Good afternoon/evening folks. I gotta say that biggest advantage to my new job, is that I”m too busy to check my twitter or the blogs until I get home, so I have the benefit of missing the latest “freak-out” of the day. Today’s bullshhhh freak-out…James Carville and his Clintonista BS about Obama liking to insult liberals.
I glad I missed that.
TGIF guys. My weekend plan: go to theatre to see 42, and try to get to NOLA to take part in the annual French Quarter Festival
He goes on to talk about the unparalleled use of the filibuster in the Senate over the last seven years (which happens to coincide with the latest period of Republican minority status in that chamber):
The use or threat of filibuster as a routine weapon of obstruction is new, and it has changed the character of the Senate and distorted democracy.
This is a guy, mind you, with a long-term affiliation with the conservative American Enterprise Institute, not some Democratic hack.
So when I say, as I do now and then, that the radicalization of the Republican Party and the conservative movement is the preeminent political development of our era, there’s some nonpartisan authority behind that statement, aside from facts and logic.
Well I have to say, Joe is my very favoritist VP in my lifetime. In fact, I would have to say POTUS and VPOTUS are the best team this country has had in those positions in my lifetime. Having two great looking and intelligent wifes doesn’t hurt. I apologize for saying great looking. Dang, now I have gone and talked in a threatening way.
Ornstein: Congress Has Changed, Not for the Better, and Now It Needs Changing
By Norman Ornstein
———————-
There are no more moderate or liberal Republicans — the Sherwood Boehlerts, John Porters, Amo Houghtons and Michael N. Castles are long gone. What now passes for a moderate would have been considered a bedrock conservative in the early 1990s.
The House GOP has veered sharply, even drastically, to the right from what already was a pretty rightist center of gravity.
But more important has been the attitudinal change. Respect for the institution of Congress — much less for the framers’ vision of policymaking through deliberation, debate and an effort to find common ground, or at least grounds for compromise — has been replaced by obduracy, contempt for compromise and a level of demonization of the other side, starting with the president. This is deeply unsettling.
I have sympathy for the task of Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio, who knows that his options for enacting laws, meaning reconciling differences with bills that pass the Senate, are limited to finding more Democrats than Republicans to pass measures on the floor.
Yes, he is. He is such a decent man with a wonderful spirit and a glint in his eye. We have the dream team in PBO and VP Biden; what a blessing. I feel so calm and confident with these two men at the helm of our ship of state.
No, the `Hastert Rule’ isn’t supposed to be Holy writ
By Greg Sargent
——————————
“I never used the phrase `Hastert Rule,’” Feehery told me today. “I don’t know where it came from. This was always meant to be situational advice, never a hard-and-fast rule.”
The guideline is meant to ensure a Speaker’s survival over time, but it’s not absolute. “The job of the Speaker is to expedite legislation,” Feehery says, “but to keep his job as Speaker, he or she has to make sure he or she is pleasing a majority of the majority.”
So let’s rename this the “Hastert Guideline.” Indeed, according to the New York Times, Hastert himself broke this rule a number of times during his tenure as Speaker from 1999-2007. During this Congress, Speaker Boehner has departed from the Hastert Guideline a few times, including on votes on the fiscal cliff deal, the Violence Against Women Act, and on aide to victims of Hurricane Sandy. Boehner himself recently said, “it was never a rule.” And he’s right.
So TOD has expressed dismay that David Sirota was on Chris Hayes. He was on with Martin today, also, and I noticed he’s working for Salon, which was where Glenn Greenwald worked until recently when he went to The Guardian.
Joan Walsh generally represents Salon but I haven’t seen her lately. Maybe she is on vacation and mr. Sirota is filling in.
We will see.
If he “won’t endorse town’s first racially integrated prom,” then he is “taking sides.” If you are not for integration then you are for segregation! There is no middle ground between integration and segregation!
A new Harvard study concludes that “racial animus in the United States appears to have cost Obama roughly four percentage points of the national popular vote in both 2008 and 2012.”
that is very true…and disturbing. fortunately, we outnumber them, but it’s a shame to think how amazingly popular president obama would be if that wasn’t the case. they would be clearing the space on mt. rushmore already.
LP, thanks for filling in for Chips during your family crisis. I mentioned before that the TOD community really feels your anxiety and apprehension; we are not heartless like the GOP “I-got-mine-jack” ruthless partisans.
You mentioned before that you like to hear from the photographers’ perspective.
Here’s a 10-minute that is sure to rip everyone’s heart to pieces. But it’s worth viewing (if you don’t mind crying):
Speaking of Gun Safety legislation, it looks like a looooooong haul (weeks, maybe months?).
According to this article, Reid will allow red-state Dems such as Landrieu and Baucus to vote against the Assault Weapon Ban and the corresponding ban against high-capacity magazines amendment.
These Dems can then campaign as “pro-gun” for 2014.
