Me too. I went there originally to watch him and then watched it grow over the past 10 years, even after he left. They’ve had some duds over the years but Keith was always good.
My deepest condolences to the family and friends of former astronaut, scientist and Senator John Glenn.
His family, our nation and world has lost one of the good one.
;
Ohio, the “Birth Place of Aviation”, prides itself on the achievement of The Wright Brothers (Wilbur & Orville Wright) responsible for the first powered flight.
;
Ohio also touts itself as the state that has produced the most number of astronauts (25) in the US. Among these are Sen John Glenn and Astronaut Neil Armstrong.
;
Most times I have been in the same space as Sen Glenn has been during or after campaign events for democrats – majority being those of PBO.
;
But he was also one of those unassuming people you would meet walking on in down town Columbus or on the campus of The Ohio State University, where he helped found a school of public service names after him.
My longest interaction with Senator Glenn was on the last Sunday before 2008 election.
;
I recall that day very clearly because as usual we spent the days making posters for the campaign and practicing how to handle the duties we had been assigned as volunteers for the event.
;
The rally was in font of State House of Ohio and the crowd was massive and spilled throughout most of the streets that had been totally closed up for traffic.
;
Every member of the First Family was there as was most past and current elected Dems.
;
Senator Glenn introduced PBO and the crowd was in a frenzy.
Thank you for your wonderful memories that you have shared with us. I never met John Glenn but he has been a very big part of my life. He was a treat American.
I was fortunate to see John Glenn in 1962 after his remarkable flight. I worked for a Senator, and each office was given a limited number of tickets. I was the junior most employee, but no one else wanted to attend the joint session where he would speak. I couldn’t believe it, so I got to go. I also got to see him in his triumphal parade, sitting on the back of a convertible with his beloved wife Annie. That day is etched forever in my memory.
Hi Marilyn, I’m back online after a day’s running around.
You are actually ‘looking forward’ to snow falling, or did you say that just to appease the snow god??? Happily, I do not snowshoe, ski, skate, nor walk in the snow! 😀 😀 Oh well, okay, I walk in it when I absolutely *have* to shovel out the driveway. Me, I enjoy it when it falls softly and beautifully on Christmas and New Year’s Day while I’m safely tucked inside. After that it can make itself scarce without any complaints from me!
VC you know you live in the wrong place not to get along with snow. I hope you have an easy winter. I have lived in non 4 season land and I’ll take the 4 seasons. I am one of those who people who loves it all. You take care!
Oh Marilyn, I get along with snow – I don’t mess with it; it doesn’t mess with me. I show my healthy respect by not going out on – IMO – *crazy* uncalled-for winter missions like skiing, skating, etc.
In addition, I really do like having 4 seasons, because each one has its own charm. However, I would sing the praises of all 4 seasons much more musically if I had a say in the length of winter.
Just seeing that you are Canadian. Nice!! I think we have a few posting here. Will be there for Christmas. So far, no snow where my family lives (Southern Ontario) but we’ll see.
After the event concluded, we were still taking photos. Just to look up and there was Senator Glenn walking towards us. I alerted the group of his approach and we started calling out his name.
to our surprise, he came closer to us, stopped, smiled, shook our hands, and talked to us.
we asked him if we could take some photos with him and he agreed to pose until all of us had hard our turn.
then we thanked him and he walked away, still smiling.
I have a recording of President Barack Obama inauguration ! That's the inauguration I will watch the on the day Donald Trump is inaugurated https://t.co/T5yXTYhIal
This happened today. I was happy to see it happen.
And Uncle Joe was there. And they laughed, hand-in-hand, a tender moment between old friends, tinted w/ sadness, but as if to say "we're OK" pic.twitter.com/h7ucyrifgC
Hello Fellow TODers,
It’s been a while. I hope you’ve all been doing fine, despite our electoral nightmare here.
Anyway, just to report that my native country, Ghana, also looks to elect their own Trump in yesterday’s extremely close elections. Official results not yet declared, but trends look ominous. He’s also a divisive character who only seeks to restore supremacy of his ethnic group, line his own and cronies pockets, and maligned the incumbent who’s from a minority group but has accomplished so much infrastructural development of the country. The incumbent was often called the Obama of Ghana. But the opposition behaved exactly like GOP, threatened violence if they didn’t win, resulting in low turnout in some areas.
So I am verklempt about politics both here and in Ghana. This global wave of authoritarianism sweeping across nations big and small is frightening. What happens to us little people?
Good evening, TOD! Taking a quick break from “Life 101” to say “HI!”
Still trying to figure out who the heck in the universe did I offend!
