I am ashamed to admit it but copy and paste and drag it over are not in my skill set. New Years resolutions will be to learn these things and start Twittering, too. Tweeting? twittering?
Vicki Green
December 5, 2012 at 2:43 pm
An off-thread but interesting item from the Web: Apparently there are some Democratic interests pushing PBO and OFA to give them their donor/volunteer/support lists—e-mail, Twitter, whatever.
OK they can ask but not Demand. Those names and addresses belong to the folks to whom they were provided. Not to politicos in perpetuity that want to use what PBO has built.
If and when OFA decides to hand over our info I will be good with that.
But, please, no person or group is entitled to that treasure trove just because they claim to be Dems or Progressives.
Am I crazy with this?
If so maybe it is because our so-called Democratic Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo has thrown the NYState democratic senators under the bus and has formed an alliance with the repubs. Dems friendly to progressive interests have been shut out!
Cuomo calls himself a Dem. Should PBO give him any list of any kind? I do not think so.
I’m with you on this Vicki!!! Nobody has the right to the database built specifically for PBO. I personally want nothing to do with most of them and would be very offended if my information is handed over to others!!!
There is a reason OFA was the only thing I signed up for and I’d like to keep it that way!!!
Vicki–I believe OFA DOES NOT give its donor list to anyone. The volunteers who signed up for campaigning as well as pro PBO voters should be reflected in state Democratic lists which any Democratic candidate can access. So, I agree with you that OFA has no obligation to share. Democrats can and should contact their state Democratic committees to get the state lists. That’s how it’s supposed to work.
They don’t give that list to anyone. They do, however agree to send things to the list, like email from Nancy, or Chelsea Clinton. OFA has no earthly reason to give their email or any other data they have collected to anyone except where expressly agreed. For instance: Washington State Democrats negotiated a deal with the Coordinated Campaign and OFA to get the list of volunteers who worked for the campaign to use to recruit people for subsequent elections. Very smart on their part, I think. But those email addresses, one of their most valuable commodities, is not for sale to anyone, ever. As it should be.
Vicki – if you select the text you want to copy, then you can click on “CTRL” and “C” together. Then you come over here to a new post entry, and click on “CTRL” and “V” together. The text should come on over. But, I’m not sure if it depends on your browser. Try it!
Instability in Israel-Gaza-Egypt, Syria getting more dangerous with the menace of chemical weapons and of a regional war, and finally , at home, the budget battles/ “fiscal cliff”/debt ceiling debate. Let’s pray for President Obama and his team, folks. Their responsibilities are enormous, and they are navigating dangerous waters.
Harry Reid Says He Will Change the Rules
by BooMan
Wed Dec 5th, 2012 at 01:03:59 PM EST
I’ve been wondering whether or not Harry Reid has enough votes in his own caucus to change the rules of the Senate next year. It sure sounds like he believes that he does. He says he is going to change the rules and that he isn’t going to settle for any handshake agreement from Mitch McConnell. I guess that this means that Reid is at least locked into making an effort to change the rules, and I doubt he would commit himself this way if he didn’t feel pretty confident about his prospects of succeeding.
I suppose it is possible that he is bluffing in an effort to convince McConnell to make concessions, but I think it is more likely that Reid actually does have enough support to make the changes if McConnell refuses to come to the table with a serious proposal.
It will be interesting to see what actually winds up happening. I like the proposed reforms, but I worry that we’ll get relatively little out of them compared to the risk we will incur down the line.
Fiscal cliff is minute, in comparison, a distraction if you will. The Republicabs want a debt ceiling, cut spending vote every year, if not more.
This is ridiculous!
That was beautiful to watch. I love how Pres. Obama has embraced the Tribal Nations Conference since he’s been POTUS and always welcomed them with open arms and always fights for Native Americans to get funding for healthcare, education, stimulus, etc. He is always about inclusion and we are the better for it.
That Ron Christie is just deplorable – he’s far worse than Michael Steele, because Ron Christie so cravenly defends anything coming out of the mouth of a right winger. I’m convinced he’d even defend a slur against his own mother, if it came from a right winger. He always seems to find a convenient excuse for selling out decent people.
A stat worth noting, per Steve Kornacki on The Cycle——-that domestic disputes are 12 times more likely to end in death in households with guns. As he referenced the Jovan Belcher case, the murder-suicide by the Kansas City Chief, I thought it was interesting that the early reporting by his friends and teammates made it sound like his girlfriend was the catalyst, that she was out at a concert and then out with friends, enraging him, almost insinuating that she deserved what she got. But further reporting notes that he was also out partying, was “sleeping” in a car in front of another woman’s apt., police made contact with him there, and then he spent the rest of the night in this lady’s apt., was asked to be awakened at 6:30 so he could make it home and then to the team mtg. At his home an argument ensued and the tragedy happened. So once again, without access to the gun, this would likely have just been another angry, domestic fight in a troubled relationship, but both parents of a 3 mo. old baby would still be alive.
“Let the taunting begin. A handful of Senate Democrats held a press conference Wednesday morning, basically daring Republicans to follow through on a strategy in which they allow the vote on extending middle class tax cuts, then take the debt ceiling hostage again.
“I think they learned their lesson with the debt ceiling,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer. “I don’t think it’s leverage at all. Any talk that that is leverage for them, I think, is false.” […]
“We are not going to negotiate those details until there is a vote on tax cuts,” Schumer said.
Schumer, joined by Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Mark Begich, stood next to a sign that bore the message, “In 27 Days Middle-class taxes will go up $2,200 unless the House acts.”
This is to shoot down the so-called “doomsday plan” Republicans have cooked up. The theory goes that they take the vote on middle class tax cuts, but allow everything else to expire, and then have more leverage in January, when they once again take the debt ceiling hostage. Because they still want the world to know they’re willing to blow up the global economy.”
(The thing about hostage taking is this- you tell the terrorists ahead of time that there is no negotiating with terrorists so that if they follow through with their terrorist activity, the responsibility is entirely on their heads.)
Good for the president. The game is old, the Republicans keep replaying the same old tunes and people are tired of it and them. Our job is to make sure everyone we know and talk to knows exactly who is to blame for any stalemates.
I am happy to see the Democrats and PBO address this early. The constituents of these republicans vote to keep these folks in office while they benefit from Democrats keeping food on their tables with unemployment insurance, etc. If they go off the cliff, I am sure lot of folks who are not paying attention will start paying attention and wonder why their checks are not the same.
We shop at Costo, trader joes, fred meyers….if I can not get what I need in stores where they treat their employees well, I make do. Have not used Walmart in years, I keep adding to my personal list of non support.
Agree, Isonprize. These businesses don’t understand the residual effects of their behavior. Even if they try to make amends, people remember there’s something “off” about them and will go somewhere else. I never like Olive Garden to begin with, but will certainly never darken their doors again.
I never really did Red Lobster, even in my younger days of dating. I went once and wasn’t impressed with their food OR their service. , so when I guy asked where I wanted to go, I would always name a good local restaurant.
Besides, there are too many good “locals” in Philadelphia to do a bad chain.
Wassup all you O’s!?!?!?! Having a great getting up day again? Well, I just heard that Karl Rove and Dick Morris can no longer appear on FAUX unless the producers get approval beforehand. I guess it was Karl’s breakdown on election night, even questioning Fox’s own people who called it for PBO. Then, old Dick had to insist on that his predictions and polling was right, even when faced with facts. So who knew that Fox could actually be embarrassed. Now if they could just close the doors and cut off the lights.
Maddow: Secret Petraeus audio means Fox News ‘officially’ part of the GOP
“Maddow explained that almost more than anything yet revealed, this audio makes it clear that Fox News “seriously is not like anything else in news. They are officially just a media arm of the Republican Party. They are a political operation serving the needs of the Republican Party. That’s okay, but we should stop thinking of them as something other than that.”” http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/12/05/maddow-secret-petraeus-audio-means-fox-news-officially-part-of-the-gop/
Hi @PressSec Now that it is beyond any doubt that FoxNews is a GOP propaganda biz http://t.co/6CtxecM8 they should be removed from the WHPC.
Good idea, but too bad the press corp assigns it’s own member’s seating arrangements and stuff. the only thing Jay can control is to not call on them. The last time the WH pushed back on FOX at a presser, Robert Gibbs was resoundly admonished by the other members of the esteemed 4th estate. They actually don’t mind allowing FOX to give them all a bad name. smh
rachel did a piece on this, too. it’s a stunning revelation, again leaked through secret tapes, of how fox news planned to select, bankroll, and promote a candidate for president. who would, if he won, be forever in their thrall, one assumes. rachel said, okay, fine, they’re not a news organization, but this is outrageous. to me, this is not ‘okay, fine’.
How can this be news to anyone. Fox has never acted like anything other than an arm of the Republican Party. It has always been an interesting exercise in faux journalism, well funded and with a veneer of respectability whose purpose is Republican propaganda. The truly sad thing is that millions of Americans have so little sense of discernment or critical thinking that they surrendered their brain cells to this farce of a “network” year after year. It’s like seeing shadows on a wall and thinking they’re the real thing.
if an alligator got that close to me, it wouldn’t be the alligator’s pee on me. I’d also need more than a change of clothes….a hose down comes to mind. Poor kid.
I think he probably thought it was the highlight of his life. I posted this here and on facebook, and I’m surprised that no one so far has asked me how this came about.
There was some kind of special science assembly for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders that involved animals, including the alligator. The gator, a small one, was being held by the presenter and apparently was seized with the urge to relieve itself. According to our principal the gator had been a thirsty guy, because it was quite a stream!
Seriously? if I hear one more bullshit comment about Hillary possibly running 4 fucking years from now, I’m gonna explode. Seriously?!!!! Can we please get PBO inaugurated and support him through-out his next term before we bury him and resurrect an old pol to be our next standard bearer? What, President Obama doesn’t exist anymore? Because he was re-elected we can ignore him and start talking about our fantasy presidential campaign list for 2016? Good God. 🙄 Can’t believe Martin has sunk so low, reporting on this shit. 🙄
In 2008 she was considered inevitable, and we all know what happened. If I were she, I’d call those flunkies and tell them to SHUT UP! People will be tired of her before primaries begin and that is not good. In two years there will be some new people, some not even on the radar now. There always are. If the MSM would do its work, they wouldn’t be playing these silly guessing games. And they are rarely right!!!