Here’s a list of red and purple state Dem Senators up for re-election in 2014 (I’ve excluded Senators from blue states up for re-election):
RED STATES
AK Mark Begich
AR Mark Pryor
LA Mary Landrieu
MT Max Baucus
NC Kay Hagan
PURPLE STATES
CO Mark Udall
NM Tom Udall
Illinois, South Dakota and West Viriginia Dem seats are up for grabs too, but Tom Harkin and Tim Johnson have already announced that they’re not seeking re-election.
I see this info includes Sen. Tester. Saw him interviewed, said he would vote to allow debate—how nice—-but all but backed away from saying he would support any new gun safety legislation. The whole thing is disappointing to me—-beyond disappointing. I think the Manchin/Toomey proposal is close to worthless.
A Tennessee lawmaker has relented and agreed to drop his bill linking academic performance to the family’s welfare benefits after an 8-year-old girl shamed him by following him around the state Capitol.
On his way to vote on Thursday, state Sen. Stacey Campfield (R) was confronted by 8-year-old homeschooler Aamira Fetuga, who presented him with a petition signed by people opposing his welfare bill, according to the Tennessean. Nearby, a choir of about 60 activists sang “Jesus Loves the Little Children.”
“MY MIND IS MADE UP – DON’T CONFUSE ME WITH FACTS.”
Daily Kos: A case study in epistemic closure
By Smartypants
——————————————-
Like many pragmatic progressives who blog, I used to spend most of my time online at Daily Kos. Many of us quit writing there at about the same time. I know that for me the final straw was getting attacked – even by those I generally agreed with – for poking some questions at what had become conventional wisdom there.
Ever since Barack Obama’s rise in national politics, Daily Kos has had mixed reactions to him. But there are times it has gotten ugly. Lately its the worst I’ve seen it. Since the day it was announced that President Obama would include chained CPI in his budget, the place has become a case study in what Julian Sanchez calls epistemic closure. Sanchez used the term to talk about modern-day conservatives. But listen to his description and then we’ll see how it applies at Daily Kos these days.
Thanks, Ladyhawke, for sharing this excellent article by smartypants! She is, in my opinion, one of the most astute political analyst. The comments, which included one from my favorite blogger, Norbrook, were also quite good.
Now if the same Harvard would do a study with regards to the Media Coverage of this president……wouldn’t We all like to know? That would explain why the DC/NY media work over time to deny any credit to pres Obama. Last week….they were gleeful on the opposition to Gun Safety calling it DOA. Today, they flip 180 and give the credit exclusively to the Newtown bereaved Citizens……I take nothing away from them……however, I also take nothing away from POTUS too.
Mediamatters had Graphs on the Bookies of Sunday shows and how it skews TBGOPers, mostly males and Caucasians. Hmm? The facts are indisputable now……no longer opinions on the left Only.
They’re afraid of the government. They’re afraid of the president, they’re afraid of congress, they’re afraid of the judges. They’re afraid of socialism. They’re afraid of Nazis and communists. They’re afraid of liberals and progressives and RINOs and feminists and Prius-driving vegetarians. They’re afraid of their neighbors. They’re afraid of the North and afraid of the South and afraid of people from Chicago, and New York and Washington D.C. and California. They’re afraid of gangs and crime and terrorism. They’re afraid of know-it-all college educated long hairs. They’re afraid of political correctness and affirmative action. They’re afraid of minorities and they’re afraid of immigrants and they’re afraid of uppity blacks and strong-willed women and smart Asians and dirty Latinos and murderous Muslims. They fear their own supposedly loving God and they’re afraid of everybody else’s deity too. They’re afraid of the Rapture and the Anti-Christ and the End Times. They’re afraid of Sharia Law and they’re afraid of the Pope and afraid of the Jews – and yet they’re afraid of atheists too. They’re afraid of immorality and pornography and the internet and cable TV and that Rock&Roll music. They’re afraid of social media, they’re afraid of Twitter and Facebook and the bloggers and the Goddamned lamestream media. They’re afraid the military might just take over and they’re afraid that the military isn’t powerful enough. They’re afraid of death and afraid of taxes. They’re afraid of science, of evolution and climate models and plate tectonics and carbon dating and sex education. They’re afraid of abortion and birth control and the morning after pill, but at the same time they’re also afraid people might be having sex and they’re afraid “those” people might be having a whole bunch of welfare babies that they’re afraid they’ll have to pay for. They’re afraid of North Korea and China and the long defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. They’re afraid that somebody might be coming to take all their guns and they’re afraid of all the crazy people with guns and they’re afraid that the government has too many guns. They’re afraid of being poor but they’re afraid of the rich too. They’re afraid of the Bilderbergs and the Illuminati and the New World Order. They’re afraid of the the banksters and yet they’re deathly afraid of any laws that might restrict those self same power brokers. They’re afraid of losing their entitlements and they’re afraid the undeserving want entitlements too and more than anything they’re afraid that somebody somewhere might be getting something for nothing on the taxpayer dime, but they’re afraid of making those same “takers” pay for their own healthcare. They’re afraid of chemicals in their food and genetically engineered crops, but they’re afraid of laws requiring that those same ingredients be fully disclosed by food producers because they’re afraid that might be bad for business. They’re afraid of obesity and heart disease and that our kids are a generation of blubbery little couch potatoes, but they’re afraid of Mayor Bloomberg and Michelle Obama. They’re afraid of Hollywood violence and yet they’re also afraid that Sesame Street might be making their kids into prancing pacifist pisswillies. They’re afraid we’ll run out of oil or that some America hating dictator somewhere will cut the oil off – and yet at the same time they’re afraid of solar panels and wind towers and electric cars.
