That about sums it up – and the thing is, it’s well deserved. This President gave the right wingers every opportunity to do this the easy way. They rejected those opportunities. So now, they’re going to do it the hard way. And they’ll realize exactly who this man is – finally.
I like the fact that the President is focused and ‘on the job’ right away. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he and his admin manage to get immigration and gun management done within the first six months.
Oh, Lord, please put this woman in charge of the House in 2014. The entire country is carrying a big albatross around it’s neck in the form of Boehner and his TPers. We could be cooking on all burners as a country and economy by now if Nancy were at the House helm. It’s enough to make you weep.
Jackie G., this is my prayer. I was looking in my prayer/meditation box this morning from previous requests within our TOD family, and I saw so many that were answered from our lips to the Almighty’s ears and thus gave all of us the energy to work together to see answers. We will continue to do the same, and it is going to happen. I have that faith.HZ
What more can be said about Libya at this point. If I was the family of those killed in that attack, I’d be horribly offended at this political show. It’s really disgusting, and doesn’t honour the lives of those Americans, or further the actual investigation and pursuit of justice. They had access to Petreaus – if they didn’t hear what they wanted to hear in that hearing, then they’re asking the wrong questions.
Little Lindsey is exercising his favorite ploy. Making a big blustery statement that “Either…..or…..” knowing that the hearing is already scheduled, so he can say “See what I did!”””” He is empty. He wants his constituents to think he has power…..all smoke and mirrors.
I never expected to react so emotionally to this speech. PBO presented a vision of America that I had learned at home as a first generation American and in school as a little girl–an America of hope and promise for people from all over the world. I had forgotten how many layers of cynicism and “realism” I had encrusted over the years until the president brought it all back today. Younger, newer immigrant families that really listen to this speech will feel true pride in their adopted country. It is the most deeply patriotic statement I’ve heard in some time. The inaugural speech was a brilliant sweeping vision of what America has been and can be, but this one struck home in a special way. Bless this wonderful president.
Jackie – President Obama is a role model at so many levels. He’s a true patriot. He forgives. He puts the country first and really cares about his fellow citizens, and fellow humans. He listens – even to those with whom he does not agree. Bless him, indeed.
I missed the speech… but in response to POTUS’ “a lot of people forget that most of us used to be them”. I don’t forget- all my great-grandparents came from other countries: Ireland, Germany, Norway & Switzerland. We are all immigrants… except for you know who: Native Americans.
Great to have a minute to see everyone’s posts and hear our wonderful President reaching out to ALL Americans.
I just finished updating the list of congressional representatives from California. Boy that as a lot of work. Almost every district was moved so it was well beyond just adding new faces. I discovered I could do most of it in Dreamweaver and that made it much easier.
So far I have only done AZ and CA, will let you know as I make my way through each state. It is so fun to change the R to a D on some of the districts.
A good day to be a Democrat.
Please check it for accuracy if you live in CA or AZ post below if you find any mistakes
I am not sure that Todd is clueless that he allowed himself to be used. I think Todd subscribes to the same ideas as Husted. In nay case, I don’t know which is worse: being a clueless journalist who promotes a right wing agenda, or being a right wing propagandist while pretending to be an objective journalist.
Nothing like having a government official like Husted be working to assure his state “would not matter as much anymore.” The dark side of politics starts at the local level, if you’re a Republican.
Once again, Ohio Dems need to find the best and brightest among them to run for governor in 2014. With a Dem governor will come a Dem SOS and this nightmare man will fall into not just the dustbin, but the rotted garbage can of history.
Excellent. When is the State of the Union? Seems like the hearings will start and then President Obama can kick the butt of anyone trying to railroad the process during the SOTU. I was getting worried when I saw that the GOP timeline was summertime – but then I heard the President talk in terms of weeks, not months.
Immigration reform hearings in two weeks. Nicely done Senator Leahy. Keep it coming.
President Obama and Vice President Biden have hit the ground running with relentless focus on gun safety and immigration reform. They are pummeling the Republican Party with an agenda that the American people strongly support. The GOP heads must be spinning. They are struggling to keep up. Instead of governing, they are spending all of their time whining and crying about imaginary attacks from PBO. It’s pathetic.
Shortly after the 2012 elections, Republicans started kicking around a radical idea: identify battleground states where President Obama won, noting which ones were run by Republican policymakers, and changing the way they allocate electoral votes. Instead of a winner-take-all system used by nearly every state, these states would rig the election by awarding votes based on gerrymandered congressional district line.
Six states were immediately part of the mix: Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. And slowly but surely, as revulsion to the scheme as grown, the number of states where the plan is viable has dwindled.
For any who’ll be in DC Feb 10, Vusi will be playing at The Hamilton (same place Rahm had his party that I pretend-crashed! 🙂 ):
“Vusi began to write songs of justice, of freedom, of revolution, of love, of peace and of life. He joined a poetry group, The Ancestors of Africa, and also joined the Congress of South African Writers, a group of like-minded artists and writers, including Nobel Laureate Nadine Gordimer who paid for Vusi’s first guitar lessons. At this point, his political activism truly began. For the “crime” of writing songs of freedom and human dignity, Vusi was held in solitary confinement; he was harassed by the police repeatedly. Many of his friends fled the country. Through this struggle, his songwriting became not only prolific but also healing for himself and for his listeners. And as Nadine Gordimer so vividly puts it, “Vusi sings as a bird does, in total response to being alive.” He simply became known as ‘The Voice’.”
It’s raw but as far as the GOP is concerned McCain is exactly right. It’s going to be very interesting watching them take on this issue and dog whistle to their base simultaneously. They will try but the reality is it’s either one or the other.
Oh great——remember when we used to just have plain old fire drills at school? A high school in my area is planning a gun fire drill—–unbelievably—–and parents are not happy. The justification was that their kids had never heard gun shots and they are going to familiarize them with the sounds—-shooting blanks—-and have some kind of “code red” practice, classrooms locked etc. This is just sad. How did we get here?
yes, but i also remember ‘duck and cover’ drills–when all the children would crouch under our desks, covering our heads with our arms, waiting for the ‘all clear’ siren, or the atomic bomb explosion.
Yes, Susanne, but think how “effective” those drills were in deterring a nuclear attack. With these gun shot drills, we’re turning our schools into places of terror.
What is sad is that they have to familiarize children with the sounds of gun fire, rather than focusing on making sure children never hear that sound in their lifetime. I guess it’s a sad reality – while these gun nuts continue to hold the country hostage, then there will always be another chance for another disaster.
Dotster, Tthis sounds like overkill to me. Schools here in Ontario regularly have fire and ‘code red’ drills and they have never suggested firing blanks to familiarize anyone with the sounds of gunshots. They just have a verbal signal ‘intruder alert’, ‘lock down’ or ‘code red’. 🙄
Well, we did have atomic attack drills when I was a kid. Duck and cover. The cold war in the fifties and sixties was also a scary time to be a kid. Like getting under your desk would save you from an atomic bomb.
In our district we have fire, tornado, lock down, and evacuation drills. To the young children our principal will say something like “What if a tiger escaped from the zoo? We would want to all be safe until he could be caught.” We talk about needing to evacuate the building in case of a gas leak. We try to keep it as non-threatening and yet serious as possible. I think the idea of ‘getting them used to gunfire” is really superfluous and over-dramatic.
The few times I’ve switched on CNN (usually on the weekends, when there’s no other news station), I’ve gone running from there after just a few minutes. It’s a cesspool.
I completely stopped watching CNN when they hired him. My husband will turn it on and I’ll go and turn it off. This is not reasoned, serious debate and giving him an ‘objective’ platform was an insult to reason.
You know what gets to me UT? The dope voted no and I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts he doesn’t have a clue why other than the Black Guy picked Kerry for the job.
Hello TOD Family. I am writing to share a very important letter that Captain Mark Kelly sent out today. He will be testifying before the Judiciary Committee at 10:00 AM ET. He would like to hear your thoughts and feedback, if you have not been able to yet do so at: http://action.Americansforresponsiblesolution.org/tell-congress
HZ
Thank you, HZ. I donated to Americans for Responsible solutions yesterday, and I gave them my feedback when I received the Email.
I wanted to thank you for all your insightful posts. I hope you are feeling well.
Ed Rendell sticking shiv in VP Biden’s back. IF Hillary decides to run (I don’t think she will) it will be up to Hillary Clinton to convince Joe to drop out. If he doesn’t want to then that’s his business. Who does Rendell think he is to be making such calls about who has been more loyal to POTUS? Hillary has been loyal but so has Joe. Where does Rendell get off thinking Hillary’s service is more important than Joe’s? Its Democrats like Rendell that make me worry about a Hillary run. The Dems that support her are just shady.
. @GovEdRendell said if Hillary runs in 2016, he expects Obama will talk VP Biden out of launching his own bid. WATCH: http://t.co/c4VdQ8zQ
I saw that this morning, too, and I was livid – I commented on the Rise & Shine post. It’s people like Rendell that will do the most damage to Hillary and a potential run, because the Rendell’s of the world have shown their true colours during these four years, undermining the President, refusing to give up their campaign animus. If Rendell can’t respect the current President and Vice President of the United States, then why would he be any more loyal to a “President Hillary”? Hillary will do well to rid herself of these hangers-on.
Rendell’s blowing smoke. He’s got nothing. If he thinks PBO is going to play his game he’s stupider than I thought. Biden will do what Biden wants. Rendell can’t stop him. Don’t upset yourself over something they may or may not happen four years from now.
Nor do I think PBO could stop him. However, I don’t think PBO is going to encourage anybody either to run or not run. And I think he will campaign very strongly for whomever wins the nomination, but won’t have anything to say about any of the candidates before then.
I think you’re right. He’ll stay out of it until the primaries are over, and then he’ll campaign his heart out for whomever becomes the nominee. I think he’ll have a hard time keeping his distance if VP Biden opts to run, though. VP Biden has been so loyal, and has worked so hard – but, I think this is why President Obama has given him his most difficult jobs to manage (which VP Biden has done remarkably well). He’s given him a presidential record to run on, should he choose to do so.
