Opening the Door to a Clean Energy Economy
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Saturday, June 27, 2009
President Obama's Weekly Radio Address, June 27, 2009 (Video and Transcript)
Michael Jackson Videos
Remember the Time....with Eddie Murphy, Magic Johnson and Iman
Smooth Criminal....
You can write or say what you WANT, but you won't see THIS AGAIN....
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Friday, June 26, 2009
President Barack Obama and Chancellor Angela Merkel Of Germany, Press Conference, White House (Video)
Governor Mark Sanford's wife told him don't go see his lover
Man, you can't write this any better. for real.
South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford sat in her oceanfront living room Friday, recalling how her husband repeatedly asked permission to visit his lover in the months after she discovered his affair.
"I said absolutely not. It's one thing to forgive adultery; it's another thing to condone it," Jenny Sanford told The Associated Press during a 20-minute interview at the coastal home where she sought refuge with their four sons. They were her first extended comments on the affair.
She said that when her husband, Gov. Mark Sanford, inexplicably disappeared last week, she hoped he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail, as his staff told those who inquired about his absence. That he had dared to go to Argentina to see the other woman left her stunned.
You mean to tell me that the Governor of South Carolina had to ask permission to go to Argentina? And was told NO?? But he went anyway? Does this smell like reconciliation with wifey to you?
"He was told in no uncertain terms not to see her," she said in a strong, steady voice. "I was hoping he was on the Appalachian Trail. But I was not worried about his safety. I was hoping he was doing some real soul-searching somewhere and devastated to find out it was Argentina. It's tragic."
The Sanfords had separated about two weeks ago. She said her husband told the family that he wanted some time away to work on writing a book and clear his head. The first lady said, "I had every hope he was not going to see her."
"You would think that a father who didn't have contact with his children, if he wanted those children, he would toe the line a little bit," she said.
Sanford's wife is not playing. And let us not forget that he just totally BLEW OFF, Father's Day with his boys, BLEW OFF trying to make it right with his wife, BLEW OFF any family time. Sanford decided that he wanted to be with the woman he loves and that is Maria in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Simple as that.
Sanford, a modern day, KING DAVID.
"When I found out in January, we both indicated a willingness to continue working on the marriage, but there's not room for three people in a marriage," she said. "I've done everything in my power possibly to keep him from going to see her and to really make sure she was off the table, including asking him to leave."
About an hour after Jenny Sanford talked of her pain and feelings of betrayal, her husband brushed aside any suggestion he might immediately resign, citing the Bible and the story of King David — who continued to lead after sleeping with another man's wife, Bathsheba, having the husband slain, then marrying the widow. read more here....
And what about Jenny and the boys? I would say that Jenny Sanford has been more than magnanimous here, seeing that her husband was caught not only cheating but lying to her. I commend her if she wants this to work out, that is the marriage, but I definitely don't blame her if she wants to move on because of lack of trust and just straight up disrespect.
This story is far from over.
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Climate Bill Passes the House, BARELY
Some heavy lifting and arm twisting was done by President Obama and former Vice President Gore to get this passed in the House.
Reflecting the tenseness of the legislative debate, the White House and Democratic leadership have ratcheted up their efforts to ensure party unity. Among those making calls to lawmakers on the fence include Al Gore and President Barack Obama. According to a senior Hill aide, who asked to remain anonymous, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis -- both recent recruits from the House -- have been calling former colleagues as well.
The key argument being conveyed is that this bill is the last big bite at the environmental policy apple.
"If it goes down, climate change is stymied," said one Democratic aide.
Well, it was not stymied and the bill is now on its way to the senate.
In a triumph for President Barack Obama on Friday, the Democratic-controlled House narrowly passed sweeping legislation calling for the nation's first-ever limits on pollution linked to global warming.
The bill also aims to usher in a new era of cleaner, yet more costly energy.
The vote was 219-212, capping months of negotiations and days of intense bargaining among Democrats. Republicans were overwhelmingly against the measure, saying it would cost jobs in the midst of a recession.
Republicans had sought to delay the inevitable. Moments before the final vote, House Republican John Boehner of Ohio plunged into a lengthy speech, methodically raising questions about numerous changes that he said Democrats had made public after 3 a.m. Friday.
He called the bill "the most profound piece of legislation to come to this floor in 100 years," but one that would create "a bureaucratic nightmare" without solving the nation's energy problems. read more here....
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Maureen Orth is one bitter pill, truly she is, from morning joe (Video)
For a woman who lost her husband a bit over a year ago tragically by a heart attack, her venom on Michael Jackson is stunning. NBC/MSNBC cried on television for over a WEEK in remembrance of her husband Tim Russert, yet she was all over television yesterday and today like she knew Michael Jackson, personally, when in reality SHE DID NOT.
Second hand information can be a bitch. Unless you are there, in the room, heard it from the horse's mouth that information is speculative. Next, people change and do have things that change in their life. So, for Orth to spew her venom since yesterday is just not only ungracious but she looks and sounds like a bitter bitch. Sorry, calling it the way it looks.
Michael Jackson, as all of us, had issues in his life. The main fact is that he never had a life. He was in front of the cameras since the age of five, never went to school, never had close friends growing up, always under the scrutiny. That in itself is not normal, that in itself will alter any human, that in itself makes one very suspect of anyone that is in their life.
Maureen Orth needs to go somewhere and STFU, because she comes across as one bitter pill. In the end, the public will remember Jackson as a genius and brilliant performer. The one who broke barriers. The one who made MTV put minority music on its channel. The one who changed the music industry.
Finally, John Ridley did set the record straight on the Maureen Orth's bullshit.
