Here are the results of our poll on revisiting comments:
And here are your comments:
From Jolly Roger on January 24, 2010 at 1:29 am.
I almost always do, especially when I comment on right-turd blogs. You’d be amazed how many times my comment is either not what I wrote, or entirely gone.
From Otis on January 19, 2010 at 9:51 pm.
I am making sure my wife isn’t making too much fun of me.
From Kevin on January 19, 2010 at 11:40 am.
I am always interested in what others have to say in response to what I write, or if I made an error and someone corrects me, but sometimes I forget where I left my comment!
From Sue on January 17, 2010 at 4:47 pm.
I always go back and see if my comment made an impact. I’m always flattered when someone agrees with what I have to say!
From sasha vagramovin reply toSue on January 18, 2010 at 8:13 pm.
what is this commet for?
From Suein reply tosasha vagramov on January 25, 2010 at 7:11 pm.
who is this sasha and what exactly is she saying to me??
From Lisa G. on January 17, 2010 at 2:21 pm.
I love to see what TC and everyone else has to say about my comments. You are all such smart people and I learn something from all of you everyday – thank you so much for my free education on all topics!
I voted almost always, because I do whenever I can, but at times I get so busy that by the time I get back to a site, I have forgotten where my comments are, and I seldom have time to explore old threads searching for them.
Sue, I think she was someone new who didn’t know how to use the comment section.
The new poll may evoke some controversy. Check it out.
Yesterday I still got no visiting done, but I did spend almost seven hours replying to comments here. I will do better today, even though the First Church of the Ellipsoid Orb requires my attendance for a minor holy day observance: Pro Bowl Yawning. Today’s Jig Zone puzzle took me 4:02. To do it, Click Here. How did you do? Here’s your cartoon:
Pew Research has produced a fascinating quiz, and I’d like to see how well our readers do. It’s easy to do, just 12 multiple choice questions with 3 more for demographics. I got all 12, but don’t be disappointed if you do not. I spend several hours a day researching. Please Comment with your results. Tomorrow, I’ll post an article on the quiz and compare our results to t6he country as a whole.
The Battle of Thermopylae resonates from the history of ancient Greece, and reminds me of Obama’s battle yesterday.
…Leonidas is best known for his heroic defense of the narrow mountain pass of Thermopylae against the Persian army of Xerxes I in 480 bc. With an outnumbered force of about 7000 men, of which 300 were Spartans, Leonidas withstood the Persian invasion for two days. A Thessalian traitor, Ephialtes (d. 469 bc), however, showed Xerxes a new path over the mountain, and when Leonidas learned that he was about to be attacked from the rear, he sent most of his troops to safety. He remained with the Spartans and about 1100 other soldiers, mainly Thebans and Thespians, who refused to leave. The Thebans subsequently deserted. Leonidas and the remainder of his men perished bravely. The famous Battle of Thermopylae was recorded by the Greek historian Herodotus in his History…
There are similarities and differences of course. Both heroically faced overwhelming odds. Both were betrayed. But Leonidas had only one traitor, Ephialtes. Obama has LIEberman and all the blue dogs that helped kill the public option and held out for back room deals. Leonidas chose the ground to defend, but Obama went into enemy territory. The biggest difference is that, in the end, Leonidas lost the battle.
In a remarkably sharp face-to-face confrontation, President Barack Obama chastised Republican lawmakers Friday for opposing him on taxes, health care and the economic stimulus, while they accused him in turn of brushing off their ideas and driving up the national debt.
The president and GOP House members took turns questioning and sometimes lecturing each other for more than an hour at a Republican gathering in Baltimore. The Republicans agreed to let TV cameras inside, resulting in an extended, point-by-point interchange that was almost unprecedented in U.S. politics, except perhaps during presidential debates.
With voters angry about partisanship and legislative logjams, both sides were eager to demonstrate they were ready to cooperate, resulting in the GOP invitation and Obama’s acceptance. After polite introductions, however, Friday’s exchange showed that Obama and the Republicans remain far apart on key issues, and neither side could resist the chance to challenge and even scold the other.
Obama said Republican lawmakers have attacked his health care overhaul so fiercely, "you’d think that this thing was some Bolshevik plot." His proposals are mainstream, widely supported ideas, he said, and they deserve some GOP votes in Congress.
