Video- C-SPAN Washington Journal Response to "BlackSpan" Caller

Lame.

Video- C-SPAN Caller Complains: Too Many Black People Call In

Awfully civil of the guy to allow them to have an opinion, just not too often I guess. This particular CSPAN guy bugs me most of the time, but the nodding and seeming agreement with the bigot is just a bit too much. Via TPM.

Sanders Amendment to help seniors, vets, disabled fails

By GottaLaff

Watching CSPAN2 now. I missed a lot of who voted aye or nay, seems I came in on the L's. They're voting on:

Bernie Sanders (I-VT) Amendment to the Tax Extenders Bill: Provides over 55 million seniors, veterans and disabled with a one time $250 emergency relief payment.

Levin just voted no, as did Lieberman, Landrieu, Shaheen.

The amendment just failed, 47-50.

VIDEO: THE WINNER of the 2010 Health Care Summit

By GottaLaff



My Twitter pal Andy Cobb put together one hilarious video. Consider it a pre-game warm-up for tomorrow's Big Summit:

The 2010 healthcare summit already has a winner. And they're so psyched. [...]

By Second City Alumni Andy Cobb

While I like to imagine that CSPAN is run by a bunch of trash talking adrenaline junkies who talk smack about CSPAN2 when they don't land a key gig, it's probably not literally true. So we made their promo for them.

DADT alert: Rep. Patrick Murphy to host Special Order Hour in the House on repeal

By GottaLaff

Check this out, via Pam's House Blend:

The Blend has learned that Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-PA), the lead sponsor of H.R. 1283, the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (which would repeal DADT) is scheduled to take to the floor of the House to host a Special Order Hour today. It will occur around 9 PM ET tonight and broadcast live on C-SPAN. He plans to highlight the impact of DADT on National Security, and push for additional co-sponsors.

A Special Order is time set aside in advance by any House member to speak about a topic of their choice.

Update: potential start time could be 9:30 - 9:45 PM depending on the schedule of the Floor. Watch on C-SPAN.

We have some good people on our side. Compare and contrast.

Video- Eric Cantor Won't Answer How Much Health Care Lobby Money He's Taken

This guy is a total snake oil salesman. I listened to the whole thing (brain flush needed now) but the relevant part starts at 17:00. Kudos to the caller for having the stats, not that it got Cantor to tell the truth.

Health Care Watch- VIDEO: Dennis Kucinich Sets Dr. David Gratzer Straight

By GottaLaff



Via:

I tuned into CSPAN 3 to watch the Live Stream video of the House HELP single payer hearing.

When the hearing had to temporarily adjourn for members to cast 3 votes on the House floor CSPAN 3 inserted a video of Betsy McCaughey, PhD. of the conservative Manhattan Institute speaking about the evils of single payer. When CSPAN 3 retuned to the HELP single payer hearing, the hearing was already in progress. What kind of coverage is this? Of course the video of the hearing is up now without Betsy McCaughey, PhD. of the conservative Manhattan Institute. Kind of like it never happened, but it did and I have the video to prove it.

It appears to me CSPAN 3 has taken sides on this issue and what they did is very questionable.

Dennis Kucinich kind of evened things out when set Dr. David Gratzer, Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow, straight during the hearing and that video is below, if CSPAN 3 doesn't make me take it down.

Attorney General Holder on CSPAN right now

By GottaLaff

I've adjusted the blog title to reflect that this is now on CSPAN, not CSPAN 3 any more.

Liveblogging:

He's in front of the House Appropriations Subcommittee as we speak.

UPDATE:
Sanctions for lawyer's role in torture program questions are coming up.

What will your policy be for prosecution and/or sanctions?

When will review be completed?

Will you proactively pursue investigations of individuals involved?

New policies on rendition, etc?

(He went fast, that was paraphrased)

Task forces: Will make determine, individually, fates of detainees.

Also, interrogation policies are being looked at, finding the best ones that are effective, but within the law (my words). Determinations to be made by July.