MICHAEL JACKSON WAS THE ONE.
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Thursday, June 25, 2009
Michael Jackson You Will Be Missed (Video)
We are the world...
Motown 25th Anniversary Television Special, UNFORGETTABLE
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Luau at the White House. Pictures.
President Obama with daughter, Sasha
The President, wearing a pink Hawaiian lei introduced members of his family – also in leis – and the newest member of the Obama family.
“The star of the family,” Obama called him, “Bo Obama.”
The President’s remarks were brief, just under two minutes and he wrapped up by thanking members of Congress for the “unbelievable work” they are doing for the American people.
The Obamas along with the families and the members of Congress, will enjoy a Hawaiian meal made by famed Hawaiian chef Alan Wong who was flown in for the event.
The menu: Wasabi potato salad, Farm green salad, Lomi Lomi salmon, Stuffed new potatoes, BBQ baby back ribs, Kalua Pig, Shrimp and clams, Tilapia tempura rolls, Crispy chicken hoagie, Grilled lamb chops. Spiced short ribs and Strawberry Tiramisu and Chocolate bars for dessert. read more here....
Press Secretary Robert Gibbs getting dunked
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It is official. Michael Jackson, KING OF POP, is dead at 50.
We've just learned Michael Jackson has died. He was 50.
Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.
A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived.
Once at the hospital, the staff tried to resuscitate him but he was completely unresponsive.
We're told one of the staff members at Jackson's home called 911.
La Toya ran in the hospital sobbing after Jackson was pronounced dead.
Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.
MSNBC
LA Times
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King of Pop, Michael Jackson apparent cardiac arrest (Video)
We've just learned Michael Jackson was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Los Angeles ... and we're told it was cardiac arrest and that paramedics administered CPR in the ambulance ... and it's looking bad.
He was picked up at his home around 20 minutes ago -- we're told his mother is on the way to visit him.
UPDATE: The 911 call came in at 12:21PM at his Holmby Hills home in L.A.
UPDATE: A Jackson family member tells TMZ Michael is in "really bad shape" and the brothers are headed to UCLA.
UPDATE: We just got off the phone with Joe Jackson, Michael's dad, who says "he is not doing well."
MSNBC
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Daily Insurance Talking Points Against Public Option, from Senator Orrin Hatch (Video)
Living within our means? Where was this statement when former President George W. Bush spent this country into a ditch? Ahhhh, I hear the crickets....
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Ahmadinejad says Obama is acting like Bush
OH, PUHLEAZE. Nobody, I mean, nobody is believing that old trick card from a very old playbook. for real.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Barack Obama of behaving like his White House predecessor and called on him to apologize for what he called U.S. interference following Iran's elections.
Obama has ramped up his previously muted criticism, saying he was "appalled and outraged" by a crackdown on protests which followed Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election.
"Mr. Obama made a mistake to say those things ... our question is why he fell into this trap and said things that previously (former U.S. President George W.) Bush used to say," the semi-official Fars News Agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
Before the election, the Obama administration had indicated that it was interested in reaching out to Iran, after years of a diplomatic freeze following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iran has given no clear signal that it is interested in Obama's overture, and in the wake of the election, the U.S. leader has slowly ratcheted up his criticism of Iran.
Meanwhile, 70 university professors were detained in Iran in a widening government crackdown on protesters, according to a Web site affiliated with opposition politician Mir Hossein Mousavi, who says he was robbed of victory in a rigged presidential election.
The professors were detained on Wednesday, immediately after meeting with Mousavi, the Kalemeh site said. The report said it is not clear where the detainees were taken.
Mousavi said for the first time Thursday that he is being isolated by authorities and pressured to drop his presidential election challenge. read more here....
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Joe Scarborough don't like the coverage of Sanford by his co-workers last night (Video)
He is talking about Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow!!! Oh, boo-fucking hoo, Joe!!!
Let's be clear here.
Governor Mark Sanford took a RISK. Yes, when you are boffing someone else's wife, when you are cheating on your own wife, when you are LYING to your constituents of your state, when you are performing dereliction of your duties as governor, then you deserve to be TALKED ABOUT and used as a SYMBOL of what NOT TO DO for others coming behind you.
Mark Sanford is a close friend of Joe Scarborough, period. I get it. But this AGAIN shows why Scarborough is not a journalist in the least. Scarborough's friend, Sanford, gave one of the most politically theatrical performances in political history at his press conference yesterday. The performance was filled with passion, emotion, a man in love with a woman who is not his wife, a full script ready to be put into the movies!!! You can not pay for that ANYWHERE. Along with the performance came the love emails, from the governor's email account, filled with passion and love for a woman far, far, away. You can not pay for that writing ANYWHERE!!
Scarborough, it is what it is. Your very close friend took a major risk and he got busted. Along with his bust, his glass house came tumbling down. Scarborough your friend stood on the holier than thow road, he has stood against same-sex marriage, he has pointed his finger at former President Bill Clinton for cheating on his wife and not holding up his marriage vows. Yes, Mark Sanford has done all that.
Scarborough, your friend is a hypocrite. I know you don't like folks talking about your friend, but if your friend had control over his lower head, if your friend had thought about his family FIRST, if your friend had thought about what his office means and the implications of abandoning it on a whim for a woman like Maria, then we all would be talking about health care, Iran, North Korea, energy, etc. Instead, we are talking about the reckless and irresponsibility of your friend, another Republican, who has bit the dust.
Get over it Scarborough. This is journalism and what Sanford did was and is FAIR GAME to criticize. If the heat is too hot in the kitchen, for ya', get the hell out.
