POLITICAL INACTION

36 Million

2009-11-08T16:23:00.004-05:00

The historic healthcare bill passed last night by the House of Representatives would insure 36 million people who currently lack health insurance. Sadly, because of the filibuster in the Senate, the bill will be watered down heavily by the time something gets to President Obama's desk.

Here is a profile of the reasoning behind the one Republican who voted for the measure. I still contend that Republicans are playing with fire by opposing this thing. A major portion of the 36 million without insurance are Republicans and Independents. I just don't think politicians should ever get in the habit of telling potential voters to go F**K themselves. At the end of the day, we are talking about life and death. President Obama and his band of merry Democrats are trying to expand coverage, and prevent people from losing their homes, their life savings, or their lives just because they got sick. How can any Republican who wants to get reelected be against this? Overtime, the tea party nonsense will be overcome, and the bare facts of the bill will shine through. This bill helps every single individual in the country, and the Republicans are against it.

Hurricane Ida Threatens US Gulf Coast

2009-11-08T13:54:00.002-05:00

Hurricane Ida is now a category 2 storm with winds at 100 mph. She claimed 54 victims in El Salvador. Hurricane watches are out for areas from Grand Isle, Louisiana, eastward to the Mississippi-Alabama border, but DOES NOT include New Orleans.

Apparently the conditions right now in the gulf are unfavorable for further development, but could still be a tropical storm as it approaches land. One to keep an eye on.....

Healthcare reform tonight

2009-11-07T22:09:00.000-05:00

The House is still voting on amendments, but the bill should pass tonight.

34,000

2009-11-07T16:48:00.002-05:00

That is how many troops President Obama is leaning towards sending to Afghanistan. It looks like he will announce the deployments around Thanksgiving, and then try to sell the nation and the Congress on the necessity.

McCrystal appears to have given Obama 3 options: 80,000 troops as low-risk; 40,000 troops as medium risk; and 20,000 troops as high risk.

Healthcare Reform Tonight

2009-11-07T16:18:00.003-05:00

The House of Representatives is debating healthcare right now, and may vote on the measure tonight. This is a historic vote on a reorganization of 1/6th of our economy. This legislation has been endorsed by the AMA and the AARP. President Obama gave a pep talk to the caucus, to hopefully solidify some of the wavering members, saying that "If you think Republicans aren't going to go after you because of a 'no' vote, think again."

Ebola in Afghanistan

2009-11-07T16:12:00.002-05:00

A U.S. soldier died of a scary Ebola-like virus after being bitten by a tick in Afghanistan. Even the ticks are terrorists over there.

HBO: By the People

2009-11-07T15:58:00.004-05:00

Watching the HBO documentary by Edward Norton(Tyler Durden) on the Barack Obama election. Pretty awesome to relive the election, and infuriating at the same time. It makes you really question how he can trust Hillary. If you have the ability, watch this documentary.

What I have taken from it is that the Obama campaign always planned for what they called the doomsday scenario, or the primaries going the distance. Obama, Axelrod, Gibbs, and Plouffe knew after the New Hampshire primary it was going the distance.

Bonus beats you need from David Axelrod's ring tone.....The Allman Brothers Band - Jessica

What is interesting is how the documentary ends, with Obama grabbing his coat on his way to the acceptance speech on Nov. 4th, 2008 saying "Alright, let's do this."

This is one of the final videos in the HBO special, but in the special it was taken from the right side of his face, which hidden below, and it shows him crying:

Best new TV show in the whole universe:

2009-11-06T22:56:00.002-05:00

The League

Buying/Selling

2009-11-06T17:00:00.002-05:00

Buying: The Dow above 10. Thanks economic stimulus!
Selling: Unemployment above 10. Thanks economic stimulus?

Video of the day

2009-11-06T16:11:00.001-05:00

Beats you need....

2009-11-06T13:59:00.002-05:00

The Gourds - Cracklins

One of their most underrated songs....lyrics for those interested

Beats you need...

2009-11-06T13:51:00.002-05:00

Blast from the past....Barack Obama - Barackroll

Another day another shootiing

2009-11-06T13:03:00.002-05:00

Office shooting in Orlando....gunman is still on the loose....

UPDATE: The guy was caught at his mother's apartment. She called the cops. He worked as an architect for a firm that let him go in 2007 in the building he shot up, and he said they 'left me to rot'.

