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01 Mar 2010 11:00

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Politics: Halter, who goes there! Blanche Lincoln has competition in Arkansas

  • He’s a Democrat, but wait, so’s she! Bill Halter, the Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas, just announced a Senate run. He’ll be running in the primary against Blanche Lincoln, whose poll numbers are sagging at the moment. Lincoln, by the way, voted for the health care bill, but was one of the moderates who pushed against the public option. Halter, a former Clinton staffer, seems more likely to support health care based on this video. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2010 10:45

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Politics: Can David Paterson lead after all this crap he’s been dealt?

Here, a bunch of New York’s black leaders discuss helping the governor. Problem: 2nd from left has an ethics scandal of his own, and far right is Al Sharpton. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Feb 2010 22:15

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Politics: Max Headroom: Rachel Maddow creates left-leaning warm fuzzies

  • Our favorite video Finally, we found a clip of this epic awesomeness. House Minority Whip Eric Cantor brought the Senate bill with him to the health care summit, and then Obama called him out for it.
  • After the fact …The other guy to get a bitch-smack at the health care summit on Thursday, John McCain, went on Hannity later that evening, and he complained a lot about Obama saying stuff that scared him.
  • Pants on fire? ooh Rachel Maddow knows how to talk, and the left knows how to listen. In this clip, Maddow talks about uncovering the “lie” of reconciliation, pointing out that it’s a great Republican myth.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

28 Feb 2010 20:48

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Politics: Everyone’s favorite crazy guy, Louis Farrakhan, says crazy stuff

  • It’s not an accident that a great earthquake took place in Chile. It was a precipitate of what I have to tell you today of what’s coming to America. You will not escape.
  • Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan • Discussing Chile’s nature as a harbinger. It wasn’t the only insane thing he said at a speech today. Another chestnut: “I can’t even get a meeting with a congressperson if a white man’s watching.” He also claimed that the white man was trying to make Obama a one-term president. Ah, take a whiff of some of that crazy, boys. That kind of crazy doesn’t come around often. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Feb 2010 11:48

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Politics: Embattled Obama staffer Desiree Rogers gets some Chicago love

  • There’s only one group responsible for the security for the White House and the Presidency… the Secret Service. Let’s stop blaming her for anybody walking in there because no one can stop anyone with the exception of the Secret Service.
  • Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley • Offering a spirited defense of White House social secretary Desiree Rogers, who’s resigning next month in the wake of the Tareq and Michaele Salahi gate-crashing, which outshone Obama’s first state dinner. Rogers was criticized for not putting anyone at the entrance where the Salahis crashed through. But not by Daley, who was her former boss. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Feb 2010 10:32

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Politics: Jim Bunning getting empathy, not support, for unemployment move

  • All Senator Bunning was saying is that it should be paid for. It will pass, though, because it’s a temporary extension.
  • Sen. Jon Kyl • Discussing Jim Bunning’s infamous blocking of an unemployment benefits extension. Both Bunning and Kyl claim that the bill didn’t pass because it wasn’t agreed upon as part of the PAYGO extension – in other words, the government didn’t have a way to pay for it. Bunning, who this Fox News article calls an “outcast,” for his part blames Harry Reid for blowing up the bipartisan bill. “All of the programs that you have talked about could have been extended and for much longer periods if Senator Reid, your leader, had not blown up the bipartisan job bill,” he noted. Still doesn’t not make you a jerk, dude. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Feb 2010 10:21

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Politics: The “first” tea partier doesn’t fit the traditional tea party mold

This girl right here, Keli Carender, is commonly credited as being first to the Tea Party. Really? We thought Rick Santelli was the first. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

27 Feb 2010 13:26

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Politics: Oh yeah, the health care bill is still a testy subject in Congress

  • We need to move past the bickering and the game-playing that holds us back and blocks progress for the American people. Some of these disagreements we may be able to resolve. Some we may not. And no final bill will include everything that everyone wants. That’s what compromise is.
  • President Barack Obama • In his weekly radio address. With the health care summit still fairly fresh in people’s minds, this may seem to be an olive branch. But Republican Sen. Tom Coburn doesn’t seem to take it that way. “Instead, they want to use procedural tricks and backroom deals to ram through a new bill,” he notes. The truth, of course, is somewhere in the middle. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Feb 2010 23:15

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Politics: Dear Coffee Party: Pushing for civil discourse a great idea

Coffee

  • The Coffee Party is an interesting idea. An alternative approach to the Tea Party that switches drinks along with tones (a pro-bipartisanship political movement!) is really welcome in the political climate. While we’re not saying this will change the world, it’s good to have an alternative voice that can’t be dismissed as “liberal” or “socialist” so quickly. As regular watchers of the political sphere, we have a couple thoughts for you guys:
  • Calm but firm The reason this idea is gaining any sort of traction whatsoever is because the political discourse is too angry for some. But being calm and respectful doesn’t mean not having a backbone, though. Tell politicians what you want to see. Bring new ideas and red meat. Skip both the granola and the nuts.
  • Don’t align with anyoneWe really hope that the Coffee Party doesn’t side specifically with Democratic interests just because they’re in conflict with Tea Party interests. What we see with Tea Partiers is that they actively push against moderates on both sides, not just liberals. A big open tent is a much better idea.
  • Get a rally together! The Tea Party movement went from zero to 60 because they were well-organized and got themselves on TV frequently. You need to do the same. Get a rally together in D.C. – invite everyone you can, get a bunch of local coffee companies involved and bring low key to a big scale. Good luck. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Feb 2010 21:48

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Politics: A little more context into Sen. Jim Bunning’s petty moves

  • Savings are depleted, jobs are tough to come by, and families still have expenses to manage. Unemployment benefits are the only thing keeping food on the table for a lot of Minnesotans. One Senator, acting alone, should not be responsible for holding their livelihoods hostage.
  • Sen. Al Franken • In a statement criticizing the move by Sen. Jim Bunning to block unemployment benefits. It’s not the only one he’s made, either. He also just blocked some key highway funds from getting distributed, for all effective purposes shutting down much of the highway system and putting thousands more out of work. Crooks and Liars has a nice explainer explaining why that move is really, really bad for millions of Americans. Despite the importance of agreeing on these moves – we know a lot of out-of-work journalists, for example, depending on that unemployment – some people are still supporting him on Twitter (though most aren’t, fortunately). Unbelievable. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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