Morning everyone, will catch up later today š
305 Responses to “rise and shine”
Comments are currently closed.
Obama White House.gov
- An error has occurred; the feed is probably down. Try again later.
WH Tumblr
- An error has occurred; the feed is probably down. Try again later.
The People’s View
- Follow me at my new venture: Reclaim the Fight
- Ignore the bait: Why itās the right strategy for Democrats to focus SCOTUS fight on health care
- BIG: Judge halts Trump administration attempt to shortcut the census
- Trump doesn't want peaceful transition of power. Legally, it doesnāt matter.
- Fauci goes off on Rand Paul
- Rule 44: Why Obamacare is not lost even in a deadlocked Supreme Court, but only if Biden wins
- Time to suit up. This is war.
- BREAKING: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has passed
- Bothsidesism comes to fact-checking: CNN's āfact-checkā calling Biden ad 'misleading' proves the opposite
- Pardon me: How Donald Trump's stooges conspired with Julian Assange to exonerate Russia and undermine US Intlligence
Smartypants
- Durham to Right Wingers: "Blame Hillary"
- That Time When Refusing to Negotiate With Hostage-Takers Worked
- The Other Christian Nationalists: Leonard Leo and Opus Dei
- Hawley Demonstrates That He's an Ignorant Liar
- DeSantis Board Votes to Counter-Sue Disney Over Something...Anything
- Hunter Biden's Laptop Is a Total Nothingburger
- What DeSantis Couldn't Say in Response to Disney's Lawsuit
- Disney Skewers DeSantis With His Own Words
- Populism Without Civil Rights Is Fascism
- Glenn Greenwald gets triggered by smart competent women like Rep. Stacey Plaskett
Steve Benen
- Biden has once again defied expectations from haters and his own party: Joe
- NASA administrator: The future of space is collaborative
- Washington making decisions that could prolong Ukraine war, says writer
- Alex Newell discusses the cathartic performances in 'Shucked'
- 'We have a major crisis': Mayor calls for federal funding for mental health
- 'Why not you?': Bestselling author offers her advice to dreamers
- Doris Kearns Goodwin: I think this is a moment to celebrate in Washington
- 'A blowout number': U.S. employers added 339,000 jobs in May
- Marc Morial feels like he's 'just starting' after 20 years leading National Urban League
- 'Winner': DeSantis responds to questions about pronouncing his last name
The Obama Diary 
Good Morning All
Will never let go. . . even after 4 more years.
There will be books, movies, library, ect, ect, ect! . . . .
Morning Marlz! Chips! TOD Fam! š Looking forward to reading whats to come later in the day from Chips. Be Back Later!! š
Love when I’m early enough to say Good Morning to everyone that follows. Good Morning, TOD people! (That’s a little to close to POD people, isn’t it?…….oh well.)
So many good things in the news here. Thx to everyone who keeps the rest of us informed. Press On…from Chicago.
mornin’ sequana š
Morning sequana!
Joe Sestak is annoying. He has twice, since I’ve been watching, mentioned the fact that he didn’t get much establishment help ($$) during his failed bid. Bitter much? I hate how he talks with this sing-songy “I’m-reading-you-a-children’s-book” voice.
I am glad you mentioned Sestak’s voice. I did not know if anyone else noticed it. It has been reported he was very tough on his House staff, and it had a high turnover. Tells you something about the man.
He thinks he is Privileged, because he was in charge of the USS Stinson!
He strikes me as having a big chip on his shoulder. Very disingenuous. He’s clearly running again.
And Bob Herbert…gleeful almost to tell us not to get too excited about the Dec jobs numbers and instead we should not be too optimistic because the real issues are the weekly jobs claims and consumer spending numbers. Emoprogs really do traffic in negativity.
That is so Bob Herbert, he never misses a chance to say something negative about President Obama’s administration.
Hello I never have really like Bob Herbert. Is he from the N.Y. Times or he used to work there. Isn’t that were that thing Jodi Kantor works at?
Is Sestak running for Americans Elect?
Sestak is Alan Grayson – part II. Both think that America is wholly made up of the emoprogs on Old Orange and MSNBC, and that their mission is not to defeat the Republicans, but to undermine President Obama.
Exactly. They can both be so annoying. Bob Herbert is a just a fly that won’t go away.
And Herbert is a Cornell West fan. Enough said!
I’m sure West and Herbert have sit down and discuss their hate of President Obama. So when they are on tv they will say and do anything to undermind the President. Neither one of them have anything I want to hear.
So true vero804. Emoprogs really do traffic in negativity.
Another good example was yesterday on UP with Chris Hayes. Chris did a segment about the difficulty closing Guantanamo. One of the guests was Vincent Warren (Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights). Warren admitted that the obstacle to closing Guantanamo was “CONGRESS” (Democrats and Republicans). But he just couldn’t help himself because right after stating that fact he said – but President Obama needs to show more leadership. I almost fell out of my chair. Show more leadership? Excuse me, the very first thing President Obama said after his inauguration was he wanted Guantanamo closed and he explained why. I was just stunned that Warren found it necessary to make such an outlandish statement. This happens so much. No matter what happens there has to be a way to put some or all of the blame on President Obama no matter what the facts reveal.
Good morning TOD!
President Obama signed a signing statement to close Gitmo, immediately upon entering office.
It was an executive order that within a year it would be closed.
He was then blocked by the senate 90-6!
Ooops! I meant an Executive Order. I wondered why “signed a signing statement” didn’t sound exactly right š
Small correction – he signed an executive order to close Gitmo, not a signing statement.
But all-in-all – he did what he could do when it came to Gitmo. Before Congress passed a law restricting his ability to close it, he was sending many detainees to other countries. Now – nothing.
Vero, last I heard he was running for Congress again. Sestak is a hard worker and does overwork his staff. In my opinion he has a little bit of a Romney problem in that he doesn’t relate that well to ordinary people. Probably because of his military background, he ran a very top down rigidly hierarchical campaign, which hurt him in the fight against Sestak. A senior naval officer should know that when you blow a campaign, you don’t start blaming somebody else.
Yes,Joe Sestak is annoying. perhaps the reason he didn’t get the support is because the rumor has it he is a misogynist, a drill sargent and not very well liked.
Good Morning everyone and have a nice day. š
Doesn’t Sestak realize that is water under the bridge. Are is he still holding a grudge against the President?
Sestak didn’t get establishment help because he ran against Specter against the DSCC wishes, and then claimed that the Obama Admin tried to bribe him to drop out which caused unnecessary drama and gave the GOP attack points.
that’s right. now I remember Sestak….the guy from PA.
Good Morning everyone!
Here’s a message for Willard the sadist
http://www.dogsagainstromney.com/
Good morning, everyone.
Morning guys, I have a stupid Twitter question. How do you know if or when you’ve been blocked by someone?
Have a grae Sunday.
The only way I know is if I try to follow the person and get a msg saying that I can’t because they’re blocking me. I don’t know any other way.
Try to follow them and a message will appear that says basically, buzz off.
Good morning BWD. There are no “stupid” questions here.
BWD, I had the same question, so I’m glad you asked it. Also, why when I try to retweet some people, it won’t let me?
OMG, I hope I haven’t unhallowed or blocked someone by mistake. I have no idea what the heck I am doing on twitter but I am trying. Follow, Following, Unfollow – what the hell?!? š
I have a Twitter question too. Someone sent me a message saying someone was saying terrible things about me. I’m assuming they don’t like my tweets. I haven’t seen any of these. A link was sent and it said it was a phising site. What’s this all about? I’m not a Twitter expert, by any means.
That’s spam and you should send a separate tweet to the real owner of the twitter name and warn them that their account may have been hacked.
Thanks gobrooklyn! I suspected that!
I’ve had three of those this week.. just one this morning- I thought it meant I’d been hacked so I changed my password.
send that person a message. then it would that person has blocked you.
