Jack & Jill Politics

rikyrah, I made an typo in a post in the Afternoon thread 2, can't get back to correct it. If you can, please delete my comment at: http://www.jackandjillpolitics.com/2009/07/afte...

i have a soft spot for Rev. Lowery so that medal made me smile a little larger. He has a spirit we need more of in this country. And the words from his inaugural benediction still come up in my mind to inspire six months later. . .

7-year old steals car to get out of church (VIDEO)

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20090730/7-old-...

A 7-year-old boy who stole his parents car in order to skip church, might need to head back to Sunday School to learn the Ten Commandments, especially “Thou Shalt Not Steal.”

The boy from Plain City, Utah, ran a stop sign and almost hit another driver before leading officers in a low-speed car chase.

The 7 year-old managed to escape the officers, made his way home and ran to hide inside the house.

"His speed was slow, but erratically; and so he would kind of scoot down lower to push on the gas and kinda sit up on the seat more to see right where he was going," said Weber County sheriff’s Lt. Matthew Bell.

"People in the neighborhood are talking about this," he added.

So why didn't the boy - who was not named due to his young age - not want to go to church? He said it was because it was to hot and didn't want to stay inside the church.

Fortunately, no one was hurt but the little boy can’t be prosecuted since he is too young



I can't help it. I laughed! lol

He really didn't want to go to church because it was too hot!

LOL!

raotflmbo. I laughed too. hahahaha

Now where exactly did he learn to drive? It seems like he did this before.

Val,

I laughed so hard at him jumping out the car and running to hide! LMAO!

The poor little boy didn't want to go to church so he stole the car. And he learned to drive on a Tractor. Lord, it's too funny!

SECOND AFTERNOON OPEN THREAD IS UP

http://essentialpresence.blogspot.com/2009/07/m...

A group in North Carolina called MOMS (Missing and Murdered Sisters) bought a billboard to showcase 5 Black women who were victims of crimes. An advertising company gave them a big discount and the billboard is paid through next month. They are accepting donations at any "Wachovia bank branch in the east" in order to keep the sign up.

There needs to be a MOM in every metro area.

Thanks for bringing this information

CSPAN live stream
Hse. Energy & Commerce Cmte. Resumes Health Care MarkUp
Today

The House Energy & Commerce Cmte. markup resumes after Congressional leaders and "the Blue Dogs" Democrats reached an agreement yesterday. Part of the agreement is that a final floor vote on the health care will not occur until after the August recess. The Committee hopes to finish the markup before that time.

http://www.c-span.org/Watch/C-SPAN3_wm.aspx

The African American, Asian Pacific and the Hispanic Caucus are speaking together regarding fighting for public option in healthcare. Donna Edwards is bringing it.

If you missed this. . . watch it later. They are kicking butts. FIRED UP!!!

rikyrah, Color of Change is gunning for Glen Beck.

I just received this email.

More and more, right-wing talk show hosts are bringing race-based fear mongering into the mainstream, but FOX's Glenn Beck just took it to another level. On Tuesday, Beck said:

This president has exposed himself as a guy over and over and over again who has a deep-seated hatred for white people... this guy is, I believe, a racist.1
It's part of a larger argument Beck has been making:2 that President Obama is using the White House to serve the needs of Black communities at White people's expense. This kind of talk stirs up fear, hate, and it can lead to violence.3,4
Together we can stop Glenn Beck.5 Starting today we're calling Beck's advertisers, asking them if they want to be associated with this kind of racist hate and fear-mongering. When they see tens of thousands of people signing on behind that question, we believe they'll move their advertising dollars elsewhere, damaging the viability of his show and possibly putting him out of business.
All it requires is you, standing up and being counted. Please take a moment to join the effort, and invite your friends and family to do the same:
http://www.colorofchange.org/beck/?id=1694-697050

Glenn Beck is appealing to the worst in America. Of course, some people refuse to accept the fact that our president is Black or the idea that he could truly serve all Americans. We know that. The only way these views will fade away is if they're not reinforced by mainstream society. Instead, folks like Glenn Beck, Lou Dobbs,6 and Rush Limbaugh7 are exploiting racism and race-based fear to bump their ratings, stirring up racial discord in the process.

The dangers of these tactics are real. We saw the same dynamic during the presidential race: by the end, the McCain/Palin campaign was unable to control the violent energy whipped up by their race-baiting. The result was an unprecedented number of threats on Obama's life, a rise in the number of hate groups, and an increase in the number of threats and crimes against immigrants and Black people.8,9,10

FOX has had a long history of race-baiting and racism on its shows, and we've run campaigns calling them out.11,12 But Glenn Beck appears to be taking the network to an even lower standard. He's trying to divide and distract America when we should be coming together and talking about issues that really matter--like health care and the economy.
The good news is that we have the power to stop this. All major media is funded by advertising. And advertisers, more than anything, care what consumers think. If we want to change what's happening and put an end to folks like Glenn Beck having a platform, we can do it.
It's up to us, and it can start now. Please join us:
http://www.colorofchange.org/beck/?id=1694-697050
Thanks and Peace,
-- James, Gabriel, William, Dani and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
July 30th, 2009

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU -- your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don't share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:
https://secure.colorofchange.org/contribute/?id...
References
1. "Beck: Obama has 'exposed himself as a guy' with 'a deep seated hatred for white people'" Media Matters, 7-28-09
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200907280008
2. "Glenn Beck: Obama agenda driven by 'reparations' and desire to 'settle old racial scores'," Media Matters, 7-23-09
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200907230040
3. "Palin linked to death threats against Obama," Economic Times, 11-9-2008
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow...
4. "Obama win prompts wave of hate crimes," Times Online, 11-17-2008
http://tinyurl.com/5rhf29
5. "MSNBC's Deutsch encourages viewers to demand advertisers on Beck's show spend money elsewhere," Media Matters, 7-29-09
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200907290037
6. "On Television and Radio, Talk of Obama's Citizenship," The New York Times, 7-24-09
http://tinyurl.com/mb467j
7. "Rush and reparations," The Nation, 5-12-2009
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion/435392/ru...
8. See reference 2.
9. See reference 3.
10. "Homeland Security report warns of rising right-wing extremism, Huffington Post, 4-14-2009
http://tinyurl.com/cpgx6q
11. ColorOfChange.org email on Fox's attacks on the Obamas
http://www.colorofchange.org/foxobama/message.html
12. "An overview: Fox News and its problem with African-Americans," ColorOfChange.org
http://colorofchange.org/fox/summary.html

What I find amusing about this is the fact that Obama is far from a radical man he is a centrist. What would they do with a truly activist POTUS? This is about a fear of undeserved white privilege and Beck et al will fight tooth and nail to hold onto what they deem to be their birth right. Beck regularly incites violence and provokes racial disharmony and therefore I fully support any censure against him,

This is another one of those "not that you need my permission" statements, but...

Have any of these efforts to "call out" FNC commentators met with anything resembling success? You do realize that if you do manage to run off a large advertiser, they're just going to replace that one with an ad from a PAC/527, right?

Is the symbolism worth it for a battle that, ultimately, you can't win?

You wrong D.This is a battle we must win.If the hatemongers win then what?You are a republican and you do fight for your ideas and want more people to listen but if the becks and hannity's of the world control the message then your party will be joining the whigs.You of all people should be speaking out against this hate.Because today they come after me tomorrow you will be next.

