I’m writing for tomorrow, day 11. It was the coldest day so far. Tomorrow will be colder. Tomorrow is a holy day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb. My Broncos are worshiping with the Cardinals, but it will not be televised locally. I will nit get to watch for the third week in a row, because the game is on at the same time as the damn Seachickens! ARGH!!!
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 2:59 (average 5:19). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From The New Yorker: Congressional Republicans on Friday expressed outrage at the new leadership style that President Obama has demonstrated in the aftermath of the midterm elections, and demanded a return of the “passive and unassertive Obama to which we have grown accustomed.”
In a joint statement, House Speaker John Boehner and his counterpart in the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, accused Obama of “engaging in a flagrant display of leadership that we find deeply offensive.”
“For the past six years, we have enjoyed a President who has been conciliatory and acquiescent to the point of emasculation,” Boehner said. “We want that President back.”
McConnell threatened that if Obama does not return to his weak and ineffectual ways at once, “he will face the prospect of being a two-term President.”
LOL Andy! If only he had started this in 2009.
From NY Times: The House voted 252 to 161 on Friday to approve a bill that would direct the federal government to move forward on the Keystone XL oil pipeline, ahead of a vote scheduled for Tuesday in the Senate that could send the measure to President Obama’s desk.
There is little chance that the votes will clear the way to construction of the long-fought, long-delayed pipeline, which would carry petroleum from the Canadian oil sands to Gulf Coast refineries. In the Senate, where Democrats have a majority until the Republicans take over in January, it is unlikely, though not impossible, that the bill would attract 60 votes, enough to avoid a filibuster. But even if the bill does clear the Senate, Mr. Obama has signaled that he would probably veto it.
The vote count link above identifies the 31 Democrats who voted for the Landrieu Golden Parachute Act. If one of them is your Rep, please give them a call and tell them to take a long flying ____ off a short pier!
From AlterNet:
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Congress’s longest-serving independent, is reportedly seriously considering running for the White House. This is significant because Sanders openly declares himself to be a democratic socialist – a label which has been a taboo in U.S. political culture for decades.
But while Sanders will likely be attacked for identifying with socialism, it has a long history of being used by the reactionary right as a smear. In fact, that history pre-dates the Civil War. History blogger Matt Karp searched the Congressional record and found the very first instance that the word “socialism” was uttered in Congress. He found that the first time anyone used the phrase was when a North Carolinian congressman used it to attack opponents of slavery:
As far as I can make out, the first reference to “socialism” on the floor of Congress came from North Carolina representative Abraham Venable in July 1848. During a debate over the Wilmot Proviso, Venable indulged himself in a familiar litany of destructive Northern manias, which ranged from “the wicked schemes of Garrison” to “the wild excesses of Millerism, and of Latter-Day Saints, the abominations of Socialism, and of Fourieriesm … and all the numerous fanaticisms which spring up and flourish in their free soil…” […] This kind of pro-slavery, anti-Northern rant was the context for most mentions of “socialism” in Congress during the next several years.
Click through for more excellent information about how Republicans, and Dixiecrats (before the became Republicans) have been using socialism as a term to smear progressive gains. When 2016 comes, if Bernie is contesting for the Democratic nomination, I would support him over Hillary in a heartbeat.
Cartoon:
The following day, the Republican Party hired her as a strategy expert.
24 Responses to “Open Thread–11/16/2014”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
TomCat, you need to get with the program and become a seahawks fan…or move farther away.
I tried for years. They kept doung the Seachicken choke. 🙁
3:17 You're not planning on eating that dog. Are you, TC?
2:48 I can see what the headlines might have been: "Feisty cat invites dog to lunch! . . . forgot to say he WAS the lunch!". But I saved you from that embarrassment!
Going to see mother so I hope I`ll be back to comment more later. Told my minister your reply to that newspaper article. He just laughed.
3:09 Looks like a Weimaraner.
Dang Sasquatch! My salt and pepper was ready!
Stay warm. Sorry you can'r watch the game.
New Yorker ~ Yes. It may have made a differnece if he had. McTurtle said he's looking forward to the "Bourbon Summit". Do you think the Prez is planning on getting the Rethugs drunk and having his way with them?
NY Times ~ VETO!
Alternet ~ I guess I'm a democratic socialist too. He has my full support if he chooses to run.
Cartoon ~ Ha Ha Ha! They would!