This is one of msnbc’s themes, which everyone repeats ——started on tweety yesterday. I am sick of this obsession, about Hillary running. As Obama reminded during the 60 Minutes interview, he was just inaugurated a few days ago. Do we have to leap into the next one right away? And it remains my opinion that both Hillary and Joe will be too old. The presidency requires someone with energy and acumen of someone 20+ years younger, at peak and not on the downslide—–not meaning to sound harsh but things happen to everyone as they age, and that job is a heavy load, which is an understatement. Need someone Obama’s age.
I agree dotster. I am now 73, and am considered vigorous, etc. HOWEVER, I can see and feel the difference of what I am now as opposed to 20 years ago. Physical stamina is a big thing, and also memory.
A good friend and I had a conversation last spring on a plane coming home from Europe. We noticed the difference in our energy on this particular trip and trips only 3 years ago. She had just turned 70. We talked about what had happened physically, and I commented to sum it up: “70 is a bitch.” Yes, there are physical and mental differences.
I admire both Hillary and VP Biden, but we need to cultivate some people in their 40s and 50s with the true stamina and vision to carry forward. This was part of .what was so refreshing about PBO. He wasn’t one of the old tired ones we’d seen for 20 years. This age was a problem for both McGrumpy and Robney. The contrast was just too great. Being President of the USA is unlike any other position in the world. No other president or prime minister carries what our president does. Remember Reagan??? That was a BIG mistake for many reasons.
Let’s look forward, not back.
Rendell, Mrs. Greenspan, and other Hillary supporters do not seem to realize that PBO appointing Hillary as his SOS is responsible for her renewed reputation.
I thought Hillary needed some time off. Then how about she go some where and chill for awhile. I am getting alittle tired of this will she or won’t she run in 2016. Enough please.
That does it for me … enough! I’m off to listen to the pitter-patter of rain on the roof, while taking a nap, and get the ugly picture of Rendell out of my brain. See ya later! Hold down the fort.
I think it is rather sad for the pundits and even members of the Democratic Party to suggest that VP Biden should just bow out if HRC decides to run in 2016. I just feel like VP Biden has done a lot of maneuvering behind the scenes, and he has been the Perfect partner for President Obama, and I refuse to diminish that. He also has his own record which is not too shabby, and I as a voter reject anybody Democrat or not trying to tell me who I should support. This “entitlement” attitude reminds me too much of Mitt Romney and his belief that he should not be challenged in a primary, and that he was entitled to the GOP nomination and Presidency. As a woman I would love to see a Woman President in my lifetime, and I respect and admire Hillary Clinton, but that does not mean that I will somehow throw Joe Biden under the bus and I am always reminded about the fact that no one thought President Obama had a chance, and no one predicted that this would happen, so in the end none of us know what the future holds, and I get tired of this thinking ahead to four years from now when President Obama’s 2nd term is merely a week old. Ok end of my mini rant lol.
My mini rant that I didn’t share turns out to match yours! LOL. No throwing Joe under any bus, especially since we’re all still Ridin’ with Biden! Nobody’s entitled to the presidency, as candidate Barack Obama proved in ’08!!! Let’s just sit back and enjoy our two leaders, and try to ignore what’s gonna happen 4 freakin’ years from now! I’m with you.
Who cares about what Ed Rendell expects? Besides, how about the President repaying the loyalty of VP Biden? Somebody should tell Rendell that he is not helping Hillary because he is turning off many loyal Democrats.
I see them hugging John Kerry and slapping his back on the Senate floor, so it must be a done deal. I’m glad he’s getting a chance to do this job. He deserves it after the swiftboating of 2004, the chance he gave to President Obama, his work on the START treaty and his support of Presidnet Obama (including the debate prep). I’m sure he’ll do a fantastic job.
Now, it’s up to the people of Massachusetts to do the right thing with that Senate seat.
five reasons republicans won’t win over latino voters:
‘ Republicans may feel electoral pressure to vote for comprehensive immigration reform. They shouldn’t – at least in the short term. Latino voters are Democrats, and Republicans would gain little even by making a 180-degree turn on immigration reform in the next 15 years. ‘
I’m not sure I completely agree with this. I think that there are plenty of Latinos (just like there are plenty of Americans) who hold conservative values, align with real conservatives on social issues and fiscal issues. I think if there was a reasonable Republican party, that many Latinos would line up behind that party. I think that reasonable people cannot align themselves with today’s Republican party, but we shouldn’t kid ourselves that all these voters are natural Democrats.
i think the author is saying the rethugs are foolish to expect hispanic voters to suddenly run to them if they endorse immigration reform. the reasons hispanic voters are mostly democrats are various, and immigration is not their #1 concern.
[LOL! Greg Sargent tells a a few trolls to STFU @ his post on PBO’s immigration speech!]:
“The American people disagree with you, and agree with us. Angry, reactionary, backward looking people like you are driving the GOP into deeper and deeper denial and marginalization. The DNC thanks you for your efforts.”
[AND]:
“Get the hell out of the way and let the adults move the country forward.”
Except that their still kicking the stuffings out of the other cable news networks. Don’t get me wrong abysmal ratings could not happen to a better network but too many of the others are just as crummy and haven’t been able to take advantage of Fox’s decline.
That’s a clanging red alarm that the cable news format as it exists is starting to die out. I mean, MSNBC is supposed to be on “our side”, but good Lord, there’s only so much outrage I can stomach. Al Jazeera’s entry into the US market will be interesting: does it come out as straight news, or will it try to take on the trappings of Fox, CNN, and MSNBC?
Remember how they used to brag about their ratings as to why they were so successful and liberal shows are just not popular….so I guess RWNJ shows are just not popular.
You gotta love the long game Pres. Obama plays. He supported Elizabeth Warren as Director of CFPB but the GOP railroaded her. He let them hang themselves and quietly made sure E. Warren ran for senate. He went down to MA and gave her more publicity, she fought hard, and now she’s the senior senator from MA. He’s playing chess and the GOP is playing some moronic version of checkers.
Would that PBO was trying to negotiate with elephants!! They’re matriarchal, peaceful, vegetarian, look after their sick, and protect their young. Natural dems.
He actually said that ‘now may not be the time’. So it’s not so much that he’s against it, as that now it’s in the press it’s not the time to sneak it through.
here is a funny one…did you see Mcpain giggling when Chuck Schumer started patting him on the back and spewing his great attributes?…I love Schumer! brilliant! Chips, do you think you might be kind enough to find the clip so those who missed it might have a good ROTFL session?
see that napa cabbage? that’s from seed brought by immigrants, i bet. it would be interesting, in the context of the discussion on immigration, to consider all the basic ‘american’ foods which began as ‘strange’ foods when first brought by immigrants. like, say, oh, pizza!
OMG, I have been on a napa cabbage jag for the last few days. Great salad of thinly sliced raw napa cabbage, purple cabbage, shredded carrot, green onion, fresh mint, sliced apple, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and tossed with a rice vinegar and soy dressing. Mrs. O’s garden is so gorgeous!!
Wow – that recipe sounds amazing. I wouldn’t have thought of adding the mint, but I only recently discovered how good fresh mint is in salads and with watermelon.
Obama Cleverly Plants the Seeds for Possible GOP Self Destruction on Immigration Reform
By: Jason Easley
———————————–
Obama wasn’t just showing leadership in his speech. He was also sowing the seeds for potential Republican self destruction. The scenario goes something like this. A group of congressional Republicans decide that they are going to kill immigration reform. They bog down the legislation in the congressional swamp of inaction that is our current legislative process. The president sends his bill to the Congress for a vote. Democrats and enough Senate Republicans come together to pass his bill. If House Republicans reject his legislation, the table is then set for Democrats to build on their support from Hispanic voters in 2014 and 2016.
The president’s is allowing the Republicans to pick their path. They can either do the right thing for the country, or they can sentence themselves to political oblivion by pandering to the immigration hardliners in their party. Obama is leaving nothing to chance. Whether Republicans realize it or not, their future as a viable national party may depend on the choices that they make on immigration reform.
President Obama has made sure that there will be a heavy political price to pay if Republicans try to obstruction immigration reform.
Just as Hillary was the right choice in 2009; I believe Sen Kerry is absolutely the right choice for this next phase of PBO’s foreign policy.
During the ’08 PA primary, he did several PA Vets 4 Obama events; he was a fierce advocate for PBO, passionate, witty, loose while campaigning; approachable, personable and humble behind the scenes. I found myself thinking “Why weren’t you like this stumping for yourself?” and then it dawned on me — it’s easier being a surrogate than being the candidate…
This is true – he was really funny during the campaign. He tweeted out one day that he had run into Romney somewhere, and he had a picture of the rusty Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz.
Ok John Kerry is an intellectual, a very analytical, nuanced person. He is also a man of character and integrity. All those qualities make for a good candidate for the presidency. What was lacking ? We would think “charisma” but I would go further than that. I think John Kerry doesn’t have an optimistic nature so he struggled to get people excited, to get people REALLY believe that despite great odds, things COULD change. Also, it seems to me that Kerry is prudent and analytical to a fault: he is reluctant to take risks. ( psycho babble maybe but I can’t help it…)
To be a great leader and a transformative one, you need to have the perfect mix of knowledge, brilliance, integrity AND optimism AND combative spirit. Barack Obama has it all and that’s why he will go down as one of the best presidents in american history.
John Kerry would have been a good president. But it wasn’t meant to be. Instead, he will work hand in hand with one of the best presidents EVER. Not bad…
A last note: maybe watching Barack Obama operate has inspired John Kerry, has “rejuvenated” him…
Had to scroll down and comment: LOOK at those HAPPY faces in that crowd today! They are so happy to see him, hear him. They know that he is THEIR President and he will do his best to not let them down! And the little Hispanic boy saluting his President, oh my!
I hope he is going to talk to Rybak about a position in his cabinet. He would be a great choice for something. I really like him and how he campaigned for Obama.
