Jack & Jill Politics

Posted: 2:49 p.m. Oct. 31, 2009
U.S. Rep. John Conyers: Obama sucking up to the wrong people

By DAWSON BELL
FREE PRESS LANSING BUREAU

President Barack Obama is “getting bad advice from… clowns” on Afghanistan and “sucking up to the wrong people” on health care, U.S. Rep. John Conyers told a Detroit radio audience this morning, according to show host Rev. Horace Sheffield.

Conyers, a Detroit Democrat, made the comments during a discussion about the effects of the economic recession on the urban poor, Sheffield said. The liberal congressman expressed frustration that health care legislation pending in Washington, D.C., was too solicitous of insurance companies and special interests, Sheffield said.

“He wasn’t angry. He was just deeply concerned that some of the issues being focused on don’t address the human reality,” said Sheffield, who hosts the program “On The Line” on WGPR-FM radio.

According to a news release from Sheffield, Conyers said: “President Obama is sucking up to the wrong people and insurance companies as Obama pushed a weak health care package.”

On Iraq and Afghanistan, Conyers said “President Obama is getting bad advice from those clowns in the White House. We should be ending those wars now. America should be providing food instead of bombs from drones that kill innocent civilians,” the release said.

Conyers, an early supporter of Obama’s presidential bid in 2007, could not be reached for comment Saturday afternoon.

http://www.freep.com/article/20091031/NEWS15/91...

When will Democrats learn that backbiting is not helpful. Just because Obama has a different way of doing things doesn't mean he's incompetent.

Democrats are going to ensure Obama is a one-term president.

It's the President's policies that are likely to make him a one term President.

Gay Marriage seems to have lost in Maine.



since there are no Black people in Maine, who's to blame for this loss?

yes, this is snark because I haven't forgotten about Prop 8 in California, and the racist blame game afterwards.

I do think that the NO ON 1 people put up a far better campaign than those in California. And, those who worked on NO ON 1 - it should be REALLY REALLY clear as to whom is your TRUE enemy, and is willing to bankroll these measures in state after state. Check the money in Maine and compare it to California.....I'll bet that the same suspects are there...

Does anyone have any more news on referndum 71 in Washington?

is that about extending the same rights to gay couples as heterosexual couples? if so, that PASSED.

One marijuana bill yes, one gay rights bill no, one gay rights bill yes, one governor actualy glad he lost, one state about to go backwards(VA) one more house seat Democratic(NY). On the whole it was a good night.

We know what the real enemy is -- religious fundamentalism. But GLBT leadership won't touch it in any real way because they're too afraid of the fundamentalists calling them exactly what they're calling them anyway. Until our leaders are willing to take this on unabashed and unapologetically, we will keep pointing fingers at other historically oppressed groups oppressed by religious fundamentalism and keep falling up short at the ballot box.

Oh Rikyrah this is so sad But Kalamazoo did pass their Gay rights passage Bill so it's 1 for 1. But I'm not sure if you read Davidmixner.com
This dude was getting angry because they felt President Obama should have said whipped minorites into place to vote in favor of Gay Marriage. This is what Dvaid Mixner said: Obama 'No Help' with Anti-Gay Ballot Initiatives. And we won't forget it should initiatives in Maine and Washington not go our way:

"So you fully understand the consequences of this administrations actions in the last week, just look at the statistics for Maine voters. In the latest Public Policy Poll yesterday which show us falling behind, they said that 54% of the voters say they supported Obama. Over 9% of the voters described themselves as 'non-white'. In that poll 28% of the Obama supporters say they were voting against marriage equality. More importantly, 56% of 'non-white' voters said they planned on voting against marriage equality.

"You have to be totally operating on blind faith if you believe that President Obama and his team cannot make a difference. Tragically if we lose closely, that defeat almost can be laid at the steps of the White House for their refusal to stand by our side in the battle for freedom. The Holder remark basically gave those Obama supporters and non-white voters permission to vote against our freedom. The Attorney General let them know that Obama didn't care one way or another so why should those voters change their votes? He gave their votes respectability which was devastating for our side.

