The Clinton Deception Continues
The Clinton Machine continues to lie and luckily this time, they got caught.
Obama camp: Clinton would be ‘deeply flawed’ nominee
The Obama campaign launched some of its sharpest attacks to date on Hillary Clinton's candidacy Friday, telling reporters on a conference call that the New York senator is a dishonest politician who has consistently misled voters.
What Happened to Free Speech?
After reading the condemnation coming from so many people regarding Mr. Wright’s alleged anti-American remarks I think it’s important for everyone to take just a minute and recall exactly what is said in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. For those of you that need a little refresher course, here it is: “Congress shall [...]
What’s Hillary Hiding? Where are her Taxes?
Why is is that Hillary hasn't released her Taxes? What's she hiding? Middle East Oil Money? Shady deals? Enron, Qwest and Tyco stock gains? We'd all love to know.
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Barack Obama: The Cost Of War
Added on 20 March 2008
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Who Needs Shelby Holds When They Have A Nelson Filibuster?
08 February 2010
Shelby's blanket holds on pending nominees has apparently been lifted, just in time for Ben Nelson to step up to the plate and announce that he will join the Republican filibuster of Craig Becker's nomination to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Senate Democratic leaders needed the help of their entire 59-vote caucus, plus one Republican defector, to invoke cloture this Tuesday on Becker's nomination, which has awaited a full Senate vote since the summer of 2009. But Nelson's decision to oppose the White House's top candidate for the job seriously threatens those plans, as it now appears Democrats will not have the votes they need to proceed as intended this week. Nelson outlined his objections to Becker's nomination in a statement issued late Monday, stressing he felt the former AFL-CIO lawyer would "take an aggressive personal agenda to the NLRB, and that he would pursue a personal agenda there, rather than that of the Administration." "This is of great concern, considering that the Board’s main responsibility is to resolve labor disputes with an even and impartial hand," Nelson added. "In addition, the nominee’s statements fly in the face of Nebraska’s Right to Work laws, which have been credited in part with our excellent business climate that has attracted employers and many good jobs to Nebraska. Considering these matters, I will oppose the upcoming cloture motion and the nomination." .... [T]he move could also carry significant implications for the NLRB itself, currently embroiled in a Supreme Court crisis that could render it temporarily unable to adjudicate labor disputes. Only two members sit on the all-important panel -- Chairwoman Wilma Liebman, a Democratic appointee, and Peter Schaumber, a Republican appointee. The lack of a quorum has ultimately prompted the nation's high bench to question whether it should continue operating without additional members. Because you don't any one who is pro-labor actually on the National Labor Relations Board, or even for labor disputes to be heard. Thanks again, DNC, for stepping up to protect Ben Nelson with those anti-HCR ads. How's that half a million investment in defending him, when he's not even up for re-election this year, working out for you? Update: On Shelby's holds, they are not all lifted, with some critical military nominations still held hostage.
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Snow No!
08 February 2010
They're no postmen: With Washington still digging out from the weekend snow and expecting more snow beginning Tuesday afternoon, the House leadership put off votes set for Tuesday night, leaving the Congressional schedule for the week uncertain. House officials said they would reassess Tuesday based on updated weather forecasts, but the decision means that scores of lawmakers will not have to try to return to Washington during the day Tuesday just as another storm was predicted to begin and with the region’s airports still recovering from being shut down over the weekend. Congress is already scheduled to be out next week for a President’s Day recess and Democratic leaders would prefer not to lose this entire week. But another significant accumulation of snow, estimated at anywhere from 8 to 20 inches by Wednesday, could force them to cancel the remainder of the week and return at the end of the month. An announcement on plans was expected Tuesday afternoon. Normally I'd make fun of them for being a bunch of wusses, but as anyone who lives in this area can attest, it's been a nightmare for travel ... nearly impossible to get around, even two days afterwards and now they're tossing another foot or so into the mix? Unless they skip their President's Day recess -- and by the way, what part of "day" don't they understand -- we won't be seeing the usual inaction from Congress for another couple of weeks. Come to think of it, it'll be business as usual ... with cocoa.
