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MoooOOOooorning – Happy Friday!
30
May
14
106 Responses to “Early Bird Chat”
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The People’s View
- Follow me at my new venture: Reclaim the Fight
- Ignore the bait: Why it’s the right strategy for Democrats to focus SCOTUS fight on health care
- BIG: Judge halts Trump administration attempt to shortcut the census
- Trump doesn't want peaceful transition of power. Legally, it doesn’t matter.
- Fauci goes off on Rand Paul
- Rule 44: Why Obamacare is not lost even in a deadlocked Supreme Court, but only if Biden wins
- Time to suit up. This is war.
- BREAKING: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has passed
- Bothsidesism comes to fact-checking: CNN's “fact-check” calling Biden ad 'misleading' proves the opposite
- Pardon me: How Donald Trump's stooges conspired with Julian Assange to exonerate Russia and undermine US Intlligence
Smartypants
- Durham to Right Wingers: "Blame Hillary"
- That Time When Refusing to Negotiate With Hostage-Takers Worked
- The Other Christian Nationalists: Leonard Leo and Opus Dei
- Hawley Demonstrates That He's an Ignorant Liar
- DeSantis Board Votes to Counter-Sue Disney Over Something...Anything
- Hunter Biden's Laptop Is a Total Nothingburger
- What DeSantis Couldn't Say in Response to Disney's Lawsuit
- Disney Skewers DeSantis With His Own Words
- Populism Without Civil Rights Is Fascism
- Glenn Greenwald gets triggered by smart competent women like Rep. Stacey Plaskett
Steve Benen
- Biden has once again defied expectations from haters and his own party: Joe
- NASA administrator: The future of space is collaborative
- Washington making decisions that could prolong Ukraine war, says writer
- Alex Newell discusses the cathartic performances in 'Shucked'
- 'We have a major crisis': Mayor calls for federal funding for mental health
- 'Why not you?': Bestselling author offers her advice to dreamers
- Doris Kearns Goodwin: I think this is a moment to celebrate in Washington
- 'A blowout number': U.S. employers added 339,000 jobs in May
- Marc Morial feels like he's 'just starting' after 20 years leading National Urban League
- 'Winner': DeSantis responds to questions about pronouncing his last name
The Obama Diary 
😕
Good Morning Chips and TOD
#TGIF
🙂 Clapping along, morning Donna!
HAPPY FRIDAY TODers
Hey there Ms. Donna!!
Hiya Chips
Moooooorning Africa!
See?
Oh Jovie, she is beautiful!! Look at that gorgeous, strong, proud Labrador face! Are things going better now? Has she calmed down?!
Not really! Look my black lab was like my daughter, this lab is like my cousin! 🙂
I love her, only not as much as my black lab.
It is what it is!
How’s your pup?
“my black lab was like my daughter, this lab is like my cousin” 🙂
Well I’m thrilled things have got better Jovie, I know how hard it was at the start. My fella is mighty fine, and slightly bonkers!
Don’t follow this is a sports twitter account! 🙂
It’s never been suspended!
My political twitter account was suspended 48x. So , I gave up! 😦
Jovie, she’s sitting there looking like a queen! Thank you so much for showing us how much she’s grown!!
THE VA DISASTER BEGAN LONG BEFORE THAT…IN THE 60’S WHEN VIETNAM VETERANS WERE IGNORED FOLLOWING THEIR RETURNS FROM THAT WAR…THIS HAS GONE ON FOR DECADES AND WILL FRANKLY NEED A HANDS ON CLEAN UP AT EACH SITE WHEREVER COMPLAINTS ARE LODGED. THIS IS WHY WE HAVE SO MANY DAMAGED AND HOMELESS VIETNAM VETS TODAY…THEY WEREN’T TAKEN CARE OF WHEN THEY GOT HOME…PLUS THE AGENT ORANGE DISASTER THE GOVERNMENT TRIED TO DENY THAT SEVERELY AFFECTED AND KILLED ALOT OF OUR OWN TROOPS. THIS IS NOT PRESIDENT OBAMA’S DOING…THIS IS DECADES OF HIDING,LIEING AND SEEING WHAT YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH…IT IS SHAMEFUL. NEW YORK ATTORNEY VICTOR GIACONE REPRESENTED THE VETS AGAINST THE GOV. AT THAT TIME…DON’T KNOW IF HE IS STILL ALIVE…HOWEVER…IF ANYBODY KNOWS ABOUT VA NIGHTMARES IN THAT ERA…HE DOES….SHAMEFUL,DISGUSTING AND GONE ON FOR DECADES.