8:02 average down a second. Always kind of wondered where Tony Hillerman got the last name for his character Louise, but noy enough to look it up. Now I know (though it was probably the geography more than the canine).
New Yorker – Yes, it's too bad he didn't start in 2009. It would have helped the country AND the Democrats. He did start some in 2013, but not enough. Now that he has nothing to lose, I hope he will step it up.
NY Times – No, my rep is a Republican. I don't know how to better describe just how Republican he is without tautology. But no Colorado Democrat voted for it. Of the 3 out of 7 Dems we have, 2 voted against and one didn't vote. Nice to know in case any of them seeks promotion down the road.
AlterNet – All political labels are – well – political. They are not meant to describe, but to attract or repel, depending on who is using it. I saw a graphic recently which suggests that Mussolini, in an obscure moment of candor, tossed off the remark that corporatism was a better descripton of what he was doing than fascism. (The word fascism, of course, was chosen to evoke the Roman Republic, Senatus Populusque Romanus, and citizen participation and enthusiasm behind the soldiers carrying the fasces symbol.) I've been a democratic socialist (sometimes I say a social democrat, which is shorter but less accurate) since I was old enough to grasp the meaning behing the smears. I don't recall whether McCarthy was still alive then, but if not, he wasn't long dead.
Cartoon – "When I grow up I want to be a queen…. I'll get very, very rich and I'll buy myself a queendom." Yup.
Like you, I am a social democrat.
Hey, TC! The Broncos are on CBS with the dreaded Male Sheep! Check out your local CBS channel and watch them get the Rams neutered!!
Here, on CBS, I watched the Chiefs ewat Seachicken.
Of course, Lankford, Lucas and Mullins voted for it! They are some of the reddest of the red and I spit on the Rethuglicans in OK! Jeez, Louise, why can’t we get a Democrat elected in OK?? Because there are too many hillbilly red-necks in this state!! Ugh! I am disgusted!
Joanne D., glad to see another Tony Hillerman fan! 🙂 I miss him..:(
🙂 Me too.
A couple of the yes votes surprised me. I replied to a fund me please email with a my money doesn't go to those supporting the pipeline reply.
Andy explains well why Bernie will be more attractive to many than the GOP to those who elected this Congress so they'll understand which is the party of Lucy.
Good answer! Kudos!
The New Yorker: I agree, TC, if only he had started this in 2009 instead of trying to be bipartisan and conciliatory to Republicans, he should have acted the way he is now. More would have been done to help the American people, and maybe the weak kneed Democrats who ran from him would have supported him and won their elections.
OOPS! I hit submit comment too soon. Sorry.
The New York Times: Since I don't have a Democratic Senator, I know how mine voted. I hope he does veto it if it passes. The USA gets nothing from this pipeline but pollution.
Alternet: I think the reason so many are averse to Socialism is that they don't know the meaning of the word, and fall back on all the propaganda we got during the Cold War, because of the USSR. If there is not a label, more people will vote for the right thing to do, they see a negative label and have a kneejerk reaction to vote against it. The Republicans are well aware of this and use Liberal, Socialist in every context they can. If Bernie runs, he will get my vote., and as many of my friends votes as I can gather.
Cartoon: NO doubt in my mind!
Good Point!
Thanks all. Stinking lousy Orb! 🙁
Puzzle — 2:48 I can see what the headlines might have been: "Feisty cat invites dog to lunch! . . . forgot to say he WAS the lunch!". But I saved you from that embarrassment!
The New Yorker — NY Times headline: Obama takes advice from Bart Simpson
Obama to Republicans: Cowabunga dudes! Eat me shorts!
NY Times — It looks like most, but not all, of those DINOs are from red states with the exception of Minnesota. I would expect the Texans to vote that way. But Louisiana? Obviously short memories when it comes to oil companies screwing the people . . . a little problem with BP in the Gulf?
Alternet — I am a democratic socialist and am very proud of the rôle that socialism has played in Canada (ie universal healthcare). I have found far too often that Americans wrongly equate socialism with communism, and they are not the same. I have run into people on Care2 who claim Canada is a communist country. There is a great deal of education that needs to happen. As to Bernie Sanders, I would support his presidential run in a heartbeat.
Cartoon — A girl after my own heart!
TY TC,
Sorry TC – slightly but painfully sprained wrist – can't type too much as it HURTS! Excellent articles…