Explanation: Driving along on a summer evening, near the small town of Weikersheim in southern Germany, photographer Jens Hackmann had to stop. He couldn't resist pointing his camera and telephoto lens at this lovely conjunction of a Full Moon and planet Jupiter looming near the steeple of a local church. Of course, 400 years ago, Galileo couldn't resist pointing his newly constructed telescope at these celestial beacons either. When he did, he found craters and mountains on the not-so-smooth lunar surface and discovered the large moons of Jupiter now known as the Galilean Moons.
On a housekeeping note, You can always make a donation through the PayPal button to the right, and if you are thinking of buying anything from Amazon, if you use the links over to the right, just using one of those links to buy anything gets us a couple pennies a transaction.
Man pleads guilty to DWI in motorized La-Z-Boy Last week he got busted for piloting a hammock without a license. As he was led off in cuffs, he could be overheard mumbling, "Good thing they didn't see the weed I had stashed in the footrest."
The Week of Living Cheaply. Sarah Palin expressed pride in the title she chose for her second book. However, her publisher was not happy. Palin's sex life was not supposed to be revealed until book number three.
New German government to slash taxes In related news, there's been a rush on plane tickets to Düsseldorf. Rumor is that Republicans and Tea Partiers are lining up in droves. As a result, the 2010 elections are expected to be a landslide for Democrats.
"Dancing with the Felons" didn't quite work out for Two Left Mouths DeLay, so he's taking another crack at the Tee Vee Machine, this time as an employee of, of all companies, Disney:
On Friday, Disney-ABC Domestic Television announced they'd found another reality-TV home for DeLay. He will sit in as the "Expert" in the "Ask the Expert" lifeline for episodes of the syndicated show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" airing all next week, Oct. 26-30.
More like the "Expired".
Contestants who have correctly answered the $5,000 question can ask to be connected to a pre-determined "expert" via Skype.[...] He told contestants ahead of time he knows a lot about politics, sports, history, and science. He also warned contestants he's weak on pop culture [...] celebrities, and literature.
An expert on science? Really? As for literature, maybe if he acquires some actual reading skills, he'll be able to add lit to his "expertise" column. He does have an aptitude for drinking, but unfortunately, that's not one of the topics.
And when it comes to history, well, let's just say his is troubled.
(I keep thinking about my high school French teacher whose wife was pregnant and hoping like crazy for a girl, constantly saying-- and making us say-- "Pensez rose, pensez rose!"*)
ABC News' Karen Travers reports: The White House will feature a splash of pink this weekend to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
On Saturday morning pink ribbons, the symbol of the breast cancer awareness movement, will be hung on the columns outside the White House front doors and will remain there over the weekend.
Big Insurance reminds me of the recent bedbug epidemic. You can't get rid of 'em, they sneak in, they're everywhere, they suck your blood, they're unhealthy, they take over, and they're disgusting:
A little-noticed tidbit in Saturday's Washington Post is sure to raise eyebrows among liberal supporters of a gorvernment-run healthcare plan: the plan is likely to be administered by a private insurance company, the very companies that progressive activists are trying to unseat.
[...]
The public option would effectively be just another insurance plan offered on the open market. It would likely be administered by a private insurance provider, charging premiums and copayments like any other policy. In an early estimate of the House bill, the Congressional Budget Office forecast that fewer than 12 million people would buy insurance through the government plan.
[...] A physicians' group notes that the bills authorize the government to contract with "corporations" that will create a "public option."
Excuse me? How did we all miss this? Anyone out there know this was going on? Am I reading too much into this, worrying for nothing again? Please tell me it's one of those times.
It's kind of like identical twins v. fraternal twins. In the first case, they share identical genes, they look alike, and are the proverbial two peas in a pod.
In the other, they share a birth date, but that's about all. One can be male, the other female, and if they are the same gender, they don't necessarily even resemble each other.
But it’s an important feature for “option” supporters to understand because it undermines the claim “option” advocates make over and over that the “option” will look like Medicare.
