@VP: VP and @repjohnlewis join in the annual crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama
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Today:
10:15: President Obama makes personnel announcements (White House live * C-Span)
10:15: VP Biden delivers remarks at the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (C-Span)
11:10: The First Lady joins her first ever Google+ Hangout (White House live)
12:0: Jay Carney briefs the press
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President Obama will announce Monday he has selected Gina McCarthy to head the Environmental Protection Agency and MIT physics professor Ernest Moniz to head the Energy Department …. the President is also scheduled to announce he has selected Walmart Foundation President Sylvia Mathews Burwell as head of the Office of Management and Budget.
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Michael Tomasky: Why does Bob Woodward get to lie — twice! — and still be Bob Woodward? And why is it that the Republicans can be so intransigent and Barack Obama gets blamed? Michael Tomasky explains.
Woodwardgate got me reflecting on the question of Washington morality. Now yes, that’s an oxymoron if ever there was one. But surely there is some set (however bizarre) of impulses and rules that lets Bob Woodward say what he said, and Politico promote it as if it were a feud between two soap opera stars, with both walking away essentially unharmed, as they likely will …..
More important than that, there must be a set of impulses and rules that observes what has been going on in this town for the last four years, with Republicans being the most obstructionist opposition in the country’s modern history, and yet somehow contrives to blame Barack Obama for the fact that our government can’t function…..
Full post here
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Paul Krugman: Ezra Klein mans up and admits he was wrong. He had written a piece suggesting that if only Republicans knew how much Obama has been willing to offer, they might be willing to make a deal. Jonathan Chait set him straight, informing him that no matter what Obama put on the table, Republicans would find a way to say that it’s not enough. And sure enough, a Twitter exchange lets Klein watch that process in real time, as a top Republican consultant, confronted with evidence that Obama has already conceded what he said was all that was needed, keeps adding more demands.
….. the centrist pundits keep demanding that Obama offer what he has already offered, and condemn both sides equally (or even place most of the blame on Obama) for the failure to reach a deal. Again, informing them of their error wouldn’t help; their whole shtick is about blaming both sides, and they will always invent some reason why Obama just isn’t doing it right.
Full post here
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Steve Benen: Watching House Speaker John Boehner on “Meet the Press” yesterday, it was hard not to wonder about the Republican leader’s frame of mind. Given the distance between reality and his rhetoric, one question hung over the interview: does Boehner actually believe his own talking points?
For example, the Speaker insisted, “[T]here’s no plan from Senate Democrats or the White House to replace the sequester.” Host David Gregory explained that the claim is “just not true”…..
More here
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Greg Sargent: Credit where credit is due: NBC’s David Gregory did a nice job pinning down John Boehner’s evasions and falsehoods during a lengthy interview on Meet the Press yesterday. Gregory called out Boehner for falsely claiming Dems have no plan to reduce the deficit. And Gregory didn’t let Boehner get away with suggesting Dems haven’t gotten serious about spending cuts, confronting the Speaker with the fact that they agreed to deep cuts in 2011.
But there’s still one question that I’d like to see posed to Boehner and every GOP lawmaker. It’s this: Is there any ratio of entitlement cuts to new revenues that Republicans could support, and if so, what is that ratio?
More here
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LA Times: OK, so Congress hasn’t managed to pass a budget, fix the tax code or avert the automatic spending cuts of the dreaded “sequester.”
Are they getting anything done on Capitol Hill? Yes, and you’ll probably be surprised to hear where progress is being made: gun control.
…. there is a good chance that Congress will do two things: strengthen the system of background checks on gun buyers and toughen the penalties for illegal gun trafficking. In practical terms, those measures are probably more important than an assault-weapons ban, which wouldn’t affect the millions of military-style guns already in circulation……
If Congress acts on background checks and gun trafficking but fails to pass a ban on assault weapons or ammunition clips, liberals will be disappointed. But President Obama will declare it a victory — and he’ll be right.
Full article here
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Addicting Info: House Republicans Give Themselves 239 Days Off, Average American Worker Only Gets 12
… even as House Republicans portray the average American as lazy bottom feeders sucking off the government teat, they have given themselves an astonishing 239 days off this year. That means they will only work 126 days during a year when the nation has a multitude of issues to deal with.
Full post here
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See more here
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Washington Post: In Florida, President Obama has nominated the first openly gay black man to sit on a federal district court. In New York, he has nominated the first Asian American lesbian. And his pick for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit? The first South Asian.
Reelected with strong support from women, ethnic minorities and gays, Obama is moving quickly to change the face of the federal judiciary by the end of his second term, setting the stage for another series of drawn-out confrontations with Republicans in Congress.
More here
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MoooOOOOooorning!
The Obama Diary 
Good Morning All!
Mooooooorning JER!
GM Chips and friends.
Mooooorning COS! Mooooorning everyone.
Congrats JER on #1 🙂
Good Morning Chips and all….rarely am I up and functioning this early but good to know everyone here is “Handl’n it”. Serious appreciation and luv to all.
Morning TJ! Great to hear from you, hope all’s GREAT!
Good morning Jer. Have a great day as número UNO! You are special. 😀
Sequester, Our Military, and the Confused GOP
By Jon Soltz – (Co-Founder of VoteVets.org, Iraq War Veteran)
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First, it means that our overall military readiness is reduced. God forbid there is an attack, or disaster, our troops will not have been trained for any given mission, as well as they should be. It also means that we may not have trained troops to send to Afghanistan, to replace troops who should be ending their tour. And, it means our transition to an Advise, Train, and Assist role in Afghanistan could be slowed.
What we don’t know, yet, is how the furlough of 800,000 civilian DoD employees could affect troops in the field. For example, will we have to cut back on civilians who help with sending equipment overseas? There could be a tremendous trickle-down effect from the furloughs.