Someone mentioned earlier that it’s highly inappropriate for this campaigning stuff to be starting while she’s still working for the current President, and while the GOP are launching this witch hunt against her possible successor. It’s highly inappropriate.
SOS Clinton has been absolutely clear, as recently as late October 2012 that she is NOT going to continue in politics. When asked if she would be a candidate —
“”No, I’m not,” she said.
“Why not?” Waldman asked. “Everybody wants you to.”
“I have been on this high wire of national and international politics and leadership for 20 years,” Clinton said. “It has been an absolutely extraordinary personal honor and experience. But I really want to just have my own time back. I want to just be my own person. I’m looking forward to that.””
What Nate Silver recently said about Politico applies to all the #NEWSTAINERS … ‘they need to make noise’ every day. That’s what they do, they MAKE NOISE.
This is just another “Distraction”, remember the cartoon from yesterday or this mornig….”oh look over there”…..”while I distract you from what I am stealing from you”.
yes, it’s irritating, and yet… i think people feel we’re on a roll, we have momentum, and we have to make extra double sure we have another dem prez when pbo is done. not that his second term is inconsequential, but that holding on to his gains, and building on them, is extraordinarily important. i expect pbo will have this in mind, too–he plays a very long game.
They clearly didn’t know what to do, and there was probably a whole lot of shouting in their ears telling them to go to break, or something. It looks very bad, but it’s also hard to imagine what people will do in such a situation. People freeze.
It’s surprising how many videos there are of people fainting on screen. Maybe it’s the adrenaline, time of day, heat from the lights, etc.?
I was thinking as I was reading that how plain and simple it all is. The President is not claiming a “mandate” to overthrow our democracy, or to say it’s his way or the highway (which is in need of repairs, and some good middle-class workers put to that task, but I digress). He states a clear mandate for himself, which he feels he can accomplish through cooperation and consensus. Democrats think, “Well said, Mr. President.” Republican political types and newsreaders think, “How radical. What about the rich?” Mitt is still thinkin’, as he drives around in his new Audi toward his pretend office at Marriott, “More gifts?”
I like the other part of that statement that isn’t printed there, where he says the American people said “work as hard as you can to help us”. He takes that very seriously. The GOP, on the other hand, think it’s outrageous that the public voted them into public office, and now expect them to serve the public and the public interests. Politicians are often regarded as being craven and such, but I don’t think anyone’s ever seen a group of politicians quite like the GOP in Congress.
To hear Sen. Kerry and Ted Kennedy Jr. talk about the Repubs obstructing that intl. disabilities treaty, it just really makes clear that we are dealing with Congressional Republicans who are disillusioned, heartless, indecent and crazy. Crazy as crazy gets. It’s unbelievable to me that these cockeyed people are at the highest level of our government. How in the world did that happen? What a shame.
I saw him in a hover-round (or whatever they’re called). He should just be praying that he will see the next election. Sometimes I think our only hope to defeat these people is the passage of time… It’s uncharitable of me to say, but it’s true.
I so totally agree with you, dotster. They’re insane, and it says something very frightening that they are at the highest levels of government, and that 60 million people voted for Romney – and that Paul Ryan still thinks he’s presidential material. The whole thing is astonishing.
And they (R and R) lost. We won. The whole political pendulum thingie works out, sometimes!!! Four more glorious years ahead, which haven’t even begun to unfold yet. I’m concentrating on that (no matter how annoying the Republicans are – grrrr).
The Republicans probably think that they don’t want any good will coming from this Country, while we have this President.
Still not sure why Leadership bring bills and petitions that don’t have the votes, or the required signatures?
Dptster3, I heard Sen. Kerry and Ted Kennedy Jr., also speaking of this today, however, Sen. Kerry did say that possibily in Feb.,(I think) that they will bring it up again and will hope that they will have more R’s to vote for it this time. Let us pray so. We must be on the look out for this again.HZ
Jay Carney was taking questions today, and he was sticking up fir Anna Wintiyr as a possible selection for UK Ambassador.
One question was: Has the President ever seen the Devil wears Prada?
Oh, Chips, you are in my heart even more for bringing the video here of the President’s remarks at the Tribal Nations Conference. I try to watch that every year, and had forgotten about it earlier. Thank you, thank you, darlin’ woman.
EXCLUSIVE: I’ve just learned that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has invited Steven Spielberg to screen Lincoln on December 12th. But what’s different about this invitation is that Reid is offering to provide the U.S. Senate to Spielberg as the theatre. Reid’s invite only recently went out — and I’m told Spielberg will accept for his movie to play in the historic setting. No one is yet sure if this has ever been done by a movie before. (Of course, movies play at the White house all the time, and Lincoln is no exception: it screened November 15th for President Obama, Spielberg, cast and crew members at the executive mansion.) The film’s release was delayed until after the 2012 Election – but DreamWorks still scheduled a special extended 2-minute TV ad during the commercial break right after the first Presidential Debate. I’m told Reid, a Democrat, is a huge fan of the biopic about the most famous Republican president. The movie is playing well all across the country, primarily for adult audiencies, but in red states as well as blue states. Politicos and pundits on both sides of the aisle have praised the film which is Oscar-touted. Now it remains to be seen if Reid’s invite will be politicized – and if the attendance during this lame duck session will be bipartisan. ”The irony is that what’s happening with the fiscal cliff isn’t that different from what’s going on in the movie” ….
Oh, that IS great, meta. Ol’ Harry is sending messages to the Rs all the time. But it reminds me of that old line, “You keep sending, but I ain’t receiving.” Anyway, maybe putting current discussions into historical perspective will knock some of those Republicans up side the head, and get them to realize there have been and are more important things going on in this country than taking care of the plantation owners and today’s robber barons.
I talked to my apartment management office and I do have an early termination policy in my lease. It’s basically 1 month’s rent (with no discounts) plus a pro-rated amount for Jan (I’ll be moving out on the 11th, so 11 days pro-rated), plus any discounted amount on rent that I was given for the time I stayed on lease (7months). That still is a good chunk of change, but still basically 1 full paycheck (luckily I have like 3 more coming).
Still that’s good news. I still had like 7 months left on my lease and 7X my rent is way more than 1 paycheck. So I came out of this good.
No need for sublet and no bad things on my rental history/credit report (at least nothing new…smh I’ve kept it clean for awhile now waiting for things to drop off if at all possible).
I also scheduled services cancellations for the major 3 things I had to: cable, electricity and appliance rentals (I didn’t want to buy a washer and dryer and lug it around, so I opted for renting those 2 appliances.
So other than getting off my duff and start packing, oh and turning in my resignation (which I’m doing tomorrow), I’m good to go. Unfortunately I start my 7 off tomorrow and so I only really have less than a few hours a day to do shit, but I’ll make it work.
I’m curious, are any of these people Republicans? I was glad to see our lone Dem congressman from Oklahoma, Dan Boren, signed it. He is a well known blue dog, so maybe if he signed it, other blue dogs will also, and maybe some Republicans…….
an in-depth article from wapo–very interesting and a reminder of what is involved in ‘just stop that war now’.
‘ The Obama administration has ordered significant cutbacks in initial plans for a robust U.S. civilian presence in Afghanistan after U.S. combat troops withdraw two years from now, according to U.S. officials.
~
Planners were recently told to reduce personnel proposals by at least 20 percent, a senior administration official said. Projects once considered crucial are being divided into lists of those considered sustainable and those that will not be continued. ‘
Maybe someone should send this to Rachel Maddow, who seems to think that if the President doesn’t snap his fingers and withdraw troops immediately, then he doesn’t mean it when he says the troops will be out by 2014. Since she’s the only journalist who was informed of the troop withdrawal in Iraq two years ago, one would think she’d know by now how huge an operation that actually is. Maybe she just doesn’t want to know.
I scheduled a short 15min meeting with my Lab Director, Lab Manager, and Section Supervisor for tomorrow. They have been very understanding of my situation and I think I owe them for how easy they made it for me to be able to go home or in this case it’s them allowing me to work 7 on and 7 off that made it easy to go back and forth to NOLA and Cincy when my mom had her heart attack. The reason for the 7 on/off schedule was to make it easier to go back and forth to home. It was a blessing and a gift from the Lord cause no less than 1month after I started that schedule, my mom had her heart attack and I’m be back and forth every other week since. So even though my resignation letter is just a simple form letter, in this meeting, I will talk to them and explain what’s going on. I don’t think I’m going to tell ’em about the job (cause I”m paranoid/superstitious about most things and I just don’t want to jinx the new job), but I will update them on my mom and tell them all in person that I appreciate how easy they made everything. Plus, I’m giving them a 6 weeks notice instead of 2 (actually 3 weeks, because due to my on/off schedule, I only really work 2 weeks a month) and I’m working through the holidays so they don’t have to worry about scheduling when so many people are off for the holiday.
I’m thinking they gave you all of these considerations because you must be an excellent employee. They will be sorry to see you go, I’m sure! Have a good meeting tomorrow.
That would be stupendous, but unless she has had a complete change of heart, I don’t think it is anything she would ever be interested in doing.
In the meantime, Illinois is desperate to find some quality candidates for Jesse Jackson Jr’s seat. So far we have an ex-con (sex with underage girl and bank fraud) and another who was arrested today, spending the night in the clink, for bringing a gun on board a plane. Etc.
Just so you know the President is clearly prepared ….
Thousands of US troops arrive near Syrian shore on USS Eisenhower
If the US decides to intervene militarily in Syria, it now has at its disposal 10,000 fighting men, 17 warships, 70 fighter-bombers, 10 destroyers and frigates and a guided military cruises. Some of the vessels are also equipped with Aegis missile interceptors to shoot down any missiles Syria might have at hand, according to DEBKAfile.
“The muscle is already there to be flexed,” a US official told the London Times about the US military’s presence outside of Syria. “It’s premature to say what could happen if a decision is made to intervene. That hasn’t taken shape, we’ve not reached that kind of decision. There are a lot of options, but it [military action] could be launched rapidly, within days.”