— July, broke my foot
— July – October, recurring case of Bronchitis
— October 25 – Nov 7th, hospitalized with pneumonia
— Nov 15th, dryer fire — laundry room, craft room, home office DESTROYED; kitchen some fire damage; rest of house – heavy smoke. WHOLE HOUSE HAS TO BE GUTTED; expect to be out of my home about six months…
Thankful for life; thankful no one was hurt! Now, three weeks out, I’m pissed at myself for co-locating office in that area. While it’s only “stuff” — I lost all of my genealogy research that hadn’t been scanned; original military docs of family members, dating back to WWI; and last, but NOT least — ALL OF MY OBAMA MEMORABILIA, dating back to 2007… I am devastated… but it’s only “stuff…”
Meanwhile, I’m re-imagining my home; since I have to gut, may as well make a few changes… I’m Blessed to have options… First world problems…
Alycee, I am so sorry to hear about your dryer fire, but, thank God there were no injuries. Looking forward to you tackling this new project of remodeling your home. Stay strong and take care of your health. {{{hugs}}}
Thanks, Gail! We were so Blessed to not suffer any injuries; now I’m in the process of re-imagining my home. Think I’m going to do library walls in the living room & dining room; as I’m going to put in a butler’s pantry, I can get rid of the dining room set, except of course, the table and chairs…
{{{{{{{{{{jazziz2}}}}}}}} Encircling you with extra hugs, strength and healing positive energy Alycee. Take care of you, girl. So, so sorry to hear about your house and the loss of your archives. Because you are you tho, turning lemons into lemonade is in your DNA. Perhaps you’ll be able to get some NEW Obama “stuff” when we all meet up in Chicago for the opening ceremonies of the Obama Foundation. Keep hope alive. 2016 is on its way out–you’re still here. Onward and upward. Have a safe and happy holiday season. Hugs! ❤ ❤ ❤
Thanks for the positive thoughts! Girl, you know we know how to make a way out of no way. Always said I’ve never seen a Brinks truck following a hearse; have modified that to “Brinks truck, nor Mayflower van…”
So sorry to read of all your misfortune. Hope things will turn around now and that, in spite of all that’s happening in the world, things are great in your own life this coming year.
Thank you Gazelle for providing us with just great music…..I dedicate these songs to our friend and TOD family member Dudette! Get well my sweet and take good care of yourself!
good afternoon, df, yes I just read about Jazz’s months of horrible happenings, I am so very sorry that she has had to endure this awful stuff. Keeping her in my thoughts and positives wishes.
What happened in the summer of 2013 to make McCrory so permanently unpopular? He allowed himself to be associated with a bunch of unpopular legislation, and progressives hit back HARD, in a way that really caught voters’ attention and resonated with them.
Medicaid Expansion? 56% of voters wanted it to move forward, only 26% wanted it blocked.
Sneaking in abortion legislation by putting it in a bill about motorcycle safety? 8% of voters supported that, 80% opposed it.
Guns in bars? 17% in support, 73% opposed. Guns in parks? 29% in support, 65% opposed. Guns on college campuses? 25% in support, 69% opposed.
Eliminate the Earned Income Tax Credit? Only 30% of voters wanted to do that, 42% thought it should be kept.
Cut unemployment benefits? Only 29% of voters agreed with changes in the law, 55% were opposed.
Reduce the early voting period in North Carolina by a week? Just 33% of voters wanted to do that, 59% were against it.
Straight party ticket voting? 68% of voters wanted it continued, only 21% wanted it eliminated.
McCrory spearheaded or went along with all of this. And he might have gotten away with it without much impact on his image. Most voters don’t pay close attention to state government.
But the Moral Monday movement pushed back hard.
snip/
Pushing back hard on McCrory worked. The seeds of his final defeat today were very much planted in the summer of 2013. And it’s a lesson for progressives in dealing with Trump. Push back hard from day one. Be visible. Capture the public’s attention, no matter what you have to do to do it. Don’t count on the media to do it itself because the media will let you down. The protesters in North Carolina, by making news in their own right week after week after week, forced sustained coverage of what was going on in Raleigh. And even though it was certainly a long game, with plenty more frustration in between, those efforts led to change at the polls 42 months after they really started.
It seems very clear to me that FBI Director Comey’s October 28 letter announcing a reopening of the investigation into e-mails from Hillary Clinton changed the outcome of the election. For nine of the last 11 days before the election, the negative story dominated the news and cast a cloud over her candidacy, and the polls reflected a downturn for Clinton during that same time. In the end, Clinton narrowly lost four states — Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — where voters who said they decided in the last week greatly favored Trump. I think it is safe to say that without Comey’s letter, Clinton would be our President.
As strange, and possibly illegal, as it was for Comey to make his announcement regarding the investigation so close to the election, from the outset, I wondered what the legal grounds were for searching through the new e-mails found on the laptop of her aide Huma Abedin’s estranged husband Anthony Weiner. Two days after the letter, on Sunday October 30, the New York Times reported that the Justice Department had obtained a search warrant. I have yet to see any further reporting on the warrant. To get a search warrant issued, the FBI needed to go to a federal judge. It is interesting to me that Comey sent his letter before obtaining the warrant. The publicity certainly must have influenced the judge. A judge cannot simply grant any request for a search warrant. Under the Fourth Amendment, a search must be reasonable, meaning that there must be “probable cause” or a “reasonable suspicion” that evidence of a crime will be discovered. Ordinarily, the FBI submits an affidavit describing the evidence that gives rise to the reasonable suspicion. We have yet to see what evidence the FBI relied on in seeking the warrant.