Jeremy Scahill is so on top of things, he needs his own mountain. Check this out:
The extent of the massive waste and abuse surrounding the construction of the monstrous US embassy in Baghdad continues to expand. The State Department has just released another audit of the embassy’s construction and suggests that the Kuwaiti contractor hired by the Bush administration to do most of the construction work may have to repay more than $130 million to US taxpayers as a result of construction deficiencies, incomplete and undocumented design work, inadequate quality control and interest on unauthorized payments. [...]
The Baghdad embassy—the largest of any nation on planet earth and ten times bigger than any other US embassy—is striking evidence indicating a continued US presence in the country for many years to come. The structure cost more than $700 million and is the size of 80 football fields. It is bigger than the Vatican, six times larger than the United Nations compound in New York and is about two thirds the size of the National Mall in Washington. It has space for 1,000 employees who are guarded by scores of paramilitary mercenary forces. In other words it is the perfect structure for a nation that claims to be leaving Iraq very soon. [...]
What makes this story all the more outrageous is that the Obama administration is moving forward with a plan to build a $736 million massive US embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan that is modeled after the Baghdad embassy.
There is a whole lot that I left out. Go here to read it all.
Here's an e-mail that I wanted to share with you. Please click on the link and sign the petition. It couldn't hurt, and it's important to express, loudly, our support for a strong public option:
Numerous news reports say the White House may cave on the public health insurance option.
Urgent news: Multiple media reports say that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is very close to rounding up the votes needed for a public health insurance option, but "the White House is pushing back against the idea" in order to get the support of Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME).
Tell the White House that the support of one Republican isn't worth a bad bill.
"Every day, insurance companies deny care and let people die. Getting one Republican senator's vote is not worth delaying reform -- too many real lives are at stake. We need you to fight and state clearly that anything less than a strong public option is not change we can believe in."
The Washington Post confirms that the White House "wants Snowe on the bill" and is seriously considering Snowe's proposed "trigger" -- which would delay, and effectively kill, the public option.
As Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) recently said, "Olympia Snowe was not elected president last year." Even her own constituents in Maine support a public option 2 to 1, and overwhelmingly oppose a trigger! Only the insurance industry supports Snowe's proposal.
--Aaron Swartz, Stephanie Taylor, Adam Green, Michael Snook, Natasha Patel, and the PCCC team
P.S. This petition comes on the heels of some amazing progress. Days after PCCC members chipped in to air a TV ad asking "if Harry Reid is strong and effective enough a leader to pass a public option into law," Reid is now "furiously working the phones" in support of a public option, according to the Huffington Post.
The New York Times quotes a Reid aide saying, "There is a growing sense that we need to lead on this issue...The idea is that it's better to show some fight." Exactly! Congrats, everyone -- our activism made a difference.
Ladies and gentleman, this is what $1.4 million dollars can buy if you are a Rushpublic:
And they want us to trust them with a budget? If I were the GOP, I'd think twice before starting in with how well they manage the big bucks. Exhibit A:
The Republican National Committee (RNC) has spent $1.4 million on web sites and services, much of which was spent on the new GOP.com, which was released just over two weeks ago.
The report comes from the Sunlight Foundation, which used Federal Election Commission expense reports to calculate their total. The amount is higher than experts expected the project to cost and is five times more than the Democratic National Committee (DNC) spent building democrats.org.
$1.4 million could buy a lot of health insurance and cover a whole slew of mortgage payments. Instead, it went toward websites that could have been designed more effectively and economically by little 4 1/2-year-old Kylie:
“It feels as though too much focus has been placed on flashy featuresto the detriment of usability,” said Jamie Newell of Washington-based 7AZ Web Design. The site’s reliance on a mish-mash of technologies make it inaccessible to some, including those on mobile devices, he added, “making it impossible to navigate the site and ultimately hindering the message they are trying to deliver.”
Gee, that pretty much describes the party in general, Sarah Palin, et al. specifically.
