Happy Hour Roundup
* Obama addressed the Fort Hood shooting moments ago. As per the pool report, he decried the “horrifying” and “horrific outburst of violence,” promised to “stay on this” and get answers to “every single question” raised by this “horrible incident.”
Update: Full transcript of Obama’s remarks here. CNN identifies shooter.
* Michael Steele, on the tea partiers: “We’re walking this walk with them.”
* Christina Bellantoni witnessed some of the arrests of demonstrators. One man shouted at the cops: “Thugs from Chicago.”
* House GOPers hear Tea Partiers chanting “throw them out,” nervously wonder whether this also includes them.
* Joe Lieberman has privately schemed about a health care filibuster with GOP Senator Jon Kyl, Sam Stein reports. Sources tell me Lieberman will immediately face discipline from Democratic leaders. Kidding!
* To Olympia Snowe, the more universal and affordable reform makes health care, the further out of the mainstream it really is.
* One other interesting number from this morning’s Gallup poll: Fifty-eight percent of Republicans think Sarah Palin is qualified for the presidency.
* Conservative group goes up on the air with national ad tying government takeover of health care to government willingness to give swine flu vaccine to Gitmo detainees.
* Brutal takedown from Politifact of Charlie Crist’s claim that he didn’t endorse Obama’s stimulus.
* And Doug Hoffman may have cost Repubs a longtime House seat, but he’s still a GOP hero, and he’s not done with politics. Heck, he could run anywhere, right?
Got anything else?
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Swine flu virus or swine flu vaccine?
yikes! fixing. thanks!
“Hoffman may have cost Repubs a longtime House seat”
? Do you have data showing that DeDe was going to win?
And this is going to send the wingnutters into even higher orbit: MSNBC has just identified one of the shooters at Ft Hood as MAJ Malik Hasan. AND he’s a “mental health professional”. Great. We’re driving the psychologists crazy now.
Kelley
If there’s a higher orbit than this I’d hate to see what it looks like. Did you see the lady with the 20 or so tea bags hanging off the sides of her cowboy hat? It’s really hard to take that serious. But then you look at the signs and wonder what’s really going on here.
Those poor soldiers and their families at Fort Hood.
awful. just added link to T-script of Obama’s full remarks above, and to CNN’s latest.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, R-Texas, told Fox News that military sources informed her that the gunman was about to be deployed to Iraq.
@ lmsinca:
Oh, I’m pretty sure that what’s going on has less to do with health care than the fact that the President doesn’t look like your average teabagger. I’m with Tena on that one; I mean, c’mon, they can’t even tell you what it is about the healthcare reform that they disagree with. I’m beginning to think that we truly are seeing the death throes of the Republican Party as We’ve Known It.
And, I don’t know if you saw it on an earlier thread or not, but thanks for pointing out Cesca’s writing. I’m another convert now!
“Investigators probing the death of a Kentucky census worker found hanging from a tree with the word “fed” scrawled on his chest increasingly doubt he was killed because of his government job and are pursuing the possibility he committed suicide, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091105/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_census_worker_hanged
via hotair
Interesting tweet from Jim Himes (D-CT) re: swearing in of new Dem congressman Garamendi (D-CA-10):
W/few courageous exceptions, GOP caucus walks out en masse as 2 new members (dems from specials) are sworn in. Saddest thing I’ve seen here.
http://thehill.com/blogs/twitter-room/other-news/66587-dem-gop-attendance-at-protest-saddest-thing-ive-seen-here
Crazies to the left, crazies to the right…
“9 Protesters backing a universal health care system briefly occupied Sen. Joe Lieberman’s office this morning.”
http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/11/protesters-arrested-at-liebermans-office.html
So much for comity.
sbj… I wondered what happened to that story. Interesting that they can’t rule in or out suicide.
Other Gallup poll tidbits:
“A majority of Americans now see President Barack Obama as governing from the left. Specifically, 54% say his policies as president have been mostly liberal while 34% call them mostly moderate…Among Democrats by ideology, Obama’s favorability rating has fallen mostly among moderate Democrats, from 97% to 84%, with a smaller dip among conservative Democrats, 78% to 72%. It has held steady at 97% among liberal Democrats.”
http://www.gallup.com/poll/124094/Majority-Say-Obama-Policies-Mostly-Liberal.aspx
Hahahaha. Full disclosure: SARAH PALIN IS A HABITUAL LIAR (as if we didn’t know).
