First lady Michelle Obama greets parents, trick-or-treaters and local school children at the north portico of the White House during a Halloween celebration on October 31, 2009 in Washington, DC. The Obamas are celebrating their first Halloween in the White House by inviting students and military families over for the holiday.
LOVE FLOTUS!!! She reminds me of Eartha Kitt, playing Catwoman back in the 60s from the Batman TV Show
More pictures, here.
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Saturday, October 31, 2009
Happy Halloween @ The White House!!!
Lawrence O'Donnell destroys Liz Cheney on criticizing President Obama for paying tribute to fallen soilders (Video)
President Bush or Vice-President Cheney NEVER went to Dover AFB to honor the fallen soldiers. O'Donnell tore Liz Cheney UP and it was due, since most of her statement was a LIE. From Countdown with Keith Olbermann.
and Rachel Maddow weighs in.....
President Obama stands outside an Air Force C-17 transport plane as he takes part in the "dignified transfer ceremony" of U.S. Army Sgt. Dale R. Griffin at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, October 29, 2009. Griffin is one of 18 U.S. personnel who died Monday in Afghanistan.
h/t Daily Kos
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Friday, October 30, 2009
While the White House touts 650K jobs saved or created....
the public still wants to know where are the jobs for the upwards of 20M who are unemployed.
The White House touts jobs saved or created, but the majority of those jobs were teachers and for the record these jobs should be saved. The question now is, "What about everyone else?"
Now we are heading into 2010 and if the prospects of the holiday are any indication, it won't be a Holly Jolly Christmas for millions of Americans.
Flat incomes suggest more weakness ahead in consumer spending, reinforcing concerns about a ho-hum holiday shopping season and a sluggish economic recovery.
"This recovery is going to be very weak. Consumers are in no position or mood to spend. Their wages are down and they can't get credit," said Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at California State University's Smith School of Business.
Concerns about the economy sparked by disappointing government data on spending and incomes sent stocks down Friday, erasing the previous day's big gains. The Dow Jones industrial average lost about 250 points, and broader indexes also fell.
Millions of Americans have been complaining about stagnate wages for years, now the reality is hitting hard. As everything else, GOES UP, our wages are not KEEPING UP. Those with jobs, like me, Christmas Time is scaled back drastically. After having major surgery this year with a whopping bill, the "Holly Jolly" will just move on by the icebergslim household this holiday season.
President Obama has inherited a major problem, the public is being patient, but when you have numbers of unemployed hitting 10% and millions are out of work, there really is nothing to be Holly Jolly about. Until the unemployment numbers turn around, wages increase, folks can find a job, 2010 is totally up in the air for the Democrats.
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President Obama lifts ban for those entering the U.S. with HIV; signs the Ryan White HIV/Aids Act (Video)
I did not know this discriminatory action was on our books, here in the United States of America. This ban should have been lifted ages ago.
President Barack Obama said Friday the U.S. will overturn a 22-year-old travel and immigration ban against people with HIV early next year. The order will be finalized on Monday, Obama said, completing a process begun during the Bush administration.
The U.S. has been among a dozen countries that bar entry to travelers with visas or anyone seeking a green card based on their HIV status.
"If we want to be the global leader in combatting HIV/AIDS, we need to act like it," Obama said at the White House before signing a bill to extend the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program. Begun in 1990, the program provides medical care, medication and support services to about half a million people, most of them low-income.
The bill is named for an Indiana teenager who contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion at age 13. White went on to fight AIDS-related discrimination against him and others like him and help educate the country about the disease. He died in April 1990 at the age of 18. read more here...
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Joe Liberman to campaign for Republicans next year
Barack Obama, Harry Reid, are you getting this? If not, please have someone turn your light bulbs on, so you do.
"I probably will support some Republican candidates for Congress or Senate in the election in 2010. I'm going to call them as I see them," Lieberman told ABC News in an interview published Friday.
Democratic Leadership, please, get it together.
CNN
h/t DemConWatch
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Liz Cheney states President Obama honored fallen soilders for publicity
Yes, Dick's daughter has the nerve to state this. Funny, you don't hear a critical PEEP on Capitol Hill by the Republicans and you won't.
The Bush Administration darkened what the public could see, that is the return of the dead. Neither President Bush or Vice-President Cheney ever went to Dover to greet the return of our fallen soilders as Barack Obama, if they did it surely was not recorded.
Lastly, President Obama not only participated in the ceremony but talked to the families of the fallen soilders well into the morning. That is more than what George W. Bush or Dick Cheney has ever done and Lizzy got the nerve to criticize?
PUHLEAZE with that noise.
