I’m still pretty well knocked out and sleeping most of the time. I even missed the inauguration, but I have it all, if you missed it too. I’m current with replies. I hope I’ll return soon.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:08 (average 5:03). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From The White House: The Complete 2013 Inauguration Ceremony
The President’s oath of office takes place at 40 minutes, followed by his inaugural address at 42:30. A wonderful speech, if only the Republican party would cooperate with his request to put America first. This has to be the longest Short Take in Politics Plus history.
From The New Yorker: Congressional Republicans heaped fulsome praise on President Obama’s second Inaugural Address today, saying that it had given them a detailed list of things to thwart over the next four years.
“My big fear was that the speech would be full of vague platitudes that wouldn’t be helpful to us in plotting against him,” said House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). “Once he started offering details of what he actually hoped to accomplish, though, I realized we had hit the mother lode.”
Speaker Boehner praised the President for citing such specifics as hiring math and science teachers, building roads, and reducing health-care costs: “Now that we know that’s what he’s got in mind for his second term, we can hit the ground running to stop him.”
The sad thing about this is that it’s funny, because it’s effectively true.
From Richmond Times-Dispatch: Senate Republicans this afternoon pushed through a surprise rewrite of the 2011 redistricting plan that erases a Democratic seat in western Virginia and creates a sixth majority black district that would be located between Petersburg and Danville.
Democrats were shocked by the move, vowing to oppose the new plan in court.
The so-called re-redistricting plan was woven into House-passed legislation that makes technical adjustments to delegates’ districts.
The revised plan cleared the Senate on a party-line vote of 20-19. Missing this afternoon was Sen. Henry L. Marsh III, D-Richmond, who was in Washington for President Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony.
While Obama and the Democrats worked to meet America’s needs, these Virginia Republicans used the inauguration to take a surprise vote on redistricting that could not have passed otherwise. This is literally election theft. It doesn’t get any more crooked than this!
Cartoon:
20 Responses to “Open Thread–1/22/2013”
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3:11 I wonder if my bloomin' time will hold up to the heat from Lynn & Jerry.
3:25 I'm a late bloomer!
3:40 My bird is not in paradise.
My bird was flipped.
The White House ~ Thankfully, I was able to watch all the historic proceedings yesterday. I enjoyed every moment.
Sorry you weren't able to stay awake, Tom, but your recovery is more important. Rest well, my friend.
The New Yorker ~ Funny, but true.
I couldn't stand the hypocrisy during the toasts after their lunch yesterday. It was sickening listening to Agent Orange and Weasel Cantor lying through their teeth. But they got their facetime and photo ops.
Richmond Times – Dispatch~ I don't get it. Am I that dense today? Wouldn't a black-dominated district be more likely to vote Democrat?
Cartoon ~ Wise jurists vs. Right-wing nuts we have now.
That's OK Patty. I enjoyed watching the video.
There must be a possibility of truth for satire to work.
Thewy made the black dominated district by concentrating the black people that had been sufficient to give Democrats a small advantage in three districts into one district, effectively increasing the number oif Republivan districts and decreasing the number of Democratic districts by two.
Amen.
Oh good grief – Boehner just gets worse doesn't he – and the rest of the benighted TP with him!
To be sure you understand, Pat, the New Yorker piece is satrire, funny because it reflkects an underlying truth.
Apologies – am still praying for your returning health TC – I do hope the antibiotics work soon – but they take a couple of days I think – which must be so hard to wait, but please rest and get properly better, dear TC!
Thanks Pat! 🙂
Four years ago I stumbled across two interactive photos of the Inaugural crowd. They're a lot of fun, so I looked again for some from yesterday and found two:
[1] NY Times
It features "Find a Person"
And yesterday when I was dinking with it, it was a different photo that you could pan, and people from Facebook could mark themselves in the crowd and label it.
Today it appears you only get the "official" labels of the important people – but still fun
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/politics/20130121-inauguration/obama-inauguration-zoomer-2013.html?ref=politics
[2] Time
This one let's you pan and zoom (at least a little bit) – so you can see pretty much the entire crowd.
http://swampland.time.com/2013/01/21/interactive-panorama-obamas-inauguration-2013/
Very interesting. "Pollution " control standards were obviously lifted for the event — Newtty wasn't very far away.
I trust yor pictutre is labeled. 😉
Puzzle — 3:25 I'm a late bloomer!
The White House — I saw McTurtle who didn't look too happy to be there, and Boehner with his non committal look. Harry Reid appeared to have trouble with the stairs, or is that just age catching up. I wonder how many heard Kelly Clarkson actually sing. I certainly couldn't. I was pleased that Roberts didn't bungle the oath this time. Mr Obama's speech was good at providing a rough template of what he wants to accomplish in the next 4 years.
The New Yorker — "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) praised Mr. Obama for injecting humor into a usually somber address: “I loved that joke about ending political name-calling.”" — Only McTurtle would consider that humour instead of acting like adults. While the speech may have put the Republican/Teabaggers on notice, they already knew pretty much what was coming. They will obstruct I'm sure. They are definitely not about to be about doing the work of the country!
Richmond Times Dispatch — Sneaky little political bastards! So Marsh's district is smaller.Are they proposing to take the left over from his seat and combine it with a strong Republican? This doesn't make sense. I guess you have to be there.
Cartoon — Smarter SCOTUS in 1973 — I see Thurgood Marshall there. And 40 years later, Roe v Wade is in danger of being reversed by the current lame-assed SCOTUS!
Monster Mashed.
Amen! I sure hope Reid retires!
Amen.
See my reply tp Patty.
Nope. By SCROTUS!
On the anniversary of Roe v Wade, I'm pleased to learn from the latest NBC/WSJ Poll that for the first time a majority of Americans support the ruling.
AND 70% do NOT want to see it overturned!
good news indeed, Nameless! Now if or when the question hits SCOTUS, I hope the Injustices keep that in mind instead of being activists for the conservatives!
Thanks, Nameless. That IS good news.
I hope you are better soon!
Thanks Edie. 🙂