IT BEGAN IN THE 60’S MY DEAR!
They didn’t want to pay for agent orange claims so they neglected a generation of veterans in the worst way. Same thing happened to veterans of the gulf war who had been given experimental vaccinations and had been exposed to toxins while in theater.
Sue, you are right on! Thank you for saying it!
You are right Sue. The only people these idiots in Washington are fooling are themselves. It’s no wonder some can’t differentiate between Republicans and Democrats.
Ever since the presidents speech, war Doves are now War Mongers.
That’s right, the only principle that any republican has, is go opposite of whatever the President says.
WEAK my ass!
Good morning! 🙂
Morning Sir Jovie!
PBO IS EXTREMELY STRONG AND FILLED WITH INTEGRITY…WE ARE BLESSED TO HAVE HIM….OUR SOLDIERS HAVE BEEN USED BY THE REPUBLICANS IN AN INSANE CHESS GAME…WE HAVE SO MANY LOSSES AND DISABILITIES THAT THEY NOW DON’T WANT TO PAY FOR…AND YOU THINK THIS IS BAD…WAIT UNTIL THE REST COME HOME AT THE END OF THE YEAR TO NO JOBS AND NEED BENEFITS…THAT THE REPUGNANT ONES WON’T WANT TO GIVE. I PRAY FOR MY PRESIDENT…BECAUSE ALL THAT HAS GONE WRONG WITH AMERICA HAS TAKEN YEARS TO INFUSE WITH GREED AND SELF CONSUMPTION…PBO WAS STILL IN DIAPERS BUT THEY WILL TRY TO BURDEN HIM WITH THEIR OWN SINS. THIS IS WHY WITH RESPECT TO THINGS SUCH AS THE VA…IT IS IMPORTANT TO BRING OUT THE EARLY HISTORY OF COMPLAINTS FILED SINCE THE 60’S…THIS IS WHEN IT ALL STARTED. THERE IS A PAPER TRAIL ON THIS EVERYWHERE.
I keep hoping the president will come out in favor of drinking bleach. It is beyond ridiculous that we can’t even fund highways at this point.
Gosh, I got it backwards–come out against, against, against drinking bleach. I need some more coffee!!
VA HISTORY AND CONTEXT
Well, let’s see if this information about the Bush administration can break through the media firewall. The selective amnesia in the media is remarkable. Is there one reporter with the guts to ask Senator McCain why he didn’t know about what was happening in the Phoenix, Arizona VA? And what about congressional oversight? And what about the GOP filibustering the VA bill in February? Everybody and his brother is trying to make Secretary Shinseki the scapegoat because they sure don’t want any questions or focus directed at them. You have the usual suspects ignoring the facts and calling for heads to roll when they should be looking in the mirror.
ALL OF THE REPUBLICANS ARE WELL AWARE OF THE HISTORY OF THE VA COMPLAINTS SINCE THE 60’S…DON’T LET THEM PULL THE WOOL OVER YOUR EYES…IT’S COMMON KNOWLEDGE.
Despite Critics, Obama’s Defense Policy Is Popular With the Public
BY JOSEPH CIRINCIONE
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Despite withering criticism from political opponents and much of the Washington pundit crowd, the administration’s policy on Ukraine is looking better these days. “We don’t know how the situation will play out and there will remain grave challenges ahead,” Obama told the cadets, “but standing with our allies on behalf of international order, working with international institutions, has given a chance for the Ukrainian people to choose their future without us firing a shot.”
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The public seems to agree. Although it will never be reflected on the Sunday talk shows or the editorial pages of The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, when asked to choose between the policies of John McCain and John Bolton and those of Barack Obama, there is no question what Americans want.
They want the plan from the man at West Point.