Liz Cheney called out President Obama for his early-morning trip to honor fallen soldiers arriving at Dover Air Force Base yesterday, suggesting President Bush honored America's heroes with a bit more class than his successor.
Cheney, on Fox News Radio's John Gibson Show yesterday:
"I think that what President Bush used to do is do it without the cameras. And I don't understand sort of showing up with the White House Press Pool with photographers and asking family members if you can take pictures. That's really hard for me to get my head around...It was a surprising way for the president to choose to do this."
Sometimes it is nice to know that your President actually cares and you know it by seeing it. To criticize our Commander-in-Chief is outrageous and over the line, but what more should we expect from Lizzie Cheney.
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Blanche Lincoln, you can be stupid if you want to
Senator Blanche Lincoln, another person in the senate who is bought and sold by the insurance lobbyists has just been told reality by her STATE OF ARKANSAS.
In other words, she can vote against the public option if she dares, it will be political suicide for her.
Voters in Arkansas Support a Public Option
56% of all voters favor a public option, while 37% oppose it. Among Democrats, an overwhelming 83% favor a public option, while 12% oppose it. 57% of Independents favor a public option.
73% of all voters think that private health insurance companies care more about profit than about the health of the patients that they cover. Among Democrats and Independents, that number skyrockets to 86% and 72% respectively.
2010 Political Vulnerability Linked to Voting Against Health Care Bill
43% of Democrats are less likely to vote for Blanche Lincoln in 2010 if she votes against the public option--and 49% of Democrats and 35% of Independents are less likely to vote for her if she helps filibuster a bill.
If the 2010 election were held today, Blanche Lincoln receives 41% of the vote and Republican Gilbert Baker receives 39% of the vote--with 20% of voters undecided. Blanche Lincoln has suffered a net drop of 5% support since last month’s Research 2000 poll.
46% of Democrats are less likely to vote for her in the 2010 primary if she votes against the public option, and 48% are less likely to vote for her in the 2010 primary if she helps filibuster a bill.
Among Democrats, 43% think Blanche Lincoln should be the Democratic nominee again in 2010. 57% are not sure, or think it should be someone new.
Blanche Lincoln Seen as Out-Of-Touch With Arkansas Voters.
Overall, 47% say she is out-of-touch with Arkansas voters. 51% of overall voters think she is ineffective, 35% effective. 36% of Democrats and 50% of Independents think she is ineffective.
Out of touch. That is the sentiment with MOST of those gas bags in the senate, OUT OF TOUCH.
The sentiment out here is ANGER. I hope these Democrats and President Obama understand this. People feel they have been taken advantage of and that free rides are always for the rich. People also feel that their voices and desires are not being heard, taken seriously because we continue to see the ones with power and money buy up the political system.
We want a public option and we want one to expand, eventually, to ALL AMERICANS. Now the Democrats can play around with this if they want to, if they do, that alone will be enough to anger voters at the ballot box.
Do the right thing, Democrats.
Poll and more information, here.
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Jon Stewart from The Daily Show destroys Fox News, a must see (Video)
Again, young folks get their news from The Daily Show and this is the demographic that the Republican Party NEED.
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Thursday, October 29, 2009
Finally the Surgeon General is CONFIRMED
As she should have BEEN. This swine flu or H1N1 is no joke and many are going to die from this illness, we appreciate Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, but she is not a PHYSICIAN, Regina Benjamin is. The hold up was the Republicans in the senate, but as this dangerous flu is ramping up around the United States of America, politics MUST take a back seat and the Republicans saw holding this nomination up would not be in their best interest.
On the Senate floor on Thursday morning, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid slammed Republicans for slowing down, and in some cases, blocking the confirmation of nominees for various posts in the Obama administration.
Springboarding off the H1N1 swine flu epidemic, Mr. Reid noted that the Senate has yet to confirm Dr. Regina Benjamin as the surgeon general. Republican leaders had blocked her confirmation in a protest over a so-called “gag order” on insurance companies and the information they could relay to Medicare recipients about pending health care legislation. Although the administration relented on the “gag,” Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican minority leader and other G.O.P. senators said earlier this week that they still had questions about the issue.
Late last week, President Obama declared a national emergency because of the flu outbreak, Mr. Reid noted, adding: “Unfortunately, though, right now we have no permanent surgeon general in place. And the reason is as simple as it is mind-boggling: Republicans in the Senate refuse to confirm President Obama’s exceptionally qualified nominee for this job.”
