Congratulations, Bobfr, and thanks as always for your cogent tweets. Back from Peru and trying to adjust to our first-world country which acts like the most violent of the third world countries when it comes to the power of people wielding guns and NRA influence. Thank goodness for John Lewis and other Democratic Congress people with courage. Shame on Ryan and his pack of fakers.
While Rep. Deutch have his drink and cigar make sure he bow his head in silence to those 99 people shoot, 49 of them shot to death in Orlando. This tweet tells you of the kind of people that is elected specially those right wing nasty conservatives..
There’s nothing about the Republican majority that can be called serious, except their lust for money. Lives, livelihoods and the well being of Americans are irrelevant to them so long as they can collect their checks from lobbyists and their handsome salaries for doing nothing. Each of them —especially their leaders–hold the American people and the government in contempt and they are rewarded for that attitude by being re-elected time and again. It’s an absolute disgrace that someone as lightweight and utterly incompetent as Ryan is the Speaker of the House. Those who voted for him should hang their heads in shame, if they even understood what ‘shame’ means. We have to work for a blue wave in November. Everything we hold dear as a democracy and a people depend on that.
Nerdy, you’ve done awesome work in bringing the “NoBillNoBreak” sit in to TOD. John Lewis it not only heroic, he’s also a genius for showing us the way through the wall of Republican opposition to sensible gun restrictions. He’s given people new hope that we don’t have to submit to the NRA lackeys in Congress, that we can stand up as Democrats and create a wave of righteous anger across the country that will change the balance of power in our Congress and state houses. The power to do this has always rested in the hands of voters. They just have to wake up from their stupor and exercise it.
Based on what I know about Rep. Steve King of Iowa, it would be inexplicable if he didn’t introduce an amendment to block the Treasury Department from putting Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. That he did so was as predictable as April Showers.
What was also very predictable was that he’d shirk taking ownership of his racist motivation. I don’t quite understand why Rep. King is so willing to be a voice for the most reactionary white supremacists in the country but always claims that he’s not a racist and that it’s his critics who are the racists.
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) proposed an amendment to a spending bill that would [prohibit] the use of funds to redesign any Federal Reserve note or coin. He said that the amendment was not intended as a slight to Tubman, but a symbol of his “conservative” commitment to preserving history.
“It’s not about Harriet Tubman, it’s about keeping the picture on the $20,” King told Politico. “Y’know? Why would you want to change that? I am a conservative, I like to keep what we have.”
The Iowa Republican went on to say that it was “racist” and “sexist” to suggest that a woman or person of color be included on U.S. currency. For King, the proposal to replace former president Andrew Jackson, a slaveowner, with an abolitionist and feminist icon was “liberal activism.”
“This is a divisive proposal on the part of the president, and mine’s unifying,” he told Politico. “It says just don’t change anything.”
Over the past seven/eight years, we have witnessed history over and over again; and yesterday was another moment. While many may see it as a GOP victory (if you call running away a victory), the battle is not over and the GOP can only run so far. As John Lewis pointed out, they made three attempts to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge before they successfully crossed from Selma to Montgomery. This was only one attempt to cross the “bridge” for getting gun control legislation. I believe that with each attempt to cross, more and more people will join in.
The GOP continues to hurt themselves. They don’t seem to be able to legislate on their own. They have to get their scripts from the hand(s) that pay them (the NRA being one of the payers). If they have to figure out what to do on their own, they run…just light roaches scatter when the light is turned on. The light is shining on the GOP. The roaches are scattering rather than owning the fact that either they don’t want gun control laws, or they want it but don’t want the NRA to know that they want it.
Trying to stop the visual/audio feed of the sit-in only made people more determined to see it and made more people pay attention. If Paul Ryan was supposed to be the one to sweep in and save the GOP brand, he as failed miserably. He came across like a little boy trying to play tough. He can say good-bye to any presidential bid and hopefully will be saying goodbye to his seat in the House really soon.
Good point = ‘As John Lewis pointed out, they made three attempts to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge before they successfully crossed from Selma to Montgomery. This was only one attempt to cross the “bridge” for getting gun control legislation. I believe that with each attempt to cross, more and more people will join in.’
JOHN LEWIS IS A GOD-GIVEN BLESSING WITH A GOD-GIVEN PURPOSE!….AS FOR RYAN..HIS MEETING WITH GOD WON’T BE WHAT HE EXPECTED!..HANDING THIS OVER TO THE SOVEREIGN ONE!