Mika shows her true colors:
And a good laugh from Margaret and Helen, "Don't cry for me, Argentina"
Cross-posted @ Daily Kos
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More Mark Sanford email expose, round two....
I don't know how he will survive with all this out there. But again, when you are pointing the finger, quoting bible versus, holding family values up for all to see, just make sure that YOU are doing what you are telling others to do. That glass house can easily be shattered, as we are seeing with Sanford, utter hypocrisy.
Late Wednesday, the governor’s office said it would not dispute the authenticity of the e-mails.
The e-mails, published in today’s newspaper and at thestate.com, sound like Sanford.
There is talk of Coosaw, his Beaufort plantation, and his love of digging holes on the property. The e-mails refer to his known public schedule — a governor’s meeting and an audition for the Republican vice presidential nomination with John McCain.
One e-mail from Sanford’s personal address also referred to the Bible, a Sanford favorite. In response, his Argentine lover recommended an economics book, another Sanford favorite.
The e-mails also match much of what Sanford said at his Wednesday news conference: That his sexual relationship with the Argentine woman grew from a much-longer friendship, that it started about a year ago and that the woman has two sons.
From Sanford’s e-mail address to the woman: “I could digress and say that you have the ability to give magnificently gentle kisses, or that I love your tan lines or that I love the curves of your hips, the erotic beauty of you holding yourself (or two magnificent parts of yourself) in the faded glow of night’s light — but hey, that would be going into the sexual details ...”
Source
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Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Mark Sanford's wife, Jenny releases a statement, told husband to leave so she could "maintain my dignity"
I would like to start by saying I love my husband and I believe I have put forth every effort possible to be the best wife I can be during our almost twenty years of marriage. As well, for the last fifteen years my husband has been fully engaged in public service to the citizens and taxpayers of this state and I have faithfully supported him in those efforts to the best of my ability. I have been and remain proud of his accomplishments and his service to this state.
I personally believe that the greatest legacy I will leave behind in this world is not the job I held on Wall Street, or the campaigns I managed for Mark, or the work I have done as First Lady or even the philanthropic activities in which I have been routinely engaged. Instead, the greatest legacy I will leave in this world is the character of the children I, or we, leave behind. It is for that reason that I deeply regret the recent actions of my husband Mark, and their potential damage to our children.
I believe wholeheartedly in the sanctity, dignity and importance of the institution of marriage. I believe that has been consistently reflected in my actions. When I found out about my husband's infidelity I worked immediately to first seek reconciliation through forgiveness, and then to work diligently to repair our marriage. We reached a point where I felt it was important to look my sons in the eyes and maintain my dignity, self-respect, and my basic sense of right and wrong. I therefore asked my husband to leave two weeks ago. read the rest here...
Damn politicians......
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Now the dirt comes out, Mark Sanford's exchange (emails) with his lover, GOOD LORD, NO JOKE
All I can type is that the man is obvious in love and not with his wife.
This information is from The State, the largest newspaper in South Carolina. Next, obviously someone does not like Sanford or is out to get him, to leak this stuff to The State. (fyi, The State received these emails around December of 2008, will release all of the emails, tomorrow.)
Mark Sanford should RESIGN, he is a joke to the Republican Party, his state and an embarassment to his wife and kids. Good Lord, when you are in the public eye and you are doing stuff like this, it will come out. I still can't get over going all the way to Argentina to get some.....on another note, Sanford emails were sent from his governor's email account, are we thinking stupid here???
From Gov. Sanford,
Date: Thursday, July 10, 2008, 12:24 a.m.
“One, tomorrow leave at 5 a.m. for New York and meetings. Will think about you on its streets and wish I was going to be there later in the month when you are there. Tomorrow night back to Philadelphia for the start of the National Governor's Conference through the weekend. Back to Columbia for Tuesday and then on Wednesday, as I think I had told you, taking the family to China, Tibet, Nepal, India, Thailand and then back through Hong Kong on world wind tour. Few days home then to Bahamas for 5 days on a friend’s boat for the last break of the summer. The following weekend have been asked to spend it out in Aspen, Colorado with McCain - which has kicked up the whole VP talk all over again in the press back home ...
Two, mutual feelings .... You have a particular grace and calm that I adore. You have a level of sophistication that so fitting with your beauty. I could digress and say that you have the ability to give magnificent gentle kisses, or that I love your tan lines or that I love the curve of your hips, the erotic beauty of you holding yourself (or two magnificent parts of yourself) in the faded glow of the night’s light - but hey, that would be going into sexual details ...
Three and finally, while all the things above are all too true - at the same time we are in a hopelessly - or as you put it impossible - or how about combine and simply say hopelessly impossible situation of love. How in the world this lightening strike snuck up on us I am still not quite sure. As I have said to you before I certainly had a special feeling about you from the first time we met, but these feelings were contained and I genuinely enjoyed our special friendship and the comparing of all too many personal notes ...
Lastly I also suspect I feel a little vulnerable because this is ground I have never certainly never covered before - so if you have pearls of wisdom on how we figure all this out please let me know... In the meantime please sleep soundly knowing that despite the best efforts of my head my heart cries out for you, your voice, your body, the touch of your lips, the touch of your finger tips and an even deeper connection to your soul.”
--------------------
From Maria,
Wednesday, July 9, 2008 8:14 p.m.
“As I told you I shouldn't have done this trip but I would have felt worst if I wouldn't have come because it was too over the date, he is a very nice guy, great heart ... but unfortunately I am not in love with him ... You are my love ... something hard to believe even for myself as it's also a kind of impossible love, not only because of distance but situation. Sometimes you don't choose things, they just happen... I can't redirect my feelings and I am very happy with mine towards you.”
read the rest of this here....