Even with all of this evident, nowhere among the “solutions” from Republicans, is even an inkling that maybe it’s time to close corporate loopholes, and end subsidies for oil companies to balance out our debt reduction, and avoid sequestration.
There may not be a lot of agreement among warring factions of Republicans these days, but one belief of conservatives remains constant among them — protect corporate interests at all costs, even at the cost of our troops, their families, and our own security.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-soltz/sequester-our-military-an_b_2789950.html?utm_hp_ref=tw
I can tell you what’s happening on the base near me. Civilians have been put on notice and schedules cut. Soldiers have been placed on 24 hour alerts…they don’t know when they might be called. Everyone is scrambling for childcare. Some orders are being amended. Case in point, soldier scheduled to report to Korea has been placed on hold. They already packed up his house.
This is the reality of the sequester. But we get people like Mike Bloomberg saying spare him fear-mongering about the sequestration. As President Obama said, the sequester may not be impacting Mike Bloomberg but tell that to members of our armed forces. Bloomberg’s comments were repugnant.
The problem with the immediate impact of the sequester is that it will be silent. And sadly it does not impact the people paid to sit on their lazy butts to debate it. Imagine getting a 24 hour assignment and having to find someone to keep your 2 year-old. How much will that cost?
I’m in the top five?
Yes indeedy. Congrats! 🙂 🙂
G’morning Chips, TOD, lurkers and everyone! Happy Monday to all. 🙂
Mooooooooooooorning Hopefruit, happy Monday to ya!
GM Chipsticks, TOD. Congrats JER!
Fantastic round up Chips. I watched Boehner on MTP yesterday and wow…either he was high or drunk because he kept contradicting and confusing himself. It was perplexing and embarrassing. First he previously claimed the sequester was the worst thing ever. Then he was glad it happened. Then the sequester was Pres. Obama’s fault because the cuts would hurt Americans, then Pres. Obama is a big spender who isn’t interested in reining in “big government.”
Alcoholism is bad people. Alcoholism is bad.
Thank you UT, lots of good stuff out there!
Methinks Boehner is melting down, whether it’s drink or something else, his behavior has been even stranger than usual recently, like at the Rosa Parks ceremony. Very odd.
Indeed, ut! 🙂 Boehner is a fundamentally dishonest man, and his lies are catching up with him from where we stand. But see, his intended audience are not folks like us – it’s the gullible audience that only hear “Obama-bad” no matter what is said and do very little analysis of the info actually presented.
That’s why the media loves to have these GOPers come on and spew garbage because they know that there is a certain segment that will believe them no matter how many half-truths, omissions, distortions, contradictions, lies, are put forth because they are invested in viewing the President in a negative light.
Hf, the interesting thing is that there’s a faster growing segment that turns off the tv or never watches these programs at all, otherwise the ratings would not be sinking. The corporate owners have decided to carry these shows as loss leaders, so let’s just make sure that their losses mount. Whole swaths of young people never watch these kinds of shows and they must be turning off Democrats in droves. For me, just the sight of a talking head is enough to press the off button.
Boehner talks like the only two people who matter are him and the president. I found it offensive to hear him keep saying the president got his tax increase. The president didn’t personally get anything. The speaker relates to people like a school yard whiner.
critical point, alma. this is not about the president–this is about the country, the people, the families. because of boner’s antipathy to the president, he’s trouncing on the basic needs of real people, who seem to be irrelevant to his agenda.
Goooooooood Morning….MsChipssssssssss…GM everyone,,,
i really miss that notification process.. sigh……
It has not worked for me for about 4 days prettyfoot! One thing that does work is if you open a separate browser with just WP login, and click on reader, it will notify you of a new post of the blogs you follow. Hope that helps…..
Thanks for that tip LP!
As I mentioned in the last thread, it’s a WordPress-wide problem, the complaints are mounting up, so hopefully they’ll fix it SOON!
http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/not-receiving-notifications-of-comments-comment-replies/page/4?replies=71
Sure thing Chips, hopefully this works for others as well.
thanks for the tip…
I really miss the last 10 comments…. It was so easy to go to the most recent and catch up… Also too, as I have never had the swanky little notification box, so I don’t know how to miss that! 🙂 {{{{{Chipsticks}}}}}
Pamela the notification bar when you log in through wordpress is in the top toolbar/top of screen. Look right next to “New Post” you will see a little square looking box. When somebody has replied to a comment of yours, it will be orange otherwise it stays grey. When you click on the box, you can just reply from there without having to load older posts. Hope that clarifies what was referenced. When it gets fixed, I will help you out if you have any questions.
Bibi has until March,16 by law to form a government, look whats he is already doing to destroy the fabric of his country!
♪♪ Monday, Monday. La-la la la la. ♪♪♪ Every other day, ♪ every other day of the week is ‘foine’,♪ but……
Good Morning, JER and congrats!
Good Morning, Ms Chips, COS, Hopef, LadyH, 57F, LovelyP, Utal, PF58, early Lurkers….. and anyone else who arrived while I was fiddling with the names! 😆 😆 Wishing everyone a great 2nd week of March/’13!
Moooooooorning VC, you sound decidedly chirpy this morning!
GM to you VC, I am only up b/c my moronic self forgot to close the blinds in my bedroom last nite, dam sun had to come up!!! Couldn’t fall back asleep…..
O, I fully understand that, LP! I’m betting you will remember the blinds tonight. The sun and I have this ongoing relationship, which is the reason why I cannot sleep during the day even if I am very tired. Indeed, bright moonlight has a somewhat similar effect on me too, so I recently succumbed and bought some blackout curtains for my bedroom. They help a bit.
…..so jealous…… Blackout blinds/curtains, mmmmm, how I wish…. {{{VC}}}
Not me. I could fall asleep on a dime in the driveway, whatever that means, sun on my cheek.