"The failure of our national organizations to obtain a clear cut endorsement for the LGBT community is something that needs to be discussed. This one isn't rocket science. What happened?"

This was also posted on Towleroad.com and I'll just give you a snipet of ones comment about this.

Obama barely advocated for the hate crimes bill; he said he would sign it, big deal.
Even George Bush kept the Ryan White Act going (signed it 12/19/06), so a Democrat doing that is hardly a big deal.

Spare me the litany of what he's done, because in light of what he hasn't, he's no friend to us.

Now Rikyrah I must ask you. Are these some ungrateful bastards or what????
And I'm gay. But the white Gay community has angered me so that it's pathetic.

I had to laugh at Mixner's "analysis." It's become farcical to blame "non-white" people for the failure of citizen initiatives. Maine is the whitest state in the Union. Does he even know what people consider themselves "non-white" in Maine? I bet he doesn't. I'll tell him - a slew of French Canadians who were called niggers when they first emigrated across the border and their ancestors.

Lewiston, one of Maine's population centers, is almost entirely French-Canadian and Catholic. It voted Yes by a 60-40 margin.

Blame the Catholics, Mixner, if you need to blame somebody.

If you don't, then consider this:

The weather yesterday was sunny and warm. The rural vote made the difference. Many rural and small-town precincts had higher voter turnout than for the presidential election.

High turnout worked against No On 1 because the campaign figured that so many folks from my area and above wouldn't show up at the polls and the population centers would provide enough cushion against those who did.

Blame the weather.

It's Craig's fault. If he had grown some more butterbeans in his yard,none of this would be happening. We're doomed.

Rutabagas. I had the audacity to plant turnips and call them turnips. But Mainers call rutabagas turnips. So all my turnips are going to rot in the root cellar because I didn't know this bit of quirkiness about my state.

Yep. It's all my fault, but it had nothing to do with butterbeans.

(smile)

LOL

The First Lady's gonna be on Iron Chef!!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/dining/04iron...

Putting IRON CHEF AMERICA on my schedule...

she's having all the fun...lol

http://thisweekwithbarackobama.blogspot.com/200...

This ish right here...*SMH*

Winners and Losers in the Virginia Elections:

Winners
*Bob McDonnell (obviously)

*Teabaggers (with the win of Ken Coo-Coo)

*Pat Robertson (his boy is now in the Executive Mansion so within the next year expect anti-gay, anti-choice, anti-women legislation to come rolling down the pike, especially with Atty. Gen Coo-Coo as the enforcer).

*Sheila Johnson (white Democrats who want to win statewide will look at what happened b/w Johnson and Deeds and make sure to kiss her ass and then some)

No Change
*Obama (knew this race was a goner; only came down b/c of ol' pal Tim Kaine; Deeds ran a horrific campaign and most people were responding to that --the people who voted against Deeds b/c of Obama did not vote for Obama to begin with)

*Steve Shannon (yes he lost in a landslide but that could be attributed to most people just voting party line, plus most agencies endorsed him and called Ken Coo-Coo an embarassment to the state. McDonnell didn't even get called an embarassment to the state.)

*Jody Wagner (yes she lost in a landslide too BUT she got slightly more of the vote than either Deeds or Shannon. Why?)

Losers
*Creigh Deeds (ran a shitacular campaign. If you want to win statewide, you MUST follow the Warner/Kaine/Obama roadmap. You MUST energize Northern Virginia, you MUST energize black, hispanic & young voters and you MUST run up the score in NoVa, down 95 and across 64. NOT ONCE did I see Creigh Deeds' wife or kids in a campaign ad, which leads me to believe deep down her ass wanted to stay in Bath County. Well she got her wish tonight and will be staying in Bath County. Tim Kaine's wife was never in any ads either when he ran BUT that's because she was a judge and couldn't be in the ad by law. But Kaine's kids WERE in his ads. Seeing the candidate's family humanizes them. I personally think Sasha Obama won the election for her dad with her "Hi Daddy!" at the DNC Convention. If your own family can't be bothered to sell you, why should I buy you?)