Hopes are running higher than ever for supporters of creating a government-run public option as part of healthcare reform.
It's what the American people want. Congress members represent the American people. Therefore, it should be what they want.... not what Big Insurance or Big Pharma want. Mmmkay? Stop being owned. That's an order.
The question is not settled and the healthcare reform project itself is far from guaranteed to succeed but liberals see mounting evidence that their position is going to prevail.
Liberals prevailing is such a nice mental image. I think I'll use it as my Happy Place today.
Supporters of the public option perceive a tide turning their way –and sweeping up previously reluctant Democrats. “I think people are sensing an inevitability that it’s going to be in the bill,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). “There is momentum working here.” [...]
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), has long cited an alliance with as many as 52 Democratic senators who support the public option. That number has grown, Harkin said Friday.
“I think that maybe three or four, five – somewhere in there – who were … a little bit skittish about that have become more inclined to support some sort of public option,” Harkin said. If Harkin’s assessment is correct, Reid would be as few as three senators shy of the 60 votes he needs to defeat a filibuster against the healthcare reform bill. “I firmly believe that we have 60 votes to proceed,” Harkin said. [...]
In addition to the poll numbers, Harkin credited a strong push by labor unions, a powerful Democratic constituency.
Hence, the motivation for Rushpublics to make every effort to destroy labor unions.
Obama supports the public option but will not rule out the trigger or any other compromise.
Repeat after me, Prez O: Trigger bad. Medicare for All good.
That is not good enough, Harkin said. “I’ve not been very happy with the White House’s lukewarm support of the public option,” he said, articulating a gripe liberals have been making for months.
“I would hope the president would speak out more forcefully in favor of the public option,” Brown said, adding “I expect he will.”
I expect he will, too. He's doing his "lay back until it's the right time to strike" thing. I just know he is.
A GOP block on all Health and Human Services nominees has left the department without a surgeon general during a period of a global flu pandemic, prompting the HHS secretary to call for Senate action.
Regina Benjamin, the surgeon general nominee, “is ready to be voted on in the Senate, and we would just strongly urge the United States Senate” to act, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said during an MSNBC interview Friday in which she discused the department's response to the spread of the H1N1 virus. [...]
Benjamin was unanimously approved by the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Oct. 7, but Senate Republicans are holding up all HHS nominees over a so-called gag order on insurance companies that have been critical of Democratic efforts to reform health care.
President Obama declared a national emergency Saturday to deal with the "rapid increase in illness" from the H1N1 influenza virus.
The move allows the Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius "to temporarily waive or modify certain requirements" in order to help health care facilities enact emergency plans to deal with the "pandemic."
At what point does it become plain old buying of the office?
Michael Bloomberg, "the Wall Street mogul whose fortune catapulted him into New York's City Hall, has set another staggering financial record: He has now spent more of his own money than any other individual in United States history in the pursuit of public office," the New York Times reports.
"Newly released campaign records show the mayor, as of Friday, had spent $85 million on his latest re-election campaign, and is on pace to spend between $110 million and $140 million before the election on Nov. 3."
"That means Mr. Bloomberg, in his three bids for mayor, will have easily burned through more than $250 million -- the equivalent of what Warner Brothers spent on the latest Harry Potter movie."
This excellent video just showed up on The Rachel Maddow Show, but I swear, Paddy found it first!
Insurance industry pollster Bill McInturff was giving a speech Friday when he was interrupted at first with cheers of praise from people who seemingly belonged at the conference, given their business attire. The cheers turned into a song about the "public option," or government-run health insurance, performed to the tune of "Tomorrow" from the musical Annie.
The singers, who were eventually escorted out of the conference, belonged to a group that calls itself Billionaires for Wealthcare
"Health care reform is on life-support and we’re here to pull the plug," the group writes on its Web site. "Thanks to our loyal foot-soldiers Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, we’ve raised the level of discourse to a cacophonous din."
