Democratic Mayor Bill De Blasio Takes Office in New York City

New York has an historic new mayor sworn in by President Bill Clinton.

Bill de Blasio formally becomes the 109th mayor of NYC http://t.co/eWjUtwnVLv

— Huffington Post (@HuffingtonPost) January 1, 2014

Bill De Blasio Sworn In As New York Mayor, Promises To Take 'Dead Aim' At Inequality http://t.co/LGc2IU8Uki via @HuffPostNY #uniteblue

— Doc Hamrick (@mch7576) January 2, 2014

Mt @NewsBreaker: Former Pres. Bill Clinton swears in Bill de Blasio as NYC mayor pic.twitter.com/vtnhqf50Av” Out w the OLD; in w the NEW

— Rainie Cole (@rainiecole) January 1, 2014

First Family of NYC after swearing in. Bill Clinton called them the real modern family #InaugNYC @NYDNBenChapman pic.twitter.com/3IYaw5XMTi

— zakiyah ansari (@zansari8) January 1, 2014

Democrat Mayor Bill De Blasio challenges New York's millionaires to help the NYC's grindingly poor #p2 #tpot http://t.co/mp1OsgdZKf

— The Baxter Bean (@TheBaxterBean) January 5, 2014

ACA for Idiots ~ Obama Explains it all Again to Bill and the Demo-Rats

First the Republicans demonized Obamacare as "Death Panels" and "Socialism."

They even tried to shut down the government in order to "repeal it." Didn't work.

It's true there have been problems with the website, but what website in history didn't have glitches? The poutrage from all sides on social media is astonishing since Twitter and Facebook have their own share of problems from hackers and spammers to the KoobFace virus.

But Obamacare has to be held to a higher standard. Why? Because of Obama Derangement Syndrome. This is ridiculous. People on the Left - especially in the media - have whined because the website didn't have Muzak, and whined because the roll-out was a "dismal failure."

The New York Times even compared the bad rollout of the ACA website to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina which killed thousands and left thousands more stranded without food and water. Really, New York Times?

Obama even apologized on TV to Chuck Todd of MSNBC in a cringeworthy interview which never should have happened. There's no reason to apologize to media shills since Obamacare hasn't even taken effect yet, and people are still mostly shopping for plans. I have no doubt these kinks in the system will be worked out by January. Millions have already gotten new coverage under the program, including young adults who can now stay on their parents healthcare plans until age 26. Like my daughter for instance, who stayed on the family coverage while in Law School and who now has to buy her own plan as a practicing attorney. Her financial adviser just told her today her best bet for coverage in the coming year is . . . wait for it . . . Obamacare.

Apparently President Bill Clinton didn't get the memo. You remember Bill, the guy who wasn't able to pass his own healthcare initiative while in office, but has now decided to babble about Obama's failure to launch. This has been another moment of chagrin for most Democrats who want to keep our party together in 2014. The hotter heads among us are already saying they will not vote for Hillary in 2016 if Bill is going to attack Obama. That can't be good.

From The Week

President Obama can thank Bill Clinton for the psycho-drama.
Instead of putting some steel into the spines of wavering Democrats, Clinton this week took the opportunity to rebuke the White House for its broken promise that no one would lose their health insurance under ObamaCare. The comments unleashed a no-holds-barred Democratic freak-out, pushing Obama to announce on Thursday a plan to make good on that vow.
. . . As one of the Democratic Party's most respected figures, his word still carries weight among the party faithful, particularly in red states where Obama is kryptonite. So when Clinton publicly chided the administration, it gave congressional Democrats acres of cover to do the same.

Yesterday it all came to a head as there was a revolt among Blue Dog House Democrats like Mary Landrieu of Louisiana who are trying to assauge angry vociferous voters in their districts whose health plans have been cancelled. This has actually affected a small number of Americans but you would think it was happening to every single person from the way the media is covering the story. The Emoprog media, Clinton and these turncoat-Demo-Rats apparently don't even understand what the whiners are whining about, or how ACA Obamacare works.

Why were the plans cancelled by these companies? Because their plans were craptastic to begin with, with high deductibles and almost no hospital coverage. The insurance companies who did this to customers weren't in compliance with the new law, so therefore had to cancel these ridiculous plans. Shall I add that any of those plans could have been cancelled for ANY reason even without Obamacare. Now that we have a "marketplace" of plans, all those policy owners have to do is go search out a new plan instead of whining to Fox and to their local Congressman.

And Bill Clinton needs a course in "ACA for Idiots."
Here's one good explanation of the whole deal from New Republic.



But of course President Obama, who is the nicest and most patient President this country has EVER had, at least in my lifetime, explained it all again in terms even an ex-President can understand. And he said if those silly people want an extension on their horrible coverage, they can have it. I'm not as nice as Barack Obama, so I say to them: Good luck with that. See you next year when you smack your head and sign up for Obamacare.

I'll let the President have the last word - Listen, People!!!

“I’m accused of a lot of things, but I don’t think I’m stupid enough to go around saying, ‘This is going to be like shopping on Amazon or Travelocity’ a week before the Web site opens if I thought that it wasn’t going to work.”
. . . And you know, buying health insurance is never going to be like buying a song on iTunes. You know, it’s just a much more complicated transaction.”

Obamacare Sign Up Begins Today!!!!

