****
Today:
2:05: The President makes a personnel announcement
12:45: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney
****
USA Today: President Obama will announce Friday that he’s picked James Comey, a former Justice Department official under President George W. Bush, to be his next FBI director……
…. Comey, who previously served as deputy attorney general and supervised operations for the Justice Department, was a key player in one of the most dramatic moments of the Bush administration. In 2004, White House counsel Alberto Gonzales and White House chief of staff Andrew Card tried to persuade Attorney General John Ashcroft – who was ill with acute pancreatitis – to reauthorize a warrantless eavesdropping program while in his hospital bed.
Comey learned of Gonzales and Card’s plan and rushed to Ashcroft’s hospital room, along with Mueller. Both threatened to resign if the White House renewed the program. As a result, it was not reauthorized.
More here
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****
USA Today: …. The President holds his first meeting today with the newly constituted Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, in part to discuss criticism of National Security Agency programs that gather phone and Internet records.
Obama will discuss his recent direction to the Director of National Intelligence to de-classify certain information “to better contextualize these programs, correct misrepresentations, and provide an opportunity for the dialogue he welcomes about the right balance between national security and privacy,” the White House said.
The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board was actually created in 2004 as part of the executive branch, and made an independent agency in 2007, but it has never met amid disputes over its duties.
More here
****
Where is the media? Nearly 800 ppl have taken over the #TXLege in Austin opposing the omnibus abortion bill. Police have been called. #HB60
— RH Reality Check (@rhrealitycheck) June 21, 2013
Here is a photo of the overflow room of #HB60 protest… We’ve got your backs! pic.twitter.com/F8OEyZGMq3
— Jodi Jacobson (@jljacobson) June 21, 2013
***
AP: The Republican chairman of a House committee considering new abortion regulations in Texas has told more than 300 women that they would not be allowed to testify against the bill because it had become too repetitive.
The predominantly-female audience roared in disapproval when Corsicana Rep. Byron Cook made the announcement. State troopers flooded the room as he and other Republicans left.
The new bills would limit how, when and where women could get abortions in Texas and shut down 38 out or 42 clinics in the state.
****
Bravo to the hundreds of TX men and women who made sure their disdain against #HB60 #HB16 anti-women bills were heard loud and clear #TXLege
— Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) June 21, 2013
Here’s everything you need to know about #HB60 and the #txlege special session: http://t.co/3YsKdiRkJR via @scATX #prochoice #abortion
— Mary (@OHTheMaryD) June 21, 2013
****
UT/NerdyWonka: I am so proud of the hundreds of Texas men and women who showed up to make their voices heard.
I am proud of us standing up and keeping the debate going for over 14 hours so that the anti-women bills would not just have a smooth sailing through committee.
I am proud of Texans for making sure the world knew that these destructive bills had died in a regular session and the GOP is trying to sneak them past in shoddy special sessions.
I am so proud of everyone who made sure the draconian bill #HB60 trended worldwide on Twitter and made people from other states and countries tune into the fight and realize what damage and destruction really is.
I am proud of the Democratic State Reps who made sure voices were heard even when the GOP Chair Byron Cook tried to shutdown debate.
People forget that California used to be red until the GOP tried to ram down Prop 187 and then California became blue and has stayed blue since then. That is is Texas right now.
What I saw yesterday and into the morning shows that the groundwork for Texas turning purple and eventually blue has been laid. People in states who vote Blue in presidential elections and those who don’t but are controlled by GOP state legislatures and Governors need to be vigilant because these laws have and will spread to your states too. See Ohio for example. These laws have also come to the U.S. House of Rep so be on the lookout. States are a blueprint for what can and will become national anti-women bills and laws.
The war on women is real but the Texas Legislature found out that you don’t mess with Texas women.
We might be controlled by majority republicans but our voices will not be silenced. 2014 is no joke.
****
@B_Twe5_G Here you go. http://t.co/sGClR2zHdI http://t.co/ZmR3S9CEiU #HB60 #HB16 #TXLege
— Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) June 21, 2013
I hope TX republicans are watching this. You have pushed women too far. U should be worried in 2014. This is just beginning. #hb60
— Laura Allen (@truebluebell) June 21, 2013
****
****
Reuters: It takes an army: Tens of thousands of workers roll out Obamacare
From the chief actuary at the California health insurance exchange that President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform law established to the legions of call center staffers who will help people trying to buy insurance through such state exchanges, the number of people working to implement “Obamacare” has reached the tens of thousands, a Reuters analysis has found.
No one said that overhauling healthcare, which accounts for 17 percent of all national spending, was going to happen with a skeleton crew.
