Late Night Video — Get Covered!

Bill Maher takes a look at some of the youth-oriented Get Covered posters that didn't make the cut (approx.2:30 mins):
Post by Bill Maher.
A Tale of Two Democrats

A Tale of Two Democrats

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Or at least two types of Democrats. Yesterday, Senator Bernie Sanders and 15 other Democratic Senators sent a letter to President Obama urging him to not cut Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid in his FY15 budget. It won't be much of a surprise to most of the readers here to find that neither Senator Carper or Coons signed on to this letter. Interestingly, Senator Coons voted to restore the cuts to military pensions and Carper voted against them. So take a look at what a group of Democrats genuinely interested in the well-being of middle class and working class people urged the President:
Today, retirement insecurity is as high as it has ever been. Only one in five workers in the private sector has a defined benefit pension plan; half of Americans have less than $10,000 in savings; and two-thirds of seniors rely on Social Security for a majority of their income. Given this reality, we respectfully urge you not to propose cutting Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid benefits in your Fiscal Year 2015 budget. In good times and bad, Social Security has succeeded in keeping millions of senior citizens, widows, orphans, and persons with disabilities out of extreme poverty. Before Social Security was developed, about half of our seniors lived in poverty; today senior poverty is down to 9.1 percent. Without Social Security, one-third of senior citizens would have virtually no earnings at all. Social Security has not contributed one penny to the deficit. Social Security has a surplus of more than $2.7 trillion and can pay every single benefit owed to every eligible American for the next 19 years.
Missouri Lawmaker Wants To Make Biology Class An Elective

Missouri Lawmaker Wants To Make Biology Class An Elective

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Fact:  You cannot teach biology without evolution. Several years ago, my 10th grade son was taking AP Bio.  My Bio major (and quite successful immunologist today) brother asked to see his textbook.  When I (art major sister) asked why, my brother said, "Just wanted to make sure the textbook started off with evolution.  It does, so all is fine." Which brings us to this nonsense:
A Missouri lawmaker has proposed what ranks among the most anti-evolution legislation in recent years, which would require schools to notify parents if "the theory of evolution by natural selection" was being taught at their child's school and give them the opportunity to opt out of the class. The bill had its first public hearing Thursday after being introduced in late January. State Rep. Rick Brattin (R), who sponsored the bill, told a local TV station last week that teaching only evolution in school was "indoctrination."
christine-odonnell-tea-party

On this day the Tea Party stopped being an actual thing

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The item below is a good news/bad news type deal for Democrats. The good news is that the Tea Party is completely defunct as a movement with the ability to wield any power. Except for some reality impaired dead-enders and their wealthy enablers, nobody is going to utter the words "Tea Party" as anything other than a punchline from now on. The bad news for Democrats is that the Tea Party is defunct. The "grassroots" movement that allowed Christine O'Donnell to challenge Michael Castle will not be around to run its reign of terror party purges in future elections.
Blizzard of ’14 Open Thread [2.13.14]

Blizzard of ’14 Open Thread [2.13.14]

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15 inches as of this moment in North Wilmington. How about where you live? One of our conservative commenters warned us that the GOP would win heavily this fall because they were going to focus on Obamacare. And our liberal commenters welcomed the challenge. Why? Because if the election is about Obamacare, like it was in 2012, we win. Evidence? Polling in the upcoming special election in the Florida 13: FLORDIA--13 CD--SPECIAL ELECTION--Tampa Bay Times: Alex Sink (D) 42, David Jolly (R) 35.
Interesting: "The poll also reveals how the Affordable Care Act has become a virtual litmus test for voters. Of those who support Sink, 81 percent also support Obamacare. Of those who support Jolly, 84 percent also oppose Obamacare."

If Progressives Show Up to Protest, Will Anyone Hear About It?

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This past Sunday, 80K - 100K people from all over the US took to the streets in Raleigh, NC to protest the draconian policies that the GOP are implementing there. The protest, called the Moral March on Raleigh, was kick off of this year's long Moral Mondays marches in Raleigh -- marches that resulted in arrests of non-violent protesters last year.
The “Moral March on Raleigh,” organized by Historic Thousands on Jones Street (HKonJ) and the North Carolina NAACP, marched from Shaw University to the state capitol to push back against the “immoral and unconstitutional policies” of Republican Gov. Pat McCrory during the 2013 NC General Assembly session. Since North Carolina Republicans took over both legislative chambers in 2010, legislators have eliminated a host of programs and raised taxes on the bottom 80 percent, repealed a tax credit for 900,000 working families, enforced voter suppression efforts, blocked Medicaid coverage, cut pre-Kindergarten funding, cut federal unemployment benefits, and gave itself the authority to intervene in abortion lawsuits.
Wednesday Open Thread [2.12.14]

Wednesday Open Thread [2.12.14]

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So on Sunday night or early Monday morning, the archives of Diane Blair were published. Mrs. Blair was an advisor to both Bill and Hillary Clinton during the former's Presidency, and a close friend of Hillary Clinton. Mrs. Blair unfortunately died of cancer in the early 2000's. The release of her archives include her contemporaneous notes from conversations with Bill and Hillary Clinton. Now, the conservative media has gone nuts trying to pretend that there is so kind of scandal to be found in these notes, but I have read through them, and while revealing and confirming of what we all suspected was going on behind the scenes (i.e. chaotic and unorganized first term that frustrated Hillary). Indeed, the shock of the notes was that Hillary and Bill did not have some sort of prearranged deal or open marriage.

Monday Open Thread [2.10.14]

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Dan Balz: "House Republicans' latest revolt against immigration reform spells potential trouble for the party's 2016 presidential candidates. The last thing the GOP needs in 2016 is another primary season marked by debate and dissension over the fraught issue. [..] The party's handling of immigration-reform legislation since President Obama won reelection with 71 percent of the Hispanic vote reprises a decades-long pattern that has weakened the GOP in the competition for Hispanic votes. On the one hand, there is the recognition that the party needs to do more to attract Hispanic votes. On the other, there are repeated actions, both individual and collective, that send the opposite signal." Republicans shooting themselves in the foot, the calf, the lower leg, and the thigh is becoming a theme. Here is an excerpt from a piece about how the right wing is going to elect President Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton.
Vicmead Cancelled – DEGOP more lost at sea than that fisherman who washed up in the Marshall Islands

Vicmead Cancelled – DEGOP more lost at sea than that fisherman who washed up in the Marshall Islands

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Charlie Copeland really couldn't stand the idea of raising a glass of champagne and toasting the candidacy of Rose Izzo. I don't blame him. Why give third tier R's your honestly inherited money so they can blow it on rent? The nerve of these people.... But seriously folks, Celia is in love with the complete clusterfuckitude of the DEGOP (after the way they treated the sainted Michael Castle, they deserve 30... no 300 years in the wilderness.)