Jack & Jill Politics

I am in my new aparrtment guys and I love it. It's amazing what spendign a little extra money will do. This apartment is is more beautiful than the model apartment I looked at.

It's a 1 bdroom, with an "island kitchen" a large bathroom with a garden tub. new stainless steel applicance, and an attached garage. Best of all...it's on the 1st floor. Chile I was so tired of first having to walk up a flight of stairs to get to my front door, then having to walk up 'bout 10 more stairs to get to my upstairs bedroom.

It may be a 1 bedroom, but even with my all the furniture in my townhouse, there is at least 5 feet of space between the coffee table and the tv area. My little "3" person which seems not to big but adequate feels dwarfed in this living room.

I got all my large furnishing moved by movers, and I still have about 10 more days on the lease at my old apartment, so I'm gonna be going back and forward bringing things to the new house for the nxet few days or so.

Anyway, I very happy. Only problem is... ATT doesn't provide service in my new area, so I'm without a landline phone or my DSL (My cell/PDA, can be used as a modem, that's what I using now). At least my cable will be on tomorrow, so I don't go completely stir crazy.

Enjoy!

EVENING OPEN THREAD IS UP

Leaders from the Black AIDS Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) met recently to finalize the details of a four and one-half year grant to fund the Institute's African American HIV University (AAHU) Community Mobilization College.

The AAHU Community Mobilization College is a comprehensive training and internship fellowship program aimed at strengthening organizational and individual capacity to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Black communities. The program is designed to decrease stigma and misperception and increase the engagement of the Black community in HIV prevention and treatment services. This is achieved through leadership development and information transfer among key stakeholders.

Using the AAHU Community Mobilization Model as a foundation, the CMC curriculum prepares community-based and AIDS service organizations to engage traditional Black institutions such as churches, civil rights and social organizations, Black political leaders, sororities/fraternities, academia and the Black media in local strategies to fight HIV. The CMC uses a unique method for exploring the complex issues and barriers that prevent many in the Black community from using HIV prevention services.

Since 2000, the Black AIDS Institute has graduated more than 50 AAHU Fellows from around the United States and Africa. The next class is expected to be enrolling in early 2010.

Black AIDS Institute and CDC leaders finalize grant details for African American HIV University

Last night's game was ugly, but still provided plenty of star power at the opener of the World Series. No, we're not talking about A-Rod and Kate Hudson.

First Lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden's wife, Jill, took the field during pre-game ceremonies to a big ovation, along with a Yankee legend.

Major League Baseball dedicated Game One of the Yankees-Phillies series, won by the NL champion visitors, 6-1, to the charity Welcome Back Veterans.

Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Biden escorted World War II veteran Yogi Berra - the Yankees Hall of Fame catcher - to the mound for the first-pitch ceremony.

All wore jackets with "World Series" on the front and their names on the back. Iraq war veteran Tony Odierno threw the first pitch to Derek Jeter.

Odierno, who lost an arm in Iraq, works in the Yankees' stadium operations department. His dad is Gen. Raymond Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

Michelle Obama, Jill Biden Attend World Series

Pic: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I385ex0Tfbc/Suny-Xc10...

That was nice that the 1st lady and 2nd lady? was out there.The game itself will go down as one of the most dominating pitching performance ever.In my lifetime of being sentient, the only one that compare is Jack Morris 10 shutout innings against the Braves.

The share of 18- to 24-year-olds attending college in the United States hit an all-time high in October 2008, driven by a recession-era surge in enrollments at community colleges, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Just under 11.5 million students, or 39.6% of all young adults ages 18 to 24, were enrolled in either a two- or four-year college in October 2008 (the most recent date for which comprehensive nationwide data are available). Both figures -- the absolute number as well as the share -- are at their highest level ever.

Enrollments have been rising over many decades at both two- and four-year colleges, but the most recent annual spike has taken place entirely at two-year college

...