State offices that will run insurance exchanges are hiring tens of thousands, either on staff or through outsourcing firms. Federal agencies that are key to implementing the law, such as the Internal Revenue Service, plan to hire thousands more, and private non-profit groups backed by the White House are dispatching thousands of newly hired staffers and volunteers into the field.
More here
****
Good for Joe Manchin for declaring all out war on the NRA; really great stuff from him here: http://t.co/fWGDY2hKRc
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) June 20, 2013
****
****
Greg Sargent: In another embarrassment for House Speaker John Boehner, the farm bill went down to a surprise defeat in the House, 195-234. Most Democrats voted against it, because of its deep cuts to food stamps, but what really sealed its fate is that in spite of those cuts, 62 Republicans voted against it, too, apparently because it didn’t cut spending enough.
….. “This underscores that Boehner cannot pass bills on his own,” Congressional scholar Norman Ornstein told me in a quick interview today. “He can’t do anything with only Republicans. The real power center in the House is not Boehner. It’s not Cantor. It’s not Ryan. It’s not McCarthy. It’s the extreme right. This shows the real dilemma ahead for a Speaker who is very weak and very conscious of his weakness within the party.”
….. Ornstein’s final verdict on today’s display from House Republicans: “They’re pathetic.”
Full post here
****
****
Steve Benen: …. From a progressive perspective, it’s hard to shed tears over the bill’s demise – this was an awful, needlessly punitive piece of legislation. Its GOP proponents, without so much as a hint of shame, were a little too eager to redistribute wealth in the wrong direction – punishing poor families and rewarding wealthy agricultural interests – and their efforts to slash funds for food stamps bordered on cruel.
To be sure, even if the House had passed its bill, it wasn’t going far given the scope of the opposition from Senate Democrats and an unambiguous veto threat from the Obama White House.
But the real takeaway here is that the House Republican leadership, once again, failed miserably….
More here
****
****
Daily Banter Staff: Greenwald Debunks Himself: NSA Targeting of a U.S. Citizen Requires a Warrant http://t.co/Xt6CGMjKSJ
— Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) June 21, 2013
At this rate, the next Snowdenwald leak will involve the existence of the phone book. Names! Phone numbers! ADDRESSES! IEEEE!
— Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) June 20, 2013
****
Charles Pierce: I’d like to thank the folks at the National Journal for giving me the best belly-laugh of a fine morning. They’ve produced a story about the terrible dilemma in which the congressional Republicans will find themselves if, as expected, the Supreme Court guts the enforcement provisions of the Voting Rights Act and tosses the whole thing back to Congress to reboot the law. And, I am sorry, but there has not been a funnier paragraph of political analysis than this one written in English anywhere on the planet this century.
….. While Democrats and civil rights groups stand largely united behind the broadest interpretations of the Voting Rights Act, for Republicans it’s a trickier matter. On one hand, they are eager to reach out to minority voters. They eagerly tout their charismatic, high-profile minority officeholders like Sens. Tim Scott and Ted Cruz, Nikki Haley and Bobby Jindal … If Congressional Republicans seem unwilling to rebuild the Voting Rights Act should the court curtail it, they risk being seen as indifferent or even hostile to minorities……
No. Stop. Seriously. You’re killing me…..
More here
****
Howard Kurtz headed to Fox News where he will host a media show tentatively titled, “Please, I Need This.”
— pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) June 20, 2013
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****
Check out the 15 year old who created a sensor that detects three types of cancer and costs as little as 3 cents! http://t.co/CMRhbqPg92
— David Simas (@Simas44) June 20, 2013
****
On this day….
June 21, 2011: The First Lady meets with former President Nelson Mandela of South Africa at Mandela’s home in Houghton, SA (Photo by Samantha Appleton)
****
June 21, 2012 (Photo by Pete Souza)
****
Look what came in the post today! pic.twitter.com/MecvcZDFjQ
— Stephen Neill (@paddyanglican) June 20, 2013
****
A larger version of that gorgeous photo from the US Embassy in Berlin:
****
And………
****
MooooOOOOOooooorning!
Thank you soooOOOOOoooooOOOOOoooooo much to UT and LP for yesterday’s stupendous posts!
The Obama Diary 
Hello
Hellooooooooo UT, **wonderful** tweeting about the Texas meeting last night – and a wonderful post yesterday. Thank you, you legend.
THIS!!!
Congrats ut!
Good Morning TODers
Happy Birthday Japa!
Great “Rise & Shine” Ms. Chips!
hello!
Happy First Day of Summer Chipsticks, TODers…Everyone!!!
Don’t take people for granted. Show appreciation for acts of kindness, even if it is routine (like someone holding the door for you) or expected (like someone in customer service having a good attitude when assisting you). A simple thank you and/or a smile might actually make someone’s day. 😀
Happy First Summer’s Day swbluega!