We had to endure years of waiting and a government shutdown by the Tea Party wing of the GOP, but as of today Obamacare is law and now folks can start signing up for exchanges in every state.

www.Healthcare.Gov

Find the Marketplace in Your State

Don't get discouraged if the websites go down. That is actually a good sign that millions are logging on to finally get health care. The actual coverage doesn't kick in until January, and you have until December to sign up, so don't panic.

It's 8 a.m. in the east. At this hour, Obamacare is live http://t.co/pdECi7EtRS
— HuffPost Politics (@HuffPostPol) October 1, 2013

Help get out the word about the #Obamacare health care exchange. Join me and change your avatar to this. #GetCovered pic.twitter.com/BycvPVif3i
— D Wasserman Schultz (@DWStweets) October 1, 2013

President Obama in Chattanooga

MY President came to MY hometown of Chattanooga! It was a great day with people lining Lee Highway and Bonny Oaks Drive with welcome signs hoping to catch a glimpse of the great man.

The Tea Party staged their own rally with "Impeach Obama" signs, but were restricted to the old Target Parking Lot for "security reasons" far away from Bonny Oaks and Amazon where the President made his speech. Ha - was it something they said, perhaps?

The Tennessee GOP made a silly video talking about how the President should "learn something" from the "Real Muricans" in our state - a state that gets plenty of government money, farm subsidies, etc. Luckily, Obama for America (OFA) had their own video welcoming video. The good definitely cancelled out the bad on this day.

#POTUSInCha #Obamanooga OFA-TN President Obama visits Chattanooga, TN Today!: http://t.co/OXBkNdEiTm via @youtube
— Jeanne K. (@SnarkAmendment) July 30, 2013

POTUS Tomorrow will tour the Amazon distribution center in Chattanooga and address workers on the warehouse floor at 2pm
— obamadailywire™ (@obamadailywire) July 30, 2013

Getting ready for Obama .. MT @OFA_TN: Chattanooga folks hard at work for #ABetterBargain! Join us at Kingdom Center! pic.twitter.com/s3DnGBle1J
— Carly Harrington (@knoxgirl75) July 29, 2013

RT @ofa_tn: Chattanooga welcomes President @BarackObama! pic.twitter.com/4ppfqamQwN
— Tennessee Democrats (@tndp) July 29, 2013

These Chattanooga folks are standing up for President Obama and #ABetterBargain. Stand up with us today! #ObamaTN pic.twitter.com/g70UJXpDxY
— OFA TN (@OFA_TN) July 29, 2013

Supporters gather outside Enterprise South entrance on Bonny Oaks Drive #POTUSinCHA pic.twitter.com/cybtNlbvXI
— Dan Kennedy (@DanOKennedy) July 30, 2013

Some Chattanooga kids are already chilling with POTUS #ObamaNooga #SeeBarackCity pic.twitter.com/cPTMaD6lAr
— Kate Belz (@katebelz) July 30, 2013

Best hashtag of the Day: #BarackCity #SeeRockCity #SeeBarackCity #PotusInCha
— Jeanne K. (@SnarkAmendment) July 30, 2013

Photo: People of #ChattanoogaTN we are trending WORLDWIDE #POTUSinCHA http://t.co/Xsce1v5d2A
— Tee (@MrFabulousTee) July 30, 2013

RT @internalex #Chattanooga is trending nationally on twitter. #Obamanooga
— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) July 30, 2013

#ObamaNooga #POTUSinCHA << so amused by these. so very much.
— Nikki (@shka_marie) July 30, 2013

Closing 153 from dam to I-75 both ways. I-75 from Brained Rd to Ootlewah. Includes all overpasses and ramps. Until about 1500. #ObamaNooga
— Leslie Gladney (@DeLore) July 30, 2013

Police escorts for #ObamaNooga motorcade waiting at Wilson Air Center: pic.twitter.com/SbzBqXGmT3
— James Harrison (@JamesNooga) July 30, 2013

#POTUS in my town today. Wish I could be their in the line to possibly get a glance. Happy he is in town. #POTUSinCha #Obama #Obamanooga
— CTucker (@mzcraydesigner) July 30, 2013

Hope the scenic city shows @BarackObama some southern hospitality today. Great publicity for a great city. #PotusInCHA
— Jacques McClendon (@jmcc65) July 30, 2013

Hahahaha!!! #FAIL RT @CliotheLeo Lol local tea party out in FORCE! http://t.co/wx802Sdn7Y #No #POTUSinCHA #Obama #p2
— Jeanne K. (@SnarkAmendment) July 30, 2013

Dude! Air force one just flew over my house! Then I ran inside and saw it land on TV! Haha.… #POTUS #POTUSinCHA http://t.co/THw3Ad6rAn
— Josiah King (@mrjosiahking) July 30, 2013

“@MattBarbourWRCB: Got a cool pic of Air Force One landing. #POTUSinCHA http://t.co/z2UJykhln9” Atta boy!
— Callie Starnes (@calliestarnes) July 30, 2013

The eagle has landed! #POTUSinCHA pic.twitter.com/2C4CZ7kAil
— lindsey garland (@sparkey_) July 30, 2013

Air Force One touching down in Chattanooga #POTUSinCHA @BarackObama pic.twitter.com/6flEZVFBMp
— Brian Jones (@brianj1084) July 30, 2013

Awesome!! RT @JamesMahonWDEF: #POTUSinCHA #ObamaNooga @wdefnews12 pic.twitter.com/7Cin6IDdpb
— Clio the Leo (@CliotheLeo) July 30, 2013