According to census figures, a record 84.9% of 18- to 24-year-olds had completed high school as of October 2008, up from 75.5% in 1967 and 83.9% in 2007. Along these same lines, there is a record low in the share of young adults who are high school dropouts -- 9.3% in 2008, less than half the figure (19.8%) in 1967 and down nearly a percentage point from 10.2.% in 2007.

College Enrollment Hits All-Time High, Fueled by Community College Surge

Gates, Crowley Spotted Together In Cambridge Bar

Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates and Cambridge police Sergeant James Crowley were spotted at a pub in Cambridge Wednesday night.

The owner of "River Gods" told WBZ the two sat in a booth together and talked for about an hour.
http://wbztv.com/local/gates.crowley.cambridge....

PRESIDENT 0BAMA'S SINISTER PRO-GIRL SCOUT AGENDA!!!
A compendium of reax to Obama’s scheduled signing of the Girl Scouts USA Commemorative Coin:

FOX NEWS HOST GLENN BECK AND GUEST PANELIST ORLY TAITZ DISCUSS NEW COIN

On the 10/29/09 edition of The Glenn Beck Show, Beck and his guest, Orly Taitz, DDS, Esq., delved into questions raised by Obama’s support of the new Girl Scouts USA Commemorative Coin.

“It is to be manufactured using silver mined in Kenya,” Taitz noted. “I have filed suit in federal court to compel the US Treasurer to investigate on behalf of the American people.”

“The Girl Scout logo is interesting,” Beck replied. “At first glance, it looks very much like the logo on the iconic cookies. What could be more innocent than apple-cheeked cherubs raising funds by delivering sugary treats to friendly neighbors? It’s as American as apple pie.

“But a reverse image of the coin reveals something more sinister,” Beck continued. “When you take a photo from an oblique angle and produce a negative, the Girl Scouts logo morphs into something frightening—some might even say it bears a striking resemblance to the Soviet hammer and sickle design.”

Beck paused for a moment, struggling to compose himself while applying Vicks Vap-O-Rub beneath his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he sobbed. “It’s just that I love my country so much. And I fear for it.”

CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS URGE OPPOSITION

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell joined House counterpart John Boehner to denounce President Obama’s support of the Girl Scouts USA Commemorative Coin Act. In a joint statement, the men said: “Manufacturing new currency to end the Obama Recession is straight out of the Marx-Lenin planned economy playbook. Ronald Reagan knew better. We call on fellow congressmen to oppose this drastic measure.”

RUSH LIMBAUGH DENOUNCES “MAN-CHILD” FOR COIN ACT

On his syndicated radio show, top talk show host Rush Limbaugh became agitated when a caller informed him of the president’s intention to sign the Girl Scouts USA Commemorative Coin Act.

“Folks, this Coin Act business is a threat to the free market system, and I hope it fails,” the host said, flailing violently in his swivel chair.

“Your fearless leader, El Rushbo, is announcing Operation Coin Dump right now. I want you to bend over and grab your ankles. Then I want you to insert these coins and let nature take its course. It’ll send a strong message to that little black man-child, Barack the Magic Negro.”

Limbaugh’s staff later noted that the talk show host himself would not directly participate in Operation Coin Dump due to a pilonidal cyst located near his rectum, the same infirmity that kept Limbaugh from serving in Vietnam. The staffer noted that Limbaugh supported the war 100%.

THE NEW AGENDA UNVEILS “DON’T SIGN THE GSUSA COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT!” PETITION

In response to President Obama’s signing of the Girl Scouts USA Commemorative Coin Act this afternoon, women’s advocacy group The New Agenda called on members of the public to sign a petition urging Obama not to sign the Act, which officially became law at 3:27 PM EST.

“We feel this Act infantilizes future women by referring to them as “girls,” said TNA President Amy Siskind.

“It’s just the latest in a string of belittling references to pre-adult female potential-presidents and is just as unacceptable as calling adult male African Americans “boy,” Siskind continued. “What will I tell my daughter if this Act becomes law? It’s clearly an attempt to marginalize Sarah Palin.”