Good morning, TOD! Nerdy, as always, you are knocking it out the park! Thank you! Need to dash out the door, grateful that I can continue to follow #DemocraticSitIn on my phone. Love the meld of “old-fashioned” civil disobedience tactic, broadcast via new technology! Hope folks will descend on their rethugh congress-critter’s district office and homes! I normally run into my critter at Produce Junction — he always looks terrified when he spots me — I wonder why…
Supreme Court has ruled on an affirmative action case … with a 4-3 vote, they’ve upheld the affirmative action program at the Univ. of Texas at Austin (Justice Kagan recused herself because of involvement in the matter).
If the press starts calling the Trump Campaign a scam….will this give even more power to the coup that is coming in July at the convention….Watch this space…as RM says
Although I realize Bernie Sanders is irrelevant at this point, while cleaning out some old bookmarks today (including all education ones-sob!) I came across this 2011 article by Nancy LeTourneau. She is referring to and quoting an article by Joel Olsen on the OWS ‘movement’ and I thought how completely applicable it is to the Sanders campaign and the opinions of his supporters. His campaign was really more like an extended and well-funded OWS demonstration. Here is her quote from the Olsen article. Both are linked below.
“Left colorblindness claims to be inclusive, but it is actually just another way to keep whites’ interests at the forefront. It tells people of color to join “our” struggle (who makes up this “our,” anyway?) but warns them not to bring their “special” concerns into it. It enables white people to decide which issues are for the 99% and which ones are “too narrow.” It’s another way for whites to expect and insist on favored treatment, even in a democratic movement.”
Thank you for the link to the Olsen article. It absolutely articulates my issues with the Sanders campaign from the very beginning. How does that manifest in a political campaign? A white male Sanders coup of the Nebraska Latino caucus described in the link below. To everyone’s credit with struggle that situation was positively resolved. But it does illustrate the failure of “colorblind” analysis.
That awful spectacle in NV – here is what infuriates me. We are facing existential threats from GOP this election, enough to radically change the America we know and love. And instead of moving forward in NV to work on important issues and down ticket races, they had to expend energy on BS’ dirty, sleazy, selfish tricks. It is sapping energy and money that we desperately need to fight the Good Fight.
Thank you Supreme Court, I wonder who the three justices were that dissented? Could one of the justices that dissented benefited from Affirmative Action?
Supreme Court upholds college affirmative action program.
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday to uphold a program that helped minority students get into the University of Texas, in a decision with sweeping implications for affirmative action-based admissions programs at the nation’s public colleges and universities.
In a 4-3 ruling, the court decided that the Texas program that admits some students based on a consideration of race is constitutional.
The only saving grace for immigration reform is that it will come before the Supreme Court next year, hopefully we’ll have a democrat in the White House, Hillary has already said that she will continue President Obama’s plan if elected.
The Fisher Case was bogus as phuck to begin with. I can’t even begin to explain how ridiculous it would have been to strike affirmative action over this case, of a mediocre White girl who was either too stupid or too lazy to do the work that would have gotten her into the top 10% of her class, and thus, an automatic spot at UT.
Meet The New Better Way, Same As The Old Better Way
Ryan’s latest package of health care proposals is part of a broader set of ideas the speaker has packaged under the label “A Better Way: Our Vision For A Confident America.” Ryan’s vision for a confident America, however, looks a whole lot like the McCain-Palin 2008 vision for a confident America in many of its particulars. And the ideas that are not recycled from the McCain-Palin campaign are largely recycled from Ryan’s own past proposals — although with few details and fewer, if any, actual numbers.
.
.
So Ryan’s latest health care package is at war with itself. It rails against top-down decrees from Washington, all while imposing a structure on states that would effectively neuter their insurance laws. And it’s only the latest in a comedy of errors that includes a proposal to phase out Medicare and an accidental effort to nationalize the means of production. Nor are these the only examples of Ryan’s allergic response to math — we haven’t even discussed the multi-trillion dollar “magic asterisk” Ryan relies upon to pay for his tax proposals.
It’s time to stop treating this man like he’s a policy wonk. Or even like he knows anything at all about how America’s policy infrastructure works.
Well there you have it, the latest officer to stand trail in the Freddie Gray case. The office has been acquitted on all six charges. Justice in American stands for Just-not-us.
@Face: Once they succeed with that, they want to get rid of family integration green cards and birthright citizenship. Then get rid of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act. Then interning undesirable citizens like the judge with Mexican heritage. Its all a part of Make America White Again. Most immigrants get this.
