David Corn

David,

That's a great story. I am finding that I like to write stories like this - like my Mother Clucker - The Wrath of Mom story.

You are certainly living and intersting life doing what you do, meeting the people that you meet...keep those memories alive.

Talk about old school... They don't mak'em like that anymore.

So many people dying makes me feel old. UGH!

I wish it was like the old days when the people passing were the people my grandparents knew . . .

Great story just the same.

McCourt told The Associated Press in 2005 he wasn't prepared for fame.

"After teaching, I was getting all this attention," he said. "They actually looked at me – people I had known for years – and they were friendly and they looked me in a different way. And I was thinking, `All those years I was a teacher, why didn't you look at me like that then?'"

But the part of it he liked best, he said, was hearing "from all those kids who were in my classes."

"At least they knew that when I talked about writing I wasn't just talking through my hat," he said.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/19/frank-mccourt-dead-at-78_n_240295.html

Barack has been in office six months.

Why isn't everything fixed?

lol

Meet the birthers (and their debunkers)

First broadcast: Jul 17, 2009

CNN’s Kitty Pilgrim delivers a thorough debunking of the birther conspiracy theory peddled by Alan Keyes and Orly Taitz. Undaunted, Keyes and Taitz take on Pilgrim along with John Avlon and Errol Louis.

As you watch, remember that Fox and Sean Hannity have aligned themselves with these clowns.

http://www.dailykostv.com/w/001945/

Birthers = pathological RWNJ's

2012 Match-ups: Obama, Romney Tied at 45%; Obama 48%, Palin 42%

If the 2012 presidential election were held today, President Obama and possible Republican nominee Mitt Romney would be all tied up at 45% each, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

The president, seeking a second four-year term, beats another potential GOP rival, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, by six points – 48% to 42%.

