yes! i hadn’t figured out what to get for my grandsons for christmas yet, but now i know for sure! and, as luck would have it, we’re making our quarterly trek to costco today! hope they have a big pile of k’nex at the ready!
I like how when there is a new post and everyone is saying hi to each other and wishing everyone well, and then after all the pleasantries we go for the jugular.
The Supreme Court, after taking most of the day to prepare new orders, took no action Friday on the ten same-sex marriage cases now on the docket. It did agree to rule on whether taking a human gene out of the body is a process that can be patented. It also agreed to rule on legal protection for makers of generic drugs.
The next opportunity for the Court to issue orders will be at 9:30 a.m. Monday. Nothing has ruled out the possibility that some actions on same-sex marriage could be announced at that time, although there is no indation that that will occur. It may be that the Court needs more time to decide what it wants to do next on any of the cases.
Pres. Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are giving their first post-election interview to People Magazine. Everything from the economy, to taxes, to the first family, to Bo, to Pres. Obama’s and First Lady Michelle Obama’s second term agenda will be covered.
I find it hilarious that Politico and the WH Press Corps are whining on twitter about POTUS and FLOTUS not being available to them. Pres. Obama just gave a press conference and gave another press briefing while in Asia. In addition to that, other news outlets ask better questions than the moronic beltway hacks.
Since the WH Press Corps make up their own interpretations anyhow no matter what Jay Carney says all it shouldn’t matter. I’m sure they’ll find stories to tell from the other news outlets.
I find this hilarious. Politico’s Dylan Byers has been on this anti-Nate Silver streak because once again Politico was proven 100% wrong on the outcome of the election. This is petty jealousy.
Silver gives 90%chance+O wins=Silver is celebrity; Silver gives 90%chance+O loses=SIlver isn't. Why is this so hard for folks to understand?
Sheer jealousy. I don’t understand why so many liberal talks show hosts rely on Politico. Bill Press always have these Politico folks on his show. I think this Byers is the guy who was on his show thos morning.
What a douchebag – although his obsession seems less about Nate Silver and more about President Obama. Nate Silver also predicted Mitt Romney’s chances – which waxed and waned based on the polling numbers he included in his models. Yet no tweet from Byer about Silver’s predictions or reactions associated with his predictions for Willard.
I’ve been enjoying Michael Grunwald’s articles for TIME Magazine and he does not disappoint again. Facts matter and he gets it. This is a must read piece.
Must Read piece by @MikeGrunwald about the GOP's BS regarding the fiscal cliff and the beltway pundits that enable it. http://t.co/LGc8gS18
It’s really amazing to see political reporters dutifully passing along Republican complaints that President Obama’s opening offer in the fiscal cliff talks is just a recycled version of his old plan, when those same reporters spent the last year dutifully passing along Republican complaints that Obama had no plan. It’s even more amazing to see them pass along Republican outrage that Obama isn’t cutting Medicare enough, in the same matter-of-fact tone they used during the campaign to pass along Republican outrage that Obama was cutting Medicare.
This isn’t just cognitive dissonance. It’s irresponsible reporting. Mainstream media outlets don’t want to look partisan, so they ignore the BS hidden in plain sight, the hypocrisy and dishonesty that defines the modern Republican Party. I’m old enough to remember when Republicans insisted that anyone who said they wanted to cut Medicare was a demagogue, because I’m more than three weeks old.
I’ve written a lot about the GOP’s defiance of reality–its denial of climate science, its simultaneous denunciations of Medicare cuts and government health care, its insistence that debt-exploding tax cuts will somehow reduce the debt—so I often get accused of partisanship. But it’s simply a fact that Republicans controlled Washington during the fiscally irresponsible era when President Clinton’s budget surpluses were transformed into the trillion-dollar deficit that President Bush bequeathed to President Obama. (The deficit is now shrinking.) It’s simply a fact that the fiscal cliff was created in response to GOP threats to force the U.S. government to default on its obligations. The press can’t figure out how to weave those facts into the current narrative without sounding like it’s taking sides, so it simply pretends that yesterday never happened.
Whatever. I realize that the GOP’s up-is-downism puts news reporters in an awkward position. It would seem tendentious to point out Republican hypocrisy on deficits and Medicare and stimulus every time it comes up, because these days it comes up almost every time a Republican leader opens his mouth. But we’re not supposed to be stenographers. As long as the media let an entire political party invent a new reality every day, it will keep on doing it. Every day.
Tweet this over and over again to all the Beltway pundits. Just in case they don’t read the article. Because sometimes, I suspect those pundits don’t read very much, except the headlines of Drudge and Politico…
It is spreading like wildfire on Twitter and sensible journalists are praising him for the article. It’s just bloody fantastic. I loved his articles about the stimulus and why it was a success because he used F-A-C-T-S. It’s so refreshing.
Today, after digging through their binders full of women, Boehner & Co. apparently found one.
NBC News has learned that Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) will be named chair of the House Administration Committee. Miller did not serve on the committee during the 112th Congress. […]
The House Administration Committee deals with the pertinent administrative business of the House. The committee can decide such mundane things as whether or not the House cafeterias will use paper or Styrofoam plates — or more serious matters such as benefit packages for congressional workers and how the Library of Congress operates. The Committee also monitors the expense accounts of House members.
Good news. Geithner isn’t that good a public speaker, but in interviews, he comes off as very honest and knowledgeable. And he has been a great public servant IMO.
Geithner has grown a lot more comfortable in the media camera over the years. And PBO has had his back through thick and thin. I remember a time when Ms. HuffnPuff and some emoprogs at Old Orange hated Geithner with a passion. Now that his policies have been shown to be successful, they are silent.
Mr. Geithner is one of the unsung heroes of the past four years. His main task was not to punish the profiteers, but to prevent an economic catastrophe. ANd he succeeded. He stabilized the systerm. He has also worked very hard with the European countries to prevent a global collapse. Yes, we’ve still got a hell of a problem with income inequality. But he battle against the plutocrats, against the excesses of capitalism, is a tough one. A battle that will take a long time and LOTS of effort. Bringing change while AVOIDING a chaos that would HURT ordinary people, well…. that is tricky. A reality that some ideologues of the “left” seem oblivious to.
Here, here! And that woman, Arianna Huffington, was doing the bidding of the right wing inauguration-night cabal in attacking Geithner, undermining him and calling for his resignation. All while Geithner was carrying a very heavy load, trying to prevent a global depression and watching the GOP stalling his nominees, in the midst of the crisis. It is astounding to me that people who have worked so diligently and successfully for this country for the past four years – President Obama included – have been so denigrated by the GOP and their minions. Watching Geithner on these business shows has given me an even deeper appreciation for his intelligence – I can see why President Obama likes him. They’re the same age, they both have the same heart for public service, and they are both very intelligent and dedicated (and world travelled). I will be sad to see Geithner go – he has served the President well, especially given the circumstances. And those who think he should have been dismantling the banksters and the rest of the money-mongers have forgotten that these people have been in power for a very long time with their shadow government/shadow economy, and dismantling them is not something that can happen so easily. Their time will come.
I really like Tim Geithner, and I love listening to him talk about his subject.
When they have a serious person like an actual Cabinet Secretary, they really shouldn’t have fluff people on like Cokie Roberts or AB Stoddard. Or for that matter, Kelly Ayotte (aka, today’s Sarah Palin) and Carly Fiorina (aka utter failure). Or worse still – Dan Senor. And who exactly made Jim Cramer (failed investment advisor who didn’t see the economic crisis looming) or Maria Bartiromo – glorified business talker.
The only saving grace is that Senile John McCain will be skipping the cameras this weekend.