Who makes the determinations? CIA, DoD, State, National Intel director, NSC, and one more that I missed.

Republican Frank Wolf: Chilling effects on future officials. Take our in country backwards direction... Will you prosecute? True that there are more memos that show torture worked?

A: I'll reiterate: Those intel officials who acted in good faith are not going to be prosecuted.... And I will not permit criminalization of policy differences. But it is my duty to enforce the law. If there is evidence of wrongdoing, I'll pursue. I will make tough, fair decisions... But those in intel who acted in good faith, we won't prosecute.

Other memos: There are other OLC memos. As we go on, we can release them. Make OLC more transparent, consistent with national security... I'm not familiar with memos that say torture worked. I haven't seen them. We'll make available OLC memos, generally (Office of Legal Counsel).

Q: If there are, they'll be released? Not necessarily OLC memos. In fairness, once you released some, you should release all. (Keeps pushing, he wants to exonerate BushCo in the worst way)

A: I don't control some of the memos you may be talking about. I'm the A.G. If they originated in DoJ, I can do that.

Q: Just 'cause they're in another building... It's the responsiblity of president of U.S... the buck stops there.

A: It's the intention of this administration not to play hide and seek.. to try to advance a political agenda. There has been much said about the effectiveness of these techniques. I've seen that they were not effective. We can debate. This administration wants the info out there, for a healthy debate.

Adam Schiff is expressing his dismay about DoJ under Gonzales. Now for Q and A:
Q: People are tortured, but no one is responsible. I hope we investigate... before we decide about prosecuting. But re: the attorneys who wrote memos, a law degree shouldn't matter. (paraphrasing) They should not be held immune from prosecution. The last administration felt the president's authority overrode everything else. Justice couldn't prosecute. We can violate criminal laws, they said, as long as it's pursuant to authority as Commander in Chief. Same argument for surveillance.
A: President's power is greatest when he's consistent with congressional authorization. FISA: It's incumbent for president to conform to statute unless the statute is unconstitutional. FISA statute wasn't unconstitutional. Congress passed it.
Q: Truer with interrogation. Torture can't be disregarded, according to the law.
A: Prior admin's expansive view is one we won't embrace. That's why I'm in charge of detention policy group. We'll come up with techniques that are supported by Congress, values...

Culberson: If they didn't act in good faith, they're open to prosecution?
A: There is reasonable discretion. I'll apply law and facts as best I can.
Q: You work with DHS closely to I.D. potential threats. Agree or disagree with the intel assessment that DHS put out... right wing extremists who reject federal authority in favor of state authority. Do you agree that is a r/w extremist?
A: There's a full spectrum in that category. Some disagree with tax policies, and others who don't recognize our federal system.
Q: They even classify returning veterans as problems. People who purchase high volumes of ammunition. Veterans! Those who oppose the administration are extremists? Does this go too far? How do you classify returning vets? That's appalling.
A: When you cast too broad a net, you end up with ineffective law enforcement. Want to focus on true threats. Returning vets: Clearly that's wrong, but wasn't the intention. Should have been more exact, Napolitano will walk back from it if it's inexact.
Q: Is there a list?
A: No. That would not be our policy as long as I'm A.G.

Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Maryland:
Q: Torture: The front line goes to all these different countries, get info. But they're subjected to orders from the top. Will you come up with strict guidelines so this never happens again? Plus: There's always change with a new administration, new policies, etc. In this situation, the role of political appointees needs to be examined. Were political appointees involved in making orders? Torture doesn't get us more info. My point: Strict guidelines that everyone can understand.
A: Good point. I hope the outcome of two task forces (detention and interrogation) is to find out what we have to do to get good info. Good interrogation techniques that can be supported by the nation. And set limits, can't go beyond those.

Holder is now saying they won't be soft on the bad guys, but act according to the Constitution.

