Republican lawmakers are "completely lost"

By GottaLaff

The GOP is the party that claims Democrats are dead wrong about everything, that Dems are destroying our country, shredding the Constitution, killing grandma, and running American into the ground.

This is the party that inappropriately and awkwardly shouts "You lie!" and "Hell no!"

This is also the party that cannot answer a simple question about health care reform.

Jay Bookman:

AJC editors and columnists just finished a pretty wide-ranging 80-minute interview with Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and I took the opportunity to ask a question that had been nagging at me for a while. [...]

[H]ow are the Republicans going to cover pre-existing conditions?

“The premiums are going up either way,” he [McConnell] said.

OK, I responded, a little stunned. That doesn’t explain how the Republicans intend to cover pre-existing conditions.

“The premiums are going up either way,” he repeated.

That was that. We moved on, and I still don’t have my answer.

Good response, Mitch McNoLips!

Except for the part where he didn't respond.

At all.

Steve Benen has a thing or two to say about these things or two:

If those with pre-existing conditions will be protected, the mandate is necessary to keep costs from spiraling and to prevent the "free rider" problem. [...]

After over a year of debate about health care policy, two leading Senate Republicans, including the Senate Minority Leader, can't speak intelligently about the basics. Bookman didn't throw a curve ball at them [...]

They want protections for those with pre-existing conditions, and want to eliminate the mandate, but asked how that could work, these experienced senators have no idea how to even begin answering the question. [...]

[I]f anyone dares to scratch the surface, even a little, they're completely lost.

It's all about the talking points, drumming non-answers into the uninformed electorate's heads, ignoring facts, smearing, belittling Democratic victories, lying about Democratic policy, ignoring the truth, and being utterly unable to justify their own arguments.

Jay Bookman cornered them, Steve Benen nailed them, and it's time we expose them for what they are... and aren't.

This story needs to get out, and be repeated and repeated.

H/t: Rachel Maddow via Twitter, who will hopefully cover this tonight on her show.

VIDEO- Rachel Maddow Show: ACORN pimp, UNedited

By GottaLaff

This was simply beauteous. Rachel turned the "ACORN pimp" story on its head. If you missed it, now's your chance:

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VIDEO- Maddow calls b.s. on GOP: Attacks on ACORN, "Climate-Gate" were "bull pucky"

By GottaLaff

Once again, Rachel Maddow nails it:

"Let's have the great debate about the role of government... only you can't threaten to shoot people. And you have to stop making stuff up."

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Those are awfully important revelations, aren't they? The ones Rachel covered in the video? They're stories one might expect MSNBC to go out of their way to report hourly, right?

Apparently not.

All morning, MSNBC concentrated on those other "big" stories, the ones about iPad and Tiger Woods.

Meanwhile, ACORN is no more, and voters believe that Climate-Gate was real. They continue to believe lies that the corporate media drive, repeat, perpetuate incessantly, lies that affect our elections and the well-being of the entire planet.

That is not news. That is propaganda. And it is not only unacceptable, it is toxic.

VIDEO- Keith Olbermann's Special Comment on GOPFail

By GottaLaff

Keithgasm:

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Keith to The Boehner: "You lost.... You are behind the wheel of a political Toyota."

Just. Watch. It's a thing of beauty.

Keith is back with a bang.

Frank Rich: The New Rove-Cheney Assault on Reality

By GottaLaff

Barry Blitt

Frank Rich:

Dana Perino, the former White House press secretary, declared that “we did not have a terrorist attack on our country during President Bush’s term.” Rudy Giuliani upped the ante on ABC’s “Good Morning America” in January. “We had no domestic attacks under Bush,” he said. “We’ve had one under Obama.” (He apparently meant the Fort Hood shootings.)

Now the revisionist floodgates have opened with the simultaneous arrival of Karl Rove’s memoir and Keep America Safe, a new right-wing noise machine invented by Dick Cheney’s daughter Liz and the inevitable William Kristol. This gang’s rewriting of history knows few bounds. [...]

[S]omeone will have to remind our amnesia-prone nation who really enabled America’s enemies in the run-up to 9/11 and in its aftermath. [...]

