Happy Hour Roundup: Biden Calling House Moderates
* Joe Biden has been working the phones in a last-ditch effort to round up support among moderate House Dems for the embattled health care bill.
A senior White House official emails: “He’s calling moderate Democrats and talking up the cost-containment and premium-reduction aspects of the bill — issues that matter a lot to moderates.”
* With vulnerable Dem freshman abandoning the bill, House Dems need 10 more votes.
* Must watch: Dem Rep Steve Israel, in keeping with Dem efforts to elevate the nastiest Tea Party images to tar the GOP as hostage to extremists, has cut a new video calling on Michele Bachmann to apologize for tea party signs displaying Holocaust imagery:
Congress is already on edge because of the closeness of the expected health care vote, and with members expected to be around the Capitol this weekend, this won’t do anything to calm tensions.
* Eric Cantor, taking a risk, pushes back on Rush and the Holocaust imagery.
* Taegan Goddard looks at the growing support for gay marriage among the young and concludes: “Just a matter of time.”
* Robert Gates is pretty well regarded, even among Republicans, which could make the Afghanistan decision a bit easier.
* Conservative writer says Fort Hood shooter acted on orders from Muslim Brotherhood.
* New word in the Urban Dictionary: “Scozzafavaed!”
* Obama took heat for skipping the election returns, but Bush didn’t watch them in 2006.
* And Sarah Palin is reluctant to set foot outside the Real America.
Got anything else?
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Cute!
“Foxx: “You’re looking particularly disheveled tonight.”
Frank: “…
http://www.politico.com/click/stories/0911/did_foxxs_flattery_soften_frank.html
thanks, I think.
@Greg: Will you be posting if there are any weekend h/c votes? (Will there be any weekend h/c votes?)
Yeah, ol’ Eric CAN’Tor is threatening to send RushPig and the teabaggers a strongly worded letter, with a pre-emptive apology for said condemnation as his post script!
LMAO at cowardly, grovelling, sniveling teabagger stooges!
sbj: I’m gonna try. Not convinced the vote will happen tomorrow.
Benton, you don’t seem convinced of Cantor’s sincerity.
but seriously, watch the steve israel vid. it’s great.
‘Last ditch’? ‘Embattled’? Joining AP soon, Greg? And that link to USAToday prattling about the ‘humiliating defeat’ on Tuesday? All these jokers ‘abandoning’ the bill were never for it, as far as I have read. Come on, man.
What did Israel have to say when Grayson made his remark?
“I would like to apologize,” he said. “I apologize to the dead and their families that we haven’t voted sooner to end this holocaust in America.”
Can’t imagine why that would be, Greg. Just can’t imagine…. ; )
Regarding a different “Happy Hour” piece (though with political cowardice remaining the common denominator), it’s deeply disturbing to hear that some freshmen Dems in the House are succumbing to rabid teabagger hysteria/dementia as they bolt from HCR. Real profiles in courage, each of ‘em. Sickening.
Don’t these fools realize that if HCR doesn’t pass, they will get slaughtered in 2010 as Democrats stay home in droves? How stupid can they be?
Steve Israel is a colossal hypocrite and phony. That’s among the most cynical, insincere, hypocritical performances I’ve seen.
You’re blind if you don’t see that.
I sure hope we send this wingnut a bill, them being against government run healthcare and all…
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/11/socialism_in_action.html
This slipped under my radar…
“The American Medical Association’s decision to endorse the House reform bill before its members had a chance to weigh in has dissenting factions threatening a “showdown” this weekend.
“Opponents of the group’s endorsement are planning to introduce multiple resolutions to rescind or amend the AMA’s nod, according to an official whose doctor group opposes today’s endorsement.”
http://www.politico.com/livepulse/1109/AMA_endorsement_has_group_split.html
Doesn’t make the AMA look to good.
POLITICO: “A colleague notes that Sarah Palin’s book tour retraces the steps of her fall campaign.”
I expect her book will do as well as her campaign.