Love that!! Thank you! 😀
Great morning Dudette! I think someone should make a video about all of the soooo many reasons to boycott Texas
GM Layla! I agree!!
Good Morning my Chips and TOD family. (((((Thank you Chips for keeping this beautiful place so peaceful)))). I give my smiles to all of the wonderful people here.
I give a beautiful Happy Birthday Shout out to the wonderful Japa. Enjoy your beautiful day and cherish each moment throughout your celebration.
((((((((( Love you for thinking of me, MightyPamela.)))))))))) Please take good care of yourself as well.
GoBrooklyn lots of healing love to you dear one.(((((Love you)))))).
Be gentle to your spirit and guard your space with joyful memories, goodness, and lots and lots of hope for the best in your lives, TOD family.HZ
I love your morning prayer HZ! ty
TY, Layla. I always love your comments. HZ
THIS TOO!! Good Morning HZ!
My dear Dudette, TY for your thoughtfulness in sharing your beautiful talent and love for the lovely gift of Music. I thought of your many selections this morning as Donny Hathaway’s “For All We Know” being played in my wake up morning music this morning. If you have the time will you play it here, please. The message is so powerful, yet speaks to all of us in just remembering how each moment in our lives is so precious and filled with so much for us to take in.
Just take a minute and think of the lives that we touch, and all those who have and will touch ours in our passing through this beautiful journey. I meditate with songs in the morning and think through the flow of the words, the melody, and the flow of the message in all phases of my life. I am grateful to have loved, and hope to continue to love with as much strength as I am granted within my spirit.
Enjoy each moment of today and night, TOD family. (((((((( I love you all so much))))))))))HZ
Moooooorning HZ, thank you!!!!
You are so beautifully welcome, my dear and wonderful, special angel.HZ
Good morning, dear friend, and thank you for those kind words of wisdom, useful every single day.
Happy Birthday, Japa!!!!
Hey buddy! Where is the Japa…
Busy day; breezing in and out to say GOOD MORNING TOD!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAPA! May you be blessed with love, peace and joy!
GM all from hot and steamy Chicago. Feels more like August than June, but climate change is a myth so it must be all in my head.
Thank you for the cake Chips. I know what your kitchen must look like.
And for my first tweet of the day:
Happy birthday japa!!!! no cake from me but a whole lot of love coming your way!
Thank you mucho. And to everyone else for the wishes. Trying to figure out what the guy is doing in the picture. Kind of extraneous.
Japa, have a great birthday and a fabulous day. Find a cool spot and treat yourself–it’s what birthdays are for.
Sad, funny and oh so true.
happy Birthday, Japa.
I just tweeted you your birthday gift, Japa:
Happy Birthday!!
Happy B-day Japa!!! Hope you get to celebrate all weekend…..
Happy Birthday Japa21!!! Hope your day is wonderful and memorable. 🙂
Hot and Steamy Happy Birthday in Chicago to You, Japa21! Keep cool!
Happy Birthday japa!!
Happy Birthday, Japa! I hope you have a great day.
OOOOOooooooo, it’s Japa’s BIRTHDAY!! Have a very HAPPY one with those you love, Japa! Sending you lots of cake and a big toast to a great year ahead.
Good morning, Chips and TODville!
Mooooooooorning Meta!
Morning, Capitan! Hope all your electronic devices are in full operation!
Got my computer back this morning Meta!! When I opened the door I howled “MY BABY!!!!!!”, which seemed to frighten the delivery man for some reason. I am a VERY happy bunny!
AWESOME. There is nothing like being properly wired!!
You oughtta know. (Sorry, dear meta, couldn’t resist!) (Mornin’.)
Good morning, my dear sassy one!
I wear it proudly!
Thank you Chips for putting Texas front and center in the Rise and Shine post. I am so proud of the hundreds of Texas men and women who showed up to make their voices heard. I am proud of us standing up and keeping the debate going for over 14 hours so that the anti-women bills would not just have a smooth sailing through committee. I am proud of Texans for making sure the world knew that these destructive bills had died in a regular session and the GOP is trying to sneak them past in shoddy special sessions. I am so proud of everyone who made sure the draconian bill #HB60 trended worldwide on Twitter and made people from other states and countries tune into the fight and realize what damage and destruction really is. I am proud of the Democratic State Reps who made sure voices were heard even when the GOP Chair Byron Cook tried to shutdown debate.
People forget that California used to be blue until the GOP tried to ram down Prop 187 and then California became blue and has stayed blue since then. That is is Texas right now. What I saw yesterday and into the morning shows that the groundwork for Texas turning purple and eventually blue has been laid. People in states that vote Blue in presidential elections and does that don’t but are controlled by GOP state legislatures and Governors need to be vigilant because these laws have and will spread to your states too. See Ohio for example. These laws have also come to the U.S. House of Rep so be on the lookout. States are a blueprint for what can and will become national anti-women bills and laws.