Rove and his book are yesterday. Keep America Safe is on the march. Liz Cheney’s crackpot hit squad achieved instant notoriety with its viral video demanding the names of Obama Justice Department officials who had served as pro bono defense lawyers for Guantánamo Bay detainees. [...] As if to underline the McCarthyism implicit in this smear campaign, the Cheney ally Marc Thiessen (one of the two former Bush speechwriters now serving as Washington Post columnists) started spreading these charges on television with a giggly, repressed hysteria uncannily reminiscent of the snide Joe McCarthy henchman Roy Cohn. [...]

When even the relentless pursuer of Monicagate is moved to call a right-wing jihad “out of bounds,” as Starr did in this case, that’s a fairly good indicator that it’s way off in crazyland. [...]

In this spectrum, the Keep America Safe crowd is a fringe. But it still must be challenged. As we’ve learned the hard way, little fictions, whether about “death panels” or “uranium from Africa,” can grow mighty fast in the 24/7 media echo chamber. [...]

What could yet give some traction to the Keep America Safe revisionism is the backdrop against which it is unfolding: an Iraq election with an uncertain and possibly tumultuous outcome; the escalation of the war in Afghanistan; and an increasingly cavalier Iran. If any of these national security theaters goes south, those in the Rove-Cheney cohort will claim vindication in their campaign to pin their own failings on their successors.

Obama may well make — or is already making — his own mistakes. And he will bear responsibility for them. But they must be seen in the context of the larger narrative that the revisionists are now working so hard to obscure. The most devastating terrorist attack on American soil did happen during Bush’s term [...] The ensuing Iraq war allowed those who did attack us on 9/11 to regroup in Afghanistan and beyond — and emboldened Iran, an adversary with an actual nuclear program. [...]

If we are really to keep America safe, it’s essential we remember exactly which American politicians empowered Iran, Al Qaeda and the Taliban from 2001 to 2008, and why. History will be repeated not only if we forget it, but also if we let it be rewritten by those whose ideological zealotry and boneheaded decisions have made America less safe to this day.

Much more here.

VIDEO: Wolf Blitzer's apology

By GottaLaff

I've been posting a lot about this lately:

And by "this" I mean not only CNN's ClusterFoxy chyron, but Liz "Dickette" Cheney's offensive campaign to paint federal lawyers as terrorist sympathizers, Countdown's analysis, as well as Rachel Maddow's superb mockery of Dickette's twisted efforts.

But the "this" of the moment is the issue of the tasteless CNN chyron you see in the screen grab above.

Wolf got the message:



Too little too late?

VIDEO- Countdown: Liz Cheney upsets even conservatives

By GottaLaff

Dickette has no common decency. Need proof?

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My Shallow Thoughts on Dickette Cheney here. Brilliant Instant Maddow Classic video accompanied by the dramatic, snarky strains of O Fortuna mocking Dickette here.

PhotOh! CNN's clusterFox

By GottaLaff

Via TPM, we get more evidence of CNN's carefully chosen chyron wording as proof of their increasing ClusterFoxitude.

"Dept. of Jihad" was referring to the GOP's attacks on Obama's Justice Department.

I wonder if, while Wolf was busy "reporting" that story, he remembered that the attorneys who are being smeared were presenting cases about habeas corpus and challenging the legality of military commissions in front of the Supreme Court, not defending clients... which they wouldn't be doing there anyway.

No, they were advocating for Constitutional rights, and hey, guess what? The Supreme Court justices agreed with them. Imagine that.

Seems the Jihadists were wearing black robes... all nine of them.

VIDEO: Neil Cavuto pushes conspiracy theory about Rep. Matheson’s vote

By GottaLaff



BlahblahblahLIESblahblahblahCLUSTERFOXblahblahblah:

Rep. Matheson issued a statement to Fox, stating, “The Weekly Standard’s piece is rubbish.” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said today that the right-wing allegation is “very silly.” Still, in a sign of its eminent “fairness,” Fox News is willing to “balance” the truth with a heavy dose of gossip.

Republican Sen. Robert Bennett also disputed the right-wing allegation:

“Sen. Bennett has heard of all kinds of pressure being applied and offers being made to Democrats for votes on health care, but Scott Matheson’s nomination is not one of those because it has been in the works for a long time,” spokeswoman Tara DiJulio said.

The GOP is feeling threatened, because health care reform, such as it is, is about to become a reality. They're reverting to default mode: Smears, fears, and acting like rears.