The move comes after NATO made a significant strategic decision Tuesday to deploy Patriot Air and Missile Defense Systems in Turkey on the border of Syria where opposition groups have the stronghold. The defense would be able to protect Turkey from potential Syrian missiles that could contain chemical weapons, as well as intimidate Syrian Air Force pilots from bombing the northern Syria border towns, which the armed rebels control. Syria is thought to have about 700 missiles.
“The protection from NATO will be three dimensional; one is the short-range Patriots, the second is the middle-range Terminal High Altitude Air Defense [THAD] system and the last is the AEGIS system, which counters missiles that can reach outside the atmosphere,” Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.
Exactly! People forget the President’s job is not just what we see on TV. So they underestimate how difficult the work is and how important is it to have a focused, strategic thinker in that role and smart, competent people around him.
The Preparation is where is the nearest Aircraft Carrier Group, send them in.
After the threat of possible chemical warfare, which is illegal since 1917!
I wonder what the republicans will say now?
has there been any response from Russia and China re: 1..the possibility of Syria using biological weapons and 2… the build-up of Nato forces in the area…
None that I’ve seen, however neither are in a position to stop US/NATO if Assad attacks his own people with chemical weapons. And, I assure you the assets mentioned in the article are only a portion that are in strong striking position of Iran from the Gulf – and those forces are such that if Iran takes any action they’ll be crushed.
Let’s look at it this way, pf, you’ve got a caged tyrant in Syria who’s father gassed his own people. The tyrant has plenty of bad stuff and the ability to launch it so the only question is, does he want to finish his life in some African or South American domicile or does he want to die. That’s really the decision at this point.
Problem for him is if he deploys even a miniscule amount of it, he’s going to be crushed in a matter of hours. Moreover, Iran – the folk with the most on the line, actually, in this situation – might well do something stupid. If they do, I assure you every conceivable step they might take has been ‘gamed’ and you betcha the US and NATO (and others) are prepared.
When you have a former Sec of Defense making the kind of statements Gates was making earlier today to a tyrant, the signal is out for all who pay attention. It’s the same type of signal President Obama sent to Gaddafi. And, as Gates said, to paraphrase ‘Don’t mess with Obama.’ And, besides Assad, that message was aimed straight at Tehran.
President Obama himself sent a very clear signal to Syria this week during a public appearance. I think it was yesterday but I’m not sure. The thing I’m sure of is that I got a know in my stomach listening to him; he was VERY serious.
Bob….Oooooooooo weeeeeeee…i cannot wrap my mind around this…mercy…the dangers….the lives at stake…not just the people of Syria…but our soldiers who would be in harms way….
another question….what is the procedure..does PBO have to go to Congress for this….after that shameful vote in the Senate yesterday…do you trust them on issues such as this..
President Obama did seem distracted today. I think there’s something going on!!! Even at the Kennedy honours event at the White House the other day he just didn’t seem his usual self!!!
Yup – I’ve noticed that he has long pauses in his speeches when he’s got something cooking, like his mind is on something else and then he remembers that he’s speaking. I don’t blame him. It’s way too much stuff – and some of it is totally unnecessary. When you’ve got the media and the GOP demanding a sit-down (as they fly out the door for their so-called local constituent time), and you’re also facing a looming war or humanitarian crisis – that’s just too much.
I’m sure there are intense diplomatic discussions with Russia right now, with State department involved, and also some more shadowy “back channels”. This is a very dangerous situation, and Russia has to do its part to avoid a catastrophe.
There are people who are rooting for a regional war, either for ideology, or for money ( arm dealers anyone ??)
Let’s pray for a diplomatic resolution.
Between the explosive situation in Syria, the tension in Israel/Gaza/Egypt, and the budget battles at home, the President must have difficulty to sleep at night these days. I pray for him all the time.
There was a report that there are offers of asylum opening up for Assad from various countries. This is the diplomacy part playing out – and let’s hope that Assad can still be reasoned with, and he doesn’t want to burn down the whole house.
The Syrian military loaded chemical weapons into bombs on Wednesday and is awaiting further instructions from President Bashar Assad, NBC News reports.
I heard some nobody on NPR tonight saying that the Syrian people are furious at the US government because when they asked for weapons, they didn’t get them. I heard months ago that there were intelligence people on the ground, trying to figure out who all the rebel factions were, so they could determine how best to proceed in supporting the fight. I also heard that the NATO troops were actually training the rebels so they could get more effective in their fighting ability. The US has also been working with countries in the region to support the rebels – which is at it should be, in my opinion, if you want those rebels to have local support once the struggle is over and the governing has to begin. This article about the Eisenhower seems to belie the story that the NPR nobody was telling.
By Erik Wasson
A bill granting normal trade relations to Russia is likely headed to President Obama’s desk for his signature after key objections have been dropped in the Senate.
The Senate is on course to vote on granting Russian permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) on Thursday. The bill also contains human rights provisions aimed at punishing those accused of murdering lawyer Sergei Magnitsky and other human rights violations.
Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said on the Senate floor that they are willing to look to other bills to try to make the Magnitsky provisions apply to all countries.
“I will not let perfection become the enemy of the good,” Kyl said.
HOUSTON (AP) — Jack Brooks, who spent 42 years in Congress representing his Southeast Texas district and was in the Dallas motorcade in 1963 when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, has died. He was 89.
Brooks died Tuesday night at Baptist Hospital of Beaumont after a sudden illness, according to a statement from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department. Brooks, who would have turned 90 on Dec. 18, was surrounded by family when he died, Deputy Rod Carroll said.
Brooks was among the last links to an era when Democrats dominated Texas politics and was the last of “Mr. Sam’s Boys,” protégés of fellow Texan and legendary 21-year Democratic House Speaker Sam Rayburn in the state’s congressional delegation.
“I’m just like old man Rayburn,” Brooks, from Beaumont, once said. “Just a Democrat, no prefix or suffix.”
He also was a contemporary and supporter of Lyndon Johnson, who was U.S. Senate majority leader in the 1950s and later president.
“Brooks was in the Dallas motorcade Nov. 22, 1963, when President Kennedy was assassinated. He’s in the famous photo taken later that day aboard Air Force One at Dallas’ Love Field, standing immediately behind the grief-stricken Jacqueline Kennedy as Johnson, his right hand raised, takes the oath of office from U.S. District Judge Sarah Hughes.
Brooks, first elected to the House in his far Southeast Texas district in 1952, was returned to office 20 more times and was on the verge of becoming the dean of the U.S. House when he was ousted in the Republican revolution of 1994.
Rayburn, whose 48 years rivaled Brooks’ House tenure, put Brooks on the House Government Operations Committee, a panel Brooks eventually would chair. Brooks gained notoriety as a curmudgeon-like scourge of bureaucrats he grilled for wasting taxpayers’ money, peering at witnesses over his glasses as he chewed on a cigar.
“I never thought being a congressman was supposed to be an easy job, and it doesn’t bother me a bit to be in a good fight,” Brooks once said.
A Brooks-authored law required full and open competition to be the standard for awarding federal contracts. The 1965 Brooks Act set policy for the government’s computer acquisition program, requiring competitive bidding and central management. His Inspector General Act established independent Offices of Inspector General in major agencies to prevent fraud and waste.
Other Brooks bills reduced federal paperwork, provided a uniform system of federal procurement, eliminated overlapping audit requirements and established the Department of Education.
“He literally has saved American taxpayers billions of dollars through his actions in improving government efficiency and eliminating waste,” former Texas Gov. Dolph Briscoe, a longtime friend who died in 2010, said two years earlier when Brooks donated his congressional papers, photos, correspondence and other items to the Center for American History at the University of Texas.
Brooks also served on the House Judiciary Committee, where he strongly supported President Richard Nixon’s impeachment and drafted the articles of impeachment the judiciary panel adopted. Nixon, who resigned Aug. 8, 1974, referred to Brooks as “the executioner.” Brooks would rise to committee chairman.
Jack Bascom Brooks was born Dec. 18, 1922, in Crowley, La., and moved to Texas at age 5. While in public schools, he worked as a carhop, grocery clerk, magazine salesman and a reporter for the Beaumont Enterprise. He attended Lamar University in Beaumont, then a two-year school, and earned a degree in journalism from the University of Texas. He served with the Marines in the Pacific in World War II and retired as a colonel from the Marine Corps Reserves in 1972. He received a law degree from the University of Texas and was a two-term Texas state legislator when he was elected to the U.S. House at age 29.
He supported civil rights bills, refused to sign the segregationist “Southern manifesto” in 1956, helped write the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964 that banned racial segregation.
His congressional longevity — figures showed there were 13,858 roll call votes during his tenure — was an issue for him and other long-serving Democrats who were swept from office in 1994. Brooks also had alienated gun owners for supporting a ban on assault weapons and abortion opponents for his support of abortion rights….
Statement by Vice President Biden on the Passing of Jack Brooks
“I’m deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Jack Brooks. He was a Texan through and through – tough, bold, and bigger than life. He lived by principles that were carved into his heart, and he was never afraid to fight for what he believed in. In the sixties, he was one of the few southerners to boldly support civil rights. And throughout his career, Jack was always determined to do right by the people who sent him to Congress, whether that meant investigating Iran Contra, or fighting to root out government waste. He was a great man, and one of the privileges of my Senate career was working side-by-side with Jack when I was Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and he was Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jack’s family today.”
Ok guys, here is my resignation letter. I need a bit of advice though, I have 3 supervisors above me who will be in the meeting, the lab director, the lab manager, and the microbiology supervisor. I’m having trouble trying to figure out who to address the letter to. Is “To Whom It May Concern” too formal for the sentiment in the letter, or do I need to address it as “Dear…” and include all there names?
Anyway, here is the letter:
With this letter, I hereby submit my resignation from “blah blah” effective “blah blah”. I want to acknowledge with deep thanks your many kindnesses to me during the past year that I worked with you all.