In both match-ups, seven percent (7%) like some other candidate, with three percent (3%) undecided.

~~~~

I can see the libs heads spinning and exploding after reading this poll.

LOL!!!

It's Not Sarah's Fault...Just Ask Her

When it comes to taking responsibility for her failures, Sarah Palin is completely unaccountable. Her finger is always pointed at the most convenient scapegoat. Last fall, I said she was George W. Bush with lipstick; nothing is ever her fault. With her resignation, she has set a new bar for blame.

A 10 Month Accounting of Blame...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shannyn-moore/its-not-sarahs-faultjust_b_240687.html

Teen pregnancy and disease rates rose sharply during Bush years, agency finds

• Aids cases in adolescent boys have nearly doubled

• Fall in gonorrhea infection rate reversed

Teenage pregnancies and syphilis have risen sharply among a generation of American school girls who were urged to avoid sex before marriage under George Bush's evangelically-driven education policy, according to a new report by the US's major public health body.

In a report that will surprise few of Bush's critics on the issue, the Centres for Disease Control says years of falling rates of teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted disease infections under previous administrations were reversed or stalled in the Bush years. According to the CDC, birth rates among teenagers aged 15 or older had been in decline since 1991 but are up sharply in more than half of American states since 2005. The study also revealed that the number of teenage females with syphilis has risen by nearly half after a significant decrease while a two-decade fall in the gonorrhea infection rate is being reversed. The number of Aids cases in adolescent boys has nearly doubled.

The CDC says that southern states, where there is often the greatest emphasis on abstinence and religion, tend to have the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and STDs.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/20/bush-teen-pregnancy-cdc-report

Recession in U.S. May Have Already Ended,

Leading Indicators Index Shows Components of the index of leading economic indicators are signaling the worst U.S. recession in five decades may be over now, not three to six months from now.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aMKZYfjyvGek

*****

Let's hope this isn't too optimistic

Too optimistic? Don't thank so~~

White House putting off budget update

Jul 20 11:02 AM US/Eastern
By TOM RAUM
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House is being forced to acknowledge the wide gap between its once-upbeat predictions about the economy and today's bleak landscape.

The administration's annual midsummer budget update is sure to show higher deficits and unemployment and slower growth than projected in President Barack Obama's budget in February and update in May, and that could complicate his efforts to get his signature health care and global-warming proposals through Congress.

The release of the update—usually scheduled for mid-July—has been put off until the middle of next month, giving rise to speculation the White House is delaying the bad news at least until Congress leaves town Aug. 7 on its summer recess.

The administration is pressing for votes before then on its $1 trillion health care initiative, which lawmakers are arguing over how to finance.

The White House budget director, Peter Orszag, said on Sunday that the administration believes the "chances are high" of getting a health care bill by then. But new analyses showing runaway costs are jeopardizing Senate passage.

"Instead of a dream, this routine report could be a nightmare," Tony Fratto, a former Treasury Department official and White House spokesman under President George W. Bush, said of the delayed budget update. "There are some things that can't be escaped."

The administration earlier this year predicted that unemployment would peak at about 9 percent without a big stimulus package and 8 percent with one. Congress did pass a $787 billion two-year stimulus measure, yet unemployment soared to 9.5 percent in June and appears headed for double digits.

Obama's current forecast anticipates 3.2 percent growth next year, then 4 percent or higher growth from 2011 to 2013. Private forecasts are less optimistic, especially for next year.

Any downward revision in growth or revenue projections would mean that budget deficits would be far higher than the administration is now suggesting.

Setting the stage for bleaker projections, Vice President Joe Biden recently conceded, "We misread how bad the economy was" in January. Obama modified that by suggesting the White House had "incomplete" information.

The new budget update comes as the public and members of Congress are becoming increasingly anxious over Obama's economic policies.

A Washington Post-ABC News survey released Monday shows approval of Obama's handling of health-care reform slipping below 50 percent for the first time. The poll also found support eroding on how Obama is dealing with other issues that are important to Americans right now—the economy, unemployment and the swelling budget deficit.

The Democratic-controlled Congress is reeling from last week's testimony by the head of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Douglas Elmendorf, that the main health care proposals Congress is considering would not reduce costs—as Obama has insisted—but "significantly expand" the federal financial responsibility for health care

Don't think so~~~

Breaking: America Still Hates Republicans

Who do you trust to do a better job handling health care reform?

Obama - 54
Republicans in Congress - 34

Who do you trust to do a better job handling the federal budget deficit

Obama - 54
Republicans in Congress - 35

How much blame do you think [Bush/Obama] deserves for the current economic situation?

A Great Deal or Good Amount
Bush - 63
Obama - 31

Do you think Obama has brought needed change to Washington?

Yes - 65
No - 35

Oh wait, that's the opposite of Buyer's Remorse©. That looks like the vast majority of Americans disagreeing with the Republican base.

In fact, not only do most Americans prefer Obama despite the fact that we're living through a clusterfuck of epic proportions, they also still think Republicans are mostly just a bunch of useless assholes.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/20/755501/-Breaking:-America-Still-Hates-Republicans

Palin’s Resignation: The Edited Version

If you watched Sarah Palin’s resignation speech, you know one thing: her high-priced speechwriters moved back to the Beltway long ago. Just how poorly constructed was the governor’s holiday-weekend address? We asked V.F.’s red-pencil-wielding executive literary editor, , together with representatives from the and departments, to whip it into publishable shape. Here is the colorful result.

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/07/palin-speech-edit-200907?currentPage=1

2012 Match-ups: Obama, Romney Tied at 45%; Obama 48%, Palin 42%

If the 2012 presidential election were held today, President Obama and possible Republican nominee Mitt Romney would be all tied up at 45% each, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Daily Kosic Kids must be shitting bricks after this poll!

hahaha
The president, seeking a second four-year term, beats another potential GOP rival, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, by six points – 48% to 42%.

In both match-ups, seven percent (7%) like some other candidate, with three percent (3%) undecided.

Gallup Poll Is Even Worse for Obama
American Spectator ^ | July 20, 2009 | Philip Klein

Posted on Monday, July 20, 2009 1:21:43 PM by RobinMasters

Earlier today, I posted on the sagging numbers for President Obama in the new Washington Post/ABC News poll, but Obama comes across even worse in a USA Today/Gallup poll, which pegs his approval rating at 55 percent -- ranking him 10th among the 12 post-World War II presidents at the same point in their first terms. Specifically, on health care, his approval is at 44 percent, and only 41 percent approve of his handling of the deficit.

More:

•59% say his proposals call for too much government spending.

•52% say they call for too much expansion of government power.

•Expectations about when the economy will recover are souring. In February, the mean or average prediction for a turnaround was 4.1 years; now it's 5.5 years.

Democrats reverse Obama on auto dealerships (Even Dems are tiring of the Hugo Chavez Wannabe..)
Monday, July 20, 2009 12:26:57 PM · by pissant · 19 replies · 945+ views
Michelle Malkin ^ | 7/20/09 | Michelle Malkin
The House passed a Treasury appropriations bill last week that includes an amendment reversing President Obama on the closure of nearly 800 Chrysler car dealerships and more than 2,000 GM dealerships. The amendment sponsor was Republican Steve LaTourette of Ohio. 215 Democrats and 4 Republicans voted for the overall package. Bipartisanship! The most snort-worthy reaction from the White House: The White House said Wednesday it strongly opposes the measure, arguing it would “set a dangerous precedent, potentially raising legal concerns, to intervene in a closed judicial bankruptcy proceeding on behalf of one particular group.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Looks like the Kosic Kids and George Soros have their work cut out for them now!

Senator DeMint Thrashes Dear Leader on Obamacare & 10% Unemployment

Senator Jim DeMint responded to Dear Leader's attacks today:

Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) made the following statement:

“The last time the President made grand promises and demanded passage of a bill before it could be reviewed, we ended up with the colossal stimulus failure and unemployment near 10 percent,” said Senator DeMint.

“Now the President wants Americans to trust him again, but he can't back up the utopian promises he's making about a government takeover of health care. He insists his health care plan won't add to our nation's deficit despite the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office saying exactly the opposite. And today we learn that the President is refusing to release a critical report on the state of our economy, which contains facts essential to this debate. What is he hiding?

"If the actual legislation came close to matching the President's rhetoric, he would have no problem passing this bill with huge Democrat majorities in both chambers. But Americans aren’t being fooled and are discovering the truth about his plan which includes rationed care, trillions in new costs, high taxes and penalties that will destroy jobs, and even government-funded abortions.

“Let’s be clear, there is no one in this debate advocating that we do nothing despite the President's constant straw man arguments. Republicans have offered comprehensive health care reform solutions that cover millions of the uninsured without exploding costs, raising taxes, or rationing care. We can give every American access to a health plan they can own, afford and keep without a government takeover."