Morning Whiskey - 11/06/2009

2009-11-06T07:33:00.002-05:00

[FORT HOOD SHOOTINGS] - WSJ - The shooter, who was upset about being deployed to Iraq, was stopped by a female civilian police officer. Maj. Hasan hired a lawyer in September to try and get out of the army, and out of his deployment to Iraq. MSNBC is reporting that Hasan shouted "ALLAH, AKBAR!" before he started shooting people. So basically, this just became a terrorist attack. This guy would also walk around the base in traditional Muslim dress. If an American Army doctor can do this, something that we associate with poor disaffected young Muslim men, then who isn't capable of this?
[VIDEO HOURS BEFORE] - CNN - Hasan is shown in traditional Muslim garb in a 7-eleven hours before the attack.
[AMA & AARP] - Bloomberg - Lost in the chaos of yesterday were two HUGE endorsements for healthcare reform. The more liberal House bill got the backing of the American Medical Association(doctors) & the American Association of Retired People(old people) yesterday. The House is going to vote on the historic bill tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a huge day for all Americans. The bill is completely paid for, and will not add a dime to the deficit.
[PAKITERRORISTAN] - Reuters - Pakistan entered the Taliban's headquarters in South Waziristan
[CHALLENGING KARZAI] - WSJ - A powerful Afghan governor in one of the safest provinces has called Afghan President Hamid Karzai illegitimate, which might lead to a civil war.

Latest on Fort Hood

2009-11-05T23:24:00.000-05:00

The suspect isn't dead. He is alive, in custody, and only wounded.

What the hell happened at Fort Hood?

2009-11-05T15:54:00.006-05:00

7 killed and up to 12 shot at Fort Hood military base in Texas. One shooter is apparently on the loose, and one was in custody. They were apparently in military uniforms.

UPDATE: It looks like the totals have risen, and that there a 3 suspects, all U.S. soldiers. ABC News has identified one of the suspected gunmen as Malik Nadal Hasan....lovely.

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UPDATE: Hasan was an army Psychologist who specialized in talking to those with severe post-traumatic stress. He was about to be deployed to Iraq, and was upset about it. He might be the only shooter. He graduated from Virginia Tech, and we all know what happened there, all though that probably has nothing to do with it. The other soldiers initially arrested were released.

Morning Whiskey - 11/05/2009

2009-11-05T07:03:00.002-05:00

[U.N. PULLS OUT] - CNN - The U.N. is pulling half of its staff out of Afghanistan after an attack on a U.N. compound by the Taliban. A few weeks ago the head of the U.N. promised to not pull out.
[BACK TO FORM] - MLB - THE YANKEES WIN! THE YANKEES WIN! THE YAAAAAAAANKEES WIN!
[SATURDAY HEALTHCARE] - WSJ - Democrats plan a Saturday vote on healthcare in the House. It looks like they don't have all the votes yet. The Republican bill was just scored by the CBO. It won't cover more Americans but will cost $61 Billion.
[SENATE RELIEF] - WaPo - The Senate approved two measures by a vote of 98-0, extending unemployment benefits by 14 weeks, with some benefits extending 20 weeks in states with unemployment over 8.5%, as well as an extension of the new home buyer tax credit of $8,000, and the existing home buyer tax credit of $6,500 if you have stayed in your current home for longer than 5 years.
[ITALIAN VERDICT] - Reuters - Italy convicts 23 Americans for the CIA's practice of rendition. These 23 Americans were tried in absentia, now international fugitives because this was a symbolic show trial meant to make Italy feel good, abducted a Muslim cleric and flew him to Egypt, where, of course, he says he was tortured. The United States has never admitted kidnapping said cleric.
[DERIVATIVES] - Globe - More than anything, unregulated derivatives caused the financial crisis of last year, so you would think they would be the first thing on the list to regulate. Not so, but Barney Frank vows to amend the bill his committee passed when it hits the House floor.

Buying/Selling - 11/4/2009

2009-11-05T01:39:00.003-05:00

Buying: Red Alert for the iPhone. I spent the entirety of undergrad and graduate school playing this game in the middle of the night against anti-American northern Europeans when I should have been studying. Now I have it in my pocket at all times, and it even caused me to dust off my old RA2 discs. They still have online games by the way, which I may have to waste my weekend on. Good times. Productivity be damned. My RA2 online handle is GrabTommy if any of you are as nerdy as me.
Selling: Conservative explanations for their devastating loss in NY-23. "We haven't lost, we've only postponed the election until next year" is not an explanation when you've lost a Republican seat to a Democrat for the first time in 130 years. I hope to high hell the crazies on the right try this strategy, the cut off your nose to spite your face strategy, next year all over the country. These tea baggers basically spend as much time attacking the mainstream Republican as they do the Democrat. Splitting your vote is the hallmark of every successful political party...right?

Hardball: The Politics Fix

2009-11-04T21:43:00.002-05:00

Embrace Obama and win, run away and lose. The Democrat who won in the Republican district held since the late 1800s embraced Obama and the public healthcare option.

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Hardball: Lessons from last night....

