Saturday, February 06, 2010
Friday, February 05, 2010
Slowly Exposing The Real Palin$
"Nearly 3,000 pages of e-mails that Todd Palin exchanged with state officials, which were released to msnbc.com and NBC News by the state of Alaska under its public records law, draw a picture of a Palin administration where the governor's husband got involved in a judicial appointment, monitored contract negotiations with public employee unions, received background checks on a corporate CEO, added his approval or disapproval to state board appointments and passed financial information marked "confidential" from his oil company employer to a state attorney. While 1,200 separate e-mails were released this week, 243 others were withheld by the state under a claim that executive privilege extends to Todd Palin as an unpaid adviser to the government.The still-secret e-mails between Todd Palin and senior officials reach into countless areas of state government and politics: potential board appointees, constituent complaints, use of the state jet, oil and gas production, marine regulation, gas pipeline bids, postsecondary education, wildfires, native Alaskan issues, the state effort to save the Matanuska Maid dairy, budget planning, potential budget vetoes, oil shale leasing, "strategy for responding to media allegations," staffing at the mansion, pier diem payments to the governor for travel, "strategy for responding to questions about pregnancy," potential cuts to the governor's staff, "confidentiality issues," Bureau of Land Management land transfers and trespass issues and requests to the U.S. transportation secretary."
All this from the guy who belonged to the Alaskan Independence Party? Seems like Sarah and Todd Palin are two peas in a corrupt, truth-avoiding pod.
Paul Krugman: Fiscal Scare Tactics
"To me — and I’m not alone in this — the sudden outbreak of deficit hysteria brings back memories of the groupthink that took hold during the run-up to the Iraq war. Now, as then, dubious allegations, not backed by hard evidence, are being reported as if they have been established beyond a shadow of a doubt. Now, as then, much of the political and media establishments have bought into the notion that we must take drastic action quickly, even though there hasn’t been any new information to justify this sudden urgency. Now, as then, those who challenge the prevailing narrative, no matter how strong their case and no matter how solid their background, are being marginalized.
And fear-mongering on the deficit may end up doing as much harm as the fear-mongering on weapons of mass destruction."
via nytimes.com
The same Republicans who voted for every Bush spending bill that were not funded and every budget-busting tax cut now are trying to demonize Obama and his policy agenda. Republicans fucked up the country, now they get to fuck with the Administration trying to piece it back together.
Cynical posturing and political hypocrisy: The Republican brand.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Wherever It Exists, Socialized Medicine is Popular
Michael Steele promises that the GOP will protect Medicare. Scott Brown says he’ll vote against a national health care plan because Massachusetts already has a good one. And in the UK, you’ve got campaign posters like this from the Tories:
"Whenever and wherever it’s put into place, universal health care proves popular and enduring." - Matthew Yglesias
It's always around elections, Conservatives pretend to care.
Sessions vs Mullen: The Turning Point?
Via Andrew Sullivan:
"Did you notice Admiral Mullen's smackdown of Jeff Sessions, scion of the Old South, which has owned the military for a century? Sessions accused Mullen of "undue command influence", a serious charge--just one step away from "illegal command influence". (At 4:00 in the Youtibe above).
The accusation was so ugly, and so serious, that Gates (rightly) leapt to Mullen's defense, and smacked Sessions hard (5:20), after which Mullen looked straight at Sessions and said:
"Senator Sessions, for me, this is not about 'command influence', this is about leadership, and I take that very seriously." (5:50)
(Emphasis in the original. I should note that Mullen's language contrasting "command influence" to "leadership" is not merely rhetorical, it is legal, and the outline of Mullen's legal defense:
"While some types of influence are unlawful and prohibited by the Uniform Code of Military Justice… other types of influence are lawful, proper, and in certain circumstances a necessary part of leadership".
Sessions, in other words, told Mullen that the Republican line of attack would be to question his competence and integrity, as well as the legality of his open support for the repeal of DADT; Mullen in turn told Sessions that if the Republicans insisted on war, he was happy to oblige them."
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Irony In Military Christianists
The problem with conservatives is their views are eerily parallel to the very nations and societies they are so hell-belt on going to war against.
Countries who do not allow gays in the military: Cuba, China, North Korea, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Venezuela, the United States.
We stand out like a sore thumb.
The UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain allow gays, they are some of our biggest allies. Israel does, they pretty much kick the shit out of anyone on the Middle East.
The Cons and Republicans are always about bringing freedom to other countries, waging crusades against theocracies who suppress their people yet drape themselves in the Bible and try to take away Americans' liberties any chance they can.
If you want to represent freedom and democracy, you have to practice what you preach.
And if you have never served in the military, Bill Kristol, shut the fuck up.
Countries who do not allow gays in the military: Cuba, China, North Korea, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Venezuela, the United States.
We stand out like a sore thumb.
The UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain allow gays, they are some of our biggest allies. Israel does, they pretty much kick the shit out of anyone on the Middle East.
