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Today:
3:40: President Obama and VP Biden meet with President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico.
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Steve Benen: …. Susan Rice will head to Capitol Hill today where she’s scheduled to meet with the same Republican senators who’ve spent a few weeks trying to destroy her reputation …. it now appears Rice’s nomination to replace Hillary Clinton at the State Department is practically a foregone conclusion….
…. the White House is giving McCain, Graham, and Ayotte some special attention and a way out of their own mess. They can, in other words, come out of today’s meeting saying, “We had serious questions, and we’re glad Rice took the time to answer them.” If they then drop the filibuster threat, they’d look less ridiculous.
At least, that’s the idea. In practice, the GOP campaign against Rice has always been detached from reality, and facts from Rice and Morell may not matter, but from the administration’s perspective, it can’t hurt to try.
Full post here
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AP: President Barack Obama plans to make a public case this week for his strategy for dealing with the looming fiscal cliff, traveling to the Philadelphia suburbs Friday as he pressures Republicans to allow tax increases on the wealthy while extending tax cuts for families earning $250,000 or less.
The White House said Tuesday that the president intends to hold a series of events to build support for his approach to avoid across-the-board tax increases and steep spending cuts in defense and domestic programs. Obama will meet with small business owners at the White House on Tuesday and with middle-class families on Wednesday.
The president will visit the Rodon Group on 2800 Sterling Drive in Hatfield. The president’s visit will cap a week of public outreach as the White House and congressional leaders negotiate a way to avoid the tax increases and spending cuts scheduled to take effect Jan. 1.
More here
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Steve Benen: …. as of yesterday, we appear to have reached an interesting, albeit largely symbolic, threshold:
“Call it irony or call it coincidence: Mitt Romney’s share of the popular vote in the 2012 presidential race is very likely to be 47 percent…..”
…. as things currently stand, Obama’s popular vote margin of victory is 3.43%. That’s close, to be sure, but for all the talk about the razor-thin race and the speculation that this could be the tightest national election any of us have ever seen, Obama’s 2012 victory isn’t even in the top 10 of the closest presidential elections in American history.
More here
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In case you missed….
More at ThinkProgress
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Eugene Robinson: Maybe the fever is breaking. Maybe the delirium is lifting. Maybe Republicans are finally asking themselves: What were we thinking when we put an absurdly unrealistic pledge to a Washington lobbyist ahead of our duty to the American people?
I said maybe. So far, the renunciations of Grover Norquist’s “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” amount to a trickle, not a flood….
…. Republicans who signed the pledge – and who now find themselves in a box – have only themselves to blame. To boost their own political fortunes, they lied to the voters. They pretended it was possible to provide the services that Americans need and want without collecting sufficient revenue. They sold the bogus promise of not just a free lunch, but a free breakfast and supper, too.
…. President Obama has been trying to wake Republicans from this silly, self-defeating dream for four long years. Now, perhaps, a twitching of eyelids.
Full article here
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Oh boy, these people…..
Dana Milbank: President-unelect Rick Santorum made his triumphant return to the Capitol on Monday afternoon and took up a brave new cause: He is opposing disabled people.
Specifically, Santorum, joined by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), declared his wish that the Senate reject the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities….
The former presidential candidate pronounced his “grave concerns” about the treaty, which forbids discrimination against people with AIDS, who are blind, who use wheelchairs and the like. “This is a direct assault on us,” he declared at a news conference.
Lee, a tea party favorite, said he, too, has “grave concerns” about the document’s threat to American sovereignty. “I will do everything I can to block its ratification, and I have secured the signatures of 36 Republican senators, all of whom have joined with me saying that we will oppose any ratification of any treaty during this lame-duck session.”
More here
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Thanks Forus! Full video here
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Completely random pic:
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More completely random (old) pics:
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In other news, from The Onion:
According to BuzzFeed, China’s Communist Party newspaper, People’s Daily, has congratulated the North Korean leader on being named ‘the sexiest man alive’. 😕
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Get your victory magnet here!
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Mooooooooooorning everyone.
The Obama Diary 
It’s Tuesday morning! At least it is where *I* am. 😆 Good Morning TODville! Hell-o-o-o—oo there Ms Chips! Got lost along the way, did you?
Phew! NOW I can go and have breakfast!
mornin VC!
Hi a4A, how’s life post-campaigning?
great VC! keepin myself not quite so crazy busy with “the Action”. Have you heard of it? It’s comprised of OFA volunteers and former staff members. They are getting ready to do something this weekend all over the country to address the ending of the bush tax cuts for the wealthy. People are sharing what they’ve done over at “The Action” blog. Here’s an example of someone calling their congressman. w00t! It’s awesome! People aren’t sitting around they are staying involved – I love this stuff!
You know PBO has made all this political excitement/involvement so interesting that I’m tempted to see if the American Embassy here will consider giving me a 4-yr. ‘citizen’ visa. Isn’t there something called special dispensation in some legal/political corner somewhere? What do you say a4$? I’m sure one or two TODobots could be persuaded to vouch for my character and the fact that I’d be a committed member of the citizenry for the FOUR years. I have no problems with stipulating a term limit on my new papers, in fact, not having it would be a deal breaker from my side.
Lol VC…
We’ll take you for more than four, but I suppose you only want to be a citizen for the period President Obama is in the White House…
Bingo, Chi! I can be ready to join in on January 20, 2013 with stamped expiry date for January 20, 2017. 😉 😉
vc : “I have given up on the door leaning thingy”.
pshaw.
/INDIGNANT/ I wasn’t leaning on the door, Amk! Sure I passed by it regularly while checking out the neighbourhood, BUT I DIDN’T LEAN! Pshaw to you too. (Door leaning gives far, far better results, but I gave that up, and far far less stressful my life has been since.) You know, 😥 😥 I don’t understand why /sob. sob/ you have been accusing /hiccough. sob/ me so often these days /sob. sob/ of storytelling /sniffle. sniffle, hic/.
Can I /hic/ borrow /hic/ your hand/sniffle/kerchief? A clean one please /sniffle/.
.
.
Quick, tell me, did the tears work? According to literature they are supposed to be sure-fire female ammunition and I’ve never had the occasion to try them. Did they?.
Good morning Chips and TOD family, I hope everyone has a super fantastic day today. Congrats vcp on being first.
Morning RanMan! Hope you have a perfect day!
A very ‘good Tuesday morning’ to you Ranman and TY from a fellow who knows what it’s like to be on the top.
Mooooooorning VC! Mooooorning everyone!
President Barack Obama plays with Katia Wolfsthal, daughter of departing staffer Jon Wolfsthal, Special Advisor to the Vice President for Nonproliferation, in the Oval Office, July 11, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
Kewl! 😎 I like Katia’s ‘mohawk’ look. 😆
Morning, CC and thanks. (Did you see my twitter ‘hurry up’ message? Teeheehee. I haven’t read any R & S yet because I really need to go and eat before I set off a migraine. I don’t understand WHY I don’t eat BEFORE signing in since I know from experience that it’s hard to break away once I do sign on. 🙄 (Back in a bit.)