Some background info on Pete Souza and how he started with President Obama:
// Souza was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts and raised in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts,[citation needed] from a family of Portuguese ancestry. Souza graduated with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in public communication from Boston University and a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Kansas State University.
Souza started his career in the 1970s in Kansas at the Chanute Tribune and the Hutchinson News. In early 80s, he was a photographer for the Chicago Sun-Times. He served as an official White House photographer for President Ronald Reagan during his second term, from June 1983 until 1989. He was also the official photographer for the funeral services of Ronald Reagan. Thereafter, he continued to be based in Washington D.C., and worked for ten years as a photographer for the Chicago Tribune Washington Bureau (1998–2007). It was during this period that in 2004, Jeff Zeleny, now a political writer for the New York Times, asked Souza to take photographs for a project documenting Barack Obama’s first year as U.S. senator.
Souza covered Obama’s arrival to the Senate in 2005 and met him for the first time on Obama’s first day in the Senate. He documented Obama’s time in the Senate, following him in many foreign trips including Kenya, South Africa, and Russia. In the process he not only became close to Senator Obama, he ended up following his rise to Presidency. In July 2008, Souza published a bestseller photo-book The Rise of Barack Obama, in which photographs between 2005 and 2008 were compiled. //
jeffrey toobin in the new yorker, on the d.c. court’s decision to invalidate pbo’s recess appointments:
‘ But the D.C. Circuit decision, if it stands, essentially gives veto power to Senate Republicans. If they simply refuse to act on Obama’s appointments, he is now powerless to respond. The opinion also said that any action taken by improper recess appointees would be invalid. So the opinion could paralyze a major chunk of the federal government. Filibusters by senators who don’t approve of the United Nations could prevent us from having any ambassador at all; indeed, these senators could theoretically leave a President without any Cabinet members at all.
Who wrote this judicial atrocity? No surprise—it was David Sentelle, who has a long and disgraceful reputation as a partisan hack on the bench. A protégé of Jesse Helms, his fellow North Carolinian, Sentelle is most famous for engineering, in 1994, the dismissal of Robert Fiske as the Whitewater Independent Counsel and replacing him with Kenneth Starr. (How’d that work out?) As a judge, Sentelle has been a thoroughgoing reactionary for thirty years. ‘
That decision will be overturned. It greatly weakens the office of the presidency and PBO will not be president forever, so cooler heads will prevail. It is a CRAZY decision that is just further evidence of how insane PBO makes some white males in this country. They feel the need to put PBO “in his place” and in this instance used the federal bench to score cheap political points (a judicial tantrum, so to speak). The behavior of the GOP following the election has been bizarre to say the least. They have so radicalized their base of angry white men, that any move toward sanity by the party will cause a rebellion. Glad to see the election rigging scheme has disintegrated under the sunlight of public outrage, but the fact that the GOP seriously considered such an option in the first place, shows how desperate and hopeless they feel and how dangerous they are to this country. How long can this nation tolerate that one of its two major political parties seems intent on destroying our democracy?
I just came back from my evening run. The track was packed this evening. It’s a balmy 70 degrees here in the DC area today. I swear yesterday this area was on Federal Government and School delay because of freezing rain. Climate Change much????
Hi Donna, yesterday winter, today spring, tomorrow summer, then back to winter Friday. Climate change much?! Those idiots have to count using all fingers & toes, some imaginary.
Ahoy Mates. It’s a balmy 60 degree here in Chicago land and I just had to go out. Tomorrow things drop to freezing and I’m thinking about climate change. Oh well, at least my “spring fever” won’t be too severe, eh!
We had three inches of snow in East TN on Friday 1/18 and then an ice storm this past Friday. Today the high was 70 degrees. Definitely climate change.
Wow, I love where PBO is going with immigration reform. He has the vast support of the Latino community and OFA will be there for him, too. BRAVO, Mr. President. ON to the 21st century.
OT: From her announcement in ’07, until Jan ’12, firmly planted on a lawn I regularly pass was a Hillary sign. To the person’s credit, they removed it during the ’12 campaign. While they never put us an Obama sign, the did have a handwritten “This family votes Democratic” sign on their lawn. That came down the day after the election. Passed the house today; guess what — the “Hillary” sign is back! LOL
I don’t want to either; and each time I hear it on TV, I’ll tweet the offender with a reminder that we are only XX days into the Pres second term and we want to hear about his agenda, NOT 2016 speculation” or words to that effect!
I still see a bunch of people with Romney signs on their cars, and shake my head every time. I’d rather have a dedicated Hillary fan, who will vote for the Democratic candidate in 2016, than have a Romney fan, not afraid to advertise their loser status even now… after such a thorough defeat of their craven liar candidate. Whomever wins the nomination in 2016 will have my support.
WOW! There is so many catching up to do. i have been away for four days and did not have access to the net and it feels like a part of my life flew pass me and I don’t know what to do. Jeez I will not let that happen again
UGH—2 leading Dem candidates for Jesse Jackson Jr.’s seat in Illinois have an A rating from the NRA. Debbie Halvorson, probably the most well known, came out against an assault weapons ban. The other is Toi Hutchinson. Surely, there is someone more worthy in Illinois for this seat. Ay yi yi.
Halvorson, in a tight IL race and under attack from Bloomberg, distances herself from @nra in an interview w @buzzfeedhttp://t.co/l9ffx5rU
Wow – this is surprising, given that Chicago had over 500 gun deaths last year. Anyone with an “A” rating from the NRA should be ashamed to show their faces – especially if they are from Chicago. Their actions earning that “A” rating have facilitated the deaths of all those people, including the 20 first-graders in Newtown.
I knew this is how she would perform when she appeared on Ed’s show just after she won, and she was already spouting anti-President Obama sentiments. I suspect she’s eyeing the White House in the future, and it wouldn’t surprise me if she was to change parties at some point. She doesn’t seem to embrace anything that Democrats support. Climate change, guns, taxes, everything. I wonder if she was vetted at all…
I hang my head in deep sadness that this young man lost his life over a simple lack of human decency on the part of the homeowner.
That the perpetrator of this horrible act and collosal lack of judgment lives in my state and my county, tragically is no surprise.
Goodness. I often turn my car around in people’s driveways if I go the wrong way down a road. Something’s got to be done about these people who think they can just shoot someone in their driveway and get away with murder. And, why do they have to shoot to kill? How terrible for that man who was killed.
Holy Shit! This craziness is infectious. Here’s a man “exercising his 2nd Amendments Rights” (in his own mind) and in doing so deprived an innocent man of his life!! We used to believe that my rights end where yours begin, but now we have people living among us who feel that their rights are absolute and trump ours. They believe the common good is a socialist idea and should be subservient to their “inalienable individual right” to shoot your ass if you do anything that they can construe as a threat. Where does it end?
Exactly. Dude had already shot once in the air. All he had to do was say “what do you want” (and wait for an answer) or even just “get out of my yard”. There was no need to shoot into the car. He’s either senile or just a cold-blooded murderer. Anybody taking any bets this guy lived on a daily diet of fear fed to him by Faux News?
You have to have already crossed that threshold of realizing you have what it takes to kill someone in order to own a gun. Otherwise, you might as well not have the gun. I considered getting a gun for protection for about four minutes, until I realized I could never pull the trigger on another person. Once a person decides they can kill another human being, the brain has already made it possible. And for some, they are simply waiting for the opportunity – like this evil character.
How idiotic is this Todd? Lord have Mercy.
This bat poop has no clue that most immigrants love USA and they love the Flag. Part of wanting to be come an American is loving and appreciating the Old Glory. Those comments by Chuck was wickedly crude and it is close to cruelty in my book.
Yeah! Let me know when he is safely at the WH; he is back earlier than expected so maybe he wants dinner with some of that broccoli and cabbage harvested today!
charles pierce on justice scalia’s ‘dead, dead, dead’ comment, his history of support for gay marriage, and his silly hat (‘ My guess is that Scalia has lived most of his life with a severe case of Inquisition envy. ‘)
‘ Supreme Court Justice Antonin (Short Time) Scalia took a break from the day job he pretty plainly stopped caring about around half-past 2001. He stopped by Southern Methodist University to chat about what the law would really mean if he were king of the forest, and not just another guy in a robe surrounded by eight other pissants drawn from the lower orders. ‘
I love how PBO was only inaugurated last week, but people are already spewing ‘Hillary 2016.’ 🙄 News Flash!!! If Hillary runs, I aint supporting her in the primaries. Also, Hillary can’t win against republicans. She’s establishment and the American people are sick to death of establishment hence all the crazy repukes being nominated. Also, for democrats, supporters have to be inl ove with their candidate. Grateful though I am for her service, I aint standing 4 hours in line for Hillary, I would do that and more for Barack Obama. I feel the same about every democrat whose name is being bandied about for 2016. Barack Obama is a once in a lifetime candidate. Everyone else is judged to be less and found wanting. The only way I’d vote for Hillary and the rest is if the choice is between them and a repuke……………. maybe.
Lisa I agree let my President term finish, to me they are being damn disgusting and this notion that Hillary has the nomination lock and seal is insulting to me. The media said the same back in 2008 but who won my man Obama thank god I saw the light and was and still is able to see the exceptional man and President Barack Obama is and ONE of the best decision I have ever made
u.s. marines in hawaii are testing a new waste disposal system–very cool:
‘ The science advisor for U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific, supported by the MarForPac Experimentation Center, demonstrated a green, rubbish-reducing technology here Jan. 25.
“It’s not burning,” said Ben Tritt, the MarForPac science advisor for Office of Naval Research. “It’s gasification under a very controlled environment, and it’s much cleaner than burning … It’s (also) a self-sustaining process.”
~
Operators start MAGS with diesel fuel, bringing the inside of its insulated drum to temperatures exceeding 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The machine is then “fed” trash at a rate of approximately 50 pounds per hour, turning 95 percent of it into gas which is used as fuel to sustain the process. The remaining 5 percent is converted to inert ash which can be safely disposed of in landfills, or mixed with compost, asphalt or cement. One machine is capable of meeting the daily waste disposal needs of approximately 1,000 troops.