I didn’t realize what a hero Bachmann is. If TPM says she is firing up the base (all 8k to 10k of them) then I believe it.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/11/michele-bachmanns-stock-on-the-rise-after-her-super-bowl-of-freedom.php?ref=fpblg
Nice framing on HCR, Greg. NOT.
Greg… I just now noticed no mention of unemployment in tonight’s roundup. BOLD! I am glad you didn’t get suckered in like so many.
Greg, you should add vid of the Markos-tancredo dust up over at The Ed show. Watch a typical, lying, chickenhawk repug walking out when he was called out.
Conan O Brien
“Voters in the state of Maine voted no to gay marriage, but yes to medical marijuana. That’s right—people in Maine believe marriage should be a sacred institution between a really stoned man and a really stoned woman.”
Shorter Conan,
Voters in the state of Maine voted no to gay marriage, and then realizing how their own ’straight’ marriage sucked, voted yes to medical marijuana.
Stay classy Obama…..13 dead soldiers and he’s giving “shout outs”??? WTF?
Then he screws up the medal of honor award….even more of a dope to his service men and women.
He’s so smart and dreamy. Glad he’s so different than Bush. Oh wait he’s just as bad, just not reported the same.
amk… good catch. Tancredo should have just explained why he took a deferment, instead of walking off like a baby.
Over 44 THOUSAND Americans die every year because the right wing chooses corporate-profits over American lives.
Republican Eric Cantor may not be driving that train but he’s actively working against saving those American lives.
Democratic congressman Alan Grayson is exactly right: “We can save these people or let them die.”
The right wing are letting Americans die.
The left wing are trying to save American lives.
It’s really that simple.
http://www.youtube.com/user/RepAlanGrayson
POLITICO:
President Obama is back from his trip to Walter Reed, where he visited wounded soldiers with Matt Flavin, the White House director of veterans and wounded warrior policy, according to the pool. `POTUS visited with 19 soldiers, three families of soldiers in the ICU, as well as hospital staff. The President also awarded two Purple Hearts.
For the record, Obama called the Ft. Hood shoots: “A horrific outburst of violence.”
That right wing trolls are lying about that is despicable.
News….you’re right he did say this, but after his “shout outs”….
That’s classy.
I’d like to give a shout out to Brownie…oh and I hope that New Orleans is ok.
What “shout outs”?
Andy
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/politics/A-Disconnected-President.html
“At the event, a Tribal Nations Conference hosted by the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian affairs, the president thanked various staffers and offered a “shout-out” to “Dr. Joe Medicine Crow — that Congressional Medal of Honor winner.” Three minutes in, the president spoke about the shooting, in measured and appropriate terms.”
You’re blind if you don’t see that.
I take it sbj & qb aren’t Jewish. Since Steve Israel is in fact Jewish, I’m willing to acknowledge that his perspective on the gratuitous use of Holocaust photos might be a bit different than it is for others.
Americans will buy anything…but won’t be fooled twice. Thanks for pointing me to that link. After reading that I can understand why you might be angry. That guy does a pretty good job of making the President look bad.
I admit I did not see the Presidents remarks but I have read the transcripts. I don’t agree with your assessment or the guy in Chicago, but I am guessing that won’t really matter to you.
What I am curious about is your clear dislike for both Obama and Bush. We don’t see that a lot around here. So, I am wondering who would you want to run our country?
Americans will buy anything…but won’t be fooled twice.
I did a little more research and it turns out this guy writes for the NY Post… enough said.
To pick up where Andy left off:
The NY Post is one of right winger Rupert Murdoch’s propaganda outlets.
Murdoch doesn’t do truth, Murdoch creates fictions and then feeds those fictions to gullible (and sometimes fraudulent) right wingers who then peddle those right wing falsehoods.
Again, for the record: President Obama called the Ft. Hood shootings: “A horrific outburst of violence”.
That right wing trolls would deliberately misinterpret that in order to score cheap political points is despicable.
so since its from a certain writer you hate, we should just ignore everything from TPM, HuffPo, Kos, CNN and MSNBC?
I’d love someone running our country that isn’t a politician….someone who is a citizen first, then a politician. Someone who doesn’t aspire to be the commander in chief, but does it anyway b/c of the good of the country. Then does 4 years and moves on to private life again…..that’s who.