My pal Larisa Alexandrovna got down to work after she got wind of this. And what work she did. Look what she found out (via TPMDC), in part:
Despite the facts, Fox and the glue-sniffing idiots who defend them spread word far and wide of the "Nixonian" (interesting how that term suddenly popped up everywhere and all at once, as though a memo had been issued) war against them and Obama's "enemy list" bullshit.
"TPMDC spoke with a network bureau chief this afternoon familiar with the situation who was surprised that Fox was portraying the news as networks coming to its rescue. [...]
A Treasury spokesperson added: "There was no plot to exclude Fox News, and they had the same interview that their competitors did. Much ado about absolutely nothing."'
[...] A reputable "news" organization does NOT fabricate stories as part of a fabricated larger story in which they themselves are the fictional victim. [...] Fox News is NOT a reputable news outlet. But I did defend their right to access and I would still defend it. That is the difference between ethics and the political prostitution that Fox passes off as journalism.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid closed in on clinching 60 votes for a public health insurance option Friday as two key moderates signaled they wouldn’t stand in his way – clearing a path for Reid to finish work on a bill as early as Tuesday, Democratic officials said.
"The public option is not the question." And yes those pro-public option polls are passed around among Congress members, said Rep. James Clyburn just now on Countdown.
"It's not what will it be, it's what form it will take," he went on to say. "By the end of next week, the House will roll something out with a public option, I'm just not sure which of the four it will be."
And Reid’s efforts got a boost Friday when two key Senate moderates signaled that that they were not inclined to block him.
"I conveyed to Leader Reid that a number of moderates still were extremely concerned about a government-run, taxpayer-funded, national public plan," Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said in a statement after meeting with Reid. "However, I am encouraged that the conversations taking place over the past week among Senators who back different versions of a public option could potentially lead to a compromise. I believe this compromise should happen sooner, rather than later, so we can get to work on other critical aspects of heath care reform."
An aide to Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) said that, while the senator does not favor a public option with a state exemption, he would not vote to filibuster the bill. This would put Reid closer to the 60-vote threshold.
On Thursday, Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), another key moderate, said he was undecided on the state opt-out but remained to open to a public option. "It depends on the way it is structured," Pryor said.
Sen. Ben Nelson is still being a stick in the mud. And don't even start me on the Snowe flake.
Michelle Obama will appear on Jay Leno's 10PM NBC show on Friday evening for what is clearly the highlight of the new format: the "10 at 10" segment.
Mrs. O is expected to be the victim in Leno's rapid-fire section of the show. We're sure we'll hear a question or two about gardening and what annoying things the president does to his wife.
Yes, please, by all means, let's put the president in the worst light possible... all in good fun. Har har.
Of course, the first lady will class the joint up and charm the cue cards out of everyone. If and when Michelle pokes fun at her husband, it only makes him, and herself, look more adorable. She has that knack.
Asked what he thought about criticisms former Vice President Cheney had made about the Obama administration, Vice President Joe Biden told reporters “Who cares what – ” and then stopped himself.
“Yeah, yeah, I can see the headline now,” Mr. Biden said. “I’m getting better, guys. I’m getting a little better, you know what I mean?”
I wish he'd "gaffed" this time. Full-on gaffitude about Dickless McHeartStent is the same as no gaffitude at all. In fact, it's perfectly acceptable. Double in fact, it's desirable.
Then again, I don't sit in the Oval Office.
As for the review of strategy Cheney said they had given the Obama team during the presidential transition process, Biden called it “irrelevant.”
“That’s why the president asked me to get in the place in January and go to Afghanistan,” he said. “I came back with a different review. I came back with an assessment as to what I thought was, what we were inheriting, okay?"
Okay.
I used to have such a positive association with the word "inheritance".
BushCo had to go and smash that little fantasy to smithereens.
Biden also noted that the review was dated.
“A whole lot has changed in the last year,” he said. “Let’s assume they left us a review that was absolutely correct. Is that review relevant and totally applicable to today in light of the changes that have taken place in the region, in Afghanistan itself? So I think that is sort of irrelevant. Not sort of – I think it’s irrelevant.”