It’s not everyone who is able to work for a company that has not just one, but a set of bosses who are consistently cooperative, generous, and understanding, and I feel that I have been blessed. Not only have I enjoyed working under you all; I have worked alongside some excellent colleagues, and have had so many opportunities to grow and develop in my career field.
yeah, that makes sense. I went ahead and made a more formal letter for the Director. I have a meeting tomorrow when all 3 of them. I’ll present the letter the the Lab Director and then later I’ll send all 3 the informal letter (the one that I posted) in email form.
The English teacher here…..the punctuation after “Not only have I enjoyed working with you all…should be a comma, not a semicolon. That first clause is a dependent clause, so is connected by a comma. A semi-colon is used between two independent tightly related clauses. I like that your letter is short. It says what needs to be said, and doesn’t ramble.
Also, “have had many opportunities” not “so many” You would need a clause coming afer “so many” to complete the thought, like “so many that I have learned a lot” bu twhat you’re saying is that you’ve had many opportunities.
“We are disappointed that the overwhelming majority of Senate Republicans today blocked the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which would enshrine American standards that have been developed through decades of bipartisan cooperation. Ratification would require no changes to U.S. law, as the United States already leads the world in promoting and protecting the rights of persons with disabilities. However, it would position the United States to support extending across the globe the rights that Americans already enjoy at home. This in turn would improve the lives of Americans with disabilities — including our wounded service members — who wish to live, work, and travel abroad. It would also allow our businesses to operate on a more level playing field and reaffirm American leadership on disability rights. For these reasons, and others, Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and across the country — as well as disability advocacy groups, wounded warriors, veterans groups and business groups — have supported this treaty. We commend former Senator Dole and the bipartisan coalition of Senators who worked to secure the treaty resolution’s passage, including Senators Reid, Kerry, Lugar and McCain. We hope the Senate will reconsider this treaty soon in the next Congress. As President Obama declared in a written statement read in tribute to Senator Dole just before the vote, “disability rights should not stop at our nation’s shores.”
President Obama remembered by birthday by sending me a WH Christmas card featuring Bo on the front today! He has such impeccable timing!!! I feel sooo fortunate!!!! LOL.
Oh! Oh! Happy Birthday, majiir! My birthday is not until Monday, but The First Family sent my Christmas card plenty early! How delighted am I? Whhoottt! 😆
Evening TOD Family. I am all over and in and out of each room today. Trying to keep moving the body. I happened to come back into the room and there was former Sec. Defense Robert Gates on Bloomberg in an interview with Charlie Rose. I came in at the end of the interview, however that part that I heard was very interesting. Sec. Gates’s book will be going to the publishers in Feb. Sec. Gates will be coming out with two books.
I really do like Sec. Gates, and I do think that he had great respect and honor for POTUS, and still speaks highly of POB. I am looking forward to reading Sec. Gates’s books.HZ
I read earlier today that Gates made a statement that was a warning to Assad, saying he should be aware that PBO is a very tough decision maker and he will do what’s best.
WOOT!!!! Just read on Bloomberg News that my Repub rep, Kay Granger, is joining with Rep Tom Cole in her willingness to vote to extend the middle class tax cuts! I have been emailing and calling but thought it was pretty pointless. Apparently others have been doing the same. So I just sent another email to her office requesting confirmation of what I read and urging her to sign the discharge petition. To my knowledge, this is the first time she’s broken from Boehner, if it’s true. I will be thrilled!
Finally! Hi TODobots and Ms Chips! This has been a long, long day when I couldn’t get on at all because I was running hither, tither and yon after working. Believe it or not, right now I’m sitting in the hallway of an institution of higher learning waiting while my offspring does an exam. It would have made no sense to give him a ride there, go home and come back later! I’m the glorified chauffeur because the bus system is sporadic, especially at night, the ride is lo-o–ong and it seems easier to hang around. So, now I’m here, I’m off to see what was cooked up today in Obamaland.
Well, if the President is going to roll the Debt ceiling into any deal, he will likely have to give something to the Republucans.
Since, they are so Safety net hungry…
This is likely the sticking point, as the tax cut issue is probably all but done.
It’s the debt ceiling stupid!
The Obama Diary 
Hi!
Salute!!
Awww that’s perfect! Thank you so much! 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
You Trekkie, you!!!
ya know, Nichelle is the ONLY human alive that can pull off that Star Trek necklace with überCLASS, make it look extremely cool, and be fashionable.
Everyone else would look like a scary stalkerish geek.
Tally, I reckon all Trekkies are scary geeks /runs
What? How DARE you insult the Tribe!!!
I REVOKE the Kitteh! 👿
Vulcan Salute Kitteh says “Hi” http://bit.ly/YBcyA4
Wow! I did it! Wooooot! 😀
Yes, you did! Congrats.
Hi Vicki! Thanks!
Congrats dudette!
Thank you PJ! 🙂
I see you have learned your lesson well, grasshopper.
Following in your footsteps, mistress maryl! 🙂
I left a long comment on the end of the last thread. I guess it will be missed now. maybe that’s a signal it wasn’t such a good posting.
Bring it over Vicki!!!!
I don’t know how to do that. (old person)
🙂 Hiya Vicki, just copy and paste!
Just drag that baby right on over here. 🙂
I am ashamed to admit it but copy and paste and drag it over are not in my skill set. New Years resolutions will be to learn these things and start Twittering, too. Tweeting? twittering?
Here you go:
Vicki Green
December 5, 2012 at 2:43 pm
An off-thread but interesting item from the Web: Apparently there are some Democratic interests pushing PBO and OFA to give them their donor/volunteer/support lists—e-mail, Twitter, whatever.
OK they can ask but not Demand. Those names and addresses belong to the folks to whom they were provided. Not to politicos in perpetuity that want to use what PBO has built.
If and when OFA decides to hand over our info I will be good with that.
But, please, no person or group is entitled to that treasure trove just because they claim to be Dems or Progressives.
Am I crazy with this?
If so maybe it is because our so-called Democratic Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo has thrown the NYState democratic senators under the bus and has formed an alliance with the repubs. Dems friendly to progressive interests have been shut out!
Cuomo calls himself a Dem. Should PBO give him any list of any kind? I do not think so.
Ah, you’re lovely Meta 😉
Oh, shucks!!
Yes, good citizen. xoxo
Thank you, Meta. I promise to upgrade my skills in service to our President.
Good point, Vicki. I agree!
I’m with you on this Vicki!!! Nobody has the right to the database built specifically for PBO. I personally want nothing to do with most of them and would be very offended if my information is handed over to others!!!
There is a reason OFA was the only thing I signed up for and I’d like to keep it that way!!!
Vicki–I believe OFA DOES NOT give its donor list to anyone. The volunteers who signed up for campaigning as well as pro PBO voters should be reflected in state Democratic lists which any Democratic candidate can access. So, I agree with you that OFA has no obligation to share. Democrats can and should contact their state Democratic committees to get the state lists. That’s how it’s supposed to work.
They don’t give that list to anyone. They do, however agree to send things to the list, like email from Nancy, or Chelsea Clinton. OFA has no earthly reason to give their email or any other data they have collected to anyone except where expressly agreed. For instance: Washington State Democrats negotiated a deal with the Coordinated Campaign and OFA to get the list of volunteers who worked for the campaign to use to recruit people for subsequent elections. Very smart on their part, I think. But those email addresses, one of their most valuable commodities, is not for sale to anyone, ever. As it should be.
Vicki – if you select the text you want to copy, then you can click on “CTRL” and “C” together. Then you come over here to a new post entry, and click on “CTRL” and “V” together. The text should come on over. But, I’m not sure if it depends on your browser. Try it!
No worries! Meta’s gotcha covered. No need to hang your head. You’re among family here.
We all have our gifts & talents. 😉
Good stuff here, Chips! Thank you!
Is anyone else watching the CNN streaming? When the music started? REALLY loud? Did you fall off your chair? Me too.
Hahahahahaha….scaredy cat.
Paws up, guilty as charged!
GAH!! Either no sound or ear-splitting cymbals!!
The music just went BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!! 😯
I missed it … What was it?
Interest hat dude’s wearing now though. Wish I knew the story behind it.
Interesting hat… 🙄
POTUS about to appear!! I’m so looking forward to this address!!
Instability in Israel-Gaza-Egypt, Syria getting more dangerous with the menace of chemical weapons and of a regional war, and finally , at home, the budget battles/ “fiscal cliff”/debt ceiling debate. Let’s pray for President Obama and his team, folks. Their responsibilities are enormous, and they are navigating dangerous waters.
Amen!
Harry Reid Says He Will Change the Rules
by BooMan
Wed Dec 5th, 2012 at 01:03:59 PM EST
I’ve been wondering whether or not Harry Reid has enough votes in his own caucus to change the rules of the Senate next year. It sure sounds like he believes that he does. He says he is going to change the rules and that he isn’t going to settle for any handshake agreement from Mitch McConnell. I guess that this means that Reid is at least locked into making an effort to change the rules, and I doubt he would commit himself this way if he didn’t feel pretty confident about his prospects of succeeding.
I suppose it is possible that he is bluffing in an effort to convince McConnell to make concessions, but I think it is more likely that Reid actually does have enough support to make the changes if McConnell refuses to come to the table with a serious proposal.
It will be interesting to see what actually winds up happening. I like the proposed reforms, but I worry that we’ll get relatively little out of them compared to the risk we will incur down the line.
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2012/12/5/13359/3693
Good for Harry Reid and about time too!!! Let’s get serious about moving things along!!!
Harry Reid has been coming on strong for a lil bit now…..i like this new feisty Reid…: 😀
PBO is talking about Sonny Blackeagle, his adoptive Crow father who passed away last week.
As the President mentioned today, the real battle is the debt ceiling thingy-
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/12/debt-limit-democrats-pelosi-schumer.php?m=1
Fiscal cliff is minute, in comparison, a distraction if you will. The Republicabs want a debt ceiling, cut spending vote every year, if not more.
This is ridiculous!
Does anyone know the story behind the gentleman’s headpiece? hat? crown?
I’m curious too.
Summit website is here: http://www.ncai.org/
WhiteHouse blog post about the summit:
“Continuing the Progress in Tribal Communities”
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/12/05/continuing-progress-tribal-communities
Surely, Chips will have video soon.