He just sued the FBI to get information regarding all this. I pray its not too little, too late
Read from his blog…he wonders if this is intentional…I have stayed awake at night wondering if this was all orchestrated from the beginning. When Turtle says that they are “saving the seat on the Supreme Ct. for the winner of the Presidential election” and treats that shit like its NORMAL?! I think that he knew something was in the works to begin with, and maybe even helped this fraud along. WHO SAYS THAT??!! Unless you know for a fact that everything will work out in your favor…the Comey crap was planned to drop and dominate the headlines when it did for maximum effect, and had the desired outcome. None of these crooks and liars have clean hands. I hope that this bombshell hits before the EC makes their decision and the outcome they decide turns out to be the will of the people. A vote for Hillary Clinton as the 45th President.
What if the allegations were intentionally false? During the nine days when the investigation was underway, Trump surrogate Rudy Giuliani made public statements suggesting he was in communication with the FBI about the ongoing investigation. It does not seem too far-fetched to believe that politically-motivated individuals might have tried to get the FBI to re-open the investigation of Clinton by making false allegations. Finding Huma Abedin’s e-mails on Weiner’s laptop might have been just an opportunity to carry out their wishes.
I sure have enjoy listening to POTUS and FLOTUS interview with People Magazine, FLOTUS and Dr. Biden, and POTUS and FLOTUS being ask questions by the kids.
Tonight, we welcome @VP Joe Biden, saluting the unparalleled Canada-US relationship and his 4 decades of public service. #VPvisitpic.twitter.com/mhcdLSbFIg
This progress — this painfully imperfect and unfinished collection of scraps we shine up and call progress — is what a portion of Trump’s base wants to undo. Whether or not Lilla and company realize it, they’re helping that cause by telling the rest of us to knock off our “fixation” with “identity politics,” as though our laser focus has been a fad, not a survival tactic.
That’s why it’s never been more important to continue talking — and arguing, and complaining, and venting — about identity in America. To continue interrogating whiteness as a construct, even as we discuss the economic woes of many white Americans. To continue asking why so many of our superheroes are white and male, even as we push to better understand the defeat and humiliation felt by many flesh-and-blood white men in our country. To continue surfacing the science that proves this stuff matters: that the faces we see (or don’t see) on TV can change our brains; that housing segregation makes some of us scared of each other; that being seen as “other” can hurt your grades, your income, your friendships, even the way you feel about yourself.
Our countries are steadfast friends, allies & partners. My thanks to @VP Biden for the discussion ahead of today’s First Ministers’ Meeting. pic.twitter.com/zhHzb2TU5R
Good to hear, because it ought to concern any American that Russia were sticking it’s nose into our election. If Russia hack into the RNC emails and were giving information to Wikileaks to be release, the Republicans would be having a dam fit about that.
Good Morning TOD family, friends, lurkers, Chipsticks, Dannystixs, and our wonderful Nerdy Wonka!
A special shoutout to our wonderful Dudette. get well my sweet and take good care of yourself! We are all praying for a quick recovery so you can be back with us soon at TOD.
Yesterday was not a good day for anyone who still believed the con job Trump ran on about concern for working class Americans.
Last night in Iowa, he was on the defensive about feeding the swamp (rather than draining it) by picking so many millionaires/billionaires to be members of his cabinet, saying, “I want people that made a fortune.” On his choice of Andrew Puzder to be Labor Secretary, even the folks at Breibart were unhappy with him. But the much-vaunted Carrier deal continues to unravel, leading Trump to show his disdain for working class people.
It all started on Tuesday when Chuck Jones, president of United Steelworkers 1999 (which represents Carrier employees) said that Trump “lied his ass off” when he said that he’d saved 1,100 jobs at the company. Jones had learned from Carrier just prior to Trump’s victory lap in Indianapolis that the number was really about 730 jobs. It became his task the next day to explain to the remaining 550 workers that the deal didn’t include them and they’d lose their jobs after all.
Obviously that comment upset our thin-skinned president-elect and he did what he usually does…he tried to bully Jones on twitter.
Chuck Jones, who is President of United Steelworkers 1999, has done a terrible job representing workers. No wonder companies flee country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 8, 2016
If United Steelworkers 1999 was any good, they would have kept those jobs in Indiana. Spend more time working-less time talking. Reduce dues
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 8, 2016
It looks like Trump might have met his match in Chuck Jones, though. In an interview with the Washington Post, the union guy brushed off the nonsense, as well as the threats he is now receiving from Trump supporters by saying “It is what it is. It don’t phase me.” Then he published an article in the paper titled “I’m the union leader Donald Trump attacked. I’m tired of being lied to about our jobs.” Jones provides some interesting background on the situation at Carrier.
There’s no denying that Trump demagogued the issue of trade during the election. But if you have any doubts about where all that is going, take a look at what Nick Timiraos noticed about his cabinet:
President-elect Donald Trump railed against the Trans-Pacific Partnership on his way to winning the White House and has vowed immediately to withdraw the U.S. from the 12-nation accord.