Ha, I haven’t been on the Twitters yet VC!
OMG!!
That faux hawk is kick ass.
UT, I spent my entire youth trying to get my hair to do that, never succeeded. Jealous.
With green hair ? I guess you gave up because of the riots on the streets and babies’ terrified shrieking.
Excuse me, on the one occasion it worked, it looked highly attractive – babies giggled:
Jeezus! Save our souls.
I know, I know: gorgeous.
That’s a face and an outfit that as they say “only a mother can love.”
😯
LMAO Chips you are good naw naw you are good you you I said you are Good. Don’t make me say it again that you are good.
It’s early in the morning and you’re already causing trouble. Well to be fair though, it’s already evening on your side of the planet, so I’ll cut you some slack.
Morning Hopef, I’m not so sure it’s a good idea to ever cut CC any slack! She’ll just run away with the rope…..every time.
LOL! Actually, I was referring to amk in my post! 🙂
My response works equally well for Amk! Who would have thought!!!!!
HA! 🙂
Congrats on first vc! Have a great day 🙂
Thank you, Betsy, I will. I’ve decided to stay in all day to catch up (or harass a certain soul) and leave the tire replacement for another day. You enjoy your day too, in whatever way works for you.
Thanks !!!!
Hi Df! Chips sure kept us on our toes this morning. 😆 😆 Have a good day now. I didn’t get a work call so it means I might take the car in to put on my snow tires…maybe. 😉
Snow tires? OMG. So glad I don’t have to deal with any of that anymore:) Have a good day!
Morning everyone, great links, Chips. Thanks for being a reliable filter:
https://twitter.com/NJedwina/status/273425096595611648
a tweet about Eugene’s article.
Thank you for that totally random photo, Chips! I’m totally awake now!
Ha, such randomness is an excellent wakey-uppy device Meta!! 🙂
And you are most excellent at providing these random moments!!
Meta, Random is my middle name. 🙂
Chips Random Chica? Ugh! Reminds me of condom, which would at least create an alliteration. ‘Here we have…Chips Condom Chica!’ Naw, I’ll stick with Chips Chica…or maybe Chips C. Chica.
Go to the Naughty Mat. Move directly to the Naughty Mat. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200.
Happily, my dear hopefruit!!
🙂 🙂
G’morning Chips, TOD, lurkers, everyone. Congratulations VC on # 1! 🙂
I am delighted by the “completely random (old) pics,” and the “completely random pic” simply blows me away. Thank YOU Chips!
Randomness rocks, Hopefruit!!!! 🙂
Especially at TOD! 🙂 Aren’t you glad no one will need to do TWD?
TWD …… shudders 😯
LOL! Didn’t mean to cause you pain & panic…
OK, maybe I’m not actually awake yet. What is TWD?
The Willard Diary!!!
YIKES
The Willard Diary. 🙂
Here’s a random video Chip that shows just how consistent our President is…
And this should shut up those who insist now at every turn that they ‘made him do it’ since he’s been saying pretty much the same thing since…
And here’s the intro from our marvelous First Lady…
I’ve never seen this, but they could have been saying these words last week, last month, last year. They are consistent! And they really are committed and hopeful. I hope they never lose that.
Chips. That hug pic on the top right needs updating with the current pic you posted here.
Good thinking Batman, will do.
I really have to give you credit for being our detail guy, Amk! 😀 A benefit carried over from your career training, I guess. It does help to keep the edges rounded around here. Thanks.
Good morning, Chips and everyone. That Completely Random Pick kind of jumps out atcha, don’t it? I bet I’m awake, now.
Morning Eve! Hmm, that random pic seems to have had a dramatic effect on everyone’s wake-iness. 🙂
Eve, please join meta on the Naughty Mat!
Just hopped on to say good morning. I have already emailed my Rep Ted Deutch in the house with a message he is to send to my new rep Lois Frankel. I am on Bill Nelsons butt and also called Marco Rubio’s office. He is a total jerk as are his aides.
Off to work. Have a great Obama Day.
The GOP is suffering from some strange form of batshit craziness. Opposing ratification of a treaty that helps disabled people? What next? Tying people up on stakes and burning them alive just because?
Thanks for the totally random pics Chips. Every time I see Pres. Obama in his “dad or mom” jeans I crack up.
Hmmm, UT I see you are carefully avoiding any specific mention of that one totally random pic – lest I send you straight to the Naughty Mat to join meta and Eveingeorgia.
https://twitter.com/NJedwina/status/273422214945206272
I remember those days……oh…like a month or so ago. I watched all of the debates on C-SPAN so I was able to get an unfiltered view. During the first debate, I was paying attention to the words not the style of the participants and if one did that, one could tell that Pres. Obama won the debate on substance. He was ticking every point and had factual data to support his points. My twitter feed had the same feeling as I did.
When the debate was over, I turned to MSNBC and saw Ed Schultz and Chris Matthews completely lose their minds. Rev. Al and Lawrence O’Donnell had their wits about them but Chris and Ed lost their shit. I’ve never witnessed such collective loss of intellect. I was puzzled at first, then I cracked up, picked up the remote control and changed the channel. I immersed myself in Family Guy etc. and left the talking heads to jump over the cliff.
When Axelrod says Sully and his blog were on suicide watch, he’s not being hyperbolic. Sully was one second away from slitting his wrists, setting himself on fire, etc. It was mind boggling to witness. Every five minutes he would write demented crap and tweet demented nonsense as though the world were coming to an end. Frightening but hilarious.
Unreliable filters, see my above tweet about that. I really believe that we should claim our powers of perception and stop giving the capricious media the authority to dictate the narrative. Although I will give them props when they get it right, Pavlovian style.
Love your take on that.
‘I really believe that we should claim our powers of perception and stop giving the capricious media the authority to dictate the narrative’
I agree with you, Edwina, and would go so far as to say that I think that the claiming has started. In fact I’d say several people here stopped conceding that the ‘capricious media’ had any authority some time back and have been pushing back with more and more determination and consistency. What impresses me most about the push back these days is that it seems to be dealing more and more in fact sharing and less and less in name calling. It also strikes me as having a more confident tone (since the win), though there is still too much ‘President shoulds’ IMO.
I have to say I support your Pavlovian style response to MSM – only acknowledge them when they get it right – though I’m not sure they’re savvy enough to get the message (only if we all did it And affected their ratings):lol:
Unfortunately, we had to deal with some of that hysteria right here on TOD. Thankfully, most of were left with the same impression as you did UT – that PBO won on substance.
The problem I had with Matthews and Schultz is that when the President’s stylistic performance went the other way during the second and third debates – they were not as effusive in their praise as they were harsh in their criticisms after the first debate. Matthews went out of his way to give Romney a “win” in at least one or two areas when it was unambiguously evident that PBO had completely eviscerated Romney in all areas – on both substance and style.