GREENVILLE, S.C. ā Rick Santorum says the Iowa caucuses may not be over yet.
Eleven days after he was declared a very narrow second place finisher ā behind Mitt Romney by just eight votes ā the former Pennsylvania senator predicted Saturday at a town hall meeting in here that a recount could put him on top.
Continue Reading
After a long count that went deep into the night on Jan. 3, Iowa GOP chairman Matt Strawn announced the results that had Santorum behind Romney.
But Santorum says heās getting the feeling that he may still edge ahead.
āSouth Carolina fights to be the first in the South primary, to be third in line. And what happened is that Iowa did not narrow the field. And, by the way, Iowaās not done yet. Theyāre recounting those ballots right now,ā Santorum told a crowd of more than 150 at Tommyās Country Ham House. āSo hold onā¦All this stuff about, you know, āweāre going to win and heās got two primaries down,ā just hold on one second. Weāre not quite done there.ā
Talk about splitting hairs. This is what a loser sounds like.
Just the same/ Robney said he won both and it was historic.
Not so much!
Not much difference between Robney and Santorum. They are both dangerous losers who shouldn’t be allowed near the WH.
I thought the rule was that they HAD NO RECOUNTS.
As it is certified, they count all the ballots.
Let ’em fight amongst themselves. I think it’s great. G’day everyone.
Slam-
David Axelrod, President Obama’s senior campaign strategist, told Candy Crowley on CNN’s “State of the Union” that GOP front-runner Mitt Romney doesn’t understand the economic reality of average Americans:
“Governor Romney told — some voter was sharing her economic concerns with him about her own life the other day, and he said, one, you know, he gave her a whole treatise on the economy, and said what — finished by saying, well, you know, productivity equals income. Well, he misses the central issue of our time.Ā Americans aren’t — it’s not that they’re not working hard enough.Ā They’re working harder than they’ve ever worked, and for the last decade, their income has been flat — really, for several decades — and it’s dropped in the last decade. That is a central issue of our time. How do we create an economy which the middle class is growing, wages are growing, standards of living are not declining, but growing?Ā That’s what a successful economy looks like.Ā He misses that point.”
Pool-
EXACTLY. GOOOO, Axe.
He was great. I get so angry when she asks a question and then tries to interrupt him when she doesn’t like the answer. Axelrod holds his own.
Good morning everyone. Check out Colbert’s super pac add!! š
http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/2012/01/15/video-colbert-super-pac-if-corporations-are-people-romey-is-a-serial-killer/
Love it, love Colbert, dragging stuff out in the open.
oh my I tweeted that and may I say that If you’ve been missing colbert – even though he’s ‘comedian’ he is doing a splendid job of actually educating his audience on what a superpac is and how much power they have and what they can get away with on behalf of their candidate. He’s really informing in the guise of comedy a very serious subject.
Love it! and tweeted. Steven is the best!
Just for grins, GOOGLE: “is Romney a serial killer”?. You’ll laugh at the results. š
LOL š š š
Oh, that’s hysterical!
Good morning T”OD” family. Just wanted to say how wonderful it is to come here every single day or night and know there are others who care as much about our country and our beloved President as I do. Thank you all for being here. AND, a special thank you to Chips. You do an amazing job for all of us and I am eternally grateful for the place you have created for all of us. Though I haven’t been posting much, I am here reading and being informed.
Seeing you here reminds me of this:
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=PBO
Light a candle for PBO and keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
Thanks Meta! I think back to the early days of the last campaign when you, Donna Dem, Vero, GOSAL, the two AZ Grandmas, and I would hit the OFA blog every morning. We have grown so much and here, we don’t have the trolls to deal with. Poor Chips keeps us safe.
I so remember those days very, very well. I’m thrilled that most of us have found each other here!! Hope all is well for you and you’re not working too hard.
I remember being part of that awesome group, as well, and wishing I had more time to spend on there… But here we are, still lighting candles, still supportng PBO and each other, with Chipsticks at the helm.. A daunting task she hs undertaken, I will light a candle for her now!
LOVE that. thanks Meta!
Thanks Meta. I lit a candle.
Please light a candle for the President, First Lady, and the family.
Blasting Adele on a Sun. morn, havin’ some fun. Man, that gal can sing! (not a unique observation)
Yes she can.
You should get her concert DVD/cd fom Royal Albert hall. I bought it once lost it and loved it so much I bough another
My mother just called me and said that Candy Crowley is touting a new poll that has Robney up on the President 53-40.
So, I checked real clear politics, nothing on their about those numbers.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/president_obama_vs_republican_candidates.html
These people don’t care about facts, they want start a narrative.
Right, but it garnished some panic from my Mother, so she succeeded!
Jovie, no more panic about unconfirmed polls, okay?
Thank you
Thank you, Chipsticks!
THank you, Thank you, and Thank you I am sick of the so call fricking phony poos speacially if they
are coming from CNN phony news MSM thank you thank you and muchas Gracias Chipsticks happy
Sunday to all.
Right. That’s the point.
The question: a national poll or some state?
or another question…Is this some kind of Zogby on-line poll. If this were real wouldn’t it be all over the place?
If it was Crowley, she was most likely referencing their Friday poll showing Romney in the lead over other Republicans. The 54/55% number quoted above has to do with this:
“But Romney continues to have one ace up his sleeve – electability. Seven in ten Republicans say that they prefer a candidate who can beat Obama to one who agrees with them on every issue, and 55% believe that Romney has the best chance of defeating Obama in the general election.”
Come on Jovie…try not to bring us down (again….)
Personal attack! Again!
Sorta figured there was some misunderstanding in what Ceowley actually said. Thanks for the explanation
It was a question about the economy. It wasn’t an overall Romney vs Obama poll.
Do not panic. There are NO polls that have Romney over Obama but more than percentage of error.
If lying were an art, the GOP would be Van Goughs. Whenever I hear a poll this early out, I ignore it, so the next time your mom hears something out of the mouth of a GOP supporter tell her it’s a lie.
Jovie, this was a poll on one issue, the economy.
How did Harry do on mtp?
Anyone? Bueller?
Very well. I wish he would go on Sunday teevee more often.
He just did pretty good with a dumb question from Gregory. Basicially during some GOP debate Newt was asked how he’d work with a congressional leader who said his #1 goal would be to make him a 1 term president. Newt then said that no president should be surprised that an opposite party’s congressional leader would want him to be a one-term president. Gregory asked Harry to respond. Harry very smartly said that the issue is that with Mitch McConnell – it’s his NUMBER ONE priority. That’s the difference.
Good catch by Harry.
I don’t know. Maybe I’m wrong about wanting a firebreather, but he seems too meek to me. I prefer Schumer.
Firebreathing for the sake of firebreathing does not equal policy changes. Look at Alan Grayson! Harry Reid has done a wonderful job despite the constant obstructionism from teabag-Republicans.
Morning TOD crew!
I found an article that calmed me down considerably as we go through a particularly annoying Silly Season.
All the hyperventilating polls and pundits and sudden championing of carcass capitalism suddenly fell by the wayside when I read this:
Delegate Math: Donāt Anoint Romney Just Yet
“Mitt Romney may have won Iowa and New Hampshire, but even if he wins in South Carolina and Florida, he will technically still have a long way to go before winning the GOP nomination.
Mathematically, no candidate can seal the nomination until late April, which leaves a lot of campaigning yet to be done.
Delegatesānot votersāwill decide the GOP nomination, and Iowa and New Hampshire award next to none, even as those states have bestowed on Romney a crush of media attention, a wave of momentum, and a growing impression of inevitability.
In officially allocated ā or āboundā ā delegates, Romney (seven) leads Ron Paul (three), and Jon Huntsman (two).
If that sounds paltry, it is. To be nominated for president, a GOP candidate will need the support of 1,144 delegates, a majority of the 2,286 who will vote at the August convention.”
