Bye Bye Benedict!

 Posted by at 12:03 am  Politics
Dec 282011
 

Some Democrats are mourning the retirement of Ben Nelson [DINO-NE], aka Benedict Arnold Nelson, because it may make it more difficult for Democrats to retain the Senate.  I disagree.  Nelson even took Grover Norquist’s pledge! Much like Blanch Lincoln, formerly [DINO-AR], I doubt that he could have won reelection, because Republicans are no longer content to be represented by an unofficial goose stepper, and Democrats don’t want him.  According to Jamelle Bouie, he strove to embody the worst of the Senate.  Many of the leftists now opposing Obama claim that he had a filibuster proof majority in the Senate.  It was never filibuster proof because of Nelson and Lieberman [ASSHOLE-CT].  For example, Nelson wielded the vote that blocked the public option.

Cenk Uygur has the right idea.

Good riddance indeed.

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Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska will announce today that he is retiring after two terms, a serious blow to Democratic efforts to hold onto their majority in the chamber next November.

Nelson is scheduled to hold a press conference back home in Nebraska as early as today to make his decision official, said several Democratic insiders close to the leadership.

The 70-year-old Nelson was considered one of the most endangered Democratic incumbents this cycle. GOP-affiliated outside groups have already dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into TV ads bashing Nelson, while the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spent over $1 million on their own ad blitz to bolster his image.

The White House and top Senate Democrats, including Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), had quietly mounted a pressure campaign to keep Nelson from retiring. Nelson has more than $3 million in his campaign war chest, and his approval rating solidified after falling over the last several years.

But with Nelson stepping down, the Democrats’ hold on the Senate is in serious doubt, although Democratic leaders believe they can still do so. Republicans are expected to pick up control of the Cornhusker State seat, although popular former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D) has been talking to top Democrats about possibly running again…

Inserted from <Politico>

Ed Schultz agrees that Democrats should not be sad over this.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I have stated several times that extreme DINOs like Nelson should be challenged in the primary and receive no party support in general.  Long term this is plus.  Bye Bye Benedict!

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Dec 282011
 

Over in the Totalitarian Corporate Plutocracy of Fitzwalkerstan, formerly Wisconsin, Scott Walker has been sipping some heavy duty whine.  He is claiming massive voter fraud, wasted resources and more in an attempt to discredit the snowballing recall effort from patriots trying to restore Wisconsin.  Of course Walker is lying.  In fact, there’s little Walker and his Koch sucking thugs won’t to save his job.

28WalkerWestern Wisconsin volunteers collecting signatures for the effort to recall Gov. Scott Walker have allegedly again been met by aggressive opponents.

On Monday, a group of volunteers in Hudson said they were approached by a man who knocked over and tore their signs before urging a member of the group to "take a swing" at him, according to a police report.

Hudson police cited Donald Rindo, 51, of Hudson with disorderly conduct and destruction of property.

Reached by phone Tuesday, Rindo declined to elaborate on the accusations.

"I’m terribly upset that they would smear my name like that," he said. "I’m not going to smear their name and say anything about what they did or did not do."

The incident comes on the heels of similar episodes elsewhere.

On Dec. 18, a 32-year-old woman was arrested in River Falls for allegedly spitting on a woman who was collecting signatures for the Walker recall… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Pioneer Press>

Ed Shultz calls BS on Walker with Fitzwalkerstan State Senator Lena Taylor and columnist John Nichols.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

That thoroughly documents Walker’s lies.  I encourage you all to support the restoration of Wisconsin.

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Dec 282011
 

Yesterday I caught up my email, did some paperwork, and set up  couple improvements here that I shall announce over the weekend.  I’m current with replies.  Today is another catch up day.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:20 (average 4:27).  To do it click here.  How did you do?

Fantasy Football Report:

Here are the results of the playoff semifinals in Lefty Blog Friends.

28LBF

I think Dusty’s score is the highest of the year.  Next week is the finals, and I will be playing for 5th place. 🙁

Short Takes:

From Current: Keith and Chris Harris, a reporter with The Record (Bergen County, N.J.), discuss conservative blogger Nadia Naffe’s civil claim against O’Keefe. She is accusing the controversial journalist of sexual harassment — including intimidating calls and messages — after an incident at his parents’ home in New Jersey when she refused to be involved in an upcoming hidden-camera sting on Occupy Wall Street for his “To Catch a Journalist” series.

 

It’s a shame they could not get this creep on criminal charges.

From The Nation: In short, you don’t even need to think about Paul’s bizarre right-wing economic views to find him unacceptable.

You can watch the John Birch video from 1990 here:

 

That’s right.  The feature performer in this insane Bircher documentary was Ron Paul.

From NY Times: Iran issued a blunt warning on Tuesday that it would block the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil transit point, if Western powers attempt to impose an embargo on Iranian petroleum exports in their campaign to isolate the country over its suspect nuclear energy program.