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http://www.defenseone.com/politics/2014/05/despite-critics-obamas-defense-policy-popular-public/85456/
LH, this article shows three things: 1) Americans are not as stupid as Republicans think they are; 2) our president is more more in synch with public sentiment than any one in the country; and 3) Democrats had better get on the stick and start supporting the president on his foreign policy. No more being intimidated by Republican bullies.
PBO won 2 elections while the republicans and their pundit supporters said the majority would vote against him – they don’t have a clue.
Now, if only that public brought that sentiment to the polling booths.
Right Onnnn!
Is it true, bt?
🙂 100% true! Morning Mister!
And my sis is visiting there right now. / smh
If the VA problem is a dumbya legacy (but then, which problem isn’t?), why doesn’t the admin put out the before and after pics/graphics out in the public?
THERE IS ALOT OF EVIDENCE OUT THERE…JUST KEWORD VA COMPLAINTS SINCED THE VIETNAM WAR…YOU’LL BE AT YOUR KEYBOARD ALL DAY!
THAT’S KEYWORD AND SINCE…DAAAAH!
The incomparable Dr. Maya Angelou!
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS….WAIT UNTIL THE RIGHT WINGERS ON MY FB SEE THIS ONE…I’LL HAVE EGGS ON MY PUTER SCREEN…LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL! OH…HOW THE WORLD IS GOING TO MISS THIS WOMAN…HE LORD IS SMILING…HE’S GOT HER NOW!
Obama Lays Siege to His Critics
By Fred Kaplan
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President Obama’s speech at West Point on Wednesday morning could be called a tribute to common sense, except that the sense it made is so uncommon. The ensuing cable pundits’ complaints—that it was insufficiently “muscular” or “robust”—only proved how necessary this speech was.
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The president’s main point was to emphasize that not every problem has a military solution; that the proper measure of strength and leadership is not merely the eagerness to deploy military power; that, in fact, America’s costliest mistakes have stemmed not from restraint but from rushing to armed adventures “without thinking through the consequences, without building international support and legitimacy for our action, without leveling with the American people about the sacrifice required.”
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http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/2014/05/barack_obama_s_west_point_speech_the_president_responds_to_his_foreign_policy.html
This morning:
Is there any live coverage of this?
I think there may have been. It’s over now.
This poor man. There is no excuse for treating anyone the way Washington and politicians are treating him. It is despicable!
The more I read about, the most sadness and pain I feel.
MAY 30, 2014
Secretary Shinseki on Homelessness Among Veterans
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Secretary Eric Shinseki spoke at the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans 2014 Conference about problems with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system.
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http://www.c-span.org/video/?319657-1/secretary-shinseki-homeless-veterans
saddest words – homeless veterans
Indeed. An absolute shame and blight on this nation.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT—–WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!
Good West Coast morning Chipsticks & TOD family.
Friday – yay!
Goooooood Friiiiiiiiday mooooooorning GGail!
Moooooorning Chips! ❤
G’morning Chips & TOD! 🙂 Happy Friday everyone.
Mooooooorning Hopefruit!
good point hopefruit 🙂
just looking at the two twitter feeds from knoller and the politico defense “reporter.” it’s like they’re watching two different events. politico, the republican propaganda outfit, is talking about how crazy (good) the crowd of vets is reacting to gen/ shinsheki, and how that group is vocally crediting shinsheki for dramatically reducing vet homeless.
knoller doesn not type out one thing about anything like. just media/republican-created talking point after talking point promotion from knoller.
hahahahah…..great comment!
Hopefruit2, you are the best! Love this comment.
Thanks Marlz! 🙂
Good morning folks. Hope everyone will have a beautiful weekend ahead.
The interview with Kelly and Michael is airing now.
These 11 democrats that are calling for Shinseki head, come to find out they voted for the Iraq war.
Shinseki came out against Iraq war and was promptly fired!
Punished for telling truth about Iraq war
By Nicolaus Mills, Special to CNN
updated 7:53 AM EDT, Wed March 20, 2013
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Both President Bush and Rumsfeld made a point of not attending Shinseki’s retirement ceremony, and the New York Times buried its account of Shinseki’s retirement speech on page 32 of the news section.