What it comes down to is this: they’re afraid of the past and they’re afraid of the present and they’re afraid for the future.
DF – I noticed both your senators voted to allow the gun debate to go forward. Given those who support guns over children probably won’t notice – not a major decision – but better than many other states – keep hammering on them!
Well….the work has only just begun. I will keep calling and writing. Mayors Against Illegal Guns is really targeting Flake….sensible people in AZ want background checks, at the very least. This fight is not over by a long shot, but I was pleased that they both did this. I will let them know that 🙂
Glad that you enjoyed that, amk. If you have some time on your hands, read his older posts and most read posts ( I think he has them listed there) I think that you’ll really enjoy his writing. I like his style very much.
In other words, THEY are mourning…..or are Mournful of a Past that never was. They can’t handle the present. They can see or dare to imagine toe future.
Living in a Bubble. Their well Oiled mega media media along with the National media have both made their perpetual REEL-ality worse. Hence, their Nightmare.
Now that schoolkids and colleges are back in class, the domestic box office has understandably cooled. My sources estimate that Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros‘ Jackie Robinson biopic 42 (3,003 theaters) is looking at $7M-$8M today and perhaps $21M-$24M for the weekend. “Just watching the film’s box growing at a rapid pace all day,” a Warner Bros exec gushes. “Great news for Thomas Tull and his team at Legendary.” (Question still remains whether financier/filmmaker Tull will move his Legendary from Warner Bros.) Pic is nicely overperforming tracking which was in the mid-teens for an original movie about race and baseball with no hot stars. And Sunday is Jackie Robinson Day.
If Tiger woods had not hit the flag on 15 ( a freak occurrence) causing his ball to roll into the water, he could’ve finished -7 thus knocking Tianlag out of the weekend. I’m happy for the kid…
He is doing better after replacing the stent in his carotid artery yesterday….slowly improving BP, but has had so many operations, that he will be in ICU for probably a week. Think worst is behind us. Thanks for asking.
Indeed, Bob, the last week was exhausting….not knowing what was wrong. I believe the worst is behind us, and now its just nature taking its course in the healing process. Thanks for you continuous support, meant a lot.
LP, It’s great to hear that your Dad is doing better. I wish him a speedy recovery! Thanks for always being there for us even though you are and your family are going through a very difficult time.
My little tweet up top about GOP now being pro-criminal, pro-terrorist and anti-law enforcement aprty has triggered an interesting string of exchanges with a Fox news viewer. At least I have to assume he is a Fox News viewer. He seems to be all hung up on Fast and Furious and sales of weaponry to the Muslim Brotherhood. Apparently he can’t distinguish between a country and a ruling party. And the MB isn’t even considered a terorist organization. And he apparently doesn’t realize that the guns that went to Mexico were bought legally and then given to the drug cartels d/t fact that the GOP prevented, and is still preventing laws that woudl make those transactions illegal. And he hasn’t responded to my statement about the GOP cutting funding for law nforcement. I might do a couple more tweet with him and then stop
Well, that is over. Last tweet from him just said I was too stupid to debate with so goodbye. That is always the refuge of a person that doesn’t have facts on his side. I responded that I know it is hard to debate against the facts but he gave it a good try.
In a small town in northwestern Nevada, America’s first commercial, grid-connected enhanced geothermal system (EGS) is up and running.
The new 1.7 megawatt “Desert Peak 2” EGS installation, harnesses the boundless supply of heat found thousands of feet below the earth’s surface to generate clean, renewable electricity. The project is being led by Ormat Technologies.
While a largely untapped resource, EGS could play a critical role in America’s energy future. Whereas traditional geothermal systems are largely limited to deployment in the western United States, EGS can be deployed all across America – extending geothermal’s overall reach. Geologists estimate EGS can supply more than 100 GW in the U.S. alone — a 40-fold increase over present geothermal power capacity.
To deploy EGS, production wells are drilled to depths of 10,000 feet and beyond to access the hot rock that makes up the earth’s crust. Under carefully controlled conditions, pressurized water is injected into the wells to open pre-existing fractures along the surface of the rock – creating permeability. This increased permeability allows the water to flow through the openings in the rock – capturing the rock’s heat. The heated water is then pumped back to the surface and the resulting steam is used to power a turbine to generate electricity. The water is cooled back into a liquid and injected back into the ground to repeat the cycle again in a closed loop system. Learn more about the process by taking a look at our new Geothermal 101 Infographic.