Sanford's Press Conference
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Wife Cheater, Governor Mark Sanford's Press Conference on his Argentina Affair (Video)
There is nothing like pay back when a woman is scorned. Mark Sanford's wife put the media on him to disgrace him. Since she knew about his affair for 5 months, she was highly and rightly, PISSED. The statement of "not knowing where he was at" was what upset the apple cart. So, goes Mark Sanford. It is retooling time for the Republicans and time to get out of the "holier than thou" game, because their participants are too hypocritical. This video will go down as pure political, theatrical viagra, at its best. p.s.....did you know adultery is a crime in South Carolina?????
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ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST: SC Governor Mark Sanford is a jackass, period
This is pathetic.
He left the country, wife did not know where he was at, not around for Father's Day, because of an affair? What a loser.
During a Wednesday news conference at his office in Columbia, Gov. Mark Sanford admitted to having an extra-marital affair — information that surfaced after his recent, secret trip to Argentina.
The married father of four emotionally apologized to his wife, staff and others hit by the news.
Sanford said he met the woman about eight years ago, but "about a year ago, it sparked into something more than that."
The governor said his wife and family have known about it for the past five months.
He also announced that he was resigning as chairman of the Republican Governors' Association.
Earlier, the South Carolina governor told a newspaper he was in South America, not hiking the Appalachian Trail as his staff had told the public to explain his sudden absence. He said he "wanted to do something exotic" to unwind after losing a fight over federal stimulus money.
The State newspaper reported that Sanford arrived Wednesday morning at Atlanta's international airport on a flight from Buenos Aires, where he drove along the coast of what he called a "beautiful" city.
The Republican governor told the South Carolina newspaper he had considered hiking, but at the last minute changed his mind.
"But I said 'no' I wanted to do something exotic," Sanford told the newspaper. read more here....
And Joe Scarborough of morning joke, I mean joe, was vouching for this guy this morning. I know him well, he is my friend.
What a loser. The man needs to RESIGN. For the Republicans, another one bites the dust.
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Daily Insurance Talking Points Against Public Option, from Senator Grassley (Video)
Yes, on the daily from those in a coo with the insurance companies...
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SC Governor Mark Sanford and his "AWOL" act, gets blasted from his own party members (Video)
....lies, lies, lies, from State Senator Jake Knotts (R-SC)
and when Ron Christie throws you under the bus???? You just may be UNDER THE BUS!!!
I don't know what the real story is here, but it has changed NUMEROUS times within 24 hours and to just leave without saying anything to his wife and around Father's Day? Sorry, this just stinks folks. More to this story, surely to come....
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Obama to meet with the Pope
President Obama plans to meet with Pope Benedict XVI during a visit to Rome next month, the Reuters news agency is reporting from Vatican City.
The White House would neither confirm nor deny the story this morning, but it stands to reason. Obama is traveling to Italy early next month for the G8 summit, and when in Rome....
Obama's visit to the Holy See recalls his last trip to a noted Catholic institution, and the less than uniformly warm welcome he received due to his support for abortion rights. He delivered the commencement address at Notre Dame University last month and was met by some protest -- and some support -- from the largely Catholic student body.
Source
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Obama sending ambassador to Syria
Last time there, 4 years ago...
President Barack Obama has decided to return a U.S. ambassador to Syria after a four-year hiatus as talks between the two nations intensify, U.S. media reported Tuesday.
The State Department informed Syria's ambassador to Washington, Imad Mustafa, of Obama's intention Tuesday night, a senior administration official told the Washington Post.
By returning a senior U.S. envoy to Damascus, Obama is seeking to carve out a far larger role for the United States in the region as he works to rehabilitate U.S. relations with the Islamic world and the Arab Middle East, the newspaper said.
"It's in our interests to have an ambassador in Syria," a senior administration official told CNN.
Mustafa welcomed the decision to name a U.S. envoy to increase dialogue among stakeholders in the Middle East, CNN said. The announcement of a new ambassador is expected to be made later this week but no individual has been chosen to fill the post, the report states. read more here....
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Chris Matthews slams Joe Scarborough on health care (Video)
You get that?
Matthews was correct about Scarborough.
Health care is a value judgment and Matthews is right. Scarborough has not made a value judgment.
Scarborough's whole case and point is to keep pumping, dumping and performing a re-do of the insurance companies talking points. Period.
And Matthews is correct.
It is a RIGHT WINGED THING, why? Because they will do anything to remove any moral, political victory from Barack Obama. PERIOD.
Mika is caught up in the pussy footing? Meaning? She is not concise, on point and squimish next to Scarborough. Mika there is nothing wrong with asking questions from the media, but the thing is that this same media did not do its job with George W. Bush and how he put this country in the catastrophic debt that it is in.
Health care is a human right. It is not for insurance companies, who have over the years become the DOCTOR of who will be covered, what will be covered and how it will be covered for human beings.
The Mikas and Joes are a few, they are not the masses, who enjoy some of the best health care in this country. Joe Scarborough a former member of congress had the BEST HEALTH CARE that the U.S. taxpayers could buy for him and his family as former member of congress.
The scare tactics of the RIGHT WINGED MEME is not going to work this time. Why? Because more and more Americans are losing their jobs, with job loss comes health care loss. More and more Americans can not afford COBRA payments, the payments are outrageous. More and more Americans are getting HIT HARD with increases in health insurance premiums of 20% or more, yearly and some quarterly.
Like college in this country, which is becoming harder for kids to attain a higher education, such is health care. Health care is becoming an item for the very well to do to afford and not everyone else.