Siskind noted that when her organization collects 50 signatures, it will “commence press releases.”

LIBERAL BLOGGERS SLAM OBAMA’S PRIORITIES

Reacting to President Obama’s signing of the Girl Scouts USA Commemorative Coin Act, several anonymous liberal bloggers angrily denounced the timing of the legislation.

“We’re the ones who put Obama in the White House,” said an unnamed online activist. “We blogged about him daily during the campaign—sometimes more than once per day!—and he has betrayed us yet again by placing this silly legislation ahead of real priorities like health care, Gitmo and climate change.”

The bloggers promised to withhold their support during the 2012 campaign:

“See if we write one word about him when he needs us next time,” one blogger vowed. “The president can personally beg and plead with me to blog in his support, but it will be too late. I am removing the letters ‘o,’ ‘b,’ ‘a’ and ‘m’ from my keyboard today.”

Tune in tomorrow for reactions to the presidential recognition of National Garlic Week.
http://www.rumproast.com/index.php/site/comment...

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"I'll get you, my pretty...and your Thin Mints too!"

The real scary thing is that if you put this on FreeRepublic or Townhall...this would go viral and be on the Today Show tomorrow.

Understanding the Senate cloture process
By Matt Browner-Hamlin
The health care debate has been long and hard fought. As we near the time when we expect the Senate to take up a bill and vote on reform, there are a lot of questions about what exactly will be happening from a procedural standpoint. After all, the Senate has a lot of complicated and misunderstood rules. Foremost among them are cloture and the filibuster.

First, filibusters really don't happen the way they did when Mr. Smith went to Washington. Instead, the word filibuster is commonly used to refer to any time a bloc of 41 or more senators vote against considering a piece of legislation or letting it come to a floor vote. This week Andy Stern wrote in an op-ed on Huffington Post that there is no such thing as a Republican filibuster, because the GOP caucus only has 40 votes. As a result, the only way health care reform can be blocked is if members of the Democratic caucus join the Republicans to oppose moving forward.

Second, the Senate is governed largely by consensus. Things don't get done without either everyone agreeing to them or there being a vote to see where the members of the Senate stand. One of the tools the Senate uses to keep the wheels turning is cloture. Cloture is simply a vote on whether or not to end consideration of an issue or piece of legislation for the time being. In our one hundred member Senate, there must be sixty votes in favor of cloture for a cloture motion to pass and the Senate to move forward. The Congressional Research Service has a great, detailed report on filibusters and cloture (PDF link), but I'm going to try to distill some of it here to explain what we expect to come during the health care debate.

To understand the procedure on cloture votes and filibusters on health care, it's important to look at the general process. After the Senate HELP Committee and Senate Finance Committee bills have been merged, the final bill will need to be brought to the Senate floor. Because the health care reform bill deals with funding, the Senate will need to use a bill from the House Ways and Means Committee in order to introduce the legislation - the Senate health care reform bill will be offered as a substitute amendment to that House bill. Offering a new bill as a substitute to a bill from the House is common Senate procedure and the House bill in question doesn't even have to relate to health care.

There are likely going to be three big points in the Senate debate of health care reform legislation that will almost certainly be subject to cloture votes. Each one of these votes will require sixty senators in favor of moving forward, yet none of them will be on the actual health care reform bill itself!

1.Cloture Motion on Motion to Proceed to Measure's Consideration: This will be the first step, where the Senate will ask itself: Do enough of us want to start debating specific health care reform legislation on the floor? Assuming that 60 senators do, the process will continue;

If Cloture on the Motion to Proceed is "invoked" (a fancy senate term for saying 60 Senators voted yes) then the Motion to Proceed will be adopted by a majority vote and the Senate will start debating the House bill that I mentioned above. Next the very first thing that will happen is that the "merged" Finance/HELP Committee bill will be offered as a complete substitute to the House bill. Then the fun really begins. Senators offer dozens of amendments, the Majority and Minority Leaders try to work out Unanimous Consent agreements, which I will explain below, to get lots of the amendments votes and sometimes Senators even filibuster each other's amendments. But sooner or later the Majority Leader says that is enough. That's when...