From Benen – Hillary’s Statement about the Immigration Case:
Update: Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign issued a statement soon after the decision was announced – in English and Spanish – reacting to the news. I don’t ordinarily quote candidates at this length, but given the circumstances, it seemed important to note Clinton’s statement in its entirety:
“Today’s deadlocked decision from the Supreme Court is unacceptable, and show us all just how high the stakes are in this election. As I have consistently said, I believe that President Obama acted well within his constitutional and legal authority in issuing the DAPA and DACA executive actions. These are our friends and family members; neighbors and classmates; DREAMers and parents of Americans and lawful permanent residents. They enrich our communities and contribute to our economy every day. We should be doing everything possible under the law to provide them relief from the specter of deportation.
“Today’s decision by the Supreme Court is purely procedural and casts no doubt on the fact that DAPA and DACA are entirely within the President’s legal authority. But in addition to throwing millions of families across our country into a state of uncertainty, this decision reminds us how much damage Senate Republicans are doing by refusing to consider President Obama’s nominee to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court. Our families and our country need and deserve a full bench, and Senate Republicans need to stop playing political games with our democracy and give Judge Merrick Garland a fair hearing and vote.
“This decision is also a stark reminder of the harm Donald Trump would do to our families, our communities, and our country. Trump has pledged to repeal President Obama’s executive actions on his first day in office. He has called Mexican immigrants ‘rapists’ and ‘murderers.’ He has called for creating a deportation force” to tear 11 million people away from their families and their homes.
“I believe we are stronger together. When we embrace immigrants, not denigrate them. When we build bridges, not walls. That is why, as president, I will continue to defend DAPA and DACA, and do everything possible under the law to go further to protect families. It is also why I will introduce comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship within my first 100 days. Because when families are strong – America is strong.”
She needs to get on Univision and Telemundo and break it down like a fraction.
YOU want something to change, then YOU have to register to vote and YOU have to vote in November, and not just for President, but Congress and Senate too.
The Obama Diary 
Good morning NW 🙂
Thank you!!!
#DemocraticSitIn
Congratulations, Bobfr, and thanks as always for your cogent tweets. Back from Peru and trying to adjust to our first-world country which acts like the most violent of the third world countries when it comes to the power of people wielding guns and NRA influence. Thank goodness for John Lewis and other Democratic Congress people with courage. Shame on Ryan and his pack of fakers.
Thank you Judith. Welcome back – from civilization 🙂
Welcome back, Judith.
back to work …. bbl …. stay the course dear friends …. we’ve been through this before …. We Will Prevail …..
YES WE CAN
❤️🌹🙏🏻🌹❤️
While Rep. Deutch have his drink and cigar make sure he bow his head in silence to those 99 people shoot, 49 of them shot to death in Orlando. This tweet tells you of the kind of people that is elected specially those right wing nasty conservatives..
99 people shot.
My mistake, I thought Rep. Deutch made the comment about drink and cigar.
There’s nothing about the Republican majority that can be called serious, except their lust for money. Lives, livelihoods and the well being of Americans are irrelevant to them so long as they can collect their checks from lobbyists and their handsome salaries for doing nothing. Each of them —especially their leaders–hold the American people and the government in contempt and they are rewarded for that attitude by being re-elected time and again. It’s an absolute disgrace that someone as lightweight and utterly incompetent as Ryan is the Speaker of the House. Those who voted for him should hang their heads in shame, if they even understood what ‘shame’ means. We have to work for a blue wave in November. Everything we hold dear as a democracy and a people depend on that.
Nerdy, you’ve done awesome work in bringing the “NoBillNoBreak” sit in to TOD. John Lewis it not only heroic, he’s also a genius for showing us the way through the wall of Republican opposition to sensible gun restrictions. He’s given people new hope that we don’t have to submit to the NRA lackeys in Congress, that we can stand up as Democrats and create a wave of righteous anger across the country that will change the balance of power in our Congress and state houses. The power to do this has always rested in the hands of voters. They just have to wake up from their stupor and exercise it.
Good Morning, Everyone 🙂
NW,
You brought this!!!
Thank you for keeping us informed about the sit-in. Your coverage was fabulous 🙂
Cantaloupe King Loses Bid to Block Tubman Twenties
Iowa Rep. Steve King might be the worst person in the House of Representatives.
by Martin Longman
June 22, 2016 11:57 AM
Based on what I know about Rep. Steve King of Iowa, it would be inexplicable if he didn’t introduce an amendment to block the Treasury Department from putting Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. That he did so was as predictable as April Showers.
What was also very predictable was that he’d shirk taking ownership of his racist motivation. I don’t quite understand why Rep. King is so willing to be a voice for the most reactionary white supremacists in the country but always claims that he’s not a racist and that it’s his critics who are the racists.
Good West Coast morning TOD. Thanks NW for your excellent coverage of the House Dems!
Good Thursday, Nerdy…TOD Family!