But, why should we expect the Mikas and Joes to understand this? When was the last time they had to think twice before going to a doctor? To question can I afford the visit? Can I afford the prescription medication? It is simple, they don't have to worry about this, but millions of families with or without health care DO WORRY ABOUT THIS.
The bashing and irresponsibility of the right wingers won't work this time. People are tired and many are sick. For this being the ONLY INDUSTRIALIZED country to not have a health care plan for its citizens is archaic and outrageous.
Lastly, if we can spend 10B in Iraq on the monthly, spend over 1T for this war of CHOICE not necessity, there is no damn reason why we can not take care of the citizens of this country. WE DESERVE IT. And the time to worry about a deficit is to deaf ears coming from the right, because they did not keep their man, when in office, in check on his unnecessary spending and look where this country is at now.
WORD ON ALL OF THAT.
Cross-posted @ Daily Kos
••
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Obama headed to St. Louis to throw out first pitch for All-Star Game
I was wondering when he was going to throw out that PITCH...
Major League Baseball announced today that known basketball fan Barack Obama, who never got around to going down the street in Washington to see a hockey playoff game, will travel all the way to St. Louis in three weeks to be the starting pitcher in baseball's annual All-Star Game.
The 47-year-old liberal southpaw out of Chicago known for his eloquent fastballs and embarrassing gutterballs is expected to be pulled after one pitch, the ceremonial opening one.
He'll be, of course, standing to throw the ball in Busch Stadium in front of a nationwide Fox Sports TV audience during Missouri's vaunted mid-summer humidity. But he'll also be only the fourth sitting president to do so -- after John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. That makes 2 D's and 2 R's now out of 44 total presidents, although early presidents were not fans. (Scroll down for a complete list of all presidential appearances at the mid-summer classic.)
This being politics, there is, not surprisingly, a catch to the president's appearance. read more here....
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Obama goes after the insurance companies
We all know that the talking points of the senate, the pathetic senate, are given to them by the insurance companies. They don't care about us, they only care about PROFITS, RAISING YOUR PREMIUMS, DENYING CLAIMS, NO PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS, REDUCING SERVICES. Though there may be, I wrote, may be some good companies out there, the reputation is soiled by the ones who have done, are still doing and will continue to do all the above.
This is why the people in this country is and will continue to REBUKE the insurance companies and continue to want public option.
President Obama is right in this aspect:
"The public plan, I think, is an important tool to discipline insurance companies," he said. "Too often, insurance companies have been spending more time thinking about how to take premiums and then avoid providing people coverage than they have been thinking about 'How can we make sure that insurance is there, health care is there, when families need it?'"
A public plan would not be unfairly subsidized, Obama said. It would have to collect premiums and provide good service, like any viable operation. Public and private providers alike would have to stop the practice of refusing to insure people with pre-existing medical problems, he said.
With those caveats, he said, private insurers "should be able to compete." If the government-run program "is able to reduce administrative costs significantly, then you know what, I'd like the insurance companies to take note and say, 'Hey, if the public plan can do that, why can't we?'"
He practically taunted those who denigrate government bureaucrats and exalt the free market.
"Why would it drive private insurance out of business?" he said of the proposed public option. If private insurers "tell us that they're offering a good deal, then why is it that the government, which they say can't run anything, suddenly is going to drive them out of business? That's not logical."
Again, if the private insurance companies give stellar coverage, service, at affordable rates, this debate would not be out there, but the fact is THEY DO NOT.
How many out here premiums are skyrocketing? Continuing to go up? And look and compare your service? See it being reduced or eliminated? And for heaven's sake don't get older. These plans will either deny everything or push you totally off the plan. And they wonder how average Americans are going bankrupt? We can't afford this abuse any longer.
At this point and time, it is the public option or nothing. And if the Democratic Senate, which will have its 60th seat with Al Franken, can not deliver after seeing the overwhelming poll numbers, they will be in BIG TROUBLE, period.
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Obama Girls ride the cable car in San Francisco
I know they had a grand time. Riding the cable cars is a memory that remains from my time in San Francisco. One of our treasured cities.
The daughters of President Barack Obama have helped inaugurate something new in San Francisco.
While their mom, Michelle Obama, was helping volunteers build a school playground Monday, Malia and Sasha Obama were among the first passengers on a new cable car making its maiden runs in the city.
Metropolitan Transportation Agency chief Nathaniel Ford escorted the girls and their grandmother, Marian Robinson. They rode from Nob Hill to Lombard Street, billed as the "Crookedest Street in the World."
Ford says he's honored that the girls rode along. read more here....
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Blue Cross Blue Shield, "NO" to Kennedy and Public Option
Well, Blue Cross Blue Shield is definitely one of the largest providers of health insurance in this country. Being one of the largest, they DEFINITELY have a huge interest in how the public plan will roll out.
Thus, comes their definite and final argument AGAINST any public plan.
And again, people in this country are not asleep at the wheel. If Blue Cross Blue Shield gives the BEST coverage for the dollar, then hey, they should have no problems competing with a public plan. But when you start to run SCARED, as BCBS is doing, along with threats which are out there, and with lobbyists writing big checks to these weak knee senators on the hill, FOLKS WE HAVE A FIGHT ON OUR HANDS.
emphasis below is mine's
The insurance industry Tuesday laid down a marker on health care, warning in stark terms that a proposed government insurance plan would dismantle the employer coverage Americans have relied on for a half century and overtake the system.
In a joint letter to senators, the two largest industry groups also said they don't believe it's possible to design a government plan that can compete fairly with private companies in a revamped health care market. That particular statement seemed to be aimed at lawmakers of both parties who are seeking a compromise on the contentious issue.