Schiff: Courts martial is the best way to deal with most detainees. We should give the same due process to terrorists that we give to our own troops, good to show the world that. Will you rely on the status determination that was made under the previous flawed regime? Threshold question. The prior proceedings were so flawed that they need to be redone.
A: We're making new determinations. Looking at all Gitmo detainees, even those who BushCo said could be releasesd (paraphrased, of course).
Q: In those cases that they won't be sent elsewhere and will be tried, are they an unlawful militia? Will you adopt what Bush tribunals conclusion was?
A: We'll make individual determinations where they should be tried. The tribunals could be different from previous ones, as well as other venues. (paraphrased)
Q: But are they unprivileged belligerents? They can be prosecuted. Are they unlawful combatants? Do you accept any of the Bush determinations? I advocate that you don't. Then figure out WHERE they can be prosecuted.
A: I agree. We'll be making new determinations about what courts to be tried in and what their status is. No more "enemy combatant" label. A fresh look based on evidence.

Republican Wolf again: I want to stay on this... Where you hold these people is important. Al Qaeda communicates while in custody... Tell us precisely... I wasn't impressed with some of your team. They didn't know stuff... (paraphrased)
A: No decision has been made yet on where the trials will be. We're not naive. You raise good points. We know they want to do us harm. We'd try to ensure that steps would minimize the chances of a prisoner having any impact. Take into account the danger the person presented, his role, and come up with a way we'd try them that is safe. We'll be asking ourselves the same questions you asked. This is a primary concern.

Shallow Thoughts: Bachmann/Gingrey edition

By GottaLaff

Today's Shallow Thought:

On CSPAN just now, Phil Gingrey just thanked Michele Bachmann for her "wisdom". I'd like to thank Phil Gingrey for once again confirming his dementia.

Sidebar: The two of them seem to have some sort of, um, chemistry. Either that or they're auditioning for their own reality show, Extreme Takeover.

That was today's Shallow Thought. Thank you for wading in.

H/t: Jon Lester for the heads up.

Crazy Alert!!

Michelle Bachmann is scheduled to be on Washington Journal on CSpan tomorrow morning, the second guest segment right after Keith Ellison.

Keith Olbermann Talks About His Issues With Authoritarian Types

You can see the whole interview here, CSpan Junkie was one of my first subscriptions on YouTube and well worth it.

WATCH DEBATE LIVE HERE! Open thread for 3rd presidential debate

By GottaLaff

This will be an open thread. Start drinking and threading.



Gramm-pa McCain Bingo cards available here and here. Have fun! And feel free to say anything you want in Comments. We're Equal Opportunity Incoherent Inebriated Commenters, as long as you keep it civil.

And remember, I will call for new threads as we need them. Keep your eyes peeled for my annoying, "NEW THREAD, GUYS!" alerts.

Joe Biden on CSPAN now... liveblog

By GottaLaff

From Scranton:

He's happy with Hillary's speech. He loves her, he says.

Joe: One reason I'm so certain we'll turn this country around is because I was there, I watched Bill Clinton turn this country around! You knew he was talking from his heart, you knew he knew what he was talking about, and that he could get it done. It'll be so good to have a president like that again, I cannot wait!

Hillary and I are friends... truly, truly, and have been for a long time. What I love about her, the one thing I find about this city: There is one abuse our gov't. can engage in, abuse of power. Everything Hillary has devoted her life to, are people on the other side of power. She's a fighter. She understands what's right, wrong, fair, unfair, and she always fights against the abuse of power.

The economy didn't just start collapsing .. it started 8 years ago.... McCain/Palin can't even begin to answer this... in 23 days our security and prosperity are in the balance. This is the single most important election any of you have voted in.

We've had 3 debates so far. I watched the one I was in on SNL. Barack has had 2. If this were a 5 game series it would be over by now, but it's a 7 game series. Barack's debate on Tuesday: Not one voter asked about the ugly inferences and personal attacks from the McCain campaign. It's because people get it, it's about something bigger. 100% of the ads by McCain are attack ads. I guess when you vote with Bush 90% of the time, you have to attack 100% of the time.