These people are a twisted, dangerous joke.

More at Think Progress.

Politico: "ACORN cleared in Brooklyn: 'No criminality' "

By GottaLaff

This would not be the first time that that ACORN has been shown to have done nothing illegal. Now we have more evidence. They get cleared... again:

From a March 1 post by Politico's Ben Smith:

Kings County, New York District Attorney Joe Hynes put out a statement just now:

On September 15, 2009, my office began an investigation into possible criminality on the part of three ACORN employees. The three had been secretly videotaped by two people posing as a pimp and prostitute, who came to ACORN'S Brooklyn office, seeking advice about how to purchase a house with money generated by their 'business.' The 'couple' later made the recording public. That investigation is now concluded and no criminality has been found.

No criminality. None.

Unfortunately, as usual, the media reports have already done so much damage, as has the pampered, well-connected Team O'Keefe, and the Rushpublic smear machine, that the ACORN brand has been irreparably marred.

So who's the real pimp here?

But hey, it's the American way.

Guess who Pioneered Miranda Attack On Obama? Cheney & Ridge

By GottaLaff

It always starts with you-know-who:

It turns out that the criticism surrounding the decision to read Miranda rights to the attempted Christmas bombing suspect didn't originally come from any office-holding Republican.

Rather, it was pioneered by Tom Ridge and Dick Cheney in the days after Christmas, and only later picked up by members of Congress like Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) and Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO).

For a tick-tock, go here. These snakes stayed true to form.

Yes, Dickless McHeartStent strikes again... and his little dog, too!

H/t: Gr8RDH

VIDEO- Rachel Maddow: "WRONG!"

By GottaLaff

I lerved this segment from last night's show. Lerved:

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There is no way to counter Rachel on this stuff. She utterly demolished the right wing talking points.

Again.

VIDEO: Scott Brown wondered if Obama was born out of wedlock

By GottaLaff

Brown is all class, isn't he? Earlier I posted about his filing a criminal complaint against the Massachusetts Democrats, most likely because he thinks he smells momentum. Actually, he smells, period.

Then, via AMERICAblog, we watch him try to slime President Obama and his mother (more details here). This was recorded during the 2008 Republican National Convention:



I'd love to see him say that to President Obama's face when he shows up tomorrow to support Martha Coakley. I'll bet that little smirk would fade quickly.

Jarrett: Accusations of "seedy Chicago politics" a "cheap shot"

By GottaLaff

You've all heard the "seedy Chicago politics" accusations about President Obama and his staff, I assume? They're pretty hard to avoid.

Okay then, if you're sick and tired of smeary, name-calling Rushpublics, raise your hand.

Higher.

1, 2, 3, 45676789... wait, I can't keep up! 10111213141516171819... Keep them raised, I'm still counting...

Senior adviser Valerie Jarrett pushed back against the Republican refrain in a year-end interview with Politics Daily. Jarrett focused specifically on Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-S.C.) use of the phrase in a recent CNN interview.

"It was definitely a cheap shot and completely unwarranted," said Jarrett, who is one of several Chicagoans to join the Obama administration. "I think what people ought to do is to focus on how they can be constructive in their discourse and present fresh ideas for the president's consideration, and not lose focus on why they were all elected. They were elected to serve the people." [...]

"He does not spend time pulling his hair out worrying about the extreme views," she said. "It's not constructive and it's not going to improve the quality of life of everyday people who are out there struggling."

...101, 102, 103, 104...

...567, 568, 569...

...1234567, 1234568, 1234569....

Okay, hands down. I think we're all in agreement here.

Smear campaign success! Maddow/Iglesias VIDEO + Bank of America pulls ACORN funding

By GottaLaff

UPDATE: My pal Jason Leopold beat Rachel to the punch by 3 days, and had asked her producer to credit him in her on air report. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. His great post is here.

Let's be clear: ACORN itself reports attempts at voter fraud. None of those giving fake names on voter registration forms have voted. They have been turned in by ACORN. In addition, they get minimal funding, and the ratio of questionable employees to by-the-book employees is a yawner. Okay? Okay.

Troubled community organizing group ACORN suffered another setback on Monday, when Bank of America announced it is pulling its funding of ACORN Housing.