Ouch.

This round goes to DeMint.

Prior to entering politics, DeMint worked in the field of market research. In 1983, he founded his own research firm, the DeMint Group. He was president of this corporation until 1998

DeMint was ranked by National Journal as the most conservative United States Senator in their March, 2007 conservative/liberal rankings, and again in 2008.

Not that market research is something to sneeze about, but what Sen DeMint has to say has no particular interest to me.

Obama Third Least Popular President Since World War II (55% Approval in new Gallup poll)

RCP ^ | 7/20/09

A new USA Today/Gallup poll puts President Obama's approval rating at 55 percent, which ranks him 10th among 12 post-World War II presidents at the same point in the survey. His approval is down from 61 percent in late May.

As he seeks to regain momentum on the health care front, the survey finds that only 44 percent approve of his handling of the issue, with 50 percent disapproving. Also, 59 percent say his proposal would lead to too much government spending, and 52 percent say it would "call for too much expansion of government power."

The poll of 1,006 adults was conducted July 17-19 and had a margin of error of +/- 3 percent.

Hey Alan, weren't you the one sighting Gallup against Rassmussen? Can't be a good day for you, my friend!

For Immediate Release:
Energy & Commerce Contact: ******(202) 225-5735
Ways & Means Contact: ******(202) 225-1417
Education and Labor Contact: ****(202) 669-6874

July 17, 2009

CBO Scores Confirms Deficit Neutrality of Health Reform Bill

Washington, D.C. -- The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released estimates this evening confirming for the first time that H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, is deficit neutral over the 10-year budget window – and even produces a $6 billion surplus. CBO estimated more than $550 billion in gross Medicare and Medicaid savings. More importantly, the bill includes a comprehensive array of delivery reforms to set the stage for lowering the future growth in health care costs.

Net Medicare and Medicaid savings of $465 billion, coupled with the $583 billion revenue package reported today by the House Committee on Ways and Means, fully finance the previously estimated $1.042 trillion cost of reform, which will provide affordable health care coverage for 97% of Americans.

"This fulfills the strong commitment of the President and House leadership to enact health reform on a deficit-neutral basis," said Chairman Henry A. Waxman, Chairman Charles B. Rangel, and Chairman George Miller. "The reforms included in this legislation will help control health care costs and expand access to quality, affordable coverage to all Americans in a fiscally-responsible manner."

The estimates also cover important reinvestments in Medicare and Medicaid, including phasing in the closing of the "donut" hole in the Medicare drug benefit. The bill’s long-term reform of Medicare’s physician fee schedule to eliminate the potential 21 percent cut in fees, and put payments on a sustainable basis for the future, will cost about $245 billion. Those costs, however, are not included in the net calculations above, as they will be absorbed under the upcoming statutory "pay go" legislation that is pending in the House.

http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/104xx/doc10464/hr3200.pdf===============================
We'll stick with reality and the actual figures from the CBO, while fredo believes the wingnut from s. carolina. Those s. carolinans aren't particulary credible. haha.

hey demint, go take a 'hike'. LOL

"215 Democrats and 4 Republicans voted for the overall package."

*overall package
In other words, they didn't vote on JUST the auto dealership amendment, but the WHOLE bill. Check it out, it covers ALOT of things.
http://www.gop.gov/bill/111/1/hr3170

malkin and fredo's spin is the dems voted against Obama on the auto dealerships, but maybe it was dems voting FOR abortion funds. ha!
from the bill :

Taxpayer Funded Abortions: Lifts the restriction on local D.C. funds being used to pay for abortions in the District, rendering the language of this abortion funding provision ineffective. Historically, the Financial Services Appropriations bill has included a restriction on government (both federal and D.C.) funded abortion in the District of Columbia, known as the Dornan amendment. Since Congress appropriates both federal and local funds, this change will mean that taxpayer funds could be used for abortion.
=====================
really, check out all the topics covered... it sure the hell isn't just what wingnuts blather about

Here's the correct link for the CBO report...

http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/104xx/doc10464/hr3200.pdf

I dunno how the extra stuff at the end jumped a line to
end up at the end of the link.

"Those s. carolinans aren't particulary credible. haha."

Well, Hajji is from SC - so that makes up for something. . . .

Republicans Will Be Toast in 2010 If the Dems Pass Health Reform, and They Know It

If Obama and the Democrats get health care reform done, the Republican Party is finished in the next election. So it's pulling out the stops.

http://www.alternet.org/politics/141440/republicans_will_be_toast_in_2010_if_the_dems_pass_health_reform%2C_and_they_know_it/

Jimmy Carter: ‘The words of God do not justify cruelty to women.’

Former President Jimmy Carter, who in 2000 officially severed ties with the Southern Baptist Convention after the SBC declared its opposition to female pastors and reiterated its calls “for wives to be submissive to their husbands,” condemned the mistreatment of women by religious leaders, writing that “the words of God do not justify cruelty to women.” In an opinion piece published last weekend, entitled “Losing my Religion for Equality,” Carter said that a “twisted interpretation of the word of God” taught by male religious leaders has been used to justify the oppression of women:

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/20/carter-religion-women/

*****

Best ex-President ever.

" I can see the libs heads spinning and exploding after reading this poll.

LOL!!!"

I am so happy that Freddie can laugh in his fantasy universe. He should be able to laugh somewhere, his idolized right wing jerks succeeded in making the whole world cry.

When I was a freshman in college in 1969, the Political Science 101 course featured a text titled "How To Lie With Statistics." I assume it is still a right wing collectible since few copies can easily be found.

It is far better to believe than to know is the right credo.

Jupiter Apparently Hit By Object, According to NASA Images

PASADENA, Calif. — Astronomers say Jupiter has apparently been struck by an object, possibly a comet.

Images taken by NASA early Monday show a scar in the atmosphere near the south pole of the gas giant.

The images, taken by the space agency's infrared telescope in Hawaii, come on the 15th anniversary of another comet strike.

In 1994, Jupiter was bombarded by pieces of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.

Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena captured the new images after receiving a tip from an amateur astronomer the night before.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/20/jupiter-apparently-hit-by_n_241677.html

*****

File this one under "never saw it coming"

The party of NO . . .

"They were so strong in their beliefs that there came a time when it hardly mattered what exactly those beliefs were; they all fused into a single stubbornness."

~ Louise Erdrich

The Week’s First Fake Controversy

You almost have to admire Steve Krakauer’s ability to turn this CNN interview with President Obama into a “possible wise Latina moment.” The president, in Africa, thought out loud about being an African-American, and how he knows African-Americans who come to the continent and feel more American than ever. It’s because you’re “in some ways, connected to this distant land, but on the other end, you’re about as American as it gets in some ways. African-Americans are more fundamentally rooted in the American experience because they don’t have a recent immigrant experience to draw on.”

Krakauer was shocked, shocked:

http://washingtonindependent.com/51856/the-weeks-first-fake-controversy

"Keep in mind that the way we had structured the reconciliation issue several months ago, we moved forward on the basis of the assumption that we could get a bill through the regular order and the regular process by October," Obama said. "If I think that is not possible, then we are going to look at all of our options, including reconciliation. Not because that is my preferred option but because what I think would be unacceptable for the American people is inaction."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/20/obama-calls-on-bloggers-t_n_241570.html

******

"we are going to look at all of our options, including reconciliation."

Reconciliation could get messy but the message is - healthcare reform will happen one way or the other.

Obama threatens veto over McCain healthcare plan

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obama-threatens-veto-over-mccain-healthcare-plan-2009-07-20.html

******

The GOP plan is to tax and the Democratic President will veto it.

Pres. Obama slams GOP for opposing health care reform

Pres. Obama slams the Republican Party for playing politics and carrying the insurance industry’s water on health care reform, singling out comments by South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint:

http://www.dailykostv.com/w/001952/

Transcript:

Now there are some in this town who are content to perpetuate the status quo, who are in fact fighting reform on behalf of powerful special interests. There are others who recognize the problem but believe — or perhaps hope — that we can put off the hard work of insurance reform for another day, another year, another decade.

Just the other day, one Republican Senator said — and I’m quoting him now — "If we’re able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him."

Think about that.

This isn’t about me. This isn’t about politics. This is about a health care system that is breaking America’s families, breaking America’s businesses, and breaking American’s economy.

We can’t afford the politics of delay and defeat when it comes to health care. Not this time, not now.

Republican party apologises to singer Jackson Browne

Browne sued the party and former presidential candidate John McCain for using his song Running on Empty

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/jul/21/jackson-browne-republicans-john-mccain

*****

Even though "Running on Empty" is the perfect title . . .

USATODAYGALLUP: Poll Danger Signs; Obama Tracking Lower Than Carter...