These attacks don't hurt me, Obama, they hurt the American people. Each one is an attempt to get you to focus on something other than your country. What about the past 8 years would McCain change in the next 4? Nothing! Privatize Social Security? Voting down healthcare? Approach to global warming? You can't change this if you vote with George Bush! How can you change global warming unless you know what caused it!

Shoot first and ask questions later? Spend $10 billion a month in Iraq when they have a $79 billion surplus? You can't change that if you vote with Bush. (all paraphrased)

We care about our veterans. To paraphrase Bush Sr: Read my lips. WE WILL END THIS WAR. WE WILL END THIS WAR. WE WILL END THIS WAR. Because we honor sacrifice.

You can't change the plight of the middle class... you can't call yourself a maverick when all you've been is a sidekick... That's why, when he's so erratic... look how he responded to the economic crisis... he's been my friend [oy]... he deserves our honor for his bravery... but we need a wise leader...

When the market crashed, he said the fundamentals of the economy were strong, then hours later, said it was an economic crisis. Folks, that's what we Catholics call an epiphany. In those two hours, did he realize that incomes fell more than $2000 in Pennsylvania? [goes on to list more] His epiphany wasn't when he saw the light, it was when he saw the presidency receding from his grasp.

Obama has assembled the most respected team of financial advisors this country has ever seen. ... International leadership... Barack will have the strength of ideas this world is willing to follow...

We have all the tools, we know which to use... Within whose hands will we place those tools? Steady hands of Obama, or the uncertain hands of McCain lurching, the same people who contributed to the policies that led to these failures...

Renegotiate mortgages so you can stay in your homes... [he's going too fast]... Tax cuts to middle class... health care... jobs. Keeping jobs in America, making sure you can keep your healthcare through your jobs. Genuine tax breaks to 95% of those who collect a paycheck. ... not companies who ship jobs overseas... Only those who keep jobs here in America...

Palin criticized me for talking about patriotism and taxes. Well, here's what's unpatriotic: Earning your money here, and hiding it offshore, not paying your taxes. So I don't need a lecture on patriotism. I've had it to here!! [gestures to neck]

We'll rebuild America. Create new jobs, build the middle class. We'll end our addiction to oil... Invest in soil in midwest, clean coal [ugh]... We'll have the equivalent of an Apollo Project, wean ourselves off of oil. This is in our wheelhouse! Invest in renewable energy. ... Provide good paying jobs that can't be outsourced... Create clean coal technology to be exported around world... Invest in a resource that's already there. Invest in the technology before China does...

Provide affordable health care to every American. It's not a privilege, it's a right as Obama said. McCain didn't, at the debate. ... Describes McCain's health care plan and calls it the ultimate Bridge to Nowhere. ...

The last thing we'll do is see to it that every kid who is academically able will go to college. A nation that out-educates us will out-compete us. Broaden national service beyond the military. If will serve in inner cities, rural areas, sr. centers, we will guarantee you an afford to go to college.

Obama and I define progress differently than McCain/Palin. It's not how many regulations you cut, getting gov't out of the way. It's measured in terms of dignity and respect, for the middle class. Success = whether you have a job, afford health care, can heat your home, look your child in the eye and say, "honey it's gonna be okay." It's very basic, very simple [cheers].

Joe Biden, Hillary and Bill Clinton on CSPAN now

By GottaLaff

They're in Scranton. MSNBC is carrying it, too, but CSPAN won't cut away.

Jill Biden is speaking now. Now Bill is speaking. He's on his way to Virginia, where he says we'll win. He says his job is to intro Hillary whose job is to intro Joe.

It's their 33rd wedding anniversary (Hill/Bill). Congratulations!

Bill: This is not just about politics, we have to repair the financial system of America, restore America's standing in the world. ... Obama couldn't have made a better choice for VP... and everyone in Congress knows it (paraphrased). He's introing Hillary now. She's done 50 events for Obama, raked in 10 million dollars (that last $ one was from me, not Bill). If you supported her, think about why you did it. ... Think about what we owe the next generation... Who understands these challenges? Barack Obama.