Gah!!!!! I’m always late. sigh its finished. 😦
That was beautiful to watch. I love how Pres. Obama has embraced the Tribal Nations Conference since he’s been POTUS and always welcomed them with open arms and always fights for Native Americans to get funding for healthcare, education, stimulus, etc. He is always about inclusion and we are the better for it.
Absolutely!
folks, maybe you missed the reference in the last thread, but our friend sheila is KNITTING HERSELF A ‘BO’ !!! check it out on her website:
http://sheilaokeefedesigns.blogspot.com/2012/11/wip-wednesday.html
sheila, this is just adorable and amazing! more adorable bo:
Neat!
Martin Bashir just told Ron “cross-eyed” Christie off about the fiscal cliff.
It was a beautiful thing to watch. I can’t stand these Republicans.
Oooo, I forgot he was on now. Firing up my stream
That Ron Christie is just deplorable – he’s far worse than Michael Steele, because Ron Christie so cravenly defends anything coming out of the mouth of a right winger. I’m convinced he’d even defend a slur against his own mother, if it came from a right winger. He always seems to find a convenient excuse for selling out decent people.
I shouldn’t make fun of the man’s physical deformity but damn he is an asshole
dear Squarepeg, thank you for noticing that; and I get that you don’t like him. You don’t have to.
A stat worth noting, per Steve Kornacki on The Cycle——-that domestic disputes are 12 times more likely to end in death in households with guns. As he referenced the Jovan Belcher case, the murder-suicide by the Kansas City Chief, I thought it was interesting that the early reporting by his friends and teammates made it sound like his girlfriend was the catalyst, that she was out at a concert and then out with friends, enraging him, almost insinuating that she deserved what she got. But further reporting notes that he was also out partying, was “sleeping” in a car in front of another woman’s apt., police made contact with him there, and then he spent the rest of the night in this lady’s apt., was asked to be awakened at 6:30 so he could make it home and then to the team mtg. At his home an argument ensued and the tragedy happened. So once again, without access to the gun, this would likely have just been another angry, domestic fight in a troubled relationship, but both parents of a 3 mo. old baby would still be alive.
i don’t usually want to see or hear those guys, but in this case…… sweet!
Chuck Schumer calls out the GOP bluff on the debt ceiling hostage:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/12/05/1167473/-Senate-Democrats-tighten-the-screws-on-middle-class-tax-nbsp-cuts
“Let the taunting begin. A handful of Senate Democrats held a press conference Wednesday morning, basically daring Republicans to follow through on a strategy in which they allow the vote on extending middle class tax cuts, then take the debt ceiling hostage again.
“I think they learned their lesson with the debt ceiling,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer. “I don’t think it’s leverage at all. Any talk that that is leverage for them, I think, is false.” […]
“We are not going to negotiate those details until there is a vote on tax cuts,” Schumer said.
Schumer, joined by Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Mark Begich, stood next to a sign that bore the message, “In 27 Days Middle-class taxes will go up $2,200 unless the House acts.”
This is to shoot down the so-called “doomsday plan” Republicans have cooked up. The theory goes that they take the vote on middle class tax cuts, but allow everything else to expire, and then have more leverage in January, when they once again take the debt ceiling hostage. Because they still want the world to know they’re willing to blow up the global economy.”
(The thing about hostage taking is this- you tell the terrorists ahead of time that there is no negotiating with terrorists so that if they follow through with their terrorist activity, the responsibility is entirely on their heads.)
And today the President made it clear about debt ceiling hostage taking: “We’re not going to play that game.”
Good for the president. The game is old, the Republicans keep replaying the same old tunes and people are tired of it and them. Our job is to make sure everyone we know and talk to knows exactly who is to blame for any stalemates.
I am happy to see the Democrats and PBO address this early. The constituents of these republicans vote to keep these folks in office while they benefit from Democrats keeping food on their tables with unemployment insurance, etc. If they go off the cliff, I am sure lot of folks who are not paying attention will start paying attention and wonder why their checks are not the same.
Good on Olive Garden, but they will NEVER get my business again. N.E.V.E.R.
nope me either.. crossing several off my list.
Same here, that includes Papa Johns (I don’t buy that crap anyway), and all the RW A holes businesses.
We shop at Costo, trader joes, fred meyers….if I can not get what I need in stores where they treat their employees well, I make do. Have not used Walmart in years, I keep adding to my personal list of non support.
Agree, Isonprize. These businesses don’t understand the residual effects of their behavior. Even if they try to make amends, people remember there’s something “off” about them and will go somewhere else. I never like Olive Garden to begin with, but will certainly never darken their doors again.
Don’t forget Red Lobster.
Hey Yardarm,
I never really did Red Lobster, even in my younger days of dating. I went once and wasn’t impressed with their food OR their service. , so when I guy asked where I wanted to go, I would always name a good local restaurant.
Besides, there are too many good “locals” in Philadelphia to do a bad chain.
Ah, great food in Philadelphia! I miss the restaurants in PA/NJ.
Too bad. Red Lobster isn’t too bad in the Chi-town area but I guess I’ll have to hit one of the local Crab Shacks.
Dang I missed it, I wanted to listen to him speak before the Tribal Nations… hopefully you’ll get that later Chips 🙂
Wassup all you O’s!?!?!?! Having a great getting up day again? Well, I just heard that Karl Rove and Dick Morris can no longer appear on FAUX unless the producers get approval beforehand. I guess it was Karl’s breakdown on election night, even questioning Fox’s own people who called it for PBO. Then, old Dick had to insist on that his predictions and polling was right, even when faced with facts. So who knew that Fox could actually be embarrassed. Now if they could just close the doors and cut off the lights.
Oh, great idea about the doors and the lights!
Maddow: Secret Petraeus audio means Fox News ‘officially’ part of the GOP
“Maddow explained that almost more than anything yet revealed, this audio makes it clear that Fox News “seriously is not like anything else in news. They are officially just a media arm of the Republican Party. They are a political operation serving the needs of the Republican Party. That’s okay, but we should stop thinking of them as something other than that.””
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/12/05/maddow-secret-petraeus-audio-means-fox-news-officially-part-of-the-gop/
#FORWARD
Good idea, but too bad the press corp assigns it’s own member’s seating arrangements and stuff. the only thing Jay can control is to not call on them. The last time the WH pushed back on FOX at a presser, Robert Gibbs was resoundly admonished by the other members of the esteemed 4th estate. They actually don’t mind allowing FOX to give them all a bad name. smh
rachel did a piece on this, too. it’s a stunning revelation, again leaked through secret tapes, of how fox news planned to select, bankroll, and promote a candidate for president. who would, if he won, be forever in their thrall, one assumes. rachel said, okay, fine, they’re not a news organization, but this is outrageous. to me, this is not ‘okay, fine’.
How can this be news to anyone. Fox has never acted like anything other than an arm of the Republican Party. It has always been an interesting exercise in faux journalism, well funded and with a veneer of respectability whose purpose is Republican propaganda. The truly sad thing is that millions of Americans have so little sense of discernment or critical thinking that they surrendered their brain cells to this farce of a “network” year after year. It’s like seeing shadows on a wall and thinking they’re the real thing.
woohoo! Mucho Thanks dear Chips 🙂
FiredUpInCA posted this on the previous thread. Most definitely tweet-worthy! 🙂
this is so sweet–love when the kids come in at the bottom!
OMG Dudette! Thanks so much for posting this I lOVED it! I’m sending this to my friends – woo -hoo!
Congrats on first
Everybody! New Orleans was a BLAST! Everyone go! Ate WAY toooo much whoa. Fabulous music!
Today at school, a student had to call home for clean clothes because an alligator peed on his pants.
if an alligator got that close to me, it wouldn’t be the alligator’s pee on me. I’d also need more than a change of clothes….a hose down comes to mind. Poor kid.
LOL!!! 😀
I think he probably thought it was the highlight of his life. I posted this here and on facebook, and I’m surprised that no one so far has asked me how this came about.
I’ve been wondering about this all afternoon! How on earth did this happen? An alligator? Peeing on a student? 😯
There was some kind of special science assembly for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders that involved animals, including the alligator. The gator, a small one, was being held by the presenter and apparently was seized with the urge to relieve itself. According to our principal the gator had been a thirsty guy, because it was quite a stream!
🙂
Seriously? if I hear one more bullshit comment about Hillary possibly running 4 fucking years from now, I’m gonna explode. Seriously?!!!! Can we please get PBO inaugurated and support him through-out his next term before we bury him and resurrect an old pol to be our next standard bearer? What, President Obama doesn’t exist anymore? Because he was re-elected we can ignore him and start talking about our fantasy presidential campaign list for 2016? Good God. 🙄 Can’t believe Martin has sunk so low, reporting on this shit. 🙄
If it keeps up people are going to be so tired of hearing about her they may well be looking for a fresh face.
the plan perhaps….hmmmmm, the plot thickens.
I’m starting to suspect this, too.
In 2008 she was considered inevitable, and we all know what happened. If I were she, I’d call those flunkies and tell them to SHUT UP! People will be tired of her before primaries begin and that is not good. In two years there will be some new people, some not even on the radar now. There always are. If the MSM would do its work, they wouldn’t be playing these silly guessing games. And they are rarely right!!!
Someone mentioned earlier that it’s highly inappropriate for this campaigning stuff to be starting while she’s still working for the current President, and while the GOP are launching this witch hunt against her possible successor. It’s highly inappropriate.
That occurred to me too.
She suffered through the “inevitable” cloud once before, you’d think she’d put a damper on it at this point. But the media must have their games.
I agree, but she seems to like the attention.
It sure does look like it!!! She loves the attention and adulation and seems to be fueling and actively participating in this nonsense!!!
SOS Clinton has been absolutely clear, as recently as late October 2012 that she is NOT going to continue in politics. When asked if she would be a candidate —
“”No, I’m not,” she said.
“Why not?” Waldman asked. “Everybody wants you to.”
“I have been on this high wire of national and international politics and leadership for 20 years,” Clinton said. “It has been an absolutely extraordinary personal honor and experience. But I really want to just have my own time back. I want to just be my own person. I’m looking forward to that.””