I find V.P. Biden refreshing, even when he messes up. Even when I cringe. Even then.
Has anyone else noticed the tendency toward more Straight Talk Expression since President Obama took office? You've got yer Bidens, yer Graysons, yer Weiners, yer Whitehouses...
I don't seem to remember anything even close to that 2001-2008. Plenty of gaffes from that group, but straight talk? Not so much.
All day we've been going back and forth with anonymous quotes and denials about health care reform and whether the public option is a goner, or as strong as ever.
Now we're seeing a denial about someone Paddy posted about earlier, the subject of a huge media kerfuffle:
A Treasury Department spokesperson tells Mediaite the following:
There was no plot to exclude Fox News, and they had the same interview that their competitors did. Much ado about absolutely nothing. [...]
Neither Fox News nor the Treasury Department has provided copies of the bulletins that were sent to the press pool, which Politico reports were missing Fox’s name. [...]
TV Newser points out, via an anonymous source, that a decision by the other nets to skip the interviews may have been more financial than principled:
The pool is paid for by and rotates between ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, and NBC, allowing each network to do quick interviews using the same camera crew. If the White House were to exclude one of the members, the other networks would have to provide their own crew for the interview.
Via Mediaite, here is John Ziegler's reaction to the Countdown segment, in part. Follow the link for the whole thing, it's well worth it:
First, if Olbermann really had ANY interest in knowing what motivated this (which he asks his not even tangential guest about several times) why didn’t he just ask me about it? If he was afraid I would destroy him in a live interview (which of course I would) why not do one on tape? If he didn’t want to give me the face time, why not at least speak to me off the air?
[...] At one point Olbermann claims that I am motivated (bizarrely, moments after substantiating some of my other inquires of Keene) by “defending a crush.” For the record, my passion for defending Sarah Palin has nothing to do with any of her womanly qualities.
This may shock people, but my defense of her is not even politically based. It is motivated purely by the level of unfairness of the coverage of her. [...]
[...] If he has me on the show to debate Palin-related issues, live, for a full hour, I will pay his favorite charity $100,000, which is more than any profit I am ever likely to make from my film “Media Malpractice.” This offer is 100% real.
Where do I begin? My head is swimming with Zieglerisms.
Let's start with this: The chances of Johnny Z destroying Keith in a live interview-- or anything else for that matter-- is the same as Barbie McLipSchmutz speaking intelligibly. Ain't gonna happen. Ever.
Next: Keith speak to Johnny Z on tape or off air? Has Ziegler seen his own videos? He has no idea how to carry on a rational conversation, so why would Keith bother? Then there's that whole credibility thing, so any attempt at real conversation would be valuable minutes spent that Keith would never get back.
Next: Womanly qualities... I'm not touching that one. Well, maybe a quip about Johnny Z sharing-a-Rich Lowry-suddenly-sitting-up-straight-moment would be fun, but nah... I'll walk away from that one. Not worth the trouble.
Next: This isn't political? Really? It'a all about unfair coverage? The corporate media drooled all over Barbie for months, nearly as much as Lowry did. Not only did they sit up straight, they sat up and begged! It wasn't until Palin's refusal to do interviews-- and then, when she did, she spiraled into drastic Bring'EmToYaInWhatRespectCharlieFail-- that the press balked. She hasn't done herself any favors, Johnny. Delusional much?
And finally: Mr. Z? You'd do better to donate the money and spare yourself any further embarrassment. Think how great it would feel to actually accomplish something.
Earlier, Paddy posted about the 5-minute push for Roger Ailes to run for president in 2012. Absurd notions like that barely register with me, but I guess that germ of a seed of an inkling of an idea made the rounds, and was even taken somewhat seriously. Seriously enough for this, anyway:
It was fun while the speculation lasted. According to Politico, Fox News CEO Roger Ailes "is laughing off the entreaties of some friends and associates and will not run for president in 2012."