#POTUSinCHA pic.twitter.com/fqsmOtbC2Q
— LeeAnne (@leelercat) July 30, 2013

I don't care who you are, THIS is amazing! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 #POTUSinCHA pic.twitter.com/QCCNPwaQ72
— becca moser (@beccalynn178) July 30, 2013

Motorcade leaving the Chattanooga airport. #PotusInCha #Obamanooga pic.twitter.com/9DYEof0ggr
— Gondolfo Morgobard (@WBMcNally) July 30, 2013

#Obamanooga #CHAtraffic Presidential limo taking Lee Highway route!
— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) July 30, 2013

.@AndyBerke How completely pumped are you right now? #ObamaNooga #HanginWithThePOTUS
— Steve Hamaker (@Stevaker) July 30, 2013

I snapped a good picture of 'the beast' motorcade going by. #POTUSinCHA pic.twitter.com/N6OXKogBIO
— Brandon McGee (@mahabrando) July 30, 2013

TRAFFIC ADVISORY: Avoid Highway 153 & I-75 between I-24 interchange & Volkswagen exit! PLEASE RETWEET TO GET THE WORD OUT! #Obamanooga
— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) July 30, 2013

President Barack Obama chats with Chattanooga Mayor @andyberke #POTUSinCHA Watch LIVE http://t.co/cXcaPXOlcD
— WRCB-HD (@WRCB) July 30, 2013

~~~~~~~~~~
Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke Describes Limo Ride with Obama

After being one of the first people to welcome President Barack Obama to Chattanooga, Mayor Andy Berke described his ride from the airport to the Amazon fulfillment center in the presidential limousine, known as "the beast."

"No big deal," Berke joked.
But although the ride may have been brief, Berke said the face time with the president was invaluable for the city. Berke said that during their transit from the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport to Amazon, he shared stories of the city's success with Obama.

"The opportunity to spend a few minutes with the president of the United States comes only once in a lifetime," Berke said. "I certainly wanted to make sure that I portrayed Chattanooga in the best possible light because I think the president was genuinely curious about what we're doing here. It was a fantastic opportunity."

Berke said he and the president discussed items such as the city's record Internet speeds, efforts to reform education in the state and Chattanooga in general.

~~~~~~~~~~

The most powerful man in the world is in my city . . Only thing that would be better than this is if he had a UT Vols tie on #POTUSINCHA
— BrentW (@Whitesiderz12) July 30, 2013

Local TN station @WDEFnews12 is playing *soap operas* instead of covering #POTUSINCHA President @Obama visit...shame on them!
— Bradley Democrats (@BradleyDemocrat) July 30, 2013

Entire CHA City Council, 6 of 9 county commissioners present at Amazon for Obama's speech, via @chrismanderson. #POTUSinCHA #ObamaNooga
— Nooga.com (@NoogaNews) July 30, 2013

The President is here at Amazon. We're told he's touring the facility while we wait near podium. #POTUSinCHA
— Cindy Sexton (@CindySexton3) July 30, 2013

Faces in the crowd: Amazon employees enjoying a paid day off #POTUSinCHA pic.twitter.com/jsd63OlDMK
— David Carroll (@DAVIDCARROLL3) July 30, 2013

.@LamarAlexander paying to promote his tweets critical of Obama during #POTUSinCHA trip pic.twitter.com/8tokMGbMvG
— Lester Black (@leaf_lester) July 30, 2013

Secret Service and #Cha Police everywhere. They see everything you don't. #POTUSinCHA pic.twitter.com/S8m81jBr0s
— Antwan Harris (@antwanharris) July 30, 2013

that's one: NPR reported on President's speech from Chatt-nooga. THERE'S AN A IN THERE. #obamanooga #POTUSinCHA
— Bo Wheeler (@EBWheeler3) July 30, 2013

@WRCB reports thousands of #POTUSINCHA supporters! Way to go TN Dems!
— Bradley Democrats (@BradleyDemocrat) July 30, 2013

Shame all the new jobs here and this red state still can't give PBO credit for creating jobs. #POTUSinCHA @newschannelnine
— Curtis (@cfreelakers24) July 30, 2013

Obama should stop by McKay on his way back from Amazon! #POTUSinCHA
— Phil Haymaker (@PhilHaymaker) July 30, 2013

Has anyone seen @RepChuck Fleischmann? Someone should tell him POTUS is here. #whereschuck #disgrace #ObamaNooga
— Chris Anderson (@chrismanderson) July 30, 2013

Pretty sure the President is going to either crowd surf in, or fly across the crowd like Beyonce. #POTUSinCHA
— Ian Harper (@Harper_Ian) July 30, 2013

Loving the TN crowd. Every time they spot movement, they scream in delight then groan when they realize it's not POTUS. #POTUSInCHA
— Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) July 30, 2013

Chattanooga is awesome sauce! Welcome President Obama! #POTUSinCHA
— Tony Burgess (@tonyburgess1969) July 30, 2013

#PotusinCHA @WRCB. Warm welcome for the President today reflects well on Chattanooga. pic.twitter.com/b7djyGHSFD
— Eleanor Cooper (@elecooper) July 30, 2013

Speaking at Amazon RT @chloenooga: Picture of #POTUS #ObamaNooga pic.twitter.com/bTd5K3DhCx
— Philip Wade (@Brandywinebooks) July 30, 2013

LOL! Someone in the audience just told PBO to "PREACH!" #Obamanooga
— Curtis (@cfreelakers24) July 30, 2013