In addition to Dr. Benjamin, Mr. Reid singled out Dr. Tara O’Toole, who would oversee bioterrorism defense at the Department of Homeland Security. “For that position, President Obama nominated an expert in combating both pandemics and bioterror attacks,” Mr. Reid said, adding: “Imagine that: Americans are bracing against a flu epidemic here at home and threats of terrorism from abroad, the President nominated someone highly experienced in both of those areas, and Republicans are saying no.”
So, Harry Reid took the helm and got Regina Benjamin confirmed, TONIGHT.
The Senate on Thursday confirmed Dr. Regina Benjamin to be the U.S. surgeon general, elevating a well-known Alabama family physician to be the nation's top doctor.
Benjamin, 53, was approved by voice vote.
Source
Enough of the damn STALLING. This is why people are very cynical of Washington, DC being broken.
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The public option needs to be for EVERYONE, btw, I hate Blue Cross Blue Shield.
icebergslim here to report how Blue Cross Blue Shield is jacking our rates up for 2010!!! Our family is very upset about this, extremely.
It is open enrollment for millions around this time, and this means the increase for premiums and the decrease of coverage. Yep, decreasing coverage is just what Blue Cross Blue Shield is doing to us.
We have BCBS PPO and we are worried about what we are reading.
First off, I had to have abdominal and intestinal surgery this year and just getting back to work. The out of pocket costs have been close to 10,000, but we are disputing some things on the bill and hopefully can cut this down.
Since we have BCBS PPO in Illinois, we pay 20% deductible, we get a little break if our doctor, provider is in the PPO network, but not much. So, now we have looked over the new plan and this is how we are getting jacked: BCBS PPO for hospitalization has the insured (ME) paying 30% of hospitalization costs with a $275.00 per admission fee, prior it was 20% and no fee; we now are paying 30% for out patient surgery, prior it was 15%; we now pay 30% for diagnostic tests , prior it was 15%; the out of pocket expense rose $1,000 for our policy; chiropractic services was reduced to 1,500.00 it was 3,000.00 previously and our cap for our policy reduced to 2 million dollars, prior it was 5 million dollars. Our family fears that if we change health insurance providers, with my history, I will become a pre-existing condition. WE ARE AFRAID.
This is fucking outrageous. This is health insurance with a company of over 500 employees and this is what we have to deal with.
I fear that what will and is happening is this, the industry knows that there will be a public option, they already said they will raise premiums and cut services, for any loss the insurance companies endure they will throw the burden on us, the customer, the customer with a job, the customer who works for a large company, just screw us their customer.
And this will happen across the board.
We need not only a public option, but one that is real competition and open to EVERYONE. No one can afford to get sick any longer in this country and God help us all if it is a disease or illness that we must fight for our lives, because these insurance companies will not be here for any of us.
Democrats and President Obama, we need real health insurance reform along with real health care reform, not the tepid steps we are witnessing. How can you really expect the average person to try to do the right thing, save their money, be a good citizen, and contribute to this society if we are always worried about getting sick? What is the point in saving for ANYTHING if we must focus on saving our money if we get sick because the insurance companies CONTINUE to cut away our right to have doctor/hospital services? The insurance companies are cutting so much that going to the doctor or hospital will be for the rich and the privileged, not for the working family whose rights are rapidly being stricken away. We are being forced to choose between our health with this junk insurance, the hope of not getting sick or GOD FORBID, going to the hospital.
WHAT IS THE POINT?
The public option needs to be for every citizen in this county because in 2011, 10% more will be added for me to pay, that is 40% and I can not afford that.
What the hell are we, the Democrats afraid of? We are becoming a country that don't give a FUCK. That is just not right.
I am so over this; I just don’t know what to do.
Cross-posted @ Daily Kos
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Did somebody try to take Lou Dobbs, OUT?
Did someone purposely shoot at Lou and crew? NO SHIT. A gunshot. Lou, you can start with stopping with the divisive, hate rhetoric and this does include EVERYBODY.
Police in New Jersey are trying to determine who fired a bullet that struck CNN commentator Lou Dobbs’ home as his wife stood nearby.
State police Sgt. Stephen Jones says Dobbs’ wife and driver were outside the home Oct. 5 when they heard the gunshot. Jones says the bullet didn’t penetrate the siding and fell to the ground outside.
Dobbs mentioned the bullet earlier this week on CNN and his radio show. read more here...
All of this nastiness just needs to stop and whoever tried to give Lou a bullet (I am assuming this), needs to be caught and put in JAIL.
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Economy is growing, but...
where are the JOBS at?
These economists can continue on this drum roll all they want, but until we see jobs being created with LIVABLE wages, it is a smoke screen to the American Public. Oh, the Obama White House does get this.