The war on women is real but the Texas Legislature found out that you don’t mess with Texas women. We might be controlled by majority republicans but our voices will not be silenced. 2014 is no joke.
UT, just added your comment to the post, it has to be read
Thanks Chips. Can you please help me change the line “California used to be blue” to “California used to be red.” Thank you so much for the spotlighted focus Chiparoo. Things are changing in Texas. The GOP will regret this when Texas starts trending purple and then blue.
Done, UT!
I only caught up with what happened in Texas this morning, thanks to your tweets and others’, absolutely inspirational, there is NO going back.
And this line too. Thanks.
“People in states that vote Blue in presidential elections and does that don’t but are controlled by GOP state legislatures and Govern” to
“People in states that vote Blue in presidential elections and those that don’t but are controlled by GOP state legislatures and Govern” 😀
Done!!
Thanks for all your posts about this issue. I hope OFA TX is involved.
Not sure California was ever considered a red state in modern times but I get your drift.
It was considered red in that it voted for republicans in most presidential and state elections until Prop 187 changed the calculus.
Ah, I see what you mean. The difference is that for many years we’ve been on the march to REGISTER people to vote!
The neanderthal thinking of Republicans throughout the country is not getting them any allies and is pushing independents away in droves and firing up the Dem base. This is why they focus so much on scandals, hoping to distract and depress. In 2014 they will find out it didn’t work.
UT, thank you for your valiant role is waking all of us up to the horror in Texas. Your tweets were nothing short of magnificent and kept all of us right in the action. I hope you consider political office as one of your career choices. And you are right. It sometimes takes one final straw that is so completely unacceptable that it changes the whole equation. I hope and pray that that’s now happening in Texas.
Your post and the 14 hour battle makes me want to re-locate to Austin where my Dem vote would make a difference.
Only city in Texas I’d even think of living.
With you on this, UTAL, after a read through, and a whoop of delight at such a showing, I rushed your paragraph over to my FB page, as I have folks in Texas who, if they weren’t there, will be mighty pleased! Wonder if it made the papers and the news channels?
Fired up, ready to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy Birthday JAPA!!
How are you doing, symmetry11?
Still trying to get back to my regular routine, but I am doing well. When I am back in the gym at least three times a week consistently then I will know that I am 100% better. Thank you for asking.
Slow and steady progress is good! Take care.
I got my “explanation of benefits” information in the mail yesterday. According to it the amount billed for my surgery was $68, 596.14. Thank God I have insurance. Why the heck did it cost so much? I was only in the hospital for 6 1/2 hours.
OMG. Your heart must have skipped a beat.
It really did. It just made me think about how important the ACA really is. Imagine not having insurance and getting that bill in the mail.
It would definitely just about ruin a lot of people’s lives. Hopefully over time people will come to realize just how truly invaluable Obamacare really is.
Symmetry11, would you consider reporting this to your State Insurance Commissioner.
This is flagrant abuse of the system.
I had some bloodwork done at Duke University that “cost” $10,000. I reported it to the
doctor who had ordered it; docs typically do not see the billing; it has not been handled
to my satisfaction, but I am very happy that I spoke out about it.
Thanks, Sara. I may look into it.
{{{symmetry11}}}
Great to hear you’re recovering well Symmetry, your determination to get back in the gym three times a week puts me to shame 😕
Keep getting stronger!
Thanks, Chips!
G’morning Chips, TOD, lurkers, everyone, and congrats to ut, Layla and swbluega on 3-way tie for 1st! 🙂
Happy Birthday Japa!!
Good morning HF! 3 ways are apparently good now! such progress in society!! lol
Happy Birthday Japa!!
I’ve been watching the West Wing on Netflix the past several weeks (7 seasons, about 23 episodes per season – I love that show!). Anyway, I just watched this episode two days ago, when the Matt Santos character (fashioned after then-Senator Obama) makes this speech. Pretty awesome!
Best.Show.Ever!!
From ut’s info on the previous page:
@TXDemParty
is the official Twitter account of the Texas Democratic Party if you want to keep up-to-date on the Democratic movement there. FORWARD.
。☆。*。☆。
★。＼｜／。★
HAPPY B’DAY
JAPA
★。／｜＼。★
。☆。*。☆。
And oh, quit the grimace. Men ain’t immune from aging. That’s the preserve of wimmin only.
True that. Neighbor (female) told me last week when I said how old I was going to be that she had assumed a number 10 years lower. Probably just flattery, but always nice to hear.
Probably ????
You’re a half-full feller, aren’tya ?
Good morning AMK!
GM Layla.
Now, Go to bed. Pulling an all nighter ain’t a game.
Aw, cute! Morning you!