You try hard to be fair in the book, but you chronicle, fairly persuasively, a large number of what seem to be fairly egregious distortions by the candidate. Why does she do this? Why doesn’t she, as you wrote, acknowledge uncomfortable truths?
Palin almost always seems outwardly poised and confident in front of a microphone, but she also demonstrates time and again–often in more subtle ways–signs of profound insecurity. It takes a self-confident person to admit mistakes and acknowledge one’s own shortcomings, but Sarah Palin is quick to cast aside people who cross her in even minor ways, and her unwillingness to tolerate much dissent often leads to an infallibility syndrome.
http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/11/sarah_from_alaska_the_truth_and_2012.php
Youch! Read it all. Totally damning.
“Chicago thugs”? Seriously… it’s a shame that people who know nothing about Chicago talk about “Chicago style politics” and “Chicago thugs”.
You gotta admit, though, andy – that Chicago is notoriously corrupt?
And now for something completely different…
“The Democratic Party is tearing itself apart! Moderates no longer need apply.
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/66609-liberal-groups-threatens-centrists-with-primaries
Apparently that protest at Pelosi’s office also included about 100 pro universal coverage folks, some of whom were involved with the Lieberman incident earlier.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/11/dueling-protests-converge-at-pelosis-office-health-care-for-all-or-kill-the-bill.html
SBJ: Again I ask … what the hell is your point, ever? Who do you support? Anyone? Or are you just a crank? ‘Crazies to the lft and right’? You mean, 100 liberals and 5,000 lunatics carrying Holocaust pictures and listening to Cliff Clavin talk about freaking Woodstock? You DO realize the GOP is less popular than vinyl car seats in August, right? And that Obama will crush whatever goofball he runs against in 2012?
The Neo-Fascist Neo-Confederate party is truly beyond all hope. On this of all days comes this news:
Today, The Marine Corp Times revealed exactly how far Coburn was willing to go to undermine ARRA. It turns out Coburn has been the senator who has placed holds on several veterans benefits bills because he wanted to divert money from unspent ARRA funds them:
Thirteen major military and veterans groups have joined forces to try to force one senator — Republican Tom Coburn of Oklahoma — to release a hold that he has placed on a major veterans benefits bill.
Coburn has been identified by Senate aides as the lawmaker preventing consideration of S 1963, the Veterans’ Caregiver and Omnibus Health Benefits Act of 2009, by using an informal but legal practice of putting a hold on a bill. [...]
In a letter sent Monday night to the Senate majority leader, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the 13 military and veterans groups ask the Senate to get on with it.
“It is essential that Congress act on this comprehensive measure without further delay,” the letter reads. “Thousands of disabled veterans with serious medical conditions and the family members who care for them are counting on this additional support.”
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/11/05/coburn-holding-up-veterans/
It doesn’t get any worse. It can’t. It can’t possibly.
The “Million Bag March”
http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/JenkinsRally.jpg
Impressive, right?
They wanna take back their country n’sh*t.
Another good post at TP. They’re knocking it out of the park lately.
Astroturf In Action: Right-Wing Billionaire David Koch Pays For 40 Buses To Haul In Protesters
…video report of AFP staffers talking about their exploits at the rally today:
AFP STAFFERS: We have 25 buses just from Pennsylvania, New Jersey we probably have 5 or 6 from Maryland.
AFP STAFFERS: We have about 40 buses coming.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/11/05/david-koch-astroturf/
Ethan
Wow, Coburn really stepped in it on a day when the military lost some of it’s own on American soil. What is wrong with him? Since when did it become okay to act like a bunch of high school bullies in the halls of congress.
And I read somewhere today that some of the Repubs out on the steps today got a little nervous when the anti-Obama protestors started shouting something about get rid of them. They weren’t sure they were just talking about Democrats. You reap what you sow and these morons don’t even realize they’re in the crosshairs as well.