The U.S. economy grew at a 3.5 percent pace in the third quarter, the best showing in two years, fueled by government-supported spending on cars and homes. It's the strongest signal yet that the economy has entered a new, though fragile, phase of recovery and that the worst recession since the 1930s has ended.
President Barack Obama hailed the data, saying the country has "come a long way" since early this year.
In remarks prepared for a small business group, Obama said he believes the new figures are "an affirmation that this recession is abating and the steps we've taken have made a difference." The economy had shrunk by 6.4 percent in the first quarter.
The president cautioned, however, that "we have a long way to go to fully restore our economy."
Many analysts also expect the pace of the budding recovery to be plodding due to rising unemployment and continuing difficulties by both consumers and businesses to secure loans.
"This welcome milestone is just another step, and we still have a long road to travel until the economy is fully recovered," said Christina Romer, President Barack Obama's chief economist. "It will take sustained, robust ... growth to bring the unemployment rate down substantially. Such a decline in unemployment is, of course, what we are all working to achieve."
The much-awaited turnaround reported Thursday by the Commerce Department ended the streak of four straight quarters of contracting economic activity, the first time that's happened on records dating to 1947.
It also marked the first increase since the spring of 2008, when the economy experienced a short-lived uptick in growth. read more here....
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It is remarks from Democrats like Kent Conrad that makes me leary about a REAL public option (Video)
And the lack of President Obama putting real skin in this game that worries me. If the White House thinks that they can pass watered down, tepid reform and claim a victory, think again. Senator Conrad is on Fox News pushing the worthless, "co-ops".
h/t to Daily Kos
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The Obamas talk marriage for the NY Times Magazine
A preview for Sunday.
Another Washington dusk, another motorcade, another intimate evening played out in public view. On Oct. 3, just a day after their failed Olympics bid in Copenhagen, Barack and Michelle Obama slipped into a Georgetown restaurant for one of their now-familiar date nights: this time, to toast their 17th wedding anniversary. As with their previous outings, even the dark photographs taken by passers-by and posted on the Web looked glamorous: the president tieless, in a suit; the first lady in a backless sheath.
The Obama date-night tradition stretches back to the days when the president spent half his time in Springfield, Ill., reuniting at week’s close with his wife, who kept a regular Friday manicure and hair appointment for the occasion. But five days before he ventured out for his anniversary dinner, the president lamented what has happened to his nights out with his wife.
“I would say the one time during our stay here in the White House so far that has. . . .” He paused so long in choosing his words that Michelle Obama, sitting alongside him, prompted him. “Has what?”
“Annoyed me,” the president answered.
“Don’t say it!” the first lady mock-warned. “Uh-oh.”
“Was when I took Michelle to New York and people made it into a political issue,” he continued, recalling the evening last spring when they flew to New York for dinner and a show, eliciting Republican gibes for spending federal money on their own entertainment. read more here....
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President Obama honors the return of fallen soilders (Videos)
This is what war is about, unfortunately. We never saw President Bush do this the whole time he was Commander in Chief of both Afghanistan or Iraq, not publicly.
President Barack Obama spent Thursday morning honoring the return of fallen soldiers. Obama attended a solemn movement at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Flotus, Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden at Game 1 of the World Series (pictures)
New York Yankees legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra (C) is escourted onto the field by First lady Michelle Obama (L) and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, prior to Game One of the 2009 MLB World Series between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies at Yankee Stadium on October 28, 2009 in the Bronx borough of New York City.
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Must see video, Rachel Maddow and Glenn Greenwald runs it down about the hypocrisy of Joe Lieberman, Evan Bayh and bucking health care reform (Video)
Glenn Greenwald wipes Evan Bayh all over the floor of hypocrisy and Joe Lieberman, who is surprised at his behavior? He was FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE before he was against it. Democrats and President Obama I hope got something up your sleeves, because these turn coats are an abomination.
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President Obama Signs National Defense Authorization Act & the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (Video)
This bill also included the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
The President is joined by Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and others as he signs a bill that will both provide for the country’s security and defense as well as eliminate billions of dollars in waste. October 28, 2009.
The President speaks about the importance of signing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act that toughens penalties and expand protections against crimes designed to intimidate as well as harm. October 28, 2009.
Remarks by the President at Reception Commemorating the Enactment of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act
President Obama Signs National Defense Authorization Act
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Former Senator Edward Brooke (R-MA) awarded the Congressional Gold Medal (Video)
From left: US President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, former senator Edward William Brooke, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, listen to the national anthem during the Congressional Gold Medal presentation ceremony for Brooke October 28, 2009 in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC. Brooke was the first African American to be elected to the Senate by popular vote.