Morning, bt. boner got kicked in his unmentionable parts (oops, I already did). Karma at work.
LOL!
What an ego!!!!! Now that I think about it maybe I should run! lol
Morning HopeFlowerDesertFruit, that’s one of the best jokes I ever read!! 😆
Hee Haw.
Heh…HFDF? Hmmm…still better than HP for sure!
😆 Just can’t understand why you don’t like HP…….
Ugh…AGAIN?!?!?!
Howard Fineman’s BBQ’ed Summer Dogs on Sauce. UGH!
😆 Okay, no more HF, I don’t want you feeling ill!
Oh, good grief. Another emoprog ticket.
Just what we Don’t need: A CNBC corporate spokesman.
Chile please
That’s the mind of an emoprog. They think things are so easy, because they’ve never actually had to get anything done themselves. Howard Dean has spent the last several years on TV, critiquing President Obama, whom he feels has not been sufficiently bullying and emoprog-ish. What he ignores is that President Obama has cleaned up a lot from his Democratic predecessor, moved the liberal ball forward by several yards, passing several liberal bills, and opened up minds worldwide to more liberal philosophies. Would the GOP be on the run? Would anyone be seriously talking about ending DOMA? Would DADT now be history? Would launching wars be anathema? Would immigration be sitting on the doorstep of Congress? Would the EPA have advanced climate-saving regulations? Would China be seen as a real world partner/leader? Would America be seriously considering reducing it’s nuclear arsenal by a third? Would young people be engaged to this degree, and would people actually have faith in a President? I doubt any of this would have happened, if not for President Obama pushing it, pushing the idea and the possibility – making people hope for better.
Let Howard Dean run. He needs a lesson in humility. And gratitude.
Actually, I was wondering if Kerry might consider running again, especially seeing he was so supported by the Republican Senators to be SOS. I would think that alone would counter the last presidential swift boating move on him.
Happy Friday to all… Happy First Day of Summer… and a very Happy Birthday to Japa and to my first born son- who is omg 35 today! Everyone have a BeeYooTeeFullll Day 🙂 🙂
How time flies. My eldest turns 37 next month. I remember when.
hey my youngest turns 14 next month ! You are so right about time japa.. and the older we get unfortunately the quicker time really does fly. I hope your Birthday is completely Full of goodness ~ enjoy!
I know how you feel japa, I have 2 boys 33 and 37 sheesh!!!
Reposting some facts
GM Chips, TOD……
Moooooooorning LP, thank you again for your TERRIFIC posts yesterday!
GM Chips!! Why thank you very kindly……was my pleasure.
I had a lot of pleasure too LP. Please note that I am not at the top of the scoreboard this AM….
……*withholding judgment for 24 hrs*… Good morning nevertheless!!
Thanks everyone. The other moments that made me realize the calculus and ground is changing in Texas (it will be an uphill battle, but we’ll get there) is that there were conservative women who personally don’t believe in abortion for themselves but showed up to make their voices heard for all women so they can have a CHOICE about their body and their reproductive decisions. There were men who stood side by side and made sure the legislature knew that they don’t have their support. There were LGBT folks who unplanned pregnancies and the like will never be front and center but who made sure they advocated for others. Supporters of HB60 and HB16 left and opponents (pro-choice and conservatives alike) stayed behind for hours. That should tell you something. There were teachers, nurses, healthcare workers, professors, physicians, students, etc. People of all stripes and political affiliations.
There’s something stirring in Texas. So glad Battleground Texas (an off shoot of OFA) is in Texas and laying the organizing groundwork. They came at the right time. Texas will turn purple and eventually blue.
UT, I need to know what your daily menu is………. Warrior princess!
Great job ut. This is the kinda involvement PBO talks about all the time.
Thanks ut! This is how REAL and progressive change occurs – through endless hrs, days, weeks and months of exhausting, tedious, un-glamorous, legwork.
Not preening and posing for cable TV cameras, or disrespectfully heckling your allies, or engaging in unlawful self-righteous “take-down” of government for your own egotistical, selfish ideological purposes. Emoprogs – take note….
Well said, Hf2. It’s long, damned slogging work to effect change. No job for the weak-willed and the whiners.
Happy Birthday Japa!!
Good morning everyone.
Hey the loveliest of people!
Good morning to you, GoB!!
Good morning GB! Have you wander over to Dunkin Donuts yet?
No, not yet. I’m actually being discharged today. Not going home though. Going to a rehab facility.
Glad that you are going home yet. You shouldn’t be on your own yet. Good luck at the rehab facility.
Thanks!
Great news, GOB. I have friends and family that have been in rehab. It’s a lost looser than the hospital and you’re a lot more on your own. But you do make progress and that’s the main thing toward going home.