#ObamaNooga #POTUSinCHA Obama shaking lots of hands as John Phillip Souza's "Stars and Stripes" plays.
— Pamela Harris, Ph.D. (@PamMHarris) July 30, 2013

I'm about to stand on my desk, open my office door and sing, "my Country tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty" #ObamaNooga
— AB (@AB_dotcom) July 30, 2013

I liked when PBO said needlessly voting to repeal Obamacare 40 times is NOT a jobs plan. #Obamanooga
— Curtis (@cfreelakers24) July 30, 2013

“@PATRICKHENRYUSA: Tea Party came to protest Obama in Chattanooga. This is a Red state, go home communist. pic.twitter.com/SxqB3tafPo” well done
— Michael Berry (@MichaelBerrySho) July 31, 2013

New Image of Chattanooga - Dem Mayor Berke and Pres. Obama speed by in Limo while #TeaParty yells at sky @NatureWoman63
— Jeanne K. (@SnarkAmendment) August 1, 2013

High Noon for Texas Women

Crews setting up stage, barricades for pro choice rally at Capitol today. 6,000+ expected #txlege pic.twitter.com/FiTQfs6m89

— Adam Bennett (@AdamBennettTV) July 1, 2013

Activists on both sides of #Abortion debate expected at Capitol Monday. #ProChoice rallies at 10am, 12pm. #ProLife at 2pm. #TxLege #HB2 #SB9

— The Horn (@TweetTheHorn) July 1, 2013

I'll see you at the TX Capitol tomorrow to support Wendy Davis and women's rights.

— Natalie Maines (@1NatalieMaines) July 1, 2013

From Raw Story

Thousands of Texans on both sides of the abortion divide will descend on the state capitol in Austin on Monday, at the start of a special legislative session designed to pass a bill that would sharply restrict abortion services in the state.

More than 5,000 people have signed up to a “Stand With Texas Women” rally, to be staged at noon on the steps of the Capitol. The rally is being billed as a continuation of the dramatic scenes last week, when 400 pro-choice advocates staged a loud protest in the state senate chamber following Wendy Davis’s epic 10-hour filibuster that blocked the controversial bill, SB 5.



Anti-abortionists will stage their own rally in support of the new legislative session that the Texas governor, Rick Perry, called shortly after Davis’s filibuster ended. Some 700 pro-life campaigners have signed up to the rally called by Texas Alliance for Life.



. . . In the course of almost 11 hours of filibuster, Davis was required to speak in the chamber without pause, standing and without leaning on anything. Her extraordinary endurance propelled her into the national political limelight, and sent the pair of training shoes she wore rocketing up the sales charts.

Read More at Snark Amendment:
Wendy Davis and Texas Democrats Filibuster SB5 Abortion Bill
Governor Rick Perry Attacks Wendy Davis

Ed Marksberry Hopes to #DitchMitch McConnell in 2014 Kentucky Senate Race

Here's a great video by Ed Marksberry, who is running in the Democratic Primary in Kentucky and hoping to "Ditch Mitch" McConnell from the Senate in 2014.

Catchy song with great lyrics written by Marksberry himself! I like him! :)




Donate Here to the Marksberry Campaign
Ed Marksberry on Twitter
Ed Marksberry for Senate Facebook Page
YouTube Channel Here

Via Hillbilly Report

For Immediate Release
April 18, 2013
Lela Graham
info@marksberry2014.com

Marksberry for Senate Releases “What About Us”

The Marksberry for Senate campaign has released a song, “What about Us” which was written and performed by Democratic Senate candidate, Ed Marksberry and will be the theme of the Senate race against Mitch McConnell. On top of being a small businessman, veteran and community activist we can add singer and songwriter to Ed's resume.

Ed Marksberry is running a campaign that is about the hard working people that have been forgotten by their current representation in Washington. The song is about all those who have been left behind.

Ed’s campaign is proving to be a fresh new style that will not only resonate with the hard working people of Kentucky but will give them a candidate that is not a career politician corrupted by the influence of money.

You can find the song on www.marksberry2014.com

The State of the Union in Pictures

Complete State of the Union Speech Transcript as Delivered












Ted Nugent in the House as GOP "Guest"

















GOP Women NOT clapping for Equal Pay

Hillary Rocked Both Houses of Congress

I was so glad to see Hillary Clinton so fiesty with Congress after her recent illness. Of course the Tea Party didn't cut her any slack - she was grilled mercilessly by Congressmen and Senators over the Benghazi incident. Chris Matthews compared her to Gulliver among the Lilliputians, a giant among the little people, in Jonathan Swift's famous novel. Their questions were really ad hominem attacks used to boost their own pitiful careers with an ever-diminishing GOP. The Good Old Boys belched out Fox News talking points that bore little resemblance to reality. "Read the report," Hillary kept saying to them, because it was obvious they hadn't read anything, and were playing "gotcha" more than trying to get to the bottom of the murders of four government officials.

Poseurs like John McCain were especially egregious. He has been using Benghazi since before the election to help himself to another committee chairmanship (Harry Reid nixed that idea) and to wring out more air-time on Sunday morning talk shows. He pretended that Benghazi is somehow different from every other overseas attack, as if this time we should have known from the first moment everything that happened and why. McCain, who has more top secret security clearance than almost anyone, surely knows better. His performance was disingenuous faux-outrage. By contrast Hillary appeared dignified and full of common sense.