Several of his cabinet picks and other early nominees to top posts, however, have endorsed or spoken favorably about the trade pact, including Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, announced Wednesday as Mr. Trump’s pick for ambassador to China, and retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, Mr. Trump’s pick to head the Department of Defense…
Gen. Mattis joined 16 other retired military leaders and former defense secretaries in a May 2015 letter to congressional leaders that said TPP would help the U.S. maintain a geopolitical advantage in Asia…
Another signatory to that letter: David Petraeus, the retired general who ran the Central Intelligence Agency and who has been considered by Mr. Trump for secretary of state. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., also considered candidates for the secretary of state post, have supported the TPP…
Wilbur Ross Jr., Mr. Trump’s nominee for Commerce secretary, has been extremely critical of the TPP in recent interviews, but he signed a letter in support of the agreement last year to the New York congressional delegation…
Vice President-elect Mike Pence also supported the TPP as Indiana governor, but he said he changed his mind on the trade accord, and other multilateral deals, after he discussed the issue with Mr. Trump this past July.
I have no illusions that TPP will survive. All the talk from Trump folks these days is about negotiating bilateral trade agreements. But just as the president-elect promised in a debate with Clinton, it is a sure bet that he’ll put his corporate friends in charge of those negotiations. And I’d be willing to bet a lot of money that they turn out to be worse than TPP when it comes to their impact on American workers.
Per Eric Schultz, the investigation & report is to be concluded before Pres Obama leaves office. The investigation is to go back to 2008 to 2016.
Pres Obama is thinking on addressing the Nation before leaving office. I hope so.
Interesting that this investigation will be handled by the Intelligence community and not the FBI, oh wait!, the guy that runs the FBI is a hack. Now it makes sense. Once again President Obama handling business without fanfare or in front of a camera.
Rep. Adam Schiff praises POTUS's move to investigate hacks, says Trump's "refusal to listen to our intelligence community" is "disturbing". pic.twitter.com/9jCiaFrVfG
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in Mississippi or Alabama? Well if the GOP has its way, you’ll get the chance to find out.
That’s because Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, through the executive branch leadership now being assembled and the legislative priorities they have laid out, are preparing to take the economic, political, and social arrangements of the South and spread them across the country.
The desire to southernize the entire United States is not new, and in some ways it’s been happening for a while, at least where Republicans have control of government. But now that Republicans have complete control in Washington, they’re going to try to accelerate and deepen that process. Let’s look at it piece by piece:
The Southern economic model. The first and most far-reaching component of this project is to take the Southern economic model national. The foundation of that model is the elimination of collective bargaining and the destruction of the labor unions that are able to negotiate higher wages and better benefits for workers. The Southern model replaces the North’s high-wage, unionized manufacturing with a low-wage, low-benefit version that has succeeded in drawing many factories southward. Southern states have lured companies with gigantic tax breaks and the promise of a powerless and desperate workforce. The result is often more jobs in those Southern states, but worse jobs. And what those states give up in taxes means poorer schools and fewer social services.
This is a story with roots that go back before the Civil War, but in recent years it has taken on a new character as even foreign firms look to the American South as a source of cheap labor. And as Harold Meyerson explained last year in this terrific article, multiple forces including the crippling of unions and the emergence of Walmart as the nation’s largest retailer have acted to pull wages and benefits across the country down toward the South’s level.
BREAKING: Soap Icon Joe Mascolo, known as the legendary Stefano DiMera on #Days of our Lives, has passed away at the age of 87… pic.twitter.com/uGglerf1B2
Obama White House.gov
The Obama Diary 
Firsties! Thank you Nerdy. Love West Wing Week.
Good evening, Jackie4O! Happy 1st!
Thank you Mr President….love ya
Let’s Take a Look at Trump’s Cabinet of Villains | The Resistance with Keith Olbermann | GQ
I wish Keith had never left MSNBC.
Me too. I went there originally to watch him and then watched it grow over the past 10 years, even after he left. They’ve had some duds over the years but Keith was always good.
LOL. Aye!! You better send back our VP. Don’t even try it.
The response below made me chuckle. Quite unlikely he’d seek it in a winter wonderland, I thought. 😀
Sorry that this is a long comment.
My deepest condolences to the family and friends of former astronaut, scientist and Senator John Glenn.
His family, our nation and world has lost one of the good one.
;
Ohio, the “Birth Place of Aviation”, prides itself on the achievement of The Wright Brothers (Wilbur & Orville Wright) responsible for the first powered flight.
;
Ohio also touts itself as the state that has produced the most number of astronauts (25) in the US. Among these are Sen John Glenn and Astronaut Neil Armstrong.
;
Most times I have been in the same space as Sen Glenn has been during or after campaign events for democrats – majority being those of PBO.
;
But he was also one of those unassuming people you would meet walking on in down town Columbus or on the campus of The Ohio State University, where he helped found a school of public service names after him.
;
My longest interaction with Senator Glenn was on the last Sunday before 2008 election.
;
I recall that day very clearly because as usual we spent the days making posters for the campaign and practicing how to handle the duties we had been assigned as volunteers for the event.
;
The rally was in font of State House of Ohio and the crowd was massive and spilled throughout most of the streets that had been totally closed up for traffic.
;
Every member of the First Family was there as was most past and current elected Dems.
;
Senator Glenn introduced PBO and the crowd was in a frenzy.
Thank you for your wonderful memories that you have shared with us. I never met John Glenn but he has been a very big part of my life. He was a treat American.