At a Capitol ceremony honoring him, the 90-year-old Massachusetts Republican addressed a multitude of issues on Congress' plate in addition to health care: overseas wars, restoring the economy and providing Americans with adequate housing.
"We've got to get together," Brooke said, turning his eyes to Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. "We have no alternative. There's nothing left. It's time for politics to be put aside on the back burner."
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Transcript
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FLOTUS, Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden at first game of World Series tonight
Ah, now it is the ladies turn....
Mrs. Obama and Second Lady Jill Biden -- in their second joint appearance in a week (on Friday they discussed breast cancer awareness at a White House event) are traveling to New York for the game as part of their focus on military families. A public service announcement the two women made earlier this year about veterans will be shown at the game. The network broadcasting the World Series, by the way, is Fox, but the enmity the White House is showing Fox News evidently does not extend to Fox Sports.
Major League Baseball is dedicating the first four games to a series of civic-minded causes that could have come out of Mrs. Obama's playbook.
Game One is dedicated to returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan and the first pitch will be thrown by a military vet. The theme for Game Two is community service. Game Three, cancer awareness. Game Four, encouraging sports for inner-city kids. All of these are issues in Mrs. Obama's portfolio.
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Joe Lieberman, Benedict Arnold is too nice a word for you
Joe Lieberman is irrelevant. Period. This from the Democrat, who turned Independent to keep his job in Connecticut, who was Obama's mentor in the senate, now a turn coat again, this time for health insurance reform. Remember he smeared Obama with this...
Oh, he sided with John McCain, actually endorsed him, remember.....
Senate Leader Harry Reid was ready to DEMOTE, Senator Joe Lieberman after his disgraceful speech against Barack Obama at the Republican National Convention:
Part Two
....but Barack Obama intervened and Lieberman was able to keep his chairmanships and status in the Democratic Caucus, remember:
Now, since Joe Lieberman is not on the White House guest list (as he should not be), does not have his mug on any of these Sunday talk shows (for what he is not a power player), is a piranha to the Democratic Party (AMEN), he has now decided to become relevant again by making the decision (or threatening) to filibuster with the Republicans in the Senate against health care reform. Is anyone surprised here?
Folks, the reality are that Lieberman has taken BIG MONEY from the health care insurance industry and he owes them. Connecticut is an insurance haven, now the masters have knocked on Lieberman's door, he must respond and become relevant again.
But take a look at this list of donations to Lieberman since 1989. Three of the top 12 industries have contributed $2.7 million to Lieberman:
Health Professionals $1,041,362
Insurance $1,036,070
Pharmaceuticals/Health Products $612,540
Senator Joe Lieberman is the worst of the worst that has graced the Democratic Party. His Benedict Arnold behavior, last year during the campaign opened many eyes about the man, himself. He is all about HIMSELF, no one else. His anger on Democrats turning against him during his tough primary with Ned Lamont stayed with him and clouded his decision by standing with John McCain. Barack Obama saved him; Senator Harry Reid gave our young president a pass, but NO MORE.
There should be no more saving of Senator Joe Lieberman, period. Right now he is threatening because he wants something and it is called prestige and relevance, which was taken away by his own decisions. Senator Reid was right, yesterday in stating he is not worried about Joe Lieberman. Why should he be? If Lieberman decides to filibuster with the Republicans, let him, then watch the knives come out to cut and severe the cord, permanently.
Finally, I am waiting for the power of President Barack Obama. He has yet, to show his whip power and cut throat tactics in dealing with rogue congress members, but if Lieberman does this, expect the knife to come and cut deep and wide. Lieberman will be irrelevant, permanently.
Cross-posted @ Daily Kos
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President Obama Addresses Servicemen and Women in Jacksonville, FL (Video)
The President speaks to servicemen and women and recognizes the military’s continuing dedication to the country and the sacrifices made by service members and their families. October 26, 2009
Transcript
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Just staggering. The Afghanistan mess just continues.
Ding, Ding, Ding!!! I am now working for the CIA!!! Ain't that grand!!!
Wow, the President of Afghanistan's brother working the refs on both sides!!! CIA and others. Only in America can we just think this is A-OK!!!
The Obama White House are in a tangled weave and need to find its way OUT. Oh, and the President't brother is a bangin' big time drug dealer to boot!!
Ahmed Wali Karzai, the brother of the Afghan president and a suspected player in the country’s booming illegal opium trade, gets regular payments from the Central Intelligence Agency, and has for much of the past eight years, according to current and former American officials.