Thank you Nerdy for the awesome coverage of the sit-in on yesterday. Thanks as well to LP for stepping in to give you a break.
Over the past seven/eight years, we have witnessed history over and over again; and yesterday was another moment. While many may see it as a GOP victory (if you call running away a victory), the battle is not over and the GOP can only run so far. As John Lewis pointed out, they made three attempts to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge before they successfully crossed from Selma to Montgomery. This was only one attempt to cross the “bridge” for getting gun control legislation. I believe that with each attempt to cross, more and more people will join in.
The GOP continues to hurt themselves. They don’t seem to be able to legislate on their own. They have to get their scripts from the hand(s) that pay them (the NRA being one of the payers). If they have to figure out what to do on their own, they run…just light roaches scatter when the light is turned on. The light is shining on the GOP. The roaches are scattering rather than owning the fact that either they don’t want gun control laws, or they want it but don’t want the NRA to know that they want it.
Trying to stop the visual/audio feed of the sit-in only made people more determined to see it and made more people pay attention. If Paul Ryan was supposed to be the one to sweep in and save the GOP brand, he as failed miserably. He came across like a little boy trying to play tough. He can say good-bye to any presidential bid and hopefully will be saying goodbye to his seat in the House really soon.
Hi, SW.
Good point = ‘As John Lewis pointed out, they made three attempts to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge before they successfully crossed from Selma to Montgomery. This was only one attempt to cross the “bridge” for getting gun control legislation. I believe that with each attempt to cross, more and more people will join in.’
back to work …. hope all of you are having a liberating day as John Lewis, once again, leads the way to justice for all …
JOHN LEWIS IS A GOD-GIVEN BLESSING WITH A GOD-GIVEN PURPOSE!….AS FOR RYAN..HIS MEETING WITH GOD WON’T BE WHAT HE EXPECTED!..HANDING THIS OVER TO THE SOVEREIGN ONE!
G’morning Nerdy & TOD! Congrats Sir Bob on #1, and Happy Thursday everyone 🙂
Just posting this here:
Good morning, TOD! Nerdy, as always, you are knocking it out the park! Thank you! Need to dash out the door, grateful that I can continue to follow #DemocraticSitIn on my phone. Love the meld of “old-fashioned” civil disobedience tactic, broadcast via new technology! Hope folks will descend on their rethugh congress-critter’s district office and homes! I normally run into my critter at Produce Junction — he always looks terrified when he spots me — I wonder why…
Definitely not good news for #DAESH …
More of #Erdogan’s Crimes Against Humanity ….
bbl ….
GM TODville.
In response to Ladyhawke and JackieG upthread re: House pork-filled “Zika bill.”
These mindless idiots DESERVE to be off taxpayer payroll. Dems need to attack GOP House incumbents on the damage they are doing now.
{{{Baltimore}}}, praying for you…
Supreme Court has ruled on an affirmative action case … with a 4-3 vote, they’ve upheld the affirmative action program at the Univ. of Texas at Austin (Justice Kagan recused herself because of involvement in the matter).
Supreme Court upholds Affirmative Action at University of Texas !!!!!!!!!
SICK…EGOTISTICAL..LIARS…MISREPRESENTING…AMERICA…………………………………..= = = SELMA!..THE IGNORANT AND ARROGANT ALWAYS REPEAT THEIR UNFORTUNATE HISTORY!
If the press starts calling the Trump Campaign a scam….will this give even more power to the coup that is coming in July at the convention….Watch this space…as RM says
thankss
This is great. Thanks for sharing Ladyhawke.
Good morning, good people. What a night! And it continues today. Excited to have POTUS in my town tonight!!
Although I realize Bernie Sanders is irrelevant at this point, while cleaning out some old bookmarks today (including all education ones-sob!) I came across this 2011 article by Nancy LeTourneau. She is referring to and quoting an article by Joel Olsen on the OWS ‘movement’ and I thought how completely applicable it is to the Sanders campaign and the opinions of his supporters. His campaign was really more like an extended and well-funded OWS demonstration. Here is her quote from the Olsen article. Both are linked below.