The joke of the day was when Senator Rand Paul said if he had been President, he would have fired Hillary for not reading every telegram from Benghazi. President? Delusions of grandeur much? Not to mention the fact that if George W. Bush had read all his telegrams and reports from, say, FBI agents here in the United States, then 911 need not have happened either. Right, Senator Paul? 3000 people died in that attack, plus thousands more over the course of two wars longer than any our military has ever engaged. But please, Senator Paul, proceed with your delusional life. We all know Hillary is much more likely to be President someday, not you.

More Quotes and Tweets from her Day on the Hill:
Snark Amendment: Hillary Kicks Butt on Benghazi


With all due respect, the fact is we had four dead Americans. Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk last night who decided to kill some Americans? What difference at this point does it make? It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, Senator.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Goodbye to Traitor Joe Lieberman

Farewell Joe Lieberman! The only good thing to come out of the 2000 election debacle is that you were never one heartbeat away from the Presidency. And I say that as someone who voted for you then realized later we didn't know enough about you.

For instance, in 2009 Lieberman earned the nickname "Traitor Joe" for joining the Republican filibuster against universal health care. Why? Because he was so well-funded by the Insurance Industry, and didn't want to upset them.

There was even a Limerick Written About Him:

A Limerick For Traitor Joe
By Madeleine Begun Kane

Joe Lieberman’s meanness runs deep.
He’s a back-stabbing, Dem-screwing creep,
Who’s determined to kill
The health reform bill.
But at least he will never be VEEP.

Paul Begala on Traitor Joe

. . . the “I” does not stand for "Independent." It stands for "Insurance Industry."

Lieberman says he will join a Republican filibuster against President Obama's health-insurance reforms. You could see this coming from a mile away—actually from 15 years away.

In 1993 and 94, Lieberman consistently opposed President Clinton's reform bill—which did not have a public option. In case you're keeping score at home, Lieberman will filibuster the Obama plan, which has a public option, and he opposed the Clinton reform plan, which did not. Anything that protects consumers, it seems, is a bridge too far for Sen. Lieberman.

Lieberman sided with insurance companies against sick people, and with insurance companies against citizens who want to sue to protect their rights in court. As The New York Times reported, "Many of Mr. Lieberman's friends said he had no alternative but to take this position because it was the one favored by the insurance industry. The industry is important to Connecticut's economy and has generously donated to Mr. Lieberman's campaigns over the years."

More recently, Lieberman joined with his two amigos, John McCain and Lindsey Graham, in some happy warmongering, which they all enjoy so much.
Alex Pareene on Salon

The three amigos of death are back with a hot new Washington Post joint editorial, and you’ll never guess what they’re recommending this time! (War.)

Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., are three of the most respected foreign policy experts in all of Washington. They became three of the most respected foreign policy experts in Washington by following a simple, one-step plan: Always demand more war, everywhere.

Back in 2009, Lieberman suddenly wanted to go bomb-bomb-bomb Iran, sounding much like Republican warmonger Mitt Romney during the election instead of an Ex-Democratic Independent:
From CBS News

"I think we've got to be prepared to take aggressive military action against the Iranians to stop them from killing Americans in Iraq," Lieberman told Bob Schieffer. "And to me, that would include a strike into... over the border into Iran, where we have good evidence that they have a base at which they are training these people coming back into Iraq to kill our soldiers."

The Independent former Democrat from Connecticut said that he was not calling for an invasion of Iran, but he did say the U.S. should target specific training camps.
"I think you could probably do a lot of it from the air, but they can't believe that they have immunity for training and equipping people to come in and kill Americans," Lieberman said.

Lieberman, who has been one of Congress's most outspoken supporters of the Bush administration's Iraq war policies, said that continuing the fight in Iraq and confronting Iran are necessary for achieving a wider peace in the Middle East.
If the U.S. does not act against Iran, "they'll take that as a sign of weakness on our part and we will pay for it in Iraq and throughout the region and ultimately right here at home," Lieberman said.

Dana Milbank on WaPo: Joe's Sad Send-Off

It was a lonely farewell for Joe Lieberman.

When the senior senator from Connecticut stood to give his parting address Wednesday afternoon, just one of his colleagues, Delaware Democrat Tom Carper, was with him on the Senate floor.

Lieberman was excommunicated by his party (he won as an independent in 2006 after losing the Democratic primary) and retired this year rather than face probable defeat. Yet he received little love from the Republicans, either, because despite his apostasies on key issues — the Iraq war, above all — he remained a fairly reliable vote for the Democrats.

The sparse attendance wasn’t unusual for a farewell speech, but it was a sad send-off for a man who was very close in 2000 to becoming a major figure in American political history as the first Jew on a major party’s national ticket. He was denied the vice presidency not by the voters but by the Supreme Court. As he joked in his farewell speech, he was “grateful to have received a half-million more votes than my opponent on the other side — but that’s a longer story.”

Six years later, he was drummed out of his party because of his willingness to embrace Republicans (he received a kiss from George W. Bush after a State of the Union address).

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Michigan Mess: Governor Snyder Guts the Unions

Oh, here we go again, just as in Wisconsin, the Republicans are going after the Unions. What bothers me the most is the lack of transparency and sunshine in the way this Michigan law was struck, with almost no public discussion, and therefore the citizens have been railroaded again. Suddenly springing a new law on a state as large as this, especially with the long history of unions connected to the auto industry is shocking. without public input the process is anti-democracy - not that the GOP cares about that anymore.

This whole thing smells of the Koch Brothers and other out-of-state groups. They must think if they can't win a national election, they will buy a few state governors and wreak havoc.