Said Ailes: "This country needs fair and balanced news more now than ever before, so I'm going to decline a run for the presidency. Besides, I can't take the pay cut."
::smacks forehead:: Silly me, for a fleeting moment, I thought he was going to say, "This country needs fair and balanced news more now than ever before, so I'm going to start demanding actual news coverage and honest reporting from Fox."
My very caring, impassioned 72-year-old Twitter pal, who goes by the name 42bkdodgr, would like to share his feelings about one of our posts a few days ago of Pat Buchanan's feelings on "traditional Americans". I am more than happy to oblige.
But first, a personal note from 42bkdodgr:
Many of you may wonder why I chose to use the “ 72 year old friend” as the introduction to my Special Comments. I selected the moniker so readers could see that from my age and life experiences I give a different perspective to the issues of today.
Now for his Special Comment:
Pat Buchanan recently wrote an article titled “Traditional Americans are losing their nation.” I’m trying to figure out what a traditional American is; but that’s for another Special Comment.
In the first part of his article, Pat writes about an organization that calls itself the “Oath Keepers“. The organization is made up of ex-Army paratroopers and police officers who repledge themselves to defend the Constitution, even if it means disobeying orders. Stewart Rhodes, the organization founder, says the reason for the type of membership, is “my focus is on the guys with the guns”.
The stated purpose of Oath Keepers is to stop a dictatorship from ever happening in America. Mr. Rhodes uses the example of the U.S. government ordering the disarming of American citizens in violation of the Second Amendment as to when his organization might take action.
Mr. Rhodes doesn’t mention whether such action would be taken after the Supreme Court has ruled on the constitutionality of a government law or order. One has to wonder if the rule of law is of any concern to him or his organization, or whether it is they who will decide if a government is moving toward a dictatorship.
If Mr. Rhodes is afraid of a possible dictatorship taking place in this country, where was he during the Bush Administration? Why wasn’t he concerned about this country getting involved in a unnecessary war based on lies, warrantless wire taping, suspension of Habeas Corpus, torture, and the fear mongering that took place? Why wasn’t he concerned when it was reported that some in the Bush administration considered the Constitution nothing more than a piece of paper?
So now we have an armed organization that will come to the aid of the American people should the people decide its time for a revolution. This is very frightening.
In his article. Pat refers to the organization founder as Brother Rhodes, which can make one conclude that Pat is a brother in arms with him and favors the ideals of the Oath Keepers.
At no time does Pat indicate the concept of such an organization is against every principle this country believes in. He raises no concern what may happen to this country if the organization should ever take action.
Pat spends the rest of the article discussing the reasons why middle America distrusts the government and makes them feel like they are losing their country .
For Pat to show so little concern that the Oath Keepers exist, tells me we are truly living in dangerous and scary times.
Many thanks again for another timely, thoughtful, and relevant piece, 42bkdodgr.
Why so deferential to Snowe? Has the GOP been deferential to the president? Are "appearances" of bipartisanship that important? Snowe has already said she is against a public option.
How about showing deference to the majority of 2008 voters who still want a strong public option and who also expect you to give a nod to them for putting you in office?
Multiple sources tell TPMDC that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is very close to rounding up 60 members in support of a public option with an opt out clause, and are continuing to push skeptical members. But they also say that the White House is pushing back against the idea, in a bid to retain the support of Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME). [...]
This new development, which casts the White House as an opponent of all but the most watered down form of public option, is likely to yield backlash from progressives, especially those in the House who have been pushing for a more maximal version of reform.
It also suggests for perhaps the first time that the White House's supposed hands off approach that ostensibly allowed the two chambers in Congress to craft their own bill has been discarded.
It should be loud and clear by now, via poll after poll, that America wants a "robust" public option. Why is one member of the minority being catered to, rather than the majority of Americans, including the U.S. Congress who represents them?