By contrast, those who came to Shinseki’s retirement ceremony did so as an act of support, and they included not only Army brass who appreciated the stance he had taken on Iraq but a contingent of his West Point classmates, who, like Shinseki, had served in Vietnam during the 1960s.
In the eyes of many of his classmates, Shinseki, who lost nearly half his right foot after stepping on a Vietnam land mine, was doing for the troops in Iraq what President Lyndon Johnson and his secretary of defense, Robert McNamara, had failed to do for America’s troops in Vietnam: he was looking out for them regardless of the political consequences.
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http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/20/opinion/mills-truth-teller-iraq/
(h/t LOLGOP)
Would firing Shenseki solve the problem with VA? There are Congressman and women, and Senators who have been around alot longer then Shinseki, and my question is what have they done? Their are two Republican Senators who represent Arizona, you know Phoenix Arizona, and what were they doing, specially McCain? If I felt the game of politics were being left out of this whole matter, and it was all about the concern for the veterans, then I could understand the talk of replacing Shinseki, but once he is fired then what. And please MSM, let’s not forget that these same Republicans who are so outrage now, didn’t have a problem voting down Sen. Sanders bill which would give more money to VA for medical needs, it cost to much they said.
that would make a great tweet
GOP Senate Candidate: UCSB Shooting An ‘Unfortunate Accident’
Iowa state Sen. Joni Ernst (R), a candidate for U.S. Senate, said Thursday that the recent mass shooting near the University of California, Santa Barbara was an “unfortunate accident.”
During a televised primary debate, a moderator asked Ernst about the shooting because of an ad she ran that shows her firing in a shooting range and promising to “unload” on Obamacare.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/joni-ernst-ucsb-shooting-accident
Good Lawd! What state is she running in?
Iowa
I see now, that it’s Iowa. WTH is going on there?
Most of Iowa is sensible (Obama won the state both times) but the Repubs there are crazy nut conservatives, tea bagger types—-mostly globbed up in the western part of the state near Nebraska (see nutty goofball Steve King). And they love this Jodi Ernst, who keeps bragging about her expertise in cutting off the balls of pigs as her qualification to be elected.
Ah, just like western Michigan.
And no-one asked her to define “accident”? Moderator didn’t follow up – why am I not surprised
Romney has just announced he will campaign for her in Iowa. Really, there are no words.
Well that should reduce her chances
Hillary Clinton Delivers a Withering Attack on Republicans For Exploiting Benghazi
According to Politico, Clinton wrote in her upcoming book, “Hard Choices”:
“Those who exploit this tragedy over and over as a political tool minimize the sacrifice of those who served our country.”
…
(On the House Select Committee on Benghazi), “I will not be a part of a political slugfest on the backs of dead Americans. It’s just plain wrong, and it’s unworthy of our great country. Those who insist on politicizing the tragedy will have to do so without me.”
….
(On the Republican claims of unanswered questions), “Many of these same people are a broken record about unanswered questions. But there is a difference between unanswered questions and unlistened to answers.”
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/05/30/hillary-clinton-delivers-withering-attack-republicans-exploiting-benghazi.html
These remarks remind me why I can admire Hillary. She can be so smart.
It’s the part of her that sends Chelsea out with a pregnancy announcement on the day POTUS will be celebrating 8 million enrollees in private healthcare plans that throws me for a loop.
The Good Hillary and the Wicked Hillary.
In depth article on the two teens in the WH—-hope you can access it—-it’s in the digital section
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-obama-teens-met-20140530,0,2589228.story
Unfortunately it’s behind one of those pesky pay wall/subscription things. Perhaps there might be another way to access it from another source.
If you access it via google it can be read – I used the terms – white house teens Sacha (cause that was what I could see from your link)
Google seems to bypass the news walls?
Yes—thanks—-I should have thought of that—–have used google in past for same kind of prob.
Does this work?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-obama-teens-met-20140530,0,2589228.story
There are a few phrased that could have been omitted – e.g. this sentence rings a few bells
“Acquaintances say they remain unpretentious despite the scrutiny and security that surround their privileged lives.”
Now that could be said about the Romney children but NOT the Obama children.
I think “privileged” in this case refers to the reality that they live in the WH and are the POTUS’s daughters.