Not compete fairly?
Blue Cross Blue Shield is also one of the health care providers that are STICKLERS on pre-existing conditions. They are notorious for throwing folks off their plan or raise the premiums so high, the payments are unaffordable for most Americans. This same company is notorious for continuing to raise Americans health care premiums, while consistently striking and reducing coverage in many plans.
So, now Blue Cross Blue Shield is extremely worried about a public plan or public option, CUTTING INTO THEIR market? Blue Cross Blue Shield, if you were on the up and up with people, you would have no problems. The question is have you been? And I can answer that question, "NO".
Recent media polls have found strong public support for the idea of a government plan. It would compete with private companies to offer coverage to individuals and small businesses, but eventually might be opened to large employers as well. The positive public reaction to the idea has emboldened liberals, who are arguing that Democrats shouldn't compromise.
The insurers suggested a government plan would run counter to Obama's promise that Americans can keep the coverage they have.
"A government-run plan no matter how it is initially structured would dismantle employer-based coverage, significantly increase costs for those who remain in private coverage, and add additional liabilities to the federal budget," said the letter from AHIP chief Karen Ignagni and Scott Serota, the head of Blue Cross.
Here we go with the talking point that insurance companies are arming the week knee Democratic senators and minority led Republicans, "A public plan will destroy your coverage. You will not be able to keep your doctor....." The real untold story is the FEAR that big, large companies which BCBS have as customers, will look at the advantage and cost of a public plan and compare it with BCBS and decide to go with the public plan.
This is nothing new, here. As, President Obama has just indicated during his press conference, why would any insurance company be concerned or upset with a public plan if their coverage is sound and what the public wants.
The notion that all these insurance companies who say they’re giving consumers the best possible deal, if they can’t compete against a public plan as one option, with consumers making the decision what’s the best deal, that defies logic, which is why I think you’ve seen in the polling data overwhelming support for a public plan.
That is the crux here. Many of us like our doctors and have a good relationship with them, but a public plan will force all these insurance companies to come clean and be HONEST in coverage and more importantly COST.
It is hard to FIGHT change. Even with the polling numbers, the public plan is what the public wants. It will be companies like BCBS that will fight it to the death. It is up to us, the public to make sure that they DO NOT WIN.
D.C. Senators, wake up and smell the option that the public WANTS.
Update [2009-6-23 18:33:34 by icebergslim]:
h/t to deMemedeMedia for pointing out that BCBS to raise policy holder rates 22-44% in Michigan. What is the point of having HEALTHCARE if you can not afford to go to a doctor for fear of constant policy increases!!!
And the Florida BCBS plan? Read it all here, but the crux is this:
Well the Blue Cross plan has an annual maximum of $25,000 in benefits with a lifetime maximum of $50,000. So the above Floridian will pay $5,556 a year for a possible single year benefit of $25,000.
Are you laughing or really crying, yet?
••
Cross-posted A Daily Kos
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President Obama on CBS' The Early Show with Harry Smith (Video)
June 22, 2009
Watch CBS Videos Online
June 23, 2009
Watch CBS Videos Online
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Obama creating a council to aid auto industry
Another council....
President Barack Obama is creating a White House council to handle issues that affect American communities and workers tied to the automotive industry.
The White House says Obama will sign an executive order Tuesday to establish the White House Council on Automotive Communities and Workers. The council will be chaired by the president's economic adviser, Larry Summers, and his labor secretary, Hilda Solis.
The executive director will be Obama's director of recovery for auto communities and workers, Ed Montgomery.
Vice President Joe Biden is traveling to Perrysburg, Ohio, to announce the committee's creation.
The recession has been particularly hard on the auto industry, which has lost more than 400,000 jobs in the last decade.
Source
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In case you missed it: Michelle Obama in San Francisco, California (Pictures and Video)
First Ladies in California: FLOTUS Michelle Obama and First Lady of California Maria Shriver
NCVS 2009, Michelle Obama
View all the video, here.
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Monday, June 22, 2009
Rep. Barney Frank files bill to decriminalize marijuana
It should be decriminalized. But, we will see how far this goes.
A controversial law in Massachusetts could go national if Congressman Barney Frank gets his way.
Frank has filed a bill that would eliminate federal penalties for personal possession of less than 100 grams of marijuana.
It would also make the penalty for using marijuana in public just $100.
"I think John Stuart Mill had it right in the 1850s," said Congressman Frank, "when he argued that individuals should have the right to do what they want in private, so long as they don't hurt anyone else. It's a matter of personal liberty. Moreover, our courts are already stressed and our prisons are over-crowded. We don't need to spend our scarce resources prosecuting people who are doing no harm to others."
Source
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Democrats in D.C., "If you don't pass health care with a strong public option, YOU WILL BE IN TROUBLE" (Video)
I saw this from the Ed Show. Again, D.C. Democrats are shooting themselves in the foot. They need to get out of D.C. and go home and talk to their constituents. Folks want the PUBLIC OPTION, what is so damn difficult for them to get here???
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Obama signs "Anti-Smoking" Bill (Video)
See how long it took to regulate tobacco? An industry that lied about the affects of narcotics on Americans for decades, because of PROFIT. That is why the health care bill with public option must be included in the bill, the powerful lobbyists are doing everything they can to destroy the bill. In the end it must be the will of the people, to push the D.C. Politicians to do the right thing.
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SC Governor Mark Sanford had DISAPPEARED???
He just up and bounced? No one, not even his wife knew where he was at?