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Remembering Murtha
08 February 2010
The NYT Caucus blog reports A former Marine, Mr. Murtha, his office noted, was the first Vietnam War combat Veteran elected to Congress. Throughout his years, Mr. Murtha paid particular attention to defense spending and to the Pentagon and the military. When he called for bringing the troops home from Iraq in 2005, after having voted for the war, his proposal stunned many in Congress and added a powerful voice to the growing forces demanding immediate drawdowns and or deadlines. The buffeting we've all endured during the past several years in politics makes it easy to forget how powerful Murtha's opposition to the Iraq War was for those of us on the outside who could see what a colossal mistake the war was, and still is. Murtha's steadfast and opposition to the war, and his fierce support for and desire to protect the men and women fighting in Iraq grounded opposition to the war in principle. June 16, 2006, Iraq Supplemental debate: It's easy to stay in the air conditioned office and say i'm going to stay the course. Let me tell you something, those troops I hope they believe in what they are doing. That's what America's all about. But standing here and talking about policy and criticizing people just because they disagree with the policy is absolutely absurd. All of us support the troops. All of us want the troops come home as soon as we can. What we need is a change in direction so we'll be able to work this thing out. All of us want to stability in the middle east. That's what this whole thing's all about. We just disagree on how you do it. March 23, 2007, closing the debate on the U.S. Troops Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act: [4:44] Finally, we're saying in this bill "you can't send troops back in to battle unless they have the appropriate training, they're fully trained, mission capable." Is there anybody going to vote against that? If you vote against this bill you vote against that. If you vote against this bill you vote against sending troops back with less than a year at home. That's unacceptable. You can sit here and say we're fighting this war. Oh, yes, you can sit here in Washington and say we're fighting this war. But let me tell you something. Those young people, some of them going back three and four times, their families are suffering. These are not 140,000 people. These are each individuals with families and relatives that are bearing the brunt of this fighting that are sent back.... [7:04] I'll tell you what hurts the troops. I'll tell you what hurts them. It hurts 'em when they're extended beyond 13 months, or the Marines have gone seven months. It hurts the troops . . . if you send them back before they have a year at home. That's what hurts the morale of troops. I'm the person that found the 44,000 shortage of body armor in the initial invasion of Iraq. We had troops in danger because they didn't have the equipment they needed. We cannot send troops back into combat without equipment and being fully trained.... My great-grandmother lived to be 96. I was six years old when she died. She said you're on this earth to make a difference. We're going to make a difference with this bill. We're going to bring those troops home. We're going to start changing the direction of this great country. Thank you, Rep. Murtha, for your courage in standing down those who equated opposition to the war to treason, and for showing what "support the troops" should always mean. May you rest in peace.
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Late afternoon/early evening open thread
08 February 2010
What you missed on Sunday Kos …. In Connections: Smoke and Guns, DarkSyde explained the simplicity of (believe it or not) rocket science. In With Friends Like These, Angry Mouse ripped into women who pile on other women for having the audacity to choose to think and live for themselves. And speaking of women who think for themselves, Plutonium Page snagged an interview with Queen Noor of Jordan, published as The Road to 'Global Zero', in which the struggle for nuclear disarmament was explored agains the backdrop of the summit in Paris. A really terrific, in-depth interview with a brilliant and inspiring woman. In Reading "The Movement", Laura Clawson turned her eye to the media, critiquing a recent New Yorker piece that spent a lot of time and effort taking the Tea Partiers at face value. In What goes around, comes around, exmearden cast back to the New Deal, the WPA, the CCC and an era when building things to last--with "constructive purpose at the onset of creation" and "an emotional and aesthetic goal for the future." In Frequency, Dante Atkins explored the possible reasons--and certain hypocrisy--for conservative pundit disavowal of the Daily Kos poll released last week that showed the conservative base is … well, nuts.
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President Obama to the Democratic Party: “This is our best chance to deliver the change that the American people need”
08 February 2010
On Saturday, as Washington was blanketed with snow, President Obama spoke to members of the Democratic Party at the 2010 Winter Meeting. In a fiery speech, the President reiterated his fierce commitment to fighting for health insurance reform: "The easiest thing to do right now would be to just say, oh, [passing health reform] is too hard, let's just re-group and lick our wounds, try to hang on. We've had a long and difficult debate on health care. And there are some, maybe even the majority in this town, who say perhaps it's time to walk away. But...if we walk away, we know what will happen. We know that premiums and out-of-pocket expenses will skyrocket this decade and the decade after that and decade after that, just as they did in the past decade. More small businesses will be priced out of coverage. More big businesses will be unable to compete internationally. More workers will take home less pay and fewer raises. We know that millions more Americans will lose their coverage. We know that our deficits will inexorably continue to grow because health care costs are the single biggest driver. So just in case there's any confusion out there, let me be clear: I am not going to walk away from health insurance reform. I'm not going to walk away from the American people. I'm not going to walk away on this challenge." He then spoke about the need to continue working to change the culture and politics of Washington, in order to address the challenges that the country faces: "We knew this stuff was tough. But we stepped up because we decided we were going to take the responsibility of changing it. And it may not be easy, but change is coming. Look, I believe so strongly, I believe so strongly if we're going to deal with the great challenges of our time, if we're going to secure a better future, just as past generations did for us, then we're going to have to change the prevailing politics in this town, and it's not going to be easy. We're going to have to care less about scoring points and more about solving problems that are holding us back. At this defining moment, that's never been more important." And he closed by talking about moving forward together: "After all the promises we've made, this is our best chance to deliver the change that the American people need. And if we do that, if we speak to the hopes of the American people instead of their fears, if we inspire them instead of divide them, if we respond to their challenges with the same sense of urgency they feel in their own lives, we're not just going to win elections, elections will take care of themselves. We will once again be the party that turns around the economy and moves this country forward and secures the American dream for another generation." You can watch the full video below:
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Fox & Best Friends Ever!