Good day, TODville! Love waking up knowing Barack Obama is our President.
A simple sleep mask is effective too. You need to trry several to find one that’s comfortale (many are too warm for me). My personal favorite are ones I got from Lan Chile more than 10 years ago.
Greeetingsssssssss VC….smilin…
GM, Utal. Since the President’s last couple of nominations I have one ear cocked awaiting the moan and groan that he’s discriminating against males. 😉 😉 I’ll be pleasantly surprised if that doesn’t surface somewhere.
UT, didn’t the one filibuster agreement Reid actually work out include no hold up of lower level judicial appointments, or did I get that wrong?
Good Morning all. Have a great day today.
You too Betsy!
ABOUT THE SEQUESTER, ‘LET’S WALK THE CAT BACKWARDS’
The Sequester Is a Republican-Inflicted Wound
By Michael Grunwald
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The sequester is here, with an initial $85 billion worth of haphazard and economically destructive spending cuts, a Washington wound almost universally described as “self-inflicted.” Let’s be clearer: It’s Republican-inflicted. It is a direct result of the insistence by GOP leaders in the summer of 2011 that they would not raise the federal debt ceiling unless President Obama agreed to dramatic spending cuts. One can argue that the growth of the debt or the size of the government justified that insistence; I’d disagree. But it’s simply a fact that every budget crisis of the last two years—the downgrade of the U.S. credit rating, the failure of the “supercommittee,” the fiscal cliff, and now this—stems from Republican debt-limit brinksmanship.
This is what makes all the Beltway back-and-forth that came up with the sequester, and who moved which goalposts, and what Gene Sperling said to Bob Woodward, so annoying. The origin of this mess is absolutely clear. It was created by the Budget Control Act of 2011, the ransom Republican leaders received for agreeing to let the U.S. government pay its bills.
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Read more: http://swampland.time.com/2013/03/04/the-sequester-is-a-republican-inflicted-wound/#ixzz2MaBCIqr4
The bottom line is, even if the President had stood up and begged for the sequester…the Constitution gives Congress exclusive authority over appropriations and revenue. It’s that simple.
Exactly ….
Hey Stupid! The President Doesn’t Run Congress!!
http://www.winningprogressive.org/hey-stupid-the-president-doesnt-run-congress
But it’s simply a fact that every budget crisis of the last two years—the downgrade of the U.S. credit rating, the failure of the “supercommittee,” the fiscal cliff, and now this—stems from Republican debt-limit brinksmanship.
The origin of this mess is absolutely clear. It was created by the Budget Control Act of 2011, the ransom Republican leaders received for agreeing to let the U.S. government pay its bills.
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THISSSSSSSSSSSS and THISSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
I read all of Chips posts, because seemingly, the news is so slanted to the right that it’s refreshing finding informative news.
🙂
You have that right. Meaning correct, not right as in not left. Or something.
Yup. Me too, and we have lots of company – even among the lurkers who come here for info.
Ha, thank you Jovie!! Notice how often I link to Steve Benen, Greg Sargent and Michael Tomasky, in particular? The pool of reporters who can be trusted gets smaller and smaller and smaller…..
What is interesting is that the people you can most trust aren’t reporters per se. They are people who observe and analyze based upon facts. They tend not to be people as invested in their status in the WHPC as so many are.
That’s so true Japa, the three I mentioned really are ‘columnists’ rather than reporters – if only some of the creatures who are supposed to be reporting facts shared their level of honesty.
Love everything at the top of the post except the cartoon about no intelligent life in Congress. This seems to me more “both sides do it” cynicism. Every time I see something like this on my facebook feed I cringe because I know that’s not true, and it only allows people to sit back and say “they’re all a bunch of crooks” and not take responsibility. Every time Congress gets blamed, the Republicans get off the hook. Does it strike anyone else that way? I’ve always hated this “All politicians are stupid/corrupt/etc.” idea because it just makes people cynical and disengaged.
Exactly. My Democratic congressman Jerry Nadler got back to me in less than 24 hours to address my concern about housing cuts in NYC.
Cong. Nadlers’ rep said that the specific cuts won’t be delineated for at least a week or two. He encouraged me to call back and stay in touch
Thanks Japa, that’s exactly right.
so true.
Morning laugh…..
Weeeeepin’! 😆
Heads up:
10:15 EST: President Obama Makes a Personnel Announcement
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
First they attack Michelle Obama, then they go after Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook, now Marissa Mayer of Yahoo.
CALL TO ACTION
Thanks to everyone who volunteered to help today. I have identified 45 Republicans who have voted with Democrats in the past and need to be pressured again until the sequester is resolved. I chunked up the country into 8 sections. You may find you are being asked to make more than the original 10 calls I originally asked for if you are willing to make calls to their Washington offices and their local offices. Remember that there is a zip code for each local office which you may be asked for.
13 brave souls volunteered on Friday – many thanks to you all
PENNSYLVANNIA – http://www.whatisworking.com/2013/03/republicans-who-can-be-moved-to-support.html#pa
prettyfoot58 / hopefruit2 / Alycee
SOUTHEAST – http://www.whatisworking.com/2013/03/republicans-who-can-be-moved-to-support.html#se
Sara Chumley Carter
MIDWEST – http://www.whatisworking.com/2013/03/republicans-who-can-be-moved-to-support.html#mw
relellit
Cookemom
WEST – http://www.whatisworking.com/2013/03/republicans-who-can-be-moved-to-support.html#w
cindy sweat
Betsy
Judith Fardig
Pamela
otter 44
Inga Ethel Fuller Peters
A link to the entire page of names is found at
http://www.whatisworking.com/2013/03/republicans-who-can-be-moved-to-support.html
If you would like to help we need callers for NY, NJ, the Great Plains and Great Lakes. Also you can call to a place I have not assigned you, I was just trying to keep it close to home.