Even Nate Silver and PPP polling were pushing that faulty narrative of PBO’s “bad debate performance” and his “awful poll numbers” following the first debate. PPP blocked me on Twitter when I corrected them about their BS meme that Elizabeth Warren “was not being dragged down by Obama’s debate performance.” I tweeted in response that she was actually being lifted up by his stellar record, whereas Scott Brown was being dragged down by Romney. Not surprisingly, they didn’t like what I tweeted. They were a lot kinder to Romney in their framing of his polling – even when his numbers were bad relative to PBO’s.
And that has been one of my primary concerns with many on the center-left/left – who are quick to criticize PBO and slow to praise him. They always assume the worst about his intentions, abilities, strategies, even the face of evidence to the contrary.
I too watched all the debates on C-Span, but recorded them on MSNBC and watched them afterwards. Got an overdose of the debates. The first debate surprised me that a lot of people were saying PBO lost due to looking down. I didn’t think of looking down as a losing trait whereas I did see in Romney weird body movements and nervous eye shifting movements not to mention the sweating around his mouth he even used a handkerchief to wipe his mouth. At the time I thought of the Nixon debate and thought that was it for Romney so I was surprised looking down was the story. I also was surprised some on our own side even here were saying Romney won.
Obama Grandmama, I watched all of the debates on c-span too. I turned to MSNBC after the debate and saw Tweety and Ed look totally crazed (had it on mute) and I immediately turned to some old reruns. I dear friend of mine was on vacation (Mexico) and she called to get my unbiased opinion about the debate. I told her almost word for word what you said your take away was…she turned to CNN and totally disregarded what I told her. Although she had DVR the debate she refused to look at it (because of the msm empty words). A week or so before the election, she looked at the debate and called me, laughing as she said exactly what you said! Amazing!
So true UT, Edwina, Hopefruit, so true…
here’s a nice visual for that truth:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/dorsey/andrew-sullivans-obama-meltdown-in-8-key-gifs
LO LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL 😀
Nice pictures of the first family before they became the first family.
I just love the Tom Ricks video. If you go on Fox, please understand Fox can’t handle the truth, since they don’t know what the truth is, they will cut you off if you speak the truth.
Yes, FOX will give you about 90 seconds of Truth, on air, and then you’re outta there.
Steve Benen: …. as of yesterday, we appear to have reached an interesting, albeit largely symbolic, threshold:
“Call it irony or call it coincidence: Mitt Romney’s share of the popular vote in the 2012 presidential race is very likely to be 47 percent…..”
…. One other related tidbit: as things currently stand, Obama’s popular vote margin of victory is 3.43%. That’s close, to be sure, but for all the talk about the razor-thin race and the speculation that this could be the tightest national election any of us have ever seen, Obama’s 2012 victory isn’t even in the top 10 of the closest presidential elections in American history.
More here: http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/11/27/15482682-mr-47-percent
call it irony or coincidence….. or, KARMA!
aloha and good morning chips!
A beautiful and joyous morning to our Chips and all of my TOD family. The grace of our meditations and prayers are going to be fruitful for POB and his team.
Everyone have a lovely day and take let your heart speak your spirit’s gifts to do all the goodness of your being in this space.
I got up early and went into prayer and meditatiton for our POTUS, VPOTUS and Dr. Susan Rice. May the grace of Almighty be with her and the acting CIA Director. Keep your thoughts with both of them. We will be fine.
Call your Senators and Representative concerning the business at hand. Support our POTUS.
I love you all and please pray for our military men and women and their families. Keep those in our family here in your meditations and prayers who may be dealing with some difficulties in their lives. We lift each other up and always extend your arms with loving hugs to our ChipsI appreciate and love you, Chips.))
((((((((((( I appreciate and love you, Chips.)))))))))))))) HZ
HZ!!!!! How how are you??
I am fine, my special angel. I know that the visit and quality time that my brother and I spent together before his out of country trip was so great. His energy brought so much joy into my home. I am so bless, Chips, and I also know that this beautiful haven here gives me so much joy.
Enjoying it while I can. I am so grateful. My brother found something for my gut to help me, and I think it is working most of the time, so the spirits of the goodness angels are so good to me, and God’s mercy and grace is holding this golden instrument up in her golden years. I am so grateful to be here with all of you.
Love you my dear Chips. ((((( HZ)))))). To my Chips.HZ
Great to hear HZ, spending time with your brother really seemed to lift your spirits. As ever: look after yourself, and thank you for the loveliness you bring here.
It is a complete pleasure and a blessed honor, Chips. Thank you so much.HZ
I just love reading your posts, HZ. You should write a spiritual book. I’d buy it. 🙂
Oh, collegekay, how are you dear one? You are so kind. I pray that you are doing well in school and are totally enjoying your life on that beautiful journey. Enjoy every moment of it, and do not forget to give back what you feel in your heart is sufficient to help others.
Lots of hugs to you, collegekay.((((((((((((((((((((( Be sweet and let your heart be filled with joy)))))))HZ
HZ I am not sure if you come back to re-read comments (I hope you do)…I highly suggest a great read/book, Gut and Psychology Syndrome, by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD. Be well!
((((((((((((( Thanks so much Puddin’.)))))))))))))))))) I will secure that book. I read a little about it, and I would love to have it in along with my other books for this issue. I am always open to things that will give me some relief. Thanks so much for your concern and your kindness for giving me this important information. HZ
Just wanted to say – I LOVE YOU SO MUCH HZ! Your posts always brighten my day!!! (((BIG HUGZZZZ)))
You are simply awesome HZ. I hope your health is getting better and I pray that you will have a fantabulous day!
Morning Betsy. We are such a beautiful family here. I was just thinking about you last night. Our spirits within our beautiful TOD family are so connected with such a beautiful spirit, and I believe that spirit comes from our beautiful president.
I am giving thanks for each day to be a good day to give honor and thanksgiving to God for strength and grace.
I hope school is going great for you and the children. Keep your spirit filled with goodness and may the angels guide you and give you strength in your classroom. Be joyful and firm with the students. Blessings to you, Betsy. HZ
Sometimes you appear just when I need you.
((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( Lots of HZ hugs to you, meta. )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) You also fill my heart when I need it. We Cali., family members have to stand with each other as well. Be joyful and keep your faith close to your heart of goodness. HZ
XOXO
Lawrence O’Donnell was right last night when he said that no matter who the GOP put up to run in 2012, PBO would have won – he’s just that good. That’s the explanation that almost every media (left or right) report has avoided so far in discussing this year’s outcome.
That’s because the M$M doesn’t want to admit that PBO is the most talented politician to grace the American stage in more than 50 years.
Exactly.
AMEN!
Wish I had a written transcript of Lawrence’s remarks, which were superb. He nailed it.
Fixed it for you Squarepeg – now singing along 😎
https://twitter.com/NJedwina/status/273446000000126977
I pity his wife, if he has one. Wonder what she had to sign.
I’ll go retro: “I pity the fool …” 🙂
I can “dig” retro, in her case especially.