A bullshit AP story is hitting the Coal carbon capture plant being built in Illinois.
It’s funded by the 09 stimulus and slated to be finished in 2017, the report basically says natural gas is better, so we should get rid of it and it wil cost to much.
Dick Durbin is Livid, and he pushed back hard against the report, so did the Dept of Energy.
I find it all very suspicious, this so called Report?
Looking forward to tomorrow. We’re going to see our grandkids. We haven’t seen them since Dec 27 when they came here, a month after my husband’s pacemaker implant. He now is feeling so much better he’s ready for the trip to Dallas. I’m excited to see them, and for them to see the VAST improvement in their grandpa. To me he is a living walking miracle of modern medicine. I am so thankful for all the advances our researchers and scientists have made.
Anyway, this grandma is going to be reveling in three grandkiddies tomorrow….and we’re also going to get to see the new house they’ve bought. See you all Sunday evening or Monday. Everyone else please have a great weekend.
LP, I am encouraged by word of your father. Remember you are in all of our prayers.
The Obama Diary 
Congrats Japa #1
LP, good to read about your Dad. You guys continue to be in my prayers!
TY, Alycee.
Great post with great photos LP.
CONGRATS!!!!!
Japa21,
Congrats on #1, and for sending your thoughtful, great tweets.
WTG.
Agree 100% john miller.
Good afternoon/evening folks. I gotta say that biggest advantage to my new job, is that I”m too busy to check my twitter or the blogs until I get home, so I have the benefit of missing the latest “freak-out” of the day. Today’s bullshhhh freak-out…James Carville and his Clintonista BS about Obama liking to insult liberals.
I glad I missed that.
TGIF guys. My weekend plan: go to theatre to see 42, and try to get to NOLA to take part in the annual French Quarter Festival
Been home all day; thankfully, I missed the freakout!
Tiger has a share of the lead at The Master’s.
AHHH Bill, spoiler alert!!! I just start the 3:00 PM coverage on DVR!!! All is good now I will be in a good mood in anticipation of catching up!
It is a long way to go.
Great photos thanks.
Bill, what kind of BS was that shot on 15? worst case scenario Tiger should be -5….
Vice-President Biden is cute!
Yes, he certainly is.
Ornstein’s Conclusion
By Ed Kilgore
—————————
He goes on to talk about the unparalleled use of the filibuster in the Senate over the last seven years (which happens to coincide with the latest period of Republican minority status in that chamber):
The use or threat of filibuster as a routine weapon of obstruction is new, and it has changed the character of the Senate and distorted democracy.
This is a guy, mind you, with a long-term affiliation with the conservative American Enterprise Institute, not some Democratic hack.
So when I say, as I do now and then, that the radicalization of the Republican Party and the conservative movement is the preeminent political development of our era, there’s some nonpartisan authority behind that statement, aside from facts and logic.
—————————–
Read more here …..
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2013_04/ornsteins_conclusion044149.php
Yes We Know
I signed up on Being Biden some time ago. They are colorful, informative & and truly VP Biden, our lovable & smart Joey.
Well I have to say, Joe is my very favoritist VP in my lifetime. In fact, I would have to say POTUS and VPOTUS are the best team this country has had in those positions in my lifetime. Having two great looking and intelligent wifes doesn’t hurt. I apologize for saying great looking. Dang, now I have gone and talked in a threatening way.
Japa, 🙂
You in trubble now, japa21….
🙂
You’ll only get away with it if you point at Wonkette and what they say about “Old Handsome Joe Biden.” 😆 Sometimes they read like Tiger Beat.
😀
Japa, you need to stop this street harassment of the wives of the President and Vice-President! (I hope you know that I am just being facetious).
Ornstein: Congress Has Changed, Not for the Better, and Now It Needs Changing
By Norman Ornstein
———————-
There are no more moderate or liberal Republicans — the Sherwood Boehlerts, John Porters, Amo Houghtons and Michael N. Castles are long gone. What now passes for a moderate would have been considered a bedrock conservative in the early 1990s.
The House GOP has veered sharply, even drastically, to the right from what already was a pretty rightist center of gravity.
But more important has been the attitudinal change. Respect for the institution of Congress — much less for the framers’ vision of policymaking through deliberation, debate and an effort to find common ground, or at least grounds for compromise — has been replaced by obduracy, contempt for compromise and a level of demonization of the other side, starting with the president. This is deeply unsettling.
I have sympathy for the task of Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio, who knows that his options for enacting laws, meaning reconciling differences with bills that pass the Senate, are limited to finding more Democrats than Republicans to pass measures on the floor.
———————————
http://www.rollcall.com/news/ornstein_congress_has_changed_not_for_the_better_and_now_it_needs_changing-223897-1.html
h/t Ed Kilgore
VP Biden is a LEGEND! 🙂
Yes, he is. He is such a decent man with a wonderful spirit and a glint in his eye. We have the dream team in PBO and VP Biden; what a blessing. I feel so calm and confident with these two men at the helm of our ship of state.