The whole article is insightful. All the cable chatter about Ron Paul’s youth surge and Gov. Christie’s mouth and the Koch brothers latest anti-Obama smear ad are all just epic meaningless noise.
It’s all about delegates.
Romney doesn’t have them. And it’s going to be a long, difficult slog to get them when you’re as uninspiring, untrustworthy and unelectable as Mitt Romney.
Link: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/01/delegate-math-dont-anoint-romney-just-yet/
Things are going to get worse for the Repubs before they get better. Romney is completely tone-deaf w/r/t the economy and the shrinking middle class. PBO’s agile team are building a very impressive narrative early on. It will only build as time goes on. Let’s also see what happens in Nevada.
I just turned on the tv and the first thing I saw, was the reporter saying that Romney had changed his tone since Bain, and they showed him talking about protecting and uplifting the middle class. It looked so phoney. Giving money to the struggling lady at one of his rallys was showing off. Can’t stand this phony.
They just did a snippet about that on HLN.
Robney is such a phony and will have to give a lot more than $50 or $60 to erase hs image of destroying jobs.
There’s something strange about that story where he gives the woman money. She’d followed his bus and said she needed help and they told her to show up at the rally. There’s something OFF about this little saga:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/01/romney-gives-unemployed-woman-cash-on-ropeline/#.TxLb68cLHXg.twitter
There’s a video of her talking about this whole thing.
She works for him at SC HQ. She is a black conservative!
But to me it sounds like a set up. Romney was scripted for this by his aides.
Also, the bit about Nicki Haley’s staff paying her bills? This is very weird.
Amazing that someone else that worked for Romney also GAVE HER $$$$$$ ….
That’s what I’m talking about. They give her money. She’s a volunteer at his office. She follows a bus and they tell her where to show up and what time. And by magic, Romney finds her and gives her money. Come on.
Agreed. First of all, it’s so wrong on so many levels. Second of all…it LOOKS like bribery.
Meta, thanks for posting this link. I say this a an AA and I am not making fun of this lady. She needs therapy. The fact that she would be torn between supporting Romney and Perry says a lot, and the fact that she thinks that Niki Haley is doing her a favor is troubling. I will leave it there.
She is an evangelical. It’s that church that manipulates people.
Just saying!
Hiya TOD. Checking in late, per usual. Lots to do today. One thing needs to be said repeatedly. There are still house negroes in the US. This is not to disparage the real house servants during slavery, but a tag for those who would remain in the house rather than be freed. During emancipation, some slaves were afraid to venture on their own, and who could blame them, uncertain of real freedom and survival as it were. So some remained on the plantations——some too old to begin anew, others just systematically brainwashed to believe their fortunes were with their so-called masters at the time. I do not judge those who went through the horrors of that shameful period (my ancestors) but I have no respect for those who maintain the mind that the “master’s” ice is cooler, grass is greener, mind is brighter, than of they themselves. Whoever that woman is, she deserves no more than she requests from the likes of rethugs. There was an article in a local paper this past Friday which I would not read, but it was of a black tea party rethug, who’s claim is that it was the Democratic Party who lynched his people, so why would he want to be part of a party that did that. Problem with his logic is, that lynching party is now the Rethug Party. Apparently he never heard of the Southern strategy in the 1960’s. We do have a lot of work to do, and as I like to say, lazy people make life so much harder. Good day all š Incidentally, my FLOTUS is fierce as heck in that red dress.
A black person has the right to be in the GOP and doesn’t have to be house-nothing. Principled people can be on the GOP side. Some are motivated by how their church interprets the bible. Some are motivated by fiscal reasons (inspite of what W did to the defecit in his 8 yrs). I simply think they are wrong. Calling them house-something makes me ill.
Romney’s policies have nothing to do with protecting and uplifting the middle class.
I really can’t see anyone but Romney winning. I’m following the Obama campaign at this point, who is making the same assumption and focusing solely on Romney.
I agree. This is over and has been for a long time.
Agreed. OFA has been very focused on this for quite awhile.
Personally, I think the assumption of Romney being the nominee is beside the point. What’s more important is that the primary battle continues on for a while, and Romney get bruised and battered, and looks weak because of splintered support. Even if he’s the presumptive nominee, he looks pathetic not being able to rally his own party behind him, having the evangelicals vote overwhelmingly to support another candidate rather than Romney. People who are only catching snippets of this “battle” will see someone who will have a very hard time beating a candidate who has the support of 80%+ of his own party – President Obama. It weakens the whole GOP establishment, because all that money, media power and influence isn’t working this time. They created a monster when they created the tea party.
This ā
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/14/obama-romney-republican-feuds More goodies from an earlier post
Yes, I heard something about this earlier this morning. Romney only has 10 delegates so far. The GOP establishment is trying to end this quickly so that Romney can go around the world pretending to be the incoming President, a la John McCain, and to avoid answering uncomfortable questions. The more people see Romney, the less they like him.
Well, first Romney should take a look at what happened when the President finally managed to get out of the primaries and take his international trip – he wowed the world.
Second, he has only completed one primary. They can’t shortcut the process – and with their rabid base, they can no longer control who will vote for whom as the scene plays out. Reality is very different from the fantasy they’re trying to paint for America.
Is the public option dead? Not quite.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/is-the-public-option-dead-not-quite/2012/01/13/gIQADi70wP_blog.html
thx for that Jackie – tweeted. I think that the amazing health care plan that got passed because of PBO’s work is just the pathway to getting the long awaited public option plan. I betcha in some years hence we or our children will see universal health finally come to fruition. but it had to start somewhere and PBO is the brave soul who got it going!
When every american has universal healthcare I will forever call it obamacare!
Jackie, the thing about Congress is, that tea baggers have found a way to defund things, by just not voting on it or filibustering.
While I would love a public option for everyone, I think it behooves everyone to stay focused on the obstructionism.
It’s a bigger deal than people think.
The non votes and filibustering is meant to destroy our Federal Government, as we know it.
Public option would be great, at this point, impossible!
I so agree…
OBSTRUCTIONISM….has become a code word in Republican politics…
obstructing in order to make the economy fail….obstructionism in order to make financial reform fail…obstructionism to keep voters from voting….
the list goes on….
so altho i think that the powers that be know that Romney or any of the flavors of month cannot beat the President outright…they have decided to chip away at the edges….
be it trying to thwart the rights of unions and workers….of women….of black folks…etc…..Obstructionism continues to be the game plan….
this is the reason why the President’s ground game is so important…to meet up with folks face to face…to debunk the lies and to tell the truth….
Presssssssssss ON!!
Very insightful.
Thanks!
Excellent comment, prettyfoot. They are trying to reverse engineer the 2004 election .
I’m not sure why public option supporters are expecting any politician to stick their neck out and fight for any changes to health care now, after the dismal 2010 election results. 2010 was the year that the most bruising battle for health care in 100 years was fought and won, and the reaction from the people was “the ACA is a piece of garbage because there’s no public option”. Those politicians who voted for the ACA, despite great political risk, weren’t backed up by the people. And the reality is that President Obama is/was pretty much the only person for these two years who has touted the benefits of the ACA. That reaction from voters, many of whom couldn’t be bothered to learn what was in the ACA before they decided it was garbage, couldn’t have been particularly inspiring or positive for any politician.
^this
Jodi Kantornis on Face the Nation; click!
Bob praised her book. It was disgusting.
Desperate times call for desperate measures…her book has dropped past #40 (from #10) on the amazon bestseller’s list, and it’s not even on the NYTimes best seller’s list. The more the media tries to hype this thing, the less people will buy it. Mark my word.
Should be “Kantor is”
I think the Ravens and Packers win today.
Bet?
Jovie, don’t step out on a limb.
Right! Ok, patriots will win it all!
Packers BETTER win today or the hubby will be moping. HATE moping!
You lost on the Packers!