2.Cloture Motion on Manager's Amendment (Substitute Amendment): After considerable debate and amendment to the substitute, the Majority Leader will file Cloture on the Substitute. If there are 60 votes here, the Merged reform bill/Substitute as amended will get an up or down vote after 30 hours of post cloture consideration. Then...

3. Cloture Motion Filed on Measure (Final Passage): After the Substitute Amendment is adopted, the Senate still needs to bring debate on the entire bill to a close, so in oder to get to final passage of the health reform bill in the Senate, there will be one more cloture vote -- on the final bill (or to get super technical, on that old house bill as amended by the Substitute). Assuming 60 senators support getting to a final vote on the bill they've just spent days and weeks amending and debating (not to mention months doing the same in Committee), then there will be an opportunity for the health care reform bill to receive a straight up-or-down vote.

What should you expect when you see a cloture motion? Lots of debate and delay. After cloture is filed, it takes one day and an hour to ripen. So if a cloture motion is filed on Monday, it cannot be voted on until Wednesday. After the motion for cloture is voted on, there is then 30 hours of debate for post-cloture consideration. This time period includes debate, roll call votes, and quorum calls. Basically each of these three big procedural steps prior to a cloture motion and vote on cloture will add a number of days before the next soonest step can be reached. This is why we expect the entire Senate floor debate of health care reform to be a process that could last, at minimum, a couple of weeks.

Now I haven't talked at all about amendments...and we should expect to see dozens or hundreds filed. The reality is that anything that is debatable is subject to cloture, so that includes amendments to the bill that is brought to the floor. While it's possible that the entire floor debate and amendment process is filled with cloture votes (making it a very long and drawn-out process), it's more likely that the Senate will agree to a Unanimous Consent Agreement to govern debate and amendments. The UC Agreement sets out exactly how much time every amendment will be given for debate, how much time Republicans and Democrats will get to speak, and how many votes it will take to pass that amendment. Expect more controversial amendments to require 60 votes to pass, while less controversial ones will take a simple majority.

How does all of this process relate to the goal of passing meaningful health care reform legislation? The opponents of health care reform in the Senate will be given at least three major opportunities to stop this bill from getting a simple up-or-down vote. In each case, they will use procedure to try to stop legislation that the American public overwhelmingly supports. Health care reform is so important that it must receive an up-or-down vote to determine its outcome. Anything less is unacceptable.

Between now and the first Motion to Proceed to health care reform, there will be many twists and turns in the fight. The substance of the bill will change. The number of people that it helps will hopefully grow larger. But at the end of the day, this is vital legislation that deserves a straight up-or-down vote from the Senate. Even those members who are opposed to the underlying bill itself should not hide behind procedural hurdles to prevent it from receiving an up-or-down vote. If they oppose reform, that can best be expressed through debate of the bill, through the amendment process, and on final passage. The issue of health care reform is simply too important to be defeated by a minority of the Senate, hiding behind procedure.

We'll have more updates on Senate and House procedure as the legislative fight progresses. Stay tuned for updates!
http://www.seiu.org/2009/10/understanding-the-s...

Epic Fail
FAILING TO MEET THEIR OWN STANDARDS.... The House Republican leadership "guaranteed" that they would offer an alternative health care reform bill. If my count is right, that was 134 days ago.

Asked about when Americans can expect to see the GOP plan, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said it's "pretty difficult" for Republicans to come up with a "solid plan," because the minority caucus is "not quite sure how the majority intends to proceed."

I'm not sure what that's even supposed to mean. Republicans started putting together their health care reform proposal in June. They've had plenty of time to meet behind closed doors and craft the superior plan that will prove the seriousness with which the GOP takes this issue. What's the holdup?