The agency pays Mr. Karzai for a variety of services, including helping to recruit an Afghan paramilitary force that operates at the C.I.A.’s direction in and around the southern city of Kandahar, Mr. Karzai’s home.
The financial ties and close working relationship between the intelligence agency and Mr. Karzai raise significant questions about America’s war strategy, which is currently under review at the White House.
The ties to Mr. Karzai have created deep divisions within the Obama administration. The critics say the ties complicate America’s increasingly tense relationship with President Hamid Karzai, who has struggled to build sustained popularity among Afghans and has long been portrayed by the Taliban as an American puppet. The C.I.A.’s practices also suggest that the United States is not doing everything in its power to stamp out the lucrative Afghan drug trade, a major source of revenue for the Taliban. read more here....
Yes, big time drug dealers are who we must deal with in Afghanistan. That desolated place, that is all they got, poppy seeds and the world loves it!!!
Yes, a tangled weave left by the Bush Administration that must be cleaned up by the Obama Administration. I say give Obama all the time he needs to make the right decision, because we don't want our Nobel Peace Prize Laureate to become a mockery, right?
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Tuesday, October 27, 2009
This is why Joe Lieberman should have been left to DIE in the Democratic Caucus
Per, MSNBC, Senator Joe Lieberman is joining the Republicans to filibuster the public option. This from a turn coat Democrat, who campaigned for John McCain over Barack Obama. It was Obama's tenacity to help Lieberman KEEP his senate chairmanship, but now AGAIN, he sticks a knife in the back of Democrats.
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) told reporters today that he would in fact filibuster any health care bill he doesn't agree with--and right now, he doesn't agree with the proposal making its way through the Senate.
"I told Senator Reid that I'm strongly inclined--i haven't totally decided, but I'm strongly inclined--to vote to proceed to the health care debate, even though I don't support the bill that he's bringing together because it's important that we start the debate on health care reform because I want to vote for health care reform this year. But I also told him that if the bill remains what it is now, I will not be able to support a cloture motion before final passage. Therefore I will try to stop the passage of the bill."
Lieberman is in the pockets of the health care industry, the squeeze is on to pressure Democratic Senators to vote NAY on the public option. The fight is hardly over.
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Calling a woman a "whore" is unacceptable, Mr. Grayson
Yes, I am talking to you, Congressman Alan Grayson from Florida.
When you first came over here to Daily Kos and I saw what you said on the House floor, MATTERED. I felt that finally, someone was speaking what needed to be said, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here.
Calling a woman a WHORE, any woman is unacceptable. Period.
Do you think this language is endearing to WOMEN? Especially women, voters? Think again.
Republicans and Democrats slammed Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) for calling Linda Robertson, an adviser to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, a “K Street whore” in a month-old radio interview that circulated on Capitol Hill Monday night.
...
The remarks are the latest to surface in a string of controversial statements by Grayson, who said on the Alex Jones radio show that he believes Robertson, a former Enron lobbyist, is not qualified to pass judgment on intricate financial matters.
It’s clear that his colleagues’ opinion of him has suffered.
“Is this news to you that this guy’s one fry short of a Happy Meal?” asked Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.)
House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer defended Robertson, whom he said he knows.
"I think it's inappropriate and unfair," the Maryland Democrat said. He decried the "heated rhetoric" that he said interferes with the ability solve problems.
I am not a fan of Fed Chairman Bernanke, either, but whatever issue you had with Bernanke and more importantly his adviser, Robertson, could have been handled with better language.
And Daily Kos, we all like Grayson, but we, as a community must police our own and that mean folks that come over here from congress who gets our ire up, get us all ramped up to donate MONEY, but then don't call them out for saying shyte like this.
Finally, this is from POLITICO, the rag that everyone on here HATE, along with HATING Huffington Post, but I have YET to hear Grayson state he did not say what he said, meaning that more than likely IT WAS SAID.
Enough of this. I expect Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi to reel Grayson in, this type of language and nonsense is NOT WHAT WE ARE ABOUT. And no one on here should protect Mr. Grayson, but should reprimand him for this outrageous behavior.
Lastly, I have waited to hear some type of retraction or explanation or apology from Politico for making a mistake for a radio interview, I have yet to hear that from this organization and again, definitely, nothing from Congressman Grayson.
Nuff said.
P.S. Grayson could have used better language than this. Calling a woman a whore is not acceptable, period. I don't care if it is "K Street" in front of it, bottom line it should not have been framed that way.
P.S.S. It is this type of behavior and language used freely by Republican operatives that have people running away from the Republican Party. We have seen it over and over again, in polling, do we want to go down that road by continuing to throw word bombs and tank us? I think not.