~~~~

It just doesn't get any better than this!

hahahahaha

I am so happy that Freddie can laugh in his fantasy universe. He should be able to laugh somewhere, his idolized right wing jerks succeeded in making the whole world cry.

~~~~

Kalpal,

The way the progressive movement is destroying our country is no laughing matter..

What is laughable is how easy it is to con progressives into thinking that government is the solution to all your problems...

CNN's Pilgrim refutes Dobbs on Dobbs over birth certificate

SUMMARY: Kitty Pilgrim, guest-hosting Lou Dobbs' CNN show, debunked claims that President Obama does not have a valid birth certificate and is therefore ineligible to be president -- claims that Dobbs himself advanced days earlier on his radio program

http://mediamatters.org/research/200907200033

Jeff Sharlet Reveals Disturbing Details About Conservative "C Street House" Organization On Rachel Maddow Show (VIDEO)

More and more information is beginning to leak out about the "C Street House" and the conservative and religious brethren of GOP politicians who live or have lived in the now infamous house. The house made headlines recently when it was discovered that among its occupants had been John Ensign, Mark Sanford and Charles Pickering, all religious Republican politicians who were revealed to be having extramarital affairs.

Rachel Maddow interviewed author Jeff Sharlet, who went undercover at the organization that owns C Street House and is known as "The Fellowship," on her show Monday, where he revealed more disturbing details gathered from his reporting. Especially bizarre was this anecdote told to GOP Congressman Todd Tiahrt (who has speculated about President Obama's mother aborting him) by the group's leader regarding the its philosophy of "the totalitarianism of Christ":

He said to Tiahrt what you need to do is form a covenant with your brothers in Christ, like Ensign and Coburn and Sanford. He says when you do this, when you commit total loyalty to each other, and you vow to keep up each others secrets, you can accomplish much more. And he gave to Congressman Tiahrt examples of guys who had done this very well, he thought. Hitler, Pol Pot, Osama bin Laden, and Lenin, and it just makes your jaw drop that Congressman Tiahrt thought this was very wise advice.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/21/jeff-sharlet-reveals-dist_n_241857.html

******

Christo-facists showing their true colors.

Senate votes to cut F-22 fighter jet funding

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25210.html

*****

One more win for Barack!

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/dikkday48yahoocom/2009/07/the-ten-commandments-of-the-re.php

Jim DeMint has a Health Care Hissy Fit on the Senate Floor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHbwdZXeUFo

Looks like someone's got a case of the grumpies after getting smacked by the President yesterday.

Always amusing when Republicans tout about their innovative plans for reforming health care: tax cuts and "getting out of the way of the market."

Never been tried!

http://firedoglake.com/

Morning Bell: Obama Admits He’s “Not Familiar” With House Bill

With the public’s trust in his handling of health care tanking (50%-44% of Americans disapprove), the White House has launched a new phase of its strategy designed to pass Obamacare: all Obama, all the time. As part of that effort, Obama hosted a conference call with leftist bloggers urging them to pressure Congress to pass his health plan as soon as possible.

During the call, a blogger from Maine said he kept running into an Investors Business Daily article that claimed Section 102 of the House health legislation would outlaw private insurance. He asked: “Is this true? Will people be able to keep their insurance and will insurers be able to write new policies even though H.R. 3200 is passed?” President Obama replied: “You know, I have to say that I am not familiar with the provision you are talking about.” (quote begins at 17:10)

This is a truly disturbing admission by the President, especially considering that later in the call, Obama promises yet again: “If you have health insurance, and you like it, and you have a doctor that you like, then you can keep it. Period.” How can Obama keep making this promise if he is not familiar with the health legislation that is being written in Congress? Details matter.

We are familiar with the passage IBD sites, and as we wrote last week, the House bill does not outright outlaw private individual health insurance, but it does effectively regulate it out of existence. The House bill does allow private insurance to be sold, but only “Exchange-participating health benefits plans.” In order to qualify as an ?Exchange-participating health benefits plan,? all health insurance plans must conform to a slew of new regulations, including community rating and guaranteed issue. These will all send the cost of private individual health insurance skyrocketing. Furthermore, all these new regulations would not apply just to individual insurance plans, but to all insurance plans. So the House bill will also drive up the cost of your existing employer coverage as well. Until, of course, it becomes so expensive that your company makes the perfectly economical decision to dump you into the government plan.

President Obama may not care to study how many people will lose their current health insurance if his plan becomes law, but like most Americans, we do. That is why we partnered with the Lewin Group to study how many Americans would be forced into the government “option” under the House health plan. Here is what we found:

Approximately 103 million people would be covered under the new public plan and, as a consequence, about 83.4 million people would lose their private insurance. This would represent a 48.4 percent reduction in the number of people with private coverage.

About 88.1 million workers would see their current private, employer-sponsored health plan go away and would be shifted to the public plan.
Yearly premiums for the typical American with private coverage could go up by as much as $460 per privately-insured person, as a result of increased cost-shifting stemming from a public plan modeled on Medicare.

It is truly frightening that the President of the United States is pressuring Congress in an all-out media blitz to pass legislation that he flatly admits he has not read and is not familiar with. President Obama owes it to the American people to stop making promises about what his health plan will or will not do until he has read it, and can properly defend it in public, to his own supporters.

~~~~~~~~~

What a moron~~~

White House misses deadline on spending cuts report

Obama's April 20 challenge to Cabinet: Cut $100 million in spending in 90 days

The 90 days are up, but White House hasn't issued a report yet on progress

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs: Information still being compiled

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On April 20, President Obama challenged his Cabinet to cut $100 million in spending over the next 90 days.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says a report on Cabinet spending cuts will be released "in coming days."

The deadline came -- and went -- without a report from the White House on whether or not that promise was fulfilled.

Asked about the spending cuts, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Monday that information still was being compiled.

"Those are being reviewed now, and we'll release something in the coming days," Gibbs told the daily White House briefing.

At time the challenge was announced, critics said $100 million in savings was a small amount on the context of the federal budget.

"Any amount of savings is obviously welcome," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said in April. "But [$100 million is] about the average amount we'll spend every single day just covering the interest on the stimulus package that we passed earlier this year."

In April, Gibbs insisted that ordinary Americans nevertheless would appreciate the savings effort.

"Only in Washington, D.C., is $100 million not a lot of money," Gibbs said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I guess $100 million is a lot of money Gibbs, since you can't deliver as promised.

Taking a break for driving through Texas wine country. Checking in for a few good laughs. Never disappointed by Fredward.

Morning Bell: Obama Admits He’s “Not Familiar” With House Bill

During the call, a blogger from Maine said he kept running into an Investors Business Daily article that claimed Section 102 of the House health legislation would outlaw private insurance. He asked: “Is this true? Will people be able to keep their insurance and will insurers be able to write new policies even though H.R. 3200 is passed?” President Obama replied: “You know, I have to say that I am not familiar with the provision you are talking about.” (quote begins at 17:10)

==+==

Why didn't the President know of such a provision? It doesn't exist.

IBD falsely claimed House health bill would "outlaw individual private coverage"

"In fact, the paragraph in question states in context (emphasis added):

" SEC. 102. PROTECTING THE CHOICE TO KEEP CURRENT COVERAGE. "
source: http://tinyurl.com/lwqrcj
==+==

Read the whole section of the bill that applies to existing individual private insurance. Just as there never was a filibuster in the House and there never was a provision to the Hate Crimes bill that protected pedophiles, there isn't any provision outlawing private health insurance. Fredward and the rest of the conservatives have the frothing at the mouth, hives and raw scabs that are indicative of the Obama Derangement Syndrome.