So you may ask for a name and I’ll give you Mary Smith or Joe Smith. Their faceless until they matter.
News? Are you looking in the mirror when you say this dribble? Are you that so far up your own a@@ that you can’t separate truth and reality? Its pointless to argue with you b/c you have no compass. You’re a young lib with no future, then if you get one, you’ll turn into a republican.
“…has cut a new video calling on Michele Bachmann to apologize for tea party signs displaying Holocaust imagery.”
Yeah, you can get your apology as soon as you tell all the left wing blogs to take down their ads lauding a guy who used a Holocaust comparison when disucssing the Republicans, who called Republicans murderers, who called the former VP a blood-sucker etc. And then after that maybe you can get an apology for all the Nazi imagery used during the entire Bush administration. The amount of signs used by left wing groups dwarfs those used by the Tea Partiers (or for those who think juvenile jokes that were old months ago are funny, Tea Baggers)
“I did a little more research and it turns out this guy writes for the NY Post… enough said.”
Yeah, heaven forbid if you read some news that didn’t have the Echo Chamber Seal of Approval.
PS Hey Dems, how is that 10.2% unemployment working out for you.
http://www.exurbanleague.com/
Joe Lieberman…Filibustering Dem legislation into the ground since 2009.
“And Sarah Palin is reluctant to set foot outside the Real America”
Yeah, never mind the fact her book signings over the next few weeks are pretty much exclusively in states that Obama won. And it is always good business to do book signings in areas where people may not show up. Maybe we can get Bill Ayers to do one at the annual FOP convention, or perhaps you can convince Jeremiah Wright to do a book signing at the headquarters of B’nai B’rith. Or maybe you can convince Nancy Pelosi to do one in a city where the majority of people are sane.
PS Hey Dems, how is the 10.2% unemployment working our for you?
Joe Lieberman…Filibustering Dem legislation into the ground since 2009.
Americans will buy anything…but won’t be fooled twice.
I didn’t know anything about this writer until I read your link. I did check out his blog and it’s pretty clear he wants the President to fail and he seems to be enjoying some new fame via Drudge. But hey, it’s a free country.
I would love to have a CIC who was not a politician, but is that realistic or possible? Our founding fathers setup our country as a Republic and a life of politics.
The last time our economy added jobs was in Dec, ‘07. During all 12-months of 2008 we lost jobs. During that time all we heard was… Ayers, Rev. Wright, bittergate, Brittany Spears, Paris Hilton, birth certificate etc. Conservatives and Repubs didn’t seem all that concerned about jobs.
The peak of job loss was last January when the administration changed hands. We’ve gone from over 700k jobs lost in January ‘09 to 190k lost in Oct ‘09. Until that number is a positive number it’s not good. But to say progress is not being made is ill informed.
I want to go on the record now that I support Palin running for President in 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024, 2028, 2032, 2036 and beyond.
Liam… did this guy steal your BTO reference?
http://firedoglake.com/2009/11/06/late-night-bachmann-terror-overdrive/
44 THOUSAND Americans die each year because of lack of health insurance.
Right wing policies choose corporate-profit over American lives.
Left wing policies are trying to save American lives.
Why do right wingers hate Americans so much that they would stand by and let over 44,000 Americans die every year?
“I take it sbj & qb aren’t Jewish. Since Steve Israel is in fact Jewish, I’m willing to acknowledge that his perspective on the gratuitous use of Holocaust photos might be a bit different than it is for others.”
Yeah, well when he starts demanding apologies from people like Grayson and Robert Byrd and Algore and other dems and liberals for invoking the Nazis and Holocaust, I’ll reconsider. Until then he remains a hypocrite who spouts selective outrage for cheap political points.
“Tancredo should have just explained why he took a deferment, instead of walking off like a baby.”
The party of Draft Dodger “I Loathe the Military” Clinton, Joe Five Deferments Biden, and Student Radical Barack Obama damning people for not serving.
I think you should go farther with this, and liberals who didn’t serve should no longer be allowed to comment here, since they are unqualified.