*Bill Bolling (Lt. Gov...he won in a landslide BUT both McDonnell & Coo-Coo got a slightly larger share of the vote than he did. McDonnell got 59%, Coo-Coo got 58% but Bolling got 56%? What's up with that? Especially since he's already the Lt. Gov? That could be a potential weakness going on there)

*The Virginia Democratic Party (no organization, no unity, no rising stars =losing elections. Bob McDonnell has been running for Gov. for the last 4 years. He quit being the Atty. General last year to campaign for Governor. Bolling wanted to run this time around but took one for the team and sat his ass down for McDonnell. We KNOW the 2013 Republican candidate is going to be Bill Bolling. Who will be the Dem. 2013 candidate? I'm tired of the Daily Kos crew crying about Brian Moran. Moran would have lost tonight against McDonnell just like Deeds did because Moran was equally lackluster and uninspiring as Deeds. McAuliffe would have given McDonnell a real run for his money but his negatives were too high)

*The Commonwealth of Virginia --will have to suffer through 3-4 years of Coo-Coo embarassing the state as Atty. General. McDonnell will have to raise taxes after all of his short term cuts and fixes fail to bring in enough revenue to fix the roads. He WILL cut education funding further especially in higher education when he should be providing more money to state schools so they don't have to accept so many out of state students (denying VA residents admission). And after a year goes by McDonnell & Co. WILL insert social issues into the atmosphere. Why do you think Pat Robertson announced TODAY that he was stepping down from Regent University? So he can hang out in Richmond with his boy McDonnell, that's why! That was the point of McDonnell's thesis: how to get elected so he can put the conservative Christian ideology into law.

Bloomberg wins with 50.4% of the vote?

how interesting.

what would have happened if the bought and paid for preachers had actually stepped up to the plate for Thompson?

Well Obama doc is over. it was pretty good. No hero worship at all. it was mostly an homage to the people who worked tirelessly for the campaign for the whole 2 years.

Obama taling about his grandmother's death...i remeber that. In the rain in NC!

Aww he is actually crying as he's speaking, they show him actually wiping away tears!

On to election night.

Wow they are going throught this pretty quick. Dem convention now, on to general election

Okay, somebody needs to holla at the POTUS. This healthcare bull is dragging out tooo long and thats why his approval rating on healthcare is tanking. He needs to just go ahead and ram that healthcare bill down the Rethugs throat and pass it. It's time to move on to something more important, we tired of this BS - time to tackle JOBS, IF he wants to get reelected.

BREAKING: Christie wins NJ.

That one hurts! Oh well.

Not surprised by this. Corzine has been a horrible governor. It's becoming clear that going into 2010, the only thing the Dems will have to show for is: We are not the Republicans!

serious blow:(
damd

NJ has been known to be wrong with exit polling. I'll wait...

NYC to close to call. DAYUM!!!

looks like bloomberg made those millions work. Great job Thompson for making it competitive.

Rushing through Rev Wright, Race speech, etc, actually, they spent a good amount of time on Rev Wright period. Interesting to see behind the scenes

Obama doc, rushing through primaries, on to texas and ohio.

Oh yeah who can forget the 3a.m. phone call commerical

On to New Hampshire sccene fo the Hilary "breakdown"... and the PUMA legend was born.

But it was the "Yes We Can" speech, so Barack wins anyway.

I just turned it on. They are on Rev. Wright.

Awww Obama after Iowa on the phone with Toots (his grandmother).

And how cute, his neice calls him "Uncle Rocky!"

Wow, they have a voiceover from his grandmother talking about Obama's childhood.

Man these documentarians really got inside coverage

Way to go D. Congrats on your McDonnell win. Hope you will be highly favored in the new administration for all of your hard work and efforts. One good AA Republican "For the People, Of the People, By the People"!!

Yeah, so I'm not watching any election coverage, I'll hear about it all tomorrow. Is anyone watching the Obama documentary on HBO? I have to wait until tomorrow to see it

Watching it now Muzikal.