According to the House committees' summary of the bill, the Health Insurance Exchange "creates a transparent and functional marketplace for individuals and small employers to comparison shop among private and public insurers."

So these idiots expect the President to be aware of all aspects of the proposed Health Care Bill with the 100s of amendments that have been discussed and approved AND BE AWARE OF THE IMAGINARY PROVISIONS AS WELL?

What a moron~~~
Posted by: freddie 2009 3:11 PM

You shouldn't be so hard on yerself, dawg. But you really ought to stop-and-think before you do the copy-and-paste. That Obama Derangement Syndrome is a toughie; but you'll be alright.

That was funny. I gotta get to the Late Nite Funnies sometime soon. The Conservative Clown Show is in rare form.

The Audacity of Nope: The GOP Channels Groucho Marx: "Whatever It Is, I'm Against It"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-romm/the-audacity-of-nope-the_b_241918.html

Rick Sanchez Takes On Obama "Birther" Movement (VIDEO)

CNN's Rick Sanchez did a bit of public service announcement on Tuesday, reading President Obama's birth certificate on air for all the skeptics out there.

The segment was prompted by a "birther" hijacking a press conference held by Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) to accuse him of ignoring the scandal.

It's a "completely unfounded story," Sanchez said, and then repeated himself for emphasis. "There's something strange about even having to do this story," he said, but so many people believe it that "it needs to be addressed."

Sanchez had on conservative radio host Ben Ferguson, who said he had banned the topic from his show. However, Ferguson suggested the onus was on the White House to take out his birth certificate and show it to the public. Sanchez pointed out that members of the media, including two from Factcheck.org, were shown the certificate and documents. Viveca Novak, the deputy director at Factcheck.org, was on hand to corroborate and even had pictures of the papers.

Ferguson stood his ground. Pointing out that Obama has a press conference tomorrow night, he suggested the president "make a joke and show it then." Novak pointed out that it might be "a little unpresidential" to go on national television and defend the facts of his birth against a group of fringe extremists.

Sanchez ended with even more evidence -- the birth announcement in a Hawaii paper. But its doubtful that anyone who has held onto this delusion in the face of so much evidence can be convinced.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/21/rick-sanchez-takes-on-oba_n_242261.html

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President,

We were surprised to read your signing statement in which you expressed the view that you are constitutionally free to ignore the conditions duly adopted in the legislative process regarding funding for the international financial institutions. As you know, there was a great deal of resistance to this funding during debate on the supplemental bill -- as there often is for these entities -- and the four of us worked very hard to support the inclusion of funding for the IMF and the World Bank.

The conditions that you have expressed your right to ignore are critical: each represents significant policy concerns, especially in light of the history of many of the international financial institutions that we believe have been insufficiently supportive of values that we know you share with us. In addition, these conditions were important in securing support in both houses.

During the previous administration, all of us were critical of the President's assertion that he could pick and choose which aspects of congressional statutes he was required to enforce. We were therefore chagrined to see you appear to express a similar attitude.

Along with your assurances that you will respect these conditions, we request that you no longer assert the right to ignore provisions that Congress adds through the normal legislative process for funding for the international financial institutions.

If we are forced to conclude that you will not accept the terms and conditions under which the legislation passed, we must make clear that - both as a matter of the personal preference of those of us signing this letter and as a practical matter from the standpoint of getting sufficient votes to pass these measures in the future - it will make it virtually impossible to provide further allocations for these institutions. That is, the policy of using signing statements to assert the right of the White House to ignore certain provisions of legislation regarding the IMF, the World Bank, and other international financial institutions may result not in the invalidation of those various provisions, but rather in insufficient Congressional support for further funding of these institutions.

REP. BARNEY FRANK
Chairman, House Financial Services Committee

REP. DAVID R. OBEY
Chairman, House Appropriations Committee

REP. NITA M. LOWEY
Chairman, House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs

REP. GREGORY W. MEEKS
Chairman, House Financial Services Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy

Sanchez ended with even more evidence -- the birth announcement in a Hawaii paper.

Anyone can put a birth announcement in the paper, so what!

Why does Barry's grannie insist that he was born in Kenya?

Barry's got some splainin to do!

Dobbs embraces Birthers

Lou Dobbs offers a vote of confidence in the Birther Movement.

"This isn't one of those things that goes away quite as easily as I'd thought," Dobbs says, saying that this isn't the "fringe" and that Obama hasn't produced a birth certificate. (He long ago released an official copy, the standard document. As often noted, it actually does go away quite easily.)

"I have no idea what the reality is here," says Dobbs, later wondering, "You suppose he's undoc -- no, I wouldn't use the word 'undocumented,' wouldn't be right."

~~~~

Too funny, maybe we could deport him..

Poll: Americans Say Country Heading in Wrong Direction Under Obama

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 7:38 PM

That was fast. The hope and optimism that washed over the country in the opening months of Barack Obama's presidency are giving way to harsh realities.

An Associated Press-GfK Poll shows that a majority of Americans are back to thinking that the country is headed in the wrong direction after a fleeting period in which more thought it was on the right track.

Obama still has a solid 55 percent approval rating — better than Bill Clinton and about even with George W. Bush six months into their presidencies — but there are growing doubts about whether he can succeed at some of the biggest items on his to-do list. And there is a growing sense that he is trying to tackle too much too soon.

The number of people who think Obama can improve the economy is down a sobering 19 percentage points from the euphoric days just before his inauguration. Ditto for expectations about creating jobs. Also down significantly: the share of people who think he can reduce the deficit, remove troops from Iraq and improve respect for the U.S. around the world, all slipping 15 points.

On overhauling health care, a signature issue for Obama, hopes for success are down a lesser 6 points.

Add it all up, and does it mean Obama has lost his mojo? Has yes-we-can morphed into maybe?

"I think it's just reality," said Sandy Smith, a 48-year-old public relations worker from Los Angeles. "He's not Superman, right?"

Indeed, it's not unusual for approval ratings to slide once presidents actually get to work. They're pulled down by things going on in the real world, by people who don't agree with the ways they're addressing problems, by criticism from political opponents.

In Obama's case, the problems he's confronting domestically and internationally are legion, and his ability to blame them on his predecessor is fading. Challenges still abound in Iraq and Afghanistan. Unemployment, at 7.6 percent in January, hit 9.5 percent in June and is expected to keep rising well into next year. Almost 4 percent of homeowners with mortgages are in foreclosure, and an additional 8 percent are at least a month behind on payments — the highest levels since the Great Depression.

The president is deep into the debate over how to overhaul the nation's health care system, and people are nervous about how their own insurance could be affected. Obama's critics are accusing him of conducting a risky "grand experiment" that will hurt the economy and could force millions to drop their current coverage.

It's all taking a toll on expectations. The number of people who think it's realistic to expect at least some noticeable improvement in the economy during Obama's first year in office dropped from 27 percent in January to 16 percent in the latest survey.

There's been slippage, as well, in how people view the president personally, although he's still well regarded. About two-thirds now think he understands the problems of ordinary Americans, down from 81 percent in January. Sixty-nine percent think he's a strong leader, off from 78 percent before the inauguration.

"He doesn't know enough about any of this," says Michelle Kelsey, a 37-year-old student in Breckenridge, Mo., who gives Obama a three for leadership on a 10-point scale. But then again, Kelsey says, "Nobody could have done better."

"I just feel like people haven't given him enough time. It's going to take longer for the economy to come around."

It's not just Obama who's feeling the drag. Approval of Congress — already low — has gotten lower, slipping 6 percentage points to 32 percent.

Overall, the number of people who think the country is going in the wrong direction hit 54 percent in the latest AP-GfK poll, up from 46 percent in June.

That's not necessarily surprising. In years past, the public has tended to be more pessimistic than optimistic about the country's future. Recent exceptions have been short-lived, at the start of the Iraq war, after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, after the capture of Saddam Hussein and late in the Clinton administration.

Perhaps most troubling for Obama may be where he is losing ground. His approval rating was down 9 points among Americans overall but 20 percent among independents. Similarly, the increase in those who think the country is headed in the wrong direction came mostly from independents and Democrats.

Dissatisfaction among independents grew disproportionately on Obama's handling of a range of issues, including the economy, taxes, unemployment, the environment and more.

Independents are "the ones to watch," according to Professor Robert Shapiro, a Columbia University expert on public opinion. "The Republicans were more pessimistic from the outset. The Democrats are going to be more resistant to negative information."

Overall, Obama still can feel good about a 55 percent approval rating, Shapiro said, but "the fact that it is on the downswing is something to be concerned about. That's going to affect how members of Congress, and in particular people in his own party, may respond to him."

The AP-GfK Poll was conducted July 16-20 by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media. It involved interviews on landlines and cell phones with 1,006 adults nationwide. The survey had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