“It not only (handles) mixed solid waste – trash that you would typically throw away – but we’ve also done some testing with petroleum, oil and lubricants,” said Tritt. Virtually the only materials MAGS cannot “digest” are glass and metal, which the system leaves intact and sanitizes so they can be easily recycled.
~
The benefits are plentiful and the technology is state-of-the-art, but does it take a scientist to operate?
“Actually, it’s simple enough that a scientist can operate it,” joked Tritt. “It’s kind of like running an iPad.” ‘
I know that the large plane that takes President Obama id named ‘Air Force One’ but what is the name of that helicopter that lands directly on the White House lawn?
I was just about to post this link – you beat me to it, Pamela. I got an email from Jim Messina. I am very happy with the President’s proposal. Immigration reform has long been one of my key issues and I am hoping that it will finally happen. If it does – and I think it will – there can be no doubt that President Obama’s administration will go down in history as a time of profound change. Remember “change we can believe in”?
It’s happening and the amazing thing is that reforms are achieved against a backdrop of economic difficulty and political gridlock.
Since Hillary keeps coming up in conversations and sometimes here, I have my own idea for her. From what I hear, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is likely to retire in the next four years. I think she will retire while Obama is president to make sure her replacement comes from the correct side of the political spectrum. So…..I think Hillary would be an excellent Supreme Court Justice. She is well educated and well experienced, and is strong on women’s issues and other important ones. I know she hasn’t been in a law field recently, but that is not the major criterion. Rememberer Earl Warren was governor of California before becoming Chief Justice, and he was a good one. Anyway, I would like to see her on the supreme court. As SOS she has been out of the political fires, and when she faces that horror honestly, I have a feeling she will opt out.
Remember in 2008 everyone said she was the “inevitable”choice. She’ll remember all that.
Will someone please do a tut-tut piece about the focus on the Kerry-Clinton-Biden ’16 race rather than THE REAL PROBLEMS FACING OUR COUNTRY?— Jon Ralston (@RalstonReports) January 30, 2013
The Lincoln and Obama similarities and becoming clearer, brighter, and stronger. I need to do more research on Lincoln but immigration reform is Obama’s 13 amendment. We would be literally freeing 11 million people.
Obama White House.gov
The Obama Diary 
Just got home, what’s going on?
Is the speech just starting?
Sorry, you missed it. See Utal’s summary on the last thread.
Thank vc. I’ll have to get other stuff done before I can settle in to read and understand.
It was a short but very pointed outline of where the Pres hopes to go with immigration.
Hell Yeah! 😀
😆 Love it!!!
That about sums it up – and the thing is, it’s well deserved. This President gave the right wingers every opportunity to do this the easy way. They rejected those opportunities. So now, they’re going to do it the hard way. And they’ll realize exactly who this man is – finally.
I will do whatever I can to help you Mr. president.
PBO always gets America excited.
I like the fact that the President is focused and ‘on the job’ right away. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he and his admin manage to get immigration and gun management done within the first six months.
The President is a leader. And reasonable people follow him.
Oh, Lord, please put this woman in charge of the House in 2014. The entire country is carrying a big albatross around it’s neck in the form of Boehner and his TPers. We could be cooking on all burners as a country and economy by now if Nancy were at the House helm. It’s enough to make you weep.
Jackie G., this is my prayer. I was looking in my prayer/meditation box this morning from previous requests within our TOD family, and I saw so many that were answered from our lips to the Almighty’s ears and thus gave all of us the energy to work together to see answers. We will continue to do the same, and it is going to happen. I have that faith.HZ
thank you nancy! immediate, strong support. no quibbling, no hedging. this is why we’re gonna get you that gavel back!
Nancy for Speaker, 2014! Imagine what could get done if this happens!
Can’t wait for the full speech. Got in in time for the hand-shaking. Thank you for looking out for us,mChips.
Sen. Graham: Either Panetta testifies on Libya or I put hold on Hagel nomination
Jeremy Herb – 01/29/13 11:21 AM ET
Sen. Levin said Graham’s threat likely need not be acted on, because a Panetta hearing was already in the works.…
-/
See? So much for filibuster reform.
What more can be said about Libya at this point. If I was the family of those killed in that attack, I’d be horribly offended at this political show. It’s really disgusting, and doesn’t honour the lives of those Americans, or further the actual investigation and pursuit of justice. They had access to Petreaus – if they didn’t hear what they wanted to hear in that hearing, then they’re asking the wrong questions.
Empty. Graham is going to fold like a cheap suit when push comes to shove.
Isn’t this the reason why people were so disappointed with Senator Harry Reid. It seem like the same old B.S. being played by these Republicans.
Little Lindsey is exercising his favorite ploy. Making a big blustery statement that “Either…..or…..” knowing that the hearing is already scheduled, so he can say “See what I did!”””” He is empty. He wants his constituents to think he has power…..all smoke and mirrors.
Please refer to the Senator by his proper name: Huckleberry Closetcase.
Thank you.
hahahahhahahahahhahahhahahahhahahhahha!!! 😆 😆 that’s the best kept secret in Washington! 😉
OT- looks like Ray Lewis was busted for growth Hormone spray.
It’s all espn is talking about.
Now back to our regularly scheduled program.
Is he crying?
Omg! This Guy has some major issues
Ed Reed is a class act, Ray Ray, not so much
UT, thanks for your fab tweets!
Full speech:
Would it be bad form to have a cocktail at work?
Only Kentucky Windage!
Go for it!!! 🙂
Man, it has just been one of those days.
Only if you get caught.
i thought all librarians had a bottle of hooch in the bottom drawer of their desks. since the ‘quiet’ signs came down, anyway. 🙂
Not if you have a classy lookin’ flask.
Was Kerry voted in yet on the Floor?
Vote is expected to take place at approx. 4:15PM ET. Senate debate now in session, nearing completion.
http://www.c-span.org/Live-Video/C-SPAN2/
I never expected to react so emotionally to this speech. PBO presented a vision of America that I had learned at home as a first generation American and in school as a little girl–an America of hope and promise for people from all over the world. I had forgotten how many layers of cynicism and “realism” I had encrusted over the years until the president brought it all back today. Younger, newer immigrant families that really listen to this speech will feel true pride in their adopted country. It is the most deeply patriotic statement I’ve heard in some time. The inaugural speech was a brilliant sweeping vision of what America has been and can be, but this one struck home in a special way. Bless this wonderful president.
Jackie – President Obama is a role model at so many levels. He’s a true patriot. He forgives. He puts the country first and really cares about his fellow citizens, and fellow humans. He listens – even to those with whom he does not agree. Bless him, indeed.
I missed the speech… but in response to POTUS’ “a lot of people forget that most of us used to be them”. I don’t forget- all my great-grandparents came from other countries: Ireland, Germany, Norway & Switzerland. We are all immigrants… except for you know who: Native Americans.
Hiya sherijr, just added the full speech to the post
ohhh thank YOU Chips, going to watch it right now 🙂
Greetings TOD family.
Great to have a minute to see everyone’s posts and hear our wonderful President reaching out to ALL Americans.
I just finished updating the list of congressional representatives from California. Boy that as a lot of work. Almost every district was moved so it was well beyond just adding new faces. I discovered I could do most of it in Dreamweaver and that made it much easier.
So far I have only done AZ and CA, will let you know as I make my way through each state. It is so fun to change the R to a D on some of the districts.
A good day to be a Democrat.
Please check it for accuracy if you live in CA or AZ post below if you find any mistakes
http://www.whatisworking.com/2011/05/contact-congress-address-phone-twitter.html#ca
Many thanks to all who post here and to Chips, the most tireless blogger on the Web.
Happy to report that Baby Ben Quayle is NO LONGER A CONGRESSMAN!! He’s outta there! David Schweikert (Idiot- AZ) took his place…
Fixed it – I hope – thanks for the info.
No more Baby Quayle! Redistricting made him & Schweikert have to fight it out in the primary. Quayle lost & to our sorrow Schweikert beat the Dem.
This is why Chuck Todd got so much push back from us. Jon Husted is a liar.
Todd let himself be used which is what a lot of these journalists today seem to do. But the real culprit was and remains Husted.
I am not sure that Todd is clueless that he allowed himself to be used. I think Todd subscribes to the same ideas as Husted. In nay case, I don’t know which is worse: being a clueless journalist who promotes a right wing agenda, or being a right wing propagandist while pretending to be an objective journalist.
Nothing like having a government official like Husted be working to assure his state “would not matter as much anymore.” The dark side of politics starts at the local level, if you’re a Republican.
Once again, Ohio Dems need to find the best and brightest among them to run for governor in 2014. With a Dem governor will come a Dem SOS and this nightmare man will fall into not just the dustbin, but the rotted garbage can of history.
Which we would love to put an airtight lid on, collectively, for the good of our country.
Better quality video of full speech added to post
hmm the video is ending at 42 seconds.. is it only me or the video??
Yikes, really sherijr – it’s working for me:
I don’t know what was going on.. but I did get it to work finally- POTUS once again making me cry, most excellent speech 🙂
Phew, that’s great Sherijr. I was only just getting my breath back after the Inaugural speech, now this! Wonderful times.
yes indeed, wonderful times Chips.. so lucky to be alive for all this 🙂
Excellent. When is the State of the Union? Seems like the hearings will start and then President Obama can kick the butt of anyone trying to railroad the process during the SOTU. I was getting worried when I saw that the GOP timeline was summertime – but then I heard the President talk in terms of weeks, not months.
Feb 12 is the State of the Union.
Drat.
Immigration reform hearings in two weeks. Nicely done Senator Leahy. Keep it coming.
President Obama and Vice President Biden have hit the ground running with relentless focus on gun safety and immigration reform. They are pummeling the Republican Party with an agenda that the American people strongly support. The GOP heads must be spinning. They are struggling to keep up. Instead of governing, they are spending all of their time whining and crying about imaginary attacks from PBO. It’s pathetic.