Boehner wants to know first how Democrats intend to proceed? Well, here's a tip for the Minority Leader: Democrats will probably hold a vote on the reform bill they've spent the last year putting together. The question is, how does he intend to proceed?

Of course, when House Republicans live up to their word and present an alternative bill, the one thing we can count on is having plenty of time to read it before it reaches the floor for a vote. After all, if there's one thing GOP lawmakers have been harping on for months, it's the need for health care reform plans to be publicly available, for all the world to see, before lawmakers cast a vote. If there's one thing Republicans would want to avoid hypocrisy on, this is the issue, right?

Republicans have been insisting for months that Democrats are shoving a secret bill down the throats of the American public. The health reform legislation "should be posted online for 72 hours so members and the American people get a chance to see what's in these bills," House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) told Fox News. "But it seems to me that Democrat [sic] leaders want to rush these bills through Congress before anybody has a chance to read them."

In fact, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) "has repeatedly pledged to Republicans that the health bill and any manager's amendment would be posted online for at least 72 hours before the House votes," and he promised again this week.

At a press conference this morning, a reporter turned the tables on Boehner and asked whether he'd post the GOP plan for 72 hours. Boehner declined to make such a pledge.



Boehner responded to the question by saying, "Uh, we'll uh, we'll have our ideas ready."

Polls show widespread dissatisfaction with Republicans' handling of the health care debate. Imagine that.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/indiv...

last post on Caribou Barbie from John Cole:

Slow on the Uptake
by John Cole

Looks like the members of the Iowa GOP are a little dimwitted:

A conservative Iowa group’s effort to lure Sarah Palin to its banquet next month has had an unintended effect: Rather than exciting conservatives about the prospect of a visit from the former Alaska governor, the group’s plan to raise a six-figure sum to bring her to the state has GOP activists recoiling at the thought of paying to land a politician’s speaking appearance.

The Iowa Family Policy Center’s effort to cobble together $100,000 for Palin would represent a striking departure from customary practice in the first-in-the-nation state, these Republicans say, noting that a generation of White House hopefuls has paid their own way to boost their party and presidential ambitions.

Umm, guys?

SHE’S. A. GRIFTER.


She quit her damned job to go on the wingnut welfare circuit. Seven in ten people think she is unqualified to be President. She’s just in this for the money, and she is currently having a public feud with the father of her teenage daughter’s child who is himself cashing in by posing for Playgirl.

This isn’t a credible politician. It’s a Jerry Springer episode.

http://www.balloon-juice.com/?p=28899
..........................

BWA HA HA HA HA

I do think the first folks I ever heard call her a GRIFTER was on JJP.

How are you 45 years old fighting with a teenage boy? Sista Sarah should have been like Will Smith was when Lil' Bow Wow came at him wrong:

"I don't fight with children." --Will Smith

That Will Smith line was classic. Bow Wow was talking the crap about Will Smith not being a rapper. SMH

LMBAO!!!! This isn’t a credible politician. It’s a Jerry Springer episode. LOL!!!!!

Full Post
Posted Thursday, October 29, 2009 1:27 PM
Sarah Palin Charging $100K for Iowa Speech? Not Exactly.
Holly Bailey




Politico's Jonathan Martin has a good story today about an Iowa conservative group's efforts to lure Sarah Palin to a fundraising dinner in Des Moines next month. The Iowa Family Policy Center, according to J-Mart, is trying to come up with Palin's reported $100,000 speaker's fee in hopes of getting the former governor to headline its Nov. 21 banquet—which just so happens to be the same night Vice President Joe Biden will be in town to headline the Iowa Democratic Party's Jefferson-Jackson Dinner. But wait a minute: Paying a White House hopeful to come to Iowa? Seriously? Has anyone ever had to do that? Needless to say, the very prospect has other Iowa Republicans up in arms. "If somebody tells me they want me to pay an appearance fee, it tells me they're not very serious about running for president," Ed Failor Jr., president of Iowans for Tax Relief and an influential GOP insider, tells Politico. "I found it really, really odd."