I would hope this is an empty threat, but if Iran actually moves to block the Strait of Hormuz, I see no alternative to stopping it militarily.

Cartoon:

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Snyder Goose Steps Backward

 Posted by at 12:03 am  Politics
Dec 272011
 

Often times Michigan does not get the national attention it deserves, because their totalitarian Republican governor is not as flamboyant as the Koch suckers in charge of Ohio, and Fitzwalkerstan, formerly Wisconsin, but here’s some information about the harm that he and and the Republican party are imposing on the neediest Michiganders in order to increase corporate welfare.

27SnyderIn the last few weeks of 2011, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) rounded out his concerted campaign against Michigan workers with a few final laws. In a prejudicial move against the LGBT community, Snyder signed a measure prohibiting all public employees from providing benefits for their unmarried partners. In considering his state’s 10.6 percent unemployment rate, Snyder also signed a law forcing some of Michigan’s over 400,000 unemployed workers to take low-wage jobs after 10 weeks of benefits, even if those jobs pay less than they were making before:

The measures require some unemployed workers to take new jobs after 10 weeks of benefits even if the available work is outside their previous experience or pays lower wages than they were making before. They also make it harder for someone to collect jobless benefits if they’re fired for cause or leave a job voluntarily.[…]

Snyder disagreed with critics who say requiring jobless workers to take a job paying 120 percent of their weekly benefit could trap them in a low-wage position by leaving them little time to look for work in their area of expertise.

“It’s to encourage people to work. It’s not to have them go backward,” Snyder said of the legislation. “It’s easiest to find a job when you’ve gotten a job.”

This new requirement comes in addition to Snyder’s decision to cut the availability of unemployment insurance from 26 weeks to 20 weeks starting in 2012. The measure also encapsulates Snyder’s priorities over his first year in office — placing the burden on the most vulnerable for the sake of the state’s bottom line… [emphasis original]

Inserted from <Think Progress>

In the midst of his assault on public employees, whose contracts he undermined, and unemployed workers, whose needs he ignores, Snyder had no trouble finding funds for another corporate tax cut.  Republicans govern exclusively for the benefit of millionaires, billionaires, and corporate criminals.  They do NOT represent YOU!

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Poll Results–12/27/2011

 Posted by at 12:02 am  Blog News
Dec 272011
 

Here are the results of our Naughty or Nice Poll.

Poll1227

And here are your comments.

From SoINeedAName on December 24, 2011 at 4:48 am.  

 

It’s been almost three decades now that are family has foregone giving gifts (except for the little kids). It was just an exchange of shopping lists – so instead, we now give to a charity in their names.

It’s like Thanksgiving – only with better decorations.

 

From Marva on December 23, 2011 at 5:34 pm.  

 

I’ve not been naughty or nice to any extreme, but I’m getting lots of presents: Several days with my granddaughters. They shopped til I dropped.

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From TWM on December 23, 2011 at 4:02 am.  

 

don’t give a shit and always hand back anything that is given witha thank you but someone else needs this more than me unless it’s mailed then I just stick it unopened in a closet until it begins to smell.

I was the only one who fessed up to being on the coal list.  I hope Santa followed my request to contribute my lump to the senior citizens in trouble, because Republicans defunded their heating assistance.

Our new poll will also be a short one.  It’s on New Year’s resolutions.

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Dec 272011
 

Yesterday I felt quite tired and walking 3/4 mile did not help, so when I returned home, I slept most of the day.  It was another slow day for news.  I’m current with replies.  Today is a catch-up day for tasks too long neglected.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:54 (average 5:41).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From CNN: A political crisis that threatens more sectarian strife in Iraq took another twist Monday as the bloc loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for the dissolution of Parliament and early elections.

Iraq’s misery would have been over long ago, if we had taken out Saddam with a drone strike instead of the Republican war for oil and conquest.  Obama is wrong to continue the other Republican war.

From NY Times: I [Paul Krugman] got my wish, in the form of new Environmental Protection Agency standards on mercury and air toxics for power plants. These rules are long overdue: we were supposed to start regulating mercury more than 20 years ago. But the rules are finally here, and will deliver huge benefits at only modest cost.

So, naturally, Republicans are furious.

Would a Republican President have done this?

From Huffington Post: Dondero goes on to relay another display of Paul’s "discomfort" with gays, years later at a Surfside Beach party:

"Bobby," a well-known and rather flamboyant and well-liked gay man in Freeport came to the BBQ. Let me stress Ron likes Bobby personally, and Bobby was a hardcore campaign supporter. But after his speech, at the Surfside pavilion Bobby came up to Ron with his hand extended, and according to my fellow staffer, Ron literally swatted his hand away.

Cenk has more.