Huffington Post

Gov. Rick Snyder (R) officially made Michigan a "right-to-work" state on Tuesday, signing into law two bills that significantly diminish the power of unions.

"I have signed these bills into law. ... We are moving forward on the topic of workplace fairness and equality," he said at a press conference on Tuesday evening, just hours after the state House passed the bills.

Right-to-work laws forbid contracts between companies and unions that require all workers to pay the union for bargaining on their behalf. Although business groups and conservatives cast the issue in terms of workplace freedom, unions note that the laws allow workers to opt out of supporting the union although they reap the benefits of the collective bargaining. Since the laws tend to weaken unions generally, unions, as well as President Barack Obama, call the legislation "right to work for less."

. . . Throughout the day, at least 12,500 protesters showed up at the Capitol in Lansing. The gathering occasionally turned ugly, with punches thrown and pepper spray dispersed.

The GOP-controlled state legislature had fast-tracked the two bills, which authorize right-to-work measures for public and private unions in the state, bypassing the normal committee process and public input period.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Elizabeth Warren Will Serve on Banking Committee

Sources told Huffington Post today that Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-MA, has been tapped to serve on the Banking Committee. This is happy news and a coup for Democrats since Warren, a consumer advocate and economics expert, was blocked by Republicans from serving as head of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau during Obama's first term.

From Wall Street Journal

Ms. Warren, who beat Republican Sen. Scott Brown for the Senate seat in November, emerged as a high-profile Wall Street critic after the financial crisis and hit on many of the same populist themes during her campaign. "Wall Street CEOs, the same ones who wrecked our economy...still strut around Congress...demanding favors," she said in her speech at the Democratic National Convention in September.

She embraced several policy positions that bankers dislike, including calling for a return to Glass-Steagall, the Depression-era law that separated commercial and investment banks.

. . . Several financial industry officials admit they're concerned about Ms. Warren being on the panel, given her policy positions and industry criticisms, but they said they don't know of any banks or lobbyists working against her selection.

With Ms. Warren on the banking panel, it may be harder for Republican critics of that agency and the banking industry to win any changes, such as replacing its director with a bipartisan commission structure.

Nancy Pelosi Schools Young Luke Russert

Yesterday Nancy Pelosi announced she will be staying on as House Minority Leader, which caused young whippersnapper Luke Russert of MSNBC to ask her a rather ill-thought-out question that bordered on age discrimination and was boo'ed by the other ladies from Congress on stage with Pelosi.

Pelosi was announcing her intent to remain in post as the leader of the minority caucus in the House. Russert asked whether this choice was blocking younger members who wanted to move up in the party.

"Some of your colleagues privately say that your decision to stay on prohibits the party from having a younger leadership and hurts the party in the long term," he said. "What's your response?"


"Age discrimination!" some of Pelosi's colleagues shouted. "Boo!"


"Next!" Pelosi cried, adding, "Oh, you've always asked that question, except to Mitch McConnell!" The women behind her applauded.


Russert pressed on. "No, excuse me," he said. "You, Mr. Hoyer, Mr. Clyburn, you're all over 70. Is your decision to stay on prohibiting younger members from moving forward?"


"Let's for a moment honor it as a legitimate question, although it's quite offensive," Pelosi responded. "You don't realize that, I guess." She went on to say that she had no concerns about the question Russert raised, adding flatly, "the answer is no."

Republicans: Where Do They Go Now?

Great discussion of Nate Silver's Electoral Analysis by Young Turks - video below.

They make the point that Nate made one mistake because he believed the "tipping point" state would be Ohio. This time that wasn't the case - it was Colorado. Even if Obama had lost the popular vote by losing Florida and Virginia, he still would have won the electoral college by winning Colorado. That's remarkable!

Cenk Uyger: Virginia went to President Obama by a larger margin than the president won the national popular vote. Which means that Virginia is more Democratic than the average state. . . . (The Republicans) have nowhere to go! They are up the creek and the paddle got left behind years ago.

Michael Shure: There are states now where the Democrats - we always say Arizona, but I think Arizona is a couple of election cycles away from the Democrats. But Nevada is now a blue state. It's a blue state because of the changing demographic there, the population. It's a union state. Retirees are going further south. It seems to me, even with the high unemployment in Nevada, that it's a blue state.

John Iadarola: Obama lost North Carolina to Romney by about two points, and by contrast, Al Gore, who won the popular vote, lost it by 13 points. So ...(Dems) are making massive inroads even there.

Nate Silver's 538 Blog with Chart (see below on this page)

Cenk Uygur, Michael Shure (political correspondent, TYT and Current TV) and John Iadarola (Host, TYT University) break down the numbers and discuss where the GOP could possibly go from this point, and what they can do.

Nate Silver, Polls and Arithmatic

Well, Nate Silver was right. Exactly right. He couldn't have been more right. His Monte Carlo models for 2012 accurately predicted the number of electoral votes each candidate would receive, as well as which states would go blue for Obama. Well-done, Sir. You have now become part of election history, and I'm glad you also stuck to your guns when others were taunting you and with Politico calling you a "one-term celebrity." I guess they should have said "Won Term Celebrity."

What's important is that you get the last laugh. :) I think you'll be around in the next election. I'm not sure about the hacks at Breitbart or those guys from Politico. What were their names again?

Excerpt of Silver's Book "The Signal and the Noise" via Daily Beast

Political news, and especially the important news that really affects the campaign, proceeds at an irregular pace. But news coverage is produced every day. Most of it is filler, packaged in the form of stories that are designed to obscure its unimportance. Not only does political coverage often lose the signal—it frequently accentuates the noise.