Now trying to state that all is well? But his office or family obviously had the police trace is cell phone to find out where he was at? In ATL?
WTF?
Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer said he's been told the governor's staff is in contact with the second-term Republican, but Sanford's wife said she hasn't heard from him in several days, including Father's Day.
"He was writing something and wanted some space to get away from the kids," Jenny Sanford told The Associated Press while vacationing with the couple's four sons at their Sullivans Island beach house. She said she didn't know where he was, but wasn't concerned.
Sanford, who's also chairman of the Republican Governors Association, earned a reputation as the nation's most vocal anti-bailout governor by refusing $700 million in federal stimulus money for schools until he lost a court battle earlier this month.
His spokesman Joel Sawyer released a statement saying the governor was taking a break after losing the fight.
"Gov. Sanford is taking some time away from the office this week to recharge after the stimulus battle and the legislative session and to work on a couple of projects that have fallen by the wayside," Sawyer said.
Whatever.....
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Another poll, Washington Post, puts Obama at 65%
Which makes me question the NBC/WSJ Poll. And now on television you hear the change of Obama being rated at 56% to 65%. In other words, he is at high 60s.
The tempered public outlook has not significantly affected Obama's overall standing, which at 65 percent approval in the new survey outpaces the ratings of former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton at similar points in their presidencies. But new questions about the stimulus package's effectiveness underscore the stakes for the Obama administration in the months ahead, as it pushes for big reforms in health care and energy on top of the singular issue of the nation's flagging economy.
Obama maintains leverage on these issues in part because of the continuing weakness of his opposition. The survey found the favorability ratings of congressional Republicans at their lowest point in polls dating back more than a decade. Obama also has significant advantages over Republican lawmakers in terms of public trust on dealing with the economy, health care, the deficit and the threat of terrorism, all despite broad-based GOP criticism of his early actions on these fronts.
With unemployment projected to continue rising and fears that the big run-up in stock prices since February may have been a temporary trend, fixing the economy remains the most critical issue of Obama's presidency -- and retaining public confidence in his policies is an important element of his recovery strategy.
Overall, 52 percent now say the stimulus package has or will succeed in restoring the economy, down from 59 percent two months ago. The falloff in confidence in the stimulus package has been sharpest in the hard-hit Midwest, where fewer than half now see the government spending as succeeding. In April, six in 10 Midwesterners said the big, federal program had already worked or eventually would do so.
And the Republicans? LOWEST VIEW FROM THE PUBLIC EVER!!
The state of the Republican Party remains grim. Just 22 percent of those surveyed identified themselves as Republicans, near April's decades-long low point. Only 36 percent said they have a favorable impression of the GOP, with 56 percent saying they have an unfavorable impression. (Fifty-three percent said they have a favorable view of the Democratic Party.)
Obama has greater than 20-point leads over congressional Republicans in public trust on dealing with health care, the deficit, terrorism and the economy. The margin on the economy has slipped since April, but still remains a hefty 55 percent to 31 percent over GOP lawmakers.
read all of it hear
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More VOTES cast in Iran Presidential Election than PEOPLE?
And there was NO CHEATING involved?
Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatened to crush any protests as the Guardian Council announced Monday that voting irregularities found in 50 constituencies would have had no impact on the outcome of the presidential election.
There will be a "revolutionary confrontation" if demonstrators take to the streets again, Iran's elite military force said in a statement on Monday.
Demonstrators must "end the sabotage and rioting activities," said the statement, adding that the protests by supporters of reformist leader Mir Hossein Mousavi amount to a "conspiracy" against Iran.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's landslide re-election on June 12 has spurred allegations of vote-rigging and sent tens of thousands of supporters from both sides into the streets for massive protests.
Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei, spokesman for the 12-member cleric Guardian Council, was quoted on state TV as saying a probe into the disputed election results has found that in 50 constituencies there were more votes cast than there were registered voters.
But that "has no effect on the results of the election," which saw Ahmadinejad winning by a 2-to-1 margin, Kadkhodaei said. read more here....
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Democrats must have the political will to pass sweeping health care reform
If anyone thinks the Republicans will be in the Democrats corner, THINK AGAIN. And co-ops? Forget that noise. The public wants a SOLID PUBLIC OPTION. PERIOD. Poll after poll indicates this. If we can spend 10B a month since 2003 in Iraq, and look how THAT turned out, you mean to tell me we can not invest in the people of this country?
D.C. Senators, the public totally GET THAT ONE.
Emboldened by polls that show public backing for a government health insurance plan, Democrats are moving to make it a politically defining issue in the debate over the future of medical care.
Behind-the-scenes attempts to get a deal with Republicans on nonprofit co-ops as an alternative to a public plan have led only to frustration, complains a key Democrat. He and his colleagues may have to go it alone, said Sen. Chuck Schumer.
The co-ops were seen as perhaps the last hope for compromise on a contentious issue that threatens any remaining prospects of bipartisan support for President Barack Obama's sweeping plan to remake the health care system.
"I don't think I could say with a straight face that this (co-op proposal) is at all close to a nationwide public option," Schumer, D-N.Y., told The Associated Press on Sunday. "Right now, this co-op idea doesn't come close to satisfying anyone who wants a public plan." read more here....
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Obama to announce 80B with drug companies
President Barack Obama will make a formal announcement Monday welcoming the weekend agreement by the pharmaceutical industry to help close a gap in prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
The president has invited Barry Rand, head of the senior citizens' advocacy group AARP, to appear with him.
The drug companies have pledged to spend $80 billion over the next decade to help reduce the cost of drugs for seniors and pay for a portion of Obama's health care legislation.
The deal was struck with Sen. Max Baucus, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, as well as the White House.