If you are uncomfortable calling a Congressman who is not in your district you may want to call after they have closed and leave a message, make sure you include a zip code.
Please share talking points and how it went here at the blog. I was thinking a general – “you need to stop protecting oil companies and millionaires so we won’t have to lay off ______________ (teachers, shipyard workers, border patrol agents) etc.
It is 7am in California so I will be going back to bed now. I will check in during the day to repeat this post and add the names of anyone else who is willing to help. I am so proud of this place. To all who worked for OFA – what we are being asked to do now is so much easier than calling Republicans and Independents in swing states. This should not take more than 1 hour. Thank you in advance for supporting the President.
My apologies if I left someone off or made an error in their area, just correct me below.
I’m not so certain the sequester needs to be resolved. At least not before people can identify and feel the real impact. I’m with the President when he says “the Republican fever has to be broken”. Besides, if it’s resolved while everything is smooth sailing, it will harm the President’s credibility, as the right will claim “see, told you he was fear-mongering.” On the other hand, it can be an excellent wake-up call, alerting people to who is really on their side.
Don’t get crazy on me…I said I haven’t made up my mind yet. 🙂
I’m not a fan of Salon and certainly not David Sirota, but I followed this link and it’s sort of interesting:
Obama’s Jerry Brown moment
After California experienced massive cuts last year, its residents insisted on higher taxes. Obama should take heed
http://www.salon.com/2013/03/04/obamas_jerry_brown_moment/
In my opinion, this will certainly backfire on the GOP.
That’s my thinking, Meta. That once people get a taste of what all these cuts they’ve been begging for really mean, they’ll do an about-face. I think the President will then be able to finally pass a jobs bill.
Question….i am developing my talking points for my calls…and i plan to get family & friends to do the same…i just want to be concise and to the point….
i used some of Gruswald’s article today….as a lead in…but what are we asking these GOP folks to do specifically…
I’m just calling and asking what their position is on the sequester and to ask that they consider the damage to jobs, the economy and essential services for Homeland Security, Education, CDC and many, many other departments. I ask if they understand how these cuts are affecting children and whether they are speaking with Democrats about how to resolve these Draconian cuts. I end the call by urging them to put an end to the sequester ASAP.
Make sure you have the zip codes handy that WIW has provided!
sounds like a winner,,,
Oh Faypax. The “people who can identify and feel the impact” are generally the voiceless amongst us.
If they lose their housing aid, then their homes, how likely is it that we will hear from them?
I think we need to press any way we can to speak for those who will be hurt before the damage is done.
Vicki, I know that is so right and it the thing that has me wavering. On one hand, my heart seizes at the thought of what people will endure. On the other, I feel there are always casualties in war…and this isn’t a battle, this is a war. Trust me…my heart is torn, but I haven’t decided if I believe the gut-wrenching medicine is worth the healing.
All I can say in reply, Faypax, is cliches:
1) Do unto others, etc. What if this was your job, your home, your childs Head Start?
2) Ends justify the means. NO.
This is a war and we don’t need a single additional sacrifice.
I am not sure that any disaster reaches the secure.
Relying on people to wake up has led us to this bleak place.
Thank you, Vicki for having the patience to help me sort this out. You’re right, it isn’t my home or job or Head Start, but as I write this I look over to five little kids whose parents had to report at 5:30a this morning….childcare opens at 6 a.
I guess I’m thinking of the parents, one of whom said, “This is a small price to pay if it’ll get Republicans out of office”. Another who confessed he’s been a Republican all his life, said, “This is it. I’ll never, ever vote for another Republican as long as I live.”
Of course, they’re pretty much secure jobwise and I would never charge them a dime, but of course, everyone will not have that convenience. Your points are well made and taken into account…you’re moving me in your direction. In the final analysis, I will responds to the President’s call, whatever that is. In the meantime, pray for me….these children are driving me nuts! 🙂
I thnk PBO has made the call. As in…….
Call your congresspeople. Object to the cuts. Help me end this responsibly. isn’t that more or less what He has been saying?
I left out the word always…I will always respond to the President’s call, whatever it is. 🙂 Love you! You are on the case. Let me be clear…I am always with my President whether I have reservations or not because I know he has the inside scoop. But I will always examine every angle. I’m your least worry, but I like your style. Hat tip. 🙂
Thank you for all your hard work. Please add me to the West!
Got it – thanks Meta
THE STUPID PARTY
The Williamsburg Accord: What Boehner promised the lunatic caucus
By Smartypants
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The result was what Republicans are calling the Williamsburg Accord.
The speaker promised members that his leadership team was committed to advancing their goals in the 113th Congress. He would uphold the sequester, allowing for reprioritization. He would push a 10-year balanced budget. He would hold the line against further tax hikes. In return, Boehner requested enough votes to temporarily raise the debt ceiling. Perhaps more important, the speaker asked for patience and for unity of purpose, pleading with his untrusting subordinates to give him the chance to keep these promises.
This is why Boehner can’t/won’t negotiate about the sequester…he promised the lunatics that he wouldn’t. In addition, he promised that Paul Ryan would come up with a budget that balanced in 10 years and that he’d hold the line on raising anyone’s taxes. His life as Speaker depends on keeping those promises.
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http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-williamsburg-accord-what-boehner.html
NOTE: Smartypants includes a nice shout out to Linda H. at What is Working.
Just so you know, after a stint as a telemarketer (I know, I know) I am one who truly despises the telephone, and there is not much I can say I feel so adamantly about, but this I shall do. (but I do always love to call my own reps) … Anyway, that’s my tuppence.
Thank you Pamela – I appreciate your help. Where do you live?
