 per year.
Thank you for your attention to this request and I hope soon to learn that you have implemented it.
Bob
Yes We Can … DO More Together
Good idea, as always. Why aren’t you in Congress?
Can he do that or only congress?
BOB and CHEZ PODCAST (lots of fun this week)
======================================
This week they cover ……..
The Republican Meltdown; Herman Cain and Sexual Harassment; Mitt Romney and Mormonism; Rick Perry and His Inability to Form a Sentence; Tea Party Loudness; Teleprompters; More Right Wing Radio Nonsense; The Stupid Czar Attack; Tea Party Racism and Support for Cain; Tea Party Attacks on Elizabeth Warren; More Violent Rhetoric from the Republicans; Naked Body Scanners; and much more! Brought to you by Bubble Genius! – (Not safe for work!)
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http://bobcesca.com/blog-archives/2011/11/the-bubble-genius-bob-chez-show-11411.html
Happy Birthday Amk and Claire. I thought I had posted this before but don’t see it.
Sorry.
At last, a new post:
http://theobamadiary.com/2011/11/04/rain-or-shine-3/
Deadbeat Rep. Joe Walsh, Who Owes $100k In Child Support, Receives ‘Pro-Family’ Award From Family Research Council
http://thinkprogress.org/
Linda, that is just plain sick. Walsh recieving a pro family award. Sick…Sick….sick!!!!!!
So, here we go…. since it’s short and sweet, I posted it here in its entirety. The Evil Ones trying to reset the narrative in order to blame PBO. “But, but, but, the House HAS passed jobs bills and the bad, bad Democractic Senate is blocking all of it and the President isn’t fully engaged in the legislative process, WAH!!” Never mind that Congress’ sole function IS the legislative process, not the President’s. Never mind that PBO’s AJA, and all his recent executive orders a clear demonstration of being 200% engaged in the legislative process because of these #$%#@ !! I have to wonder if Cantor’s recent “personal” dinner with the Bidens wasn’t some attempt to get Biden to get involved and force the Senate Dems to vote on their so called “jobs-related” bills
————————————————————————————————————————————
House Republicans to Obama: Help pass jobs bills
ALAN FRAM
From Associated Press
November 04, 2011 9:47 AM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) — House GOP leaders say the latest unemployment numbers show it’s time for the Democratic-led Senate to begin approving jobs-related bills that the Republican-run House has passed.
The government reported Friday that unemployment rate in October fell to 9 percent from 9.1 percent in September, and that the economy added 80,000 jobs. House Speaker John Boehner wants President Barack Obama to press the Senate to act. The Ohio Republican says it’s “unacceptable for the White House to be anything less than 100 percent engaged in the legislative process.”
I’m just getting a chance to check the site. I have had a beautiful day at the beach. I will be here for 4 more days. This is a wonderful birthday! THANK YOU so much Chipsticks for the fabulous graphic. Also, THANK YOU everyone for your heart warming birthday wishes. TOD family you made #50 spectacular. I feel the love and am sending it back to all of you. God bless every one of you.
THANK YOU!!
I forgot to say I hope amk had a wonderful day too. Also, big happy birthday wishes to all my fellow November birth babies!