"I am not an ideologue," the president declared.
But Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., pointedly asked Obama: "What should we tell our constituents who know that Republicans have offered positive solutions" for health care, "and yet continue to hear out of the administration that we’ve offered nothing?"
Obama showed little sympathy, disputing Price’s claim that a Republican plan would insure nearly all Americans without raising taxes.
"That’s just not true," said Obama. He called such claims "boilerplate" meant to score political points.
At times it seemed more like Britain’s "question time" — when lawmakers in the House of Commons trade barbs with the prime minister — than a meeting between a U.S. president and members of Congress.
Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence of Indiana defended Price on the health care proposals. He said a GOP agenda booklet given to Obama at the start of the session "is backed up by precisely the kind of detailed legislation that Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi and your administration have been busy ignoring for 12 months."
Obama shot back that he had read the Republican proposals and that they promise solutions that can’t be realized.
In another barbed exchange, the president said some Republican lawmakers in the audience had attended ribbon-cutting ceremonies for projects in their districts funded by the 2009 stimulus package that they voted against.
Pence said Obama was trying to defend "a so-called stimulus that was a piecemeal list of projects and boutique tax cuts."
Obama replied, "When you say they were boutique tax cuts, Mike, 95 percent of working Americans got tax cuts."
"This notion that this was a radical package is just not true," he said.
Republicans are feeling energized after winning a Democratic Senate seat in Massachusetts, and Obama is trying to refocus his stalled agenda more on jobs than health care. With Obama at a podium facing a hotel conference room full of Republicans, both sides jumped to the debate.
"It was the kind of discussion that we frankly need to have more of," said House Republican Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia.
"I’m having fun, this is great," Obama said when Pence asked if he had time for more questions.
"So are we," said Pence.
Some Republicans prefaced their questions with lengthy recitations of conservative talking points. The president sometimes listened impassively but sometimes broke in.
"I know there’s a question in there somewhere, because you’re making a whole bunch of assertions, half of which I disagree with," Obama said to Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas, whom he mistakenly called "Jim."
Obama, a former law school professor, launched into lectures of his own at times. He warned lawmakers from both parties against demonizing a political opponent, because voters might find it incomprehensible if the two sides ever agree on anything.
"We’ve got to be careful about what we say about each other sometimes, because it boxes us in in ways that makes it difficult for us to work together because our constituents start believing us," Obama said. "So just a tone of civility instead of slash-and-burn would be helpful."
Republicans sat attentively for the most part. There was some grumbling when Obama remarked — after being pressed about closed-door health care negotiations — that much of the legislation was developed in congressional committees in front of television cameras.
"That was a messy process," Obama said.
GOP lawmakers pressured him to support a presidential line-item veto for spending bills and to endorse across-the-board tax cuts. Obama said he was ready to talk about the budget proposal, though he disputed accusations that his administration was to blame for big increases in deficit spending. And he demurred on the idea of cutting everyone’s taxes, saying with a smile that billionaires don’t need tax cuts.
In his opening remarks, Obama criticized what he said was a Washington culture driven by opinion polls and nonstop political campaigns.
"I don’t believe that the American people want us to focus on our job security, they want us to focus on their job security," he said… [emphasis added]
One phrase the GOP has bantered around quite a bit of late is boutique tax cut. In GOP-speak that is any tax cut in which the richest 5% do not get at least 90% of the benefit.
Here’s a video excerpt with some fact checking by Rachel Maddow.
My findings were similar to hers. I went to the GOP site and, after disabling a swarm of persistent tracking cookies, downloaded it the same pamphlet given to Obama with all the ideas they claim to have. Reading it was a lot like looking at The GOP’s Silicone Sweetie, Carrie Prejean. Their points, like hers, are pretty to look at, but nothing there is real. There’s lots of fluff, but no substance. The few ideas that they did spell out in any detail are the same tired policies that brought this nation to its current sorry state.
Obama clearly won the day, In the words of a Republican who was there, "It was a mistake that we allowed the cameras to roll like that. We should not have done that."
No matter how much Alito may bobble his head in disagreement with the President over the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on Citizens United v. FEC, this is the next logical step in affirming corporate personhood.