Hillary is up now. My message: We must elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden! ... Won't it be wonderful to have a vice president you're proud of? We need as many Dems in the Congress as we can get. I haven't spent 35 years in the trenches... fighting for middle class people... to see another Republican in the White House squander our nation. We are in a financial crisis... born and bred by failed Republican policies championed by Bush, McCain, and the Washington Republicans... They said, "what home mortgage prices?" ... To Bush/McCain, middle class sinking into debt are invisible.... When this crisis finally hit Wall St., suddenly, oh my goodness, they snapped to attention. Bail out the banks, financial firms... Bail them out... What about the millions losing their homes/jobs every single day? Where's their bailout? ...

Failure is not an option. We must elect leaders who will put people first... That's why I'm barnstorming this week. We can't afford another 4 more years of the last 8 years... McCain still wants to privatize Social Security... Imagine if your S.S. had been in the stock market the last 8 weeks!... They believe America can't win unless most Americans lose... That's why McCain asked for more tax cuts for corporations/Big Oil... We are at the core of whether this country goes up or down! ... They broke it and we're not buying it any more... Biden and Obama will lead us out of this economic crisis, clean up this mess that the Rs left behind... Think back to the close of the Clinton administration, wages were rising, surplus.. prosperity was shared... so we can do it again...(paraphrasing). It took a Democratic to clean up the last Pres. Bush, it'll take a Dem. president to clean up after this President Bush!

America will once again rise from the ashes of the Bushes!

I'm fighting for the people who are invisible to Bush... and that's why I'm fighting for Barack and Joe. People ask "who are you for?" That's not the right question. The right question is "who is for you?" I'm gonna work as hard as I can for President Obama and VP Biden! I look forward to being on the back lawn of the White House when President Obama signs into law health care that's good for you, and you and you!

[She's relating well to the people of Scranton... lots of cheers during the speech.]

Joe's never forgotten where he came from. A leader on national security, women, children issues... It's not about politics for Joe, it's in the gut.

The polls shouldn't lull us into a false sense of security [Laffy Note: hear hear!] You have to talk to your friends and neighbors. ... Vote for Barack and Joe and vote for yourselves!.. If they win Pennsylvania, there's no way they lose the White House! Here comes Joe... next thread.

WATCH 2ND PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE LIVE HERE; Streaming CSPAN, open thread

By GottaLaff

This will be an open thread. Start drinking.



Gramm-pa McCain Bingo cards available here and here. Have fun! And feel free to say anything you want in Comments. We're Equal Opportunity Incoherent Commenters, as long as you keep it civil.

Tonight's debate, LIVE CSPAN STREAMING heads-up

By GottaLaff

It's nearly debate time! Don't forget the Gramm-pa McCain Bingo cards here and here.

And we will be posting our usual live stream of CSPAN's broadcast of the debate here, and have our open thread for all the chatter.

When the thread gets too long, we'll open up a new one, so keep your eyes open for my "NEW THREAD, GUYS" alerts.

I'll be posting the first one soon.

Watch CSPAN live! Vice presidential debate coverage/open thread

By GottaLaff

WATCH DEBATE LIVE HERE: Streaming CSPAN

Consider this an open thread.

UPDATE: SECOND PRESIDENTIAL STREAMING HERE, WITH OPEN THREAD.

This post is from the last debate. Please click on the link.

Watch the debate on line live on CSPAN

By GottaLaff

We'll have an open thread for the debate soon. I won't be liveblogging (at least not like I usually do), so that I can give it my full attention.

If you would like to see it streamed live on CSPAN, go here. They're already showing the arrival of the audience.

If you want to fact check the candidates, you can go here.

There will be an audience of 100 million people.

Things I learn from C-Span

A caller just now on the Wall Street meltdown-

"Why is it that no one is mentioning George Soros? He nearly bankrupted the Bank of England with short selling and this is too familiar. They'll never find his fingerprints, but be sure that Soros was behind this." (paraphrased)

Oy