AFP planned the rally – Bachman piggy backed off their original effort.
IMHO
All this anti-government, anti-HCR, anti-Obama hysteria is being fueled by nothing more than corporate money hiding behind a bunch of gullible people upset with their economic situation.
These people don’t even know what’s in the darn bill or what they don’t like about it, just that it’s socialism according to Bachman, Palin, Armey and all the other quacks out there. Personally, I find them dangerous.
And sbj
Progressive groups putting pressure on Conserva Dems is what makes the world go around in Dem circles. An entire split in the Republican party approved of by “we’ll come after you” Steele and other Repub leaders is something else entirely. If you can’t see the difference I have less faith in your intelligence than I used to.
Bachmann was on the Levin show this evening. Both of them were claiming at least twenty-thousand people there. They must have been drunk and were seeing triple.
…or quadruple.
Mike, did you see Ethan’s photo from today of the crowd from a distance, more like looking through octogon glasses.
@lmsinca: If you can’t see the parallels… (I’ll omit the insult).
For bernie’s propaganda files:
Anbar Province: “A Hot Place to Invest In”
http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2009/11/anbar_province_a_hot_place_to.asp
Here’s an interesting read from Mother Jones. I think what bothers me most about all of this is the bleed over into the House. It makes them look like a bunch of looney tunes and to stand there and speak while looking at a sign that shows bodies stacked at Dachau and not say anything against it, makes me very nervous and frankly embarrassed.
“But what was most noteworthy was that the entire House Republican leadership was also in attendance—and their rhetoric was just as over-the-top as some of the protesters. House Minority Leader John Boehner declared the health care bill the “greatest threat to freedom I have seen.” In essence, Congressional Republicans were merging with a movement that gives open expression to racist and anti-Semitic sentiments.”
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/11/tea-party%E2%80%99s-takeover-gop
sbj
Seriously, progressive groups putting pressure on conserva dems is politics as usual. No one cares if the base on the right puts pressure on their politicians to be more conservative. When the leadership in the House and Senate and Steele support the same endeavor, a sort of purge if you will, it’s a different thing altogether.
I don’t see anyone in the WH or leadership trying to get rid of the Blue Dogs, do you?
Americans ADDED TWO DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVES to the House of Representatives and the corporate-Republican media declaims “Dems lose”!
In other news:
A solitary right wing billionaire pays for an astro-turf movement of right wing extremists who make a lot of noise saying absolutely absurd things and the right-wing-corporate-media decry: “America moves right!”
The media is so far-far-right-wing that the channel that gives a Republican politician three hours to spout nonsense a day is now considered “liberal media” by the right wing extremists that control the neo-confederate Republican Party.”
1.8 Trillion. That’s all, nothing more, nothing less. Sell everything tomorrow, because we are way bankrupt on Monday.
It’s really pathetic. Even if there were 40,000 people there (10x the estimate) that would be a paltry “movement” or “revolution” by any estimate. The protesters in IRAN got bigger crowds than that. And they were being fired on with live ammo.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8102224.stm
At no point do facts or common sense come into play with these people. Just gut and fear. It is sad. It seems pretty obvious that most or all of them are being fooled.
Funny thing about most people who consider themselves conservatives…we actually work during the day. Not sit on ‘behinds’ all day on the computer at starbux eating our tofu. 40% of the country considers themselves conservatives…how many liberal? 10%
Oh but these conservatives seem to have enough time to hop on a bus and carry a nasty sign to the capitol on a work day and make fools of themselves. I hate tofu and Starbucks.
HCR will be deficit neutral. I guess some don’t understand what that means.
Recently on this blog it was noted that a June Gallup poll showed more American identify themselves as moderate or liberal and not conservative.
Sources tell me Lieberman will immediately face discipline from Democratic leaders. Kidding!
That was cruel of you…………
Andy,
Does government have a track record of ever doing anything ‘deficit neutral’. you can’t be that juvenile to really think that.
“how many liberal[s]?”
Currently 20% self-describe themselves as “liberal”.
36% self-describe themselves as “moderate.”