 

What a hate filled little man he is!

Cartoon:

27Cartoon

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Why Obama Must Win in 2012

 Posted by at 12:01 am  Politics
Dec 262011
 

In January, 2013, one of two people will be President of the United States: Barack Obama or the Republican nominee.  Whether you want to vote for one of them or against one of then, those are the only two choices you have.  By voting for a third party candidate or staying home, you may get to enjoy the smug satisfaction of disapproval, but the only real effect you will have is to help the candidate furthest from your own views.  Millions did so in 2010, and they need look no further than Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Florida or the US House of Representatives to see what havoc they have unleashed on this nation.  In an interesting article, E.J. Dionne, Jr. postulates that Obama must win in 2012, because, in a very strange way, Obama is the only conservative in the race.

26SafetyNetObama is defending a tradition that sees government as an essential actor in the nation’s economy, a guarantor of fair rules of competition, a countervailing force against excessive private power, a check on the inequalities that capitalism can produce, and an instrument that can open opportunity for those born without great advantages.

Today’s Republicans cast the federal government as an oppressive force, a drag on the economy and an enemy of private initiative. Texas Gov. Rick Perry continues to promise, as he did last week during a campaign stop in Davenport, Iowa, to be a president who would make “Washington, D.C., as inconsequential in your life as he can make it.” That far-reaching word “inconsequential” implies a lot more than trims in budgets or taxes.

The GOP is engaged in a wholesale effort to redefine the government help that Americans take for granted as an effort to create a radically new, statist society. Consider Romney’s claim in his Bedford speech: “President Obama believes that government should create equal outcomes. In an entitlement society, everyone receives the same or similar rewards, regardless of education, effort and willingness to take risk. That which is earned by some is redistributed to the others. And the only people who truly enjoy any real rewards are those who do the redistributing — the government.”

Obama believes no such thing. If he did, why are so many continuing to make bundles on Wall Street? As my colleagues Greg Sargent and Paul Krugman have been insisting, Romney is saying things about the president that are flatly, grossly and shamefully untrue. But Romney’s sleight of hand is revealing: Republicans are increasingly inclined to argue that any redistribution (and Social Security, Medicare, student loans, veterans benefits and food stamps are all redistributive) is but a step down the road to some radically egalitarian dystopia.

Obama will thus be the conservative in 2012, in the truest sense of that word. He is the candidate defending the modestly redistributive and regulatory government the country has relied on since the New Deal, and that neither Ronald Reagan nor George W. Bush dismantled. The rhetoric of the 2012 Republicans suggests they want to go far beyond where Reagan or Bush ever went. And here’s the irony: By raising the stakes of 2012 so high, Republicans will be playing into Obama’s hands. The GOP might well win a referendum on the state of the economy. But if this is instead a larger-scale referendum on whether government should be “inconsequential,” Republicans will find the consequences to be very disappointing. [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Washington Post>

Now many of you may think that defending the status-quo is not good enough, and I agree.  I would like to see dramatic change now, just like most of you, but that choice is not on the table.  The way to make that kind of change happen is from the grass roots up, starting with electing progressives on the local level by taking control of the local Democratic Party apparatus.  Those progressives will graduate to the state and federal levels of government, but that will take time.  Here in Oregon, it’s starting to bear fruit.  Just look at Jeff Merkley. In the meantime, we need to fight on the federal level on an issue by issue basis, but most important, we need to preserve enough of the status quo to insure the ability of American voters to elect candidates. That’s what’s at stake in 2012, and Obama is the only choice of the two that will do that.  Republicans have only two real goals: redistributing your wealth upward, and establishing a permanent Republican Regime of one-party rule.

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Dec 262011
 

Yesterday I spent most of the cay cooking a big Christmas dinner, including ham, sweet potatoes, stuffing, broccoli and carrots hollandaise, cranberry sauce, rolls with garlic butter, and pumpkin pie.  I enjoyed feeding three neighbors in the building, who are even less well off than I.  I spent more time researching than usual, but came away with far less.  It was a slow day for news.  I’m current with replies.  Tomorrow I have some paperwork to do and errands to run.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:05 (average 4:20.  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From NY Times: A Pentagon public relations program that sought to transform high-profile military analysts into “surrogates” and “message force multipliers” for the Bush administration complied with Defense Department regulations and directives, the Pentagon’s inspector general has concluded after a two-year investigation.

The inquiry was prompted by articles published in The New York Times in 2008 that described how the Pentagon, in the years after the Sept. 11 attacks, cultivated close ties with retired officers who worked as military analysts for television and radio networks.

This smacks of foxes absolving themselves of wrongdoing in their effort to guard the henhouse.

From MoveOn: Did Eisenhower Predict The End Of The GOP?

26ST-Ike

My answer to that is YES!

Cartoon:

26Cartoon

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