Nance is running out of patience, as are many of the rest of us. The question from CNSNews was, “Madam Speaker, where specifically does the Constitution grant Congress the authority to enact an individual health insurance mandate?”
Pressed on the issue by a reporter from a conservative website,Pelosi shot back: "Are you serious? Are you serious?"
As background, some conservatives claim that it is unconstitutional for the federal government to demand that individuals purchase health insurance.
Who has time or patience for stupid questions like this? Maybe she should start carrying around a slew of those little Senator Byrd-pocket-U.S. Constitutions to hand out to these "reporters" just prior to walking away while shaking her head slowly.
"I am confident that I made decisions based on principle, that I made calls as best I could, and I did not sell my soul," Bush said.
Let's give him the benefit of the doubt. He didn't sell his soul.
He gave it away.
A throng of protesters burned a flaming effigy of the former president, who's taken his stump speech on the road across Canada. [...]
A protest organizer encouraged Bush opponents to bring old shoes, in reference to an Iraqi who threw a shoe at the President during a speech late in his presidency.
And finally, a message from his biggest fan:
In Edmonton, where Bush spoke earlier this week, a protester toted a representation of the Grim Reaper, which boasted a sign saying, "GWB I am your biggest fan" and "Thanks for 8 great years."
Who whines and screams at the evil letters "XXX" while hunkered over the come-hither glow of their trusty laptops in a dark room late at night while the kids are asleep?
Why, the very people who condemn birth control, marriage equality, and momentary flashes of nipple on network Tee Vee!
Gimme an H! Gimme a Y! Gimme a P! Gimme an OCRISY! Whaddya got? HYPOCRISY!
Published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives, a report released earlier this year entitled "Red Light States: Who Buys Adult Entertainment" highlights where the revenues for pornographic entertainment on the Internet actually come from. According to AVN Media Network , Internet sales are the second largest piece of the $12.6 billion adult entertainment industry, drawing $2.84 billion in 2006.
The Republican Party's favorable rating among Americans is at lowest level in at least a decade, according to a new national poll.
Those Tea Tantrums really paid off! More, more! Yes you can't!
If at first you don't succeed, just keep doing what you're doing, only louder, and on Fox.
Thirty-six percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday say they have a favorable opinion of the Republican Party, with 54 percent viewing the GOP negatively.
Hey! How about this? If Jeff Gannon can't be part of it, we won't be part of it. Let's not forget his noble efforts, because it make just as much sense and is just as legitimate as taking ClusterFox seriously.
The White House attempted to block Fox News from a round of interviews with "pay czar" Kenneth Feinberg Thursday, but the Washington bureau chiefs of the five TV networks included in the White House pool refused to interview Feinberg unless Fox News was included. [...]
"I'm really cheered by the other members saying "No, if Fox can't be part of it, we won't be part of it,'" Baltimore Sun TV critic (and regular Fox News detractor) David Zurawik said Thursday.
"What it's really about to me is the Executive Branch of the government trying to tell the press how it should behave. I mean, this democracy -- we know this -- only works with a free and unfettered press to provide information," he said.
Note to bureau chiefs: ClusterFox is not a news station. They are a source of vicious propaganda.
Question to bureau chiefs: Where were you when BushCo shunned journalist who didn't agree with them?
Somehow, my pal Allen McDuffee has managed package ACORN, Jeremy Scahill, and Mark Fiore all in one terrific post. Here's the video, but you'll have to go here for the rest. I love the smell of hypocrisy in the morning:
"As some Republican senators have said publicly -- that if we kill Obama on this, and we destroy this, and we defeat his, that will drive a stake through his political heart on this administration. I just find that about as irresponsible of a thing as I can think of."
-- Former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE), quoted by The Hill, on the health care reform efforts.
I remember feeling totally sorry for her during the convention, when you could see her visibly uncomfortable with Sarah Palin on the stage, or watching the Palin brood in the seats. Hope she's fine soon.
(CNN) – The mother of U.S. Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain is hospitalized in Lisbon, Portugal, after injuring her head in a fall, McCain's spokeswoman said Friday.