~~~~~~

Hammertime!

Late Nite Funnies, Major Soto edition:

"Sonia Sotomayor in the news. She's testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. And she has said that she 'felt out of place attending Princeton.' Sotomayor says there were so many white males in Princeton, she felt like she was testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee."
--Conan O'Brien

"Then this was odd. Kind of awkward. When everybody calmed down, Clarence Thomas sent over a mojito."
--David Letterman

"Have you been watching the confirmation hearings going on down there in Washington, D.C.? Sonia Sotomayor, the hearings, have you been watching those? Good news, the FDA has just approved a new, non-drowsy version of Senator Orrin Hatch. Boy, do we need it now!"
--David Letterman

"President Obama's Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor had her second day in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee today. I guess they have to do that in order to be confirmed to the Supreme Court. Her confirmation is pretty much a forgone conclusion, but even the leading Republican said the only way she would not be confirmed is if she had a meltdown, in which case she'd be named the governor of Alaska."
--Jimmy Kimmel

"Speaking of former presidents, yesterday, former President George W. Bush released the final list of all the guests who stayed overnight at the White House when he was president. The most frequent visitor was someone known as 'The Wiggles.'"
--Conan O'Brien
for full effect:
http://www.thewiggles.com.au/

"Now here is the thing. Here are the two sides of this. The ying and the yang. Idea was we'd kill off al Qaeda leaders. That's the ying, I guess. The yang is completely illegal. But, listen to this. Before you make your judgment, before you decide, if it weren't for Dick Cheney and his secret assassination squad, Osama bin Laden would be alive today."
--David Letterman

"I mean, you probably know what a teleprompter is, the machine that tells you what to say. In Bush's case, it was Cheney."
--David Letterman

"Sarah Palin's friends say they are worried about her because she looks frail and her hair is thinning. It's all part of her plan to run for president in 2012 as John McCain."
--Jimmy Fallon

For her part, Sonia Sotomayor sat perfectly still as senator after senator after senator talked over her, at her, and down to her. Never, ever moving. In fact, at one point, she sat so still her body's screensaver came on."
--Jon Stewart

"Everybody knows Sotomayor will get confirmed. Even the GOP can't take her on, because she is the first Hispanic nominated to the Supreme Court, and they don't want to offend Latino voters. That's why they no longer talk about the 'border fence.' It's now called the 'welcome wall.'"
--Stephen Colbert

David Letterman's Top Ten Signs Sonia Sotomayor Is Getting Cocky

10. Addressed senators with "Whaddaya say, meat?"
9. Spent the entire hearing updating her Twitter page.
8. Interrupted questioning to get fitted for her robe.
7. Turned surprisingly hostile when told, "No open containers."
6. Left early to tackle the case of Sotomayor vs. Applebee's riblets.
5. Started hitting on Clarence Thomas.
4. Kept referring to Al Franken as "Church Lady."
3. Phoned in from All-Star Game in St. Louis to see how the confirmation hearings were going.
2. Only answers she gave were "Maybe" and "How the hell should I know?"
1. Took the day off to go salmon fishing with Sarah Palin

"I thought it was fascinating how the New York papers covered the All-Star Game and Obama throwing out the first pitch. New York Times said that Obama threw a perfect strike. Daily News said he threw a ball. The New York Post said he was making out with Kate Hudson."
--David Letterman

"But he admitted today that after throwing out the first pitch, his arm was a little sore. And today, Rush Limbaugh offered him some OxyContin."
--David Letterman

I think this wiggles link works better:
http://www.thewiggles.com.au/au/home/

There was a time a 3 or 4 years ago when the conservatives came on this blog to brag about how they were giving money to Lieberman in an effort to thwart the Liberals. In the meantime, they lost enough seats to lose control of the Senate. They were foolishly throwing their money at one seat (that was a clear Democratic seat) and lost 6 in the bargain.

Here they go again piling money into the coffers of that birther bill guy:

Birther Bill Sponsor Receives Financial Support From House GOP Leadership
http://tinyurl.com/n49q9z

After two straight ass-kickings, they haven't learned the error of their ways. Conservatives must loooove being in the minority.

WIth leadership like this, it's no wonder that the GOPasour is on its way out.

Michael Steele gets his ass handed to him on CNN in a healthcare debate.

Michael Steele's Disastrous CNN Interview
http://tinyurl.com/no22u8

with bonus Morning Joe chaos. Steele is getting slaughtered by the left and the right. Poor guy. It would be extremely entertaining if it weren't for the fact that Steele is all the GOPasaur can conjure up to spearhead the healthcare debate. It got so bad at one point that Steele couldn't even remember the name of his own health insurance provider. If you're a fan of public executions, check it out.

Steele isn't an expert. He admits he's not a policy wonk. When your own leader is admitting that he's an idiot, you can't have too much confidence in your guys. Even the policy guys and think tankers on the conservative side are mailing it in.