Excellent – that’s during the week I’ll be in Las Vegas, for the 200th meeting of the Fortran Standardization Committee (j3-fortran.org).
SUNLIGHT IS THE BEST DISINFECTANT
And then there were none?
By Steve Benen
————————–
Shortly after the 2012 elections, Republicans started kicking around a radical idea: identify battleground states where President Obama won, noting which ones were run by Republican policymakers, and changing the way they allocate electoral votes. Instead of a winner-take-all system used by nearly every state, these states would rig the election by awarding votes based on gerrymandered congressional district line.
Six states were immediately part of the mix: Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. And slowly but surely, as revulsion to the scheme as grown, the number of states where the plan is viable has dwindled.
——————————-
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/01/29/16757701-and-then-there-were-none?lite
For any who’ll be in DC Feb 10, Vusi will be playing at The Hamilton (same place Rahm had his party that I pretend-crashed! 🙂 ):
“Vusi began to write songs of justice, of freedom, of revolution, of love, of peace and of life. He joined a poetry group, The Ancestors of Africa, and also joined the Congress of South African Writers, a group of like-minded artists and writers, including Nobel Laureate Nadine Gordimer who paid for Vusi’s first guitar lessons. At this point, his political activism truly began. For the “crime” of writing songs of freedom and human dignity, Vusi was held in solitary confinement; he was harassed by the police repeatedly. Many of his friends fled the country. Through this struggle, his songwriting became not only prolific but also healing for himself and for his listeners. And as Nadine Gordimer so vividly puts it, “Vusi sings as a bird does, in total response to being alive.” He simply became known as ‘The Voice’.”
.
http://www.thehamiltondc.com/live/calendar/#/vusi-mahlasela
.
http://www.youtube.com/user/vusimahlasela
Ooops, this is the link:
.
let’s compare and contrast the Man who is our President and the Man who would be our President:
PBO: an inspiring yet substantive speech about what it means to be an American.
McCain: “we gotta do this so we get votes.”
There you have it.
Great comparison.
It’s raw but as far as the GOP is concerned McCain is exactly right. It’s going to be very interesting watching them take on this issue and dog whistle to their base simultaneously. They will try but the reality is it’s either one or the other.
McCain IS right. The point is, they are clueless that such posturing makes them look sincere.
They don’t care. It’s about winning an election. Nothing else matters.
Oh great——remember when we used to just have plain old fire drills at school? A high school in my area is planning a gun fire drill—–unbelievably—–and parents are not happy. The justification was that their kids had never heard gun shots and they are going to familiarize them with the sounds—-shooting blanks—-and have some kind of “code red” practice, classrooms locked etc. This is just sad. How did we get here?
I seem to remember hearing that there were drills of this kind at Sandy Hook and that’s why there wasn’t more carnage than there was.
At almost 63 years old, I cannot believe the America I’m living in.
yes, but i also remember ‘duck and cover’ drills–when all the children would crouch under our desks, covering our heads with our arms, waiting for the ‘all clear’ siren, or the atomic bomb explosion.
Me, too, Susanne… How delusional to think that we’d be safe from radiation.
Yes, Susanne, but think how “effective” those drills were in deterring a nuclear attack. With these gun shot drills, we’re turning our schools into places of terror.
What is sad is that they have to familiarize children with the sounds of gun fire, rather than focusing on making sure children never hear that sound in their lifetime. I guess it’s a sad reality – while these gun nuts continue to hold the country hostage, then there will always be another chance for another disaster.
Dotster, Tthis sounds like overkill to me. Schools here in Ontario regularly have fire and ‘code red’ drills and they have never suggested firing blanks to familiarize anyone with the sounds of gunshots. They just have a verbal signal ‘intruder alert’, ‘lock down’ or ‘code red’. 🙄
Well, we did have atomic attack drills when I was a kid. Duck and cover. The cold war in the fifties and sixties was also a scary time to be a kid. Like getting under your desk would save you from an atomic bomb.
In our district we have fire, tornado, lock down, and evacuation drills. To the young children our principal will say something like “What if a tiger escaped from the zoo? We would want to all be safe until he could be caught.” We talk about needing to evacuate the building in case of a gas leak. We try to keep it as non-threatening and yet serious as possible. I think the idea of ‘getting them used to gunfire” is really superfluous and over-dramatic.
Eric Erickson is leaving CNN and going to Fox.
Where he belongs, with the other racists. Does this mean CNN is cleaning up its act?
I heard someone say, don’t be surprised if Sarah P. start working for CNN. 🙂
Goodness gracious.
I would never turn on CNN again. Seriously.
I hope so. They tried to be Fox-Lite and all they got for the efforts were watching their ratings go down the drainage ditch.
The few times I’ve switched on CNN (usually on the weekends, when there’s no other news station), I’ve gone running from there after just a few minutes. It’s a cesspool.
He should have been there in the first place.
I completely stopped watching CNN when they hired him. My husband will turn it on and I’ll go and turn it off. This is not reasoned, serious debate and giving him an ‘objective’ platform was an insult to reason.
Perfect fit.
NEWS.
Senate votes to confirm John Kerry as SoS. LIVE NOW.
http://www.c-span.org/Live-Video/C-SPAN2/
It’s not even going to be close.
Who were the two senators who didn’t vote at all?
@57andfemale..wow~ must be taking idiot sarah’s place..
Ted Cruz votes no on Kerry SoS confirmation. Paging Mrs. Cruz….your husband needs his meds.
You know what gets to me UT? The dope voted no and I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts he doesn’t have a clue why other than the Black Guy picked Kerry for the job.
that, and it got him noticed again.
Hello TOD Family. I am writing to share a very important letter that Captain Mark Kelly sent out today. He will be testifying before the Judiciary Committee at 10:00 AM ET. He would like to hear your thoughts and feedback, if you have not been able to yet do so at:
http://action.Americansforresponsiblesolution.org/tell-congress
HZ
What day will he be testifying? Tomorrow?
Tomorrow is the hearing of Capt. Kelly before the Judiciary Committee. Sorry about that.. HZ
Thx!
Thank you, HZ. I donated to Americans for Responsible solutions yesterday, and I gave them my feedback when I received the Email.
I wanted to thank you for all your insightful posts. I hope you are feeling well.
Ed Rendell sticking shiv in VP Biden’s back. IF Hillary decides to run (I don’t think she will) it will be up to Hillary Clinton to convince Joe to drop out. If he doesn’t want to then that’s his business. Who does Rendell think he is to be making such calls about who has been more loyal to POTUS? Hillary has been loyal but so has Joe. Where does Rendell get off thinking Hillary’s service is more important than Joe’s? Its Democrats like Rendell that make me worry about a Hillary run. The Dems that support her are just shady.
I saw that this morning, too, and I was livid – I commented on the Rise & Shine post. It’s people like Rendell that will do the most damage to Hillary and a potential run, because the Rendell’s of the world have shown their true colours during these four years, undermining the President, refusing to give up their campaign animus. If Rendell can’t respect the current President and Vice President of the United States, then why would he be any more loyal to a “President Hillary”? Hillary will do well to rid herself of these hangers-on.
Exactly.
Rendell’s blowing smoke. He’s got nothing. If he thinks PBO is going to play his game he’s stupider than I thought. Biden will do what Biden wants. Rendell can’t stop him. Don’t upset yourself over something they may or may not happen four years from now.
Nor do I think PBO could stop him. However, I don’t think PBO is going to encourage anybody either to run or not run. And I think he will campaign very strongly for whomever wins the nomination, but won’t have anything to say about any of the candidates before then.
I think you’re right. He’ll stay out of it until the primaries are over, and then he’ll campaign his heart out for whomever becomes the nominee. I think he’ll have a hard time keeping his distance if VP Biden opts to run, though. VP Biden has been so loyal, and has worked so hard – but, I think this is why President Obama has given him his most difficult jobs to manage (which VP Biden has done remarkably well). He’s given him a presidential record to run on, should he choose to do so.
I really loathe Ed Rendell. I have for a very long time.
Move over. I just mute every word he tries to spew.
He can’t be trusted. Ever.
I’m consistently annoyed that Tweety gives him so much air time. he’s a blue dog idiot and a PUMA.
This is one of msnbc’s themes, which everyone repeats ——started on tweety yesterday. I am sick of this obsession, about Hillary running. As Obama reminded during the 60 Minutes interview, he was just inaugurated a few days ago. Do we have to leap into the next one right away? And it remains my opinion that both Hillary and Joe will be too old. The presidency requires someone with energy and acumen of someone 20+ years younger, at peak and not on the downslide—–not meaning to sound harsh but things happen to everyone as they age, and that job is a heavy load, which is an understatement. Need someone Obama’s age.
I have those concerns as well dotster.
I agree dotster. I am now 73, and am considered vigorous, etc. HOWEVER, I can see and feel the difference of what I am now as opposed to 20 years ago. Physical stamina is a big thing, and also memory.
A good friend and I had a conversation last spring on a plane coming home from Europe. We noticed the difference in our energy on this particular trip and trips only 3 years ago. She had just turned 70. We talked about what had happened physically, and I commented to sum it up: “70 is a bitch.” Yes, there are physical and mental differences.
I admire both Hillary and VP Biden, but we need to cultivate some people in their 40s and 50s with the true stamina and vision to carry forward. This was part of .what was so refreshing about PBO. He wasn’t one of the old tired ones we’d seen for 20 years. This age was a problem for both McGrumpy and Robney. The contrast was just too great. Being President of the USA is unlike any other position in the world. No other president or prime minister carries what our president does. Remember Reagan??? That was a BIG mistake for many reasons.
Let’s look forward, not back.
Rendell, Mrs. Greenspan, and other Hillary supporters do not seem to realize that PBO appointing Hillary as his SOS is responsible for her renewed reputation.
Good point. I hope Hillary tells the Ed Rendell’s of the world to have some respect for the Vice President.
I thought Hillary needed some time off. Then how about she go some where and chill for awhile. I am getting alittle tired of this will she or won’t she run in 2016. Enough please.
amen.