It's a diluted message to me, at this point.

This week, it's Beck. Next up is Malkin. Then Limbaugh. Then Beck again, after this attempt goes nowhere.

I'm all for fighting on death ground, but-to use Beck's analogy-they surround you. From a strategic perspective, which is the better use of resources-going after Beck, or going after the representatives and senators who actually make the laws?

But again...not that my blessing's needed.

This fight IS very important and it's different. The man called President Obama a racist and said he had a deep hatred of white people. If you never take a stand, what do you gain? If you never try to fight, how do you win?

I think this is a self-defeating remark. If Color of Change succeds in making Beck toxic, he'll have a hard time andthis could be the thing that ruins him. He crossed a serious line and doubled up on his radio show repeating and standing by his remarks.

He double dogged dared AA folks to come after him; he's getting his wish.

They're not going to. Beck will survive this, and might emerge with more support.

Was it an ignorant statement? Duh...of course it was. Commentators occasionally make them (and I'll leave it to the harder partisans to try to show where the ignorant statements stand on a scale of ignorance).

Bar Exam = OVER.

After the test I headed to the bar for free pizza and wine (courtesy of my Alma Mater), and now I've uploaded my final answers. All that's left to do now is pray. Apparently over 11,000 took it this year, it didn't seem like that many people were there, but hey I was in my bubble. LOL

Congrats!

You did fine!

congratulations, what an accomplishment

CONGRATS

Congrats

Congrats. No doubt you aced it.

Congratulations Muzikal :-) I know you did well.

Good for you, Muzikal. We have every confidence that you passed with flying colors!

Congratulations are in order. Now take a deep relaxing breath.

LOL, I'm currently finishing off my bottle of Moscato (I only had about a glass full left)

You deserve it for all of your hard work.

Happy 44th Birthday, Medicare. It’s a fine time—perfect, in fact—to celebrate the government-run, taxpayer-supported colossus in the American health care system that turns 44 this week. Medicare has done all it was supposed to do, and more.

(TruthDig) The Marvel That Is Medicare

It’s a fine time—perfect, in fact—to celebrate the government-run, taxpayer-supported colossus in the American health care system that turns 44 this week. Medicare has done all it was supposed to do, and more.

It thrives despite apocalyptic warnings from its original opponents that “socialized medicine” would hamper doctors, hospitals, patients—perhaps even doom the entire American health care system. Medicare is exceedingly popular and remarkably well-functioning despite its current critics’ claims that it is singularly wasteful, out of control in some never-specified way or, at the very least, holds the potential to bankrupt us all in the next generation.

Medicare is where political posturing runs headlong into historical truth: It is, along with Social Security, the most successful government program—other than its unrivaled military—that the United States has ever created.

And it has delivered for elderly people what President Barack Obama and at least some Democrats say they want to deliver for the rest of us: universal coverage ensuring that people with medical problems will not become impoverished by their illness, with patients offered a guaranteed set of services and a choice of private doctors, hospitals and other practitioners when they need treatment.

Happy Birthday - Stevie Wonder
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rszcDrVeu3Q

With a trembling hand and sunglasses, I press the mouse button. OK, I can SEE it.

'Sports' Most Hated' list 80% minorities. Post-racial society?
by AmbroseBurnside [Subscribe]
Share this on Twitter - 'Sports' Most Hated' list 80% minorities. Post-racial society? Thu Jul 30, 2009 at 10:24:17 AM PDT
From Forbes, by way of MSNBC, comes this year's list of the most hated individuals in the sports business:

Michael Vick, former NFL star/dogfighter
Manny Ramirez, Los Dodgers outfielder
Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees third baseman
Terrell Owens, Buffalo Bills wide receiver
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers guard
Allen Iverson, NBA star
Isiah Thomas, Former NBA star/former New York Knicks GM
Stephon Marbury, NBA star
Nick Saban, Alabama head football coach
John McEnroe, former tennis icon
AmbroseBurnside's diary :: ::
As you can see, 80% of the list, including the top eight are either black or Hispanic. You have to get to Nick Saban to find the first white person on the list.

Even the way these athletes are described by Forbes is reminiscent of the way bigots justify their hatred:

Some pro athletes just have a way of getting under people's skin. Whether its brashness, perceived insincerity or crime, some guys can't buy a break from the public.

Or basically, Joe the Racist saying:

I don't hate black people, just the uppity ones and the criminals!


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/7/30/759762/...

I Love Manny Ramirez! Manny & Big Papi were the only reason to watch the Red Soxs! I loved them together! Both were the bomb!

The majority of superstar athletes are minorities..black/hispanic...so DUH, it would be surprising if blacks/hispanic didn't dominate any list about anything about athletics.

This is one time I'll have to part company with the general consensus. All the folks on that list came by their reps honestly. I could go on about Manny quitting on the Red Sox last season in the midst of a pennant race as a ploy to get traded out of Boston, A-Rod lying about his use of enhancements, Iverson causing turmoil for the Sixers and Nuggets because it was his world and the coach and players were living in it, Isiah Thomas sexually harrassing a subordinate while he was with the Knicks, I'll stop now but you get my point.

I'm not denying there's racism in pro sports, but to throw around that charge to give this peanut gallery a pass on their antics trivializes the real instances that take place. Of course, YMMV.

Second

Sports media is some of the most racist, right wing bull you will ever find.

http://blackathlete.net/artman2/publish/The_Spo...

Amazing looking at that list how Barry Bonds isn't on there....probably because ever since Roger Clemens got busted, ESPN (Every Suspect Probably Negro), they've been quiet as church mice on Bonds.

All I can think of is the song "Hi Hater." Most on the list are on at the top of their game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtV6-Ke1p5k
(warning inappropriate language)

"Most on the list are on at the top of their game."

Yep, the song and the language are APPROPRIATE.

I am surpirsed Venus and Serena Williams' names aren't on the list.

Congressional Progressives Threaten To Block Health Reform!
by slinkerwink [Subscribe]
Share this on Twitter - Congressional Progressives Threaten To Block Health Reform! Thu Jul 30, 2009 at 05:50:29 AM PDT
Could this be the beginning of something new in the Congressional Progressive Caucus? The progressives in Congress threw a revolt over the compromises to the Blue Dog Democrats, and delayed the mark-up of the House Tri-Committee health care bill from yesterday to today at 10 am. They forced the Democratic leadership to meet with them to hear out their concerns about the watering down of the public option in the Tri-Committee bill.

Seriously, this is like the first time this has ever happened from the Congressional Progressive Caucus. They're working on marshalling up 50 votes to block the passage of health care reform if the public option is severely weakened in the final bill.

However, the White House and the Democratic leadership got worried, and started making phone calls to twist some arms to make sure the progressives stay in line to swallow any crap. This is where you come in. We NEED you to call the progressives on our target list below to make sure they continue to STAND UP for us on health care reform!

slinkerwink's diary :: ::
It's working. Your relentless phone calls are making the difference. The progressive caucus is finally realizing it can stand up for a real public option.

What does it mean? We need to push harder than ever to get members to take the pledge. Flood progressive members offices with calls and ask them to Take the Pledge to vote against any health care bill that doesn't have a strong public option.

Also, since the mark-up on the Energy and Commerce Committee is today at 10 a.m., we NEED you to call the progressives on the committee since some of them may be wavering into accepting the Blue Dog compromise. Tell them to offer amendments to restore the public option!