Seattle. (beautiful, flowering Seattle!) 😉
hey linda –
add me to the Great Lakes. I won’t be able to call until I get home tonight from work though. I’ll see if I can sneak in some tweets during the day. And that one fax service you can send two faxes a day for free so I could use a couple there.
back to work. Thanks for your stupendous effort!
alice
Dear WIW and all,
I have sent a tweet to all my west coast list and talked to staffers in the offices of Republican reps on the list. All were pleasant but non-committal. My spiel was that I thought the Republicans actually had a good slogan in 2008, “Country First” but that the sequester should be immediately repealed and a real jobs bill enacted instead to show that they meant it. I also used the hashtag #CommensenseCaucus in my tweets and mentioned it in my conversations. If enough of us keep doing this, it will eventually make an impact. OFA will have a week of action on the sequester about the 18th, so talk to your local leaders if you have a personal story or know of someone who does that illustrates the hurt caused by the sequester.
Frum is one of those people who can be both infuriating and right on. Here is a case of the latter:
Thanks Japa! As a public service, I sent the links to my congresscritters; want to ensure they and their followers stay well informed.
Morning O folks! Another great getting up day again by the side of the ol’ TOD road! On my way out to run my prairie path and check on my forest critters. Gotta warn them of the big snow heading our way. We’re to get 8″-10″ starting tomorrow and there’s much to do.
WIW, I see my assignment and I will get on it. I’ll be snowbound and can think of no better way to wile the time away, than this initiative.
Also TODdies, I’m asking once again for your votes for #2 in this contest to win her dream job of travel correspondent. Just click on the social media in the “vote for this entry” box next to her video. Then, if you’d like to promote her video, just copy the url in the black box next to her video and paste it on your social media page. Thanks all!
http://www.mydestination.com/users/kelauni/bbb#.US-V0Fcnw2Q
PS: I am still checking on if there is a way to vote besides via social media.
I think you should run twice ebcause tomorrow is probably a no go, unless you run early. Last week they closed my office early. Since tomorrow is supposed to be worse, I wonder if they well again.
I know, when I can’t run I do one of my 90 Day Warrior Kick Your Azz Til You’re Ready to Die or Puke Insane workouts. Just kidding, I quit before I puke.
That’s why I don’t work out. The puke level is reached after 2 seconds.
Hey, you last two seconds longer than me Japa, even thinking about working out has that effect on me 😕
Live now, VP Biden:
http://edition.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=4
G’day y’all. How cold was it yesterday in Selma that everyone is wearing topcoats? Lovely weather, tho….
Paul Krugman and Morning Joe are going to “debate” on Charlie Rose tonight. This should be good.
Really?! It says a lot of MJ’s arrogance that he actually believes he can debate PK face to face, rather than just write comical pieces for Politico and spout unchallenged trash on TV. Oh boy.
he’s just going to try to over talk him, as he does on his own show with folks he disagrees with. It’ll be up to Rose to keep him from just spewing talking points and trying to take over the show. I saw the original exchange with the two of them on Joe’s show. All he did was pontificate and try to belittle Krugman’s idea in that mocking condescending way he has. I’ve only seen two people who were able to put Joe in his place, Mika’s dad, Dr. Brezenski, and Rachel Maddow. I don’t believe he and Rachel has been in the same room since then.
It takes very good debating skills to go against a bully like Joe Scarborough. You have to keep your calm, use every opportunity you have during the barrage of words and talking points, and give quick and “deadly” counterpoints.
Problem with Joe is not only he is a bully, he is so ignorant he doesn’t even know how ignorant he is. And yes, that episode with Dr. Brezenski was … how would I say it… “satisfying”…
The New York Times even posted an Op-Ed by him this weekend. He now fancies himself as a member of the literati.
Are you serious?! The NYT?! I need a lie down….
who is this to bolster…MJ or Krugman…surely Krugman does not need the validation…question…is JoeScarborough contemplating returning to Congress
Probably more like the Senate. God, I hope he does. See, there is this little matter of a young, dead, intern found in his office in Pensacola. Shortly after his first wife divorced him and he resigned his newly elected 4th term seat….very, very quietly in 2002. Word has it the D.A. and Sheriff’s office were knee deep in the cover-up. If he runs, I will take it upon myself to make sure the world knows WHO MJ really is!
FIRST!!!!!!!!!
the NOTIFICATION *thingy* is working again…smilin
Ooooooo weeeee…if he is thinking about running agan…he knows this….unlike Romney he may be cleaning up his past…
You mean the little box that tells you when you have a reply? Not working for me yet. Now I get nothing, not even the anniversary thing. It just turns white and sits there.
sorry…it just started working…however all my prior notifications have been deleted…i
I just checked back and indeed the orange box was back. Hooray! I don’t get many responses but I love to know when I get them!
The Sequester: It’s not the amount, it’s the method
By Norbrook
———————————————————-
The sequester officially went into effect at midnight yesterday, as the President signed the order mandating it. Addicting Info has an interactive map up to show what your state will be losing in 2013, because of the cuts in federal spending this year. If you read through various comment boards, particularly the ones with a lot of “conservatives,” you’d come away with the impression that these will just mean some “wasteful” spending will be cut. You even see it with many of the supposedly “informed” pundits. After all, it’s only 85 billion, right? The real issue they overlook is something the President said in his press conference: “”We will get through this,” he said. “This is not going to be an apocalypse, I think, as some people have said. It’s just dumb. And it’s going to hurt.” Why is it dumb?
The answer is not in the amount. That would be painful regardless, even ignoring that we are still coming out of a recession. It’s in how those cuts are being made.
—————————–
https://cendax.wordpress.com/2013/03/02/the-sequester-its-not-the-amount-its-the-method/
I intended completely ignoring Willard’s Fox appearance yesterday, but Charles Pierce is hilarious – yet again – on it:
http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/The_Return_Of_The_Romneys
PRESIDENT OBAMA: “THERE IS A CAUCUS OF COMMON SENSE UP ON CAPITOL HILL”.