No, the `Hastert Rule’ isn’t supposed to be Holy writ
By Greg Sargent
——————————
“I never used the phrase `Hastert Rule,’” Feehery told me today. “I don’t know where it came from. This was always meant to be situational advice, never a hard-and-fast rule.”
The guideline is meant to ensure a Speaker’s survival over time, but it’s not absolute. “The job of the Speaker is to expedite legislation,” Feehery says, “but to keep his job as Speaker, he or she has to make sure he or she is pleasing a majority of the majority.”
So let’s rename this the “Hastert Guideline.” Indeed, according to the New York Times, Hastert himself broke this rule a number of times during his tenure as Speaker from 1999-2007. During this Congress, Speaker Boehner has departed from the Hastert Guideline a few times, including on votes on the fiscal cliff deal, the Violence Against Women Act, and on aide to victims of Hurricane Sandy. Boehner himself recently said, “it was never a rule.” And he’s right.
—————————————–
Read more here …….
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/04/12/no-the-hastert-rule-isnt-supposed-to-be-holy-writ/
h/t Steve Benen
Okay, now that LP has set up this lovely post, I expect Chips to stomp on it any moment now.
LP, I’m so happy that your Dad is resting comfortably. Continued prayers for you & your family.
Thank you for another fine thread, LP. Hope your father is making a steady recovery now.
#FORWARD
Independent Obama group raises nearly $5 million in first quarter
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/12/us-obama-fundraising-ofa-idUSBRE93B0O220130412
Joey B is the freaking best.
So TOD has expressed dismay that David Sirota was on Chris Hayes. He was on with Martin today, also, and I noticed he’s working for Salon, which was where Glenn Greenwald worked until recently when he went to The Guardian.
Joan Walsh generally represents Salon but I haven’t seen her lately. Maybe she is on vacation and mr. Sirota is filling in.
We will see.
Joan Walsh is driving from San Francisco to NewYork with her dog.
For real?
Yes, she has been reporting on it in Salon.
Vol 5 just landed in my inbox
Here’s the link!
http://www.whitehouse.gov/being-biden#twovps
Love me some Joe!
This pic is amazing. Most swoon at POTUS… and he is okay and all but VPOTUS gets me every time. That smile says with age comes experience!
Love Ride or Die Joe. Just love him.
*with age comes experience*
Heck, yeah.
“he is okay”? Huh.
LP, here is a link to the while 3 page telegram:
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/jackie-robinson/telegram-1963.html
Wow. Thank you very much for sharing that important piece of history.
The thanks lam36, the tweet also has a link to the slate article w/ all three telegrams superimposed as well. I could only included one in twitpic.
Ain’t this some shhhh!
“Georgia’s Republican governor won’t endorse town’s first racially integrated prom”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/12/georgias-republican-governor-wont-endorse-towns-first-racially-integrated-prom/
Guv don’t want to be seen as “taking sides”. Ugh…segregation or intergration, what to do, what to do…jackass!
If he “won’t endorse town’s first racially integrated prom,” then he is “taking sides.” If you are not for integration then you are for segregation! There is no middle ground between integration and segregation!
today’s SASQ headline of the day…”No Shit Sherlock”:
Did Being Black Cost Obama Votes?
And I would think a great deal of it in the south.
Michael Grunwald @MikeGrunwald
————————————————————
If I start tweeting about how the media missed the story of the #stimulus, will it become a meme?
——————————————————————
Michael Grunwald @MikeGrunwald 2m
———————————-
You know how the #stimulus transformed clean energy, health IT, and education? What, you don’t? Let’s declare war on the MSM!
Retweeted by LOLGOP
———————————————————–
that is very true…and disturbing. fortunately, we outnumber them, but it’s a shame to think how amazingly popular president obama would be if that wasn’t the case. they would be clearing the space on mt. rushmore already.
Oh Yeah…..thanks for posting this HF.
Great, great tweet by rootless! Thanks hp for sharing it.
LP, thanks for filling in for Chips during your family crisis. I mentioned before that the TOD community really feels your anxiety and apprehension; we are not heartless like the GOP “I-got-mine-jack” ruthless partisans.
You mentioned before that you like to hear from the photographers’ perspective.
Here’s a 10-minute that is sure to rip everyone’s heart to pieces. But it’s worth viewing (if you don’t mind crying):
Photographer Shannon Stapleton was quoted in the tweet above. He also made these (paraphrased) comments in the video:
“I covered three shootings in the last year, so I know death, despair and destruction…”
“I went to four funerals for 8 year olds [sic] in two days…”
How could any lawmaker who sees this vote against gun safety?
Will definitely check it out Arapaho, thanks!
Speaking of Gun Safety legislation, it looks like a looooooong haul (weeks, maybe months?).
According to this article, Reid will allow red-state Dems such as Landrieu and Baucus to vote against the Assault Weapon Ban and the corresponding ban against high-capacity magazines amendment.
These Dems can then campaign as “pro-gun” for 2014.