Can someone please tweet the pictures of Michelle to Congressman ” Big Butt ” Sensenbrenner ?
Mitt Romney’s “THIS PRESIDENT” reminds me of John McCain’s “THAT ONE”
Even though I think John McCain only said the “That One” comment once in one of the 2008 debates, every time I hear Mitt Romney say “This President” it reminds of the disdain displayed by Senator McCain to then Senator Obama. The “This President” line that punctuates every lying and outlandish criticism made by Mitt Romney (with or without a teleprompter) about President Obama is dripping with disrespect and has a dog whistle quality that I find repugnant. Stay classy Willard.
I totally agree. That phrase has been setting my teeth on edge all week. The way he says it sounds like an insult. He also says “if you believe in (insert some pathetic lie here), vote for the other guy”, which also falls into the same category. The “other guy” happens to be the President of the United States – not just another candidate. The GOP forget that President Obama EARNED that office, through long days and nights away from his family, a vision that was embraced by America and the world, and just sheer hard work – plus the votes of 53% of the voting public. He was duly elected. And he deserved to be able to implement his agenda, which was voted for by the people. Every time they disrespect him in that Office, they disrespect the very idea of democracy. And that’s not a good thing for those looking in around the world, especially those fledgling countries fighting to create their own democracies.
Thanks for your feedback theo67. My loyalty and personal connection to President Obama is so powerful I wasn’t sure if maybe I was overreacting about the “This President” line. But like you, when I hear “This President” I have a very negative and visceral reaction. I am outraged by the disrespect and juvenile wisecracks. You are so right, the GOP forgets that President Obama earned the office of president. And every time they disrespect him in that Office, they disrespect the very idea of democracy.
I totally agree with you, Ladyhawke!
In 2010 the Republicans took the House based on the case they made about how they would restore jobs to this country. [Pffft!]
We know they’ve done absolutely nothing to increase or save jobs in 2011. There’s a website with a chronological case showing exactly why each and every one of them should be joining the ranks of the unemployed in the next election
—————————
Republican Job Creation [its on Chips’ Blog Roll]
http://www.republicanjobcreation.com/
“Shortly after gaining the House of Representatives in 2010 the new Speaker of the House, John Boehner, made the welcome claim that the primary goal of the Republican Party was to increase employment. His exact words were:
“We’re going to have a relentless focus on creating jobs.”
The following, therefore, is a chronological list of legislative activities by the GOP beginning 2-10-2011. I’m sorry to report that none, so far, have resulted in a single new job being created in America.
Note: I began this list as sort of a joke. That it has reached its currently imposing length without one anecdotal citation of new employment is simply astonishing, though not surprising as the GOP’s plan is to keep the economy languishing and blame it all on Mr. Obama. The House, after all, enacts legislation and controls the governmental purse-strings, not the President.”
—————————
Please share this! President Obama needs a Congress that will work with him to move this country forward. Let’s work to get him one!
Wonderful, up to date site….been on this blogroll for awhile, but it needs to get out there to remind everyone of all the NOT JOBS…they have done.
ohhhh this is too good to keep to ourselves. must tweet
That is great… I will pass it forward….Thank you.
Important note that too many people (especially on the Left) either don’t know or keep forgetting:
“The House, after all, enacts legislation and controls the governmental purse-strings, not the President.ā
tweeted!
“Saving an industry, as the president did, is different than strip mining companies in order to ā in order to profit off of them, which is, in many cases, what Mr. Romney did,” Axelrod told CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley. ”
— snip (hope I did that right. it’s a quote above to the rest of the article below)
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/15/axelrod-romney-misses-the-point/
Political Animal – Silly minds think alike
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2012_01/silly_minds_think_alike034768.php
The Recovery act has 739 billion paid out so far.
Do the math. A little more than one billion per week paid out.
The Recovery act will end, just before the election.
At that time, me thinks the campaign should highlight the jobs and projects that were built.
That is all!
I totally agree.
According to recovery.gov, as of Sept 2011, there were 402,900 recovery funded jobs as reported by recipients.
http://www.recovery.gov/Pages/default.aspx
For that quarter!
Sunday talk shows should just rename themselvesĀ, The GOP Forum with Chris Wallace,
The GOP Forum with David Gregory, etc,,,,,,
You have noticed that too?
I love the comment: If it’s Sunday, it’s “MEET THE REPUBLICANS”
I’m REALLY looking forward to the SOTU. I hope he highlights ALL that has been done for the people of this country. ALL the promises that he has kept and ALL the obstruction that has happened. I hope he talks about Citizen’s United and the toxic mess that ruling created. Those justices MUST HAVE BEEN HIGH when they allowed this takeover of our democracy to happen. In my mind, this was the worst ruling ever against the American people and our way of life. The ONLY way to reverse this is to get PBO another term….with a Congress that will work WITH him. I swear, I loose sleep over that ruling.
Alert — Jeff Johnson is on MSNBC with Alex Witt talking about the MLK memorial change!
Fixing the drum major quote
http://www.thegrio.com/specials/building-the-dream/controversial-martin-luther-king-memorial-quote-will-be-changed.php
Really GREAT cartoons š
http://www.blogforarizona.com/blog/2012/01/ca.html
This is such a good point. Creating wealth (for a few) is very different from creating jobs and prosperity for the whole.
Via TPM regarding keeping the Senate in 2012
Harry Reid On Holding Senate In 2012: ‘We’re doing extremely well.
Chuck Todd makes me wanna hurl. Alex Witt interviewing the friggin’ interviewer in his office.
Is Chuck running for some office? I notice they’re trying to make him the story. One of the two cameras is fixed on a side angle that lets the audience see the kid’s drawing to Daddy and family pictures. We get to hear how he loves baseball. Now he’s complaining how hard it is to be away from his family doing his job. My heart bleeds for him! Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite must be rolling in their graves.
That is some kind of new segment she has called ” In the office” or something like that..
I think it stinks.
Oh, like a “Meet the Newsreaders” segment?
Yes, it definitely stinks. Maybe it’s time for Chuck to renegotiate his contract, so they want to bump up his popularity quotient. Unfortunately, they don’t get that he’d be more popular if he spent time being better at his job as a journalist rather than trying to be a tv personality. Ugh!
http://www.alternet.org/teaparty/153745/why_do_republicans_hate_poor%2C_hungry_people/
As the U.S. economy continues to recover, SNAP outlays will surely decline. So why hurry it along? Could it be because conservatives think thereās something fundamentally wrong with providing nutritional support? Or is it the racial angle ā the intersection of poverty and race that encourages people like Newt Gingrich to call Obama āthe food stamp president.ā
The most charitable way to interpret Gingrichās slur is as a critique of the presidentās management of the economy: If heād been a better president, fewer people would be eligible for assistance. But thereās also a deeper, darker level that connects the classic conservative antipathy to anything vaguely smelling of the nanny state. And the more one ponders that, the harder it is to fathom. The richest Americans skated through the Great Recession, while poor people lost their jobs and their homes and struggled to put food on the table. SNAP was there to help, to prevent the kind of pain and suffering that plagued American during the Great Depression, or that still afflicts citizens of less fortunate countries today. We should be thankful that Obama is the food stamp president; itās a tribute to the progress inherent in becoming a civilized nation. We donāt let our citizens starve when Wall Street causes an international catastrophe. We should be proud of that.
excellent article DF. My husband was having a conversation with me about this some months ago saying that ppl who are eligible to receive economic food aide (like food stamps, etc) are the ones who are doing the most good for the economy. They have to use the monies they receive to buy food and supplies that they need – this in turn helps the economy. this article towards the end of it says as much.
snip:
—
“SNAP gets high marks for low levels of waste and fraud, kicks into action quickly and efficiently when the economy craters, and is rated by the Congressional Budget Office as one of the two most effective forms of federal stimulus.”
