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03 Mar 2010 20:42

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Politics: Mitt Romney makes a good (and true!) point on health care

  • The lifespan of the average American is less than that of people in nations that spend far less (on health care). … To put it bluntly, we spend more and die sooner.
  • Mitt Romney • In his new book, “No Apology” (which could also be what that LMFAO rapper got), regarding the health care plan he enacted in Massachusetts. According to Polifact, this nugget is in fact true. At a 77.8 year life expectancy, 23 nations are ahead of us, and Japan is nearly five years ahead of us. And regarding health care expenditures, we spend $7,290 per capita on health care, which is WAAAAAYYY (we’re talking thousands) above each of those 23 nations. In fact, one nation ahead of us, South Korea, spends a quarter per capita. (Why is this, anyway?) Romney knows what he’s talking about – he enacted a bipartisan health care plan in Massachusetts, which has a TON in common with Obama’s plan. This is funny because the title of the book is inspired by a criticism of something Obama said. Awk-warrrd. source

02 Mar 2010 22:53

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02 Mar 2010 11:14

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U.S.: That Texas Governor’s primary race not looking very close anymore

  • 40%+ Rick Perry’s recent poll numbers; he’s seeking an unprecedented fourth term
  • 30%+ Kay Bailey Hutchison’s numbers; she’s been portrayed by Perry as a Washington insider
  • 10%+Debra Medina’s poll numbers; she’s flopped ever since she hinted she was a 9/11 Truther source

01 Mar 2010 23:02

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Politics: The history of political gridlock, Salon.com edition

  • The increasing mismatch between population and power in American government that underlies the present gridlock needs to be addressed by structural reforms.
  • Salon writer Michael Lind • Regarding the social reasons the Republican party is currently strongly obstructionist. Lind compares working-class white voters to social groups of earlier eras – including British Protestants (who feared European immigrants) and Southern planters – that held disproportionate power in Congress and the presidency despite their declining numbers. He also suggests ways they hold that power, and how to get around it that are completely unrealistic (What if New York was five states instead of one?) and some that might be more realistic (What if we get rid of this stupid filibuster?). source

01 Mar 2010 21:40

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Politics: ABC News cameras resort to chasing down Jim Bunning

  • “EXCUSE ME! I HAVE TO GET TO THE FLOOR!” Jim Bunning, the senator and former baseball player, may kinda sorta have a point in his PAY-GO criticism, but this bill is really not the one to be making said point on. And the media is chasing him down looking for droplets of blood they can trail down as a result. Prior to this clip, Bunning flipped off an ABC News producer, which generally isn’t considered proper decorum in the Senate. (On a side note, we’d just like to point out that Fox News reporter Griff Jenkins has done this before.) source

01 Mar 2010 10:29

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U.S.: How health care reconciliation would work, point by point

  • 1st The House would pass the Senate health-care bill without any changes.
  • 2nd A bill of changes to the current bill would go between both chambers of Congress.
  • 3rd The reconciled bill would then go before the Senate with a simple majority vote.
  • 4th Obama signs it, and the Tea Party has a national
    day of mourning. *sob* source

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.
 

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

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

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