08 February 2010
Honest to God, how do these people spew this crap with a straight face? Here's the morning crew on Fox & Friends, with their take on Sarah Palin's 19th century palm pilot: CARLSON: I think she did it on purpose. I think she did it on purpose, yeah. Because it’s an exact opposite of reading off the teleprompter with a script written for you with every word in a sentence and here’s she’s just taking crib notes on her hand. It makes her look like she can just talk off the cuff and she just jotted down a few couple notes before she went out to give a big long speech. DOOCY: I think she did it because she probably does it a lot. I do that all the time. [...] KILMEADE: But to sit there and look at, and do the interview and look down at her hand, I think that is — like you said before, Gretchen — folksy, absolutely, down-to-earth, I can identify. Leaving the eye-roll inducing rationalizations aside, do these idiots realize that Palin uses a teleprompter when she gives speeches? Are the talking heads at Fox News really that stupid?
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Jobs Bill Stalled by Weather, Republicans
08 February 2010
Snow and Republicans are conspiring against the nation's unemployed. There's not much anyone can do about the former, with even more forecasted over the next day and a half. And with Scott Brown now seated, there are questions about what can happen with the latter. Although both parties say Washington should be focused on jobs — January’s unemployment rate came in Friday at 9.7 percent — Democrats can’t move a bill without 60 votes, and they control only 59. And while the storm made negotiations more difficult, aides and lawmakers say there were substantive problems, too — and that the difficulty of reaching agreement even on a relatively small jobs bill, packed with tax cuts backed by Republicans, illustrates the tough partisan politics of the Senate as it moves toward the elections this fall. Meanwhile, unemployment still hovers around 10 percent, despite a slight downtick in the latest numbers. With stimulus funding now running out, the crisis for states is still looming, particularly in education. Republican games continue, and the nation continues to hurt. Brian Beutler reports on the sticking point: Republicans are working with Democrats on one key aspect of the legislation: tax breaks for employers who hire new employees. But beyond such a measure, Republicans are balking at supporting a full package. And with Democrats now one vote shy of a 60-vote supermajority, they will need one GOPer to break ranks if they want the package to overcome a filibuster. So far, Democratic rhetoric has been gentle. Last week, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) said "You need two to tango. And you need Republicans for bipartisanship." "Hope is prospective," he said. "We don't have bipartisanship at this moment. I hope we'll have it in a matter of minutes, hours, days." Days later, they still don't have it. Which makes you wonder if and when leadership will pivot to directly call out Republicans for unanimously filibustering a jobs relief package when unemployment hovers at near 10 percent. That's a good question. It also makes you wonder if the healthcare reform debacle taught Dems a lesson about how to get these key pieces of legislation passed, and if they are exploring all their options for this one. This is a funding bill, and reconciliation should be definitely on the table for getting America back to work.
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House Dems Find their Wedge, the Ryan Budget Plan
08 February 2010
GOP Rep. Paul Ryan handed House Democrats the perfect wedge issue last week, and they're going to use it. House Democrats want to kick House Republicans where it hurts, and are exploring ways to force the minority party to take a stand on Rep. Paul Ryan's budget "roadmap" that has become a political minefield in advance of this fall's elections. A Democratic leadership source told TPMDC they are considering options for turning the Ryan plan into a bill. Once that's done the Democrats would put the bill on the floor, forcing Republicans to vote for or against a plan they don't want to talk about. Why is it such a minefield? Because he wants to eliminate Social Security and Medicare, and has put GOP leadership in a very difficult position: of course Republicans want to get rid of Social Security and Medicare, it's been their raison d'etre since the programs were established. But they're coming off of a year in which their loudest opposition to the Democrats' healthcare reform bill was "Medicare cuts." Yglesias links to a Roll Call story: Republican leaders bashed the Democratic health care plans for cutting more than $400 billion out of Medicare, but GOP budget hawks view controlling Medicare costs as essential to balancing the budget. A Republican who asked to have his name withheld said the party’s leadership and rank and file aren’t ready to follow Ryan’s lead. “There’s a lot of worry that we beat the Democrats up on health care for cutting Medicare and now we’re going to turn around and do it,” the Republican said. As Matt says, the major difference here is that the Dems had very targeted cuts aimed at whittling away at inefficiencies in Medicare, while Ryan's budget "just goes after Medicare with a chain saw." And he's doubling down on his plan, despite opposition in his own party. A floor vote on Ryan's Republican budget could be the best thing that's happened for Democrats in months. It exposes the depths of Republican hypocrisy in the HCR debate and would force an extremely difficult political vote. What Republican wants to vote to slash Social Security and Medicare in an election year, other than Paul Ryan.
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- The Clinton Deception Continues
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