—
This is such an excellent argument – why wouldn’t a country want to be able to say that even in severe economic strife, the number of its citizens who went hungry or without aid was limited? Isn’t that the very definition of civilized – a civil society,showing humanity and shared well-being? There were a lot of people who looked to the government for help during the Great recession who had voted Republican their entire lives, and who had looked down on those people needing government assistance. Some eyes were opened, but even they find excuses for how they are different from all those “other” people who get government assistance.
The Obamas went to the nearby Zion Baptist Church on Sunday morning. As part of the service on this holiday weekend, Deacon Hendri Williams read from “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/when-romney-ran-bain-capital-his-word-was-not-his-bond/2012/01/12/gIQACvQxwP_story_1.html
Not a man of his word. Who knew?
The real Bain way may be nothing more than a clever tactic to eliminate competition from a heated auction in order to buy a business at an attractive price. After all, Bain Capital is seeking the highest returns for its investors. But Bainās behavior also reveals something about the values it brings to bear in a process that requires honor and character to work properly. If a firmās word is not worth the paper it is printed on, then its reputation for bad behavior will impair its ability to function in an honorable and productive way.
I donāt know if Bain Capital still uses the bait-and-switch technique when it competes in auctions these days (Iām told that it doesnāt). But that was the way the firmās partners competed when Romney ran the place. This win-at-any-cost approach makes me wonder how a President Romney would negotiate with Congress, or with China, or with anyone else ā and what a promise, pledge or endorsement from him would actually mean.
Would a President Romney, along with a Republican Congress, cut taxes for the wealthy even more than he has pledged to do? Would he not try to balance the federal budget, even though he has said he would? Would he protect defense spending, as he has indicated he would?
I have no idea how Romney might behave in office. I do believe, however, that when he was running Bain Capital, his word was not his bond.
Paul Krugman said today on ABC that if Willard were elected and did what he said he wants to do it would be a disaster. There has not been enough attention on his policy proposals to this point, but when it comes it will add to all his other weaknesses as a candidate.
Well, wait until they hear about his tax plan in detail š Disaster is an understatement.
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/01/12/403537/romneys-tax-cut-bush/ Have a look see at this š Like I said, disaster is an understatement.
I try to remain objective, but if Willard won it would prove our country has gone completely off its rails.
jumpin jehosaphat what an opportunistic, self serving guy. taking it to the twitterverse
THE BAIN BUSINESS MODEL AS GOVERNING STRATEGY FOR THE COUNTRY
Mitt Romney Embraces Failure By Doubling Down On Bushās Cuts For Millionaires
=========
Romney is facing increasing criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike for his business practices while he headed Bain Capital. Bain invested other peopleās money in struggling or start up businesses and saddled them with crippling debt that eventually bankrupted 22% of the companies Bain leveraged with debt. Romney and his wealthy investors reaped the benefits when companies could no longer meet their obligations and are responsible for sending employees to the unemployment lines when the companies went out of business or laid off workers to make ends meet. Now, Willard is proposing a similar tactic in the guise of a grand economic plan for America and the results will be exactly the same as his time at Bain Capital.
=========
http://www.politicususa.com/en/mitt-romney-bush-tax-cuts
Wisconsin Recall update
Wisconsin Education AssociatioĀn President, Mary Bell, announced at NEA Midwest leadership conference this morning that organizers have collected 900,000 signature to Recall Walker.
Well over the 575 they need!
I just read that they have enough sigs for ALL 6 recalls š
Others involved are throwing water on that number. Basically we have to wait until the official numbers are released. I don’t think it could be this high given they were at 507,000 two weeks before the deadline…
Bashing the federal government is good politics in South Carolina, but any attempt to play on racial tension is likely to backfire, said Clemson University professor J. David Woodard.
“This isn’t the ’60s anymore; things have changed dramatically,” said Woodard, who also is a Republican consultant. “That would blow up in your face right away if you did that.”
With reporters from around the world crisscrossing South Carolina this week, injecting race into political discussions risks dredging up stereotypes of an Old South that faded away before most of residents here were born, Woodard and others here say.
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE80E0EH20120115?irpc=932
Lonely at the Top
John Sides| January 13, 2012
The debate among the Republican candidates over Mitt Romneyās time at Bain Capital has raised again questions about whether Romneyās tenure in the ā1 percentā will damage his campaign. The Obama team certainly welcomes this debate. After all, they have been attacking Romney along precisely these lines:
Some new survey data that Lynn Vavreck and I have gathered in collaboration with YouGov suggests that Romney is vulnerable to this line of questioning. In a survey conducted nationwide from January 7-10āright about the time that the Republican attacks on Romneyās āvulture capitalismā were crescendoing as the New Hampshire primary approachedāwe asked respondents:
How well do you think each the following describes Barack Obama/Mitt Romney: very well, somewhat well, not very well, or not well at all?
Personally wealthy
Cares about people like me
Cares about the poor
Cares about the middle class
Cares about the rich
Read more: http://prospect.org/article/lonely-top
DICK GREGORY CALLED ROMNEY A GOOD BUSINESSMAN
How would he know? Good Grief.
Huh? Where?
halo, I don’t give a —– what that GOP jackass David Gregory said about Romney. Fill in the blank!!!!!!!!!
We know what Gregory is, who he support. There is no fairness reporting with him. He really belong on FOX.
Do you mean David Gregory, host of Meet The Press, or Dick Gregory, comedian and civil rights activist?
halo, Is it Dick or David?
I’ve taken editorial liberties on his name. He asked Senatr Reid why he dones’t change his tone? He’s a dick.
‘k, but you might want to put that in quotes or something ‘cuz David Gregory is about as far from Dick Gregory as one could get. Maybe you don’t know who he is: http://dickgregory.com/
Dick Gregory or David Gregory?
OK, David is a Dick.
LOL! I was looking out my window to see if it was snowing frogs… “Dick Gregory is complimenting Mitt Romney? No way! š
LOL! You guys sound like that Abbott and Costello skit, Who’s on first. Too funny~
Even if that were true, a business man is all about profit maximization. That has nothing to do with the public sector. If he wants to do business, he should stay in business. If he wants to improve the general well-being of the people of the country, then the criteria for evaluation are very different. Creating conditions for global trade, diplomacy, health and welfare, educational opportunities, maintaining infrastructure. These are the things that a society does together – it’s not about competition or profit – it’s about shared prosperity.
The Rick Santorum that America doesn’t know
Written by Will Bunch| Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Hereās a Pennsylvanianās brief guide to the Rick Santorum you donāt know:
3. Santorum was never above mingling his cultural crusades with the everyday work of raising political cash. In 2005, Santorum made headlines ā not all positive ā for visiting the deathbed of Terri Schiavo, the woman at the center of a national right-to-die controversy.What my Philadelphia Daily News colleague John Baer later exposed was that the real reason he was in the Tampa, Fla., area was to collect money at a $250,000 fundraiser organized by executives of Outback Steakhouses, a company that shared Santorumās passion for a low minimum wage for waitresses and other rank-and-file workers. Santorumās efforts were also aided by his unusual mode of travel: Wal-Martās corporate jet. And he canceled a public meeting on Social Security reform “out of respect for the Schiavo family” even as the closed fundraisers went on.
Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/The-Santorum-that-America-doesnt-know.html
Good read. That sweater vest isn’t covering up a heart, it’s covering up his wallet.
wow. Opus Dei? tweeeted
Good morning Chips and TOD family. I have a wonderful story to tell about our great socialist health care in the VA system. Last Tues my husband had a hip replacement surgery. This all took place in a small hospital in Anaconda, MT, about 100 miles from home. The VA has had to expand so instead of building a new hospital for all of MT, they have approved different doctors to do different surgeries for the veterans. Everything went as expected. The hardest part was being 100 miles from home. I stayed with a friend but I had to drive home twice to work and then back again. We are now home and starting therapy on Monday. The fun will be getting him into the truck to go to physical therapy. But he is no longer in pain.