I was fortunate to see John Glenn in 1962 after his remarkable flight. I worked for a Senator, and each office was given a limited number of tickets. I was the junior most employee, but no one else wanted to attend the joint session where he would speak. I couldn’t believe it, so I got to go. I also got to see him in his triumphal parade, sitting on the back of a convertible with his beloved wife Annie. That day is etched forever in my memory.
Such wonderful memories.
I suppose none of you will want to come visit me in December now? 😀
I love the snow. I’d come.
You’re not going to want to go *walking/skiing* in it, are you?
Hi Marilyn! 🙂 🙂
I’ll go walking or snow shoeing, I don’t ski. We’re suppose to be getting ours this week. I am looking forward to it.
Hi Marilyn, I’m back online after a day’s running around.
You are actually ‘looking forward’ to snow falling, or did you say that just to appease the snow god??? Happily, I do not snowshoe, ski, skate, nor walk in the snow! 😀 😀 Oh well, okay, I walk in it when I absolutely *have* to shovel out the driveway. Me, I enjoy it when it falls softly and beautifully on Christmas and New Year’s Day while I’m safely tucked inside. After that it can make itself scarce without any complaints from me!
VC you know you live in the wrong place not to get along with snow. I hope you have an easy winter. I have lived in non 4 season land and I’ll take the 4 seasons. I am one of those who people who loves it all. You take care!
Oh Marilyn, I get along with snow – I don’t mess with it; it doesn’t mess with me. I show my healthy respect by not going out on – IMO – *crazy* uncalled-for winter missions like skiing, skating, etc.
In addition, I really do like having 4 seasons, because each one has its own charm. However, I would sing the praises of all 4 seasons much more musically if I had a say in the length of winter.
I love your attitude!
😀 😀 It honestly works for me.
Have a great time snow-shoeing when you get your big snowfall, Marilyn!
Just seeing that you are Canadian. Nice!! I think we have a few posting here. Will be there for Christmas. So far, no snow where my family lives (Southern Ontario) but we’ll see.
Glad our VP Biden landed safely!!
#OnePersonOneVote
#STOPtrump
back to work …
I missed it, but …
Okay, enough already – back to my online scrabble & solitaire games!
I don’t see Trudeau being that close to Trump/Pence. Sigh.
Thanks NW for the WWW 🙂
No VC, I love you, but, will not visit you in December, unless I really really have to ❤
Bob, thank you for your continuous efforts to remind us of our duty.
My pleasure, Gail. Thank you!!
And I would so ❤ ❤ to share a part (only a little part) of our December with you! 😀 😀
vc, what the heck is that bird doing???? LOL!!!!
Running away (from the snow)?
That’s funny 😂
😀 😀 See, if you run from the snow, or *in* the snow, you will still sweat. And isn’t sweating healthy?
LOL! 😹☃️
I would TOTALLY visit you vc because I really, really miss the snow; but don’t have any money, sorry 😦
Betsy, I can’t believe you admit to missing snow! Wish I could ship enough of mine to you. 😀
Yay! Thanks!
Goodnight TOD ….
After the event concluded, we were still taking photos. Just to look up and there was Senator Glenn walking towards us. I alerted the group of his approach and we started calling out his name.
to our surprise, he came closer to us, stopped, smiled, shook our hands, and talked to us.
we asked him if we could take some photos with him and he agreed to pose until all of us had hard our turn.
then we thanked him and he walked away, still smiling.
He was so normal, so unassuming.
great story!
Max Silva, I think I will join you, because I will not watch that B.S. of Trump.
excellent plan!
I was thinking that when Trump is President we could actually take over his slogan of Make America Great Again referring to when Obama was President.
This happened today. I was happy to see it happen.
they’re modeling the resilience we all need right now– stronger together!
I heard that POTUS might give a farewell speech before he leave office.
Hi Annieb, I saw that earlier somewhere too. I bet he’ll get a great reception from wherever he ends up speaking!
I love how the Abe is going to HI with PBO. That’s some telling diplomacy right there.
Just a reminder of what the President’s visit to Hiroshima has wrought in terms of Truth and Reconciliation…I am so proud of our President…
Oh, Canada! ❤️ http://www.itstartswithyou.ca/about/
Hello Fellow TODers,
It’s been a while. I hope you’ve all been doing fine, despite our electoral nightmare here.
Anyway, just to report that my native country, Ghana, also looks to elect their own Trump in yesterday’s extremely close elections. Official results not yet declared, but trends look ominous. He’s also a divisive character who only seeks to restore supremacy of his ethnic group, line his own and cronies pockets, and maligned the incumbent who’s from a minority group but has accomplished so much infrastructural development of the country. The incumbent was often called the Obama of Ghana. But the opposition behaved exactly like GOP, threatened violence if they didn’t win, resulting in low turnout in some areas.
So I am verklempt about politics both here and in Ghana. This global wave of authoritarianism sweeping across nations big and small is frightening. What happens to us little people?
Hello ziti, So wonderful to see you here again. I was just thinking about you couple days ago.
Sure hate hearing about Ghana. UGH! What is wrong with people!! 😰😰😔😔😣😣
very sorry to hear about Ghana. It is one of the few countries we hold up.
I was hoping that The Gambia had set a good example for Africa.
across the globe, people of good will must unite and network to defeat this evil and we will.
it is going to emotionally painful and will require very hard work. but we will succeed – there cannot be any other way
Yeah thanks.