Cross-posted @ Daily Kos
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Monday, October 26, 2009
Ari Melber puts the smackdown on Obama and the Democrats about the public option "opt out" (Video)
While, we are happy for now, the work is not done. President Obama will, in the end, have to push this legislation over the hump and that will include twisting the arms of Democrats. Listen to the process that MUST partake, Melber is spot on. And those in red states have every right to be leary about the opt out portion of this bill. Damn, when will I get to have a final exhale on this SHYTE.
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Harry Reid has finally gotten rid of his "Spine Flu" (Video)
Senate Leader, Harry Reid lays out the senate bill and categorically states that the public option will be in the final bill. And NO TRIGGER OPTION.
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Senator Harry Reid, so far, "CAME THROUGH"
The health care debate has been rough.
I mean, this issue was too easy to make so hard. Barack Obama campaigned on reform, we saw a lack of organization on the White House part during the summer; we had to deal with the lies and misconceptions of the insurance industry and the GOP over the summer; we had to endure a possible "trigger option" for the sake of a "lovey-dovey" bipartisan bill, which would not be a bipartisan bill; only to have Harry Reid finally deliver. White House Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs statement on the merger of the bills:
The President congratulates Senator Reid and Chairmen Baucus and Dodd for their hard work on health insurance reform. Thanks to their efforts, we're closer than we've ever been to solving this decades-old problem. And while much work remains, the President is pleased that at the progress that Congress has made. He's also pleased that the Senate has decided to include a public option for health coverage, in this case with an allowance for states to opt out. As he said to Congress and the nation in September, he supports the public option because it has the potential to play an essential role in holding insurance companies accountable through choice and competition.
There will be a public option in the final senate bill, the trigger option is deader than a box of rocks, this means the White House lovey-dovey possible "trigger" with Senator Olympia Snowe is no more, and people can exhale.
A train of thought here. I am worried about our red state folks. Why? Because we don't know how the decision will be made for a state to "opt out", meaning saying no to the public option and allowing the status quo to remain the same. But one good thing is this, how can a governor of a state explain to his constituents that opting out is good for the state? That no competition for rates in their state is good for the constituents of the state? That continuing to allow ONE INSURANCE COMPANY to dominate a state is a good thing? That is a hard sell and I don't care what side of the aisle you sit on, everyone wants good coverage at cheaper, affordable rates.
Majority Leader Harry Reid says health care legislation headed to the Senate floor will include an option for government-run insurance.
Reid says states will have the prerogative of opting out of the program if they choose.
Reid noted that polls show widespread public support for giving the government a role in the overhauled health care system envisioned by President Barack Obama and his allies in Congress.
Meantime, the head of the AFL-CIO said Monday he's willing to consider a tax on high-end health insurance plans to help pay for President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, as long as middle-class workers aren't hurt.
The comments by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka indicated new flexibility on the issue from a powerful Democratic constituency as House and Senate leaders scramble to finalize sweeping health care legislation. Trumka last month dismissed the proposed insurance plan tax as "outrageous."
The tax is the Senate's preferred method to pay for covering the uninsured, but labor leaders have worried their workers would be affected even though lawmakers were aiming the proposed tax at insurance plans offering the richest benefits — what Obama has called "Cadillac" plans.
"If you show me a definition of a Cadillac plan that hits the Cadillac plans and not the middle class, then we'd take a look at that, of course," Trumka told reporters on a conference call. "If you wanted to tax the Goldman Sachs plans, I think that's fine," he said.
Trumka declined to say at what level he could support the tax. read more here....
Additional information is here and more information on "opt out" is here.
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I am just sick of it.
The rumors, innuendos, uncited sources, cited sources, blanket statements, vague statements, speeches, the word "public option", Olympia Snowe, scurred Democratic Senators, fierce House Progressives, The White House and Barack Obama.
Yes, I am sick of all of the above.
Why?
Because in the end, as of today, we still don't know what the hell will happen.
I have been laid back the past few weeks, getting myself back in the work mode, but have not stopped following the biggest spectacle that does not have its own television show, "The Public Option Drama Hour".
Yes, the public option show.
There is a diary on the recommended list that states everything that I feel, by AdamGreen, my utter confusion, still.
At this point, everyone who frequents Daily Kos and has followed the congress knows which Democrats side with the public option being included in the final bill and which Democrats do not. We know that.
My frustration is at the White House and why we need to have Senator Olympia Snowe to sign off on any final health care legislation? I have YET, to hear the White House explain this in reality terms, when the fight is amongst ourselves, the Democrats.