40% self-describe themselves as “conservative.”
But look at “liberal” policies:
Liberalism gave US clean air, safe water, and safe food.
Conservatives were against all three because it cost them money if they couldn’t pollute the air and water and sell maggot infested food.
Liberalism made sure you couldn’t sell products that would blow up.
Conservatives were against it because they made money if they could sell cheap, shoddy products that might blow up.
Liberalism made sure that if someone sold you a shoddy product that blew up in your face, you could hire a lawyer and sue.
Conservatives were against it because they didn’t want to be held responsible for selling shoddy products.
Liberalism also freed the slaves, gave women the right to vote, and made non-whites and women (and now ****) equal citizens before the law.
Conservatives were against freeing the slaves, conservatives were against giving women the right to vote, conservatives were against making non-whites and women equal citizens before the law and now conservatives are against making **** equal citizens before the law.
Conservatives have been historically wrong on just about everything.
And “moderates” consider many initially “liberal” positions as “moderate” positions.
Though it’s always interesting to listen to conservatives argue against the liberal positions of clean air, safe drinking water, pure foods, safe products, the right to hold sellers accountable, and equality for non-whites, women and ****.
??the word g-a, y-s ?? got **** censored?
Is LGBT the politically correct description?
“Progressive groups putting pressure on Conserva Dems is what makes the world go around in Dem circles. An entire split in the Republican party approved of by “we’ll come after you” Steele and other Repub leaders is something else entirely. If you can’t see the difference I have less faith in your intelligence than I used to”
Are you people willfully ignorant or just stupid? The whole reason the health care bill has not passed the House is because of fighting amongst Democrats, and that is the whole reason it will not be passed in the Senate at all this year, if it ever passes. But you people are so busy speaking into each others ears in an echochamber about a non-existent conservative revolt because a barely-Republican chosen in a pizzeria who endorsed a Dem quit in a NY district to see what is going on.
There is an excellent piece on Real Clear Politics discussing the whole ridiculous “GOP Civil War” nonsense.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/horseraceblog/2009/11/my_favorite_postelection_meme.html
Joe Lieberman has stated definitively that he will filibuster the Senate bill. Everyone here knows that a lot of this is payback over Ned Lamont, yet we are supposed to believe it is the Republican Party that has a problem with a civil war? There are at least a handful of Democratic Senators who haven’t even committed to cloture, but if you people want to keep telling yourself there is a revolt in the Republican Party because of one race, that didn’t have a primary, go ahead.
“These people don’t even know what’s in the darn bill or what they don’t like about it, just that it’s socialism according to Bachman, Palin, Armey and all the other quacks out there. Personally, I find them dangerous”
Yeah, and you know that because you know them personally, don’t you? I would be willing to bet you don’t know what is in the bill either.
According to the CBO:
1. The Bill costs $1.055 Trillion, which is over the $900 Billion Obama said was acceptable, so they have already broken that promise. The AP stated that the cost will actually be closer to $1.2 Trillion once reimbursements to doctors are factored in, and an article in the NY POST states that after ten years, the price will actually be over $2 Trillion.
2. Medicare is Cut by $476 BILLION to fund the House Bill (wonder why the AARP didn’t address that one)
3. It raises taxes to the tune of $572 Billion
4. Businesses will have to pay an 8% payroll tax if they don’t insure 72.5% of their workforce. Hmm, I wonder will that hurt small businesses and result in higher unemployment?
5. The CBO estimates that 18 million people will not buy insurance by 2019, and whaddya know, they will be forced to pay a 2.5% tax. What a shock.
All of the above is from the CBO. So the notion that tax increases and Medicare cuts are just lies is pure garbage.
Furthermore, in addition to the taxes that are undeniably in the bill, the Dems are also considering a soda tax and a VAT, which is what Pelosi stated she wants.
And anyone who finds people exercising their rights to participate in the democratic process “dangerous” is the real threat here.
