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19 Dec 2010 12:10

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Politics: Kirsten Gillibrand: 9/11 first responders’ health bill still on table

  • We have the votes we need. We have indications from several Republicans that they very much want to vote for this bill.
  • Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand • Revealing her hopes of resurrecting the 9/11 first responders’ health care bill before Christmas – this time with GOP support. If this does in fact happen (Gillibrand suggests that they’ve found ways to pay for the bill, which was the main sticking point for the GOP), we think that it will be to Jon Stewart’s credit that this happened, because his cheerleading of this bill kept it on the front-burner even when it looked like it was relegated to the back-burner. Fingers crossed that the $7.4 billion bill passes. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Dec 2010 11:36

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Politics: John McCain’s been really angry lately for some reason

  • I don’t think this will leave any scars. I just think we leave this fight knowing that I was right and he was wrong. I mean, it’s as simple as that.
  • Sen. Joe Lieberman • Explaining his feeling on the flare-up John McCain had over yesterday’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal. While the law’s passage was otherwise calm, McCain (who led the dissent against repeal) got angry at least a few times yesterday, mainly because he wanted more time to debate the bill (which he got without having to be angry about it). Anyway, the former presidential candidate went a little off the deep end, bemoaning “this bizarro world that the majority leader has been carrying us in,” and basically being kind of a jerk about the whole thing. So, this is what it’s like to be a maverick, eh? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Dec 2010 10:55

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Politics: Just in time for the holidays, Ricky Gervais explains his atheism

  • As an atheist, I see nothing ‘wrong’ in believing in a god. I don’t think there is a god, but belief in him does no harm. If it helps you in any way, then that’s fine with me. It’s when belief starts infringing on other people’s rights when it worries me.
  • Ricky Gervais • In a lengthy essay he wrote for the Wall Street Journal titled “A Holiday Message from Ricky Gervais: Why I’m An Atheist.” He points out that he wasn’t always this way: “I loved Jesus. He was my hero. More than pop stars. More than footballers. More than God. God was by definition omnipotent and perfect. Jesus was a man. He had to work at it.” But one day, his older brother questioned him about his religion, and then he started thinking about it, and that was that. Gervais ends the essay with a pretty simple but smart point about the whole matter: “You won’t burn in hell. But be nice anyway.” Good to know. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Dec 2010 17:09

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Politics: Ezra Klein: Obama’s brand power strong even with GOP House

  • Whatever the explanation, there appears to be more life in the Obama brand than the pundits might think, and than the Republicans might hope.
  • Policy superdude Ezra Klein • Reacting to a recent poll which suggests that Obama has stronger post-midterm stock than his two predecessors. While people trusted the other party to solve problems more than the president after the unsuccessful midterms for both Clinton (in 1994) and Bush (in 2006), Obama still has a little bit of  an advantage over the GOP this time around. “There’s been a lot of criticism of Obama’s communication skills lately,” Klein notes, “but if you look at the polls, he’s doing a far better job than his predecessors did preserving his brand within an unfriendly political environment.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Dec 2010 16:51

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Politics: While his family celebrates Christmas, Obama keeps working

  • going Michelle Obama will be leading the family – including Sasha, Malia and Bo – on a holiday trip to Hawaii. They’ll be taking a small private jet there. (So don’t criticize her, like for that Spain trip in August!)
  • staying However, they’ll be missing dad over the weekend. Barack Obama will be staying home for a few more days to work on the many things Congress is trying to get passed. Take that, Jim DeMint. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Dec 2010 14:00

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Politics: Sarah Palin apparently hasn’t made up mind on running in 2012

“What? Me run for president?! I don’t know anything about that! I haven’t even been thinking about that! I’ve just been focused on my reality show lately.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Dec 2010 12:35

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Politics: Politifact’s “Lie of the year”: How did “government takeover” take hold?

  • Takeovers are like coups. They both lead to dictators and a loss of freedom.
  • GOP strategist Frank Luntz • Making the argument that the GOP should use the phrase “government takeover” in regards to the Obama health care bill – a phrase that has stuck despite the fact that the bill no longer actually has a public option which could be perceived as a “government takeover.” The phrase is now Politifact’s “Lie of the Year,” an award that is probably a better fit in this context than the “we’ve been eating healthy lately” context. Why did the lie propagate? Well, it’s hard to refute it in a handful of words. It actually requires some explaining, something which many news outlets chose not to do. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

17 Dec 2010 00:02

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Politics, U.S.: GOP divide: 2012 contenders disagree on tax cut legislation

  • five potential GOP candidates support the tax cut deal: Mike Huckabee, John Thune, Newt Gingrich, Mitch Daniels and Tim “T-Paw” Palenty
  • four potential GOP candidates oppose it: Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, Mike Pence, and Rick “The Rock” Santorum source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Dec 2010 22:56

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Politics, U.S.: Senator’s cancer scare throws wrench into Democrats’ legislative plans

  • bad Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon announced today that he’s been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
  • goodThanks to early detection, he’s probably going to make a full recovery. We’re glad to hear it, Ron!
  • uncertainHe’ll have to miss some votes to get surgery, making it that much harder for Senate Dems to pass anything. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Dec 2010 20:33

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Politics: Harry Reid kills omnibus spending bill over earmarks non-issue

  • what Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s killing the Senate’s huge, trillion-dollar omnibus spending bill, which would keep the government running through September, in favor of a smaller one.
  • why Complaints about $8.3 billion in earmarks – which we pointed out last night are not a big deal – may make it hard for the bill to pass. It needs to pass by Friday to avoid a government shutdown. source
  • » Our point still stands: The problem with the bill was not the earmarks. The problem was that it was a trillion dollars, but a few senators have made earmarks the issue, which sucks, because the earmarks are a tiny part of the plan and if they would’ve gone to some random bureaucracy had they not been earmarked for the states.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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