Some supporters of the public plan on the committee said they could live with the changes. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) said the briefing of committee Democrats made her "more inclined to support" the Blue Dog amendments.

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), who serves on the committee, said the compromise "eviscerates" the public plan. And he's frustrated that the agreement was presented to committee members as "take it or leave it."

But he still may vote for it, because he's concerned that if the bill stalls in committee, House leaders will simply bypass the committee. Engel said he's undecided.

Please TELL Rep. Eliot Engel NOT TO support the compromises by the Blue Dog Democrats that weaken the public option, and ask him how he can support the paring back of the subsidies for the middle class, the establishment of fake state-based co-operatives which will do NOTHING to reduce costs, and the weakening of the public option.

Here's Rep. Eliot Engel's phone number for you to call:

CALL Rep. Eliot Engel at 202-225-2464

And we have another target--Rep. Jan Schakowsky. She's the one that ALWAYS leads the fold-in of the progressives into accepting whatever shit sandwich comes out of the House, like the weakened ACES bill, the war supplemental vote, and other legislation that progressives were forced to accept.

It's why the White House called her to twist her arms into accepting the compromise from the Blue Dogs and convince her to pressure the other progressives into accepting the same. Did you know that Rep. Jan Schakowsky's in the charge of health policy for the Congressional Progressive Caucus? It's why she's our big target.

Please TELL Rep. Jan Schakowsky NOT TO support the compromises by the Blue Dog Democrats that weaken the public option, and ask her HOW she can support the paring back of the subsidies for the middle class, the establishment of fake state-based cooperatives which will do NOTHING to reduce costs, and the weakening of the public option.

CALL Rep. Jan Schakowsky at 202-225-2111

We'll also NEED you to CALL the other Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee below to ask them NOT TO support the compromises by the Blue Dog Democrats that weaken the public option, the paring back of subsidies for the middle class, and the establishment of state-based cooperatives that do nothing to reduce costs.

CALL Tammy Baldwin at 202-225-2906

CALL Jane Harman at 202-225-8220

CALL Jay Inslee at 202-225-6311

CALL Bobby Rush at 202-225-4372

CALL Anthony Weiner at 202-225-6616

CALL Peter Welch at 202-225-4115


http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/30/759...

thanks Rikyrah. I am on it and will also send out this notice in an email.

Wanted to add one more thing -- if you haven't already consider signing this Healthcare petition.

88,000 Signatures captured at this time.
Send a message to the senate before it's too late.
http://ga3.org/campaign/healthpetition?source=h...

Thanks Val, I'll pass this on as well.

Now this is what I am talking about
Dems warn Baucus with gavel threat
]
In an apparent warning to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), some liberal Democrats have suggested a secret-ballot vote every two years on whether or not to strip committee chairmen of their gavels.


Baucus, who is more conservative than most of the Democratic Conference, has frustrated many of his liberal colleagues by negotiating for weeks with Republicans over healthcare reform without producing a bill or even much detail about the policies he is considering.



“Every two years the caucus could have a secret ballot on whether a chairman should continue, yes or no,” said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “If the ‘no’s win, [the chairman’s] out.


“I’ve heard it talked about before,” he added.


Harkin did not mention Baucus, but his suggestion would likely resonate with the senior Montana Democrat, who has often clashed with his colleagues over important bills.


Liberals are also upset by reports that Baucus and other members of the Finance panel have tossed aside the proposal to create a robust government-run insurance program.


Harkin and Baucus are on different sides of the question of whether to create a government-run insurance plan.

While Harkin, a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, wants a strong public option, Baucus has favored a more modest proposal to set up a co-op program.


Some senators suggest privately that Baucus might be more open to persuasion if his chairmanship is subject to regular votes.


Another senior Democratic senator endorsed Harkin’s suggestion but declined to speak on the record for fear of angering Baucus.


“Put me down as a yes, but if you use my name I’ll send a SWAT team after you,” said the lawmaker when asked about a biennial referendum on chairmen.


Some Democrats have pushed back against criticism of Baucus.


A Senate source argued that critics do not have a realistic view of what it takes to enact an overhaul of the nation’s healthcare system.


“Those members who want everything they’ve ever dreamed of and want it now don’t have a plan — or the votes — to get it,” said the source. “This bipartisan Finance group isn’t focusing on politics or partisanship; it’s focused on results — delivering real healthcare reform, the president’s top priority this year.”


The plan Baucus is negotiating would address many Democratic priorities, such as lowering insurance prices for middle-class families and prohibiting insurance companies from discriminating on the basis of pre-existing conditions. Baucus has appeared to respond to pressure from colleagues, announcing on Wednesday new details of his negotiations with Republicans and promising his bill would extend insurance coverage to 95 percent of legal U.S. residents.



It is unclear whether the idea of a secret-ballot vote on chairmanships would gain much momentum in the conference.


Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who survived a secret-ballot referendum on his chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee in November, said he would oppose such a vote on all chairmen.


Lieberman noted that the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, which is headed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), recommends who should serve as committee chairmen at the start of each Congress, picks then ratified by the Democratic Conference as a whole.


But this process has become pro-forma except in extreme circumstances, such as the aftermath of Lieberman’s decision to endorse Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in the 2008 presidential election. Some lawmakers would like referendums on chairman to become more regular.


Senate Republicans have implemented term limits on chairmen and ranking committee members in their conference. Republican lawmakers may only serve three full terms as the chairman of a panel.


But Senate Democrats have no limits. This means Baucus could continue to have an outsize influence on major legislation for years to come. He is 67 years old, relatively young by Senate standards.


And despite the complaints of liberals, Baucus has retained the support of Reid, who sees Baucus’s efforts as essential to crafting a plan that can win 60 votes on the Senate floor.


As the senior Democrat on Finance, Baucus has played a major role in crafting legislation, going back to former President George W. Bush’s 2001 tax package and Bush’s 2003 Medicare prescription drug plan.


Once again, he has emerged as a lead negotiator in a landmark policy debate, and some lawmakers think he will end up defining healthcare reform.



“The solution is coming, I think, in the Senate Finance Committee,” Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.), a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, said in a recent television interview.


Liberal advocacy groups and labor unions have tried to pressure Baucus to support the public option, but to little avail. Some liberal advocates have even given up on Baucus.


“I don’t think we’re going to change Max Baucus’s mind,” said Gerry Shea, assistant to the president for governmental affairs at the AFL-CIO, who added that Baucus would not be targeted in grassroots activities planned for August.


Liberals have stifled their gripes for the past several weeks, but it appears their patience is nearing its end.


Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), a member of the HELP Committee, said it would be very difficult for him to support a healthcare package that did not include a strong public option. On Tuesday he grumbled about the slow pace of Finance Committee negotiations: “I’m not happy with the slowness there.”


Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), a senior liberal lawmaker, complained to reporters last week about being left out of Finance Committee talks despite serving as chairman of the panel’s Healthcare subcommittee.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/dems-warn-b...
Are you paying attention Harry Reid

10 CEO Mega-Yachts (PHOTOS, POLL)
First Posted: 07-29-09 03:06 PM | Updated: 07-29-09 04:41 PM


With the economy mired in a historic recession, now is certainly not the time to flaunt your world-class mega-yacht (assuming you actually own one). Yet, as Vanity Fair's Vicky Ward pointed out on the HuffPost recently, Andres Piedrahita, the main shareholder of the Fairfield Greenwich Group, recently took possession of a $30 million yacht. This, of course, was after Fairfield Greenwich had siphoned billions into Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme.