And it is awesome how Olympia Snowe is portrayed as out of the mainstream for opposing a bill that undeniably raises taxes and cuts Medicare. So out of the mainstream that a majority of polls show that Americans are opposed to ObamaCare:
http://www.pollster.com/polls/us/healthplan.php
If a bill that will cost over $1 Trillion dollars and requires record tax increases is “affordable”, I would hate to see a bill that the people here consider unaffordable.
Also I would like an explanation as to why we are supposed to take the word of the AARP as gospel, as if they have no conflicts of interest, while we are supposed to ignore the representatives of small business, such as the Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers, when they come out and state the bill will increase unemployment and will be terrible for small business. Evidently special interests groups and conflicts of interest are OK if it serves to broaden the power of the federal government.
“It makes them look like a bunch of looney tunes and to stand there and speak while looking at a sign that shows bodies stacked at Dachau and not say anything against it, makes me very nervous and frankly embarrassed”
This criticism coming from a bunch of people who praise a guy who uses Holocaust metaphors, calls Dick Cheney a vampire, reads off the names of dead people and then blames it on Republicans and then claims Republicans are out to kill people because they oppose a bad bill is simply not to be taken seriously. The hypocrisy rises to the level of self-parody.
The individuals who founded this country believed that government was a necessary EVIL that should be kept in check. Yet the people on this site act as if those who hold that view are somehow fundamentally un-American nutjobs because they oppose the greatest expansion of government power perhaps in the history of the United States.
PS. Most of this stuff is just a moot point because Lieberman is going to filibuster the bill anyway. Just thought I would remind you people of that.
sbj… your comment about Chicago is correct. What I object to is the insinuation that Chicago still has a “thug like” “political machine”. And some think they can use that to tar our President. Thanks for letting me vent.
$$$$PelosiCare$$$$ | November 5th, 2009 at 09:31 pm
Funny thing about most people who consider themselves conservatives…we actually work during the day.”
Ummm…you do realize all those people teabagging each other today in DC ditched work to astro-turf for their corporate oligarchs.
“Liberals: We make sure stuff doesn’t blow up in your face.”
The references to Chicaco thug politics are just red meat for the brainless to rail against.
All propaganda.
I consider it juvenile… no prepubescent, to pontificate about what might happen without consideration for the facts.
Fact: The President says no HCR unless it’s deficit neutral.
News Ref
I know it’s silly, you can say gay but not g@ys. We all complain but to no avail. I agree with everything you just said. I even heard it said by someone quite sometime ago that we are a liberal country, all of us, compared to many other countries.
Tonight I am embarrassed we have members of our Congress standing on the steps of the Capitol and spouting hate and fear in the name of Freedom. To hear them speak and congratulate all the people there for coming after seeing all the signs literally boggles my mind, I found it to be a very sad day all around.
“I don’t see anyone in the WH or leadership trying to get rid of the Blue Dogs, do you?”
Fair enough (just many here!)
So which sitting Repub Senators has the Repub leadership tried to purge?
“Tonight I am embarrassed we have members of our Congress standing on the steps of the Capitol and spouting hate and fear in the name of Freedom. To hear them speak and congratulate all the people there for coming after seeing all the signs literally boggles my mind, I found it to be a very sad day all around.”
lmsinca… well said!
STEELE: So candidates who live in moderate to slightly liberal districts have got to walk a little bit carefully here, because you do not want to put yourself in a position where you’re crossing that line on conservative principles, fiscal principles, because we’ll come after you.
“Fact: The President says no HCR unless it’s deficit neutral.”
I’ll think you’ll find that only “health insurance reform” is deficit neutral. The gross cost of the House bill is $1.1 trillion, I think, per the CBO – the figure that is below $900 million is the net cost. And note that if one were to include the Medicare fix that none of the bills are deficit neutral.
“The U.S. government is making a costly and open-ended commitment to help provide health coverage for the vast majority of its citizens. I support this commitment, and I think the federal government’s spending priorities should be altered to make it happen. But let’s not pretend that it isn’t a big deal, or that it will be self-financing, or that it will work out exactly as planned. It won’t.
