This seems almost too funny to be true.
AP photo showing words written on her palm.
Zoomed in shot of Palin’s hand – Energy, Budget Cut Tax, Lift America Spirit?
Someone please tell me this was photo-shopped. But given this video, shot during question and answer time, it would appear not.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOvQCkrm3Sg[/youtube]
She’s so smoooth. Funny and scary at the same time.
Via Gather:
David Sills, a seventh-grader at Red Lion Christian Academy in Bear, Delaware has got a great arm and seems to know the game of football. Even his quarterback coach thinks he’s got big talent, but being recruited at the age of 13 seems a bit overkill.
Lane Kiffin, the new coach at USC has offered Sills a football scholarship for school and in return Sills has verbally committed to the school. This just after taking Pete Carroll’s job and getting his feet wet with the new football job.
Okay, it looks like the kid has real talent, but… what were the USC coach and David’s parents thinking? Verbally committing a 7th grader so far in advance seems risky. First, heaven forbid, David might change his mind. Second, couldn’t publicly committing to USC limit the 13 year old’s choices and potential (if all goes according to plan) for a better deal from another school? And, if the parents are set on this path – which the verbal agreement would imply – then why not get the deal in writing… along with a clause that states if David commits to USC now then, no matter what, he gets a full scholarship.
h/t Jason330 (Thanks, J!)
At yesterday’s Q&A with Democrats Obama delivered a line that should have every Democrat sitting up and taking notice. If you watch the video below one thing stands out – Obama is not laughing.
“There was apparently a headline after the Massachusetts election. The Village Voice announced that Republicans win a 41-59 majority. It’s worth thinking about.”
It is worth thinking about.
That Village Voice headline reinforced a perception – a perception Democrats have done very little to counter. I think the political diversity among Democrats is great. I think the robotic spewing of talking points from Republicans is terrible, but there really isn’t much we can do about that. And while I keep searching for an independent voice among the GOP (not happening, I know) I’m also looking for some cohesive message from the Dems. There should be strength in numbers. That should be a natural advantage, and one, imo, that’s being squandered.
That doesn’t mean embracing Lieberman, Nelson, Lincoln, Bayh, etc. They are on their own, as far as I’m concerned, and if they lose their seats I won’t shed a tear. What it means is that we have to stop taking to our beds every time they say something stupid. Frankly, we are giving them way too much attention, and, in case we haven’t figured it out, attention equals power and endless guest appearances on Hardball and Meet The Press- where they simply get another platform for their positions. And every time these people get access to a microphone the real message is lost to whatever pet issue or slight they want to focus. In essence, they are taking up valuable air time with their whining and faux display of being “reasonable.” And every time they go on TV, they are also taking away time from Dems with something of value to say.
They are helping create the perception the Village Voice put forth. Republicans will be Republicans no matter what. It would be nice if Democrats could be Democrats on key issues.
It’s worth thinking about.
I can’t help but think this is good for Democracy.
Via Bob Cesca:
Tomorrow morning, the president will be doing a televised Q&A with the Senate Democratic caucus.
Staffers from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s office and White House aides tell the Huffington Post that the president will meet with the caucus at the Newseum, where the senators will be assembled for an issues conference to discuss policy, strategy and message for the coming year. The meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m.And get ready for Obama vs. Inhofe:
“I believe we have been invited to speak to the Senate Republicans, and we will do so,” Gibbs told reporters on Monday.
I know I’ll be tuning in – not for a smackdown, but rather for a substantive policy discussion. And call me an Obot, or whatever you will, but it’s really a shame that all the heavy lifting falls on the President. You’d think that people who claim to be an equal branch of government could manage to carry the load, you know, equally.
UPDATE: C-SPAN 2 will be covering the event, which begins at 10:00 a.m.. If you will be watching the Q&A please use join me – in the thread below – in reporting what is taking place.
Here’s the video.
Wondering what the Republican base looks like…
A new Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll, conducted among 2,000 self-identified Republican respondents nationwide, gives an interesting peek into the psyche of the minority party’s base.
• 39% of Republicans want President Obama to be impeached.
• 63% think Obama is a socialist.
• Only 42% believe Obama was born in the United States.
• 21% think ACORN stole the 2008 election — that is, that Obama didn’t actually win it, and isn’t legitimately the president, with 55% saying they are “not sure.”
• 53% think Sarah Palin is more qualified than Obama to be president.
• 23% want to secede from the United States.
• 73% think gay people should not be allowed to teach in public schools.
• 31% want contraception to be outlawed.
Simply amazing, and far be it for me to give Democrats advice, but… they might want to start pushing these points next time they’re on Meet The Press. It is time to make Republicans own their crazy.
LOL, 63% think Obama is a socialist? Wanna bet 62% of them can’t define the word. And while I mock, it behooves (now there’s a word you don’t see every day) us to draw attention to this lunacy. They may be crazy, but they’re organized.