In a statement, Bank of America said that is it "suspending current commitments to ACORN Housing and will not enter into any further agreements with ACORN or any of its affiliates" until it is satisfied that all issues related to the organization have been resolved.

Don't believe me? How about a former, unfairly fired U.S. Attorney:

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The Republican War Against ACORN

By GottaLaff

My good friend Jason Leopold has a terrific piece about ACORN up at his new home over at Truthout:

Yet, while bending to Republican demands to speak out against a poor people's group, Obama continued to resist the notion that powerful Republicans from the Bush administration deserved to be investigated for authorizing the use of torture against prisoners in the "war on terror."

DING!




Jason continues:

That juxtaposition is a stark example of how Republicans - aided by the giant megaphone of the right-wing media - continue to keep Democrats on the defensive, while evidence of Republican guilt gets little sustained attention except at a handful of Internet sites.

That pattern holds true even for issues connected to ACORN.

For instance, much less media interest followed the House Judiciary Committee's August release of Bush administration emails related to the role that Rove and other Bush administration officials played in the firings of nine US attorneys amid a Republican effort to target ACORN's voter-registration work during the 2004 presidential election.

See how frustrating this can get? Oh, and remember this? Time for a trip down Memory Lane:

The motive of Republicans in escalating the war on ACORN was suggested by a line in Rep. Issa's report - to delegitimize Obama. On page five, the report states: "Documents provided by former ACORN employees and contained in this report demonstrate the degree to which ACORN and ACORN affiliates organized to elect President Barack Obama in 2008."

In both today's ACORN attacks and those of the 2008 campaign, the major US news media has mostly ignored the connections to the "prosecutor-gate" case. Last year, the press focused on anecdotes like Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo's name showing up on one registration form.

The McCain [Palin] campaign's attempt to politicize ACORN - and hype the danger of voter fraud - also paralleled the allegations made by Republicans during the final days of Campaign 2004.

And while we're remembering, let's also remember to not forget:

The attacks on ACORN for allegedly signing up phony voters served as a cover for Republican efforts to purge real voters from the voting roles, a tactic that became infamous in the battleground states of Florida and Ohio. [...]

Now, having finally succeeded in dealing a severe blow to ACORN with the undercover videos, Republicans are trying to expand the stain to Obama. In a speech on the House floor on Thursday, Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, called Obama "the star of ACORN, the lead, chief organizer.... He walks with them all the way through."

Objects in rear view mirror are much larger than they appear.

Please read Jason's typically thorough, well-researched piece. I left out a lot.

Video- Hannity: Obama "never got asked tough questions about his radical friends and associates, except by me and others"

Nope, just 24/7 for a couple months of Ayers, Wright etc.

Video- Bill O'Reilly accuses Joan Walsh of having "blood on her hands" for defending Tiller

I tried to watch, but Bill is just too damn much. Glad to hear Joan did good.

Arizona State University president suggests he fears political backlash from Obama honorary degree decision

Wrong, so very wrong. I blame Bishop D'Arcy and all the other hypocrites.

Arizona State University President Michael Crow suggested Saturday in an email to faculty and students that he was hesitant to award President Obama an honorary degree because of potential political consequences to the state-supported school.

"Since my appointment we have not awarded honorary degrees to sitting politicians, a practice based on the very practical realities of operating a public university in our political environment," Crow wrote in the message, obtained by POLITICO.

He added: "We are a young and emerging university in a new and politically complex state."

Arizona is home to Obama's 2008 opponent, Sen. John McCain, and also has a Republican governor and GOP-controlled legislature.

On a related note- Bishop D'Arcy urges people to stay away from anti-ND, anti-Obama rallies. Let's see how much reverence that piece of slime Terry has for the Bishop's decision now. What do you think will win, his quest for attention or the rule of the church?

VIDEO-- Hardball: "Obama's policies scare the hell out of the American people"

By GottaLaff

Because I know you don't get enough insanity in your life:

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David Shuster was in top form today. Here's his eye roll-o'-the-day:

"So it's Barack Obama's fault that some in the right wing are using Nazi symbols to rile people up...

Name one statement, that's not from Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck or Sean Hannity, from President Obama that has given ...people 'legitimate fear'... You're not entitled to your own facts.... You don't have [the] right to inspire some of the crazies out there to do something violent."