Again, the Norquist pledge is a violation of the congressional oath of office. It is appalling to me that there is not more outrage. And yes, PBO would have run no matter who the GOP ran. While mittnocchio was a terrible candidate, the bigger problem is the GOP’s policy platform. I imagine they will disappear with the next election 2014.
Good morning friends. I love it when PBO gets out of Washington. I love it here, but sometimes we get comfortable in our little political bubble. I hope he does some town hall events. Watching him answer people’s questions honestly and thoroughly is a joy.
I have final exams coming up and a senior thesis to prepare for, so I probably won’t be posting too much. Take care of yourselves.
🙂
Good luck CK!
Good luck on all that collegekey and enjoy the process!
Yes, collegekay, I will also keep you in my meditations and prayers. Be quiet in your spirit and try to concentrate. You will do fine with all of your hardwork put forth. ((((((( Praying for the best))))))HZ
Good luck to you ck and all the best for this semester 🙂
You will do brilliantly. Enjoy the writing and take pride in your achievements!!
PRESIDENT OBAMA TAKES HIS CASE TO THE PEOPLE.
Participatory Democracy
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Participatory democracy is a process emphasizing the broad participation of constituents in the direction and operation of political systems. Etymological roots of democracy (Greek demos and kratos) imply that the people are in power and thus that all democracies are participatory. However, participatory democracy tends to advocate more involved forms of citizen participation than traditional representative democracy.
Participatory democracy strives to create opportunities for all members of a population to make meaningful contributions to decision-making, and seeks to broaden the range of people who have access to such opportunities. Since so much information must be gathered for the overall decision-making process to succeed, technology may provide important forces leading to the type of empowerment needed for participatory models, especially those technological tools that enable community narratives and correspond to the accretion of knowledge. Effectively increasing the scale of participation, and translating small but effective participation groups into small world networks, are areas currently being studied.[1] Other advocates have emphasised the importance of face to face meetings, warning that an overreliance on technology can be harmful.[2]
Some scholars argue for refocusing the term on community-based activity within the domain of civil society, based on the belief that a strong non-governmental public sphere is a precondition for the emergence of a strong liberal democracy.[3] These scholars tend to stress the value of separation between the realm of civil society and the formal political realm.[4] In 2011, considerable grassroots interest in participatory democracy was generated by the Occupy movement.
————————————
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participatory_democracy
Good West Coast morning Chipsticks!
Thank you for that Random Pic that I can carry in my mind on my long drive to work this morning 🙂
Oh, there was a Random Pic? I hadn’t noticed. (Ha!) Enjoy your work day!
Off to watch body of proof. Love the smart Dr Megan Hunt.
Gunnite folks.
Nite you!
Sen @kellyAyotte is an irresponsible patsy to that petty bitter senile old fool @SenJohnMcCain & Lying-Lensey Graham. Her actions should not be excused
I do not see how she is helping her career long term teaming with those two
Maybe her “career” will be short, if the voters in her state remember her irresponsibility.
I used your words to tweet. Couldn’t make it short enough to give you credit. I so feel they are very bitter and old.
She always sounds like she is about to start crying….her spirit is not happy…she knows she is taking part in one of the most ridiculous attacks against anyone, let alone another woman…her spirit is not happy!
MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH THE PRESIDENT AND ALL OF YOU…PARTICULARLY…SUSAN RICE…GO GET EM’ GIRL! MY LOVE TO ALL!
What Citizenship Means
By DAVID FIRESTONE
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That theme was citizenship, and specifically the obligations that American citizens have to each other and to the society they re-create every day. The president’s description of Republican disdain for those bonds – a government that says “you’re on your own,” in the words of one his former economists, Jared Bernstein – crystallized what is at stake in this election more effectively than most of his previous speeches.
“This country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations,” he said. “We, the people, recognize that we have responsibilities as well as rights; that our destinies are bound together; that a freedom which asks only, what’s in it for me, a freedom without a commitment to others, a freedom without love or charity or duty or patriotism, is unworthy of our founding ideals, and those who died in their defense.”
.
.
It is lacking, he said, when a political party systematically makes it harder for poor people and minorities to vote. When lawmakers ridicule providing health coverage to the uninsured. And when retirees are presented with a limited voucher to cover their medical needs,instead of a Medicare program.
And it is particularly lacking when the wealthy are delighted to write $10 million checks to buy elections but are unwilling to pay a few thousand more in taxes to pay for the obligations of citizenship.
——————————–
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/07/what-citizenship-means/
Amb. Rice goes to Capitol Hill to discuss Benghazi and other foreign policy issues in a rational manner and McCain, Ayotte, and Graham still act like petty jerks?
They’re ridiculously foolish if they continue on this path. The optics do not look good for them.
UT, Amb. Rice has given them a itsy-bitsy path out of their foolishness. But knowing them, they’ll choose more posturing & jump into political suicide.
“as things currently stand, Obama’s popular vote margin of victory is 3.43%. That’s close, to be sure, but for all the talk about the razor-thin race and the speculation that this could be the tightest national election any of us have ever seen…”
what in the world is steve benen talking about?!? our president is currently around 4.5 million votes ahead and the lead grows every day as more certifications come in. i’ve seen some commentary suggesting that the lead might hit 5 million still. george dumbya bush lost the popular vote in 2000 and “won” 2004 by exactly 3 million votes, with tons of proven computer voting machine flipping around the country that the media successfully covered up for the republicans. so it’s not even close to the “tightest national election any of us have ever seen,” let alone in american history, or even in the 2000s!
and i’m still waiting for an explanation why ohio, with the teabagging sec of state husted and gov kasich doing all their insane voter suppression, was the only swing state where our president came in under the polling average going into election day. every other swing state president obama over performed the real clear politics polling average from 1-5%, but not ohio, which makes no sense given the auto industry there and all the campaigning he did there. also, i just read another article that hurricane sandy reduced votes dramatically in very strong obama states, with a projection that president obama’s winning margin was 1-2 million votes lower because of the hurricane, despite the media and republicans trying to claim that sandy “was lucky” for our president and “helped him win.” just the opposite. so i think in reality president obama’s win was easily 2-3 million votes higher from those two things alone (ohio and hurricane). nothing “razor thin” about it steve benen!
It’s is very unfortunate that Amb. Rice visited those 3 irresponsible political hacks. I suspected that meeting would embolden their irresponsible behavior. Again I say Kelly Ayotte should be called out for her irresponsible and reckless behavior along with her partners in crime (McFoolCain & Lying-Lensey Graham).
For those who may be interested in sharing your disgust with Sen Kelly Ayotte, her DC office # (202) 224-3324 fax#(202) 224-4952 twitter is @kellyAyotte.
I wonder how often “Obama” and “brilliant” have appeared in the same sentence. Not gonna try to look up that answer, ’cause he’s still being his ol’ brilliant self. Forward!
Why are we suddenly in 2012 hearing about how “brilliant” Obama’s 2010 deal was? Why does everything GOOD about this President have to be realized by the MSM two years later? Particularly when we could easily see it at the time it was happening?