But, Willard was oh so ready to be President of the United States, because he was a rich, White businessman.
134 – 6
HEE HEE HEE
…………………………………………………………….
WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney’s campaign has directed $134.2 million to political firms with business ties to his senior staff, spotlighting the tightknit nature of his second presidential bid and the staggering sums being spent in this election.
Nine firms that are run by, or recently employed, top Romney aides have received almost a third of the $435.8 million that Romney’s campaign and a related fundraising committee have spent on operating expenses through Oct. 17, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis of federal election finance reports.
President Obama’s reelection campaign and a joint fundraising committee have paid about $5.8 million in consulting fees to companies with business ties to senior strategists, according to the finance reports.
And this was the mighty business man that the Right claims was going to fix all of the countries financial problems. Geesh!!! Thank goodness we dodged that bullet!!
The Morning Plum: Skittish Democrats putting filibuster reform in peril:
[….] The Hill reports this morning that senators Dianne Feinstein, Mark Pryor, and Carl Levin are uncomfortable with a simple-majority change. Senators Max Baucus and Jack Reed have yet to be persuaded. Senators John Kerry and Jay Rockefeller say they’re undecided but leaning towards a change. Senator-elect Joe Donnelly is uncommitted. Presuming Republicans vote unanimously against any changes, if Harry Reid loses six votes, filibuster reform is toast.
Look, caution about changing the rules is understandable, particularly with something as dramatic as the constitutional option. But let’s put this as simply as we can: We cannot continue with the Senate remaining as dysfunctional as it is. This situation was forced upon Democrats. No matter how many times Republicans insist otherwise, recent GOP obstructionism is simply unprecedented, not just in degree, but in nature. Republicans adopted a deliberate party-wide strategy of grinding Senate business to a halt — on even routine matters — with the goal of denying Obama bipartisan successes, pinning the blame on him for ineffective government, bolstering the GOP’s anti-government ideology, and rendering Obama a one-term president. Surely that is worse than adopting a set of modest changes designed to prevent excessive and deliberate obstructionism for its own sake — even if those changes are adopted by (gasp!) majority vote.
And one last time: The reforms Dems are pursuing would not take away the minority’s ability to filibuster legislation on the motion to end debate. The minority would still be able to thwart the majority’s will if the minority really deemed it necessary. All the changes would do is make it harder for the minority to gum up the works with the explicit purpose of making governing harder for the majority, rather than expressing the minority’s will.
Nate Silver: Politico Covers Politics Like Sports But ‘Not In An Intelligent Way At All’
New York Times polling guru Nate Silver took aim at Politico’s brand of reporting on Friday, saying the Washington-based news outlet covers politics like sports but “not in an intelligent way at all.”
Reflecting on Politico’s pre-election criticism of his FiveThirtyEight model, Silver told Grantland’s Bill Simmons on his “B.S. Report” podcast:
What was remarkable to me is that you had some, like, journalist for, um, Politico, or something … who, like, tweeted … ‘All Nate’s doing is averaging polls and counting electoral votes?’ … ‘That’s the secret sauce?’ It’s like, well, yeah, and the fact that you can’t comprehend that very basic thing … that says more about you than, than about me, right?”
This article in The Atlantic is funny. Nate Silver was asked about Politico and he told the truth about them. They’re unintelligent and hacks. Politico hates the truth so their “reporters” are all tweeting petty crap about Nate Silver. 😆
“They’re [Politico] trying to cover [politics] like sports, but not in an intelligent way at all,” math genie/political wizard Nate Silver said a new interview released today. “In politics, you can have a month where nothing of import whatsoever happens. But you still have to have Politico produce a paper seven times a week and that’s when they’re trying to start trouble.” Doing the simple math, seven times, carry the — Nate Silver is not fond of Politico. And that’s news because Silver is such a big player in the political field and so is Politico, and well, for political wonks, this little catfight is delicious.
Silver was saying all of this in a podcast with with ESPN’s Bill Simmons’s “The BS Report,” but it wasn’t like Silver was actually saying all these things out of the blue. There’s a point in the podcast where Simmons asks Silver about Politico’s Dylan Byers quasi-hitpiece which asked in its headline: “Nate Silver: One-term celebrity?” In that piece, Byers included lines like this one: “For all the confidence Silver puts in his predictions, he often gives the impression of hedging. But this was the the sledgehammer: What matters for Silver is that the president wins and that he ends up with a total number of electoral votes somewhere in the ballpark of whatever Silver predicts on the afternoon of Nov. 6. And even then, you won’t know if he actually had a 50.1 percent chance or a 74.6 percent chance of getting there.
Silver: What’s remarkable for me is that you had some journalist for Politico who tweeted out “All Nate’s doing is averaging polls and counting electoral votes right? That’s the secret sauce?.” Well, yeah, and the fact that you can’t comprehend that very basic thing, that says more about you than it does about me, right?
Simmons: Politico … It was like passive aggressive coming after you but they couldn’t find a good way to do it.
Silver: Politico is a “who won the day” kind of thing, right? They’re trying to cover (politics) it like it’s sports but not in an intelligent way at all. They want to create noise, basically. Their whole thing is you have to have a lead story about some gaffe that somebody made on the campaign trail … In politics, you can have a whole month where nothing of any import- whatsoever happens. But you still have to have Politico produce a paper seven times a week—
Simmons: —and that’s when they’re trying to start trouble.
Kudos for Nate. He shares my contempt for, and dismissal of, the pundit nitwit class. I need to check out my latest “BS Report” podcast. I love Bill Simmons — he gave PBO a great interview, too.
I’m so glad that Silver is calling them out. It’s amazing to see how this piece of crap website has rose in the ranks. I tune into C-Span on my commute to and from work and you can’t get through a session without a “politico” hack giving a report. You can’t turn on cable during the day without one of those faces sitting there giving commentary. My local all news radio station can’t get through a news spot without a story from politico. The DC Beltway MSM has totally bought into the supposed prominence of Politico.
They are pure crap IMO and their childish behaviour over this Silver incident is just another indication of that.
I’m with you, Donna. The fact that Politico was carrying water for Dick Cheney when Cheney was disrespecting the President – that was all I needed to see about this organization. It’s a disgusting hack job. No serious journalist would work there. Better to joint he National Enquirer.
Judge Rules Louisiana School Voucher System Unconstitutional
Casey Michel – 4:37 PM EST, Friday November 30, 2012
A judge in Baton Rouge, La. ruled on Friday that the state’s recently implemented school voucher system is unconstitutional.
The AP reported that State Judge Tim Kelley determined the voucher program, currently serving nearly 5,000 students in the state, improperly diverts funds allocated for the state’s public schools to private ones. Kelley also said the program unconstitutionally diverts local tax funds to private schools.
The lawsuit, brought by a coalition of Louisiana educational organizations, will likely be appealed, according to CBS affiliate WAFB. The decision came four days after a federal judge ruled the voucher program also violated one parish’s desegregation orders.
Amen. The man leapfrogged over the Senate to the Presidency in two years, leaving a lot of lifers in the dust. He knew exactly who he was dealing with, and was never naive for one moment.
Dylan Byers of Politico (after slamming Nate Silver) reached out to Nate Silver for an interview after the election and didn’t get a response (translation: Rejected!) and so he’s been tweeting petty nonsense. Politico sure hates the truth.