Via The Guardian:
The Pentagon will for the first time rank global warming as a destabilising force, adding fuel to conflict and putting US troops at risk around the world, in a major strategy review to be presented to Congress tomorrow. The quadrennial defence review, prepared by the Pentagon to update Congress on its security vision, will direct military planners to keep track of the latest climate science, and to factor global warming into their long term strategic planning.
Not that I expect Republicans to pay attention to the Pentagon anymore. That’s so 2000 – 2008. “Listen to the commanders on the ground” no longer applies in GOP land. From Global Warming to DADT to Gitmo to civilian trials, Republicans are no longer following their own advice when it comes to the military. Steve Benen makes the point:
To be sure, endorsements do not necessarily reflect merit. Obama’s position on any national security issue can enjoy support from the likes of Petraeus, Powell, Mullen, et al, but all of them can be collectively wrong. It’s lazy to think the president is right just because David Petraeus and Colin Powell say he’s right.
But that’s not the point here. McConnell and his Republicans cohorts are reluctant to admit it, and political insiders have been slow to acknowledge it, but what we’re witnessing is exceedingly rare — the Republican establishment openly rejecting the judgment of the military establishment.
And I have to wonder how positioning themselves against the military – a tactic that goes against one of their key allies over the years, and was used as political clout and the final word in most things Republican – plays out for them. Geez, the one thing consistent in the GOP was reverence and acceptance of all things put forth by the top brass. And if the Pentagon is incorporating Climate Change into their strategic planning, how long before Republicans start labeling our military with the same labels resevered for Al Gore.
If you want to know exactly how damaging yesterday’s Q&A between Obama and House Republicans really was, look no further than FOX who yanked the coverage when it became apparent what was happening wouldn’t jive with its propaganda.
In the end, by pulling coverage of a historic event, FOX added a million exclamation marks to Obama’s win, emphasizing it in a way Democrats could only dream. Talk about making a bad situation for Republicans worse.
Out of everything said yesterday this one passage stood out to me:
So all I’m saying is we’ve got to close the gap a little bit between the rhetoric and the reality.
I’m not suggesting that we’re going to agree on everything, whether it’s on health care or energy or what have you, but if the way these issues are being presented by the Republicans is that this is some wild-eyed plot to impose huge government in every aspect of our lives, what happens is you guys then don’t have a lot of room to negotiate with me.
I mean, the fact of the matter is is that many of you, if you voted with the administration on something, are politically vulnerable in your own base, in your own party. You’ve given yourselves very little room to work in a bipartisan fashion because what you’ve been telling your constituents is, “This guy’s doing all kinds of crazy stuff that’s going to destroy America.”
So true. And the biggest problem is that Republicans have turned rhetoric into GOP reality. Seriously, how would they justify compromising and working with a man their base considers Hitler? That’s a pretty big about-face, and one that can only be achieved if Republicans tell their base that they were, well… wrong. How do you take someone you painted as a threat to everything you believe and then say “just kidding.”
Whoever came up with the “party of no” platform did the GOP no favors. They are boxed in – to the point where voting with the President will be viewed as making a deal with the devil. Of course, they have no one to blame but themselves. They limited their own options. Keep voting “no” and keep the base with you in November, compromise and lose the base in the hope of wooing Independents. Truth is, Republicans, like Democrats, need both groups. Actually, the GOP has an added burden in the form of tea partiers, who wallow in rhetoric and hyperbole. Attempting to take away the Tea Party’s favorite Hitler action figure without causing a major temper tantrum strikes me as political suicide. But so does the path they’ve chosen – mainly because Obama, during his SOTU and again yesterday, dragged the Republicans out of the bleachers and onto the field of governing.
I admit I was upset when Dems lost that 60th vote, but lately I’m wondering if that wasn’t good thing. 60 votes allowed the “party of no” to obstruct without consequences. After all, with 60 votes Dems shouldn’t need their votes. I’m also beginning to think that if Democrats had no plan B for a Massachusetts loss, the Republicans didn’t have one for the win.
Frankly, I don’t see the GOP changing their “no” strategy, mainly because there’s no way to change it to their political advantage. And while moderate Republicans may want to reach across the aisle, the fear of being primaried by a Tea Party candidate or having their base sit at home on election day, should be enough to make them think twice. Of course, all or nothing stances tend to result in all or nothing.
What I do see changing is the lack of consequences to obstruction. Suit up, guys, you’re now off the bench and in the game.
It boggles the mind.
Ms. Burton is pregnant. She has two children and in her current pregnancy she is at risk of a miscarriage. She was admitted to the hospital in Florida where her doctors advised bed rest as well until a C-section could be performed. They also insisted that she quit smoking as the affects of smoking complicate pregnancy and increase the chance of miscarriage.
Ms. Burton did not want to quit smoking. She said as much to the doctors. She also explained that with her two toddlers and a job she would lose if she was on bed rest for up to 15 weeks, she was going to get a second opinion. At that point the doctors took it to the State who went to court to have Ms. Burton ordered to bed rest and to undergo “any and all treatments” her doctor ordered in the best interest of the fetus.