I really wanted to say how great it was that before surgery the VA sent him a walker, a toilet seat, shower chair, and lots of “toys” such as a leg lifter, sock putter oner, a graber, a sponge on a long handle for his back in the shower. Getting all his meds sent to him and anything else he needs with out us putting out one penny. This is what I wish for all of us.
Also while we were in the hospital it was so great to read all that is going on here at TOD. This is the best place. Chips is doing such a wonderful job at keeping this place troll free. All the news everyone brings is so helpful. We must all Press On!!! 4 more for 44!!!
Such wonderful news, MTmarilyn:) So glad to hear that your husband is coming along nicely! Maybe you should write the VA and let them know how much that meant to you and your husband….everyone needs this, is right!
Great idea, desertflower. I have also been thinking about you and your husband. I know what it is like to be unemployed for a long time. You are in my prayers.
With all you have to worry about, and you still think of me? That means the world to me š He ended up NOT getting the job that we were hoping for…they loved him and his interview went very well, but they kind of weren’t forthcoming with what they wanted….on to the next. Can’t dwell on this. I appreciate the good thoughts and prayers….need them until I proudly tell you all that he finally has a JOB!
I think you definitely should write or call the VA and let them know…..call the WH too!
Such great news. That’s good government at work. You should definitely share your story with General Shinseki AND FLOTUS too. I’m sure she’d love to hear it.
Here’s link to that you might find useful:
National Resource Directory
Connecting Wounded Warriors, Servicemembers, Veterans and their Families and Caregivers with those who support them
https://www.nationalresourcedirectory.gov/
Helping veterans and their families
August 02, 2011
Last week, the Federal Transit Administration launched a new initiative to help ensure that getting a ride to work, day care, or to a medical appointment is no longer an obstacle for veterans or their families. The Veterans Transportation and Community Living Initiative will award grants to local transportation providers and other groups around the country so they can better coordinate and deliver important transit information through āone-callā or āone clickā centers.
With just one phone call or visit to a friendly website, military families can learn about the availability of commuter van services that travel to employment centers, vehicles equipped with wheelchair lifts that can provide rides to a local rehab center, or buses that stop by the local mall.
Read more: http://fastlane.dot.gov/2011/08/vtcli.html#tp
That is wonderful news. I wonder how it will be here in rural MT. I’ll check into it.
Your hubby’s going to enjoy that new hip, MTmarilyn! I had a hip replacement in 2005 and just not having to deal with the pain anymore is wonderful. Tell your hubby that it’s uphill all the way now!!!
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/01/15/404636/santorum-health-mandate/
tweeted
Global Corporations Have No Allegiance to US, Move Headquarters and Divisions Overseas
Submitted by Mark Karlin on Sat, 01/14/2012 – 11:36am.
If you want to debunk the myth of American corporations – as a group – coming to the salvation of the US economy, you need to go no further than following the daily, financial news. On January 13, The Chicago Tribune reported that Aon Corporation, one of the largest insurance companies in the world, is moving its headquarters from the “Windy City” to London. Significantly, Aon “will change its jurisdiction of incorporation from Delaware to England.” What that means is that the Aon giant will no longer be a US-based company (although it will maintain a subsidiary here).
According to the Tribune, “the [insurance] brokerage said the move will provide it with increased financial flexibility and improved capital allocation.” What that means in reality and symbolically is that Aon is representative of the increasing number of American corporations that see themselves as global companies, not beholden to the American job market. It is ironic that the Republican Party that continues to uphold “big business” as job creators is, in essence, backing corporations that now see themselves as not bound to the United States, even as far as incorporation.
Read more: http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/13262
David Cameron has been calling American CEOs and encouraging them to set up shop in London. Our CEO at work mentioned this last year, that Cameron had called him and asked him to consider it. I’m not surprised that some are moving, but it’s interesting that the ones crying about “socialized medicine”, “government takeover of healthcare” and the “welfare state” would move to the UK? They actually do have socialized, government run healthcare system, and a very robust welfare state.
WHY DONT DEMOCRATS SHOW WITHNUMBERS HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FILIBUSTERD?!
I’ve seen some graphs everyone and then, but none recently. That would be some useful info to get out to the masses to drive home the point about they really have been the most obstructionist, do-nothing congress in history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filibuster_in_the_United_States_Senate
I knew I had this somewhere:)
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/11/chart-day-republicans-and-filibuster
THANKS DESERTFLOWER!
Welcome:)
nice!
I LIKE her… a lot!
when ever republicans say we like President Obama but not his poliicies. I wish the would ask the which policy and why do they think its bad for AMerica. That let that question go unchallenged , because they know that its a talking point
Yes.
Guiding Principles
On November 7, 2011 President Obama introduced new resources created to help veterans translate their military skills for the civilian workforce. These online tools were designed to aid their search for jobs and make it easier to connect our veterans with companies that want to hire them:
Veteran Gold Card Post-9/11 veterans can download the Veteran Gold Card, which entitles them to enhanced services including six months of personalized case management, assessments and counseling, at the roughly 3,000 One-Stop Career Centers located across the country. This could help serve the more than 200,000 unemployed Post-9/11 veterans. The President directed the Department of Labor to launch this initiative in his August 5, 2011 speech at the Navy Yard.
My Next Move for Veterans: The Department of Labor will launch My Next Move for Veterans, a new online resource that allows veterans to enter their military occupation code and discover civilian occupations for which they are well qualified. The site will also include information about salaries, apprenticeships, and other related education and training programs.
Creating a Veterans Job Bank: The Veterans Job Bank, at National Resource Directory, is an easy to use tool to help veterans find job postings from companies looking to hire them. It already searches over 500,000 job postings and is growing. In a few easy steps, companies can make sure the job postings on their own websites are part of this Veterans Job Bank.
Read more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/veterans/
check this headline out. http://images.politico.com/global/2012/01/newsweek.html
Tulips thank you very much for the head’s up. Here’s a paragraph from Andrew Sullivan’s article.
“[I]t remains simply a fact that Obama has delivered in a way that the unhinged right and purist left have yet to understand or absorb. Their short-term outbursts have missed Obamaās long game ā¦ [T]he president begins by extending a hand to his opponents; when they respond by raising a fist, he demonstrates that they are the source of the problem; then, finally, he moves to his preferred position of moderate liberalism and fights for it without being effectively tarred as an ideologue or a divider.
This kind of strategy takes time.
And it means there are long stretches when Obama seems incapable of defending himself, or willing to let others to define him, or simply weak. I remember those stretches during the campaign against Hillary Clinton. I also remember whose strategy won out in the end.ā
http://dyn.politico.com/members/forums/thread.cfm?catid=7&subcatid=41&threadid=6329680
Well said – thanks for posting. I remember those long stretches too in the campaign and often wished his long game (even now) only required three quarters š to get there faster. With patience and perseverance…
I watched a story earlier this morning on ESPN about Muhammad Ali’s upcoming birthday. Of course, they did a crash course on his life. They mentioned how he reclaimed his title after Vietnam not by power, but by guile, the “rope-a-dope”. Smart people play for the long game, not instant gratification.
I was just coming to post that. Headline is hilarious because its TRUE!!
Headline: “Why Are Obamas Critics So Dumb? Andrew Sullivan on the Man with the Plan”
LOVE IT!! I’d like to shake Mr. Sullivan’s hand.
I would caveat that with MOST of his critics are dumb. Speaker Orange is dumb as are all the Faux News and emoprogs. Mitch McConnell, however, is not dumb. His stated goal is to give the GOP nominee the maximum opportunity to win the WH and he’s kept his promise by kneecapping a slew of bills that will help the economy and make the American people mad at Washington and have the MSM like Dick Gregory repeat their GOP talking points.