Kevin Drum nails them:
“This, then, is the fundamental conservative problem: you can either have universal coverage or you can have a quasi-free market. There’s no way to have both, but no one is willing to say publicly that it’s OK to leave millions of people without healthcare. So instead conservatives hem and haw and nibble around the edges with things like HSAs and tax exclusions, even though these ideas don’t do anything to make healthcare coverage more widely and securely available. No free market solution can do that.”

And the intellectuals on the right answer:
Well, the man’s got a point, doesn’t he?
source: http://tinyurl.com/mzos4p
==+==
This kind of thing is no fun if the Conservatives just roll over and say; "OK. You got us."

More reasons to let the GOPasaur die out peacefully.

Teaching the kiddoes about binary number system and rock,paper, schissor, spock, lizard.
fun stuff: http://tinyurl.com/2jogt4

Remembering when Bush broke the armed forces. They couldn't meet their recruitment goals; so they lowered their standards. This was the result:

"On Day 13, he was caught repeatedly stealing peanut butter from the chow hall despite being admonished for doing so earlier and urinated in his canteen. He was also found to be disrespectful to his drill instructors and refused to shave or follow orders."

"On Day 14, according to the motion, Fry told his senior drill instructor and staff that he had both autism and asthma and he no longer wished to be a Marine. After the Marines confirmed Fry's claims with Mary Beth Fry, she was told her grandson would be kicked out of boot camp and sent home."

"But Fry wasn't sent home. Instead, he was graduated from boot camp on April 11, 2008, and sent for combat training at Camp Pendleton near San Diego. "

==+==
The kid was also caught with child porn on his cell phone? And they graduated him from boot camp. wtf?

source: http://tinyurl.com/kt87st
Autistic Marine Court Martialed and Given Bad Conduct Discharge
"Joshua Fry Was Recruited Out of Group Home for Mentally Disabled"
==+==
Crazy.

With Fredward sharing the ignorant wingnut offerings on health care. It's a good idea to stroll down memory lane to realize that this flavor of nutcake isn't new. They've always been dingbat loony when it comes to health care issues. Remember these warnings?

"Medicare would lead federal officials to dictate where physicians could practice medicine, and open the door to government control over where Americans were allowed to live. In fact, he warned that if Medicare became law, there was a real possibility that the federal government would control where Americans go and what they do for a living."
source: http://tinyurl.com/ns5db9

Who served this particular flavor of insanity 50 years ago? None other than Conservative heart-throb Ronald Reagan. The GOPasaur is still living in Bizarro world, calling improved health care options "socialized Medicine" that will lead to forced labor camps, Liberal coded brain chip implants, and the confiscation of every handgun in Alabama.

It's no wonder that the saner parts of the Conservative Congressional Delegation have split from their thinking-impaired brethren.

Republicans splintering on public option!
source: http://tinyurl.com/ntzfv5

They have fallen prey to the Obama Mind Tricks. They looked him in the eyes. Rule number one when dealing with Obama: Never look him in the eyes. If you do, . . . it's over.

"Those s. carolinans aren't particulary credible. haha."

Well, Hajji is from SC - so that makes up for something. . . .
====================================
Oh hell yeah. Hajji is a force multiplyer wherever he is.

I was talking about s. carolina politicians though. They are almost as bad as our Texan wingnuts. Almost..

"Hey Clint,
How's the stock market working out for you and Barry this week? Still preachin that non-sense?"
Posted by: freddie June 17, 2009 12:14 PM

Interesting question. They markets stocks, bonds, the whole shebang went through a bit of a dry spot. The facts remain:
The last 6 months of Bush's presidency (I'll be charitable and not go back any further to make him look REALLY bad): the Dow lost 32%

In the last few months since the market bottomed out after President Obama took office the market has risen almost 37%.

How crazy have these last few days been?

Dow Watch: Best Streak in Two Years
at TheStreet.com (Tue 10:18am)
source: http://tinyurl.com/klwv4d

"The Dow's seven-day winning streak, the first of this duration since one that ended April 20, 2007, has been good for about 770 points, or a whopping 9.5%."
==+==

The market ended higher again today. Like I said. Crazy. With economic indicators exceding expectations (bottom of the barrel after the Conservatives destroyed the economy), things are coming around. Thursday is new jobless day. As the liberal blogger Atrios would say, we'll see how many "lucky duckies" we have this week. Last week was the best showing since Obama took office. We'll see what's shaking.

More strolling down memory lane . . . .

remember this comment?
http://tinyurl.com/ddw2xr

Generic Congressional Ballot
Republicans Top Democrats on Generic Congressional Ballot

Posted by: freddie April 29, 2009 1:28 PM

As I've noted before, the generic congressional ballot is just flat red vs. blue, with no named candidates. It's when voters get to look at the actual candidates that they crap their pants at how lousy the GOPasaurii have scrood their half of the politcal arena.

Remember those special elections that had all those Democrats taking Republican districts? Dems took Wicker's old seat in Mississippi. I think the guy's name was Childers. And some guy took Denny Hastert's old seat. Remember Hastert? FORMER speaker of the House? He cut and run and the Dems took the seat right out from under the conservatives.

A lot of those Dems still sit in offices representing GOP districts.

The comment quoted above was three months ago. There was a special election just last week. The Dem kicked the crap out of the RepubliCON. When that stops happening, when Dems start losing in blue districts, I'll start worrying about the Generic Congressional Ballot. Till then . . . it's just another rASSmussen poll. Good for laughs but not much else.

And speaking of rASSmussen polls . . . How'd they do in the last election?

According to rASS, Obama trails McCain at several points during the 2008 presidential campaign. Most other polls only had Obama trailing after Palin joined McCain on the ticket.
Check out the pollster composites:
http://tinyurl.com/5e9yys

rASSmussen had McCain ahead in April (by 7!!)
while in the same time frame:
USA Today/Gallup had it 49-44 for Obama (+5Dem)
Cook/RT had it 45-44 for Obama (+1Dem)
Newsweek had it 48-44 for Obama (+4Dem)

rASSmussen was off by 8 to 12 points in April. In the world of polling, that's horrific.

In the first week of May rASSmussen had Gramps ahead by 4.
in the same time period:
Time/Bloomberg had Obama ahead by 46-40 (+6Dem)
AP-Ipsos had Obama ahead 46-42 (+4Dem)
CBS/Times had Obama ahead 50-38 (+12Dem)

rASSmussen was off by between 8 and 16 points.

rASSmussen had Gramps trailing slightly or even in June and July as Obama finished off the primary. Then rASSmussen wobbled with him ahead (by 1) then behind (by 3).