Despite the economy, there's no shortage of floating palaces among today's more upmarket business leaders. In fact, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has two huge vessels, while Russian billionaire -- and owner of the U.K.'s Chelsea soccer club -- has three enormous ships.

Which ship is the most ludicrously enormous? Which is barely seaworthy? View our SLIDESHOW and VOTE below (NOTE: all costs are approximate):


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/29/10-ceo...

Republicans flee Congress in droves, Politico gives them upper hand

Republicans started the year with 41 senators. Eight of them -- or 20 percent -- are ditching (or have already ditched) their caucus:

Kit Bond of Missouri, Sam Brownback of Kansas, Jim Bunning of Kentucky, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, Mel Martinez of Florida, George Voinovich of Ohio, and as of today, Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas have announced their retirements. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania switched parties. What's left is heavily concentrated in the South and Mormon Corridor:

After two consecutive electoral routs, the surviving Republicans generally represent the safest base turf. Republicans represent 17 of the 24 Southern seats, 10 of the 26 Western seats, 10 of the 26 Midwestern seats and just three of the 24 Northeastern seats. Republicans dominate just the South and the Mormon Corridor in the Rockies. The entire GOP Senate leadership hailed from those two regions until Sen. John Ensign (Nev.) resigned his leadership post because of scandal.
Read More
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/30/759...
The money quote at the end,
Yup, Politico has lost over 1M unique monthly readers since its peak in February. There's nothing like Drudge bait to help turn that around.

RESOLVED: The GOP Doesn’t Care About Latinos
http://thestimulist.com/resolved-the-gop-doesnt...

This is the IDEAL time for national Black and Latino organizations to build and organize. We have something in common right now! They hate US (African American and Latino.) The loathe US. They do not want us as part of this nation's power or voice. We need to organize now while our similarities are palpable.

There are alliances, they don't get much publicity. Even gangs in LA who are suppose to hate each other have alliances. If gang members understood they were being pitted against each other and decided to form coalitions, so should everyone else.

I'm thinking of an article I read recently that Texas can very well be a TOSS UP state IF people got Hispanics registered there. That's a big territory to cover and do alone. I would like to see organizing happening now to get those folks registered- NOW for example.

Gangs and the mafia (so for the redundancy) are the best organized among all organizations.

IIRC, Texas is now majority-minority (census term) which means largest population is Hispanic. Now, as you said, voter turnout, putting Hispanics on school boards, city councils, committees, prosecutors, state rep and senate is the work ahead.

"But regardless of which party Latino voters show up for on election day, our community needs Democratic and Republican lawmakers to care about our issues the other 364 days of the year. And if the GOP cannot get it together enough to send a high-profile representative to one of the largest gatherings of Latino leaders in the country, what should we expect when comprehensive immigration reform hits the House floor? More of the same rhetoric? Another no-show?

Just as the story of Sonia Sotomayor, a Puerto Rican, overlaps with the story of so many Americans, the concerns of Hispanic-Americans are shared by much of the country. When a community who voted for health care reform, economic revival and comprehensive immigration reform is ignored, we are all ignored."

Not surprising, if you travel to Chicago you can get a walking or biking tour of Obama spots.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-0730-t...

"Then through campus, headed north, with a stop at his old apartment building before the finale: a nice breather on the grassy patch across the street from his house.

You get surprisingly close; that said, when a member of my group stepped less than a foot in front of the steel barricades to take a picture, a police officer slowly climbed from her car in warning.

No joke."

“CASH FOR CLUNKERS” RUNNING WITH TRUE GOVERNMENTAL EFFICIENCY:

Dealers reported problems with the government’s online system to get the transactions approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which is running the program.

Scott Lambert, vice president of the Minnesota Auto Dealers Association, said he was “astounded” to learn at a meeting Tuesday representing about 150 Minnesota dealers that not one has had a deal approved.

“We had dealers representing 1,500 to 2,000 transactions,” he said. “We asked how many had a deal approved yet, and not one hand went up.”

Lambert said the government has created a program that’s “so big and cumbersome that it can’t find a way to accept anything. We’re sending in good, reliable deals.”

It’s nerve-racking for the dealers, he said, because they have given the customer $4,500 and now the dealers need to be reimbursed.

Don’t worry, though — I’m sure they’ll do a better job with your prostate.

BULLSHIT!!!You only get the voucher towards the purchase of a new fuel efficient car.Again Ssott lambert is a liar and you are a fool for posting the lie.

Paul Ryan on MSNBC: "Let's have an honest debate"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdr49iGZOUw&eurl...

BAM! That's not enough honesty for Consev1 though, IT'S allergic to facts and honesty.

A day after formally delaying a vote on a healthcare bill and having to accept a further weakening of a public option to compete with private insurers, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) lashed out at the health insurance industry and urged her members to do the same during the August recess.

Pelosi lashes out at private health insurance ‘villians’

“They are the villains in this,” Pelosi said of private insurers. “They have been part of the problem in a major way. They are doing everything in their power to stop a public option from happening. And the public has to know that. They can disguise their arguments any way they want, but the fact is that they don’t want the competition.”

As she prepares to send her members home for the month of August having not voted on a healthcare bill – a deadline the Speaker said she would meet for President Obama – Pelosi said she was urging those members to go on the attack against the private insurance industry to try to rally support for the strongest public option possible when negotiations resume in September.

“The more the public knows about what we’re doing, the more they support it, and especially if you’re talking about a public option, because that’s where the insurance companies are making their attack,” Pelosi said. “Our members have to go out there ready to take on a big special interest that has not made our country healthier, has made costs spiral upward, and for whom that is coming to an end.

“It’s almost immoral what they are doing,” added Pelosi, who stood outside her office long after her press conference ended to continue speaking to reporters, even as aides tried in vain to usher her inside. “Of course they’ve been immoral all along in how they have treated the people that they insure with preexisting conditions, you know, the litany of it all.”

Nancy is living in an alternate realty.

"The only problem with this narrative is that there is no aspect of it which is true. A FoxNews poll from June of this year showed that 89 per cent of Americans are happy with their own health care, and that even a majority of those without health insurance say that they receive health care and are happy with it. A Rasmussen poll released July 22nd revealed that Obama’s healthcare plan is opposed by 53% of Americans overall, including 60% of independents. Now comes the latest bit of bad news for Obama’s healthcare plan. A WSJ/NBC News poll taken July 24-27 indicates that the public is broadly dissatisfied with everything about the Obama/Pelosi plan, including the manner in which Obama is pushing it:

Forty-six percent of Americans disapprove of President Obama’s handling of the issue of health care reform compared to 41 percent who give him positive marks, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted July 24-27. Thirteen percent are undecided.

** snip **

Forty-two percent say the plan Obama is pushing is a bad idea, 36 percent say it is a good idea and 17 percent have no opinion. That compares to June when 32 percent said it was a bad idea, 33 percent labeled it a good idea and 30 percent had no opinion.

Thirty-nine percent believe that under Obama’s plan their health care will get worse, 29 percent say it will stay the same and 21 percent say it will get better. In April, 24 percent said it would get worse, 29 percent said it would stay the same and 22 percent said it would get better

What has to be troubling for Obama and Pelosi is not just the fact that the absolute numbers are bad, but also that each of the polls indicate that the trend in public opinion is moving away from support for Obama’s plan as the public learns more about it. Given what we learned today about the compromise negotiated with the Blue Dogs, it appears that these trends will have at least another two months to percolate, and for the fence-sitting Congressmen to hear from their constituents.