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/18/hillary-clinton-repeats-no-2016-cant-stand-whinin-about-life-choices/
What Nate Silver recently said about Politico applies to all the #NEWSTAINERS … ‘they need to make noise’ every day. That’s what they do, they MAKE NOISE.
Why listen?
I don’t.
#FORWARD
Pragmatic, reasoned, excellent! Thank you Bob!
This is just another “Distraction”, remember the cartoon from yesterday or this mornig….”oh look over there”…..”while I distract you from what I am stealing from you”.
yes, it’s irritating, and yet… i think people feel we’re on a roll, we have momentum, and we have to make extra double sure we have another dem prez when pbo is done. not that his second term is inconsequential, but that holding on to his gains, and building on them, is extraordinarily important. i expect pbo will have this in mind, too–he plays a very long game.
Bob, I’m still fuming from this boat. I’m absolutely outraged that 38 dimwitted bigots, masquerading as US senators, brought such shame to the US.
The word “Chelsea” shall not be uttered in my presence for the rest of the day. Fucking first CL champion to not make it to the knockout round.
LL, you know what you are inviting with that comment 😉 Some here are not the least bit merciful 🙂
Chips is obviously off elsewhere right now. Can’t believe she would have let this sit even this long, otherwise.
maybe she fainted? is there a doctor in the house?
see, she was at work, then she saw liblib’s comment on the screen, and whoosh!
Wow, they just sat there and left her laying on the floor. No attempt to go help her!
They clearly didn’t know what to do, and there was probably a whole lot of shouting in their ears telling them to go to break, or something. It looks very bad, but it’s also hard to imagine what people will do in such a situation. People freeze.
It’s surprising how many videos there are of people fainting on screen. Maybe it’s the adrenaline, time of day, heat from the lights, etc.?
I was thinking as I was reading that how plain and simple it all is. The President is not claiming a “mandate” to overthrow our democracy, or to say it’s his way or the highway (which is in need of repairs, and some good middle-class workers put to that task, but I digress). He states a clear mandate for himself, which he feels he can accomplish through cooperation and consensus. Democrats think, “Well said, Mr. President.” Republican political types and newsreaders think, “How radical. What about the rich?” Mitt is still thinkin’, as he drives around in his new Audi toward his pretend office at Marriott, “More gifts?”
I’m backing Obama and STILL ridin’ with Biden!
I like the other part of that statement that isn’t printed there, where he says the American people said “work as hard as you can to help us”. He takes that very seriously. The GOP, on the other hand, think it’s outrageous that the public voted them into public office, and now expect them to serve the public and the public interests. Politicians are often regarded as being craven and such, but I don’t think anyone’s ever seen a group of politicians quite like the GOP in Congress.
Well said. And, lucky for us, we haven’t seen anyone quite like the man in the White House, either.
You always say the smartest things, Jacq! 🙂
Ha! I feel the same about you, theo67! 🙂
🙂
To hear Sen. Kerry and Ted Kennedy Jr. talk about the Repubs obstructing that intl. disabilities treaty, it just really makes clear that we are dealing with Congressional Republicans who are disillusioned, heartless, indecent and crazy. Crazy as crazy gets. It’s unbelievable to me that these cockeyed people are at the highest level of our government. How in the world did that happen? What a shame.
How did that happen….uninformed, bigoted voters and lots of outside money.
Adelson is already threatening to spend twice as much for the GOP in the next election. It’s just obscene.
I saw him in a hover-round (or whatever they’re called). He should just be praying that he will see the next election. Sometimes I think our only hope to defeat these people is the passage of time… It’s uncharitable of me to say, but it’s true.
I so totally agree with you, dotster. They’re insane, and it says something very frightening that they are at the highest levels of government, and that 60 million people voted for Romney – and that Paul Ryan still thinks he’s presidential material. The whole thing is astonishing.
And they (R and R) lost. We won. The whole political pendulum thingie works out, sometimes!!! Four more glorious years ahead, which haven’t even begun to unfold yet. I’m concentrating on that (no matter how annoying the Republicans are – grrrr).
The Republicans probably think that they don’t want any good will coming from this Country, while we have this President.
Still not sure why Leadership bring bills and petitions that don’t have the votes, or the required signatures?
Dptster3, I heard Sen. Kerry and Ted Kennedy Jr., also speaking of this today, however, Sen. Kerry did say that possibily in Feb.,(I think) that they will bring it up again and will hope that they will have more R’s to vote for it this time. Let us pray so. We must be on the look out for this again.HZ
Jay Carney was taking questions today, and he was sticking up fir Anna Wintiyr as a possible selection for UK Ambassador.
One question was: Has the President ever seen the Devil wears Prada?
-Who was the wise Ass that asked this question?
Oh gawd no! I suspect many in the UK would say the same.
Oh, Chips, you are in my heart even more for bringing the video here of the President’s remarks at the Tribal Nations Conference. I try to watch that every year, and had forgotten about it earlier. Thank you, thank you, darlin’ woman.
WOW!! This is amazing!!
EXCLUSIVE: I’ve just learned that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has invited Steven Spielberg to screen Lincoln on December 12th. But what’s different about this invitation is that Reid is offering to provide the U.S. Senate to Spielberg as the theatre. Reid’s invite only recently went out — and I’m told Spielberg will accept for his movie to play in the historic setting. No one is yet sure if this has ever been done by a movie before. (Of course, movies play at the White house all the time, and Lincoln is no exception: it screened November 15th for President Obama, Spielberg, cast and crew members at the executive mansion.) The film’s release was delayed until after the 2012 Election – but DreamWorks still scheduled a special extended 2-minute TV ad during the commercial break right after the first Presidential Debate. I’m told Reid, a Democrat, is a huge fan of the biopic about the most famous Republican president. The movie is playing well all across the country, primarily for adult audiencies, but in red states as well as blue states. Politicos and pundits on both sides of the aisle have praised the film which is Oscar-touted. Now it remains to be seen if Reid’s invite will be politicized – and if the attendance during this lame duck session will be bipartisan. ”The irony is that what’s happening with the fiscal cliff isn’t that different from what’s going on in the movie” ….
http://www.deadline.com/2012/12/lincoln-senate-screening-steven-spielberg-harry-reid/
Oh, that IS great, meta. Ol’ Harry is sending messages to the Rs all the time. But it reminds me of that old line, “You keep sending, but I ain’t receiving.” Anyway, maybe putting current discussions into historical perspective will knock some of those Republicans up side the head, and get them to realize there have been and are more important things going on in this country than taking care of the plantation owners and today’s robber barons.
I think it’s a wonderful idea. Doubtful it would make any difference in how the GOP participates in the governing process, but it’s worth the effort.
Yes, I believe it is, too!
and besides, there would be too many christmas trees for their taste. just saving them from the horror of it. 🙂
So as not to upset their religious sensitivities. Very astute, susanne! 🙂
Perfect! Coincidentally, I had my carpets cleaned today, and no Republican front men and women were invited here, either! Ha!
i wonder if the crew from Morning Joe and Hardball were invited
hey guys.
I talked to my apartment management office and I do have an early termination policy in my lease. It’s basically 1 month’s rent (with no discounts) plus a pro-rated amount for Jan (I’ll be moving out on the 11th, so 11 days pro-rated), plus any discounted amount on rent that I was given for the time I stayed on lease (7months). That still is a good chunk of change, but still basically 1 full paycheck (luckily I have like 3 more coming).
Still that’s good news. I still had like 7 months left on my lease and 7X my rent is way more than 1 paycheck. So I came out of this good.
Thank da Lord.
Yay! One step forward…
No need for sublet and no bad things on my rental history/credit report (at least nothing new…smh I’ve kept it clean for awhile now waiting for things to drop off if at all possible).
I also scheduled services cancellations for the major 3 things I had to: cable, electricity and appliance rentals (I didn’t want to buy a washer and dryer and lug it around, so I opted for renting those 2 appliances.
So other than getting off my duff and start packing, oh and turning in my resignation (which I’m doing tomorrow), I’m good to go. Unfortunately I start my 7 off tomorrow and so I only really have less than a few hours a day to do shit, but I’ll make it work.
Here’s the list of people who have so far signed the Discharge Petition: http://clerk.house.gov/112/lrc/pd/petitions/DisPet0006.xml
I’m curious, are any of these people Republicans? I was glad to see our lone Dem congressman from Oklahoma, Dan Boren, signed it. He is a well known blue dog, so maybe if he signed it, other blue dogs will also, and maybe some Republicans…….
good to see that the PA Dems have signed the petition….none of the PA Repubs have…
I’ve called, emailed & tweeted my rep – rethug (PA-07). He’ll hear from me daily…
Fattah is my Rep….i have tried to email other reps (murphy) but he won’t accept email from out side of his district….
an in-depth article from wapo–very interesting and a reminder of what is involved in ‘just stop that war now’.
‘ The Obama administration has ordered significant cutbacks in initial plans for a robust U.S. civilian presence in Afghanistan after U.S. combat troops withdraw two years from now, according to U.S. officials.
~
Planners were recently told to reduce personnel proposals by at least 20 percent, a senior administration official said. Projects once considered crucial are being divided into lists of those considered sustainable and those that will not be continued. ‘
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-reducing-plans-for-large-civilian-force-in-post-2014-afghanistan/2012/12/05/67c7d9a8-380f-11e2-8a97-363b0f9a0ab3_story.html
Maybe someone should send this to Rachel Maddow, who seems to think that if the President doesn’t snap his fingers and withdraw troops immediately, then he doesn’t mean it when he says the troops will be out by 2014. Since she’s the only journalist who was informed of the troop withdrawal in Iraq two years ago, one would think she’d know by now how huge an operation that actually is. Maybe she just doesn’t want to know.