Corporation Murray Hill, Inc. has decided to run for the Maryland’s 8th congressional district seat, one currently held by DCCC chief Chris Van Hollen. Murray Hill, Inc., will be running as a Republican(s?). From their corporate website:
Following the recent Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission to allow unlimited corporate funding of federal campaigns, Murray Hill Inc. today announced it was filing to run for U.S. Congress and released its first campaign video on www.youtube.com/user/murrayhillcongress
“Until now,” Murray Hill Inc. said in a statement, “corporate interests had to rely on campaign contributions and influence peddling to achieve their goals in Washington. But thanks to an enlightened Supreme Court, now we can eliminate the middle-man and run for office ourselves.”
Murray Hill Inc. is believed to be the first “corporate person” to exercise its constitutional right to run for office. As Supreme Court observer Lyle Denniston wrote in his SCOTUSblog, “If anything, the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission conferred new dignity on corporate “persons,” treating them — under the First Amendment free-speech clause — as the equal of human beings.”
Murray Hill Inc. agrees. “The strength of America,” Murray Hill Inc. says, “is in the boardrooms, country clubs and Lear jets of America’s great corporations. We’re saying to Wal-Mart, AIG and Pfizer, if not you, who? If not now, when?”
Murray Hill Inc. plans on spending “top dollar” to protect its investment. “It’s our democracy,” Murray Hill Inc. says, “We bought it, we paid for it, and we’re going to keep it.”
Damn straight. I think this is an excellent way to illustrate just how short-sighted and dangerous the SCOTUS decision was…
The economy grew at a faster-than-expected 5.7 percent pace in the fourth quarter, the quickest pace in more than six years, as businesses reduced inventories less aggressively, the Commerce Department said on Friday.
The first estimate put fourth-quarter gross domestic product growth at its fastest pace since the third quarter of 2003. The economy expanded at a 2.2 percent annual rate in the third quarter.
Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast GDP, which measures total goods and services output within U.S. borders, growing at a 4.6 percent rate in October-December period.
Growth was boosted a sharp slowdown in the pace of inventory liquidation, a factor that could mask the strength of the economic recovery from the longest and deepest downturn since the Great Depression…
The GOP won’t see the evidence here that the stimulus plan is starting to produce results, because like ostriches, they also have keep their heads somewhere the sun doesn’t shine.
Yesterday I got virtually nothing done. Exhausted, I spent most of the day in bed after my most tiring week in years. I hope to catch up on comments and do a little visiting today, but it will depend on how I feel. I’m ready for bed again now, but still have articles to compose. If not, I shall tomorrow.
Today’s Jig Zone puzzle took me 4:50. Do do it, Click Here. How did you do?
Here are some practical ideas to mitigate the effects of the extremist, ideologue fascist five SCOTUS Justices’ assault on freedom.
The recent Supreme Court decision to allow unlimited corporate spending in politics just may be the straw that breaks the plutocracy’s back.
Pro-democracy groups, business leaders, and elected representatives are proposing mechanisms to prevent or counter the millions of dollars that corporations can now draw from their treasuries to push for government action favorable to their bottom line. The outrage ignited by the Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission extends to President Obama, who has promised that repairing the damage will be a priority for his administration.
But what can be done to limit or reverse the effect of the Court’s decision? Here are 10 ideas:
Impose a 500 percent excise tax on corporate contributions…
Prohibit companies from trading their stock on national exchanges if they make political contributions and expenditures…
Require publicly traded companies to disclose in SEC filings money used for the purpose of influencing public opinion, rather than for promoting their products…
Require the corporate CEO to appear as sponsor of commercials that his or her company pays for…
Publicize the reform options, inform the public of who is making contributions to whom, and activate the citizenry…
The measures listed above—and others that seek to reverse the dominance of money in our political system—will not be easy. But grassroots anger at this latest win for corporate power is running high… [emphasis original]
What I’ve done here is to include only the headers and minimal explanation from each of the ten items. I strongly recommend that you chick through to the original for the meat of this. I don’t agree with all ten. I think that the first would take too long, if possible at all. I like the sixth the best, except that it should be contributions and advertising. Cousin FatCat disagrees with me.