The other major problem is that there are only two people with the national stature and vested interest in seeing this bill passed through (whatever its political cost) are Obama and Pelosi. Pelosi remains vastly unpopular among the public at large, and sending her out to convince people in Arkansas that Mike Ross ought to vote for Obamacare would be an unmitigated disaster. Up until this point, Obamacare at least had Obama’s relative popularity in its back pocket, but now it appears that whatever people think of Obama himself, they are not buying what he is selling on his healthcare plan. And as the vote on the plan gets kicked down the road further and further, it becomes more certain that either the bill will die, or the political careers of those who vote for it will die while it lives."

"The only problem with this narrative is that there is no aspect of it which is true. A FoxNews poll from June of this year showed that 89 per cent of Americans are happy with their own health care, and that even a majority of those without health insurance say that they receive health care and are happy with it. A Rasmussen poll released July 22nd revealed that Obama’s healthcare plan is opposed by 53% of Americans overall, including 60% of independents."

Citing polls from FoxNews and Rasmussen and expecting credibly IS alternate reality.

Conserv1 and those who share his views are the only ones living in an alternative universe.

STEPHEN MARCHE IN ESQUIRE: “Nobody wants to hear it, but this fact is too important to ignore: So far, the first African-American presidency has been one of the worst ever for African-Americans. The economic crisis has predominantly hit non-white working class men; the collapse of the auto industry is threatening to destroy the basis of the Midwestern black middle class. Key matters for African-Americans languish — the over incarceration of young black men that makes a mockery of American justice being the number one example. Government aid? That goes to bankers in Connecticut. If the President were white, there would be riots.”

http://www.esquire.com/features/thousand-words-...

Stephen Marche, a Canadian, expressing his ideas on the plight of African Americans and how the president of the United States, not “African Americans” is turning a blind eye to their needs. How could the president lift Black working class people out of poverty during a rescission and not lift everyone else, since his duty is to “fix” the economy? Would it be logical to infer that if the entire economy is failing, (no fault of the president) the middle class itself is in jeopardy? A rescission does not discriminate on the bases is color, even though some are hit worst than others. And pray tell me, what does the president have to do with the incarceration of Black men at this point? Write his attorney general. This denunciation of president Obama should be placed on its rightful owners, Nixon; Ford; Carter; Reagan; Bush; Clinton and Bush. “If the president were White, there would be riots”…I don’t remember any!

Wow six whole months and no negro utopia yet.....I guess we were sold a bill-o-goods, and while we're at it, maybe we should rethink the legacy of MLK, I mean how many years from the Montgomery Bus boycott till the Civil Rights Bill of 1964, dude was loafin'. Okay on the serious tip, if you're gonna be the conservative naysayer on a black site at least try and come across as someone who doesn't condescend and treat the rest of us like we were born yesterday. This ain't Fox News

That's interesting, because since November 4, 2008, the only folks I see running around ranting, screaming, kicking, teabagging, birthering, screeching, gun-toting, flag-waving, and amn near rioting are ignorant WHITE FOLKS!

**dead**

It's a Tea Party.

Just sayin.

Come on- admit it. You there has had to be SOME teabagging...

No, no teabagging.

After a few Budweisers, I'm sure there was tea-baggin happening (especially among the holier than thou.)

You're right. I think we should go back to the days of Franklin Pierce, when there was 100% black male employment.

lol

Oh snap! LOL!

LOL!

Hey, I just quoted the commentary and posted the link. I don't know what to say to this other than the fact that I somewhat agree with the author when he says, "...the color of Obama's skin doesn't make a damn bit of difference in the daily business of running the world.'

Yes, that's right- you don't really agree with the article, but since it's anti-Obama, you threw it up there. I understand.

Just keeping things interesting here.

Interesting doesn't mean constructive. That's the problem you see- you want interesting more than mutual understanding. You want entertainment over constructive discourse. You want it more than change.

Everything doesn't exist at opposite ends, but still you want to promote this notion that it does. This thinking is divisive and Un-American. Pro capitalism, as an aside, isn't inherently proamerican albeit it inherently SOME American.

Things not being interesting here is never, never...never a problem.

Nuh-uh plantsmantx! We need Conservative to enlighten us and show us the way! If'n he dont show us the way, how's we gone know where to go? I NEEDS me a good "real amerikkkan" to edumacate me!

Yes suh, we needs the ignant YT to lead us out of the wilderness. LOL!

He's a wackadoodle...go to your room wackadoodle!

So basically, nothing has changed for black folks except now a black man is in charge so he can be blamed for all the ills of the black community.

"There would be riots"? Riots?

For anyone who can please support the parole release of Leonard Peltier, Native American. In short he was convicted on with held evidence. To learn more about his life go here http://www.leonardpeltier.net/theman.htm


below are excerpts from Daily KOS
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/7/30/04635/1231
"Harvey Wasserman

How Leonard Peltier could leave prison by August 18
July 30, 2009

For a formidable and growing global community of supporters, the prospect of Native American activist Leonard Peltier finally leaving prison inspires a longing that cuts to the depths of the soul.

So Peltier’s first parole hearing of the Obama Era---on Tuesday, July 28---inspired hope of an intensity that will have a major impact on the new presidency. A decision must come from the Federal Parole Commission within three weeks. His attorney is calling for a surge of public support that would create an irresistible political climate for Leonard’s release.

The relationship between Peltier and those who have followed his case over the decades can be intensely personal. His imprisonment has come to stand not only for five centuries of unjust violence waged against Native Americans, but also for the inhumane theft of the life of a man who has handled his 33 years in jail with epic dignity, effectiveness and grace."

"Seitz says letters to the Parole Commission and to local newspapers, calls to Congressional Representatives (202-224-3121), talk show hosts and other forms of public pressure are now of the utmost importance. The hope, he says, lies in creating a “public environment favorable to release.”

Health Care Reform: 450,000 Doctors Can't Be Wrong

When our friends at The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and Herndon Alliance asked for our help we produced this video featuring the doctors your family relies on for care. They are urging Americans to 'Heal Health Care Now'.

Stand with the 450,000 doctors and call Congress to reform health care now: (202) 224-3121.

Brave New Films is also producing its own video, Sick For Profit. If you have a story about abusive health insurance companies, email csprinkle@bravenewfilms.org

Yours,
Robert Greenwald
and the Brave New Films team

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkGGDOp4uUg

Destroying Obama as Quickly as Possible, Part 2a: Sympathy for the Republican:
Sweet Jesus, dear Republicans, it must suck to be you. You came out of the 2008 elections having lost any semblance of power. And it only took two years from being the kings and queens of the Hill, contemplating what you were going to do with the coming decades of your reign, and then it all just fucking fell apart. And now you're not just in a minority, in theory you're about as powerless as the Green Party, the Libertarian Party, and the Space Lizard Party. "In theory" because you still have catastrophe, or the hope of it. Yes, catastrophe is your currency, wilderness-wandering Republicans; it is your food, your air. It's all you have left, and you are going to flog catastrophe like a desperate, fix-deprived junkie trying to sell his shoes on the sidewalk.