I scheduled a short 15min meeting with my Lab Director, Lab Manager, and Section Supervisor for tomorrow. They have been very understanding of my situation and I think I owe them for how easy they made it for me to be able to go home or in this case it’s them allowing me to work 7 on and 7 off that made it easy to go back and forth to NOLA and Cincy when my mom had her heart attack. The reason for the 7 on/off schedule was to make it easier to go back and forth to home. It was a blessing and a gift from the Lord cause no less than 1month after I started that schedule, my mom had her heart attack and I’m be back and forth every other week since. So even though my resignation letter is just a simple form letter, in this meeting, I will talk to them and explain what’s going on. I don’t think I’m going to tell ’em about the job (cause I”m paranoid/superstitious about most things and I just don’t want to jinx the new job), but I will update them on my mom and tell them all in person that I appreciate how easy they made everything. Plus, I’m giving them a 6 weeks notice instead of 2 (actually 3 weeks, because due to my on/off schedule, I only really work 2 weeks a month) and I’m working through the holidays so they don’t have to worry about scheduling when so many people are off for the holiday.
I’m thinking they gave you all of these considerations because you must be an excellent employee. They will be sorry to see you go, I’m sure! Have a good meeting tomorrow.
Michelle Obama leads Mark Kirk by double digits for Illinois Senate-
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/12/05/michelle_obama_for_senate.html
Now wouldn’t that be great?
Wow, that WOULD be great… IF, she’s interested!
That would be stupendous, but unless she has had a complete change of heart, I don’t think it is anything she would ever be interested in doing.
In the meantime, Illinois is desperate to find some quality candidates for Jesse Jackson Jr’s seat. So far we have an ex-con (sex with underage girl and bank fraud) and another who was arrested today, spending the night in the clink, for bringing a gun on board a plane. Etc.
Are you kidding me? As big and important as that state is, we can’t find competent, Democrats to put up for election? What the hell…?
When POTUS and FLOTUS was last on the View, that question was asked, concerning if FLOTUS might run for political office. The answer was No.
Not my district but I kinda of like Robin Kelly…but pretty much everyone has come out of the woodwork for this seat
Just so you know the President is clearly prepared ….
Thousands of US troops arrive near Syrian shore on USS Eisenhower
If the US decides to intervene militarily in Syria, it now has at its disposal 10,000 fighting men, 17 warships, 70 fighter-bombers, 10 destroyers and frigates and a guided military cruises. Some of the vessels are also equipped with Aegis missile interceptors to shoot down any missiles Syria might have at hand, according to DEBKAfile.
“The muscle is already there to be flexed,” a US official told the London Times about the US military’s presence outside of Syria. “It’s premature to say what could happen if a decision is made to intervene. That hasn’t taken shape, we’ve not reached that kind of decision. There are a lot of options, but it [military action] could be launched rapidly, within days.”
The move comes after NATO made a significant strategic decision Tuesday to deploy Patriot Air and Missile Defense Systems in Turkey on the border of Syria where opposition groups have the stronghold. The defense would be able to protect Turkey from potential Syrian missiles that could contain chemical weapons, as well as intimidate Syrian Air Force pilots from bombing the northern Syria border towns, which the armed rebels control. Syria is thought to have about 700 missiles.
“The protection from NATO will be three dimensional; one is the short-range Patriots, the second is the middle-range Terminal High Altitude Air Defense [THAD] system and the last is the AEGIS system, which counters missiles that can reach outside the atmosphere,” Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.
http://rt.com/usa/news/us-eisenhower-syria-military-369/
Oh snap! Don’t mess with our PBO!
Tweetage…
BTW, as all of you know, to have all of these assets in place means lots and lots of preparations which have likely been underway for many months.
Also, reports on the FSA indicate that they are making it ever more likely that Assad will suffer the same fate as Gaddafi.
Exactly! People forget the President’s job is not just what we see on TV. So they underestimate how difficult the work is and how important is it to have a focused, strategic thinker in that role and smart, competent people around him.
The Preparation is where is the nearest Aircraft Carrier Group, send them in.
After the threat of possible chemical warfare, which is illegal since 1917!
I wonder what the republicans will say now?
Bob…
has there been any response from Russia and China re: 1..the possibility of Syria using biological weapons and 2… the build-up of Nato forces in the area…
None that I’ve seen, however neither are in a position to stop US/NATO if Assad attacks his own people with chemical weapons. And, I assure you the assets mentioned in the article are only a portion that are in strong striking position of Iran from the Gulf – and those forces are such that if Iran takes any action they’ll be crushed.
Lawddddd…Bob…are we on the edge of war ,,,
Let’s look at it this way, pf, you’ve got a caged tyrant in Syria who’s father gassed his own people. The tyrant has plenty of bad stuff and the ability to launch it so the only question is, does he want to finish his life in some African or South American domicile or does he want to die. That’s really the decision at this point.
Problem for him is if he deploys even a miniscule amount of it, he’s going to be crushed in a matter of hours. Moreover, Iran – the folk with the most on the line, actually, in this situation – might well do something stupid. If they do, I assure you every conceivable step they might take has been ‘gamed’ and you betcha the US and NATO (and others) are prepared.
When you have a former Sec of Defense making the kind of statements Gates was making earlier today to a tyrant, the signal is out for all who pay attention. It’s the same type of signal President Obama sent to Gaddafi. And, as Gates said, to paraphrase ‘Don’t mess with Obama.’ And, besides Assad, that message was aimed straight at Tehran.
#TrustBarack
Should have added that this is the key ‘leak’ …
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/05/15706380-syria-loads-chemical-weapons-into-bombs-military-awaits-assads-order#.UL_eJz_as70.twitter
But the Pentagonsaid their is no proof of this, unless this is NEW evidence?
Jovie that was ‘leaked’ to all major US, European, etc news organizations … it’s a ‘leak’ so obviously the Pentagon is not going to ‘confirm it.’
President Obama himself sent a very clear signal to Syria this week during a public appearance. I think it was yesterday but I’m not sure. The thing I’m sure of is that I got a know in my stomach listening to him; he was VERY serious.
Bob….Oooooooooo weeeeeeee…i cannot wrap my mind around this…mercy…the dangers….the lives at stake…not just the people of Syria…but our soldiers who would be in harms way….
another question….what is the procedure..does PBO have to go to Congress for this….after that shameful vote in the Senate yesterday…do you trust them on issues such as this..
President Obama did seem distracted today. I think there’s something going on!!! Even at the Kennedy honours event at the White House the other day he just didn’t seem his usual self!!!
Blessings and guidance to him!!! Shalom!!!
Yup – I’ve noticed that he has long pauses in his speeches when he’s got something cooking, like his mind is on something else and then he remembers that he’s speaking. I don’t blame him. It’s way too much stuff – and some of it is totally unnecessary. When you’ve got the media and the GOP demanding a sit-down (as they fly out the door for their so-called local constituent time), and you’re also facing a looming war or humanitarian crisis – that’s just too much.
I’m sure there are intense diplomatic discussions with Russia right now, with State department involved, and also some more shadowy “back channels”. This is a very dangerous situation, and Russia has to do its part to avoid a catastrophe.
There are people who are rooting for a regional war, either for ideology, or for money ( arm dealers anyone ??)
Let’s pray for a diplomatic resolution.
Between the explosive situation in Syria, the tension in Israel/Gaza/Egypt, and the budget battles at home, the President must have difficulty to sleep at night these days. I pray for him all the time.
I pray for him all the time….
**********************************
so do I
There was a report that there are offers of asylum opening up for Assad from various countries. This is the diplomacy part playing out – and let’s hope that Assad can still be reasoned with, and he doesn’t want to burn down the whole house.
Well, there’s this:
The Syrian military loaded chemical weapons into bombs on Wednesday and is awaiting further instructions from President Bashar Assad, NBC News reports.
That can’t be good.
There is the red line! If they use it, It’s up to the US Navy now!
To paraphrase Milton, better to die in Hell than be Hugo Chavez’ guest in Heaven.
Aegis Destroyers are sick. Technology off the wall. They have radar that can see over the horizon!
Yes, LL, that’s in the link, above.
I heard some nobody on NPR tonight saying that the Syrian people are furious at the US government because when they asked for weapons, they didn’t get them. I heard months ago that there were intelligence people on the ground, trying to figure out who all the rebel factions were, so they could determine how best to proceed in supporting the fight. I also heard that the NATO troops were actually training the rebels so they could get more effective in their fighting ability. The US has also been working with countries in the region to support the rebels – which is at it should be, in my opinion, if you want those rebels to have local support once the struggle is over and the governing has to begin. This article about the Eisenhower seems to belie the story that the NPR nobody was telling.
Russia trade bill likely headed to Obama desk
By Erik Wasson
A bill granting normal trade relations to Russia is likely headed to President Obama’s desk for his signature after key objections have been dropped in the Senate.
The Senate is on course to vote on granting Russian permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) on Thursday. The bill also contains human rights provisions aimed at punishing those accused of murdering lawyer Sergei Magnitsky and other human rights violations.
Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said on the Senate floor that they are willing to look to other bills to try to make the Magnitsky provisions apply to all countries.
“I will not let perfection become the enemy of the good,” Kyl said.
Why can’t they be this reasonable with other stuff that directly impacts their constituents?
[rhetorical question, don’t even bother responding]
Rep. Jack Brooks, co-author of 1964 Civil Rights Act, dead at 89
http://thegrio.com/2012/12/05/rep-jack-brooks-co-author-of-1964-civil-rights-act-dead-at-89/
HOUSTON (AP) — Jack Brooks, who spent 42 years in Congress representing his Southeast Texas district and was in the Dallas motorcade in 1963 when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, has died. He was 89.
Brooks died Tuesday night at Baptist Hospital of Beaumont after a sudden illness, according to a statement from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department. Brooks, who would have turned 90 on Dec. 18, was surrounded by family when he died, Deputy Rod Carroll said.
Brooks was among the last links to an era when Democrats dominated Texas politics and was the last of “Mr. Sam’s Boys,” protégés of fellow Texan and legendary 21-year Democratic House Speaker Sam Rayburn in the state’s congressional delegation.
“I’m just like old man Rayburn,” Brooks, from Beaumont, once said. “Just a Democrat, no prefix or suffix.”
He also was a contemporary and supporter of Lyndon Johnson, who was U.S. Senate majority leader in the 1950s and later president.