But hang on: did Palin actually ask the group to pay $100K for her appearance? An IFPC spokesman tells Martin he's "not personally aware" of a speaker's fee. "There may or may not be, I don't know," he tells Politico. For their part, the Palin camp tells NEWSWEEK there's no fee. Meg Stapleton, Palin's spokeswoman, tells your Gaggler that Palin "has not requested anything" and that she "does not charge people to campaign for them." According to Stapleton, Palin would instead cover such travel costs through her political-action committee, SarahPAC. Of course, that doesn't mean she's going to Iowa. Palin's book, Going Rogue, is due out Nov. 17, and she's got a major publicity tour planned around that, including a Nov. 16 appearance on Oprah. "We don't believe she will be able to attend with her tightly scheduled book tour, and the group has been told that through formal and informal channels," Stapleton says in an e-mail this morning. "However, it appears that some enthusiastic members are willing to try anything to entice the governor as we look at her schedule."

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/archiv...

29 Oct 2009 11:55 am
What Makes Palin Different

She's demanding $100,000 just to give a speech to a Republican group in Iowa:

Tim Albrecht, spokesman for the conservative, Iowa-based American Future Fund, said his group “has a policy not to pay speakers to come to Iowa,” and, like Failor, hinted at what those guests get in return. “We are proud to host conservative leaders from across the country, providing them an audience across the state and nation to share their conservative vision,” Albrecht said. Like the other Iowa political hands, he could not recall a single instance where a potential candidate had been paid to speak.

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily...

Potential candidate?

Dont they know she is a grifter?For the Iowans who dont know the meaning of that word here is a definition
A con man. Someone who pulls confidence games.

OMG...I hadn't read your response. Look at what I just posted from John Cole.

When the Obama administration proposed canceling a host of expensive weapons systems last spring, some of the military industry’s allies in Congress assumed, as they had in the past, that they would have the final say.

But as the president signed a $680 billion military policy bill on Wednesday, it was clear that he had succeeded in paring back nearly all of the programs and setting a tone of greater restraint than the Pentagon had seen in many years.

Now the question is whether Mr. Obama can sustain that push next year, when the midterm elections are likely to make Congress more resistant to further cuts and job losses.

White House officials say Mr. Obama took advantage of a rare political moment to break through one of Washington’s most powerful lobbies and trim more weapons systems than any president had in decades.

Victory for Obama Over Military Lobby

Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates and Cambridge police Sergeant James Crowley were spotted at a pub in Cambridge Wednesday night.

The owner of "River Gods" told WBZ the two sat in a booth together and talked for about an hour.

Gates, Crowley Spotted Together In Cambridge Bar

---

Guess all is right with the world again?

It's official Huntsville/Madison County is officially RED.  The invisible Mason/Dixon Line is Governors Drive.  Poor blacks and brown are not welcome to live or attend public schools south of Governors Drive. Notice I said POOR blacks and browns are not welcome, rich blacks and browns are tolerated.  Barely.

 Now I know some of you are "whincing" at the subject line and they way I've chosen to frame this diary, but there really is  not other way to explain whats' happening in The Star of Alabama all because the Huntsville Housing Authority wants to relocate poor people of color from north of governors drive to *gasp* south of governors drive.

In February, the authority surprised homeowners with the outright purchase of 50 units at Stone Manor near Chaffee Elementary. That sparked a raucous public meeting at Chaffee on April 6 and led to the creation of the civic association.