“Left colorblindness claims to be inclusive, but it is actually just another way to keep whites’ interests at the forefront. It tells people of color to join “our” struggle (who makes up this “our,” anyway?) but warns them not to bring their “special” concerns into it. It enables white people to decide which issues are for the 99% and which ones are “too narrow.” It’s another way for whites to expect and insist on favored treatment, even in a democratic movement.”
http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2011/11/left-colorblindness-and-white-democracy.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FlpjFg+%28Smartypants%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
Here is the Olsen article. It is excellent.
http://www.bringtheruckus.org/?q=node%2F146
Thank you for the link to the Olsen article. It absolutely articulates my issues with the Sanders campaign from the very beginning. How does that manifest in a political campaign? A white male Sanders coup of the Nebraska Latino caucus described in the link below. To everyone’s credit with struggle that situation was positively resolved. But it does illustrate the failure of “colorblind” analysis.
http://www.omaha.com/news/nebraska/chairman-resigns-many-sanders-supporters-apologize-for-disrespectful-role-in/article_dd7f25fe-1287-55ac-a9e8-161767c2b3e5.html
That awful spectacle in NV – here is what infuriates me. We are facing existential threats from GOP this election, enough to radically change the America we know and love. And instead of moving forward in NV to work on important issues and down ticket races, they had to expend energy on BS’ dirty, sleazy, selfish tricks. It is sapping energy and money that we desperately need to fight the Good Fight.
What a disgusting jerk. That Iowans vote for this idiot over and over again is just sickening.
Wake up, America.
Thank you Supreme Court, I wonder who the three justices were that dissented? Could one of the justices that dissented benefited from Affirmative Action?
Supreme Court upholds college affirmative action program.
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday to uphold a program that helped minority students get into the University of Texas, in a decision with sweeping implications for affirmative action-based admissions programs at the nation’s public colleges and universities.
In a 4-3 ruling, the court decided that the Texas program that admits some students based on a consideration of race is constitutional.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/supreme-court-upholds-college-affirmative-action-program-224716
why only 4-3?
Kagen recused herself, because she worked on the case.
OMG NO, 4-4 tie on immigration.
Dratz. Thought thomas would defect.
WUT? Thomas?
ooops, roberts.
Kagen recused herself, because she had worked on the case.
This reply was supposed to go to AMK.
A tie on the immigration case which means it is still blocked for the remainder of PBO term.’
There is another case working through the Texas courts, so this is not over yet. It may go back to SC next year.
The only saving grace for immigration reform is that it will come before the Supreme Court next year, hopefully we’ll have a democrat in the White House, Hillary has already said that she will continue President Obama’s plan if elected.
I’m sad and disgusted.
Not dead at all. The Texas case has not been ruled on yet. Stop giving out false information…..
About the Affirmative Action Case:
The Fisher Case was bogus as phuck to begin with. I can’t even begin to explain how ridiculous it would have been to strike affirmative action over this case, of a mediocre White girl who was either too stupid or too lazy to do the work that would have gotten her into the top 10% of her class, and thus, an automatic spot at UT.
Yep, if anyone gets a chance they should read the background of this case, talk about privilege.
Meet The New Better Way, Same As The Old Better Way
Ryan’s latest package of health care proposals is part of a broader set of ideas the speaker has packaged under the label “A Better Way: Our Vision For A Confident America.” Ryan’s vision for a confident America, however, looks a whole lot like the McCain-Palin 2008 vision for a confident America in many of its particulars. And the ideas that are not recycled from the McCain-Palin campaign are largely recycled from Ryan’s own past proposals — although with few details and fewer, if any, actual numbers.
.
.
So Ryan’s latest health care package is at war with itself. It rails against top-down decrees from Washington, all while imposing a structure on states that would effectively neuter their insurance laws. And it’s only the latest in a comedy of errors that includes a proposal to phase out Medicare and an accidental effort to nationalize the means of production. Nor are these the only examples of Ryan’s allergic response to math — we haven’t even discussed the multi-trillion dollar “magic asterisk” Ryan relies upon to pay for his tax proposals.
It’s time to stop treating this man like he’s a policy wonk. Or even like he knows anything at all about how America’s policy infrastructure works.
One of the Newtown parents referred to Ryan as ” Eddie Munster ” on CNN today
Well there you have it, the latest officer to stand trail in the Freddie Gray case. The office has been acquitted on all six charges. Justice in American stands for Just-not-us.
Well its not all bad for Becky, she has the good hair going for her.
She looks like Ron Weasley from Harry Potter movies
Mass shooting in movie theater in Germany. At least 25 injured.
Different day, same crap.
An on point comment from BJ about what opposing the President with regards to the immigration case is REALLY about:
@schrodinger’s cat:
Horrendous, all of it.
SOON
From Benen – Hillary’s Statement about the Immigration Case:
She needs to get on Univision and Telemundo and break it down like a fraction.
YOU want something to change, then YOU have to register to vote and YOU have to vote in November, and not just for President, but Congress and Senate too.
New post.
https://theobamadiary.com/2016/06/23/president-obama-delivers-a-statement-3/
GM TOD. ….may get lost in today’s news:
Testing how to post images……..