Vet or not Kos is a sorry little punk and cheap shot artist pulling stunt like that. He no doubt got beat up in school a lot and tries to compensate for being such a weeny.
qb – boohoo. look mom, that “kid” markos beat the **** out of that (weasel) tancredo.
Fvcking whiner.
**** = shite. Stoopid moderation.
The Party of draft dodgers is home to Cheny, Coburn, Giuliani, Romney, Rove, Rush, Levin, O’Reilly, Kristol, and Tancredo etc..
“The party of Draft Dodger “I Loathe the Military” Clinton, Joe Five Deferments Biden, and Student Radical Barack Obama damning people for not serving”
Talk about pulling things out of the dark recesses of your diseased butt crack. People may have an issue with student deferments, or the fact that Biden had student deferments and asthma – but Dick Cheney had straight up coward deferments. Also, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden aren’t blood thirsty war hawks like Dick Cheney is – underlining his cowardice. Nice try buttercup.
“liberals who didn’t serve should no longer be allowed to comment here, since they are unqualified.”
No, liberals who didn’t serve with continue to comment here, too phuucking bad. Tancredo got called out because he was too much of a chickenshiiit to serve. Too bad, sit back and deal with it.
“Vet or not Kos is a sorry little punk and cheap shot artist pulling stunt like that.”
But he’s a “little punk” that served, get that straight. Tancredo got caught trying to lecture a veteran and got disciplined for it. That’s the way it should be.
Looks like things are moving along with the house HCR:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/07/compromise-reached-on-hea_n_349309.html
Is anyone beside me really nervous today?
“The House healthcare bill has taken more twists and turns and has zig-zagged its way through more Democratic districts than the Mississippi River.
And after a month’s worth of legislative wrangling and deal-making, the bill is approaching its final destination: a vote on final passage, expected sometime before the sun rises on Sunday. Pressing toward dawn on Saturday, the Rules committee passed a rule after nearly 12 hours that would set up a vote on the healthcare bill at 6 p.m.”
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/66787-health-bill-reaches-moment-of-truth
Andy,
The last time we had unemployment over 10%, the president decided to cut taxes on every American, even taking the highest tax rate from 75% to 39%. Could you imagine what Americans could do if their government spent less of their money and they kept more of their paycheck.
Let’s use you for an example…you probably make 35k, pay 15% in taxes. According to you, you probably don’t pay enough, so start paying 20%, but the rest of the 15% people wouldn’t mind it if they were now paying 10%.
News Reference
Wow, checked out your site. Reminded me of the movie Conspiracy Theory with Mel Gibson. Go talk to a professional and get a little help.
lmsinca…
I’d be nervous to if I was on the side asking for a bill that jails people if they don’t get health insurance.
Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) confirming that the failure to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance contained in the Pelosi health care bill (H.R. 3962, as amended) could land people in jail. The JCT letter makes clear that Americans who do not maintain “acceptable health insurance coverage” and who choose not to pay the bill’s new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.
awba….bwbft
Link????
http://republicans.waysandmeans.house.gov/UploadedFiles/JCTletter110509.pdf
all, saturday roundup coming soon.
Gonna be a bumpy ride here at the ‘Line 2-day I predict :smile
Saturday roundup posted:
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/saturday-roundup/
# Andy | November 6th, 2009 at 11:44 pm
Liam… did this guy steal your BTO reference?
http://firedoglake.com/2009/11/06/late-night-bachmann-terror-overdrive/
…………………..
Andy,
I doubt that he did. It was not that hard to come up with, and he used the word “terror” where I had used “turnout”. I can see him trying to come up with something to go with Bachmann, and not thinking of “turnout”, which I used, because it best fit the lampooning of the crowd size claims, and also because it fit as near rhyme to “turner” in BTO.
Americans will buy anything…but won’t be fooled twice.
The last time unemployment was over 10% it took 5 years to get that number back down to where it was pre-recession. This President has had 24-hours.
I have no problem cutting taxes for anyone making under 90k. Everyone else not so much.