Now this isn't the first time the city of Huntsville has surprised homeowners with "outright purchases", remember the Downtown Rescue Mission relocation and the Habitat for Humanity Village?  The difference this time is they surprised "white folks." The same white folks who didn't say a mumbling word in support of black folks when they protested.  The same white folks who said "The Downtown Rescue Mission has to go somewhere".  The same white folks who said "public housing was concentrated poverty and the poor needed homes in nice neighborhoods".  What they meant to say was The Downtown Rescue Mission needs to relocate from the south to the north, and poor black/brown folks needs neighborhoods on the north side of town.

I guess what really gets me about the current situtation is the misinformation being promoted by elected officials.  Elected officials who are supposed to represent ALL the people, not just those who live in their district.  When elected officials say things like this;

"Equality doesn't mean treating everybody the same way"

No Poor Coloreds Allowed in South Huntsville?

hat tip -P6

Mayor Deprives Rival of Black Clergy’s Support
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE and MICHAEL BARBARO
Published: October 28, 2009

A few weeks ago, the Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, the influential pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, came to a difficult decision, one he had wrestled with all summer.

He would not endorse William C. Thompson Jr., the city comptroller and a longtime friend and ally, for mayor, as he had promised Mr. Thompson last spring. Instead, he would endorse Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

Mr. Thompson was furious at the betrayal. But what he did not know was that Mr. Bloomberg gave a $1 million donation to the church’s development corporation — roughly 10 percent of its annual budget — with the implicit promise of more to come.

“What could I say to a man who was mayor, and was supportive of a lot of programs that are important to me?” Mr. Butts said in an interview before he endorsed Mr. Bloomberg.

In his quest for a third term, Mr. Bloomberg has deprived Mr. Thompson of what many once regarded as his political birthright: the blessings of the city’s most powerful black ministers, who together preach to tens of thousands of congregants each week. And to win them over, he has deployed an unusual combination of city money, private philanthropy, political appointments and personal attention, creating a web of ties to black clergy members that is virtually unheard of for a white elected official in New York City.

Some prominent ministers have been appointed by Mr. Bloomberg to influential city boards and committees. Others have enjoyed the administration’s help in buying city property or winning zoning concessions for pet projects. A few of the largest institutions, including Abyssinian and the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral in Jamaica, Queens, have taken in millions of dollars in contracts to provide city services during Mr. Bloomberg’s eight years in office.

Looming over it all is Mr. Bloomberg’s dazzling wealth, whether already bestowed — as in the case of Mr. Butts — or hoped for down the line.

“We have to come to his foundation sooner or later,” said the Rev. Timothy Birkett, pastor of the Church Alive Community Church in the Bronx, who is backing the mayor this year. “We hope that he will be receptive.”

Those who support Mr. Bloomberg say that the mayor has earned their endorsements strictly on the merits of his record in office, especially on education and crime. But some critics say the outpouring of support owes more to the dependence of many black churches on a friendly ear at City Hall.

“Some of these endorsements that we see are indicative of a faith statement by some of our religious leaders,” said the Rev. Clinton M. Miller, a protégé of Mr. Butts and the pastor of Brown Memorial Baptist Church in Brooklyn. “The statement is, who do I trust more, in terms of how I am going to get my projects done?” Mr. Miller said. “The choice is between a municipality and God.”

Aides to Mr. Bloomberg say that mutual respect, not financial ties, binds the mayor to the clergymen; they point out that some of the churches also received large contracts before Mr. Bloomberg took office.

Deputy Mayor Dennis M. Walcott said the relationship “really goes beyond contracts,” adding that it is based on “an ongoing line of communication we have with important individuals who have important constituencies, and we’re very proud of that.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/nyregion/29mi...

Mr. Thompson was furious at the betrayal. But what he did not know was that Mr. Bloomberg gave a $1 million donation to the church’s development corporation — roughly 10 percent of its annual budget — with the implicit promise of more to come.

“What could I say to a man who was mayor, and was supportive of a lot of programs that are important to me?” Mr. Butts said in an interview before he endorsed Mr. Bloomberg.

Thompson shouldn't be shocked. Butts endorsed Hillary because she channeled some funds towards his church group when she was senator.