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Sunday, June 21, 2009
Senator Dianne Feinstein, "GET WITH THE PROGRAM ON HEALTH CARE", PLEASE
DiFi on State of the Union, stating, "....we don't have the votes..." Will she get with the program and work to get the damn votes!!! Especially with California, this state has 18% of its residents UNINSURED.
I don't think Democrats in D.C. understand something, the something is that if you don't work with Barack Obama for public option in the health care bill, there are some Democrats who will go DOWN in 2010. I hope these D.C., out of touch, blowhards understand this.
After the CBS/NYT poll came out that over 70% want a public option, Feinstein and the rest need to get with the program. And for Grassley to state, our budget is trillions in deficit spending, where was HE AT during the BUSH REGIME???
And the debt to the Chinese? Ask the former Bush Administration, who put this country in more debt than any former adminstration ever had.
nuff said.
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Meet the Press, June 21, 2009 (Video and Transcript)
Former Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., and former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., discuss President Obama’s approach to health care. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discusses the post-election unrest in the Islamic Republic with NBC's David Gregory.
Transcript
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From ABCs "This Week": Lindsey Graham plays the FEAR CARD on the public option plan (Video)
Did you get all that? Do you understand how the Republicans are going to play this?
Are the Democrats going to allow this to be torpedoed?
Americans overwhelmingly support substantial changes to the health care system and are strongly behind one of the most contentious proposals Congress is considering, a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
The poll found that most Americans would be willing to pay higher taxes so everyone could have health insurance and that they said the government could do a better job of holding down health-care costs than the private sector.
Again, the insurance companies, PHARMA, HMOs should be very worried.
The public does want the government public option and many DO GET IT. With the public option, insurance companies must be more competitive on their services and offer and PAY folks claims. Everyone has had a run in with their health insurance plans and folks understand that insurance companies are in it for themselves, not for what is best for the U.S. customer. The health insurance in this country is so bad that many doctors are fighting with insurance companies THEMSELVES. People do understand that if the insurance companies, PHARMA, HMOs are so against the public option, it must offer the public something that they want, SERVICE.
Folks, if you are a member in congress, especially the senate, the lobbyists are sleeping at your doorstep!!! The lobbyists are waiting to get into your senator's office for a meeting with the checkbook open and willing to write any amount necessary to secure your senator's vote AGAINST any public option.
Folks, our congress is so corrupt that they are willing to NOT LISTEN TO US, THE AMERICAN PUBLIC all for the greater good of themselves.
That weak argument by Lindsay Graham is ridiculous. The insurance companies are all about driving costs up and denying coverage, period. If this was not so, we would not have almost 50 million Americans walking around here with no insurance. Nor would we have 50% of bankruptices in this country DUE to health care costs, and we are talking about most Americans having coverage but the insurance companies DID NOT PAY. And we would not have 14,000 American individuals losing health care insurance DAILY, not weekly or monthly, but DAILY. These numbers are staggering and something needs to be done.
What we see unfolding in Washington, D.C. is straight up beltway insider's rule. Damn the public, the senators are going to do what THEY WANT TO DO, not what WE DEMAND.
I can not argue or state enough that if we do not stand up against these senators, lobbyists, insurance companies and with the President's fight for the public option plan, we will not get another chance for decades to come.
Money is a bitch. It is the greed of all things. Along with money comes power. The money and power is influencing congress right now. How? With the CBS/NYT poll out that Americans want public option, these senators, most Republicans but with many Democrats are staunchly stating that they will not vote for any public option plan, even though WE WANT IT.
Time to do an IRAN on D.C. and take it to the streets. It starts June 25, 2009. A major health care rally is being formulated and planned, all the information is here. Also, please call your senator tomorrow and give each one of them an EARFUL.
If you care about this issue, we all need to make an effort to be there. While the lobbyists have a checkbook, we have NUMBERS as in PEOPLE WHO VOTE.
WORD.
And h/t bumblebums for this clip of Howard Dean telling it like it is on the public option plan:
Sign the petition, Stand with Dr. Dean. Now.
Cross-posted @ Daily Kos
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Obama to Iran, "...we are bearing witness to the Iranian people..."
The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost. We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people. The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights.
As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion.
Martin Luther King once said - “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” I believe that. The international community believes that. And right now, we are bearing witness to the Iranian peoples’ belief in that truth, and we will continue to bear witness.
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"If I could be anything, I'd be a good father", by President Barack Obama (Pictures)
From the Parade Magazine:
As the father of two young girls who have shown such poise, humor, and patience in the unconventional life into which they have been thrust, I mark this Father’s Day — our first in the White House — with a deep sense of gratitude. One of the greatest benefits of being President is that I now live right above the office. I see my girls off to school nearly every morning and have dinner with them nearly every night. It is a welcome change after so many years out on the campaign trail and commuting between Chicago and Capitol Hill.
But I observe this Father’s Day not just as a father grateful to be present in my daughters’ lives but also as a son who grew up without a father in my own life. My father left my family when I was 2 years old, and I knew him mainly from the letters he wrote and the stories my family told. And while I was lucky to have two wonderful grandparents who poured everything they had into helping my mother raise my sister and me, I still felt the weight of his absence throughout my childhood.
As an adult, working as a community organizer and later as a legislator, I would often walk through the streets of Chicago’s South Side and see boys marked by that same absence — boys without supervision or direction or anyone to help them as they struggled to grow into men. I identified with their frustration and disengagement — with their sense of having been let down. read more here.....
The President takes Sasha and Malia to The Dairy Godmother, a frozen custard shop just outside Washington.
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