Wow. I just watched six minutes of Sean Hannity, a personal record. In them I learned that 18 months ago the Middle East was peaceful and stable under dictators but hey they were “pro-American dictators” and now under the Obama administration the region has gone to hell. I also learned there are administration officials who are quaking under all the administration’s lies about the Benghazi Disaster and subsequent Cover-Up but hey they don’t wish indictment on themselves so the Truth eventually will out. I learned this administration ruthlessly deceived us about the Benghazi Disaster for election purposes. I learned that the Benghazi Disaster (and subsequent Cover-Up) and the 1998 Kenyan Embassy Disaster were eerily similar in their terrorist planning, but Democratic administrations just don’t get it.
I learned nothing about 9/11’s terrorist planning. It wasn’t mentioned on Sean Hannity’s show.
Rikyah you must have a strong stomach. Thank God, only certain folks watch those jokers for sheer entertainment, and only their base supporters believe that crap. 🙂
Let us know when you have made a call, sent an email, posted to their Facebook wall, or sent them a tweet. Your actions inspire us all. Doing something will make you feel powerful all day.
Wrote these names down when I saw this first post about them not being on board. I WILL make calls Monday and keep calling until I hear positive news from them.
I just called Max Baucus’s office here and told them I would be calling everyday about this. I told him we won and the people voted for change and the fact that he would not vote for change really makes me mad and that I probably would be calling everyday about this issue. Also I want to know a specific reason why he won’t vote for this. I will call the other offices too.
Just sent the following email to John Kerry. I plan to copy paste it to all eight:
Thank you for your service Senator Kerry. I am writing to express my support of filibuster reform. Democrats won the recent election and voted for the implementation of change. The filibuster has been abused by the Republican minority to the point where nothing can get done. We just won an election and don’t want to see progress stalled again because of outdated rules. We want to see change implemented. Filibuster rules need to be reformed to accomplish that.
Respectfully
So here is what happened when I called Feinstein’s office in SF. First it was just plain busy. (a good sign). then I called and was put on hold, finally the young man talked to me. I said she should support the Filibuster reform and he said, yes – I will definitely pass that along hat is your zip. The entire process took like 5 minutes total. I love the fact that he seemed frazzled and rushed. e have so many folks on this blog from CA, she needs to be bombarded with feedback.
I will contact Feinstein as my senator, and others. She gets on my nerves sometimes. I love Nancy Pelosi much better than Feinstein. she acts like a bluedog.
I don’t think the Romney camp thought they were winning at all. They are just blaming the internal polling guy because they need a scapegoat. Romney became increasingly desperate towards the end of the campaign. They were photoshopping crowds at Romney rallies, and their ground game was almost non-existent. You constantly saw tweets from Obama, DWS, and other surrogates about their activities at OFA. We saw and read directly from people on pro-Obama blogs such as TOD (and even Old Orange) about people’s personal OFA and Dashboard experiences with fundraising, organizing, phonebanking, canvassing, data entry, etc.
I saw NONE of that on GOP blogs. They were relying on the MSM, RW-cable, robocalls, and dishonest anti-Obama propaganda (etc., 2016 movie, DVD about Obama’s mother and illegitimate “real father”) mailed directly to voters’ homes.
I think you have a point there, Hopefruit. Unless they were so convinced that hatred and racism would drive people to the polls, even though they weren’t attending the rallies or donating money…? And that their voter suppression tactics would keep people from being able to vote? it just seems strange that people who were having to photo-shop crowds into their pictures would really believe they could win a national election, just because they had 10,000 raving lunatics at their rallies. They saw the Obama rallies with many more attendees.
I so wondered about those crowds hopefruit – I couldn’t find anything on the media calling them out – just lots of “look at the enormous crowds” – I was of the opinion Mitt was bringing folks in from Utah – no way he could ever legitimately get such crowds
This Saturday I am having a phone bank at my home where many of our wonderful OFA team will be calling voters in Dan Lundgren’s district and asking them to call his office and tell him we support President Obamas plan to raise taxes on folks making more than $250K
Visit this web page to see if there is an event near you
Here is an excerpt from our coordinator about the efforts in California – they are targeting Republicans in Congress whose district voted for PBO – we have 7 targets here in CA.
What an incredible turn of events, and we haven’t even begun to put the pressure. In regards to those phone banks calling into Mary Bono Mack’s district, we are changing our tactics to thank the outgoing Representative for recognizing the will of her constituents (there is a different script for phone banks calling this district). We’ll make sure that the rest of the Representatives equally see the writing on the wall starting this Saturday. ”
——————
I would ask that each of you who read this post either call your Senator (as listed above) or join theaction.org so you can keep fighting for the President. When we put pressure on elected officials – it works.
I want an Amtrak ticket from DC all the way to CA for $19 – in fact, make that Hawaii for $19. Rocket-speed Amtrak from DC to Hawaii with water capabilities. That’s the Christmas gift I want.
Obama defense pick could come sooner than expected
BEN FELLER and JULIE PACE
Published: 12 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama could name his next defense secretary in December, far sooner than expected and perhaps in a high-powered package announcement with his choice for secretary of state, several senior administration officials tell The Associated Press.
The personnel moves, coupled with Obama’s coming choice for a new leader of the Central Intelligence Agency, will be viewed by U.S. allies and enemies alike as signal of how he will pursue national security in a second term. All of his choices will be subject to Senate confirmation, which itself is a significant factor in his decisions.
The top names under consideration for defense secretary are former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, former top Pentagon official Michele Flournoy, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. Among those, Kerry is seen as desiring the secretary of state’s job more.
While Obama has made no final decisions on Cabinet vacancies, announcements could come as soon as next week.
The Obama administration issued rules Friday that charge insurance companies new fees to pay for parts of President Obama’s healthcare law.
The Health and Human Services Department said insurance companies will pay a monthly fee to sell plans through a federally run insurance exchange.
HHS will set up an exchange in any state that doesn’t establish its own — and that could be a lot of states, as Republican governors are taking a hard line against implementing any part of “ObamaCare,” even if their resistance invites greater federal involvement in their healthcare markets.
These Republicans governors who are refusing to set up the exchanges are the same governors who cost taxpayers millions of dollars fighting the “government takeover of healthcare”. How ironic.
I am so sorry we couldn’t make Nancy Pelosi the speaker of the House. If we want to do what is right for this country, we must get rid of Boehner, Cantor, and the rest of the do nothing Republicans.
I believe he will stay in town until it’s clear a deal can or cannot be resolved. Remember last year – his family went on without him, and he stayed in town until nearly Christmas Eve! I doubt it will be this bad, this time, but since he wants the debt ceiling resolved, as well, then it could come down to the wire. The thing is, the right wingers are lazy – they want to take off. They won’t last any longer than absolutely necessary – especially since it’s clear they’re losing.
I just got a return call from Sen Baucus’s office. The person said she called the office in DC and they said he hadn’t made a decision yet. He was looking at all options. I thanked her for calling me back and said I would be calling to check when he makes his decision and if he won’t vote for reform I want his reasoning for it.
Not sure if this will take off, it could have had a chance with W Bush’s terms and it’s not because we don’t have a sense of humor but people love and follow everything about the REAL Whitehouse.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that an asshole like Glen Greewald would attack the awesome Martin Bashir, but he did. I won’t post the link, but ugh.
Besides Rev. Al and Lawrence O’Donnell’s programs, Martin Bashir is the only other program I watch religiously. Matthews, The Cycle, Witt, and the rest are gag worthy and dispensable.
The picture of the President leaving and returning to D.C. are wonderful. It looks more like Fall instead of close to Winter (I suppose officially it is STILL Fall).
KNOW THY ENEMY – VOLUNTEERING AT LOCAL AND STATE LEVEL
Hi Everyone, a few posts back someone (thank you) referenced the article by Eric Ericson called “The Incestuous Bleeding of the Republican Party” http://www.redstate.com/2012/11/28/the-incestuous-bleeding-of-the-republican-party/ it ties in with the NY 66 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 555 illustration of the ‘unseemly’ connections of the RNC, SuperPacs, Romney Campaign.