Snark Amendment: Pundits Wagering War on Nate Silver
Previous Posts on Nate Silver and the Polls



The Romney camp was "shellshocked" over the fact that the Republican-leaning polls were the ones that were skewed, since the party-line had been the opposite for months.

Rush, Dick and Rove Skewed into Frenzy by Polls

In the last days of the campaign, people were coming out of the woodwork to predict a landslide, which had nothing to do with the reality of the polls, most of which showed Obama ahead at that time. I gathered up their quotes and tweets here:

Snark Amendment: Republicans Predict Romney Landslide

Yeah, the GOP got a landslide, all right. They are going to be digging their way out of it for years to come!



I think one reason ordinary voters drank that Kool-Aid in addition to the Romney Camp, was that some spineless pundits in the mainstream were hedging bets on the outside chance that all the Democratic pollsters were A. Delusional and B. Liars. For instance, CNN kept talking about the "razor thin margin" which somehow gave the advantage to Mitt instead of Obama, when their own internal polling showed otherwise. Chris Cillizza at Washington Post moved Ohio into the "toss-up" column just because Romney needed it so much to win.

The Dems who took a "poll of polls" approach and checked in with statisticians and oddsmakers were not nearly as confused. Yes, we were also nervous and scared about the unknown outcome, yes, but we were not AS confused about the data. And in the end, this election was all about the math.

Bookmark these websites for future elections - math works!

538.com - Nate Silver
ElectoralVote.com
Princeton - Sam Wang
PredictWise


Below is a list compiled by professor Costas Panagopoulos, Ph.D. of Fordham University. It shows which pollsters did a good job of accurately predicting the election outcome. It's a good idea to save this list for the next election so you can avoid the polls from CNN down to AP because those were the most biased and least accurate.

Fordham University List of Pollsters Ranked from Most Accurate to Least Accurate

Most (22) polls overestimated Romney support, while six (6)
overestimated Obama strength (indicated with a * below), but none of the 28 national preelection polls I examined had a significant partisan bias.
The following list ranks the 28 organizations by the predictive accuracy of their final, national pre-election estimates (as reported on pollster.com).

1. Ipsos/Reuters
2. YouGov
3. PPP (D)
3. Daily Kos/SEIU/PPP
4. Angus-Reid*
5. ABC/WP*
6. Pew Research*
6. Hartford Courant/UConn*
7. Purple Strategies
8. NBC/WSJ
8. CBS/NYT
8. YouGov/Economist
9. UPI/CVOTER
10. IBD/TIPP
11. Democracy Corps (D)*
12. CNN/ORC
12. Monmouth/SurveyUSA
12. Politico/GWU/Battleground
12. FOX News
12. Washington Times/JZ Analytics
12. Newsmax/JZ Analytics
12. American Research Group
12. Gravis Marketing
13. National Journal*
14. Rasmussen
14. Gallup
15. NPR
16. AP/GfK

Emanuel Cleaver on Fire at DNC

  gif via jajsdoiuhasigyad.tumblr

This speech, which was part of the Black Congressional Caucus, wasn't shown in prime time and therefore many of us missed it. But I kept seeing tweets about how amazing Emanuel Cleaver was so I tracked it down.

He is on fire, preaching to the choir, and hopefully will inspire! :)

Oh, and he is totally off-script and ad-libbing this!

Cleaver's speech begins at 5:37 on this video:



"Now I greatly respect my Republican colleagues and their ideas. But make no mistake: I am proud to be a Democrat. I am proud to be a member of this great party. And we have, in many instances, been hit: 'They are liberal, they are progressive.'

"Look, if being liberal and progressive means that I care for children and whether they go hungry, color me! Color me a Democrat! If being a Democrat means I'm concerned about our seniors in the sunset of their life, color me Democrat! Color me liberal! After all, we are the ones who protected Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, who fought for fair wages and who ended 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' We are Democrats! And don't you ever forget it!"

~~~~~~~

"There is something essential in the human spirit that searches for hope. We are driven by hope. President Barack Obama has been lampooned for speaking of hope; hope for a better America. I want to encourage our president and all of us to continue to hope for an America that remembers, recognizes, and fervently protects its greatness."

"Yes, Mr. President, hope on. Continue to hope, Mr. President. No matter what, Mr. President, you continue to hope! As long as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob sits on the throne of grace, hope on! Hope on! Hope on! We are people of hope, Mr. President! Hope on! Hope on! When everything else is gone, hope on!"