Good to know. I just hope the staff and facility are as nice as people say.
lamo @pourmecoffee’s tweet.
Another suicide bomb attack in pakistan mosque kills 14. For all their fervent religionism, they do choose some horrible targets don’t they?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22999668
they do choose some horrible targets don’t they? yep, people…
Great article. The comment below says it all. Technology, Healthcare, Manufacturing, and a variety of jobs are coming to Texas and they are bringing blue state voters and liberals to Texas. See Austin, Houston, Dallas, etc. These workers who are flocking to Texas for jobs are a very diverse group indeed in terms of race, age, voting patterns, etc. The blue vote in Texas has been steadily increasing. Travis county is pretty much 99% Blue and other counties are following suit. Things are changing.
TP Commenter: “While it’s true that TX is the home of big oil and rick perry with his minimum wage Valhalla, darnit – we’re trying to change the status quo. The job market in TX is bringing waves of new residents from all across the nation/world and those people vote with eyes and hearts that are not clouded with a skewed view of TX history and a sense of entitlement and superiority that is bone deep. The state that used to be bright red is starting to look a little more purple with many spots of blue growing larger.”
Another TP Commenter: “I have been saying this for a number of years now. I know a number of VERY LIBERAL people who have moved their due to their job and they will never ever vote in the red team they are blue all the way..”
May be I am wrong, the perception is latino voters don’t really show up in full strength on the voting day. If true, dems must find ways to fully engage them and get them to the polls.
Well, AMK. Latinos vote in California, Florida and in big eastern cities. In 2012, our little city had record Latino turnout. The trick is getting Latinos to turn out in big numbers in non presidential years.
Happy Birthday Japa! Come on Chips! You should crop that fella out of Japa’s birthday cake pic – just FLOTUS and the cake 🙂
I thought about that CT, but with my limited photo-fiddling skills, if I’d removed that fella the cake would have disappeared too 😕
Mooooorning you!
Goooood morning! I am just catching up – our UT is dynamic isn’t she? So proud she is one of us 🙂
She is Wonder Woman, CT!!!!
Good Morning TOD Family!
Happy Birthday Japa! All the Best to you!
Japa! Hey Japa, you better believe this stop-in is for YOU! I decided to read this morning, head out to lunch with a friend and go shopping, leaving TOD till later (cause it’s hard to pull away when I do sign in). Reading went well, and I was heading to the shower to get ready for lunch when I remembered IT IS YOUR BIRTHDAY! Soooooooooooooooooo …..
…………….. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Happy Birthday, Japa! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ *****Have a wonderful time!**** ………………………
—————————————————————————————————————————————-
Morning all other TODobots! Morning Chips! Morning you masterful Chipadees! BBL
Now, I’m closing my eyes and tiptoeing out so I won’t be delayed checking out the post, which I’m sure will be ‘captivating’, until I return.
hey VC, you should get yourself a clear(my favorite color btw) shower curtain so you can keep watching the goings on!
Thanks so much.
Happy Birthday Jappa, and everyone else having a birthday today. Congrats to ut on first and doing good in Texas. Here, it’s raining, it’s pouring and the old man is snoring! 😉 Happy Summer!
I’m in the Air Force and we had a base mandatory Sexual Assault Prevention training which means we watched a video (which is what we always do) and then the Wing Commander went on stage and cried about “this administration taking away Commander’s rights to take care of the problem.” NEWSFLASH BUDDY! Obviously they can’t handle the problem and it’s only getting worse time for a change Mr. Colonel. In 2011 at Holloman AFB they had 5 reported sexual assaults in 2012 they had 33. Ummmmmmmm. They kick people out for a DUI in 2 weeks and roll back people for LORs over being late but if you rape somebody it’ll probably get thrown out by the CC or you’ll get a slap on the wrist. SMDH, these people have no sense.
He should be reported!!!!!
Isn’t that blatant insubordination of the CIC?
Call the IG Hotline (which is anonymous) about that Wing Commander. That alone is grounds for removal, due to leadership’s “lack of confidence” in him. If somebody got it recorded, all the better.
If he were employed at a private firm, and it was determined that he couldn’t handle the job, he’d be fired, and he knows it. I’m glad that PBO defends all victims of sexual assault. What ticks me off, Jessica, is that these are the same tools who claim to be the “bestest” Christians in the world. I’m quite certain Jesus wouldn’t have approved of sexual assault! They talk about Christianity a lot, but they sure don’t practice it.
To all of you who have given me birthday greetings, acknowledging the fact I am getting really, really old, thank you. I have to drop by sporadically today so I can’t answer each and every one. But I appreciate all of you. You are my extended family.
Good morning you lot. So far so good. Happy Birthday to the wing Commander japa two one!
Mooooooorning Shipmate!