Interesting read, in particular the insights by those responding to the blog. You don’t read any name calling or denigration of PBO but alongside their remarks of disgust towards the RNC Establishment there is a call to action that if they want true conservatives who truly put their country first they need to refocus on volunteering on the off years at the local area. I know this is what DNC does and OFA is growing to be formidable in this area, but I also feel the repubs have used this playbook successfully, consistently at the local and state levels.
Here is an example of one of those comments….
My suggestion would be for folks to get local. Your local county regional GOP committee is separate from and gets no financial support from the national RNC. These are the committees that are responsible for supporting candidates for things like county supervisors, city councils, mayors, school boards, etc. These small elections in off years are often won by less than 100 votes on very thin turnout. Start at the level closest to you and begin ejecting these socialists at the local level. If “top down” change isn’t working, try “bottom up”.
The reply to this comment is from an AZ Precinct Committeemen who cites the OFA movement and how he himself has been able over some years to increase the number of non-RINO representatives to be nominated for leadership roles in AZ (he writes how in his site please use just for fact-finding purposes, in NO way is an endorsement by me) is http://theprecinctproject.wordpress.com/)
What I was able to form an opinion on after reading the article and comments is while they are disgusted about the overall Repub Establishment, too many feel that it is a “both sides do it” so they feel stuck. As we all continue to read and spread information, this meme will change,
Organizing might be a good idea, but imo, the republicans’ major problems are their outdated policies, authoritarian mindset, and lack of respect for non-republicans. Unless they do something about these issues, organizing will be of little help to them since it will only attract more of the same kind of folks that they already have within the party–an ever shrinking group. People of Color, LGBTQ Americans, and young people are not going to be swayed by their organizing skills. They have to have something to offer these groups and as long as they bash the members in these groups, they will have problems increasing the size of their tent. A republican could show up at my door seven days a week for six months, and I’d still reject him/her because their policies stink, their attitudes stink, and I can’t stand the way they willingly co-exist with racists, hypocrites, liars, and bigots.
agree, it will always be about the policies, but its also about understanding the mechanics and participating at local levels to put forward and support policy centric representatives not DINOs 🙂
aloha chips and tods! just back from costco–bought the giant k’nex for my grandsons. funny, though, the clerks i spoke with didn’t know that veep biden had christmas shopped in costco yesterday, and didn’t know the president had toured the k’nex plant and brought home k’nex for gifts. happy to spread that christmas cheerful message!
I’m watching Bill Moyers on PBS talking about ALEC. Glad to see it on TV. He’s really exposing these a-holes. Alec was holding a Policy Summit the last three days. Yuk! Representatives who are supposed to serve the people selling themselves out to big business. How do they sleep at night? http://www.alec.org/meetings/states-nation-policy-summit-2012/
Obama White House.gov
The Obama Diary 
My2K?
Kasai!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AWWWWWWWWWWW!!!! Chips…You know how to make my day….Thank you kindly:-)
You are most most most most welcome! 🙂
I think all us TODsters should chip in and get him a HUGE set for Christmas! I have NO extra money but I think this would be a delightful thing to do!
Congratulations, kasai!!!
Hope the K’Nex folk have ooodles of inventory in the pipeline after today!!!!!
Thank you Sir… I feel like I just Won a the Powerball….:-)
😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆
Ha, yes Bob – sales will go through the roof!
I am looking where to get one as we speak…for a Christmas Gift..
For someone else 😉
One for me and one for my nephew..lol!
yes! i hadn’t figured out what to get for my grandsons for christmas yet, but now i know for sure! and, as luck would have it, we’re making our quarterly trek to costco today! hope they have a big pile of k’nex at the ready!
Fantastic!!!
Wow
That can’t Be..Me first…No Way!!!!!!!!!!! Let me check my Head..LOL
Yes you are first Kasai, and congrats.
Thank you…Don…:-)
Congrats Kasai on #1! Happy to see you at TOD.
Thank you HopeFruit:-) Happy to be here..
The trees are just the right height.
aloha and good morning chips and tods! counting down till the first family is with us again in the islands!
#BeepBeepGOP
#FORWARD
beep beep gop 🙂
Thanks Susanne!!! Gonna use that in a little response to Greg 🙂
🙂 🙂 🙂
now i’m off to costco! aloha oe~
Happy shopping 🙂
I like how when there is a new post and everyone is saying hi to each other and wishing everyone well, and then after all the pleasantries we go for the jugular.
🙂
He looks in complete awe in the first 3 pics! That’s just what he wants for Christmas. 🙂
He’s a kid at heart, Hopefruit!!
He sure is, Chips. 🙂
The Supreme Court, after taking most of the day to prepare new orders, took no action Friday on the ten same-sex marriage cases now on the docket. It did agree to rule on whether taking a human gene out of the body is a process that can be patented. It also agreed to rule on legal protection for makers of generic drugs.
The next opportunity for the Court to issue orders will be at 9:30 a.m. Monday. Nothing has ruled out the possibility that some actions on same-sex marriage could be announced at that time, although there is no indation that that will occur. It may be that the Court needs more time to decide what it wants to do next on any of the cases.
http://www.scotusblog.com/2012/11/no-action-on-same-sex-marriage/
CSPAN link to PBO’s K’nex visit ….
http://www.c-span.org/Events/Pres-Obama-Remarks-on-Middle-Class-Tax-Cuts/10737436155-1/
Thank you Bob!!
Just beginning to exhale…and feel it in my bones – the President’s re-election.
And, my bones feel good.
I’m with ya Rikyrah!!!! 😆 Feels GREAT!
our President is just a nerd at heart. and, it’s but one of the reasons I adore him.
The dog and cat are so cute…..just watch them… pay no attention to the commentary.
Pres. Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are giving their first post-election interview to People Magazine. Everything from the economy, to taxes, to the first family, to Bo, to Pres. Obama’s and First Lady Michelle Obama’s second term agenda will be covered.
I find it hilarious that Politico and the WH Press Corps are whining on twitter about POTUS and FLOTUS not being available to them. Pres. Obama just gave a press conference and gave another press briefing while in Asia. In addition to that, other news outlets ask better questions than the moronic beltway hacks.
I just purchased this special Essence edition called “A Salute to Michelle Obama”. It mostly consist of her fashion and the pictures are gorgeous.
http://www.blackexpressions.com/pages/nm/product/productDetail2.jsp?skuId=1077223480
What are we going to do with you COS? I guess you’ve got this stuff stacked to the ceiling by now. 😉
it’s a special on Michelle Obama?
where’d you buy it?
I bought it at my local drugstore (CVS). It was to beautiful for me to pass it. 🙂
BTW, it has Michelle photos from 2010 up to election night (2012). PBO and the kids are in some of the shots also.
yeah, thanks for telling me…
I’ll go look for it this week.
Okay you know I have to fine that Essence magazine. I will start looking tomorrow, and I have to get the People magazine too.
Since the WH Press Corps make up their own interpretations anyhow no matter what Jay Carney says all it shouldn’t matter. I’m sure they’ll find stories to tell from the other news outlets.
I find this hilarious. Politico’s Dylan Byers has been on this anti-Nate Silver streak because once again Politico was proven 100% wrong on the outcome of the election. This is petty jealousy.
Sheer jealousy. I don’t understand why so many liberal talks show hosts rely on Politico. Bill Press always have these Politico folks on his show. I think this Byers is the guy who was on his show thos morning.
What a bitter pathetic dick.