The Cons and Republicans are always about bringing freedom to other countries, waging crusades against theocracies who suppress their people yet drape themselves in the Bible and try to take away Americans' liberties any chance they can.
If you want to represent freedom and democracy, you have to practice what you preach.
And if you have never served in the military, Bill Kristol, shut the fuck up.
Christians Without The Christ
Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council was on Hardball with Chis Matthews last night:
Source: The Daily Dish
Matthews: Do you think we should outlaw gay behavior?There is no Christ in today's Christians. What about love thy neighbor? God is love? Jesus' gospel of love? All this guy can think about is penis. Juss sayin'.
Sprigg: Well, I think certainly it’s defensible –
Matthews: I’m just asking you: Should we outlaw gay behavior?
Sprigg: I think that the Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas which overturned, uh, the sodomy laws in this country was wrongly decided. I think there would be a place for criminal sanctions against homosexual behavior.
Matthews: So we should outlaw gay behavior.
Sprigg: Uh, yes! [laughs]
Source: The Daily Dish
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
GOP Opposes Our Military Leaders
Where are the MSM and Democrats on this one? Need to pound this home.
"Obama has spent a year following the guidance of military leaders, and Republicans have spent a year breaking with the judgment of the military establishment.
It's a fascinating dynamic. On everything from civilian trials to Gitmo to torture, we have two distinct groups -- GOP leaders, the Cheneys, Limbaugh, and conservative activists on one side; President Obama, Gen. Petraeus, Secretary Gates, Colin Powell, Adm. Mullen, Adm. Blair, and Gen. Jones on the other."
Republicans never cared about the military using them like pawns, never giving them much needed armor or even a mission. Bush replaced everyone who disagreed with him. Cheney had six deferments.
They flat out abuse the military.
We are in two wars and Republicans oppose and openly reject what the commanders are saying. They are at odds with the military establishment and proud.
"Listen to the commanders on the ground" became a common adage in GOP circles during Bush/Cheney. Now you know that was bullshit.
What The Corporate Conservative Supreme Court Looks Like
The Corporate Quints on the Supreme Court: "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy."
DADT: 1993 vs 2010
Loud and proud.
Rachel Maddow and David Schuster discuss:
"I have served with homosexuals since 1968." -- Adm. Mike Mullen, in a get-over-it response to Republican Sen. Jeff SessionsThere are 60,000+ homosexuals in the military right now. This is not 1993 when DADT started. Secretary Gates and Adm. Mullen are honest about gays in the military. It's time for Republicans in Congress to live in real time.
Rachel Maddow and David Schuster discuss:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Obama Posterizes GOP
Now the GOP knows it feels to get dunked on, again and again. RNC syndicator Fox News had to cut away it got so bad:
"We're going to cut away," Jon Stewart said, mocking Fox, "because this is against the narrative we present."
Ex-minister Slams Blair Argument For Iraq War
Pretty much called him a liar.
"Tony Blair's account of the need to act urgently somehow because of September 11 doesn't stack up to any scrutiny whatsoever," Short said.
She said there was no evidence that Saddam was linked to Al-Qaeda -- and the American people had been "misled" over the claim.
"There is no doubt that by invading in this ill-prepared, rushed way, not only did we cause enormous suffering and loss of life, we made Iraq more dangerous and unstable and spread Al-Qaeda's presence in the Middle East," she said.
via rawstory.com
Clare Short resigned as a UK minister in 2003 over the Iraq War. Imagine a politician in America taking a stand like that?
Monday, February 01, 2010
Dylan Ratigan: Corporation Filing To Run For Congress
Murray Hill Incorporated for Congress. Dylan interviews campaign manager, William Klein.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
The Obvious—And Impossible—Response to the AFA's Superbowl Abortion Ad
It's always the people who had the choice that want to take that choice away from people after them.
For the record: defenders of choice support the choice Tim's mom made and believe that all women should have the same right to choose even if some women are going to make a different choice. Now here's what's so maddening about this ad and this controversy: the obvious response ad could never be produced.
There are women out there who ignored the advice of their doctors and chose not to have abortions and... their children did not grow up to be sports stars. The children they chose to carry—perhaps because they'd been exposed to simplistic "choose life!" propaganda that presented them only with best-case-scenario outcomes (your son could grow up to be a sports star!)— suffered short, miserable, harrowingly painful existences. Or their children survived thanks to medical interventions that didn't exist a generation ago but their needs took enormous financial and emotional tolls on their families, interventions and expenses that hardly seemed worthwhile given the child's low-to-non-existant quality of life.
As it turns out, this ad is based on a bullshit story. Tim Tebow was born in the Philippines where it was, and still is, completely illegal to have an abortion. Mrs. Tebow never made the choice to keep Tim and, as usual, the right-wing memes and stories are made up lies.
Sort of hard to make an ad of a woman who chose not to have an abortion and died. Corpses don't make good commercials. In the end, don't get your medical advice from a commercial.