Tops Admiral. How’s it hanging? Loose as a goose or hard as lard? 🙂
It’s hanging good Shipmate, thank you, loose as lard 😕
Make sure you keep it away from heat or it might melt. 😀
welcome aboard Sir!!!
’tis a pleasure to be aboard matey.
Silly thought 1 Really!!!! there’s more coming!
At least he acknowledged it as a silly thought, and to be honest, I tend to agree.
Happy Birthday Japa. I like the tanks under his shirt.
How funny…..
Those are the undershirts I like the best…..and love when I can see them through the shirt.
Jonathan needs to stop wearing those silly glasses
Gentlemen wear undershirts (it was not a tank top!). It also has a practical purpose of wicking away sweat and helping to keep the wearer cool. PBO really needed it in Berlin. This little twerp needs to stfu about what PBO wears (remember the comment he made about the suit that PBO wore to the wedding of Valerie Jarrett’s daughter (in which he looked GQ).
Tell Jonathan to stop wearing thong undies.
LMAO!
He is having random and silly thoughts and ha numbers them!!!!!!! quick let’s get Knoller to count!!!!!!!!
he
Jonathan Capehart seems to have a bit of an ownership complex with POTUS.. from make-believe (keystone) policy all the way to the kinda shirts he wears. sickofthiscrap.
Morning:) I’m a little off kilter today…up since 3:30 am…took daughter to airport for an early flight…she’s a nervous flyer, only because she hasn’t done it enough….so I’m thinking about her and hoping that she’s calmed down enough to not let it bother her too much.
For all the people in Texas that came out to speak against the horrors of this anti choice sweep in your state…in our COUNTRY….good for you! Everyone, everywhere needs to raise their voices on this! Don’t back down!
Japa, a very happy birthday to you:) Many more!
GB, symetry and others who are recuperating…thinking of you and hoping you feel better with each passing day:)
Love this family…love this President. That is all:)
All the best to your daughter, df! Hope she “calms down,” as you say!
Agree with your thoughts that the people in Texas are setting the example for the rest of us on these issues. We cannot back down!
Good morning Chips and TOD family.
Happy Birthday JAPA!!
Good mooooOOOOoooorning Sonjia!
FOR TEXAS! Kick SOME ASS!
Happy Birthday JAPA, have a great day
A report from Lyce Doucet of BBC, a journalist I respect.
After years of secret negotiations, an historic breakthrough in talks with the Afghan Taliban almost came unstuck over a flag and a sign.
But by the end of Wednesday, and a personal intervention by US Secretary of State John Kerry, the Taliban flag and their sign reading “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” were removed from their new office in the Gulf state of Qatar.
After hours of mounting tension, Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s spokesman Aimal Faizi told me the president now “wanted to get the wheels moving again.”
But as much as symbols matter, the substance of any future talks matters far more. Off the record conversations with a number of people involved in the sensitive dialogue that led to this milestone underline continuing uncertainty over what the Taliban leadership is hoping to achieve.
“It’s still not clear whether they are interested in sharing power, or just taking power again,” reflected one source who has been engaged in this process for many years.
Another spoke with more cautious optimism about “frank and productive talks,” and “changes in rhetoric” that suggested new thinking among the Taliban, who enforced a strict and harsh interpretation of Islam during their rule in the 1990s.
The row over symbols served to highlight how a movement that once banned television understood the importance of projecting a certain message. For example, the words on the sign, “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” were those they used to describe their regime that was eventually toppled in 2001.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-22980892
American officials say they expect the Taliban’s first goal, when direct talks resume shortly with the US, will be to obtain the release of five Taliban prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.
In exchange, they are to free the only US soldier believed to be in captivity, Bowe Bergdahl. It is understood he is being held by the group known as the Haqqani network, whose representatives have also been involved in negotiations.
But this issue is already stuck in the tangled web of US politics. When talks took place in 2012, headed by the then US Special Representative Marc Grossman, leading Republican senators balked at releasing the Afghans.
The Pentagon is said to be still opposed while President Obama backs a deal.
///
so the mic and repubs don’t want a peaceful afghan solution
but…but…where will the contractors get their money….
I’m glad the media is essentially oblivious to all this important work. This is very delicate and complicated stuff, for sure, and serious people need a quiet environment to do their work. Just reading about Sec. Kerry’s role in diffusing the flag issue is inspiring. I hope they succeed.
Happy Birthday, Japa!
We are proud of YOU, too ~ UT / Nerdy Wonka!
Mornin’, Chips and TODville. Thanks, Chips, for all this glorious news and stuff!
http://www.nationalmemo.com/recruiting-for-democrats-one-abortion-bill-at-a-time/
In Ohio, a new Republican bill would force women who seek an abortion to wait longer, submit to an ultrasound and listen to a doctor spew the known falsehood that she is increasing her risk of breast cancer. As the American Cancer Society states, unequivocally, “scientific research studies have not found a cause-and-effect relationship between abortion and breast cancer.”