What a douchebag – although his obsession seems less about Nate Silver and more about President Obama. Nate Silver also predicted Mitt Romney’s chances – which waxed and waned based on the polling numbers he included in his models. Yet no tweet from Byer about Silver’s predictions or reactions associated with his predictions for Willard.
I’ve been enjoying Michael Grunwald’s articles for TIME Magazine and he does not disappoint again. Facts matter and he gets it. This is a must read piece.
It’s really amazing to see political reporters dutifully passing along Republican complaints that President Obama’s opening offer in the fiscal cliff talks is just a recycled version of his old plan, when those same reporters spent the last year dutifully passing along Republican complaints that Obama had no plan. It’s even more amazing to see them pass along Republican outrage that Obama isn’t cutting Medicare enough, in the same matter-of-fact tone they used during the campaign to pass along Republican outrage that Obama was cutting Medicare.
This isn’t just cognitive dissonance. It’s irresponsible reporting. Mainstream media outlets don’t want to look partisan, so they ignore the BS hidden in plain sight, the hypocrisy and dishonesty that defines the modern Republican Party. I’m old enough to remember when Republicans insisted that anyone who said they wanted to cut Medicare was a demagogue, because I’m more than three weeks old.
I’ve written a lot about the GOP’s defiance of reality–its denial of climate science, its simultaneous denunciations of Medicare cuts and government health care, its insistence that debt-exploding tax cuts will somehow reduce the debt—so I often get accused of partisanship. But it’s simply a fact that Republicans controlled Washington during the fiscally irresponsible era when President Clinton’s budget surpluses were transformed into the trillion-dollar deficit that President Bush bequeathed to President Obama. (The deficit is now shrinking.) It’s simply a fact that the fiscal cliff was created in response to GOP threats to force the U.S. government to default on its obligations. The press can’t figure out how to weave those facts into the current narrative without sounding like it’s taking sides, so it simply pretends that yesterday never happened.
Whatever. I realize that the GOP’s up-is-downism puts news reporters in an awkward position. It would seem tendentious to point out Republican hypocrisy on deficits and Medicare and stimulus every time it comes up, because these days it comes up almost every time a Republican leader opens his mouth. But we’re not supposed to be stenographers. As long as the media let an entire political party invent a new reality every day, it will keep on doing it. Every day.
Read more: http://swampland.time.com/2012/11/30/fiscal-cliff-fictions-lets-all-agree-to-pretend-the-gop-isnt-full-of-it/#ixzz2Dk6qjZsw
Tweet this over and over again to all the Beltway pundits. Just in case they don’t read the article. Because sometimes, I suspect those pundits don’t read very much, except the headlines of Drudge and Politico…
It is spreading like wildfire on Twitter and sensible journalists are praising him for the article. It’s just bloody fantastic. I loved his articles about the stimulus and why it was a success because he used F-A-C-T-S. It’s so refreshing.
Thank you so much, UT, for sharing this excellent article. This is the kind of journalism that this country desperately needs if it is to survive.
[Oh, Lawd!]:
Today, after digging through their binders full of women, Boehner & Co. apparently found one.
NBC News has learned that Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) will be named chair of the House Administration Committee. Miller did not serve on the committee during the 112th Congress. […]
The House Administration Committee deals with the pertinent administrative business of the House. The committee can decide such mundane things as whether or not the House cafeterias will use paper or Styrofoam plates — or more serious matters such as benefit packages for congressional workers and how the Library of Congress operates. The Committee also monitors the expense accounts of House members.
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/11/30/15577144-house-republicans-find-a-woman-in-their-ranks?lite
In other words, she is the glorified office manager making sure all the guys have their coffee.
This is beyond insulting. I seriously question the mental stability of any woman who votes republican and is proud to represent the GOP in congress.
X 2
So offensive!
A busy Sunday for Timothy Geithner! Astonishing: no John McCain!!
Meet the Press: Timothy Geithner, Bob Corker, Claire McCaskill, Grover Norquist, Chris Van Hollen, Jim Cramer, Maria Bartiromo
Face the Nation: Timothy Gardner, Lindsey Graham, Dianne Feinstein, Mike Rogers, Mark Zandi, Maya MacGuineas, Rana Foroohar, John Dickerson
This Week: Timothy Geithner, Tom Cole, Keith Ellison, Dan Senor, Steven Rattner, Cokie Roberts,
Fox News Sunday: Timothy Geithner, John Boehner, Tom Coburn, Charles Schumer, Bill Kristol, Mara Liasson, Ed Rollins, Evan Bayh
State of the Union: Timothy Geithner, Mark Warner, Kelly Ayotte, Brian Schweitzer, Carly Fiorina, Susan Page, A.B. Stoddard
Can anyone be as worthless as a pundit as Carly Fiorina?
There are plenty of contenders Bill, but no, hard to ‘top’ Carly!
Good news. Geithner isn’t that good a public speaker, but in interviews, he comes off as very honest and knowledgeable. And he has been a great public servant IMO.
Geithner has grown a lot more comfortable in the media camera over the years. And PBO has had his back through thick and thin. I remember a time when Ms. HuffnPuff and some emoprogs at Old Orange hated Geithner with a passion. Now that his policies have been shown to be successful, they are silent.
Mr. Geithner is one of the unsung heroes of the past four years. His main task was not to punish the profiteers, but to prevent an economic catastrophe. ANd he succeeded. He stabilized the systerm. He has also worked very hard with the European countries to prevent a global collapse. Yes, we’ve still got a hell of a problem with income inequality. But he battle against the plutocrats, against the excesses of capitalism, is a tough one. A battle that will take a long time and LOTS of effort. Bringing change while AVOIDING a chaos that would HURT ordinary people, well…. that is tricky. A reality that some ideologues of the “left” seem oblivious to.
Here, here! And that woman, Arianna Huffington, was doing the bidding of the right wing inauguration-night cabal in attacking Geithner, undermining him and calling for his resignation. All while Geithner was carrying a very heavy load, trying to prevent a global depression and watching the GOP stalling his nominees, in the midst of the crisis. It is astounding to me that people who have worked so diligently and successfully for this country for the past four years – President Obama included – have been so denigrated by the GOP and their minions. Watching Geithner on these business shows has given me an even deeper appreciation for his intelligence – I can see why President Obama likes him. They’re the same age, they both have the same heart for public service, and they are both very intelligent and dedicated (and world travelled). I will be sad to see Geithner go – he has served the President well, especially given the circumstances. And those who think he should have been dismantling the banksters and the rest of the money-mongers have forgotten that these people have been in power for a very long time with their shadow government/shadow economy, and dismantling them is not something that can happen so easily. Their time will come.
I really like Tim Geithner, and I love listening to him talk about his subject.
When they have a serious person like an actual Cabinet Secretary, they really shouldn’t have fluff people on like Cokie Roberts or AB Stoddard. Or for that matter, Kelly Ayotte (aka, today’s Sarah Palin) and Carly Fiorina (aka utter failure). Or worse still – Dan Senor. And who exactly made Jim Cramer (failed investment advisor who didn’t see the economic crisis looming) or Maria Bartiromo – glorified business talker.
The only saving grace is that Senile John McCain will be skipping the cameras this weekend.
When will Fox give up on Bill Kristol – in 20 years has he ever got anything right?
BWA HA HA HA HA HA AH HA
BWA HA HA HA HA HA AH HA
BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
Ok, I’ve caught my breath, now.
It was one HUGE GRIFT.
From beginning to end.
Willard was one big long con for them.
hilarious.
134 to 6
134 to 6
But, Willard was oh so ready to be President of the United States, because he was a rich, White businessman.