This ain't about the conservative radio and TV hogfuckers who have Father Coughlin'd their way into our consciousness. Frankly, they have become re-empowered by the Democratic victories of 2008. It's easier to whip people into an incoherent frenzy in opposition than in support. Or, to put it simply, Barack Obama is the best thing that could have happened to Rush Limbaugh. He just sounded like the sad and lost fat man he is throughout the Bush years. 2008 just finally gave a new ying to his lonely yan.

No, this is about actual Republican lawmakers. What we're seeing in the savage attacks on the President and the Democratic congress by Republicans is the projection of eight years of being the beaten curs for all things Bush/Cheney/Rove/Rumsfeld. You know how it is with a dog whose owner beats him to teach him how to behave. At some point, that fuckin' dog is gonna snap and rip the shit out of someone. You think it's gonna be the owner, who still, despite all the whippings and kickings, feeds the dog? Fuck, no. It's gonna be whatever else is around to be chewed.

Imagine you're that Republican in the House who, for eight long goddamn years, lapped up every bowl of vomit that the Bush administration placed in front of you. Imagine getting a phone call from Karl Rove if there was even a hint you were gonna go rogue and vote against, say, expanded surveillance. Imagine the threats to your career. Let's even, for the sake of argument, say, and why not, that you're an honorable Republican, trying to get some of that federal largesse for your district, steer a few jobs to the constituents, get some shit built. And you're listening to Rove threaten to cut off the campaign funding pump if you don't vote his way. So you do it. You suck it up and ask for more because you're convinced that, in the end, the overall goal of the Republican majority and cohesion of the party is better for the country.

And then all those promises that you were made, about hanging in there with Bush until the bitter end, it all just came apart, leaving you to face a future where not only is your party falling apart, but you've got a voting record that says you were Dick Cheney's convenient tool. Hell, let's just toss in there, for shits and giggles, that your district is becoming more Hispanic. What are you gonna do?

Why, you're gonna take it out on Obama. You're gonna join the effort to crush this presidency, no matter how fucking insane. And, fuck, add into the mix the fear of your white constituents (and maybe you) that a black man is the commander-in-chief? Motherfucker, the world's upside-down. Catastrophe is imminent. The end is nigh, man, it's nigh.

But here's the deal: of course Republicans were gonna do this. It's what they do. It's actually acting like an opposition party (if a bit drama queen-ish). If the leadership can outright lie about issues, well, then at least we know the rules of the game.

The reason, though, to bring all this up is not to chide Republicans for trying to bring down Obama. That's to be expected. No, the Rude Pundit's got two purposes: to understand why things seem just a bit more intense than usual. And to set up tomorrow's discussion: that perhaps we shouldn't have expected Democrats to be aiding Republicans.
http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/

No, this is about actual Republican lawmakers. What we're seeing in the savage attacks on the President and the Democratic congress by Republicans is the projection of eight years of being the beaten curs for all things Bush/Cheney/Rove/Rumsfeld.

I love the well-tempered anger and dead on accuracy of this post. My problem, however, lies more with the Democrats than with Republicans. The behavior of Republicans is predictable and hasn't changed since they began absorbing the Dixeicrat wing of the Democratic Party in 1964.

My father used to tell me that if you took a little shyt from somebody, they'll start thinking you'll probably take a lot so you might as well get them up off you early. The Democrats need to learn this lesson.

" My problem, however, lies more with the Democrats than with Republicans."

Exactly.

"And to set up tomorrow's discussion: that perhaps we shouldn't have expected Democrats to be aiding Republicans."

That's the issue. I'd remove the label of DEMOCRATS and REPUBLIANS; strip the labels, and LOOK at the behaviors of these folks.

Democrats can't hide behind the label of pro-blacks and other POC, and neither can so-called "liberals."

If you're clowning and showing your ass, and not serving the American people, I'm calling you out for what you are.

The problem is we thought the Republicans were real bad and the Democrats were better, well we got fooled. As Bush said, " Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." We aren't going to be fooled again.

Completely agree.

"That's the issue. I'd remove the label of DEMOCRATS and REPUBLIANS; strip the labels, and LOOK at the behaviors of these folks."

Didn't I say I LOVE JJP? Always speaks truth. You are dead on spirit.
I was thinking the same thing for awhile now.

Strip the labels. Serve the people.

Charges dropped against woman in DUI-video case
A videotape in which Hollywood officers are heard changing details of a police- involved crash led prosecutors to drop charges against the woman faulted in the crash.

BY DAVID SMILEY
dsmiley@MiamiHerald.com

The Broward State Attorney's Office has dropped all charges against a 23-year-old woman arrested by Hollywood police last February for driving under the influence, citing a video in which officers can be heard plotting how to fabricate details on her arrest report.
Alexandra Torrensvilas, arrested Feb. 17 after Hollywood Officer Joel Francisco rear-ended her car in the 2800 block of Sheridan Street, no longer faces DUI and DUI property damage charges.
But the officers themselves could face charges, according to Public Defender Howard Finkelstein,
``This is arguably a violation of civil rights statutes,'' said Finkelstein, who in a letter to Police Chief Chadwick Wagner on Tuesday demanded accountability and questioned whether a ``culture of corruption'' exists among Hollywood Police. ``These guys could go to prison for decades.''
In Torrensvilas' arrest affidavit, arresting Officer Dewey Pressley wrote that she swerved her Toyota into the way of Francisco's car shortly after a cat jumped out the window of her Toyota. Pressley also wrote that he found gray cat hairs on Torrensvilas' clothing and that she had a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit of .08.
But in a recording taken while Torrensvilas sat in the back seat of a police cruiser, officers can be heard discussing how to twist the facts of the crash so that Francisco will no longer be at fault.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/st...

but no one (not even the POTUS) is supposed to criticize the po-po?

riiiiiight.

I live in south florida and this $hit is unacceptable.

Double post sorry...

lamh32, that's interesting information about an Obama movie. But don't you feel it is a bit too early for that? He has barely begun his administration...

Laura
Brainwave Entrainment

Hillary in 2016?

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/0...

"Hillary Clinton says running for office isn't on her "radar," but she still has an eight-person political team and sports two overflowing campaign war chests.

Her team transformed the former Democratic White House contender's massive campaign debts into a $3 million mountain of political cash, according to federal fund-raising records through the end of June.

Clinton's failed presidential bid is now $1 million in the black, and her old Senate campaign committee has $2.1 million in the bank, much of it transferred in from the presidential account......

As an Obama financial supporter I want her to pay us back. We never wanted to give up the money in the first place. We ate a lot of crow to win those angry women over.

I heard that if Obama was to win a second term Hillary would become Vice President replacing Biden. That way she'd be positioned to run after his possible second term ended.

Now that is intriguing. I think Obama would be smart just to put her on the ticket and let Biden be Sec of State(Remember he asked him first anyway). The would be an unstoppable ticket.

no how no way no Obama/Clinton.

That wouldn't surprise me. If Obama remains popular and leaves with high approvals, I could see Hillary running.

She'll be too old and the "clinton" magic dust was gone when she lost the democratic primary.

The Clinton magic dust vanished when he couldn't help Terry McAuliffe win Virginia.

I don't know...if she remains Sec. of State and is seen as having done a good job, I can see her going for it again. Even more so if her opponent is Palin.

I don't care what those back woods conservatives think. The blue blood Repubs would never let her win the Republican primary.