It's on Iowa now.

Gotta say, it's pretty funny seeing the network newcasters SLOWLY, CAREFULLY pronouncing Obama's name!

Watching the Obama doc: the Obama ladies playing dominoes.

The little kid calling for Obama during the Iowas caucus is too funny!!!!

rikyrah: I tried 2 post this; BUT it didn't show. Sooooo, Ima try it 1 mo' 'gain, 'cause there was a reaction to it.

rikyrah: Don't know if THIS is a duplicate:

Bernice King elected SCLC president

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference on Friday named Bernice King, the daughter of SCLC co-founder Martin Luther King Jr., as its next president.

King was elected over Arkansas Appeals Court Judge Wendell Griffen.The vote by the board of directors was 23-15. King was not present when the vote was announced. The Rev. Byron Clay, interim president, phoned King with news of her victory.

"In the spirit of your late father, with great anticipation, we look forward to your leadership," Clay told King in the phone call.

Clay said the board will meet with King soon before making any other announcements. "She is excited, I am excited and the nation will be excited," Clay said.

Clay has served as interim president since February, when Charles Steele resigned after five years in the position.

King will be the seventh permanent leader in the organization’s history. Founded in 1957 by Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph David Abernathy and Joseph Lowery, among others, the SCLC was at one time one of the country’s most powerful direct action civil rights groups.

The SCLC was instrumental in getting both the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act passed. But over the past decade, despite the christening of a new $3 million headquarters, the organization has struggled for relevancy among financial problems and internal infighting.

Bernice King, 46, is an internationally known motivational speaker and author. She is a minister at New Birth Missionary Church in Lithonia, Georgia.

She becomes the first female leader, but the third King to serve as president, following her father and older brother, Martin Luther King III.

Here was her opponent:

+Judge Wendell Griffen [Date of Election or Appointment to Current Position: 1996]

Judge Wendell L. Griffen was born September 23, 1952, in Prescott, Arkansas, and grew up near Delight (Pike County), Arkansas. He attended Rosenwald Elementary near Delight and Simmons High School in Okolona before graduating in 1968 from Delight High School. He is a 1973 graduate from the University of Arkansas where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. From May 17, 1973, to July 31, 1976, Judge Griffen served in the United States Army, attaining the rank of 1st Lieutenant before his honorable discharge.

Judge Griffen attended the University of Arkansas School of Law from August 1976 through May 1979, when he received the Juris Doctor degree. While in law school he served in the Student Bar Association, was president of the Black Law Student Association, and was a member and Associate Editor of the Arkansas Law Review. He was awarded the first Silas Hunt Memorial Justice Award presented by the Black Law Student Association in memory of Silas Hunt, the first black law student admitted to an institution of higher education below the Mason Dixon line, in 1979.

After graduation from law school Judge Griffen joined the Little Rock law firm of Wright, Lindsey & Jennings, becoming the first lawyer of color to join a major Arkansas law firm. He practiced business and tort litigation with the firm and was admitted to the partnership in January 1984, becoming the first lawyer of color admitted to the partnership of a major Arkansas law firm. On April 15, 1985, Governor Bill Clinton appointed him Chairman of the Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission, and Griffen served in that position until February 2, 1987, when he returned to his law practice with Wright, Lindsey & Jennings. Governor Jim Guy Tucker appointed Judge Griffen to the Court of Appeals in December 1995, and he began entered judicial service January 1, 1996.