Is the word bipartisan that important to President Obama and the Obama White House? If it is, I have news for you, "One vote from a Republican does not make it bipartisan. It makes it a joke if you try to tout it as such." Is the Obama White House getting this message? Are the light bulbs on at that joint? I don't think so.
The public wants a government run public option. The public wants competition with insurance companies. The part of AdamGreen's diary which has President Obama stating the following, "..the bill that you least like in Congress right now. The one you least like, of the five that are out there, would provide 29 million Americans health care....", bothers me tremendously. The Baucus Bill gives cover, a hand slap, more business to one industry, the health insurance industry. No one should be jumping out of their seats for THAT.
I have yet, to hear anything from the Obama White House on triggers. I mean, where do they stand, EXACTLY, when triggers are in play? I ask this because as they continue to want Senator Olympia Snowe, a.k.a., President Snowe around here, to be the lone Republican vote then they must have a trigger. I have yet to hear any denouncement of this option. That should be a concern for everyone around here. Remember, Medicare D, the disastrous prescription drug plan has a trigger and has YET to be used and the costs for prescription drugs have continued to skyrocket. The insurance industry knows how to get around this, so why would anyone expect them to not get around any legislation with a trigger for a public option?
Many were upset at Huffington Post calling the Democrats "Leaderless" over the weekend in their headline. I was kind of stumped on that one, but obviously there is a fight going on here. Why? Because it is Washington, DC and everyone is not on the same page in the White House over this public option. This is how leaks, unnamed sources, etc., comes to fruition. Bullshit leaks are easily denounced, but the ones that continue on the same line, theme are the ones to watch out for and it all is about Olympia Snowe, trigger, and opt-out. That is what you need to follow. And we all know this because it happened on the Bush Administration watch when the leaks became a flood and the real truth was exposed.
Lastly, President Obama will sign a bill with a public option, he has always supported it, but the problem is that he never thought the public would embrace it. The public has embraced it and expects it and that is his problem while he continues to want a bipartisan bill. Newsflash, President Obama, as long as you are at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, don't expect the Republicans to support JACK, so the sooner you realize this the better. The public gets it and don't blame you for your efforts, we applaud it, but at this point we don't give a mickey-fick about a bipartisan bill, we just want the final bill with a PUBLIC OPTION. Not a co-opt, not state only driven, not watered down, but a government run public option exchange.
Please Democrats, Obama White House please understand that, embrace it, get the bill done, over with so we can MOVE ON.
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More killed in Afghanistan
Now, we will see how this will unfold. For me, will President Obama really be the peace man or continue a war that has brought us NOTHING but death, grief, trillions spent and nothing to be shown for it. Not even Osama bin Laden.
A helicopter crash and separate collision involving two other choppers killed 14 Americans on Monday in one of the deadliest days for U.S. troops in the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. military said.
The deaths come as the Obama administration debates whether to send tens of thousands more troops to the country and the Afghan government scrambles to organize a runoff presidential election after a first-round vote was sullied by massive ballot-rigging.
In the first crash, a helicopter went down in the west of the country after leaving the scene of a firefight with insurgents, killing 10 Americans – seven troops and three civilians working for the government. Eleven American troops, one U.S. civilian and 14 Afghans were also injured.
In a separate incident in the south, two other U.S. choppers collided while in flight, killing four American troops and wounding two more, the military said.
It was the heaviest single-day loss of life since June 28, 2005, when 16 U.S. troops on a special forces helicopter died when their MH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down by insurgents.
U.S. authorities have ruled out hostile fire in the collision but have not given a cause for the other fatal crash in the west. Taliban spokesman Qari Yusuf Ahmedi claimed Taliban fighters shot down a helicopter in northwest Badghis province's Darabam district. It was impossible to verify the claim and unclear if he was referring to the same incident.
U.S. forces also reported the death of two other American troops a day earlier: one in a bomb attack in the east, and another who died of wounds sustained in an insurgent attack in the same region. The deaths bring to at least 46 the number of U.S. troops who have been killed in October.
This has been the deadliest year for international and U.S. forces since the 2001 invasion to oust the Taliban. Fighting spiked around the presidential vote in August, and 51 U.S. soldiers died that month – the deadliest for American forces in the eight-year war. read more here....
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Sunday, October 25, 2009
Meet the Press, October 25, 2009 (Video and Transcript)
MTP Guests: John Cornyn, Charles Schumer, Erin Burnett, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Jane Mayer, Joe Scarborough, Dan Senor, Tavis Smiley
Transcript
Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI): No public option, no reason to support reform
From CBS' Face the Nation:
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