The simplest answer is that “we” are not controlled by big corporations who drive the same monotone narrative in order to drive ratings. The MSM on a day to day basis are merely instigators who will never give this President the credit he deserves until the negative spin they were once pushing is no longer relevant.
Absolutely spot on…
Really, Chips? “Completely random pics” ? Methink not. I’m thinkin’ you wanted to wow us in the “early” morning.
So, thanks, and good morning/afternoon/evening to all!
Well, carefully selected randomness Jacqueline! 🙂 Morning!
You’re “too good” to us! (<<< I was lying. Keep 'em coming!) Enjoy your day.
Good grief:
She must have told them something they didn’t like or want to hear. Of course their egos are being mightily threatened, so they put on this act for the cameras to save face. #FAIL
This!
I think that about sums up my thinking on this…
Yeah – at least Graham finally admitted he’s “disturbed.”
I find Lindsey Graham VERY disturbing. There’s got to be something else going on here. I do think if PBO nominates her, she will be confirmed.
One would think Lindsey Graham would be familiar with the KMA strategy, since he’s been doing that to McCain for who knows how long! He doesn’t seem to think for himself.
Little lying Graham is full of alot of Bullshit. Anyone with any dam sense know exactly what these three fools is up too.
I don’t trust McCain, Graham, or that Ayotte. They are out to try to get the President, and Amb. Rice is just being used by these three nasty ass Republicans. I trust Amb. Rice more than I trust either one of them.
Miss Graham looks purty this morning.
🙂 🙂 🙂
he’s so full of shit. I bet you dollars to donuts that Graham, McCain et al will be hollering IMPEACHMENT by the end of the week. Just absolute trash is all these cretins are.
Is anyone surprised by his take on the meeting….
I wonder what the Ambassador learned from them during this meeting…i wonder what the strategy is here…i have come to understand that there is always a strategy with the President…it will be revealed in time…
THIS!!!!!
Great point, prettyfoot58. There is always a strategy with POB. Some will like it, and we all know that some will not. I will put my money on POB and Dr. Susan Rice. HZ
Not one bit surprised! They’re now heading towards the Bridge-To-Nowhere. And they’re too “disturbed” to understand what was being offered by Amb. Rice’s meeting. I say, “Carry on, Senators!” 🙂
McCain, Graham and their new partner have an agenda and nothing Amb. Susan Rice could have said would have satisfied them.
Good morning everyone. I totally agree Anniebella. That whole statement about best not to give any information at all if it is bad is a crock. If they had not said anything at all, they would be slammed for that. They did not go into that meeting with good intentions. I know Ambassador Chris’ family are tired of this public squabble from these old farts.
Both McCain and Graham constantly spout theyir nonsense before they know what’s going on. How many times has Peter King stepped in front of the cameras to shriek about total unsubstantiated baloney?
Uh … every time?
Hi 4morefor 44,
Steve Benen goes on to say that he diagrees with the speculation that the race was razor thin. In fact, he says that it is not even in the top 10 of close races.
I agree with you about the margin of victory in Ohio. Some gerrymandering seems to have happened but maybe was not enough to counteract the full margin of victory. Karl Rove obviously was expecting the gerrymandering to do the trick for them. I guess you saw his freak out on Fox when the race was called for POTUS. With the auto bailout, the lie about Jeep and the unions ground game in Ohio, I am sure POTUS’ margin of victory was higher than 2%. All polls had it better than Virginia and Virginia’s margin was 4%.
thanks for that. i only read the snippet posted here, and still want to emphasize that our president’s victory is one of the stronger ones in our lifetimes. his percentage of the popular vote is going to be higher than the winner in most elections in the last several decades, so knowing how our media operates and tries to diminish absolutely everything accomplishment of president obama, i try to make sure false themes don’t get planted into public discourse as much as i can.
My thoughts are that even with the computer rigging PBO came out ahead. It seems like it should have been a much larger win in OH to me too. All odds were against us there with all the refs being on the opposition side. Yes! There was a good campaign team and strategy, but without a strong candidate that would not have pulled the race to our side. The Community Organizer in Barack Obama and his ability to inspire has come back to show those who laughed at this skill early on how wrong they were. Sarah Palin, I speak to you here and the other GOPers who laughed with her. Who else could have persuaded all of those voters to brave the lines and wait for hours to vote. Of course the GOP suppression tactics helped inspire the voters to not let them get away with it and to wait in those long lines.
So good to see my President and Vice President back in the White House doing what they do. Feels awesome! I’m finally getting my stride back after a lovely Thanksgiving weekend. Thanks for keeping the fires burning, Chips!
I ordered my Victory Magnet this morning. If you use the promo code VICTORY you can get it for 40% off: $9 instead of $15.
Have a beautiful day, all! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Just remember we are to stay focus and listen with an open mind what POB speaks. POB has one term to make his presidency a success, and he knows that a great bulk of that success will depend on what he does for the people who elected him and the entire country moving FORWARD to a better place.
People like the likes of McCain, Graham and Ayotte are small minded, mean and small spirits that will not help the masses of good people who need help now. Trust me, POB above all people and SOS want to get to the bottom of this situation the death of Amb. Chris Steven and the three others who were killed in Bengarzhi. POB is very committed to bringing justice, and he will. He also has a commitment to these families and he has made that known.
He will not be side tracked by McCain, Ayotte, and Graham. There three are Not working for the families or the nation in a good way. We need to call this for what it is. A mean, hateful spirit for this president.
McCain will not let go. Graham is a little fart who has no life but to be miserable, and that is so sad. Ayotte is a tool being used because she thinks that in 2016, she will be the little darling for their ticket. But we have good memories and we have and want goodness to happen to so many people who are hurting in our country. There are young students trying to complete their college work and many families are trying to see how they are going to be affected with the taxes coming into the New Year.
Then we have men and women fighting for our safety daily, and all these fools and mean spirited people have to do is march before cameras and constantly bring confusion and hate for POB. Well, POB is a decent, more focus, and honest with taking his oath with precious responsibility. That is what makes me work for POB.
McCain, Graham, and Ayotte can take a hike and pray that they will find a way to a better way in their lives than what they are offering to the people and the world now. Enough of these people. But we Will Not Sit and allow them to throw their ugly message at POB. We have had Enough. We are moving on with POB.
And if we have something to share with POB about his agenda, we know to go to WhiteHouse.gov and call the WhiteHouse. We stand, meditate, and pray together for our president. Remember, we worked hard to get him re-elect. We Won This, okay, We Won This. Now let us get to work.
Let us not give McCain, Graham, and Ayotte any face time, or ink unless is it calling them out on their ugly acts. Keep them accountable on the Twitter. Call them out and may they leave us the alone.
And believe me, anyway, Dr. Susan Rice will be fine!!!!! HZ
Hi Sweetie HZ! (((((((HZ)))))))) Hope you’re feeling better. I read about your gut issues. My mom suffers from the same, and has had much relief by eliminating wheat and gluten from the diet (no offense meant by this unsolicited piece of info 🙂 ).