Here’s a list of red and purple state Dem Senators up for re-election in 2014 (I’ve excluded Senators from blue states up for re-election):
RED STATES
AK Mark Begich
AR Mark Pryor
LA Mary Landrieu
MT Max Baucus
NC Kay Hagan
PURPLE STATES
CO Mark Udall
NM Tom Udall
Illinois, South Dakota and West Viriginia Dem seats are up for grabs too, but Tom Harkin and Tim Johnson have already announced that they’re not seeking re-election.
Why ANYONE wants to campaign for guns instead of children is beyond my comprehension – and we (Australians) get called “a weird mob”
Oops.
I hit post comment before adding the links:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/bennyjohnson/heres-the-democrats-plan-to-get-gun-control-through-the-sena
I see this info includes Sen. Tester. Saw him interviewed, said he would vote to allow debate—how nice—-but all but backed away from saying he would support any new gun safety legislation. The whole thing is disappointing to me—-beyond disappointing. I think the Manchin/Toomey proposal is close to worthless.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/04/12/the-senate-s-worthless-gun-control-compromise.html
/smh/
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/12/8-year-old-follows-tenn-lawmaker-around-capitol-until-he-drops-welfare-bill/
A Tennessee lawmaker has relented and agreed to drop his bill linking academic performance to the family’s welfare benefits after an 8-year-old girl shamed him by following him around the state Capitol.
On his way to vote on Thursday, state Sen. Stacey Campfield (R) was confronted by 8-year-old homeschooler Aamira Fetuga, who presented him with a petition signed by people opposing his welfare bill, according to the Tennessean. Nearby, a choir of about 60 activists sang “Jesus Loves the Little Children.”
…..//
I hope that episode has its own page, in a history book of our nation in the 21st Century. Pretty much captures a lot of things.
“MY MIND IS MADE UP – DON’T CONFUSE ME WITH FACTS.”
Daily Kos: A case study in epistemic closure
By Smartypants
——————————————-
Like many pragmatic progressives who blog, I used to spend most of my time online at Daily Kos. Many of us quit writing there at about the same time. I know that for me the final straw was getting attacked – even by those I generally agreed with – for poking some questions at what had become conventional wisdom there.
Ever since Barack Obama’s rise in national politics, Daily Kos has had mixed reactions to him. But there are times it has gotten ugly. Lately its the worst I’ve seen it. Since the day it was announced that President Obama would include chained CPI in his budget, the place has become a case study in what Julian Sanchez calls epistemic closure. Sanchez used the term to talk about modern-day conservatives. But listen to his description and then we’ll see how it applies at Daily Kos these days.
———————————————-
Read more here ………..
http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2013/04/daily-kos-case-study-in-epistemic.html
Thanks, Ladyhawke, for sharing this excellent article by smartypants! She is, in my opinion, one of the most astute political analyst. The comments, which included one from my favorite blogger, Norbrook, were also quite good.
smartypants never disappoints. I am always glad to see a new blog post. Brilliant and insightful analysis.
In other words, they are pretending……..They have Women and Minorities in their party…..so what is Up with that?
Yep, Fakers those are who they are.
According to a Harvard study…
Now if the same Harvard would do a study with regards to the Media Coverage of this president……wouldn’t We all like to know? That would explain why the DC/NY media work over time to deny any credit to pres Obama. Last week….they were gleeful on the opposition to Gun Safety calling it DOA. Today, they flip 180 and give the credit exclusively to the Newtown bereaved Citizens……I take nothing away from them……however, I also take nothing away from POTUS too.
Mediamatters had Graphs on the Bookies of Sunday shows and how it skews TBGOPers, mostly males and Caucasians. Hmm? The facts are indisputable now……no longer opinions on the left Only.
http://mediamatters.org/research/2013/04/05/report-partisanship-and-diversity-on-the-Sunday/193482
This Sunday……..It all Marco Rubio…..doing the 7 Sunday shows, more that Monica Lewinski’s former lawyer who passed last week.
Lenny Kravitz….. 😉 Featuring Prince Rogers Nelson….. 😎
American Woman……..
Please let it slowly sooth your hearing Pleasure 😆
Superstitious Stevie Wonder with Prince 😉
Superstition…..sorry 😦
This message has to be constantly passed on:
loony left.
Bob, finally saw that ad you put on the last thread. Powerful indeed.
Sure is, John!
James Brown featuring Michael Jackson and Prince.
Poor quality…..but still a Jamming session…..
My last today…… 😉
Wow – it’s even a West Point study. Things are closing in on the RWNJs.