In the end, PBO will still win, but WE have to make sure he has a working Congress! WE have to prevent Turtle from gaining control of the Senate.
Turtle may be clever, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s “smart”. His obsession with Obama blinds him to the long term interests of his party. His obstructionism is simply dooming the GOP in the long sweep of history.
This!
I think we call that “smart by half”…his judgement is clouded.
LL, I agree with you on this. McConnell’s strategy is bad for the GOP in the long term, but even in the short term he played his hand poorly by telegraphing his intent at the start of last year’s session. That put in question every bogus excuse he gave for voting against PBO’s proposals. He showed that he ( and by extension his caucus) had no good reason for voting against anything except their own spite and hate. Spite and hate might appeal to the dark side of some people’s personality, but it’s a lousy way to define a party.
Mitch McConnell might not be dumb, but he’s a sorry ass bastard for putting the welfare of the GOP party ahead of this country and it’s people.
I have also been aware of this strategy since the campaign and after he won the primaries—I thought, “Oh, I get it now”. I started to become more relaxed after I was aware of his long game strategy. The thing is that for a lot of Obama supporters, during those times that he is willing to look weak (even though he’s not and has a plan), it’s a nail-biting rollercoaster ride. Please keep these points in mind when some of us get anxious, yelling for him to do something or that he doesn’t know what’s going on. It’s a rough ride with his Ali strategy sometimes but we should all remind each other of this when we get caught up in the 24 hour news cycle full of distractions.
This is an AMAZING blog from Smartypants. A must read:
http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2012/01/good-crazy.html?spref=tw
Sherry thanks for the link. MLK had it right. If poor white Southerners had even considered this point during the 19th century 99% of them would have joined the Union Army. They were serfs in a feudal system but tried to convince themselves otherwise.
This is MUST READ. I liked it all, and particularly this part of President Obama’s speech at the MLK dedication, for those who always want the President to crush his opponents, instead of leaving a door open: “But he also understood that to bring about true and lasting change, there must be the possibility of reconciliation”.
Excellent, excellent essay. Thank you, Sherry.
Editorial
What They Donāt Want to Talk About
Published: January 14, 2012
Ever since Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry started criticizing Mitt Romneyās actions at Bain Capital ā and talking about the thousands of people laid off as a result of Bainās investments ā party leaders have essentially told them to shut up. That response is a pretty good indication of how deeply party elders fear the issue of economic inequality in the campaign to come. The more President Obama talks about narrowing that gap, the more his popularity ratings have risen while those of Congress plummet.
Anyone who criticizes Mr. Romneyās business practices now faces the absurd charge of putting free-market capitalism on trial. No one is trying to end capitalism, but President Obama is calling for more effective regulation to protect consumers. While Republicans attack a supposed āentitlement culture,ā Mr. Obama is calling for strengthening a desperately needed safety net. And he is calling for raising taxes on the wealthy, particularly for those on Wall Street and in private equity, to protect that safety net and reduce the deficit.
Mr. Romney has based his campaign on his business experience. Americans need to know how that experience was gained, and what values ā if any ā it represents. Class reality has nothing to do with class warfare.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/opinion/sunday/what-they-dont-want-to-talk-about.html?_r=4&src=tp
ok…. I am being selfish because I need this
Oh no you didn’t! š
I have been reading about the Sunday shows all morning…. just imagine Romney’s non-existent Swagger.
It is laughable.
But I’m addicted to this video. I have to have to leave the house, I can’t sit here and watch this all day. Nooooo… I must back away from the computer! Someone HELP ME!! š
The Swagger… t’s pulling me in. Must leave now!!!
To funny…..
I just posted this…plus Brazil, Ireland, and Australia over on HP’s Talking Heads Sunday thread..
teehee……I called it the ” Mitt Romney Challenge “
Now there’s any idea — someone should do a Romney swagga video .. that would be a hoot!
Btw, 3Chics should update this one for POTUS to add the Wet POTUS pic and the one where he’s waving from the car in Hawaii. [Heavy panting commences in 3, 2, 1…]
Include that clip of Romney bouncing on his chair because he couldn’t handle the FOX interview. That captures the essence of entitlement from Mitt Romney, and his outrage at any form of questioning. Swagger takes courage, and Mitt doesn’t have any.
I LOVE THIS…always have š I go back from time to time, just to get my “fix”….Thanks!
Hey family its being tweeted that Rupert Murdoch took to twitter to attacke President Obama on his support of SOPA. im not familar with this fight. So i need so quick education about it. Im feeling good this morning and i think Rupert Murdoch needs to meet the Obama bots. So please if you get time say hello to him @RupertMurdoch let him know twitter is not foxnews.
My take is that Rupert is happy with PBO decision of not restricting your freedom of your voice in the web
Here’s a statement from the White House:
“While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet,” the statement read in part.
Rupert has done some damage with all his hacking and wrong doing…so he can continue his piracy.
Thank You Kasai
Just to be clear, we are AGAINST SOPA.
And the anti-SOPA forces are making for strange bedfellows. Paul Ryan and Darrell Issa, anyone? š
Good Day Everyone:-)
Michelle Obama and…Maya Angelou in the same stage..is quite a treat just Wow!!! I can’t wait to watch it…Love them both.
As of this morning; Michelle Obama has over 300,000 followers…
Can you believe for someone that has been a public figure and was running for president (M.Bachmann) has only 128,000 followers
How’s that for Star Power:-) š OUR FIRST LADY ROCKS…..in all Ways……
Not just that, but Michelle Obama has already exceeded twitter followers of the Republican “favourite”, Mitt Romney. She did that in one day! He’s only at 257K.
WILLARD’S FLIP FLOPS, LIES AND “CIRCUS-LIKE CONTORTIONS”
Limbaugh freaks as Romney lays claim to Obama’s bailout
============
Michiganās former Democratic governor, Jennifer Granholm, told MSNBC that Romney is performing ācircus-like contortionsā on this issue. āIf this had gone the way Mitt Romney had wanted it to go and there was no rescue of the auto industry,ā she said, āthen we would have seen 1.4 million people unemployed. In Michigan alone, it would have been a 20% unemployment rate.ā¦ The guy is shameless.ā
Limbaugh huffs and puffs and fumes because Obamaās approach put workers ahead of bondholders. Romneyās original plan would have been much more to Limbaughās liking in that regard. Now, itās not exactly obvious where Romney, the son of a former auto executive, stands on this issue.
Does Romney favor government intervention to save American industries? If so, heās anathema to Limbaughās “dittoheads” and most of the tea party. If not, how can he claim any share of credit for one of Obamaās biggest bragging points?
=============
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-rush-freaks-20120112,0,16119.story
Rush Limbag IS a Freak…..$116,000.00 a day, EVERY DAY, to push his ignorant baseless ranting on those foolish enough to listen. How is it people do not recognize sheer falsehood, when it has a ring of its own?
Because he feeds their hatred and prejudice. That keeps them distracted.
š¦
Wonder how little tax Rush pays.
You call him Rush; I think “Flush” is more appropriate. š
Good Morning TOD family
A few days ago I mentioned that I was making an Election Issues Toolkit. My goal is to have pages we can go to that have talking points, videos, PDFs for printing, articles, and links to websites all in one place for easy access. We could use these pages when we do a “News Dump”. I have just created one for the GOP and Romney
http://www.whatisworking.com/2012/01/gopromney-issues.html
If you are a person who collects bookmarks I would recommend you bookmark the main election toolkit page since there are many pages that will link off this page and you will soon have too many bookmarks.
http://www.whatisworking.com/2012/01/election-toolkit-for-50-states.html
Over the next few weeks I will be adding more of these resource pages to my blog. The goal for these pages is not to provide a complete list of everything on a particular subject, but instead a short and sweet list of resources someone who is in a hurry can use to spread facts. I will try to include information that can be tweeted, used on facebook, printed, or shared with a neighbor in a conversation. If anyone enjoys making PDFs send them my way. I am already going to use the PDFs made by Tien Le for the MLK event we are doing tomorrow.