C.R.E.A.M.

Please whatever you do dont stop redumblicans from doubling down
Is AARP The GOP's New ACORN?
The GOP's new line of attack against health care reform is starting to sound familiar.

On Monday, we reported on the House GOP's plans to target AARP in the health care reform debate. Republican leaders say AARP is supporting changes to the Medicare system included in Democratic health care reform bills because they would result in more sales of AARP-branded insurance. They claim that "backroom deals" between executives of the AARP and Democratic leadership -- deals the GOP say are designed to protect the executives' high salaries -- led to the group's pro-Medicare reform stance.

Yesterday, the message gained traction among the right wing commentariat. AARP flatly denies the claims and says it's beginning to feel a little like the GOP's new ACORN.

"Oh, absolutely," an AARP official told TPMDC. "They're using their standard methods to target us."

Yesterday, right wing blogs and publications picked up the story. Michelle Malkin retweeted the House GOP talking points on the topic and Human Events published a story echoing the GOP claims. Malkin and the conservative magazine focused on the corruption message, highlighting the "back-room" dealing.

The GOP is using more than just rhetoric to go after the group. Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA) claims to have launched an investigation into AARP in his home state. Reichert says his "ongoing" investigation focuses on whether AARP should be classified as an insurance company because of its revenue from royalties the group gets from licensing its brand for insurance products. AARP says it's not aware of the investigation, and Reichert suggested to reporters Monday that it was essentially stalled. But the question of whether AARP is an insurance company or not is at the center of the GOP messaging on the group.

For their part, AARP officials say they're not worried about being taken down by the GOP attacks in the same way that ACORN was. The group has been accused of conflicts of interest many times over the years, most notably during the 2003 debate over the Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage plan. Back then, it was Democrats who vilified the AARP, claiming there was a conflict behind the the group's support for the bill, which helped to guarantee its passage.

The AARP official we spoke to said there was a different tone to those Democratic attacks however. This time around, Republicans are directly accusing the AARP of corruption and secret dealings. The official was confident the AARP will weather the controversy but said it's clear the GOP has put the group in its sights.

"It's our turn," the official said.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/10/is-a...

Oh? They about to attack Gramma? They must don't know.

bring it

In a huge setback for Countrywide Financial Corp., a federal appeals court has revived a national class action brought by homebuyers who accused the lender of concocting a kickback scheme in which buyers were required to purchase mortgage insurance from one of a handful of companies that in turn took out reinsurance policies from one of Countrywide's wholly owned subsidiaries.

A lower court had dismissed the case on standing grounds after finding that the buyers could never show they had been "overcharged" and therefore had no right to sue under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act.

But the U.S. Department of Justice intervened in the appeal of that ruling and urged the court to revive the case and to declare that consumers have standing to sue whenever they allege a violation of RESPA's anti-kickback provisions.

Now, in Alston v. Countrywide Financial Corp., a unanimous three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed and ruled that such an alleged kickback scheme, if proven, is a clear violation of RESPA, and that consumers have no duty under the law to show an overcharge to qualify for statutory damages.

The ruling is a victory for attorneys Edward W. Ciolko, Joseph H. Meltzer, Donna S. Moffa and Terence S. Ziegler of Barroway Topaz Kessler Meltzer & Check in Radnor, Pa.

3rd Circuit Revives Class Action Against Countrywide Over Alleged Kickback Scheme

good

Bank of America is now officailly broke. Now the mortgages themselves will come under question. The bond holders whom hold mortgages underwritten by coutnrywide will have bond that are worthless. the mortage hlders adn the bod holders after Bank of America. They are toast.

My mortgage is with Bank of America.Pay on time every month.Should I be sweating bullets?

You are fine. As I do not know when you took out your mortgage keep your ear to the ground about this lawsuit.

Bank of America will go bankrupt because the mortgages Countrywide wrote with reinsurance companies that paid Countrywide kickbacks will be challenged by the bond holders in court.

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