Anyhoo, McCain, Graham, and Ayotte will self-destruct like many who have gone before them. I’m not worried by this ridiculous trio.
Dr. Rice is stellar, PBO and his Administration have her back, and we have their back. Fin.
No offense my dear sweet and thoughtful family member. How are you? Yes, I have eliminated all wheat products, (gluten free only) and a whole bunch of goodies.) I have always been very, very good with my food intake but this one is just a pain in the butt. However, I am taking good care, read a lot, and great doctors in consultation all the time.
I am not taking a new organic product that my brother consulted with my doctors while he was visiting me, and it is working to some degree. Just has to give it time. I am trying to cope with grace. Thank you so much, PJ. I love my family here, and I am always open to suggestions, so do not be shy. I love you for your thoughtfulness.
Oh, I have very close friends and family who personally knows Dr. Susan Rice, and believe me, Dr. Rice will be fine. Dr. Rice has more “class and decency” in one inch of the nail on her little finger than all three of these disgraceful clowns have in their entire bodies. And they are acting now circus clowns, not classy elected official doing the nation’s business. They are a circus that needs to get out of town.
They are No match for Dr. Rice and certainly no match for President Barack Obama. HZ
‘they are no match for dr rice and certainly no match for pbo’– truth!!
THE SECRETARY OF STATE IS HILLARY CLINTON!!!!!!!!!!
McCain, Graham, Issa and their ilk suffer all from subpoena envy when it comes to this administration. They would love to have a continuous string of investigations and scandals as we had under W, with Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, Scooter Libby Karl Rove and Brownie.
Here’s the problem: This is not the incompetent Bush administration. This is not the Monica-impaired Clinton administration. This is highly competent, scandal-free, popular Obama administration–from Day One.
The Republican party and their press secretaries in the media are still using the tired playbook from the 90’s that they used against the Clinton administration to try and bog down this President’s second term.
Again, here’s the problem with that. This President didn’t win a second term with less than 50 percent of the votes. His healthcare reform was not defeated in committee. His attorney general is hyper-competent and does not suffer fools. Susan Rice is hyper-competent and does not suffer fools.
Just like their flawed, backward-looking strategies failed them during the general election, they’re circa 1993 attack plan is going to fail during this re-election. It’s the 21st century, with an administration led by a President who knows what they are going to do, before they even know what they’re going to do and he has the patience and discipline to draw them out and watch them get snapped in their own poorly made traps.
You would think after four years of going up against the president with the most legislative wins in modern memory–more than LBJ according to Congressional Quarterly–that McCain and Graham would stop the drama and do the people’s work. Fortunately, the President was a professor because he has some hard-headed students that still don’t get that this is not a game to him but if they choose to make it into one, he will beat them at it again and again.
Very well said.
Yes, indeed FiredUpInCa. Thank you so much for this.HZ
+1.
This Administration is not playing with these clowns.
And LBJ was kingmaster at working the legislative body, back in the day … and our current President has a better record. Yep. Republicans can’t sleep at night, and I laugh.
‘subpoena envy’ 🙂
This is funny.
🙂 🙂
hilarious!
OMG 🙂 🙂 🙂
why don’t any of these “news people” ever ask mccain and graham what the hell they were doing having dinner with moammar gadhafi just a couple years ago, and then holding press conferences calling for president obama to supply libya with weapons?!?
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/62114.html
and look, there’s video to prove it!
now just a couple years later, “the news” allows these exact same people to act as experts and on the moral high ground about libya?!? insane! utterly insane. when that trip happened i remember thinking it was really odd how these republican senators (that includes joe lieberman in my opinion) were acting as if they’re able to speak for the u.s. government, and figured there must be some other ulterior motive why they were there. this whole benghazi thing has been so bizarre from the beginning, and how “the news” is using it incessantly to bash president obama, makes me think they were there working with their “black ops” groups they have on the ground in libya…leftover gadhafi operatives i bet.
Ok, I was going to comment on Amb. Rice, but this made me spray coffee on my keyboard…!
“Boehner, Boehner, don’t be a dick, budget cuts will make us sick.”—
bah. bah ha ha. bah hahahahahahaha. Gosh I hope it wasn’t too cold. That’s one way to get people’s attention.
Statement by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, November 27, 2012
Susan E. Rice
U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations
U.S. Mission to the United Nations
Washington, DC
November 27, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Today, Acting CIA Director Michael Morell and I met with Senators McCain, Graham, and Ayotte to discuss my September 16th public comments regarding the attack against the U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya, and the intelligence assessments that formed the basis for those comments. I appreciated the opportunity to discuss these issues directly and constructively with them.
In the course of the meeting, we explained that the talking points provided by the intelligence community, and the initial assessment upon which they were based, were incorrect in a key respect: there was no protest or demonstration in Benghazi. While we certainly wish that we had had perfect information just days after the terrorist attack, as is often the case, the intelligence assessment has evolved. We stressed that neither I nor anyone else in the Administration intended to mislead the American people at any stage in this process, and the Administration updated Congress and the American people as our assessments evolved.
The Administration remains committed to working closely with Congress as we thoroughly investigate the terrorist attack in Benghazi and bring to justice the terrorists responsible for the tragic deaths of our colleagues, Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods. We also look forward to the findings of the Accountability Review Board and the FBI investigation.
http://usun.state.gov/briefing/statements/201072.htm
Thank you UT for bringing this over. I was just going to bring it over as well. Also, thanks Bobfr for being right there doing your great work. This is how we work these next four years. Stay focus and alert to where we use our resources for POB.
Work it Team TOD. Love it. We got your back, Mr. President.HZ
http://usun.state.gov/briefing/statement/201072.htm
Thank you HZ!!
#FORWARD
Bobfr, You are making a difference for us, in our having access to reliable information. I thank you thank you thank you.
You are so welcome, Bobfr. (((((((((((((( Many, many thanks to all that you do))))))))))))))))HZ
Why is it that McCain & Graham NEVER mention SoS Hillary Clinton who initially took responsibility. What is different about Clinton?
I’m quite puzzled by this too.
Everyday I scream this (fact) to the my lungs…people in my building think I have lost my mind! I just got off the phone with my best friend…I had to remind him that HILLARY is the SoS! I let a message with Sien Kelly Ayotte reminding her who the Sos is…I have to call McGoofy and his side kick, Mss. Graham!
seriously bob you hit the nail on the head.
Professional in every respect. Go ahead, Dr. Rice!
utaustinliberal, you are the.best. Thank you for what you do for us here on TOD. Extraordinarily useful as we make our way. Forward.
Thank you Sara. Right back at you. 😀
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Very, very true. 🙂
Oh, oh……you are going to set some people here to the naughtiest mat….Ever. Not I for honestly, I love pres Obama…..but not in that way.
However, pres Obama is One Fine looking POTUS…….that is why I never allow my naughty side to go there.