Good evening, TOD! Taking a quick break from “Life 101” to say “HI!”
Still trying to figure out who the heck in the universe did I offend!
— July, broke my foot
— July – October, recurring case of Bronchitis
— October 25 – Nov 7th, hospitalized with pneumonia
— Nov 15th, dryer fire — laundry room, craft room, home office DESTROYED; kitchen some fire damage; rest of house – heavy smoke. WHOLE HOUSE HAS TO BE GUTTED; expect to be out of my home about six months…
Thankful for life; thankful no one was hurt! Now, three weeks out, I’m pissed at myself for co-locating office in that area. While it’s only “stuff” — I lost all of my genealogy research that hadn’t been scanned; original military docs of family members, dating back to WWI; and last, but NOT least — ALL OF MY OBAMA MEMORABILIA, dating back to 2007… I am devastated… but it’s only “stuff…”
Meanwhile, I’m re-imagining my home; since I have to gut, may as well make a few changes… I’m Blessed to have options… First world problems…
{{{{{ jazziz2 }}}}} Enough is enough, on to a much simpler year. Okay? ❤️🌹🙏🏻🌹❤️👁👁
oh dear. very sorry to hear about all these happenings.
sometimes we find ourselves asking for the chaos to stop but it may not happen in our time frame.
very sorry you lost so many precious things.
I am glad you did not get physically hurt from the fire.
wishing you better times ahead.
((((((((((((((Jazziz2)))))))))))))))))
Oh my goodness. So sorry to hear all this! Thank God you weren’t injured in the fire. Hugs to you.
(((((hugs))))…but you have so much resilience…you are extraordinary Alycee
Alycee, I am so sorry to hear about your dryer fire, but, thank God there were no injuries. Looking forward to you tackling this new project of remodeling your home. Stay strong and take care of your health. {{{hugs}}}
Thanks, Gail! We were so Blessed to not suffer any injuries; now I’m in the process of re-imagining my home. Think I’m going to do library walls in the living room & dining room; as I’m going to put in a butler’s pantry, I can get rid of the dining room set, except of course, the table and chairs…
{{{{{{{{{{jazziz2}}}}}}}} Encircling you with extra hugs, strength and healing positive energy Alycee. Take care of you, girl. So, so sorry to hear about your house and the loss of your archives. Because you are you tho, turning lemons into lemonade is in your DNA. Perhaps you’ll be able to get some NEW Obama “stuff” when we all meet up in Chicago for the opening ceremonies of the Obama Foundation. Keep hope alive. 2016 is on its way out–you’re still here. Onward and upward. Have a safe and happy holiday season. Hugs! ❤ ❤ ❤
Thanks for the positive thoughts! Girl, you know we know how to make a way out of no way. Always said I’ve never seen a Brinks truck following a hearse; have modified that to “Brinks truck, nor Mayflower van…”
So sorry to read of all your misfortune. Hope things will turn around now and that, in spite of all that’s happening in the world, things are great in your own life this coming year.
Thank you, Betsy.
I don’t quite know why this scene in this movie kept running through my mind the last few days! Take a cackle at it.
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Here’s the whole Lulu original song:
Ah thanks for the flashback. Don’t we wish our POTUS could just decide to stay!
I know, Ouapiti, when I revisited that last scene, those were my thoughts: tear up that envelope, PBO! Wishful, fun thinking, though! 🙂
Since we’re that era, here’s Dusty:
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Oh Yeah! Taking TODers back in the days!
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Howdy! I read this article in the original ND paper in 2014. Another reason to dislike Petraeus. https://twitter.com/CarolMaeWY/status/807083472246415360
Memories ….
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Goodnight my dear TODers:
But nothing is better than the original!
Thank you Gazelle for providing us with just great music…..I dedicate these songs to our friend and TOD family member Dudette! Get well my sweet and take good care of yourself!
Ohhh Myyy Goodness…I will miss them so…tears
Me too. No words. 😦 😦 😦 😦 😦
prettyfoot58…..I will miss them too.
New Trump watchdog style website launched by former Clinton staffer- Matt Ortega https://corrupt.af/
Perfect. Corrupt As Fuck.
Morning, sherijr…morning TOD. My heart breaks for jazz. Too much stuff. Hope your redone house is fabulous.
It’s Friday.
good afternoon, df, yes I just read about Jazz’s months of horrible happenings, I am so very sorry that she has had to endure this awful stuff. Keeping her in my thoughts and positives wishes.
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2016/12/why-pat-mccrory-lost-and-what-it-means-in-trumps-america.html
What happened in the summer of 2013 to make McCrory so permanently unpopular? He allowed himself to be associated with a bunch of unpopular legislation, and progressives hit back HARD, in a way that really caught voters’ attention and resonated with them.
Medicaid Expansion? 56% of voters wanted it to move forward, only 26% wanted it blocked.
Sneaking in abortion legislation by putting it in a bill about motorcycle safety? 8% of voters supported that, 80% opposed it.
Guns in bars? 17% in support, 73% opposed. Guns in parks? 29% in support, 65% opposed. Guns on college campuses? 25% in support, 69% opposed.
Eliminate the Earned Income Tax Credit? Only 30% of voters wanted to do that, 42% thought it should be kept.