McCain got a boost from Palin and rASSmussen had him up by 3 in early September

In the same time frame as that poll:
CBS/Times had Obama up 49-44 (+5Dem)
Quinnipiac had Obama up 49-45 (+4Dem)
Diageo/Hotline had Obama up 46-42 (+4Dem)
ABC/USA Today/Columbia as well as Research 2000 and Reuters/Zogby all had the same numbers: Obama ahead 47-45 (+2Dem)

Then the market came undone, the banks started collapsing, Palin did her GOPe-a-dope routine on TV and suddenly rASSmussen's polls fell in line with the rest.

The jig was up and there was no point in hiding the truth. As if by magic, they weren't the only poll who gave McCain a snowball's chance. Poll by poll. State by State. rASSmussen was wrong about as often as it was right. You could flip a coin and get the same result.

From Sotomayor (they say she's unpopular) who WILL be confirmed, to Congress (they say the Dems are in trouble) where Democrats KEEP kicking RepubliCON ass, to pretty much anything else, rASSmussen is just a paid political arm of the GOPasaurs. It's a simple tool to keep the simple-minded happy. If it keeps you from picking at the scabs and curling up in a fetal position to fight off the Obama Derangement Syndrome, that's fine with me. You do what you gotta do, dawg.

Try harder, Fredward. These are too easy.

"Sanchez ended with even more evidence -- the birth announcement in a Hawaii paper. Anyone can put a birth announcement in the paper, so what!"
Posted by: freddie July 21, 2009 8:39 PM

Not just anyone. Anyone with documents to prove they aren't just making shit up like the birthers. According to the Honolulu Advertiser (where President Obama's birth Announcement was made):
"IMPORTANT: You must attach a photocopy of your baby's official state-issued birth certificate; we cannot print your announcement without it."
source: http://tinyurl.com/meu9ew

It all comes back to the birth certificate, which is authentic. Except for the most wacked out Obama haters, the birth certificate is proof enough.

"Why does Barry's grannie insist that he was born in Kenya? Barry's got some splainin to do!"
Posted by: freddie July 21, 2009 8:40 PM

The audiotape is on Youtube. Of course there's no picture, so there's no way to tell if it's actually the President's grandma. The questioner asks her if she was present during the birth of her SON Barack. That's the President's father. Of course she was there when her son was born and no one disputes that Barack Sr. was born in Kenya. Weak ass stuff.

more fun with rASSmussen:

Pollster.com's President Obama's Approval ratings
http://tinyurl.com/ctkm4l

WITH rASS:
Approve: 54.7%
Disapprove: 40.4%
a net +14.3% rating

If you filter out rASSmussen:
Approve: 56.4%
Disapprove: 37.2%
a net +19.2% rating

If rASSmussen is good for anything, it's giggles.

Well you see Clint, Obama's parents immediately snapped that in case he grew up to be President, they'll need to fake his birth. That was a good job of thinking ahead, no?

Wow, I had seen only the one speaker (the birther) at Castle's townhall meeting. There's a compilation clip of the other speakers. They hit all the other wack topics too. There was ALOT of ignorance in that room.

From ‘Socialized Medicine’ To ‘Dead Baby Juice,’ GOP Moderate Faces Down Rabid Right-Wing Conspiracies
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/21/castle-townhall/

Great comments!

I'm lovin it!

Bad Day For 'Birthers' As Matthews Picks Up Where Sanchez Left Off

Earlier this afternoon, CNN's Rick Sanchez did a segment on the so-called "Birther" movement: that merry gang of wackjobs that gallivant around the country, bitching, moaning, and filing lawsuits because they believe President Barack Obama is not an American citizen. Rather, he is, in the fever swamps of their wretched imaginations, a citizen of Kenya, whose true citizenship has been covered up by an exciting conspiracy involving his parents, his friends, his in-laws, and government officials at all levels, from both parties, spanning several generations. And the malign goals of this conspiracy include...uhm...well, no one knows exactly! But it hardly matters. These are crazy people, who live in Crazytown, and eat, sleep, drink, bleed, and crap pure Nectar of Crazy all the days of their lives.

Earlier Rick Sanchez brought a copy of Obama's birth certificate on the air to debunk all the wackadoodle nonsense that Birtherdom holds dear. But I guess today is the day the media, after six months of the Obama presidency, finally decided they had the time to take on this issue. And so, on Hardball, Chris Matthews did his part for sanity, hosting California Congressman John Campbell, who is one of the Congressmen who have sponsored the "Birther bill" which "would require future presidential candidates to provide a copy of their original birth certificate." That bill's main sponsor is Florida Representative Bill Posey, who has never adequately explained to Stephen Colbert whether the rumors that his own mother is the mutant offspring of a human and an alligator are true.

Anyway, Matthews called the bill "crazy." Campbell retorted that it was all about "putting the matter to rest." I think that the matter, having been rested in the minds of all of those who can lay claim to functioning ones, does not require the attention of our Congress. But, Campbell insists that if John McCain had been elected, the same questions would be raised by other people. I think he's right! But those people would nevertheless be CRAZY PEOPLE.

Anyway, the exchange goes back and forth, with Campbell insisting that he's just supporting "implementing legislation" for the citizenship requirement, the absence of which is indicative of the Founders having given us far too much credit. Matthews accuses Campbell of merely "appeasing the wacko wing of his party," and suggests that he just mail a copy of Obama's birth certificate to all the insane people, which would probably violate his franking privileges.

Matthews ends up being right on the merits, and Campbell gives one of those "as far as I know" answers when pressed about Obama's citizenship, but I have to take Campbell's side on one thing. About five minutes in, Matthews starts brandishing Obama's birth certificate, hectoring Campbell to take a look at it. An exasperated Campbell finally protests, "I can't see it! I'm looking at a camera!"

Anyway, Sanchez this afternoon, Matthews this evening, but I'm honor bound to state that when it comes to the birther story, all reports should come stamped "MUST CREDIT DAVE WEIGEL OF THE WASHINGTON INDEPENDENT," because he has been straight killin' this story.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/21/bad-day-for-birthers-as-m_n_242378.html

******

Everyday is a good day for the "Birfers" - when you live in a state of delusion - why not?

Of course, everyone knows that birth announcements come from the hospital as a matter of "public notice" - not a call or request from individuals.

Well, not in the real world.

Alan is now to Freddie what Fox News Hounds is to Faux News. Alan repudiates with the real facts so we don't have to.

Thanks Alan!

Boy you trolls are spinning Barry's BC more than Barry's spinning that he's fixed the economy!

Funny stuff~~~

All Barry has to do is release his original BC to prove the birthers wrong.

What's he hiding?

Personally, I could care less that Barry's an undocumented citizen of the USA.

I leave this to the men and women in uniform that refuse to be sent to war under a false commander in chief!

My problem with Barry is his fucking up the economy beyond repair!