As far as me personally you are partially right. I do pay a 15% tax but that’s only on the profits of the S-corp I own. So, I get to take advantage of all the tax loop holes available to corporations.
The last time we had 10% unemployment we were not fighting two wars, facing a major housing crisis and trying to avoid a complete meltdown of our financial system. If you think the answer is to hand out huge tax cuts to the wealthy, ok, but don’t complain about our debt or deficit.
And before you say it, yes I agree we need to cut back on Government spending. The battle is going to be over what gets cut and you will definite see that battle come to life over the next 12-months guaranteed.
Right winger nickleback should get his facts straight:
Republican draft dodgers include most of the Republican Party leadership including but not limited to:
Republican Mitt “French Vacation to Avoid Vietnam” Romney.
Republican Mitch “Mysterious Dismissal Rumored Because of Being G@y” McConnell
Republican Dick “Five Deferrments” Cheney.
How about blowhard right winger Rush “Obsessed with g@y s@x” Limbaugh.
Actually, maybe it would be easier if those Republican leaders that did serve were listed.
http://www.awolbush.com/whoserved.html
But even then you’ve got:
Republican George “Drunk in Alabama while Avoiding Vietnam Combat” Bush.
But lets consider what right wingers do to Americans that serve on the left: Republicans smear them.
Democratic combat veteran John Kerry, smeared by Republicans.
Democratic combat veteran Max Cleland, smeared by Republicans.
Democratic combat veteran Wesley Clark and decorated military General, smeared by Republicans.
Even here the right winger nickleback can’t honor the service of American military personnel who have opinions that differ from his.
Right wing frauds and cowards like nickleback shame the entire right wing, many of who served honorably alongside the left wing in our American nation in every war we’ve been in.
Nice “logic,” old news. Further comment unnecessary.
You guys would be hilarious if you weren’t so disgusting. Your party has made its living trashing America for 40 years. Your coward president Clinton — who actually dodged the draft after lying about his intentions, and said he “loathed” the military — smeared and lied about the two genuine Republican war heros he ran against.
The One never served, but — according to you clowns — it was okay for him to run his campaign beating his chest about how we needed to escalate in Afghanistan, and even smear John Freaking McCain as a coward? Have I got that right? Yeah, incredibly, that’s okay with you slimeballs, but Dick Cheney couldn’t support the war in Iraq. And Joe Biden who got five “coward deferments” as you call them is fit to call for US intervention in Bosia, Kosovo, and Darfur, and vote for the Iraq war, which he supported until at least 2005, but no Republican can support military action unless he served in the military, according to you.
Isn’t it funny how it’s always your party and punks like Kos who attack the patriotism of the other side? Every one of you commenting above is a fraud and phony.
“quarterback” is the right winger whose best buddy wants to cut up America into little pieces and return America to the days of slavery, that’s his idea of “conservatism”.
And nobody here said that Republican McCain was a coward.
No, Republican McCain is a con-artist who was willing to sell out America if it gave him power. Republican McCain’s been a sell-out his entire career, going all the way back to his Keating scandal. Republican McCain’s entire campaign was being run by foreign-agent lobbyists (literally).
But at least Republican McCain served. Oh, sure, he wasn’t qualified to be a pilot and was only flying after repeatedly crashing airplanes because his daddy was Admiral. And sure, sending an unqualified pilot out risked other American’s lives. But at least he served.
And sure, Republican Bush served. Drunk. In Alabama. Learning how to fly planes that everyone knew would never be used in combat.
And since you bring up combat evaders, you can’t leave out Republican Mitt “French Vacation to Avoid Vietnam” Romney, or Republican Dick “Five Deferment” Cheney, or Republican Tom “Too Depressed” Tancredo, or… well, the least of Republicans who avoided combat is so long that it’s easier to say that it’s over 98% of the Republican leadership
And isn’t it cute how Republicans can simultaneously attack the left-wing on military matters, even while nearly the entire Republican leadership evaded service, and then REPUBLICANS ATTACK AMERICAN VETERANS?
Even now it’s the Republican Party which is obstructing military veterans benefits.
It’s the Republican Hypocrite Party.