Roberta McCain, 97, was visiting Lisbon as a tourist when she fainted and hurt her head, spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan said.
McCain is stable and will be held for observation, Dr. Fatima Palmero of the Sao Jose Hospital told CNN. It is not clear when McCain might leave the hospital, Palermo said.
The senator has spoken to his mother and the doctors treating her, who report that she is recovering well, Buchanan said.
Wow, this has my brow furrowed. What the hell was he trying to infer?
Fox anchor Brett Baier describes Kenneth Feinberg, the Obama Administration’s Special Master for compensation, as being "obviously not from the South."
What did Baier mean with his "obviously not from the South" comment? Was it a dig? A compliment? Was he calling attention to Feinberg’s ethnicity or religion?
Most importantly, what possible relevance did Baier’s comment have to the issue at hand? Is it the kind of comment you would expect to hear on a real news program?
Oh my lord, it couldn't get any better. It'd be like Jabba the Hutt vs Luke Skywalker. Plus, if Frank Luntz is behind it, you know you have a winner.
"Friends and associates are encouraging Roger Ailes -- Fox News founder, chairman and CEO -- to jump into the political arena for real by running for President in 2012," Mike Allen reports.
Said GOP strategist Frank Luntz: "I have known Roger Ailes for 29 years. No one knows how to win better than Roger."
That it amazes me on a daily basis how Pat B is able to be so overtly racist in practically everything, yet take home a nice paycheck each week from the traditional media.
Nancy Pelosi thinks we'll have the 218 votes we need for a public option.
HOWEVER (that word, we gotta do something about that word!)...
[T]hey are only 12-15 votes away from the strongest version of the bill, the Medicare Plus 5 version that ties public option rates to Medicare reimbursement rates.
Did you see that? That's so close, yet... so far. Here's all you need to do:
Before 2:00 tomorrow, please make calls to the following "leaning" Dems, those who are considering supporting the Medicare Plus 5 version according to Hill activists. The first number is their DC office, the others are their district office numbers.
Ron Klein (FL-22): 202-225-3026, 561-544-6910
Dennis Moore (KS-03): 202-225-2865, 913-621-0832, 913-383-2013
Stephen Lynch (MA-09): 202-225-8273, 617-428-2000
Bob Etheridge (NC-02): 202-225-4531, 919-829-9122, 919-829-9122
Dina Titus (NV-3): 202-225-3252, 702-387-4941
John Boccieri (OH-16): 202-225-3876, 330-489-4414
Steve Driehaus (OH-1): 202-225-2216, 513-684-2723
Charles Wilson (OH-06): 202-225-5705, 740-633-5705, 330-533-7250
Christopher Carney (PA-10): 202-225-3731, 570-585-9988, 570-327-1902
An amendment that would prevent the government from working with contractors who denied victims of assault the right to bring their case to court is in danger of being watered down or stripped entirely from a larger defense appropriations bill.
Multiple sources have told the Huffington Post that Sen. Dan Inouye, a longtime Democrat from Hawaii, is considering removing or altering the provision, which was offered by Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and passed by the Senate several weeks ago.
Multiple sources have told the Huffington Post that Sen. Dan Inouye, a longtime Democrat from Hawaii, is considering removing or altering the provision, which was offered by Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and passed by the Senate several weeks ago.
Inouye's office, sources say, has been lobbied by defense contractors adamant that the language of the Franken amendment would leave them overly exposed to lawsuits and at constant risk of having contracts dry up. The Senate is considering taking out a provision known as the Title VII claim, which (if removed) would allow victims of assault or rape to bring suit against the individual perpetrator but not the contractor who employed him or her.
Lobbyists, special interests, Big Everyone: They own us. It's time to replace these so-called lawmakers with people who actually care about Americans. This is stomach-turning.
Unacceptable.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
We have some hard work ahead of us. Need some motivation? Reread this post and watch the video above.
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