Judge Griffen is a member of the American, National, and Arkansas Bar Associations, the W. Harold Flowers Law Society (Arkansas affiliate of the National Bar Association), the Pulaski County Bar Association, Judge William R. Overton Inn of Court, American Law Institute, and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He has served on the Executive Council and in the House of Delegates of the Arkansas Bar Association. He has served as President (1998-99) of the Pulaski County Bar Association, as President (1996-97) of the Judge William R. Overton Inn of Court, and as President (1997-present) of the Black Alumni Society of the Arkansas Alumni Association. He was a charter board member of Volunteer Organization for Central Arkansas Legal Services (VOCALS), and is a frequent lecturer at bar seminars concerning legal ethics and professionalism. His published writings include: Race, Law, and Culture: A Call to New Thinking, Leadership, and Action, 21 U. Ark. Little Rock L. Rev. 901 (Summer 1999); Comment: Judicial Accountability and Discipline, 61 Law & Contemp. Probs. 75 (Summer 1998); and The Case For Religious Values in Judicial Decision-Making, 81 Marq. L. Rev. 513 (1998).

Judge Griffen is an ordained Baptist minister and former pastor who now serves as Coordinator of Ministries for Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Little Rock. He is married to Dr. Patricia L. Griffen, a clinical psychologist practicing in Little Rock, and they are parents to two sons: Martyn and Elliott.

Now, Ima leave the discussion 2 those who KNOW! :>)

Here's one REACTION:

+Black Women’s Roundtable Statement on Confirmation of Regina Benjamin and Election of Bernice King

Melanie L. Campbell, the executive director and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and convener of The Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR), made the following statement on behalf of BWR regarding the confirmation of Dr. Regina Benjamin as US Surgeon General and the selection of Dr. Bernice King as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC):

“What a historic day. As a woman, I am thrilled to hear of two major milestones in the nation’s history. First, the unanimous confirmation by the Senate of Dr. Regina Benjamin as US Surgeon General.

“We at Black Women’s Roundtable applaud our sister, Dr. Benjamin for her well-deserved appointment to US Surgeon General. Dr. Regina Benjamin’s work with the Bayou La Batre Health Clinic in rural Alabama has prepared her to address the health needs of Americans in poor communities as well as racial, ethnic, and economic health care disparities. This appointment comes just in time to help address the nation’s health care crisis and ensure that all American’s are able to get affordable high-quality health care.

“On behalf of the Black Women’s Roundtable, I am both excited and overcome with emotion after hearing that the Southern Christian Leadership Conference selected Dr. Bernice King to lead the organization. Although it could have happened much sooner with all of the strong women working in the civil rights movement; it is quite fitting that the daughter of the organization’s founder, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., emerge as the historic change the organization needs in order to effectively address the serious injustices present in what is being called a post-racial America.

I am sure that Dr. Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King are together looking down on their baby girl proud that she is carrying on their legacy. Elder King is a pastor, a motivational speaker, and a lawyer with the unique ability to be a bridge between generations. I look forward to her fresh ideas to advance SCLC in the 21st century.”


CONGRATULATIONS 2 BOTH WOMEN!! :>)

HBO doc on Obama campaign in a few minutes.

I'm gonna have to watch it tomorrow on Demand, so let me know if it's worth it! LOL

I wasn't gonna watch it, but after tonite, but I think we could use a feel good doc the end the nite.

Please tell me New Jersey is not going RED....gosh!

Man tased as his house burned - No kidding! Hotlist
by African American Political Pundit [Subscribe]
Digg this! Share this on Twitter - Man tased as his house burned - No kidding!Tweet this submit to reddit Share This
Tue Nov 03, 2009 at 02:04:15 PM PST

Tasing in America has gone out of control. Last night I learned about how a Minneapolis Police officer tased a man with his hands on a squad car. Yes, the officer used a Taser on the mans neck while he was in a non-combative stance, and his hands on the squad car.

Now we learn that a man was tased outside of his home, as his house burned.

* African American Political Pundit's diary :: ::
*

Get this, According to Sarah Steimer at at Kent News Net the resident, Mike Bartlett, said he was returning from downtown for his cell phone when he noticed his sister's room on fire. He ran in to make sure she was not there and continued to find his friends in the basement and alert them of the fire. He said his cousin's girlfriend was sleeping upstairs so he went back in the house to retrieve her.

"As I was running downstairs, I could hear the window glass popping because of the heat," Bartlett said.