Working as SoS certainly helps her argument that she’s fit to be POTUS
That is such a good point.
Excellent response.
yes, and that goes for all the other dems who are tempted by pundits to answer stupid questions.
Perfect.
Happily retweeted.
Bravo, Alycee! These so called Democrats need to stop feeding the media frenzy for sensationalism.
That does it for me … enough! I’m off to listen to the pitter-patter of rain on the roof, while taking a nap, and get the ugly picture of Rendell out of my brain. See ya later! Hold down the fort.
I think it is rather sad for the pundits and even members of the Democratic Party to suggest that VP Biden should just bow out if HRC decides to run in 2016. I just feel like VP Biden has done a lot of maneuvering behind the scenes, and he has been the Perfect partner for President Obama, and I refuse to diminish that. He also has his own record which is not too shabby, and I as a voter reject anybody Democrat or not trying to tell me who I should support. This “entitlement” attitude reminds me too much of Mitt Romney and his belief that he should not be challenged in a primary, and that he was entitled to the GOP nomination and Presidency. As a woman I would love to see a Woman President in my lifetime, and I respect and admire Hillary Clinton, but that does not mean that I will somehow throw Joe Biden under the bus and I am always reminded about the fact that no one thought President Obama had a chance, and no one predicted that this would happen, so in the end none of us know what the future holds, and I get tired of this thinking ahead to four years from now when President Obama’s 2nd term is merely a week old. Ok end of my mini rant lol.
My mini rant that I didn’t share turns out to match yours! LOL. No throwing Joe under any bus, especially since we’re all still Ridin’ with Biden! Nobody’s entitled to the presidency, as candidate Barack Obama proved in ’08!!! Let’s just sit back and enjoy our two leaders, and try to ignore what’s gonna happen 4 freakin’ years from now! I’m with you.
Who cares about what Ed Rendell expects? Besides, how about the President repaying the loyalty of VP Biden? Somebody should tell Rendell that he is not helping Hillary because he is turning off many loyal Democrats.
John Cornyn votes no. Chuck Grassley votes Yes. Yep…Grassley is saner than the both of them.
Jim Inhofe votes no because hey he really really really thinks Pres. Obama is going to offer him the SoS position.
Ha!
John Kerry knows the world is more than 6,000 years old, which makes him unqualified for the job.
I see them hugging John Kerry and slapping his back on the Senate floor, so it must be a done deal. I’m glad he’s getting a chance to do this job. He deserves it after the swiftboating of 2004, the chance he gave to President Obama, his work on the START treaty and his support of Presidnet Obama (including the debate prep). I’m sure he’ll do a fantastic job.
Now, it’s up to the people of Massachusetts to do the right thing with that Senate seat.
The Vote: Yea: 94; Nay 3.
Agreed. I am happy for John Kerry also. He has always served with distinction. He deserves this position, and I expect he will be a great SoS.
five reasons republicans won’t win over latino voters:
‘ Republicans may feel electoral pressure to vote for comprehensive immigration reform. They shouldn’t – at least in the short term. Latino voters are Democrats, and Republicans would gain little even by making a 180-degree turn on immigration reform in the next 15 years. ‘
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/01/29/five-reasons-republicans-wont-win-over-latino-voters/
I’m not sure I completely agree with this. I think that there are plenty of Latinos (just like there are plenty of Americans) who hold conservative values, align with real conservatives on social issues and fiscal issues. I think if there was a reasonable Republican party, that many Latinos would line up behind that party. I think that reasonable people cannot align themselves with today’s Republican party, but we shouldn’t kid ourselves that all these voters are natural Democrats.
i think the author is saying the rethugs are foolish to expect hispanic voters to suddenly run to them if they endorse immigration reform. the reasons hispanic voters are mostly democrats are various, and immigration is not their #1 concern.
I agree with that – thanks for clarifying.
wow……
Ted Cruz sounds like one of those right wing crazy tea party nut.
PRESIDENT OBAMA’S SPEECH: ANOTHER REMINDER WHY WE ARE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT IMMIGRATION REFORM IN 2013
http://americasvoiceonline.org/blog/president-obamas-speech-another-reminder-why-we-are-optimistic-about-immigration-reform-in-2013/
beautiful photo–thank you pete souza for providing these indelible images of a great president.
Wow, that photo is stunning – thanks GB.
Of course it is! Its from Pete 🙂
Ha, true!!! I’m still waiting for a so-so one!
MUST-READ ARTICLES ON IMMIGRATION, JANUARY 29, 2013
http://americasvoiceonline.org/blog/must-read-articles-on-immigration-january-29-2013/
[LOL! Greg Sargent tells a a few trolls to STFU @ his post on PBO’s immigration speech!]:
“The American people disagree with you, and agree with us. Angry, reactionary, backward looking people like you are driving the GOP into deeper and deeper denial and marginalization. The DNC thanks you for your efforts.”
[AND]:
“Get the hell out of the way and let the adults move the country forward.”
Here’s the post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/01/29/immigration-reform-the-next-chapter-in-the-american-story/
Go Greg!!!!!
‘the dnc thanks you for your efforts’ 🙂
Yea, Greg!
Maybe America is beginning to wake up—-?
And Greta’s worst ever! Maybe there is hope after all, Dotster?
Looks like Joe Scarborough gets pissy when real reporters who understand the economy call him out on his GOP BS. 😆
They should wear this as a badge of honour.
Morning Joe is an idiot.
There is a Santa Claus after all.
Except that their still kicking the stuffings out of the other cable news networks. Don’t get me wrong abysmal ratings could not happen to a better network but too many of the others are just as crummy and haven’t been able to take advantage of Fox’s decline.
That’s a clanging red alarm that the cable news format as it exists is starting to die out. I mean, MSNBC is supposed to be on “our side”, but good Lord, there’s only so much outrage I can stomach. Al Jazeera’s entry into the US market will be interesting: does it come out as straight news, or will it try to take on the trappings of Fox, CNN, and MSNBC?
LL I hope they keep doing what they have been doing. If they do it will put all these cable news networks on notice or out of business.
Remember how they used to brag about their ratings as to why they were so successful and liberal shows are just not popular….so I guess RWNJ shows are just not popular.
Smiling. Optimistic. Diverse. Happy. Knowing a good thing when they see it/him. Yup.
That’s what I said down below too; first thing that struck me and it looks like it is the first thing that struck everyone here. That crowd! Awesome!!
Does that guy in the blue look excited to be there or what?
Just a bit!
Hay Chuck Todd see this.
HA!
White House video:
You gotta love the long game Pres. Obama plays. He supported Elizabeth Warren as Director of CFPB but the GOP railroaded her. He let them hang themselves and quietly made sure E. Warren ran for senate. He went down to MA and gave her more publicity, she fought hard, and now she’s the senior senator from MA. He’s playing chess and the GOP is playing some moronic version of checkers.
Really, I think they’re playing chutes and ladders!
Candyland…you don’t have to read to play
Time to post this again:
This is just bloody fantastic. I believe you just won the internet today.
Ah, not my work UT!! Found a few versions of it a while ago on Google Images, didn’t stop chuckling for a week.
Would that PBO was trying to negotiate with elephants!! They’re matriarchal, peaceful, vegetarian, look after their sick, and protect their young. Natural dems.
I’ve never seen that. That’s so awesome.
WINNING!!!!
https://twitter.com/DaRiverZkind/status/296381095795097601
What happens when we call them out
PA is the only state where it is still alive, and even there it’s on life support.
Good. Hope it dies.
I wouldn’t forget Michigan. 😦
Snyder has come down against it, as has the MI Senate.
That surprises me.
He actually said that ‘now may not be the time’. So it’s not so much that he’s against it, as that now it’s in the press it’s not the time to sneak it through.
Oh, ok.
He’s a weasel and uses a lot of weasel words.
I didn’t know that.
Oh, ok.
I do isn’t know that. I’ve forgotten his name already.
a vision of beauty: rethugs caught trying to steal elections, and paraded in public.
Great for Virginia.
These Republicans can’t get away with doing mess like this.
😆
ROFL!!!
I wept LL!
The funny thing is that I just looked up Kerry’s Twitter account. It’s definitely not verbose. He may have learned the advantages of brevity.
Those 140 characters must have been a real test at the start! Don’t know how VP Biden is coping!
John Kerry Is Really Good At Twitter http://www.buzzfeed.com/rubycramer/john-kerry-is-really-good-at-twitter
Oh wow, he’s terrific!!
here is a funny one…did you see Mcpain giggling when Chuck Schumer started patting him on the back and spewing his great attributes?…I love Schumer! brilliant! Chips, do you think you might be kind enough to find the clip so those who missed it might have a good ROTFL session?
Hiya Barb, at what stage did this happen?
it was on cspan when the group of 8 were doing their press conference, today I think, or at least that’s when I saw it
Thanks Barb, will look for it!
Ah, I think this is it Barb, the ‘love-in’ starts from 4:35:
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/310640-1
yes, Chips, that’s it……hilarious!
see that napa cabbage? that’s from seed brought by immigrants, i bet. it would be interesting, in the context of the discussion on immigration, to consider all the basic ‘american’ foods which began as ‘strange’ foods when first brought by immigrants. like, say, oh, pizza!
I love learning where foods come from.
Oh, I would love that. They could talk about maize also. We do grow good maize because of good horseshit in WY. 😉
OMG, I have been on a napa cabbage jag for the last few days. Great salad of thinly sliced raw napa cabbage, purple cabbage, shredded carrot, green onion, fresh mint, sliced apple, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and tossed with a rice vinegar and soy dressing. Mrs. O’s garden is so gorgeous!!
yum!
YUMMO. I’m writing that down!!!
Don’t leave out the chopped mint. It really makes the whole thing better!
Wow – that recipe sounds amazing. I wouldn’t have thought of adding the mint, but I only recently discovered how good fresh mint is in salads and with watermelon.
mmmmmmm……and crumbled feta!
Yum! You should publish these recipes.