Obama: Common Sense Caucus ‘Silent’ — Blaming Congress for Cuts Today
BY MARK SILVA
——————————-
“These cuts will hurt our economy, they’ll cost us jobs and to set it right, both sides need to compromise,” Obama said. “We shouldn’t be making a series of dumb, arbitrary cuts” ‘in services that businesses and Americans depend on
“The longer these cuts remain in place,” he said, the more danger to the economy — “a slow grind. ”
With every piece of economic news in the months ahead, he said, we will know that “that economic news could have been better had Congress not failed to act.”
“I do believe that we can and must replace these cuts with a more balanced approach,” the president said. That must include the elimination of tax exemptions as well as spending cuts, he said.
“There is a caucus of common sense up on Capitol Hill,” he said. “It’s just a silent group.”
——————————————————————–
http://go.bloomberg.com/political-capital/2013-03-01/obama-common-sense-caucus-silent-blaming-congress-for-cuts-today/
HF…two things about this….
1.,,,that altho Pope Benedict will step down he is not going away ..he will be there to “advise and consent” the “new” Pope…to the point that Benedict and the new pope will share the same private secretary…(how cozy is that )
2. I believe that he retired to escape the shoe dropping on him re: the Church and his own cover-up of pedophile priests…
let me add 3…
it should be interesting to see if a lawsuit moves forward re: the coverup and what the so-called NEW Pope will do about it…
Heads up:
11:10 AM EST: First Lady Michelle Obama holds a Let’s Move! Google + Hangout
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
Good morning and thank you x17,698,965!
Mooooooooooorning Meta!!!!!!!!! Thank YOU!
I know we know the WHPC twitter account is run by some RWNJ, but they really seem to have lost the plot with the last few tweets, amazing stuff:
eg:
And the one linked earlier:
Yeah, I guess I didn’t get the memo on this account. I went back and read their TL and WHOA. They didn’t used to be so brazen but whoever is writing these tweets has clearly lost their mind.
They clearly don’t get how stupid they’re being, until now I’m sure plenty of people – in their innocence – thought it was an ‘impartial’ official account, but now they’re just making it blindingly obvious that they’re RWNJs!
I must confess that the sad part of this is that I believed it was the WHPC.
They’ve been unhinged for a while now. I recall some time before the election we had posted some of their tweets here and were wondering WTH?!?!?
Well, I stopped following them a long time ago so I guess I didn’t know how much they were escalating. Thanks for bringing it to my awareness. I should have paid closer attention.
That first tweet should be directed at the lying Bush Adminstration selling us the Iraq war with the help of the Media.#Bush
You’re absolutely right; as no one else responded, I ran with your ball…
I think Netanyahu is speaking next at AIPAC. Wonder if he’ll have any idiot crude drawings as visual aids? UGH.
Ah, finally found the live YouTube link:
Do I need to say it…
We have an AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWsome FLOTUSSSSSS!!!!!
prettyfoot58, I agree 100%.
FLOTUS like playing the piano, I never heard that before. After they leave the WH and she have more time, she will start back taking lessons, because she stop practicing.
krugman vs know-zero joe
Or
Never get into a fight with a pig. The pig enjoys it while you come out covered in slime.
Mittbot and Queen Ann made my day when they admit it still burns that they lost. I tell you I couldn’t contain my glee because I can still remember when Mitten said the President should start packing and Queen Ann giggled man karma is a bitch. It hurts them both and I just love that I bet Queen Ann stomp had a fit when she was told she will not be able to wear her Oscar de la Renta dress to the ball. :-))
Oh yeah, the “start packing” was so arrogant and so “unpresidential”. Some unscripted moment like this tells us more about a man than any rehearsed talking point or any choreographed appearance. Can you just imagine Barack Obama saying something like this ? Impossible.
If there was any proof that Romney wasn’t worthy of the Presidency, that interview was it.
Barack and Michelle would have never said anything like that. If they were ask if they had anything to say to Mitt and Ann, they would have answer it with class and dignity. Something Mitt and Ann knows nothing about, money can’t buy things like that. The right wing haters are always trying to tear down Barack and Michelle because if the truth were told, they are jealous of them. Sometimes I read comments from the haters and my question is if you hate these two that much, why are you reading about them, looking at pictures of them. You can’t pay me to watch or listen to Rush Limbaugh.
https://twitter.com/deaconmill/status/308621175091785729
Obviously, I did not proof read.
Corrected version
That was a wonderful event to watch. Lots of great information and positive reinforcement. FLOTUS + everyone doing the Dougie at the end? = A++++++++
AWESOME FLOTUS IS AWESOME.
Simplyyyyyyyyyyy AWsome…i so enjoyed it..esp how FLOTUS answered the question re: Food Stamps….
WTF??
// VIDEO: Harlem Shake goes WAY down under — costs 15 Aussie gold miners their six figure salaries
The Australian miners said they were just having a bit of fun — but bosses sacked them for breaching ‘safety and integrity’ standards once video went viral. //
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/harlem-shake-costs-gold-miners-jobs-article-1.1278721#ixzz2MahUyaa1
The manager of a large corporation got a heart attack, and the doctor told him to go for several weeks to a farm to relax. The guy went to a farm, and after a couple of days he was very bored, so he asked the farmer to give him some job to do.
The farmer told him to clean the shit of the cows. The farmer thought that to somebody coming from the city, working the whole life sitting in an office, it will take over a week to finish the job, but for his surprise the manager finished the job in less than one day.
The next day the farmer gave to the manager a more difficult job: to cut the heads of 500 chickens. The farmer was sure that the manager will not be able to do the job, but at the end of the day the job was done.