Really Nena? 🙂
Really HF. I have said this before here. It is 1001% correct.
I can’t explain it.
It is what it is. I think if I allowed myself to feel that way……I would not have paid my way to canvass in 2008 in IA 4X. I did it for his humanity and steadiness.
I think it’s important that I retweet this. Very. Important. I’ll just study it a bit longer though before I do…….
Ya know what irritates me the most about all of this is how Beghazi is being taken out of context in all of these discussions. BEFORE the Benghazi attack our screens were filled with images of our embassies being over run in Tripoli, Tunisia, and other countries because of the film. Anyone in his or her right mind would initially think the Benghazi attack was another of the same. This whole issue with semantics is nothing short of ludicrous. PBO said it was a terrorist attack the next morning in the Rose Garden as well as a couple of other times over the next couple of days. So the beef appears to be that the word “extremist” was substituted for “terrorist attack” in the talking points???????? This is what we pay these idiots to do????? Apparently so. I am completely fed up with the whole thing. And to my knowledge there still is no evidence of central Al Quaeda involvement in the planning of this. While apparently the organization has loose AQ affiliation, it is not central AQ. But let them keep it up. I think PBO is ready for this fight and if these three think they are going to come out on top with this continued line of attack I suspect they are badly mistaken. The recent poll on this matter shows the American people do NOT believe that the administration was attempting to mislead.
Nice, Jay.
JOHN MCCAIN: STILL ANGRY, BITTER, AND FREQUENTLY WRONG
======================================================
Rachel Maddow exposes the baselessness of the ridiculous hectoring by Senator John McCain of the U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice and wonders why someone who is so FREQUENTLY WRONG on Sunday morning talk shows is so frequently rebooked for Sunday morning talk shows.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#49925566
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#49925652
How long did it take this administration to get the facts correct – a few weeks compared to how long and how many lives lost before we found out that there was no WMD and that the statement in the UN with maps and charts were all lies?
Senator Ayotte is now saying any Secretary of State nominee will be put on hold by the Senate. I cannot remember anything to match this behavior.
Just saw that—–what in the world?
UT,the photo makes Mc Cain bitter and Graham confused – more confused, he said.
They are angry she did not apologise and they did not get anything to go after POTUS.
Susan Rice’s IQ is higher than the IQ of all three combined.
Pres Obama wants to include the debt ceiling negotiation in the fiscal cliff discussion. Good strategy.
#TrustBarack He’s Earned It
That’s right, see Bob the President knows what the GOP is up to.
It’s the media that is uninformed and uninforming.
Thus, Keep those tweets coming, they are very informative.
Exactly!
Happy to do so, Jovie 🙂
#FORWARD
‘There is a price for everything’
By Steve Benen
——————————————–
In other words, the Speaker of the House knows he’s playing with fire; he knows the consequences would be catastrophic; and knows he’s being a shameless hypocrite … but he just doesn’t care. The full faith and credit of the United States is on the line, and he’ll throw it all away, deliberately, unless Obama meets undefined demands.
“There is a price for everything”? There doesn’t have to be a price for everything. This is only true once hostage takers decide to take the hostage and demand a ransom. U.S. policymakers who want what’s best for the nation have always resisted the urge to play such a dangerous and radical game, but the radicalized Republican caucus is playing by a new set of rules.
Boehner threatened to hurt all of us, on purpose, in 2011, and now he’s prepared to do it all over again. Why this isn’t considered a shocking political scandal is a mystery to me.
——————————————
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/11/27/15486425-there-is-a-price-for-everything?lite
Newly arrived Ayotte——what is her deal, by the way, besides opposition to Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood?——said the Senate will likely place a hold on ANYONE Obama names as Sec. of St. until all Benghazi questions are answered. How many times do all questions have to be answered? These Repubs have no decency, no common sense, just continued ugly opposition.
They are after one Person! Do you remember on that show West wing when the Republicans went after Leo? Their main goal was The President.
And they are using as a wedge, hoping they can find evidence that the Presodent lied.
Then they can control him or worse…
At least, that is how they roll, but, they have not taken into consideration that their is no there there!
McCain said Rice appearance on the Hill raised more questions than it answered,
Of course it did. Because the good Senatirs wanted to hear Rice say that the President made me do it.
And when they did not hear that, then that is when they took to the cameras and said that.
They still have one target in this which hunt, and one only.
Exactly.
Witch hunt.
Sorry, but this is NOT about Susan Rice. This is about control of the Senate. The GOP wants the President to pick John Kerry for SOS so that his seat becomes vacant for them to try to get Brown back. Not. About. Rice.
Tien, were the President to pick Kerry, do YOU truly feel that Mass would give Brown back a seat after turfing him just recently? an honest question
I have no earthly idea, VC. I am not at all familiar with MA politics and how much damage was done to Brown during the last election or if the good people of MA have long memories.
I hope the good people of Massachusetts can see through this, and deliver a second rejection to Scott Brown. And then I hope that Elizabeth Warren can live up to the hype and deliver a GOP nightmare of regulations that makes them cry for their mommies. This whole thing is infuriating. It’s not clear whether they are just that ruthless and reckless, or if they are all under the spell of McCain’s dementia.
Senate leaders invoke Robert Byrd in debate over filibuster rules
By Ramsey Cox
Leaders from both parties invoked the late Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) on Tuesday when debating changes to the upper chamber’s filibuster rules.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Monday announced that Democrats would vote at the start of the next Congress to limit the GOP’s filibuster power. Reid wants specifically to end the use of the filibuster on a motion to proceed to consideration of a bill.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) strongly opposes that change and says Reid would have to “break the rules” to change the rules, by altering them with only a simple majority.
And, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) acknowledged Tuesday morning that a possible Democratic proposal to require senators to be physically present when filibustering legislation would force senators to filibuster less frequently, a change he said would lead to a more productive Senate.
“If you have to talk … you’re only going to be able to sustain that filibuster on major issues,” Schumer said on the floor of the Senate.
I sure the NH Dems are looking for a good candidate to run against Ayotte in 2016. She has put herself further out there than even McCain and Graham in threatening a hold. Not one of the women we need in the Senate.
I wonder if the people of Arizona and New Hampshire knew that they were voting for people who would deliberately jeopardize national security and global stability for the sake of political games.
A Hold on Rice’s Nomination??
by Michael Tomasky
————————————
Not only that–but Ayotte went a considerable step farther than simply saying she’d be against Rice’s elevation:
Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., who also attended the meeting, said of Rice: “I would hold her nomination until I had additional answers to questions.”
.
.
These three really should be ashamed of themselves, trying to pump this into some huge scandal. And Ayotte will come to rue the day she threw in with Laurel and Hardy here, just as they’re becoming figures of self-parody to ever-larger numbers of Americans. She’s like a young comedienne joining the cast of a long-running sitcom the season after it jumped the shark.
——————————————
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/11/27/a-hold-on-rice-s-nomination.html
They need to tell us what questions they’re willing to jeopardize national security over, and how that would change anything in this situation.