Cut unemployment benefits? Only 29% of voters agreed with changes in the law, 55% were opposed.
Reduce the early voting period in North Carolina by a week? Just 33% of voters wanted to do that, 59% were against it.
Straight party ticket voting? 68% of voters wanted it continued, only 21% wanted it eliminated.
McCrory spearheaded or went along with all of this. And he might have gotten away with it without much impact on his image. Most voters don’t pay close attention to state government.
But the Moral Monday movement pushed back hard.
snip/
Pushing back hard on McCrory worked. The seeds of his final defeat today were very much planted in the summer of 2013. And it’s a lesson for progressives in dealing with Trump. Push back hard from day one. Be visible. Capture the public’s attention, no matter what you have to do to do it. Don’t count on the media to do it itself because the media will let you down. The protesters in North Carolina, by making news in their own right week after week after week, forced sustained coverage of what was going on in Raleigh. And even though it was certainly a long game, with plenty more frustration in between, those efforts led to change at the polls 42 months after they really started.
Keep Pounding.
BE RELENTLESS.
http://schoenblog.com/?p=1008
It seems very clear to me that FBI Director Comey’s October 28 letter announcing a reopening of the investigation into e-mails from Hillary Clinton changed the outcome of the election. For nine of the last 11 days before the election, the negative story dominated the news and cast a cloud over her candidacy, and the polls reflected a downturn for Clinton during that same time. In the end, Clinton narrowly lost four states — Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — where voters who said they decided in the last week greatly favored Trump. I think it is safe to say that without Comey’s letter, Clinton would be our President.
As strange, and possibly illegal, as it was for Comey to make his announcement regarding the investigation so close to the election, from the outset, I wondered what the legal grounds were for searching through the new e-mails found on the laptop of her aide Huma Abedin’s estranged husband Anthony Weiner. Two days after the letter, on Sunday October 30, the New York Times reported that the Justice Department had obtained a search warrant. I have yet to see any further reporting on the warrant. To get a search warrant issued, the FBI needed to go to a federal judge. It is interesting to me that Comey sent his letter before obtaining the warrant. The publicity certainly must have influenced the judge. A judge cannot simply grant any request for a search warrant. Under the Fourth Amendment, a search must be reasonable, meaning that there must be “probable cause” or a “reasonable suspicion” that evidence of a crime will be discovered. Ordinarily, the FBI submits an affidavit describing the evidence that gives rise to the reasonable suspicion. We have yet to see what evidence the FBI relied on in seeking the warrant.
He just sued the FBI to get information regarding all this. I pray its not too little, too late
Read from his blog…he wonders if this is intentional…I have stayed awake at night wondering if this was all orchestrated from the beginning. When Turtle says that they are “saving the seat on the Supreme Ct. for the winner of the Presidential election” and treats that shit like its NORMAL?! I think that he knew something was in the works to begin with, and maybe even helped this fraud along. WHO SAYS THAT??!! Unless you know for a fact that everything will work out in your favor…the Comey crap was planned to drop and dominate the headlines when it did for maximum effect, and had the desired outcome. None of these crooks and liars have clean hands. I hope that this bombshell hits before the EC makes their decision and the outcome they decide turns out to be the will of the people. A vote for Hillary Clinton as the 45th President.
From the shortened version of this at C&L:
He continued on his blog:
What if the allegations were intentionally false? During the nine days when the investigation was underway, Trump surrogate Rudy Giuliani made public statements suggesting he was in communication with the FBI about the ongoing investigation. It does not seem too far-fetched to believe that politically-motivated individuals might have tried to get the FBI to re-open the investigation of Clinton by making false allegations. Finding Huma Abedin’s e-mails on Weiner’s laptop might have been just an opportunity to carry out their wishes.
This is what wicked looks like
Because, of course.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-his-supporters-and-the-persistence-the-reality-gap#break
Good Morning TOD! Six more days until Rogue One: A Star Wars Story!
EC…yet ANOTHER reason this man is not fit !! He could care less about protecting this country!
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-skips-intel-briefings-questions-intensify
He doesn’t attend intel briefings because he can’t read.
Morning JER
I sure have enjoy listening to POTUS and FLOTUS interview with People Magazine, FLOTUS and Dr. Biden, and POTUS and FLOTUS being ask questions by the kids.
This progress — this painfully imperfect and unfinished collection of scraps we shine up and call progress — is what a portion of Trump’s base wants to undo. Whether or not Lilla and company realize it, they’re helping that cause by telling the rest of us to knock off our “fixation” with “identity politics,” as though our laser focus has been a fad, not a survival tactic.
That’s why it’s never been more important to continue talking — and arguing, and complaining, and venting — about identity in America. To continue interrogating whiteness as a construct, even as we discuss the economic woes of many white Americans. To continue asking why so many of our superheroes are white and male, even as we push to better understand the defeat and humiliation felt by many flesh-and-blood white men in our country. To continue surfacing the science that proves this stuff matters: that the faces we see (or don’t see) on TV can change our brains; that housing segregation makes some of us scared of each other; that being seen as “other” can hurt your grades, your income, your friendships, even the way you feel about yourself.
GM JER.