Yes, you read that right. An adult woman has been ordered to stay in a hospital where her doctor is hostile to her wishes, to protect the interests of the fetus. The rights of an adult citizen to refuse treatment is being denied because her busybody doctor and a state Judge who does not seem to have a basic understanding of the law think the rights of a fetus trump the rights of an adult.
It gets worse, the court also ordered that Ms. Burton can not switch hospitals. She is being denied the right to choose who will treat her in every particular. To say this is a massive disgrace is to minimize the case. Ms. Burton had no representation at the hearing. She appeared by phone, and the Court did not look at the her medical history nor consider the effect on her two small children.
Before we continue, keep in mind that these fetus fighters are, for the most part, the same people screaming about how HCR will result in the loss of choice. Needless to say, they’re all for what they consider the Right choice – which pretty much boils down to women (see: Palin, mother and daughter, and Tim Tebow’s Mom) who choose to have their babies. Then, and only then, is it about choice.
But this case is simply amazing. Let’s break it down point by point.
This is the classic fetus trumps everything (and everyone) argument. Forget about Ms. Burton’s wishes. Forget about her having to work. And, most importantly, forget about her two post-uterus children who I guess should have to fend for themselves, or be handed over to a relative, or, if that’s not possible, there’s always foster care. None of that matters. She has been ordered to bed, ordered to quit smoking, ordered to not switch hospitals, and ordered to undergo “any and all treatments” her doctor orders “in the best interest of the fetus.”
And if these “doctors” and courts get their way and Ms. Burton is forced to spend 15 weeks in the hospital and then loses her job… Hey, no problem. Once the fetus is out of her womb she’ll simply be labeled as another lazy, welfare queen by the very same people screaming for her to take to her bed. Nice little Catch-22 you got going there.
And then there’s the slippery slope that leads to pregnant women becoming property of the state. Because, from where I’m standing, pregnant women eating at McDonalds and skipping fruits and vegetables are potential targets for the fetus fighters. So are pregnant police officers, firefighters, and any other profession that involves risk. Hmm… should pregnant women be allowed to ski? Or, maybe, someone can introduce a bill stating that pregnancy = 9 months of temporary insanity, and therefore pregnant women are not capable of any decision making during this time.
And the fact that Ms. Burton’s situation reached a courtroom is chilling because it means someone views this government interference as justified.
Those are John Cole’s words, which go a long way in describing my feelings about the chances of HCR getting better and not worse. Yesterday, in one of John’s typically snarky posts he asked: My only question- which house blue dog will be the first to introduce a bill extend the Bush tax cuts to show their bipartisanship?
Four hours later we get this:
Two House Democrats in tough reelection races are asking Congress and President Barack Obama to extend the Bush administration tax cuts.
Reps. Bobby Bright (D-Ala.) and Mike McMahon (D-N.Y.) asked members in a “Dear Colleague” letter Thursday to support extending the tax cuts, which passed in 2001 and 2003 and are set to expire this year, for at least another two years. Specifically, Bright and McMahon are asking lawmakers to sign a letter to Obama asking him to include the tax cuts in his budget plans for 2010.
Maybe if we lose another election we’ll have Dems calling for Obama’s impeachment? This is crazy.
Instead of fighting amongst ourselves, perhaps we might want to keep our eye on the ball.
The long-awaited 5-4 ruling, in the Citizens United v. FEC case, presents advocates of regulation with a major challenge in limiting the flow of corporate money into campaigns, and potentially opens the door for unrestricted amounts of corporate money to flow into American politics.
In the case at issue, Citizens United (CU), a conservative advocacy group, was challenging a ruling by the FEC that barred it from airing a negative movie about Hillary Clinton. CU received corporate donations and the movie advocated the defeat of a political candidate within 60 days of an election. CU argued that the FEC ruling violated its freedom of speech, and that the relevant provision of McCain-Feingold was unconstitutional.
This doesn’t bode well.
Anne O’Malia, formerly of Fix Red Clay, has started a new blog called Delaware Children Today. Check it out! Knowing Anne, it should be interesting and provocative!
I have no idea how this is going to turn out. That said, Greg Sargent finally has hard turnout numbers from the Massachusetts Secretary of State…
… and they confirm anecdotal evidence that turnout is running much higher than expected in Boston — a boon to Martha Coakley, perhaps, though who knows if it’s enough.
As of 3 PM today, 81,882 people had voted in Boston, according to Brian McNiff, the spokesman for the Secretary of State’s office. That’s more than a fifth of the city’s 358,953 registered voters.
For comparison, by the same time on election day 2006, only slightly more — 87,000 — had voted. And that was during elections for Senate, governor, and multiple lower offices. This single special election has generated nearly the same turnout as all those elections did, at least in Boston — and many think Coakley’s only chance to win is if turnout is disproportionately high there.
Make of that what you will. And I thought I’d share this info, given that all the talking heads on TV have pretty much already called it for Brown. I’d suggest caution is the best course of action… for both sides.
*Know what would make me happier than Coakley winning? Watching every one of these pundits forced to eat their words.