The next morning, as most of the jobs in the farm were done, the farmer asked the manager to divide a bag of potatoes in two boxes: one box with small potatoes, and one box with big potatoes. At the end of the day the farmer saw that the manager was sitting in front of the potatoes bag, but the two boxes were empty.
The farmer asked the manager: “How is that you made such difficult jobs during the first days, and now you cannot do this simple job?”
The manager answered: “Listen, all my life I’ve been cutting heads and shoveling shit, but now you ask me to make decisions.”
A philosophy professor walks in to give his class their final. Placing his chair on his desk the professor instructs the class, “Using every applicable thing you’ve learned in this course, prove to me that this chair DOES NOT EXIST.”
So, pencils are writing and erasers are erasing, students are preparing to embark on novels proving that this chair doesn’t exist, except for one student. He spends thirty seconds writing his answer, then turns his final in to the astonishment of his peers.
Time goes by, and the day comes when all the students get their final grades … and to the amazement of the class, the student who wrote for thirty seconds gets the highest grade in the class.
His answer to the question: “What chair?”
Just finished watching FLOTUS (hope they don’t ever call on me about my internet usage at work because all I can say is, “I’m guilty!”, LOL) I thought it was very informative and I love that she had them all doing the Dougie. Mrs. O is going to keep that dance relevant.
Jeb Bush says immigration reform shouldn’t include a pathway to citizenship. In 2012 he supported a pathway to citizenship. Helloooo….2016. GOP, say bye bye to Florida and the Latino vote again.
They believe if they grant citizenship under a Democratic President, Republicans will never win another election. It is their intention to blow-up everything in this President’s agenda. I think the fuse on their dynamite is shorter than they think.
But if they refuse to support a pathway to citizenship, they WILL lose the Latino vote anyway for years. Am I mistaken, or the majority of latinos who have the right to vote SUPPORT a pathway to citizenship for unregistered immigrants ?
Pretty outrageous to see republicans give lip service to immigration reform just for political gain. They are ALWAYS , ALWAYS putting politics first.
Watch in the next few months. They will block immigration reform while doing their best to put the blame on President Obama and democrats. Wash, rince, repeat.
Keep that endless supply of paint handy.
It’s a little deeper than that (although you are absolutely correct): They want immigrants to work here, just not become citizens and vote for Dem’s here.
Bush also all but announced his candidacy in 2016.
Wow, they just can’t help but be complete IDIOTS.
Oh…Woodward? How the mighty have fallen. Take your meds dude. Take your meds.
Why are lawyers called cannibals ?
Because they eat pork.
Gunnite folks.
The PL is at it again. Now they’re fuming off a Reuter’s article that says that PBO is going to cut SS (again). Bobswern of Old Orange is now leading the poutrage….
Yet another distraction of the PL to take the focus off the Republicans and their outrageous behavior….
The people over there live in a echo chamber. It seems like they repeat the same outrage mode every month. They need to stay outrage.. Thank goodness no one knows what Dkos is.
They don’t get that the president and democrats in Congress are choosing the kind of reforms that are the LEAST damaging, in order to be positioned to say that THEY are compromising while the republicans are not.
The PL is the perfect mirror of the Tea Party. They are all about purity tests.
When I see his name, I don’t read. This is the same story, every time.
hopefruit2, I will believe it when POTUS say that is what he will do, till then it’s a lie.
I’m sticking my neck out here because I watched this just now and actually think a lot of you would ‘appreciate’ seeing AnneD’s response to their Nov. loss. It really bit her and she admits it, more than once. Skip to the video.
http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/fox-news-sunday-chris-wallace/2013/03/03/exclusive-mitt-and-ann-romney-campaign-mistakes-life-after-presidential-election-loss-and#p//v/2201327404001
They are the pettiest people I’ve ever seen. And they think they’re magnanimous. The true meaning of “I was born on third base and think I hit a triple”.
Actually I was hoping we might not have to hear any more about or from Mitt or Ann. Ca we please leave them behind in the dustbin of history?
Good afternoon, I had to take a break from twitter so much ignorance about FLOTUS.
CNN is covering the current election in Kenya, to pick a new president. A report out of Nairobi says that people were waiting to vote beginning at 2 a.m., and one woman gave birth while waiting in line! There’s been sporadic violence, and the candidates are calling for calm. I thought at first I was watching coverage of our election in 2012, in the states with Republican governors. Close, but not quite.
The last two questions of Jay Carney’s press briefing were funny, they were about Romney and George Will. If you get the chance, go take a look.
God love Jay Carney, he just abused George Will with a sledgehammer, after some dumb reporter quoted him!
So, will this be “Willgate”? Another new toy for the media to chew on. “Woodwarddgate” proved to be a dud. 🙂
I think Jay so thoroughly destroyed Will, quoting his exact electoral college numbers prediction the day before the election, that I think the press might actually be scared to start quoting opinion D.C. bobble-heads.
COS – Good points about Willgate and Woodwardgate. I’d say, however, that we should show all of the D.C. media “The Gate.” As in: Get the hell out of Dodge, you jerks!
LOVE JAY CARNEY!!!!! No backstabber, he. He’ll stare you in the eye and stick the shiv in your chest!
He learned that skill as TIME bureau chief in Russia! KGB training?
Representative John Conyers understands that and released “The Cancel the Sequester Act of 2013 (HR 900).” It is a simple one sentence bill that, if passed, would completely eliminate the sequester.
*****************************************
is this something that we can agree with…
this is the text of the Bill…
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr900/text
Sounds perfect to me. Why waste words?!?!!
Hello. Need help. I am doing my weekly volunteering at our local headquarters. A lady called wanting to know where or how she can get a DVD of the Democratic Convention. We gave her the number for the DNC. Gal told her to either contact her local office or call DWS. lady said “Debbie W. Shultz is busy saving the country. I am not calling her office.”. Any suggestions????