I thought this also
Grover Norquist Is Dead; Norquistism Lives On
By Jonathan Chait
_______________________
The Norquist Kabuki ritual going on in Washington is the Republican Party attempting to figure out a strategy to deal with Obama’s budget leverage — and, in particular, a way to hold together the party line in the face of circumstances where just killing any deal won’t work.
_________________________
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/11/grover-norquist-is-dead-norquistism-lives-on.html
[Smartypants]:
[…] The minute I heard that Senator Ayotte joined these two knuckleheads in the meeting, I knew what was up. These are the same three that have been screaming the loudest about the $500 billion in cuts to defense spending that are set to kick in on January 1, 2013 as part of the debt ceiling deal.
All the whoopla about the negotiations related to the so-called “fiscal cliff” has been about taxes and entitlements. But cuts to entitlements are NOT set to kick in on Jan. 1st – thanks to the superior negotiating done by President Obama and the Democrats. On the other hand, what people have been forgetting about are the defense cuts that were included.
These three are going to use this whole Benghazi nonsense as a justification for holding up the nomination of Ambassador Rice to be Secretary of State. They’ve renewed their commitment to do that when/if President Obama nominates her. And they’ll block her until the defense cuts are restored.
That’s what all this is about. How Ambassador Rice handled the situation in Benghazi is just a distraction.
http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-republicans-next-hostage-susan-rice.html
They are certainly freaking over the defense cuts, but that’s all they can do is freak. If President Obama wants Ambassador Rice to be SOS he doesn’t have to give up anything to make that happen. In fact, he can stick it to them just as he did with Cordray and recess appoint her in Jan and let’um scream all they want thereby further demonstrating to Americans that the GOP is bonkers and dangerous.
#FORWARD
Let’s just take it as a given that they’re bonkers & put them in straight jackets! It would be nice to just send them on their un-merry way! 🙂 I’ll breathe in & just repeat: “Carry on, Senators!”
[PM Carpenter 🙂 ]:
[…] Rice was baiting them. And McCain and Graham were too damn dumb to perceive it. That’s my guess.
***
p.s.: I suppose in this increasingly bizarre case I should add what seems like the obvious, which I’m generally loathe to do.
By now, the White House must be loving this. There appear to be sufficient votes in the Senate to confirm Rice as secretary of state; meanwhile McCain and Graham (and Ayotte) are only further contaminating the GOP brand. Hence the longer they embarrass themselves, the stronger the WH’s position becomes. In short, Rice had good reason for doing what I suspect she did.
http://pmcarpenter.blogs.com/p_m_carpenters_commentary/2012/11/messing-with-mccain-grahams-mind.html
[When are McCain & Graham’s terms up? Would it be 2014?]
McCain is up in 2016…..he is 76 yrs old will be 80 then. Graham is up in 2014…in his 60s. Ayotte has seriously made herself a One term senator. She is up in 2016, for she is a freshman senator.
Thanks Nena! I was so hoping the geezers would be gone 2014! In that case McCain is doing his kamikaze thing & Graham is going along for the ride. Apart from the obvious, I don’t see what Graham gains out of this vis-a-vis his 2014 bid.
Do you think she’s trying to get national attention to try and run in 2016? Could she be that stupid?
Thus, my tweet of earlier today 🙂
You’re a Twitter Warrior Par Excellence! Thank you! Still trying to catch up on all the threads!
It is ashame what John McCain has become. Instead of becoming someone who you can look up to, someone you can respect, all you see is a bitter old fool who have not gotten over losing to Barack Obama in 2008.
John McCain is just enraged because apart from the utter and humiliating defeat in 2008, so far every major piece of legislation/appointee that PBO has put forth and has gotten through the house and/or senate has been voted against by McCain.
1. Stimulus of 2009 (McCain voted against).
2. Confirmation of Justice Sotomayor (McCain voted against).
3. Health Care reform (McCain voted against).
4. Wall Street reform (McCain voted against).
5. DADT Repeal (McCain voted against).
6. Confirmation of Justice Kagan (McCain voted against although his BFF Graham voted for).
7. Approval of START Treaty (McCain voted against).
McCain has not been able to “win” where this President is concerned, and that’s what this is all about.
[I can only hope that GOP really does end up in the wilderness for several decades]:
Bob Shrum: “The GOP Faces Years in the Wilderness After 2012 Election Losses”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/11/26/the-gop-faces-years-in-the-wilderness-after-2012-election-losses.html
A picture is worth a 1000 words.
‘ The Onion triumphs again. ‘
‘ The satirical newspaper named North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un its “Sexiest Man Alive,” and the People’s Daily picked up the report, AP reports.
The state-run China paper announced the news on its Web site with a 55-page slideshow of photos of Kim, showing him on a horse and quoting the Onion’s praise of Kim’s “devastatingly handsome, round face, his boyish charm, and his strong, sturdy frame.” ‘
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/post/state-run-newspaper-picks-up-onion-kim-jong-un-hoax/2012/11/27/cad5c42c-38a2-11e2-b01f-5f55b193f58f_blog.html
OMG…..I’m choking I’m laughing so hard.
love the photos!
It’s funny that these three stooges choose Amb. Rice to go after, not SOS Clinton or the cheating General.
so many targets, so little aim.
To McCain and his little lying sidekicks, it’s all about trying to pin something on the President.
Well, if Smartypants is correct (see above) and she usually is, then the only leverage they have is holding up the Rice appointment. Going after Clinton gets them nothing, if indeed this is about restoring the defense budget.
Look at who else the GOP attacks in the administration – Something about Amb Rice is “different” to SOS Clinton & the General.
She is on twitter:
@AnneOnymous670
Oh awesome – And it’s a “she”! Thanks CTGirl! I didn’t realize that and when I sent this out I see she followed me too. 🙂
HAHAHAHAHA! These black n white pictures are hilarious! If you have 5-10 mins to spare – some lighthearted comic relief right here.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/50-unexplainable-black-white-photos
New post:
http://theobamadiary.com/2012/11/27/fred/
[Foxistan shows us yet another effer! Bob shines a light]:
129 Bangladeshis were recently killed after a fire tore through a factory that crafted garments for Wal-Mart. And to most people this would be a horrible thought, but to Fox Business host Charles Payne, these are just the growing pains of capitalism.
[From Payne]: “Don’t think that the people in Bangladesh who perished didn’t want or need those jobs, as well. I know we like to victimize everyone in this country, particularly when it comes to for-profit motivation, which is being assaulted. But, you know, it is a tragedy but I think it is a stretch, an amazing stretch, to sort of try to pin this on Walmart. […]
“Walmart had its problems and they have come a long way and I think they will continue to do well and improve in any area that they can. I’m not here as an apologist for Wal-Mart, but I am here as something of a spokesperson for capitalism and the American dream and I think for a lot of people this is a step in the right direction.”
[I didn’t want to link the video here, but you can see it here]: http://bobcesca.com/blog-archives/2012/11/worst-person-in-the-world-43.html