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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

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 20:20

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U.S.: Wanted: One Kennedy. Must be willing to run for Congress this year.

  • Joe Kennedy III doesn’t want to run, so we need another. In the year after Ted Kennedy died, it’s looking more and more likely that no Kennedy will be in major national office in 2011. The latest to say no, Joe Kennedy III, said that he wants more time at his current job as an assistant district attorney. We can understand. The dude turns 30 this year, and we all know what happened when Patrick Kennedy jumped into Congress at an early age. That’s right. Lots of “Back to School“-style partying. source

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

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

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
 

26 Feb 2010 21:34

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Politics: Jim Bunning has no problem blocking unemployment benefits

  • The senator reportedly said “tough #*@(” to another senator criticizing him. Last night, the lame duck Senator (and former baseball star) complained about missing a basketball game because he wanted to block extending unemployment benefits that much. He’s the only Senator holding up the bill. Why? He says that there’s no way to pay for it. Come on. This is NOT the bill to be playing politics on, man. source

26 Feb 2010 11:02

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Politics: Obama gives Dick Cheney a “get well soon” call. Awwwwww.

  • last week Dick Cheney, while speaking at CPAC, calls Obama a one-term president, which seems like kind of a mean thing to say.
  • this week Dick Cheney, while sitting at home resting after a heart attack, takes a call from Obama, who was nice enough to offer well wishes. source
  • In other Cheney news: The latest article in our continued working relationship with AOL News is about Cheney, actually. We compared his heart ailments to Bill Clinton’s in terms of sheer popularity in both the media and the social media. Who won? Find out here!

26 Feb 2010 10:29

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U.S.: Dear David Paterson: Thanks for finally listening to us

  • He’s not running for re-election, but he’s not resigning, either. A day after The New York Times broke some crazy crap about him (just days after they broke some other, more general, crazy crap about him), the pressure finally got to be a little much for the New York governor and now he’s finally out. Great. source