Could be but I didn’t like the tone of the article – the author really knows nothing of the girls – which is good & is looking for stories to tell.
I just finish watching POTUS on Live with Kelly and Michael.
President Barack Obama revealed the one thing he’d do if he had anonymity during an interview with ABC’s Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan that aired Friday morning.
When Strahan asked the president what he’d do “unrecognized, without the Secret Service,” Obama had a simple answer.
“I’d go take a walk,” Obama told Ripa and Strahan while talking in the Blue Room of the White House. “I would just walk out this gate. I might walk up to the Lincoln Memorial, sit on there. Maybe I’d wander and find myself at a little outdoor cafe or something and sit, order something and just watch people go by.”
Obama admitted the thing he misses most as president is anonymity.
Linda you can tell that POTUS and FLOTUS talk about these things, because she said the exact same thing.
Malia went to her first prom, POTUS refuse to say if she had a date. I always love how he and FLOTUS talks about what kind of young girls Malia and Sasha are. POTUS give FLOTUS most of the credit, but I think Grandma gets some too, and so does he.
THIS SHINSEKI CONTROVERSEY REMINDS ME OF THE GLADIATOR PERIOD IN ROMAN TIMES WHEN A BUNCH OF FOOLS GATHERED IN THE STONE BLEACHERS HOPING SOMEONE WOULD DIE. OUR COUNTRY HAS BECOME THIS THEATER…BLAMING ONE POOR SOUL FOR SYSTEMATIC PROBLEMS…I HOPE THIS SOUNDS FAMILIAR BECAUSE THIS IS THE SAME THING THEY DO TO PBO…ONLY HE’S AFRICAN AMERICAN SO THEY KEEP SEARCHING FOR A TREE TO HANG HIM ON!
THIS HAS TO STOP…I DON’T KNOW SHINSEKI BUT I SURE FELT SORRY FOR HIM WHEN HE TOOK ON THIS JOB…ANYONE MY AGE KNOWS HOW BAD THE VA HAS BEEN FOREVER AND BTW…THINK ABOUT THIS…
THE REPUBLICANS DON’T WANT ENDS TO WARS BECAUSE THEN THEY ARE FACED WITH TAKING CARE OF THEIR NEEDS…THAT’S WHY THEY ARE READY TO CRAP OVER 2014! THEY WILL TRY TO SHIFT THE BLAME FOR ANY LACKS IN THE SYSTEM THEROF…TO PBO…STOP THE PERSECUTION AND LET THEM KNOW THE THEATER IS …’CLOSED!’
I DON’T NORMALLY UTILIZE THE WORD ‘CRAP’ HOWEVER THAT’S ALL THE REPUBLICANS ARE FULL OF!…FILL IN THE BLANKS!
This seems more promising that previous reports:
R&S!
http://theobamadiary.com/2014/05/30/rise-and-shine-832/
Terri Lynn Land, the Republican candidate running for Senate in Michigan, walked into a scrum of inquiring reporters at a forum on Wednesday and didn’t like what she saw.
“I can’t do this. I talk with my hands,” she said, with an expression the Detroit Free Press described as “slightly panicked and clearly uncomfortable.”
The former Michigan secretary of state is running against Democratic Rep. Gary Peters, who also spoke at the forum on Mackinac Island, to replace retiring Sen. Carl Levin (D).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/29/michigan-lynn-land_n_5413352.html?utm_hp_ref=politics#comments
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And now the Gov, a TBGOPer, is now OK with same-sex marriage…..hmm?…..Or Not. Just like in less than 2 hours with 300K signatures about to be turned in for a Referendum to $10.10 Minimum Wage Increase……The MI GOP dominated state house hurriedly passed a Minimum Wage increase far below what over 65% of the state wanted to once again politically thwart the will of the people in Nov and most importantly, to limit the Dems participation in Nov 2014.
Stay Vigilant Michiganders and Vote these TBGOPers out.
Oh hell yes. I just signed the minimum wage petition last week. Land must be stopped, and Snyder has to go. They are now attacking Gary Peters about the Canadian pipeline, since the attacks on Obamacare failed to get results.
Morning TOD 😉
Definitely worth reading