Two more facts to keep in mind, courtesy of the Guttmacher Institute: In the U.S., 88 percent of abortions are done in the first 12 weeks. Less than 1 percent are in the third trimester.
During this week’s library talk, a woman in the audience asked why Republicans continue to spew nonsense about abortion. “They don’t really believe this stuff, do they?” another woman said.
I responded by sharing a story from 1979, when I was editor of my college newspaper, the Daily Kent Stater. Shortly before the fall semester began, we found out that an administrator had derailed plans to distribute a brochure about birth control methods during freshman orientation.
We decided on several front pages to the topic. It was a birth control extravaganza, complete with diagrams, photographs and detailed instructions on how to prevent unplanned pregnancies. For weeks, we were inundated with phone calls and letters, many from outraged parents who apparently believed that their children planned to spend their four years of college holed up like monks in their dorm rooms.
Thirty-four years later, I still recall one particular father’s call. “You listen here, young lady,” he shouted into the phone. “I will never let my daughter stick an IUD up her rectum.”
“Good for you,” I said, “’cause that’s not where it goes.”
In 1979, that father sounded like an uninformed loon.
Today, he could be a Republican member of Congress.
Ha! IUD: in up de (insert word of choice)
http://bobcesca.thedailybanter.com/blog-archives/2013/06/george-bushs-great-great-great-grandfather-was-a-slave-trader.html
Charels Pierce is starting to get to me. I really enjoy his writing, but he is totally off base on the NSA issue. Even his reading of what came out yesterday is skewed.
Tow views of the same things;
First Cesca: http://bobcesca.thedailybanter.com/blog-archives/2013/06/greenwald-debunks-himself-nsa-targeting-of-a-u-s-citizen-requires-a-warrant.html
Now Pierce: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/The_Snowden_Effect_And_The_FISA_Court
Keep in mind, Cesca was always open-minded about this whole thing and somewhat skeptical about Greewald’s original reporting. Pierece, OTOH, was angry from the very beginning. Shows that the bias we come in with definitely impacts our interpretation.
I can’t access the link Japa there’s a firewall where I am that’s blocking it. What’s Pierce saying?
Charlie Pierce has a lot of good days, but he’s an emoprog at heart. He’s worth selectively listening to, though, because his good days far outweigh the bad ones.
Morning Obots! New post: http://theobamadiary.com/2013/06/21/republicans-arent-really-good-at-this/
Good Afternoon Ms. Chips and TOD!
TGIF
This is one of the reasons why I value twitter so much. Check out AriMelber’s TL and read this conversation. I just followed @DeeinColumbiaMD but she is schooling him on GG’s latest revelation.
This why I’m no fan of Melber’s. Did he notice who the author was?
High School Prom King Gives up Crown to Least Popular Kid – Posted on May 06, 2013
Tyrell Clay, the football quarterback, is the most popular boy at Miller High School in Corpus Christi, Texas. Adam, on the other hand, has been picked on and called names – and was nominated to the prom court as a joke.
Adam, who is already book smart, decided to try to boost his social smarts a bit, by actually attending the prom.[….] What Tyrell did that night on stage surprised everyone — especially Adam, who can now walk down the hallways with his head held high. (Watch the Steve Hartman video below.)
http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/family-life/great-kids/high-school-prom-king-gives-up-crown-to-least-popular-kid.html
Wow! Had to come out of lurking to say I live in Corpus Christi. It sure is nice to make the National news instead of the usual Republican insanity 🙂
i’ve only been able to see joy-ann reid on-air from clips people leave here. just watched the one up top (skipped through the howard fineman bit of course). she is SO GOOD! i’ve been annoyed by white privilege rich kid andrew ross sorkin for years while reading his nyt articles, always “tsk-tsking” poor people and his thinly veiled homages to trickle down economics, and didn’t realize he was appearing on tv too now. notice he did the david brooks schtick, where he seems sympathetic to the plight of the disadvantaged children, BUT then concludes with a “both sides,” democrats and republicans, are responsible for the farm bill mess, when it is off-the-charts at the feet of republicans!!! no wonder he keeps getting promoted…the “both sides do it” game, no matter how false it is, will get you far in our current media ownership.
he later then tries to claim income inequality is quite so bad with some minor detail he just had to point out, not that the larger point was wrong. i won’t even get into how even that claim he made is problematic, and you can find other numbers that show income inequality is even worse than they showed on that tv show, but they cut to quick shot of joy-ann when sorkin is talking that nonsense, and the side-eye look she’s giving him is priceless!! more joy-ann, all the time!!