I would LOVE to see her tear up Palin during a debate...Sista Sarah's beehive would be going every which a way...turning red...scowl lines forming...then Sista Sarah would make some crack about Hillary's appearance/marriage/personal life...Hillary would look over at her with a smile and mentally take her earrings off and get some Vaseleeeeeeeeeeeeen...and tear that ass up...I'd pay to see Hillary tear up Sista Sarah...

I'd want primo ticket for that event.

Yes, sold out, standing room only!

Okay, before ya'll flame this title, read the article.

White Cops Are Always Right

lol love your disclaimer

Great, but what I find strange is why these lunatics perceive him as so much of a threat. It's like we have DuBOis as president...or Farrakhan. I have a student who's younger brother teeters on the edge of thuggery and now tells his sibling why should I get an education--the Prez doesn't stand by an educated brother, and elevates some blue collar white dude to his level at the White House, over BEER? The health plan has to be sold with folksy charisma, not academic acumen. Plus a little LBJ (look at how he rammed through the Civil Rights Act, Medicare). Otherwise what the hell was Rahm and Biden for? This is a yuppie administration (note I didn't say bupppy) and yet they can't even get through to their core constituency, never mind the great mass of bumpkins out there who are susceptible to the bullshit. You cannot sub contract important efforts like this to House and Senate Democrats. You have to give them their marching orders and if they balk or demand PORK, give them a little taste under thee table to assuage them, but also stick a shoe in their asses. We as black folks are giving him enormous slack and rightly so, but come on.

Accordingly, the conspiracies, the weird non stories, the namecalling,the birther stuff--it all amuses me. he is not the anti Christ. But he may well be on his way to being another Jimmy Carter (with us loyally in tow) if he doesn't get mean, get savvy as in old school. Maybe she listen to those tapes on NPR of LBJ. They are already grooming new reagans, and it will be 1980 all over again.

I don't think you are leaving out an importance piece about passing health care reform. Democrats unlike Republicans have a wide array of views in the Party and at a time like this it stalls progression. You have conservatives democrats and you have progression ones. They are just not going to take marching orders from the White House. Some of these conservatives dems have to go back to places like Kentucky, Iowa, Arkansas, North Dakota. The President to get this done is going have to have to bend.

"Democrats unlike Republicans have a wide array of views in the Party and at a time like this it stalls progression. You have conservatives democrats and you have progression ones. They are just not going to take marching orders from the White House. Some of these conservatives dems have to go back to places like Kentucky, Iowa, Arkansas, North Dakota. The President to get this done is going have to have to bend."

Excellent point and I agree. However, bending should not include a watered down public option because a strong public option for healthcare is what the majority of America wants. Country first.

Obama can never be LBJ.

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20090726_T...

"Johnson was a creature of Capitol Hill who had logged 23 years as a lawmaker, including a productive stint as Senate majority leader. He knew his colleagues well, he knew when to flatter or frighten. Many owed him favors; as president, he often called in his markers. Most important, Democratic lawmakers feared him. The current crop of Democrats do not fear Obama. He worked among them in the Senate for only four years and never gained any leverage, LBJ-style.

Lacking LBJ's inside moves, Obama has gone with his outside game. His grassroots political arm, Organizing for America, has run TV ads targeting red-state Democratic senators - such as Kent Conrad of North Dakota and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana - urging them to support sweeping health-care reform. These Democrats aren't exactly quaking in their boots. Conrad says, "It's fine with me." Landrieu says, "It really doesn't matter to me literally one way or the other."

Maybe LBJ could have knocked their heads together, and ordered them not to worry about deepening the deficit. But I wonder about that. In Obama's defense, LBJ never had to deal with the kind of fiscal headaches that persist today. When Johnson was twisting arms for his Great Society agenda, the economy was booming, General Motors and other corporate behemoths were alive and well, and banks were banks. His budget issues weren't nearly as dire as those currently afflicting Obama.

Johnson also had far stronger prevailing winds at his back; he had won a landslide election in the aftermath of the JFK assassination, and he enjoyed two-thirds majorities in both congressional chambers. And while playing his inside game - most commonly known as "the Johnson treatment," he had a weapon that Obama dare not employ.

Pork."

I would agree with most of this except the 'pork' comment. The 'stimulus' bill was nothing but pork. The President and Democrats miscalculated how far into the red Americans are willing to go during 'the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression."

There is a HUGE difference between Johnson ramming the Civil Rights Act through and healthcare reform.

1. Johnson came to the Oval Office after YEARS of strong arming experience in Congress.

2. Johnson was a Southerner.

3. Johnson is the genesis of many Democrats switching parties.

4. Johnson used up most of his political capital to get the Act through.


So, there's no way, at this moment and given our shared history, that PBO can ram through healthcare reform. There is a lot of negotiation that must go on and there's a lot bad hoodoo because those antebellum traditionalist white Southerners ain't gonna be had another time without a really beeeeg fight to the end.

So, in response to the brother-on-the-edge-of-thuggery, even if his characterization of this administration as *yuppie* is true, he still needs to get his behind in college.

Sorry, just keepin' it real.

We as black folks are giving him enormous slack and rightly so, but come on.

The Black Electorate collectively gives anybody it presumes to be an ally enormous slack and that is one of the reasons that we have such great difficulty in transforming our support for politicians, whether they be elected at the local, state or national level, into public policies that actually benefit our communities. Yes, it is good to have an African American elected as president but it would be far better to have an African American elected as president who supports and promotes policies that benefit a larger and more diverse collection of Americans.

In my opinion, for example, President Obama and his Administration are (probably have) frittering away the opportunity for real health care reform in this country. All politicians are opportunists. The real question is whether they have any talent or not. I'm not referring here to the talent to survive or get reelected. I mean the talent to bring about meaningful and substantive change. I'm waiting to see if Obama really has any talent. Until that time, he can get his own back.

"I'm waiting to see if Obama really has any talent. Until that time, he can get his own back."

This is a self-fulfilling prophecy if you really think about it. Obama's only leverage on lawmakers is if he can prove to them that his coattails are long enough to ensure them electoral victory in the event that they buck the corporate lobbies that currently fund their campaigns. If Obama supporters flake on our support of him, then these lawkamers will believe that it is in their best interests to stick with the lobbyists, thus ensuring Obama's failure and "proving" your theory that he lacks "talent."

Bottom line is that Obama's only path to legislative victory is the continued, active support of the electoral coalition he built, which included a solidly pro-Obama black electorate. If we sit back and make him "earn" our support, we will be ensuring that he fails and squandering the best chance (albeit a slim, improbable one) that this country has had to overcome these corporate interests in a long time. So we can sit back and critque him for not showing and proving, and be satisfied with our smug content at having been right once he fails, or we can work like dogs to help him succeed, since we - rabid Obama supporters (I think they call us "Obamistans" - are the only real power he has. He is young, hasn't been around long enough to have built up favors with folks. He stormed the gates. His only power are the folks who helped him tear it down. We can't stop now.

teddyHM --

I don't disagree with many of the points you make. Obama does need the "continued, active support of the electoral coalition" that, in my opinion, coalesced around his candidacy. In order to facilitate that movement, however, he needs to do a much better job of keeping his commitments and, as importantly, keeping us apprised of where he is going. We can't watch his back if we don't know where his back is.