I invite you to visit the page and offer suggestions.
Creolechild I will add your info soon, I have had a cold and am behind.
My kids were just “yelling” at me yesterday because I have so many things bookmarked…. it just scrolls on and on and on….maybe I’ll click through them and see if I can just email some appropriate ones to you…is that what you want us to do? I keep everything that I think will be important….:) Much to my kids dismay.
I’m a firm believer in putting things into folders. Makes everything so much neater.
Would be a GREAT idea…if I knew how to actually DO that! š I’m not the swiftest computer maven….my husband practically had a party when I learned how to email….
LOL.
Come on, df. You’re fibbing now. š
Seriously. No fibbing….admit it, you thought I knew more than I let on š Computer illiterate is my middle name! I’ll ask my kids and get it done….:)
Well ask them to help you organize your bookmarks. It’s not difficult; just needs to be done.
Good job, WhatIsWorking, we’re so lucky to have you. Feel better soon, that’s a top priority!~
chicken soup linda! you’re amazing!
One more thing
Bobfr – I hate to bother you, but you are like the “tweetmaster: of this blog. If you and others at this blog, who tweet, had the time to send me your top Romeny tweets, I would make a page of them. I have a feeling folks also have “zinger” tweets about the other subjects I will be addressing so consider this a perpetual request. You can either post a list of the Romney tweets (the text not the pictures of the tweets) here at the blog or send them to me in an email at whatisworking @gmail.com
Thanks
If anyone needs a quick course on SoPA this video explains the it. http://vimeo.com/31100268
and the one they had of VP Biden coming out against SoPA is interesting too. http://vimeo.com/32149733 I’m really going to have to look at this some more. I might have tweeted something pro SoPA a few days ago when I should have been tweeting things against it.
Hi Chips. What ever happened to the fund raising thread ?
I am now in Kenya looking for that soshalist, fascist, corporatist, christian, muslin’s birth certificate.
Hey, I see trumpster here.
GFY donald.
Helloooooooooooo amk! I’ve put it on ‘private’ for now because, yet again, when you clicked the link to the fundraiser at OFA it was showing the personal details of someone who is definitely not me! I’m going to try – again – to get OFA to check it out, it’s bizarre. As I mentioned before, I was Barb in Florida for a while, now I’m some fella from Alabama. š
Catch up with you all soon, just finishing (very, very slowly) some work.
maybe you have several personalities and don’t remember.
What will be your next avatar ? A minotaur mebbe ? Or a mermaid ? Mermaids are hawt.
Are you watching football?
I’m flipping in between football (played with your hands) and football (played with your feet). CBS’ numerous commercial breaks make that easy. š
Photo of the Obama family at Zion Baptist Church today: http://bit.ly/xP1b73
Is this the same church that the paster and other men in the church land hands on him in prayer? I would love to have that picture.
This is one of my favorites
I looked in my PBO folder but couldn’t find the one you were looking for but i did find this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdZknvgrJws>
McManus: Red meat for the tea party
Mitt Romney risks alienating voters he needs in November with his new rhetoric.
===============
Mitt Romney isn’t a naturally eloquent man. His stump speeches are nearly content-free. They combine exaggerated denunciations of President Obama (“a pessimistic president,” “the great complainer”) and ardent professions of patriotism. “I love our country,” Romney announces at every stop. “I love our national anthem…. I love it dearly. I love putting my hand over my heart.” He often closes speeches by reciting lines from “America the Beautiful.”
When he claimed victory in Iowa on Jan. 3, his syntax crumbled into Sarah Palin-like fragments. “We are an opportunity land,” he said. “People came from all over the world seeking freedom electorally, but also freedom personally, able to choose their own course in life.”
So it was noteworthy last week that when Romney addressed supporters after his New Hampshire win, he got serious and gave an actual speech, which he read from a teleprompter ā a device he once mocked Obama for using.
=================
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-mcmanus-column-romney-moves-right-20120115,0,1589833.column
jeebus.
āPeople came from all over the world seeking freedom electorally,
WTF does it even mean ?
Ummm…..ummm… it means people came from all over the world….ummm…can we get back to you?
My not-quite-potty-trained puppy and finnicky cats are smarter by a significant order of magnitude than any of these GOPers.
via nyt, I see a ppp poll with noot within 5 points of willard. Go noot.
http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/primaries/states/south-carolina
The toon in tune with that poll.
I’m actually interested to see what happens now that these evangelical “leaders” have endorsed Santorum. Will their followers follow? Will Mitt be knocked off his game? Will Newt give up or get nastier? This should be an interesting week.
Hmmm….what have we here?
Rick Santorumās Communist Clan in Italy
by Barbie Latza Nadeau Jan 11, 2012 6:36 AM EST
On the campaign trail, Santorum often touts his grandfatherās flight from Italy āto escape fascism,ā but he has neglected to publicly mention their close ties with the Italian Communist Party. āRickās grandfather Pietro was a liberal man and he understood right away what was happening in Italy,ā Mrs. Santorum told Oggi. āHe was anti-fascist to the extreme, and the political climate in 1925 was stifling so he left for America. After a few years he returned to Italy with his wife and children, including Aldo, Rickās father, who passed away late last year. Itās a shame he wonāt have the joy to see his sonās success in his bid for the White House.ā She goes on to explain how the family then became pillars of the Communist Party in Italy.
Read more: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/01/11/rick-santorum-s-italian-family-speaks-out.html
I saw that story last week. His grandfather was a full-blown Red.
Wonder what the Evangelicals think about that?
That’s he’s come to Jesus and all is forgiven. Because a not-red-blooded-American background IOKIYAR.
OK, an indication of my over-education. I’m watching the Texans-Ravens game. The Texans have a player named Arian Foster. Every time the announcers say “Arian Foster”, I hiss “Heretic”, because, you know, of the Arian heresy in the 4th century Church. God, I need help.
LOL! Breathe, LL, just breathe! It’ll be alright….
sounds like it. Breathe.I’m certain that his parents had NO idea when they named him that….
Had to share a couple of tidbits from The Root’s recap of the BET Honors Awards from last night:
This…
“Hollywood played second fiddle to Michelle Obama, Maya Angelou and the Tuskegee Airmen…
The red carpet event delivered, as expected, appearances and performances by high-profile award show regulars: Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Rowland, Stevie Wonder and even Patti LaBelle took to the stage. But striking a tone appropriate for the celebratory but reflective mood of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, those who made substantive contributions to the black experience outside of Hollywood — Michelle Obama, Maya Angelou and surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen — were the evening’s most celebrated guests. When it came to the first lady, the poet and the black trailblazers, the celebrities themselves were starstruck.
Obama was technically a presenter, but really, a main attraction and honored guest.:
—–
and this…
“The effusive praise and celebratory tributes of the event were tempered only by a sense of urgency about the upcoming presidential election. BET’s TJ Holmes warned the audience about new voting restrictions. “Barriers are going back up … just in time for our president to face re-election. A coincidence, I’m sure,” he said sarcastically, adding, “I want you to get ready, I want you to stay ready and I want you to vote like your life depended on it.”
[Honor Coach Beverly ] Kearney got huge cheers for her comments about re-electing Barack Obama when she said, “We have to exercise our God-given right to greatness and we have to exercise our Constitutional right to vote. There’s a man out there with an amazing vision, and he intends to finish what he started.”
—–
Coach Kearney couldn’t be more right! Press On!!
Obama-Biden 2012
Link to The Root article:
http://www.theroot.com/views/bet-honors-2012-hollywood-played-second-fiddle
Good to know that TJ Holmes could say what he wanted, now that he is no longer at TeaNN!
Obama family attending church today
New post everyone:
http://theobamadiary.com/2012/01/15/sunday-service-3/