That sounds really crunchy. lol…
Obama Cleverly Plants the Seeds for Possible GOP Self Destruction on Immigration Reform
By: Jason Easley
———————————–
Obama wasn’t just showing leadership in his speech. He was also sowing the seeds for potential Republican self destruction. The scenario goes something like this. A group of congressional Republicans decide that they are going to kill immigration reform. They bog down the legislation in the congressional swamp of inaction that is our current legislative process. The president sends his bill to the Congress for a vote. Democrats and enough Senate Republicans come together to pass his bill. If House Republicans reject his legislation, the table is then set for Democrats to build on their support from Hispanic voters in 2014 and 2016.
The president’s is allowing the Republicans to pick their path. They can either do the right thing for the country, or they can sentence themselves to political oblivion by pandering to the immigration hardliners in their party. Obama is leaving nothing to chance. Whether Republicans realize it or not, their future as a viable national party may depend on the choices that they make on immigration reform.
President Obama has made sure that there will be a heavy political price to pay if Republicans try to obstruction immigration reform.
——————————————————
http://www.politicususa.com/obama-cleverly-plants-seeds-gop-destruction-immigration-reform.html
Just as Hillary was the right choice in 2009; I believe Sen Kerry is absolutely the right choice for this next phase of PBO’s foreign policy.
During the ’08 PA primary, he did several PA Vets 4 Obama events; he was a fierce advocate for PBO, passionate, witty, loose while campaigning; approachable, personable and humble behind the scenes. I found myself thinking “Why weren’t you like this stumping for yourself?” and then it dawned on me — it’s easier being a surrogate than being the candidate…
Being a candidate is like being Ginger Rogers: You have to dance backwards and in heels.
😉
This is true – he was really funny during the campaign. He tweeted out one day that he had run into Romney somewhere, and he had a picture of the rusty Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz.
Ok John Kerry is an intellectual, a very analytical, nuanced person. He is also a man of character and integrity. All those qualities make for a good candidate for the presidency. What was lacking ? We would think “charisma” but I would go further than that. I think John Kerry doesn’t have an optimistic nature so he struggled to get people excited, to get people REALLY believe that despite great odds, things COULD change. Also, it seems to me that Kerry is prudent and analytical to a fault: he is reluctant to take risks. ( psycho babble maybe but I can’t help it…)
To be a great leader and a transformative one, you need to have the perfect mix of knowledge, brilliance, integrity AND optimism AND combative spirit. Barack Obama has it all and that’s why he will go down as one of the best presidents in american history.
John Kerry would have been a good president. But it wasn’t meant to be. Instead, he will work hand in hand with one of the best presidents EVER. Not bad…
A last note: maybe watching Barack Obama operate has inspired John Kerry, has “rejuvenated” him…
Some interesting insights.
Chips, I think there’s a “to” missing from this post’s title.
😳 😳 😳 😳 😳
Thank you Xtine!!
“To” was chasing you to the door of next post & you won! Yay Chips! 🙂
Had to scroll down and comment: LOOK at those HAPPY faces in that crowd today! They are so happy to see him, hear him. They know that he is THEIR President and he will do his best to not let them down! And the little Hispanic boy saluting his President, oh my!
One of these days we need a special tribute thread just for Pete Souza. 🙂 That man is a photography genius!
President Obama is going to Minnesota next week. No one knows why. Any ideas?
Don’t know GB, some talk it’s about gun control:
President Obama will visit Minneapolis on Monday, according to the White House media affairs office.
No details have been released regarding the president’s visit.
There is speculation that he could be coming to discuss gun control but the White House has not released any reasons.
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/01/29/president-obama-to-visit-minneapolis-on-monday/
I thought about that but why Minnesota? Eh, we’ll see.
Mid-western state. Folks have high # of sportsmen/gun owners. High NRA membership WHO SUPPORT sensible gun safety regulations.
I hope he is going to talk to Rybak about a position in his cabinet. He would be a great choice for something. I really like him and how he campaigned for Obama.
I don’t know who that is.
Mayor of Minneapolis. He’s great.
Some background info on Pete Souza and how he started with President Obama:
// Souza was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts and raised in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts,[citation needed] from a family of Portuguese ancestry. Souza graduated with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in public communication from Boston University and a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Kansas State University.
Souza started his career in the 1970s in Kansas at the Chanute Tribune and the Hutchinson News. In early 80s, he was a photographer for the Chicago Sun-Times. He served as an official White House photographer for President Ronald Reagan during his second term, from June 1983 until 1989. He was also the official photographer for the funeral services of Ronald Reagan. Thereafter, he continued to be based in Washington D.C., and worked for ten years as a photographer for the Chicago Tribune Washington Bureau (1998–2007). It was during this period that in 2004, Jeff Zeleny, now a political writer for the New York Times, asked Souza to take photographs for a project documenting Barack Obama’s first year as U.S. senator.
Souza covered Obama’s arrival to the Senate in 2005 and met him for the first time on Obama’s first day in the Senate. He documented Obama’s time in the Senate, following him in many foreign trips including Kenya, South Africa, and Russia. In the process he not only became close to Senator Obama, he ended up following his rise to Presidency. In July 2008, Souza published a bestseller photo-book The Rise of Barack Obama, in which photographs between 2005 and 2008 were compiled. //
Read more….
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Souza
Tweety just asked Kevin Spacey if he “liked Obama”, Spacey answered “I love Obama”.
Wonderful!
Maybe Tweety wanted Spacey to say no I love Hillary and Bill Clinton..
I think you are correct, Spacey is known as being a big Clinton fan.
Did Twitty continue his Hillary-gives-me-the-tingles today?
jeffrey toobin in the new yorker, on the d.c. court’s decision to invalidate pbo’s recess appointments:
‘ But the D.C. Circuit decision, if it stands, essentially gives veto power to Senate Republicans. If they simply refuse to act on Obama’s appointments, he is now powerless to respond. The opinion also said that any action taken by improper recess appointees would be invalid. So the opinion could paralyze a major chunk of the federal government. Filibusters by senators who don’t approve of the United Nations could prevent us from having any ambassador at all; indeed, these senators could theoretically leave a President without any Cabinet members at all.
Who wrote this judicial atrocity? No surprise—it was David Sentelle, who has a long and disgraceful reputation as a partisan hack on the bench. A protégé of Jesse Helms, his fellow North Carolinian, Sentelle is most famous for engineering, in 1994, the dismissal of Robert Fiske as the Whitewater Independent Counsel and replacing him with Kenneth Starr. (How’d that work out?) As a judge, Sentelle has been a thoroughgoing reactionary for thirty years. ‘
Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2013/01/the-awful-recess-appointment-ruling-in-canning-v-national-labor-relations-board.html#ixzz2JPPLm1so
That decision will be overturned. It greatly weakens the office of the presidency and PBO will not be president forever, so cooler heads will prevail. It is a CRAZY decision that is just further evidence of how insane PBO makes some white males in this country. They feel the need to put PBO “in his place” and in this instance used the federal bench to score cheap political points (a judicial tantrum, so to speak). The behavior of the GOP following the election has been bizarre to say the least. They have so radicalized their base of angry white men, that any move toward sanity by the party will cause a rebellion. Glad to see the election rigging scheme has disintegrated under the sunlight of public outrage, but the fact that the GOP seriously considered such an option in the first place, shows how desperate and hopeless they feel and how dangerous they are to this country. How long can this nation tolerate that one of its two major political parties seems intent on destroying our democracy?
Hello TOD!
I just came back from my evening run. The track was packed this evening. It’s a balmy 70 degrees here in the DC area today. I swear yesterday this area was on Federal Government and School delay because of freezing rain. Climate Change much????
Hi Donna, yesterday winter, today spring, tomorrow summer, then back to winter Friday. Climate change much?! Those idiots have to count using all fingers & toes, some imaginary.
😆 You tell ’em Xtine!
yes!! s.o.s. john kerry!! congrats to the man who first gave president obama a national stage!
WHOOPPPEEE! Today is a great day, mostly because it’s my birthday and I had a surprise party from my co-workers.
But it’s also a good day because of the promise for immigration reform. Yea!!
This year is going to be AWESOME!!
Here’s to a great year for you Jessica!
happy birthday jessica!
Happy Birthday, Jessica! Party at TOD! Where’s the cake??
uh, i think we’re having napa cabbage salad….. 🙂
🙂 So it seems!
deeee-licious salad!!
Michelle Obama would be SOOOOOOOOOOO proud of us forgoing the cake in favor of salad:) Birthday salad….I like it!
I think Michelle Obama would think we were crazy. Let’s have salad AND cake! 🙂
yeah!! the voice of sanity! 🙂
Happy birthday, Jessica! Celebrate in style!
Happy Birthday, Jessica!
Did you take all the cupcakes I thought someone was going to bring chips for hitting a record? 😉 Have a happy birthday. I hope it was or is great. 🙂
Ahoy Mates. It’s a balmy 60 degree here in Chicago land and I just had to go out. Tomorrow things drop to freezing and I’m thinking about climate change. Oh well, at least my “spring fever” won’t be too severe, eh!
Ha! Great minds think alike Yardarm. I just posted ^^ practically the same thing 😉
Yup…..? Are you getting my e-mails? Inquiring minds want to know. 🙂
It was in the 80’s in NE Fla. Shorts, sleeveless tops and flip flops were the order of the day. The foliage thinks that it is spring.
Yeah but don’t put the winter stuff away yet. Best you wait until the sand gets warm.
We had three inches of snow in East TN on Friday 1/18 and then an ice storm this past Friday. Today the high was 70 degrees. Definitely climate change.
What climate change?
Naw. Ask them rwnj’s. It’s a socialist, marxist, kenyan plot. 😀
Wow, I love where PBO is going with immigration reform. He has the vast support of the Latino community and OFA will be there for him, too. BRAVO, Mr. President. ON to the 21st century.
OT: From her announcement in ’07, until Jan ’12, firmly planted on a lawn I regularly pass was a Hillary sign. To the person’s credit, they removed it during the ’12 campaign. While they never put us an Obama sign, the did have a handwritten “This family votes Democratic” sign on their lawn. That came down the day after the election. Passed the house today; guess what — the “Hillary” sign is back! LOL
I like and respect HRC but I truly hope we don’t have to go through 4 years of this. It’s not good for anyone.