Got to read this! He’s always amazing….he nails it again. http://www.stonekettle.com/2013/04/fraidy-cat.html
They’re afraid of the government. They’re afraid of the president, they’re afraid of congress, they’re afraid of the judges. They’re afraid of socialism. They’re afraid of Nazis and communists. They’re afraid of liberals and progressives and RINOs and feminists and Prius-driving vegetarians. They’re afraid of their neighbors. They’re afraid of the North and afraid of the South and afraid of people from Chicago, and New York and Washington D.C. and California. They’re afraid of gangs and crime and terrorism. They’re afraid of know-it-all college educated long hairs. They’re afraid of political correctness and affirmative action. They’re afraid of minorities and they’re afraid of immigrants and they’re afraid of uppity blacks and strong-willed women and smart Asians and dirty Latinos and murderous Muslims. They fear their own supposedly loving God and they’re afraid of everybody else’s deity too. They’re afraid of the Rapture and the Anti-Christ and the End Times. They’re afraid of Sharia Law and they’re afraid of the Pope and afraid of the Jews – and yet they’re afraid of atheists too. They’re afraid of immorality and pornography and the internet and cable TV and that Rock&Roll music. They’re afraid of social media, they’re afraid of Twitter and Facebook and the bloggers and the Goddamned lamestream media. They’re afraid the military might just take over and they’re afraid that the military isn’t powerful enough. They’re afraid of death and afraid of taxes. They’re afraid of science, of evolution and climate models and plate tectonics and carbon dating and sex education. They’re afraid of abortion and birth control and the morning after pill, but at the same time they’re also afraid people might be having sex and they’re afraid “those” people might be having a whole bunch of welfare babies that they’re afraid they’ll have to pay for. They’re afraid of North Korea and China and the long defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. They’re afraid that somebody might be coming to take all their guns and they’re afraid of all the crazy people with guns and they’re afraid that the government has too many guns. They’re afraid of being poor but they’re afraid of the rich too. They’re afraid of the Bilderbergs and the Illuminati and the New World Order. They’re afraid of the the banksters and yet they’re deathly afraid of any laws that might restrict those self same power brokers. They’re afraid of losing their entitlements and they’re afraid the undeserving want entitlements too and more than anything they’re afraid that somebody somewhere might be getting something for nothing on the taxpayer dime, but they’re afraid of making those same “takers” pay for their own healthcare. They’re afraid of chemicals in their food and genetically engineered crops, but they’re afraid of laws requiring that those same ingredients be fully disclosed by food producers because they’re afraid that might be bad for business. They’re afraid of obesity and heart disease and that our kids are a generation of blubbery little couch potatoes, but they’re afraid of Mayor Bloomberg and Michelle Obama. They’re afraid of Hollywood violence and yet they’re also afraid that Sesame Street might be making their kids into prancing pacifist pisswillies. They’re afraid we’ll run out of oil or that some America hating dictator somewhere will cut the oil off – and yet at the same time they’re afraid of solar panels and wind towers and electric cars.
What it comes down to is this: they’re afraid of the past and they’re afraid of the present and they’re afraid for the future.
There’s more 🙂 Excellent piece
DF – I noticed both your senators voted to allow the gun debate to go forward. Given those who support guns over children probably won’t notice – not a major decision – but better than many other states – keep hammering on them!
Well….the work has only just begun. I will keep calling and writing. Mayors Against Illegal Guns is really targeting Flake….sensible people in AZ want background checks, at the very least. This fight is not over by a long shot, but I was pleased that they both did this. I will let them know that 🙂
Thanks df. That was an excellent piece of writing.
Glad that you enjoyed that, amk. If you have some time on your hands, read his older posts and most read posts ( I think he has them listed there) I think that you’ll really enjoy his writing. I like his style very much.
Considering that I was the man who introduced Jim to tod, I should. 🙂
I’ve basically cut down my on-line reading to tod, bj (sometimes), bbc and a few tech blogs.
In other words, THEY are mourning…..or are Mournful of a Past that never was. They can’t handle the present. They can see or dare to imagine toe future.
Living in a Bubble. Their well Oiled mega media media along with the National media have both made their perpetual REEL-ality worse. Hence, their Nightmare.
This was an excellent piece! Thank you DF for sharing it.
Glad to see this:
FIRST BOX OFFICE: ’42′ Overperforming
Now that schoolkids and colleges are back in class, the domestic box office has understandably cooled. My sources estimate that Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros‘ Jackie Robinson biopic 42 (3,003 theaters) is looking at $7M-$8M today and perhaps $21M-$24M for the weekend. “Just watching the film’s box growing at a rapid pace all day,” a Warner Bros exec gushes. “Great news for Thomas Tull and his team at Legendary.” (Question still remains whether financier/filmmaker Tull will move his Legendary from Warner Bros.) Pic is nicely overperforming tracking which was in the mid-teens for an original movie about race and baseball with no hot stars. And Sunday is Jackie Robinson Day.
http://movies.yahoo.com/news/first-box-office-42-overperforming-scary-movie-5-223051684.html
for an original movie about race and baseball with no hot stars.
CLEARLY, they haven’t seen Chadwick Boseman!! He is the very definition HOT!! 😎 😎
How cool is this… this is why President Obama always emphasizes R&D…
what a tight ass tournament director.