A reader notes: "From my understanding of the Tim Tebow situation, it was his mother's life that was at risk, and that was the reason why the doctor was advising an abortion (they were expecting the fetus to die in the womb because of an infection). And that, is why I'm so creeped out by this ad. The ad's message is, even if your life is at risk, you should still never have an abortion."
Murray Hill Incorporated Running For Congress
Don't laugh, this is where we are heading. Thanks Conservative Supreme Court Justices.
"Until now, corporations only influenced politics with high-paid lobbyists and backroom deals. But today, thanks to an enlightened supreme court, corporations now have all the rights the founding fathers meant for us. That's why Murray Hill Incorporated is taking democracy's next step-- running for Congress."Tracking down Dylan Ratigan segment, very funny piece on MSNBC.
Obama On Alito In 2006
Spotting the activist judge years ago:
"When you look at his record - when it comes to his understanding of the Constitution, I have found that in almost every case, he consistently sides on behalf of the powerful against the powerless; on behalf of a strong government or corporation against upholding Americans' individual rights." -- Sen. Barack Obama, January 26, 2006, on Supreme Court nominee Samuel AlitoSource: http://www.realitychex.com/
Obama Seeks Broad Changes To ‘No Child Left Behind’
"The Obama administration is proposing a sweeping overhaul of President Bush’s signature education law, No Child Left Behind, and will call for broad changes in how schools are judged to be succeeding or failing, as well as for the elimination of the law’s 2014 deadline for bringing every American child to academic proficiency."
via nytimes.com
Getting rid of more Bush residue. Just thinking of a lifelong C student effecting our education system gives me chills.
The new proposal has a new accountability system and divides schools into more categories to better address successful programs and improve failing schools.
Obama And The Most Productive Congress in 40 Years
A CONTRARIAN DEFENSE OF THE 111TH CONGRESS.... The conventional wisdom on the current Congress seems pretty compelling. This is a Congress facing incredible challenges, and is struggling to rise to the occasion.
It's a perception I've largely bought into. When I think about what would be possible if legislation could be approved by majority rule in the House and Senate -- the way the legislative branch was designed to function, and the way it operated for nearly 200 years -- it's hard not to feel bitter disappointment.
The American Enterprise Institute's Norman Ornstein challenges these perceptions in a surprisingly compelling Washington Post op-ed today, describing this Congress as being on "a path to become one of the most productive since the Great Society 89th Congress in 1965-66."
Of particular interest was Ornstein's description of the scope of the stimulus package.
The productivity began with the stimulus package, which was far more than an injection of $787 billion in government spending to jump-start the ailing economy. More than one-third of it -- $288 billion -- came in the form of tax cuts, making it one of the largest tax cuts in history, with sizable credits for energy conservation and renewable-energy production as well as home-buying and college tuition. The stimulus also promised $19 billion for the critical policy arena of health-information technology, and more than $1 billion to advance research on the effectiveness of health-care treatments.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan has leveraged some of the stimulus money to encourage wide-ranging reform in school districts across the country. There were also massive investments in green technologies, clean water and a smart grid for electricity, while the $70 billion or more in energy and environmental programs was perhaps the most ambitious advancement in these areas in modern times. As a bonus, more than $7 billion was allotted to expand broadband and wireless Internet access, a step toward the goal of universal access.
Any Congress that passed all these items separately would be considered enormously productive. Instead, this Congress did it in one bill.
And while the economic recovery package was the most important legislative accomplishment of the last year, Ornstein also highlights successful bills on expanding children's health insurance, providing stiff oversight of the TARP funds, regulating tobacco, the largest land conservation law in nearly two decades, a credit card holders' bill of rights, and defense procurement reform.
And the House, meanwhile, has approved a historic cap-and-trade bill, sweeping financial regulatory changes, a jobs bill, and health care reform -- and maybe some of these might manage to work their way through a dysfunctional Senate.
Democratic leaders, Ornstein, argues, "deserve great credit for these achievements."
I wouldn't want the governing majority to rest on its laurels -- for the love of God, pass health care reform -- but Ornstein's overview of the first year of the 111th Congress paints a pretty compelling picture. Dems who feel the need to be defensive may want to read it, share it, and push its conclusions.
—Steve Benen 8:45 AM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (23)
There is reality and then there are ultra-negative GOP talking points.
Democrats and Progressives are kicking ass.
Blair In UK Inquiry: "I'd do it again"
via news.bbc.co.uk
Tony Blair was put before an inquiry to answer questions about the Iraq War and post 9/11 politics. Great to see him having to defend himself, being held accountable even if nothing actually comes of it.
You will never see or hear Bush or Cheney have to explain all their wrong presumptions that lead into the Iraq War. They have the worst foreign policy on record and will never have to pay the consequence, let alone answer any real questions to why they lied about WMD.
Via The Daily Dish:
"A stark contrast to the US where those who launched the Iraq war and instituted torture are deemed unprosecutable, immune from public accountability and many of them given platforms as if they have nothing to account for and nothing to apologize for."
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