134 – 6
HEE HEE HEE
…………………………………………………………….
WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney’s campaign has directed $134.2 million to political firms with business ties to his senior staff, spotlighting the tightknit nature of his second presidential bid and the staggering sums being spent in this election.
Nine firms that are run by, or recently employed, top Romney aides have received almost a third of the $435.8 million that Romney’s campaign and a related fundraising committee have spent on operating expenses through Oct. 17, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis of federal election finance reports.
President Obama’s reelection campaign and a joint fundraising committee have paid about $5.8 million in consulting fees to companies with business ties to senior strategists, according to the finance reports.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-campaign-payday-20121027,0,6084625.story
And this was the mighty business man that the Right claims was going to fix all of the countries financial problems. Geesh!!! Thank goodness we dodged that bullet!!
That whole campaign was a pathetic joke!!!
LOL! There’s even a “CHEAT SHEET: Follow the money” in the article!
The Morning Plum: Skittish Democrats putting filibuster reform in peril:
[….] The Hill reports this morning that senators Dianne Feinstein, Mark Pryor, and Carl Levin are uncomfortable with a simple-majority change. Senators Max Baucus and Jack Reed have yet to be persuaded. Senators John Kerry and Jay Rockefeller say they’re undecided but leaning towards a change. Senator-elect Joe Donnelly is uncommitted. Presuming Republicans vote unanimously against any changes, if Harry Reid loses six votes, filibuster reform is toast.
Look, caution about changing the rules is understandable, particularly with something as dramatic as the constitutional option. But let’s put this as simply as we can: We cannot continue with the Senate remaining as dysfunctional as it is. This situation was forced upon Democrats. No matter how many times Republicans insist otherwise, recent GOP obstructionism is simply unprecedented, not just in degree, but in nature. Republicans adopted a deliberate party-wide strategy of grinding Senate business to a halt — on even routine matters — with the goal of denying Obama bipartisan successes, pinning the blame on him for ineffective government, bolstering the GOP’s anti-government ideology, and rendering Obama a one-term president. Surely that is worse than adopting a set of modest changes designed to prevent excessive and deliberate obstructionism for its own sake — even if those changes are adopted by (gasp!) majority vote.
And one last time: The reforms Dems are pursuing would not take away the minority’s ability to filibuster legislation on the motion to end debate. The minority would still be able to thwart the majority’s will if the minority really deemed it necessary. All the changes would do is make it harder for the minority to gum up the works with the explicit purpose of making governing harder for the majority, rather than expressing the minority’s will.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line
Nate Silver: Politico Covers Politics Like Sports But ‘Not In An Intelligent Way At All’
New York Times polling guru Nate Silver took aim at Politico’s brand of reporting on Friday, saying the Washington-based news outlet covers politics like sports but “not in an intelligent way at all.”
Reflecting on Politico’s pre-election criticism of his FiveThirtyEight model, Silver told Grantland’s Bill Simmons on his “B.S. Report” podcast:
What was remarkable to me is that you had some, like, journalist for, um, Politico, or something … who, like, tweeted … ‘All Nate’s doing is averaging polls and counting electoral votes?’ … ‘That’s the secret sauce?’ It’s like, well, yeah, and the fact that you can’t comprehend that very basic thing … that says more about you than, than about me, right?”
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/11/nate-silver-politico.php
This article in The Atlantic is funny. Nate Silver was asked about Politico and he told the truth about them. They’re unintelligent and hacks. Politico hates the truth so their “reporters” are all tweeting petty crap about Nate Silver. 😆
“They’re [Politico] trying to cover [politics] like sports, but not in an intelligent way at all,” math genie/political wizard Nate Silver said a new interview released today. “In politics, you can have a month where nothing of import whatsoever happens. But you still have to have Politico produce a paper seven times a week and that’s when they’re trying to start trouble.” Doing the simple math, seven times, carry the — Nate Silver is not fond of Politico. And that’s news because Silver is such a big player in the political field and so is Politico, and well, for political wonks, this little catfight is delicious.
Silver was saying all of this in a podcast with with ESPN’s Bill Simmons’s “The BS Report,” but it wasn’t like Silver was actually saying all these things out of the blue. There’s a point in the podcast where Simmons asks Silver about Politico’s Dylan Byers quasi-hitpiece which asked in its headline: “Nate Silver: One-term celebrity?” In that piece, Byers included lines like this one: “For all the confidence Silver puts in his predictions, he often gives the impression of hedging. But this was the the sledgehammer: What matters for Silver is that the president wins and that he ends up with a total number of electoral votes somewhere in the ballpark of whatever Silver predicts on the afternoon of Nov. 6. And even then, you won’t know if he actually had a 50.1 percent chance or a 74.6 percent chance of getting there.
Silver: What’s remarkable for me is that you had some journalist for Politico who tweeted out “All Nate’s doing is averaging polls and counting electoral votes right? That’s the secret sauce?.” Well, yeah, and the fact that you can’t comprehend that very basic thing, that says more about you than it does about me, right?
Simmons: Politico … It was like passive aggressive coming after you but they couldn’t find a good way to do it.
Silver: Politico is a “who won the day” kind of thing, right? They’re trying to cover (politics) it like it’s sports but not in an intelligent way at all. They want to create noise, basically. Their whole thing is you have to have a lead story about some gaffe that somebody made on the campaign trail … In politics, you can have a whole month where nothing of any import- whatsoever happens. But you still have to have Politico produce a paper seven times a week—
Simmons: —and that’s when they’re trying to start trouble.
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2012/11/nate-silver-vs-politico-oh-its/59508/
Kudos for Nate. He shares my contempt for, and dismissal of, the pundit nitwit class. I need to check out my latest “BS Report” podcast. I love Bill Simmons — he gave PBO a great interview, too.
I’m so glad that Silver is calling them out. It’s amazing to see how this piece of crap website has rose in the ranks. I tune into C-Span on my commute to and from work and you can’t get through a session without a “politico” hack giving a report. You can’t turn on cable during the day without one of those faces sitting there giving commentary. My local all news radio station can’t get through a news spot without a story from politico. The DC Beltway MSM has totally bought into the supposed prominence of Politico.
They are pure crap IMO and their childish behaviour over this Silver incident is just another indication of that.
I’m with you, Donna. The fact that Politico was carrying water for Dick Cheney when Cheney was disrespecting the President – that was all I needed to see about this organization. It’s a disgusting hack job. No serious journalist would work there. Better to joint he National Enquirer.
Judge Rules Louisiana School Voucher System Unconstitutional
Casey Michel – 4:37 PM EST, Friday November 30, 2012
A judge in Baton Rouge, La. ruled on Friday that the state’s recently implemented school voucher system is unconstitutional.
The AP reported that State Judge Tim Kelley determined the voucher program, currently serving nearly 5,000 students in the state, improperly diverts funds allocated for the state’s public schools to private ones. Kelley also said the program unconstitutionally diverts local tax funds to private schools.
The lawsuit, brought by a coalition of Louisiana educational organizations, will likely be appealed, according to CBS affiliate WAFB. The decision came four days after a federal judge ruled the voucher program also violated one parish’s desegregation orders.
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/judge-rules-louisiana-school-voucher-system-unconstitutional
And that is a joy to read – no doubt more money that should be funding public schools will be spent appealing the ruling
PBO DOESN’T NEED A ROLLER COASTER…HE’S GOT THE ‘INSANITY’ OF CONGRESS…NOW THAT’S A RIDE…’PETE AND REPEAT’ NEVER LEARN ANY LESSONS!
Love this tweet!