If Tiger woods had not hit the flag on 15 ( a freak occurrence) causing his ball to roll into the water, he could’ve finished -7 thus knocking Tianlag out of the weekend. I’m happy for the kid…
How is your dad doing now ?
He is doing better after replacing the stent in his carotid artery yesterday….slowly improving BP, but has had so many operations, that he will be in ICU for probably a week. Think worst is behind us. Thanks for asking.
Excellent. Here is to your dad coming back home healthy.
Thought you might like this…
I second that.
TY, daisy.
Very fine news, LP. One, steady, day at a time!!!
Indeed, Bob, the last week was exhausting….not knowing what was wrong. I believe the worst is behind us, and now its just nature taking its course in the healing process. Thanks for you continuous support, meant a lot.
LP, It’s great to hear that your Dad is doing better. I wish him a speedy recovery! Thanks for always being there for us even though you are and your family are going through a very difficult time.
It’s lethargic nathkatun, the appreciation is reciprocal.
https://mobile.twitter.com/Interior/media/grid?idx=1
This is nice. 🙂
Things are awfully quiet in TOD village – which is good – so it’s off to bed with me. Take care, TODobots!
My little tweet up top about GOP now being pro-criminal, pro-terrorist and anti-law enforcement aprty has triggered an interesting string of exchanges with a Fox news viewer. At least I have to assume he is a Fox News viewer. He seems to be all hung up on Fast and Furious and sales of weaponry to the Muslim Brotherhood. Apparently he can’t distinguish between a country and a ruling party. And the MB isn’t even considered a terorist organization. And he apparently doesn’t realize that the guns that went to Mexico were bought legally and then given to the drug cartels d/t fact that the GOP prevented, and is still preventing laws that woudl make those transactions illegal. And he hasn’t responded to my statement about the GOP cutting funding for law nforcement. I might do a couple more tweet with him and then stop
Well, that is over. Last tweet from him just said I was too stupid to debate with so goodbye. That is always the refuge of a person that doesn’t have facts on his side. I responded that I know it is hard to debate against the facts but he gave it a good try.
“I responded that I know it is hard to debate against the facts but he gave it a good try.”
🙂
🙂 Maybe you should let him know what Al Queda said on the easy availability of guns here in the US…..that will keep him up at night….
In a small town in northwestern Nevada, America’s first commercial, grid-connected enhanced geothermal system (EGS) is up and running.
The new 1.7 megawatt “Desert Peak 2” EGS installation, harnesses the boundless supply of heat found thousands of feet below the earth’s surface to generate clean, renewable electricity. The project is being led by Ormat Technologies.
While a largely untapped resource, EGS could play a critical role in America’s energy future. Whereas traditional geothermal systems are largely limited to deployment in the western United States, EGS can be deployed all across America – extending geothermal’s overall reach. Geologists estimate EGS can supply more than 100 GW in the U.S. alone — a 40-fold increase over present geothermal power capacity.
To deploy EGS, production wells are drilled to depths of 10,000 feet and beyond to access the hot rock that makes up the earth’s crust. Under carefully controlled conditions, pressurized water is injected into the wells to open pre-existing fractures along the surface of the rock – creating permeability. This increased permeability allows the water to flow through the openings in the rock – capturing the rock’s heat. The heated water is then pumped back to the surface and the resulting steam is used to power a turbine to generate electricity. The water is cooled back into a liquid and injected back into the ground to repeat the cycle again in a closed loop system. Learn more about the process by taking a look at our new Geothermal 101 Infographic.
http://energy.gov/articles/enhanced-geothermal-nevada-extracting-heat-earth-generate-sustainable-power
Wow!
Cool!!!
Good news!!
Good news …
http://twitter.com/Our4thEstate/status/322891261084311554
#LandslideDEMS2014
New post.
http://theobamadiary.com/2013/04/12/chat-away-144/
A bullshit AP story is hitting the Coal carbon capture plant being built in Illinois.
It’s funded by the 09 stimulus and slated to be finished in 2017, the report basically says natural gas is better, so we should get rid of it and it wil cost to much.
Dick Durbin is Livid, and he pushed back hard against the report, so did the Dept of Energy.
I find it all very suspicious, this so called Report?
Looking forward to tomorrow. We’re going to see our grandkids. We haven’t seen them since Dec 27 when they came here, a month after my husband’s pacemaker implant. He now is feeling so much better he’s ready for the trip to Dallas. I’m excited to see them, and for them to see the VAST improvement in their grandpa. To me he is a living walking miracle of modern medicine. I am so thankful for all the advances our researchers and scientists have made.
Anyway, this grandma is going to be reveling in three grandkiddies tomorrow….and we’re also going to get to see the new house they’ve bought. See you all Sunday evening or Monday. Everyone else please have a great weekend.
LP, I am encouraged by word of your father. Remember you are in all of our prayers.
This seems like a BS report that DOE and Senstor Durbin is hitting back at-
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/293655-report-federal-clean-coal-power-project-faces-uncertain-future
Notice instead if carbon capture, this report endorses natural gas. Seems awfully suspicious.
Thoughts?