I did a quick search online, and I don’t see any one DVD for sale of the entire convention …
YouTube, of course, carries individual videos of days and speeches of the convention, if that helps.
I found one for sale on anAmazon type site. I will give her this info though not sure she has a computer.
See LL’s note below and my link to C-Span where you can purchase individual DVDs of their day-by-day coverage …
CSPAN should have all the speeches from the convention on its website.
Forgot about C-Span. Here’s day one, for starters, Tnmtngirl: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/307931-1
(There’s a PURCHASE tab at bottom of page.)
THANKS! This group always comes through. 🙂
Right back atcha! 🙂
“Hate and no” with no policy ideas is not much of a winning message except in the red states.
You should have picture of KKKarl “turd blossom” Rove with a bow in his hair with the tweet……
Wow. You won’t see me link directly to dkos very much, but this thought-provoking and thought-filled diary is worth everyone’s click:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/03/03/1191332/-An-Asian-s-Take-on-Republican-Self-examination
Thank you 57. That one made me jump and shout…Amen!!!
Word is Ginsberg wont be retiring, at least this year….
WORDPRESS NOTIFICATION BACK IN ACTION!!!! ok to excited for a minor nuisance……
Not for me. 😦
Uhh…….Now I feel like an ass. Umm, I was foreshadowing them fixing the glitch…daydreaming?
Oh, no, you were right. I was just impatient. Not a good trait in a librarian.
Patience Grasshopper!!
You know her too?? Good old Patience!
CALL TO ACTION
I’ve completed my calls to all of the PA #’s and to NJ-03 Washington & MT Laurel offices. I took a slightly different strategy when speaking to offices outside of my congressional district — during each conversation, I gave my actual address and acknowledged that although the critter wasn’t my rep that I had a relationship to their district. I will follow up with a fax to each of the offices this evening.
A handy tool for researching the critter & CD can be found here: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/map
Thanks so much Alycee – great job.
You’re welcome. Here is addition info on PA-07 district offices:
940 West Sproul Road
Springfield, PA 19064
Phone: (610) 690-7323
Fax: (610) 690-7329
Monday, Wednesday-Friday 8:30am-6:00pm
Tuesday: 8:30am-8:00pm
Amity Township
2004 Weavertown Road
Douglassville, PA 19518
Monday: 9am-2pm
Paradise
2 Township Drive
Paradise, PA 17562
Tuesday: 9am-2pm
Blue Bell
960 Wentz Road
Blue Bell, Pennsylvania 19422
Wednesday: 9am-2pm
500 Suplee Road
Honey Brook, PA 19344
Thursday: 9am-2pm
Very cool – I will add this info tonight
You (and all the others) are AMAZING, Alycee! Thank you on behalf of our President.
In response to Prof Krugman’s blog post cited above …
#FORWARD
Yay!!!! Response notifications ARE back on!
(God, I need a life.)
I think we all do.
(Let us know where you’re gettin’ that life, LL, so we can join ya!)
Something to add to the timeline during Women’s History Month:
Air National Guard’s first female military training instructor named NCO of the year
http://www.nationalguard.mil/news/archives/2013/03/030413-Air.aspx
The President’s Proclamation of March as Women’s History Month (he mentions me >>) (<< kidding) …
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/28/presidential-proclamation-womens-history-month-2013
Here’s the Women’s History Month website: http://www.womenshistorymonth.gov/
MOTOWN the Musical premiers on Broadway (NYC) April 14!! Previews begin on Mar 11. 🙂 🙂
Get more info on Cast, schedule, theatre, location, etc
http://www.motownthemusical.com/?gclid=CLCAo9Dm47UCFUXf4AodIjUADw
Secretary Kerry is really getting into his new job! Looks like he’s learned something from watching the master.
WhatIsWorking, I have my assignment to call potentially sane Congressional representatives in the Southeast.
I am asking them to join a Common Sense Caucus . . . . and thereby help create an
empowered Congress. I’ll let you know when I’m all done.
Krugman is going to tear Joe a new one tonight…..that is if Joe does not start yelling over everyone or walk of the set, like in the past!
I have seen Alan Blinder on book tv recently…..the re-play was last night. It is excellent and the Q & A is the best. He talks about the stimulus being to small but said that PBO got the maximum he could get passed. The person who currently oversees TARP asked the final question….
This is well worth the watch.
“After the Music Stopped: The Financial Crisis, the Response, and the Work Ahead”
http://www.booktv.org/Watch/14246/After+the+Music+Stopped+The+Financial+Crisis+the+Response+and+the+Work+Ahead.aspx
New documentary to air on Showtime later this month. Darth Vader unplugged. Wow!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/howard-fineman/dick-cheney-documentary_b_2806670.html
Chat away:
http://theobamadiary.com/2013/03/04/chat-away-125/
I’m back in the fold O’s after making my quick check on my furry prairie path friends. All is well in the forest, except they’re concerned about this whole sequester thing. They wonder if the Forest Preserves will continue to be maintained. The path was reconstructed, and pathway lights and call boxes were installed using Recovery money. They remembered it was PBO who provided the funds for the new renovations to their little habitat. I assured them that he is working on it and not to worry. They were very much aware that it’s the Pubs who are causing their anguish.
Good to see my little friend, the yellow box back in it’s rightful place, ever watchful for replies that may need attention.
Called to both of the GOP reps just now. Very pleasant staffers, said of course I am welcome to make requests of these congresspeople, and listened vey attentively to my request to have them vote in favor of ending the sequester, to move forward on immigration reform and to take action on gun violence. Mentioned the CommonSenseCaucus, and my awareness that they are both a part of this group. Left my name and zip code. Better mention to y’all there was a ladybug sighting in the East side of the garden, on the edge of the birdbath, because that it very important news, as well. Lunchtime! {{{TOD}}}