Amen. The man leapfrogged over the Senate to the Presidency in two years, leaving a lot of lifers in the dust. He knew exactly who he was dealing with, and was never naive for one moment.
Bingo! I’ve seen WAY too many articles insinuating that some how PBO “learnt” from his mistakes in 2010/2011.
Friday’s freaking awesome.
bbl
Dylan Byers of Politico (after slamming Nate Silver) reached out to Nate Silver for an interview after the election and didn’t get a response (translation: Rejected!) and so he’s been tweeting petty nonsense. Politico sure hates the truth.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/11/nate-silver-politico.php
That is such a great article. We are starting to call out these gop msm.
November 29, 2012
You want good comedy?
Wow. I just watched six minutes of Sean Hannity, a personal record. In them I learned that 18 months ago the Middle East was peaceful and stable under dictators but hey they were “pro-American dictators” and now under the Obama administration the region has gone to hell. I also learned there are administration officials who are quaking under all the administration’s lies about the Benghazi Disaster and subsequent Cover-Up but hey they don’t wish indictment on themselves so the Truth eventually will out. I learned this administration ruthlessly deceived us about the Benghazi Disaster for election purposes. I learned that the Benghazi Disaster (and subsequent Cover-Up) and the 1998 Kenyan Embassy Disaster were eerily similar in their terrorist planning, but Democratic administrations just don’t get it.
I learned nothing about 9/11’s terrorist planning. It wasn’t mentioned on Sean Hannity’s show.
http://pmcarpenter.blogs.com/p_m_carpenters_commentary/2012/11/you-want-good-comedy.html
Rikyah you must have a strong stomach. Thank God, only certain folks watch those jokers for sheer entertainment, and only their base supporters believe that crap. 🙂
CALL TO ACTION
Greetings TOD family. I finally have some time to visit with everyone, and hopefully to get you to take action to help PBO.
If your Senators are “uncomfortable” with Fillibuster changes, let’s help them get comfortable
Dianne Feinstein,
Mark Pryor
Carl Levin
Max Baucus
Jack Reed
John Kerry
Jay Rockefeller
Joe Donnelly
CALL THEM today and every week day until they change their minds
Contact information can be found at
http://www.whatisworking.com/2011/05/contact-congress-address-phone-twitter.html
Let us know when you have made a call, sent an email, posted to their Facebook wall, or sent them a tweet. Your actions inspire us all. Doing something will make you feel powerful all day.
Why is Kerry on that list? Is he pissed about not being offered SOS position?
Some are committee Chairs not wanting to give up the filibuster because that also would circumvent their committee.
Ah I see. Makes more sense if that were the reason.
Wrote these names down when I saw this first post about them not being on board. I WILL make calls Monday and keep calling until I hear positive news from them.
Great – your efforts will make a real difference.
I just called Max Baucus’s office here and told them I would be calling everyday about this. I told him we won and the people voted for change and the fact that he would not vote for change really makes me mad and that I probably would be calling everyday about this issue. Also I want to know a specific reason why he won’t vote for this. I will call the other offices too.
Thanks so much – this is what we need.
I have heard rumors Brian Schweitzer might primary Baucus. Any truth to that? I hope so.
We are hopeful!!!!! All the Dems I know want Baucus to retire. Don’t know if he is ready to give up the power. I am ready to keep suggesting it.
Isn’t Baucus retiring soon?
We hope so!!!!!
Just sent the following email to John Kerry. I plan to copy paste it to all eight:
Thank you for your service Senator Kerry. I am writing to express my support of filibuster reform. Democrats won the recent election and voted for the implementation of change. The filibuster has been abused by the Republican minority to the point where nothing can get done. We just won an election and don’t want to see progress stalled again because of outdated rules. We want to see change implemented. Filibuster rules need to be reformed to accomplish that.
Respectfully
I sent Feinstein an email yesterday about this. Will call as well.
So here is what happened when I called Feinstein’s office in SF. First it was just plain busy. (a good sign). then I called and was put on hold, finally the young man talked to me. I said she should support the Filibuster reform and he said, yes – I will definitely pass that along hat is your zip. The entire process took like 5 minutes total. I love the fact that he seemed frazzled and rushed. e have so many folks on this blog from CA, she needs to be bombarded with feedback.
Thanks to all who are helping.
I will contact Feinstein as my senator, and others. She gets on my nerves sometimes. I love Nancy Pelosi much better than Feinstein. she acts like a bluedog.
I don’t think the Romney camp thought they were winning at all. They are just blaming the internal polling guy because they need a scapegoat. Romney became increasingly desperate towards the end of the campaign. They were photoshopping crowds at Romney rallies, and their ground game was almost non-existent. You constantly saw tweets from Obama, DWS, and other surrogates about their activities at OFA. We saw and read directly from people on pro-Obama blogs such as TOD (and even Old Orange) about people’s personal OFA and Dashboard experiences with fundraising, organizing, phonebanking, canvassing, data entry, etc.
I saw NONE of that on GOP blogs. They were relying on the MSM, RW-cable, robocalls, and dishonest anti-Obama propaganda (etc., 2016 movie, DVD about Obama’s mother and illegitimate “real father”) mailed directly to voters’ homes.
I think you have a point there, Hopefruit. Unless they were so convinced that hatred and racism would drive people to the polls, even though they weren’t attending the rallies or donating money…? And that their voter suppression tactics would keep people from being able to vote? it just seems strange that people who were having to photo-shop crowds into their pictures would really believe they could win a national election, just because they had 10,000 raving lunatics at their rallies. They saw the Obama rallies with many more attendees.
Spot on!
I so wondered about those crowds hopefruit – I couldn’t find anything on the media calling them out – just lots of “look at the enormous crowds” – I was of the opinion Mitt was bringing folks in from Utah – no way he could ever legitimately get such crowds
CALL FOR ANOTHER ACTION
This Saturday I am having a phone bank at my home where many of our wonderful OFA team will be calling voters in Dan Lundgren’s district and asking them to call his office and tell him we support President Obamas plan to raise taxes on folks making more than $250K
Visit this web page to see if there is an event near you
http://find.theaction.org/
You can sign up today.
If you had an OFA group and ant to keep it going, you can do it. The folks at action.org are glad to help you get started.
http://www.theaction.org/
Here is an excerpt from our coordinator about the efforts in California – they are targeting Republicans in Congress whose district voted for PBO – we have 7 targets here in CA.
Amy’s note ————
“Some great news! Mary Bono Mack (one of our targets in California) must have been shaking in her shoes just to hear that The Action was mobilizing in her district and adjoining districts as well, because she has *already started to cave on allowing the top rates to expire!* Read more here:
http://startingpoint.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/29/rep-mary-bono-mack-r-ca-says-she-likes-what-tom-cole-has-to-say-about-getting-past-the-fiscal-cliff/
What an incredible turn of events, and we haven’t even begun to put the pressure. In regards to those phone banks calling into Mary Bono Mack’s district, we are changing our tactics to thank the outgoing Representative for recognizing the will of her constituents (there is a different script for phone banks calling this district). We’ll make sure that the rest of the Representatives equally see the writing on the wall starting this Saturday. ”
——————
I would ask that each of you who read this post either call your Senator (as listed above) or join theaction.org so you can keep fighting for the President. When we put pressure on elected officials – it works.
Love it. Fantastic work.
19 bucks?
You all can thank the recovery act for this,
I want an Amtrak ticket from DC all the way to CA for $19 – in fact, make that Hawaii for $19. Rocket-speed Amtrak from DC to Hawaii with water capabilities. That’s the Christmas gift I want.
I’d sign up for that, as long as it doesn’t go under water!
Michael Grunwald’s piece is spreading like wildfire on twitter. Credible journalists are praising him for speaking truth.