2009-11-04T21:41:00.001-05:00

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Ed Show: Time for Obama to get off the sidelines

2009-11-04T21:35:00.000-05:00

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Morning Whiskey - 11/04/2009

2009-11-04T07:11:00.002-05:00

[MORE ON NY-23] - NYTs - Remember everyone, this was a special election because Obama appointed the Republican as secretary of the Army. The race is notable because the nutballs on the right took a sure win and screwed it up because they said the endorsed Republican candidate was too liberal. Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Sarah Palin all got involved in the fun, campaigning furiously on their various platforms, trailed by other Republicans endorsing the same conservative tea bagger instead of their party's nominee, who eventually dropped out. This was supposedly to be the beginning of the teabagger movement, a purifying witch hunt testing every Republican's conservative credentials. If they can't win in seat held by Republicans since the late 1800s, where can they win?
[5 BRITISH SOLDIERS DEAD] - BBC - 5 British soldiers were killed by a 'rogue' Afghan policeman. The policeman was part of a group the soldiers were mentoring the badly trained and underpaid Afghan police.
[NO GAY MARRIAGE] - WSJ - Maine rejects gay marriage. Washington state did allow it, though.
[THOUGHT] - Since Democrats lost NJ and VA yesterday, and the media has nothing to talk about, which leads them to speculate on how the country is rejecting Obama, will Obama drop a huge piece of news today to bigfoot all the election stories?
[GREAT WHITES] - WaPo - Good news, great White sharks like to hug the coastlines.
[IRANIANS CELEBRATE] - VOA - Did you know that Iranians celebrate the takeover of the U.S. embassy 30 years ago as a major national holiday with government sponsored rallies? I don't understand how President Obama doesn't just hit the snooze button a few extra times on days like today.
[AFGHAN CHALLENGER] - WaPo - Abdullah Abdullah, Hamid Karzai's Afghan challenger, and recent runoff election dropout, tried to barter for cabinet positions in the waning days of the runoff before he dropped out.

What are we thinking tonight?

2009-11-04T00:12:00.007-05:00

ABC's new series 'V' is anti-Obama propaganda. Good thing the show sucks like everything else on ABC.
Mormons should be in favor of gay marriage. Science/biology just doesn't allow men to have multiple wives without leaving other men wifeless. They should allow these men to team up so as to not incite vagrancy, and crime, which is what is happening in China with their one child/one boy policy. Here is the ultimate question: if the Mormon church, in fact saw clearly that gay marriage was in their best interests, would the manwives be able to practice polygamy? Would only man-on-man marriage be allowed because the ladies are in such short supply?
I think President Obama has been insistent on the trigger public option on healthcare because they knew that Corzine and Deeds would lose, weakening already spineless Democrats up for reelection next year.
I don't know what Sarah Palin is. She is unemployed, i.e. quit before she could be fired. No one is going to her to ask her opinion on strategy, or the future policy positions of the Republican party. What is she? Is she just the political equivalent of a cheerleader, just in a snappy business suit? I mean, cheerleaders get everyone fired up by saying things only the home team agrees with. What has she said of substance? What does she bring to the table, and how much money did she lose tonight after her barnstorming tour(Anonymous corrects my implication that Palin went to NY-23. She didn't. She, and all the others just endorsed the guy.) for her teabagger candidate in NY-23 failed? Only the Republican party could have her as a prominent spokesman and pretend that she should be taken seriously. I'm sure I'm using the cheerleader analogy because I'm sexist, so save it Ms. Ironbox.
On paper, Tracy was a great Biggest Loser pick. Too bad she offended everyone the moment she got into the house.
Speaking of the Biggest Loser, the fatestents visited the White House in tonight's episode, and made a salad from the White House garden Michelle Obama planted in the spring. Pretty cool stuff. The White House kitchen staff said the Obamas eat a lot of fish, and salad out of the garden many times a week. If all of you remember the transition, the first piece of advice George W. Bush offered Obama was watch what the White House kitchen orders for you, because the President actually gets billed for the food eaten.

Election Night 2009

2009-11-03T23:06:00.004-05:00

Democrats lose New Jersey governorship, and Virginia governorship. Corzine in NJ was down 20 points a few months ago, and lost by 5 or so. Virginia was always a lost cause as Deeds didn't listen to the Obama White House and went negative.

The shocker is the New York 23rd which saw the battle for the soul of the Republican party. In a district which the Republicans have held since the late 1800s, they're about to lose to a Democrat. The Republican party had a moderate candidate, and they endorsed her. But Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, and the rest of the nuts said the candidate wasn't conservative enough, that she was a Republican in name only, on RINO. So they put up a conservative tea bagger, and forced out the Republican endorsed candidate. This, obviously, split the Republican vote, and with 70% of the vote in, the Democrat is winning pretty handedly...in a district not held by democrats in over 100 years. Ha, my earlier post on this matter was apparently premature.

It will be interesting to see how the wingnuts handle this tomorrow. They'll trumpet their 'major' victories in Virginia and New Jersey, and my guess is that they will scarcely mention New York's 23rd. The referendum on Obama isn't until next year, everyone. It will be about jobs and the economy, not political party principles, or even the wars.

Furthermore, could this traumatic loss for Palin-Hannity-Limbaugh & company lead to the rhetoric now be toned down on the Right, allowing to the passing of Obama's major agenda items?

Buying/Selling - 11/3/2009

2009-11-03T20:47:00.002-05:00

Buying: Gambling in Ohio. Early results look good.
Selling: Daylight savings. Screw coming home in the dark.