When he got outside, Bartlett said police officers were at the end of the driveway. He said he approached them for help, but they dismissed him. As he walked toward one of his friends, he said the officers tackled and restrained him with the Taser gun, giving them no reason for their force.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/11/3/800092/...

The Plum LineGreg Sargent's blog
Obama’s Political Operation Takes Heat For Lack Of Push Against Maine Anti-Gay Initiative

Among gay rights advocates already frustrated by Obama’s foot-dragging on their issues, this one threatens to balloon into a new controversy:

Obama’s outside political operation is urging supporters in Maine to turn out to the polls for local elections — without making any mention in its emails of the nationally-watched anti-gay ballot initiative in the state.

Organization for America is beginning to take heat for this, but OFA officials are declining to comment in response to this blog’s inquiries.

The reason this could become a real issue for OFA is that the vote on the Maine initiative — which would repeal gay marriage — is expected to be super close. And a loss — particularly one rooted in turnout, which OFA has the capacity to boost — will result in fierce recriminations.

What’s more, tensions are already so raw because of a host of other ways gay advocates feel let down by the new president that they may be even more inclined to point a finger at OFA in the event of a loss. This one could get ugly.

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/organizing-fo...

Turning Ugly In NY-23: Teabagger Voter Intimidation Reported
By: David Dayen Tuesday November 3, 2009 10:40 am

Via John Amato, the teabagger activists in NY-23 are illegally intimidating local residents at the polls.

I just got off the phone with former state Democratic Chairwoman June O’Neill, who informed me the police had been called to at least two polling sites in St. Lawrence County due to overzealous electioneering (O’Neill called it “voter intimidation”) by Doug Hoffman supporters.

“We’ve gotten reports that people are standing there, covered with Hoffman stickers and yelling anti-choice stuff at voters,” said O’Neill, a St. Lawrence native who has been running the party’s GOTV effort for Bill Owens in NY-23.

“Apparently, there’s some woman claiming to be a commissioner,” O’Neill continued. “Commissioner of what, I don’t know. She’s from Texas, I think, and she won’t leave.”

“This is not the way we roll in the North Country.”‘

O’Neill also said she had received anecdotal reports of problems at polling sites in Gouverneur, which is Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava’s hometown. But she couldn’t immediately confirm this.

It sounds like they’re turning Election Day into just another town hall meeting.

What’s so interesting about this race is that Doug Hoffman is more of a cipher for teabagger ideas and obsessions than anything else. Hoffman is extremely soft-spoken and may not even be as committed to their core ideas as the activists believe:

It all led up to a political speech that was notable largely for its meekness. As Hoffman shifted his weight from side to side and glanced down at his notes, he tossed out only twice pieces of red meat — an attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and a promise not to let government “take over health care.” With the rest of his time — less than four minutes — Hoffman talked broadly about bringing jobs back to the district. “I’m going to make sure that everything we can do for Fort Drum, we do it,” he said. “I’m going to make sure that, you know, Watertown, with new jobs, new businesses, and new economy, that’s going to carry us through for the next 20, 30, 50 years.” The second statement did not quite make sense, but the crowd roared its approval [...]

At the same time, Hoffman’s mellow nature, and his ability to avoid committing to specific conservative policies, have been the cause of amusement in the press corps and in the candidate’s own campaign. In a mid-October interview with TWI, Hoffman had strayed from the dogmatic conservative response to the stimulus–opposing it outright–and mulled over redirecting more stimulus funding to infrastructure and “job credits.” He gave the same response to another reporter. And another reporter told TWI that interview footage of Hoffman was so bland that it wasn’t worth using. After the Watertown rally, Sandy Caligoire, a Hoffman spokesman, argued that Hoffman’s lack of charisma had become a boon to the campaign.

Hearing the teabaggers cheer Hoffman’s call to “do whatever we can for Fort Drum,” a military base paid for with public tax dollars, just shows the incoherency of the message. The just want to exist in opposition to somebody, and at the polls today, that looks to be turning sour.

http://news.firedoglake.com/2009/11/03/turning-...

guess they are palining out.

good one