Obama defense pick could come sooner than expected
BEN FELLER and JULIE PACE
Published: 12 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama could name his next defense secretary in December, far sooner than expected and perhaps in a high-powered package announcement with his choice for secretary of state, several senior administration officials tell The Associated Press.
The personnel moves, coupled with Obama’s coming choice for a new leader of the Central Intelligence Agency, will be viewed by U.S. allies and enemies alike as signal of how he will pursue national security in a second term. All of his choices will be subject to Senate confirmation, which itself is a significant factor in his decisions.
The top names under consideration for defense secretary are former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, former top Pentagon official Michele Flournoy, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. Among those, Kerry is seen as desiring the secretary of state’s job more.
While Obama has made no final decisions on Cabinet vacancies, announcements could come as soon as next week.
More here: http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268798/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=c5ts8CI3
The Obama administration issued rules Friday that charge insurance companies new fees to pay for parts of President Obama’s healthcare law.
The Health and Human Services Department said insurance companies will pay a monthly fee to sell plans through a federally run insurance exchange.
HHS will set up an exchange in any state that doesn’t establish its own — and that could be a lot of states, as Republican governors are taking a hard line against implementing any part of “ObamaCare,” even if their resistance invites greater federal involvement in their healthcare markets.
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/270331-hhs-sets-new-fees-for-insurers-in-federal-exchange
This is the most informative article on the HC law ever!
These Republicans governors who are refusing to set up the exchanges are the same governors who cost taxpayers millions of dollars fighting the “government takeover of healthcare”. How ironic.
She knows she’s got enough signatures and enough votes 🙂
Because we all know how our Speaker Pelosi rolls 🙂
Rules are rules. Just like in the Senate they use rules against us. High time we flip that!
I am so sorry we couldn’t make Nancy Pelosi the speaker of the House. If we want to do what is right for this country, we must get rid of Boehner, Cantor, and the rest of the do nothing Republicans.
We must put the House back in control of the Democrats.
right onnnnn right onnnnnn…she is a badddddddddddd mammer jammer!!!!
I’m listening to soothing Christmas songs on my computer CD deck. I’m enjoying my holiday music while on TOD. Bliss. Thanks! 🙂
Simple pleasures.
smh
And Hawaii is Obama’s home state, born and raised.
I’m tired of stupid right wingers.
I wonder if POTUS will be going to Hawaii for Christmas. I was thinking he might hang around to see if something could be work out.
I believe he will stay in town until it’s clear a deal can or cannot be resolved. Remember last year – his family went on without him, and he stayed in town until nearly Christmas Eve! I doubt it will be this bad, this time, but since he wants the debt ceiling resolved, as well, then it could come down to the wire. The thing is, the right wingers are lazy – they want to take off. They won’t last any longer than absolutely necessary – especially since it’s clear they’re losing.
I didn’t really think POTUS would leave for vacation without a agreement for the middle class taxes not to go up.
But – they are scheduled to leave on Dec 17.
ditto..
I just got a return call from Sen Baucus’s office. The person said she called the office in DC and they said he hadn’t made a decision yet. He was looking at all options. I thanked her for calling me back and said I would be calling to check when he makes his decision and if he won’t vote for reform I want his reasoning for it.
Keep up the work everyone!!!!1
Excellent – I’m so impressed that she followed up and then called you back. As for Baucus – he needs to wake up.
We are hoping he will retire. He comes up for election in 2 years.
I hope his staff stays on if they’re like the one you dealt with. That’s service!
Not sure if this will take off, it could have had a chance with W Bush’s terms and it’s not because we don’t have a sense of humor but people love and follow everything about the REAL Whitehouse.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that an asshole like Glen Greewald would attack the awesome Martin Bashir, but he did. I won’t post the link, but ugh.
What did Rio GiGi say?
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/martin-bashirs-nightmare-show-delivering-dreamy-ratings/
Besides Rev. Al and Lawrence O’Donnell’s programs, Martin Bashir is the only other program I watch religiously. Matthews, The Cycle, Witt, and the rest are gag worthy and dispensable.
Yup.
The picture of the President leaving and returning to D.C. are wonderful. It looks more like Fall instead of close to Winter (I suppose officially it is STILL Fall).
KNOW THY ENEMY – VOLUNTEERING AT LOCAL AND STATE LEVEL
Hi Everyone, a few posts back someone (thank you) referenced the article by Eric Ericson called “The Incestuous Bleeding of the Republican Party” http://www.redstate.com/2012/11/28/the-incestuous-bleeding-of-the-republican-party/ it ties in with the NY 66 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 555 illustration of the ‘unseemly’ connections of the RNC, SuperPacs, Romney Campaign.
Interesting read, in particular the insights by those responding to the blog. You don’t read any name calling or denigration of PBO but alongside their remarks of disgust towards the RNC Establishment there is a call to action that if they want true conservatives who truly put their country first they need to refocus on volunteering on the off years at the local area. I know this is what DNC does and OFA is growing to be formidable in this area, but I also feel the repubs have used this playbook successfully, consistently at the local and state levels.
Here is an example of one of those comments….
My suggestion would be for folks to get local. Your local county regional GOP committee is separate from and gets no financial support from the national RNC. These are the committees that are responsible for supporting candidates for things like county supervisors, city councils, mayors, school boards, etc. These small elections in off years are often won by less than 100 votes on very thin turnout. Start at the level closest to you and begin ejecting these socialists at the local level. If “top down” change isn’t working, try “bottom up”.
The reply to this comment is from an AZ Precinct Committeemen who cites the OFA movement and how he himself has been able over some years to increase the number of non-RINO representatives to be nominated for leadership roles in AZ (he writes how in his site please use just for fact-finding purposes, in NO way is an endorsement by me) is http://theprecinctproject.wordpress.com/)
What I was able to form an opinion on after reading the article and comments is while they are disgusted about the overall Repub Establishment, too many feel that it is a “both sides do it” so they feel stuck. As we all continue to read and spread information, this meme will change,
(hmm…I thought I was able to highlight just the comment in italics, fyi, it ends after “bottom up”). 🙂
Organizing might be a good idea, but imo, the republicans’ major problems are their outdated policies, authoritarian mindset, and lack of respect for non-republicans. Unless they do something about these issues, organizing will be of little help to them since it will only attract more of the same kind of folks that they already have within the party–an ever shrinking group. People of Color, LGBTQ Americans, and young people are not going to be swayed by their organizing skills. They have to have something to offer these groups and as long as they bash the members in these groups, they will have problems increasing the size of their tent. A republican could show up at my door seven days a week for six months, and I’d still reject him/her because their policies stink, their attitudes stink, and I can’t stand the way they willingly co-exist with racists, hypocrites, liars, and bigots.
agree, it will always be about the policies, but its also about understanding the mechanics and participating at local levels to put forward and support policy centric representatives not DINOs 🙂
ZOMFG!!!!!
New post everyone:
http://theobamadiary.com/2012/11/30/this-and-that-52/
aloha chips and tods! just back from costco–bought the giant k’nex for my grandsons. funny, though, the clerks i spoke with didn’t know that veep biden had christmas shopped in costco yesterday, and didn’t know the president had toured the k’nex plant and brought home k’nex for gifts. happy to spread that christmas cheerful message!
I’m watching Bill Moyers on PBS talking about ALEC. Glad to see it on TV. He’s really exposing these a-holes. Alec was holding a Policy Summit the last three days. Yuk! Representatives who are supposed to serve the people selling themselves out to big business. How do they sleep at night?
http://www.alec.org/meetings/states-nation-policy-summit-2012/