I am not an Obamistan although I contributed real money to his campaign and worked as a volunteer including serving as the precinct caucus chair. He and his campaign don't owe me any personal favors but I have to believe that they intend to dance with who brought them. There have been a little bit too many evasions, half-steps and reversals for me to blindly follow his lead.

Health care reform requires a great deal of heavy lifting but let's not develop political amnesia here. Obama was for the single payer option before he was against it. Now he is sort of for it but... The reality is that if Obama and his team actually supported the single payer option they would have done what was necessary to rally the troops some time ago.

I have no desire to see him fail but I ain't fattening no more frogs for snakes either.

PTCruiser - We don't have to wait and see if the President has talent. Regardless of opinions he has talent and no one can take that away from him.

I completely agree with you that he needs close the deal on healthcare and push hard on Reid to get the Senate in check. But he needs some help with this message war. (He's fighting both Repubs, and Dems). Last night on Keith Olbermann, Howard Dean interviewed Sen Sherrod Brown who gave us (the public and the President) some tips on what we can do to help. We can all get back into "campaign" mode.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VITYqT8ovuY

But he needs some help with this message war. (He's fighting both Repubs, and Dems).

This needs to be said over and over again.

President Obama is fighting both Republicans and Democrats.

The same folks who have worked to maintain the status quo for DECADES.

Where is the war room?

PTCruiser - the President has talent, we don't have to "wait and see". Regardless of opinions he has talent and no one can take that away from him.

Obama has amply demonstrated that he has talent to be elected. (I never, for one moment, thought that he would lose the race for the White House if he won the Democratic Party's nomination. I was not surprised on election night and I did not cry any tears of joy.) He has yet to demonstrate that he has the talent to bring about "change we can believe in." I cited health care as an example but the list is longer.

I think that some sort of healtch care "reform" will pass. It will take at least $50 billion dollars in the form of a tax on mostly white republicans and create another entitlement program. Another $50 billion will have to come out of the general fund to pay for the program.

Some sort of health care reform is not what the country needs. We have had some sort of health care reform going on 60 years. I stand by my comment regarding the President and his team.

choke on the irony of this for a minute:
Chris Wallace, Don Imus: Lou Dobbs Acting Like "Grassy Knoll Nut"

Damn now Lou Dobbs is getting it from both sides.

If he is in the closet he probably likes that.

"Grassy Knoll Nut" I like that.

delete duplicate

Although, I am proud of all of the honorees chosen for the Presidential Medal of Freedom, I am especially happy to see Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow, the last living Plains Indian war chief.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/30/gates.police.a...

(CNN) -- A Boston police officer who sent a mass e-mail referring to Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. as a "banana-eating jungle monkey" has apologized, saying he's not a racist. Officer Justin Barrett told a Boston television station on Wednesday night that he was sorry for the e-mail.
"I regret that I used such words," Barrett told CNN affiliate WCVB-TV. "I have so many friends of every type of culture and race you can name. I am not a racist."
Barrett was placed on administrative leave after the e-mail surfaced, and he might lose his job as a result.
Barrett, 36, who is also an active member of the National Guard, sent off a fiery e-mail to some fellow Guard members -- as well as The Boston Globe -- in which he vented about a July 22 Globe column about Gates' controversial arrest.
Gates, a top African-American scholar, was arrested on July 16 and accused of disorderly conduct after police responded to a report of a possible burglary at his Cambridge home. The charge later was dropped. The incident sparked a debate about racial profiling and police procedures.
Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham supported Gates' actions, asking readers, "Would you stand for this kind of treatment, in your own home, by a police officer who by now clearly has no right to be there?"
In Barrett's e-mail, which was posted on a Boston television station's Web site, he declared that if he had "been the officer he verbally assaulted like a banana-eating jungle monkey, I would have sprayed him in the face with OC (oleoresin capsicum, or pepper spray) deserving of his belligerent non-compliance."
Barrett used the "jungle monkey" phrase four times, three times referring to Gates and once referring to Abraham's writing as "jungle monkey gibberish."
He also declared that he was "not a racist but I am prejudice [sic] towards people who are stupid and pretend to stand up and preach for something they say is freedom but it is merely attention because you do not get enough of it in your little fear-dwelling circle of on-the-bandwagon followers."
Barrett's comments were taken out of context, said his attorney, Peter Marano.
"Officer Barrett did not call professor Gates a jungle monkey or malign him racially," Marano said. "He said his behavior was like that of one. It was a characterization of the actions of that man."
According to a statement from Boston police, Commissioner Edward Davis took action immediately on learning of Barrett's remarks, stripping the officer of his gun and badge.
Barrett is "on administrative leave, pending the outcome of a termination hearing."
CNN has been unable to reach Barrett for comment.
Davis wants Barrett, a two-year member of the Boston police, fired, a source close to the investigation said. But he will continue to be paid while on leave, and no date has been set for his termination hearing.


So, what am I to take from this? Officer Barrett has some "seriously" understanding African American friends who find no problem with his reference to "banana eating jungle monkeys"? Officer Barrett is a qualified zoologist/anthropologist/other-ologist who is, in addition to being a "peacekeeper", able to espouse brilliantly about the similarities between the behavioral characteristics of Dr. Gates and a "banana eating jungle monkey" that he came across on one of his many "safaris" to the monkey habitat at the Boston Zoo? I'm confused. A little help? Anyone?

But, but, but, "I am not a racist." Anybody detecting a PATTERN?

I'm at the point in my life where if somebody pipes up with that nonsense I tell them to talk to the hand. I don't know what's worse...the initial offense or trying to insult my intelligence.

I think that certain portions of society are so used to the responses of Colin Powell's generation, i.e., "we are a Christian race and we have been conditioned to forgive the offenses of racism and prejudice for years" Suddenly, we have this enlightened technlogically savvy new generation of "persons of color" who are not afraid to say "hell to the naw"... we are in for an interesting time ahead. Some things just aren't going to get a pass anymore.

Variety Discusses Screening of HBO Documentary about Obama campaign. Movie to air on HBO Nov 4. Damn, I don't currently have HBO, I wanna see the doc. I guess I'm gonna have to get HBO, or hopefully they'll have it OnDemand.

"Obama:The Movie"

you won't have to worry about getting HBO
that movie will be on-line
before the last name credit rolls up

I know that's right. Torrent sites are the hi-tech version of the bro on the corner selling bootleg tapes.

In an intelligent political society, this is how it should be, but we live in the world of Dobbs, hannity, beck, etc. So the crazies are allowed to have a national platform.

Birther sympathizers take flack locally

Flirting with birthers is starting to exact a bit of a local cost.

The conservative Tulsa World chides Inhofe:

Oh, senator. You could have done the right thing and dismissed this goofiness for what it is, and reminded people that there are far more important issues to worry about.

But, instead, you gave them some legitimacy....

[T]he "birthers," like the alien abduction believers, Kennedy conspiracy adherents, the Big Foot hunters and those who believe in the bogeyman, will not be deterred. We don't expect they will be. But it would have been nice if Sen. Inhofe had shown some statesmanship. We expect more of our leaders.

And the Houston Chronicle raps some local Reps.:

A group of five Texas congressmen, including Reps. John Culberson, D-Houston, and Ted Poe, R-Humble, is considering whether to require future presidential candidates to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. Please, gentlemen. That strikes us as grandstanding in the third degree.

The whole thing is getting weirder than those old tabloid stories about house cats giving birth to space aliens.It's time to say, “Enough, already.”