“Brooks was in the Dallas motorcade Nov. 22, 1963, when President Kennedy was assassinated. He’s in the famous photo taken later that day aboard Air Force One at Dallas’ Love Field, standing immediately behind the grief-stricken Jacqueline Kennedy as Johnson, his right hand raised, takes the oath of office from U.S. District Judge Sarah Hughes.
Brooks, first elected to the House in his far Southeast Texas district in 1952, was returned to office 20 more times and was on the verge of becoming the dean of the U.S. House when he was ousted in the Republican revolution of 1994.
Rayburn, whose 48 years rivaled Brooks’ House tenure, put Brooks on the House Government Operations Committee, a panel Brooks eventually would chair. Brooks gained notoriety as a curmudgeon-like scourge of bureaucrats he grilled for wasting taxpayers’ money, peering at witnesses over his glasses as he chewed on a cigar.
“I never thought being a congressman was supposed to be an easy job, and it doesn’t bother me a bit to be in a good fight,” Brooks once said.
A Brooks-authored law required full and open competition to be the standard for awarding federal contracts. The 1965 Brooks Act set policy for the government’s computer acquisition program, requiring competitive bidding and central management. His Inspector General Act established independent Offices of Inspector General in major agencies to prevent fraud and waste.
Other Brooks bills reduced federal paperwork, provided a uniform system of federal procurement, eliminated overlapping audit requirements and established the Department of Education.
“He literally has saved American taxpayers billions of dollars through his actions in improving government efficiency and eliminating waste,” former Texas Gov. Dolph Briscoe, a longtime friend who died in 2010, said two years earlier when Brooks donated his congressional papers, photos, correspondence and other items to the Center for American History at the University of Texas.
Brooks also served on the House Judiciary Committee, where he strongly supported President Richard Nixon’s impeachment and drafted the articles of impeachment the judiciary panel adopted. Nixon, who resigned Aug. 8, 1974, referred to Brooks as “the executioner.” Brooks would rise to committee chairman.
Jack Bascom Brooks was born Dec. 18, 1922, in Crowley, La., and moved to Texas at age 5. While in public schools, he worked as a carhop, grocery clerk, magazine salesman and a reporter for the Beaumont Enterprise. He attended Lamar University in Beaumont, then a two-year school, and earned a degree in journalism from the University of Texas. He served with the Marines in the Pacific in World War II and retired as a colonel from the Marine Corps Reserves in 1972. He received a law degree from the University of Texas and was a two-term Texas state legislator when he was elected to the U.S. House at age 29.
He supported civil rights bills, refused to sign the segregationist “Southern manifesto” in 1956, helped write the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964 that banned racial segregation.
His congressional longevity — figures showed there were 13,858 roll call votes during his tenure — was an issue for him and other long-serving Democrats who were swept from office in 1994. Brooks also had alienated gun owners for supporting a ban on assault weapons and abortion opponents for his support of abortion rights….
Rep Jack Brooks of TX, co-author of 1964 Civil Rights Act dead at 89 http://on.thegrio.com/VFoIlH
Statement by Vice President Biden on the Passing of Jack Brooks
“I’m deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Jack Brooks. He was a Texan through and through – tough, bold, and bigger than life. He lived by principles that were carved into his heart, and he was never afraid to fight for what he believed in. In the sixties, he was one of the few southerners to boldly support civil rights. And throughout his career, Jack was always determined to do right by the people who sent him to Congress, whether that meant investigating Iran Contra, or fighting to root out government waste. He was a great man, and one of the privileges of my Senate career was working side-by-side with Jack when I was Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and he was Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jack’s family today.”
VP Biden has lived a very interesting life.
Ok guys, here is my resignation letter. I need a bit of advice though, I have 3 supervisors above me who will be in the meeting, the lab director, the lab manager, and the microbiology supervisor. I’m having trouble trying to figure out who to address the letter to. Is “To Whom It May Concern” too formal for the sentiment in the letter, or do I need to address it as “Dear…” and include all there names?
Anyway, here is the letter:
I’d suggest that the resignation goes only to your direct supervisor. You can send a thank you to the others.
Yeah that makes sense I have a meeting with them tomorrow. Should I take out the mention of the bosses then? and just send the other’s the email?
Best to send old fashioned letter to your supervisor and hand written thank you notes to the others. Good luck in your new job, lamh36!
yeah, that makes sense. I went ahead and made a more formal letter for the Director. I have a meeting tomorrow when all 3 of them. I’ll present the letter the the Lab Director and then later I’ll send all 3 the informal letter (the one that I posted) in email form.
The English teacher here…..the punctuation after “Not only have I enjoyed working with you all…should be a comma, not a semicolon. That first clause is a dependent clause, so is connected by a comma. A semi-colon is used between two independent tightly related clauses. I like that your letter is short. It says what needs to be said, and doesn’t ramble.
Also, “have had many opportunities” not “so many” You would need a clause coming afer “so many” to complete the thought, like “so many that I have learned a lot” bu twhat you’re saying is that you’ve had many opportunities.
I love English teachers! Some of my favorite teachers were English teachers – opened up my imagination and my cultural interests.
I GOT MY XMAS CARD TODAY!
🙂
Statement by the Press Secretary on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/12/04/statement-press-secretary-convention-rights-persons-disabilities
“We are disappointed that the overwhelming majority of Senate Republicans today blocked the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which would enshrine American standards that have been developed through decades of bipartisan cooperation. Ratification would require no changes to U.S. law, as the United States already leads the world in promoting and protecting the rights of persons with disabilities. However, it would position the United States to support extending across the globe the rights that Americans already enjoy at home. This in turn would improve the lives of Americans with disabilities — including our wounded service members — who wish to live, work, and travel abroad. It would also allow our businesses to operate on a more level playing field and reaffirm American leadership on disability rights. For these reasons, and others, Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and across the country — as well as disability advocacy groups, wounded warriors, veterans groups and business groups — have supported this treaty. We commend former Senator Dole and the bipartisan coalition of Senators who worked to secure the treaty resolution’s passage, including Senators Reid, Kerry, Lugar and McCain. We hope the Senate will reconsider this treaty soon in the next Congress. As President Obama declared in a written statement read in tribute to Senator Dole just before the vote, “disability rights should not stop at our nation’s shores.”
President Obama remembered by birthday by sending me a WH Christmas card featuring Bo on the front today! He has such impeccable timing!!! I feel sooo fortunate!!!! LOL.
Today’s your birthday, majiir?!!
Yes, and I’m enjoying it by reading TOD!!
Many, many happy returns of the day,, majiir!
Oh! Oh! Happy Birthday, majiir! My birthday is not until Monday, but The First Family sent my Christmas card plenty early! How delighted am I? Whhoottt! 😆
Thanks, Pamela, and I’m sending an early happy birthday wish to you!
Happy birthday, majiir and happy early birthday, Pamela!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, majiir!! Hope you had a wonderful day. I know that card must have brought a big smile to your face! Cheers!
Evening TOD Family. I am all over and in and out of each room today. Trying to keep moving the body. I happened to come back into the room and there was former Sec. Defense Robert Gates on Bloomberg in an interview with Charlie Rose. I came in at the end of the interview, however that part that I heard was very interesting. Sec. Gates’s book will be going to the publishers in Feb. Sec. Gates will be coming out with two books.
I really do like Sec. Gates, and I do think that he had great respect and honor for POTUS, and still speaks highly of POB. I am looking forward to reading Sec. Gates’s books.HZ
Good evening, HZ!!
I read earlier today that Gates made a statement that was a warning to Assad, saying he should be aware that PBO is a very tough decision maker and he will do what’s best.
WOOT!!!! Just read on Bloomberg News that my Repub rep, Kay Granger, is joining with Rep Tom Cole in her willingness to vote to extend the middle class tax cuts! I have been emailing and calling but thought it was pretty pointless. Apparently others have been doing the same. So I just sent another email to her office requesting confirmation of what I read and urging her to sign the discharge petition. To my knowledge, this is the first time she’s broken from Boehner, if it’s true. I will be thrilled!
Foxfire, that is FANTASTIC!! I think we’re at 178 signatures now.
what ? shouldn’t it be 193 + signatures by now ?
The petition requesting discharge of H.R. 15 “ripens” on Dec. 24th, so that’s the deadline for signatures.
I imagine there is a lot of arm twisting going on at the moment, so everybody, PLEASE call your Reps and get them going on this.
Presumably, The blue dogs and republicans are waiting for a larger package deal.
Fucking blue dogs again.
Back soon!!
Debbie W-S is coming up on The Ed Show. That’ll make it sing!
Finally! Hi TODobots and Ms Chips! This has been a long, long day when I couldn’t get on at all because I was running hither, tither and yon after working. Believe it or not, right now I’m sitting in the hallway of an institution of higher learning waiting while my offspring does an exam. It would have made no sense to give him a ride there, go home and come back later! I’m the glorified chauffeur because the bus system is sporadic, especially at night, the ride is lo-o–ong and it seems easier to hang around. So, now I’m here, I’m off to see what was cooked up today in Obamaland.
Time for chat away thread?
Well, if the President is going to roll the Debt ceiling into any deal, he will likely have to give something to the Republucans.
Since, they are so Safety net hungry…
This is likely the sticking point, as the tax cut issue is probably all but done.
It’s the debt ceiling stupid!
DARN. From TPM: Tom Perriello Not Running For VA-GOV, Endorses Terry McAuliffe
McCauliffe is really into green energy. Me thinks that would be great for Virginia, even though he is an electric car manufacturer.
Didn’t McAuliffe run and lose last time?
Yes. Primaried! Looks like they are clearing the field for him.
https://twitter.com/TeamBBN/status/274904038414376960
click the pic to enlarge
this is terrific, amk. better re-post it on ‘little bit’, cuz everybody’s left this place.
Neeeeeeeeew post!
http://theobamadiary.com/2012/12/05/a-little-bit-of-this-but-not-much-of-that/
thinking of sending a christmas present to the first family? here’s some background:
‘ Every time the commander-in-chief makes a public appearance, someone’s handing him a gift. What happens to his loot?
A gift’s fate comes down to who gave it and how much it cost. ‘
Read the full text here: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/154397#ixzz2EEbWGyqG
–brought to you by mental_floss!