“Many Democratic insiders know all this, or most of it. What is really unfolding, I suspect, is the scenario that many conservatives feared. The Obama Administration, like the Bush Administration before it (and many other Administrations before that) is creating a new entitlement program, which, once established, will be virtually impossible to rescind. At some point in the future, the fiscal consequences of the reform will have to be dealt with in a more meaningful way, but by then the principle of (near) universal coverage will be well established. Even a twenty-first-century Ronald Reagan will have great difficult overturning it.”
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/johncassidy/2009/11/some-vaguely-heretical-thoughts-on-health-care-reform.html
@mike. In other words, no sitting Repub Senators have been called out by name or purged.
Looks like Steele is re-thinking his comments from this morning already. Maybe he’s getting a little afraid of what’s going on as well.
“The consequence of [not having that in place] is we are mired in a very stupid discussion about conservatives versus moderates and conservatives versus Republicans,” he said. “When we play politics amongst our own, we lose.”
Hours earlier, Steele was sounding a noticeably different tune — all but calling on the party to ideologically purge itself of moderates. In an interview with ABC News, the RNC chairman warned those candidates “who live in moderate to slightly liberal districts” that they would have “to walk a little bit carefully” when it came time to vote.’
“[Y]ou do not want to put yourself in a position where you’re crossing that line on conservative principles, fiscal principles, because we’ll come after you,” Steele said.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/05/quick-reversal-steele-we_n_347647.html&cp
I just wanted to underline this from a Paul W. posting on an earlier thread: “the tricky job of governing as disparate a thing as the United States.” With a news day like today, those words couldn’t seem truer.
sbj
There was some back and forth this week between Steele and Snowe, many thing he was referring to her and Collins this morning when he made those statements. A bit of a thinly veiled threat. There was also a lot going on with Scozzafava earlier as you know. She was endorsed by the Party and then un-endorsed once the “Conservatives” came onto the scene.
Also Cornyn had quite a few things to say about not endorsing primary Republican candidates yesterday which put fear into many reps looking at re-election in 2010. All of a sudden Kirk from IL was seeking endorsement from Palin and one would assume some of her Sarah Pac money as well.
Regardless, Steele doesn’t run anything. He’s just the puppet masters useful idiot.
Limbaugh and whoever pulls his under stress strings has the final say.
sbj… I knew this was coming. I will agree that the Medicare fix, is a open question. However, I won’t give in to the fact that the President said this has to be deficit neutral. He said the bill he signs needs to be paid for without adding to the deficit. So, when a final bill hits his desk we’ll find out if that’s true.
Until then I enjoy the “civil” sparring with you!
Here’s that quote about Cornyn BTW.
“What Cornyn is doing is basically abandoning the [California Republican] Carly Fiorinas, the [Connecticut Republican] Rob Simmons, the [Illinois Republican] Mark Kirks and [Florida Republican] Charlie Crist’s of the world,” said the strategist. “He’s giving a green light to all the fringe, tea-party people out there that, if they choose to run, they won’t have to go against the party apparatus. The party apparatus isn’t going to spend a dime. They aren’t going to have Mark Kirk’s back. If you’re that guy in Illinois and you’re worried about the cost of taking on Kirk, well, now that’s not a problem.”
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/04/cornyns-primary-strategy_n_345648.html&cp
@lmsinca: Most of what you say is true and I fail to see how this differs from Democratic politics. Obama urged Paterson to not run. The Parties should not endorse candidates in primaries. Scozzafava was selected by 11 bozos and should have gotten the boot. You don’t think Dem leadership has issued thinly veiled threats at those Dems who threaten to filibuster?
Andy
I agree that the bill will be deficit neutral when it hits the President’s desk. And the deal with the Doctors Medicare payments is something that Bush ignored and carried outside the budget for all his 8 years. The Obama Administration is bringing it out into the open just like the spending on two wars, very unlike his predecessor.
It may be an entitlement, but it’s a necessary one and worth it’s weight in gold compared to the unnecessary spending of the last 8 years.