More on @VP in Canada last night (without having to click on link):
HMMMMMM…..
Good to hear, because it ought to concern any American that Russia were sticking it’s nose into our election. If Russia hack into the RNC emails and were giving information to Wikileaks to be release, the Republicans would be having a dam fit about that.
Good Morning TOD family, friends, lurkers, Chipsticks, Dannystixs, and our wonderful Nerdy Wonka!
A special shoutout to our wonderful Dudette. get well my sweet and take good care of yourself! We are all praying for a quick recovery so you can be back with us soon at TOD.
Trump’s Con Job Exposed
by Nancy LeTourneau
December 9, 2016 9:29 AM
POLITICAL ANIMAL BLOG
Yesterday was not a good day for anyone who still believed the con job Trump ran on about concern for working class Americans.
It all started on Tuesday when Chuck Jones, president of United Steelworkers 1999 (which represents Carrier employees) said that Trump “lied his ass off” when he said that he’d saved 1,100 jobs at the company. Jones had learned from Carrier just prior to Trump’s victory lap in Indianapolis that the number was really about 730 jobs. It became his task the next day to explain to the remaining 550 workers that the deal didn’t include them and they’d lose their jobs after all.
Obviously that comment upset our thin-skinned president-elect and he did what he usually does…he tried to bully Jones on twitter.
It looks like Trump might have met his match in Chuck Jones, though. In an interview with the Washington Post, the union guy brushed off the nonsense, as well as the threats he is now receiving from Trump supporters by saying “It is what it is. It don’t phase me.” Then he published an article in the paper titled “I’m the union leader Donald Trump attacked. I’m tired of being lied to about our jobs.” Jones provides some interesting background on the situation at Carrier.
Donald Trump’s companies in 650 million in debt
And, who owes a nice chunk of that debt?
GOLDMAN SACHS
Uh huh
Uh huh
TGIF
Here’s WH Presser
08/12/16
😦 for the delay.
Quick Takes: Another Shoe to Drop on American Workers
by Nancy LeTourneau
December 8, 2016 5:03 PM
POLITICAL ANIMAL BLOG
There’s no denying that Trump demagogued the issue of trade during the election. But if you have any doubts about where all that is going, take a look at what Nick Timiraos noticed about his cabinet:
I have no illusions that TPP will survive. All the talk from Trump folks these days is about negotiating bilateral trade agreements. But just as the president-elect promised in a debate with Clinton, it is a sure bet that he’ll put his corporate friends in charge of those negotiations. And I’d be willing to bet a lot of money that they turn out to be worse than TPP when it comes to their impact on American workers.
09Dec16
WH Presser with Deputy Sec Eric Schultz
Robert Vaughan(sp) The Man From Uncle died 11/11/16? The Ugliness of Human Deaths in 2016 unfortunately continues.
Kirk Douglas’ DOB 12/09/1916
He’s 100yrs young today.
One Century Old 😉
Happy Birthday, Mr. Kirk Douglas.
petesouza — June 2013. Bo and a visitor.
What a wonderful “good feeling” picture. Thanks JER ❤
It caused me to break out into a smile, while scrolling through this TOD thread. 🙂
Per Eric Schultz, the investigation & report is to be concluded before Pres Obama leaves office. The investigation is to go back to 2008 to 2016.
Pres Obama is thinking on addressing the Nation before leaving office. I hope so.
Interesting that this investigation will be handled by the Intelligence community and not the FBI, oh wait!, the guy that runs the FBI is a hack. Now it makes sense. Once again President Obama handling business without fanfare or in front of a camera.
New post.
https://theobamadiary.com/2016/12/09/l-o-v-e/
How Trump and the GOP will try to turn the entire country into Dixie
By Paul Waldman
December 9 at 12:56 PM
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in Mississippi or Alabama? Well if the GOP has its way, you’ll get the chance to find out.
That’s because Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, through the executive branch leadership now being assembled and the legislative priorities they have laid out, are preparing to take the economic, political, and social arrangements of the South and spread them across the country.
The desire to southernize the entire United States is not new, and in some ways it’s been happening for a while, at least where Republicans have control of government. But now that Republicans have complete control in Washington, they’re going to try to accelerate and deepen that process. Let’s look at it piece by piece:
The Southern economic model. The first and most far-reaching component of this project is to take the Southern economic model national. The foundation of that model is the elimination of collective bargaining and the destruction of the labor unions that are able to negotiate higher wages and better benefits for workers. The Southern model replaces the North’s high-wage, unionized manufacturing with a low-wage, low-benefit version that has succeeded in drawing many factories southward. Southern states have lured companies with gigantic tax breaks and the promise of a powerless and desperate workforce. The result is often more jobs in those Southern states, but worse jobs. And what those states give up in taxes means poorer schools and fewer social services.
This is a story with roots that go back before the Civil War, but in recent years it has taken on a new character as even foreign firms look to the American South as a source of cheap labor. And as Harold Meyerson explained last year in this terrific article, multiple forces including the crippling of unions and the emergence of Walmart as the nation’s largest retailer have acted to pull wages and benefits across the country down toward the South’s level.
I used to watch Days of Our Lives for yrs. For over 12yrs now, I have not.
Another one taken in 2016. Go away, 2016.