I don’t want to either; and each time I hear it on TV, I’ll tweet the offender with a reminder that we are only XX days into the Pres second term and we want to hear about his agenda, NOT 2016 speculation” or words to that effect!
I still see a bunch of people with Romney signs on their cars, and shake my head every time. I’d rather have a dedicated Hillary fan, who will vote for the Democratic candidate in 2016, than have a Romney fan, not afraid to advertise their loser status even now… after such a thorough defeat of their craven liar candidate. Whomever wins the nomination in 2016 will have my support.
WOW! There is so many catching up to do. i have been away for four days and did not have access to the net and it feels like a part of my life flew pass me and I don’t know what to do. Jeez I will not let that happen again
Many of us have been there, Mellesia… 🙂
Hypocrite much? http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/01/29/1510041/sandy-aid-republican-hypocrites/
UGH—2 leading Dem candidates for Jesse Jackson Jr.’s seat in Illinois have an A rating from the NRA. Debbie Halvorson, probably the most well known, came out against an assault weapons ban. The other is Toi Hutchinson. Surely, there is someone more worthy in Illinois for this seat. Ay yi yi.
Wow – this is surprising, given that Chicago had over 500 gun deaths last year. Anyone with an “A” rating from the NRA should be ashamed to show their faces – especially if they are from Chicago. Their actions earning that “A” rating have facilitated the deaths of all those people, including the 20 first-graders in Newtown.
Maybe Robin Kelly. Don’t know much about her, but I like what I see here
http://robinkellyforcongress.org/
This newbie is a huge disappointment—-why is she even a Dem?
I knew this is how she would perform when she appeared on Ed’s show just after she won, and she was already spouting anti-President Obama sentiments. I suspect she’s eyeing the White House in the future, and it wouldn’t surprise me if she was to change parties at some point. She doesn’t seem to embrace anything that Democrats support. Climate change, guns, taxes, everything. I wonder if she was vetted at all…
The fracking business has unemployment in ND at 2%. Forget science or facts.
She is in the pocket of the billionaire there. His initials Re HH, but I forget his name. They are ruining the environment, like usual.
so why isn’t she a republican? I don’t do DINOS. 🙄 idiot.
A good question lisa.
I hang my head in deep sadness that this young man lost his life over a simple lack of human decency on the part of the homeowner.
That the perpetrator of this horrible act and collosal lack of judgment lives in my state and my county, tragically is no surprise.
Goodness. I often turn my car around in people’s driveways if I go the wrong way down a road. Something’s got to be done about these people who think they can just shoot someone in their driveway and get away with murder. And, why do they have to shoot to kill? How terrible for that man who was killed.
And a SPOT ON comment from this sad, sad story.
Holy Shit! This craziness is infectious. Here’s a man “exercising his 2nd Amendments Rights” (in his own mind) and in doing so deprived an innocent man of his life!! We used to believe that my rights end where yours begin, but now we have people living among us who feel that their rights are absolute and trump ours. They believe the common good is a socialist idea and should be subservient to their “inalienable individual right” to shoot your ass if you do anything that they can construe as a threat. Where does it end?
Exactly. Dude had already shot once in the air. All he had to do was say “what do you want” (and wait for an answer) or even just “get out of my yard”. There was no need to shoot into the car. He’s either senile or just a cold-blooded murderer. Anybody taking any bets this guy lived on a daily diet of fear fed to him by Faux News?
I’m certain that was his diet…and they were brown. End of conversation.
You have to have already crossed that threshold of realizing you have what it takes to kill someone in order to own a gun. Otherwise, you might as well not have the gun. I considered getting a gun for protection for about four minutes, until I realized I could never pull the trigger on another person. Once a person decides they can kill another human being, the brain has already made it possible. And for some, they are simply waiting for the opportunity – like this evil character.
I was going to write a funny piece about gun nuts’ “Red Dawn” fantasies, until I saw this story. It just isn’t funny, but actually rather frightening.
Take a gander at the gun pieces over at Stonekettle Station…excellent
Shoot first, then ask questions – truly sad – a lawyer is going to get this man back at his house to shoot someone else.
About damn time!
Chuckles is at it again..
To hell with Chuck Todd.
truly. he has nothing of value to say, and needs to just stfu.
Why does Chuckie Toad hate America?
How idiotic is this Todd? Lord have Mercy.
This bat poop has no clue that most immigrants love USA and they love the Flag. Part of wanting to be come an American is loving and appreciating the Old Glory. Those comments by Chuck was wickedly crude and it is close to cruelty in my book.
Chuck’s twitter is very entertaining – no-one is letting go of his GOP support.
PS – WP is making me sign in every day??
|Live | President Obama returns to Washington, D.C. – http://www.cbsnews.com/liveFeed/widget.shtml
Yeah! Let me know when he is safely at the WH; he is back earlier than expected so maybe he wants dinner with some of that broccoli and cabbage harvested today!
charles pierce on justice scalia’s ‘dead, dead, dead’ comment, his history of support for gay marriage, and his silly hat (‘ My guess is that Scalia has lived most of his life with a severe case of Inquisition envy. ‘)
‘ Supreme Court Justice Antonin (Short Time) Scalia took a break from the day job he pretty plainly stopped caring about around half-past 2001. He stopped by Southern Methodist University to chat about what the law would really mean if he were king of the forest, and not just another guy in a robe surrounded by eight other pissants drawn from the lower orders. ‘
Read more: Antonin Scalia Antonin Southern Methodist University Talk – Scalia Explains It All To You – Esquire http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/antonin-scalia-southern-methodist-university-talk-012913#ixzz2JPgmBQDs
It is soooo cool to see my president coming home live!
I love how PBO was only inaugurated last week, but people are already spewing ‘Hillary 2016.’ 🙄 News Flash!!! If Hillary runs, I aint supporting her in the primaries. Also, Hillary can’t win against republicans. She’s establishment and the American people are sick to death of establishment hence all the crazy repukes being nominated. Also, for democrats, supporters have to be inl ove with their candidate. Grateful though I am for her service, I aint standing 4 hours in line for Hillary, I would do that and more for Barack Obama. I feel the same about every democrat whose name is being bandied about for 2016. Barack Obama is a once in a lifetime candidate. Everyone else is judged to be less and found wanting. The only way I’d vote for Hillary and the rest is if the choice is between them and a repuke……………. maybe.
***elected*** not nominated.
Lisa I agree let my President term finish, to me they are being damn disgusting and this notion that Hillary has the nomination lock and seal is insulting to me. The media said the same back in 2008 but who won my man Obama thank god I saw the light and was and still is able to see the exceptional man and President Barack Obama is and ONE of the best decision I have ever made
u.s. marines in hawaii are testing a new waste disposal system–very cool:
‘ The science advisor for U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific, supported by the MarForPac Experimentation Center, demonstrated a green, rubbish-reducing technology here Jan. 25.
“It’s not burning,” said Ben Tritt, the MarForPac science advisor for Office of Naval Research. “It’s gasification under a very controlled environment, and it’s much cleaner than burning … It’s (also) a self-sustaining process.”
~
Operators start MAGS with diesel fuel, bringing the inside of its insulated drum to temperatures exceeding 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The machine is then “fed” trash at a rate of approximately 50 pounds per hour, turning 95 percent of it into gas which is used as fuel to sustain the process. The remaining 5 percent is converted to inert ash which can be safely disposed of in landfills, or mixed with compost, asphalt or cement. One machine is capable of meeting the daily waste disposal needs of approximately 1,000 troops.
“It not only (handles) mixed solid waste – trash that you would typically throw away – but we’ve also done some testing with petroleum, oil and lubricants,” said Tritt. Virtually the only materials MAGS cannot “digest” are glass and metal, which the system leaves intact and sanitizes so they can be easily recycled.
~
The benefits are plentiful and the technology is state-of-the-art, but does it take a scientist to operate?
“Actually, it’s simple enough that a scientist can operate it,” joked Tritt. “It’s kind of like running an iPad.” ‘
http://damontucker.com/2013/01/29/hawaii-based-marines-test-green-waste-disposal-technology-at-pta-on-mauna-kea/
I know that the large plane that takes President Obama id named ‘Air Force One’ but what is the name of that helicopter that lands directly on the White House lawn?
Marine One
Thanks, desertflower.
no problem:)
That helicopter is Marine One.
Thanks, carolyn.
Something tells me it’s almost time for this thread to end.
😎
😉
http://OFA.BO/opcXwv Stand with PBO
I was just about to post this link – you beat me to it, Pamela. I got an email from Jim Messina. I am very happy with the President’s proposal. Immigration reform has long been one of my key issues and I am hoping that it will finally happen. If it does – and I think it will – there can be no doubt that President Obama’s administration will go down in history as a time of profound change. Remember “change we can believe in”?
It’s happening and the amazing thing is that reforms are achieved against a backdrop of economic difficulty and political gridlock.
Since Hillary keeps coming up in conversations and sometimes here, I have my own idea for her. From what I hear, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is likely to retire in the next four years. I think she will retire while Obama is president to make sure her replacement comes from the correct side of the political spectrum. So…..I think Hillary would be an excellent Supreme Court Justice. She is well educated and well experienced, and is strong on women’s issues and other important ones. I know she hasn’t been in a law field recently, but that is not the major criterion. Rememberer Earl Warren was governor of California before becoming Chief Justice, and he was a good one. Anyway, I would like to see her on the supreme court. As SOS she has been out of the political fires, and when she faces that horror honestly, I have a feeling she will opt out.
Remember in 2008 everyone said she was the “inevitable”choice. She’ll remember all that.
New post!
http://theobamadiary.com/2013/01/29/pete-souza-life-through-a-lens/
The Lincoln and Obama similarities and becoming clearer, brighter, and stronger. I need to do more research on Lincoln but immigration reform is Obama’s 13 amendment. We would be literally freeing 11 million people.