As far as that huffpost quote about the supposed meaning of Cornyn’s words? – that’s as it should be! Individual elected reps are always free to endorse particular candidates in primaries – but it’s never been the job of the party to throw money and prestige at candidates before they have been selected by primary voters. That is one guaranteed way to piss of your party members – and I’m sure that Democrats agree with me. Sesta/Specter? Lamont/Lieberman?Fiorina won’t beat Boxer. Kirk is dead without Palin’s nod. The party apparatus shouldn’t spend a dime until the candidates have been selected by the voters in the primaries.
sbj… I guess this may not help my “give Chicago some respect” argument:
Chicago Sun-Times:
A Naperville businessman was charged in federal court today with offering a $100,000 bribe to a Chicago alderman in an effort to land concession contracts at O’Hare and Midway airports.
sbj – your false equivalency is pretty amazingly…. dishonest. nutjobs taking over repug party is the same as teh libruls pressuring conservadems to vote for HCR. right…
sbj
I see where you’re going, but urging Patterson not to run because you don’t like his chances or even backing Specter over Sustak just doesn’t feel the same as what the Repubs are doing. The Republican leadership is catering to and giving a huge voice to the extreme right wing of the party and it bothers me.
I think it is bad strategy and dangerous not only to their party but the country. I would prefer to see healthy debate rather than purging moderate voices.
I’ll tell you something else as well. I read a lot of articles over at FDL because they are interesting and informative for the most part. But I can barely tolerate the comments because they are so negative and exclusive. It’s fine to push your agenda and create a movement but not at the expense of other similarly minded people. IMHO.
“sbj – your false equivalency is pretty amazingly…. dishonest.”
Awwwww, so sorry!
I’m honest enough to admit there are nutjobs on both sides of the aisle. If you weren’t so blindly partisan you might be able to admit once in a while that the party you support also plays the same political games. That each party struggles with centrists and the fringe. That each party has rabid talk show supporters and cable analysts.
Nah. I’d say right wingers are overwhelmingly mean spirited people overall.
sbj – “I’m honest enough”. Good joke. you, kidder.
Here’s what I want to know. If Hoffman came in as a Conservative running against a Republican, what’s to prevent a Conservative from skipping the primary and coming into the general election against the Republican? What will the party do then?
sbj
Here’s more from the Cornyn, Steele thing in case you didn’t read the entire post.
“In the past, committee chairman have traditionally pinpointed the candidates they believed had the best general election viability in hopes that their support would dissuade a primary challenge. The move by Cornyn and Steele, in effect, may make it more likely for conservatives to take on moderate or “establishment” Republicans.”
“Another Republican strategist, meanwhile, told the Huffington Post that the NRSC was making a clear and logical attempt to pacify conservatives who were worried (after NY-23) about the party meddling in local elections. “The NRSC has generated a lot of ill-will towards itself this cycle by virtue of its perceived excessive intervention on Charlie Crist’s behalf in the Florida Senate race,” the source added. “I doubt, however, that Cornyn’s move will result in cheers or thank-yous from conservatives, who are very aggrieved at the meddling to-date.”
boehner, the tan, apparently does not know the difference between teh constitution and teh declaration of independence. And that too standing on the steps of Capitol Hill. And this is the star where the likes of sbj have hitched their wagons to.
As they say, patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels.
Levi says: ‘I’ve never seen Sarah Palin reading a newspaper’
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/audio/2009/oct/30/levi-johnston-sarah-palin
This will, of course, increase her popularity with her base.
Word to Michael Steele: Keep on walking, Johnny Walker.
All, morning roundup posted:
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/bipartisanship/the-morning-plum-6/
Arlen Specter was a sitting Republican Senator. He says that he was driven out of the party, because of his vote on the stimulus vote. Now fellow Republicans,like Jim DeMinted, are threatening Senator Snowe, for the same reason.
“He says that he was driven out of the party, because of his vote on the stimulus vote.”
LMAO – he switched because he was going to lose! No one, Dem or Repub, should support this clown.
Мне интересно здесь
!
The Republican Party is the CORPORATE-THEOCRAT Party.
Right wing extremists have purged ALL the liberal AND the moderate Republicans in the Republican Party.
Now the right wing are going after traditional conservative Republicans.
And lets be clear, the Republicans from Maine are traditional Republicans and that makes them too liberal for the Corporatist-Theocratic Right Wingers that now control the Republican Party.