~~~~~~~

"Hope inspires me to believe that any day now, we will catch up to the ideals put forth by our nation's founding fathers. ... It is our hope and faith that reminds us to pray and also affirms that we must move our feet. It is our hope that tells us our latter days will be better than our former. It is our hope that instructs us to march on!"
(marching in place)
"And march on! And march on, means marching through our communities and to make sure everyone is registered and ready to vote."

~~~~~~~

Let me erase some confusion. Let me tell you something. There are people who poke fun at us Democrats. They say we go to far with this inclusion stuff. They say that we have a caucus for tall people and caucus for short people and a caucus for people who don't fit into any other caucus.
But let me just tell you - God did not burden the United States with the diversity of backgrounds, ideas and religions. He BLESSED America with them!

Obama Jokes About Republican Convention

This is just hilarious! Obama pokes the Republican Convention with some delicious snark. I'm sure we'll hear more of this next week at the Dem Convention in Charlotte ~ I can't wait!

Last week the other party gave you their pitch at the convention down in Florida.

(crowd boos)

Don't boo ~ vote!

(crowd cheers)

It was something to behold. Despite all the challenges that we face in this new century what they offered over those three days was, more often than not, an agenda that was better suited for the last century. It was a re-run. We'd seen it before.

You might as well have watched it on a black-and-white TV.

If you didn't DVR it, let me recap it for you: Everything's bad, it's Obama's fault, and Governor Romney is the only one who knows the secret to creating jobs and growing the economy. That was the pitch.

There was a lot of talk about hard truths and bold choices, (laughs) but no one ever bothered to tell you what they were.

And when Governor Romney had his chance to let you in on his secret, he did not offer a single new idea. Just retreads of the same old policies that have been sticking it to the middle class for years. They talked a lot about me. They talked a lot about him. But they didn't say much about you.

Reid Sees Hypocrisy in Romney Louisiana Trip

In his speech to the Republican National Convention last night, Mitt said:

President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet. MY promise...is to help you and your family.

This line got a big cheer from the anti-science crowd in Tampa, but the appalling irony is what all those nice dry overfed people weren't thinking about ~ the devastation of New Orleans in Hurricane Isaac going on simultaneously to the Republican Convention. We can assume they were just glad the storm went west and didn't flood their little get-together. Who cares about Louisiana, right?

But today in a strange turnaround, Mitt Romney visited Louisiana to commiserate with his little buddy, Governor Bobby Jindal. Nice photo-op for both of them - just ignore that rising water, ha ha ha.

Official Honey Badger of the Democratic Party, Harry Reid is calling them out on their hypocrisy.

Huffington Post Story

"It is the height of hypocrisy for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan to make a pretense of showing sympathy for the victims of Hurricane Isaac when their policies would leave those affected by this disaster stranded and on their own," Reid said in a statement.

Romney visited Lafitte, La., Friday to meet with Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) and first responders to the hurricane. "I'm here to learn and obviously to draw some attention to what's going here,” Romney told Jindal, according to a pool report. "So that people around the country know that people [down] here need help."

But Reid didn't see it that way. He used the visit as an opportunity to bring up Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) budget, which he said would "gut disaster funding, making it much harder to get aid to our fellow Americans in their time of need."

"This is yet another example of Mitt Romney's extreme right wing agenda, which asks middle class families to sacrifice in order to protect millionaires and billionaires from paying their fair share," Reid said.

"Elect Obama Now" Song Catchy and Old-Timey!

This is a cute, catchy and pleasantly old-fashioned election song for Obama! And a nice inspirational video to get you jazzed for the election. :)

Ohio's Racist Voting Agenda on Display

(Unless you are African American and Want to Vote)
What is going on with Republicans this weekend? Are they finally losing all their marbles over the fact that they are going to lose in November? We have Paul Ryan yesterday saying his foreign policy cred is all about voting for war, Todd Akin from Missouri discussing "legitimate" rape, and now this guy from Ohio admitting that the powers that be don't want black people to vote, period, and are doing everything they can to stop it.

I hope this is a trend . . . It can only be good for Obama & the Dems. :)

A member of the Ohio Board of Elections, Doug Preisse, who just voted to ban weekend voting for everyone, now says he did it to stop the "African-American-Voter-Turnout-Machine." Hmm, I didn't know Ohio had one of those, thanks for demanding that they quote you, LOL.

You cannot make this stuff up!

From the Columbus Dispatch

I guess I really actually feel we shouldn’t contort the voting process to accommodate the urban — read African-American — voter-turnout machine,” said Doug Preisse, chairman of the county Republican Party and elections board member who voted against weekend hours, in an email to The Dispatch. “Let’s be fair and reasonable.”

He called claims of unfairness by Ohio Democratic Chairman Chris Redfern and others “bullshit. Quote me!”

Well, he may wish he hadn't been quoted because the internet exploded with people calling for the ACLU and the Defense Department to stop holding back and do something about Ohio voter suppression.

By tonight, Preisse was backtracking somewhat and probably wishing he hadn't sent that email to the newspaper. But these guys just aren't too smart, so he told BuzzFeed several times that the African-American voters are a "political operation." He makes it sound as if Ohio has declared war on black voters, and we all have a right to be ticked off and fighting mad about such talk. :(


Interview with BuzzFeed

In an interview with BuzzFeed, Franklin County GOP Chairman Doug Preisse, a close ally of Governor John Kasich, said his comment — which provoked Democratic outrage — was simply straight talk.

Democrats "are trying to say that I had somehow consciously constrained hours for that purpose," Preisse said. "No, I am saying the opposite, that I am asking the question, and I am indeed questioning how far this process of democratic, small ‘d’, democratic voting process should be contorted to favor a political operation. I don’t think we should go overboard in doing that."

. . . Preisse scoffed at the criticism, telling BuzzFeed of a disputed voting plan put forth by Republican Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, "I believe it should be easy to vote, and I believe that under this plan it is.

"I believe that Republicans and Democrats of good will can have a difference of opinion, an honest difference of opinion here, but I also believe that there is no question that the forces of Obama and the other side of the aisle would love to just throw the barn doors open and have 24-hour voting and just go too far in the other direction," Preisse said. "It seems to me we can have a reasonable discussion about this."

Of Democrats' early voting efforts, he said, "How far should the taxpayers be asked to go to accommodate that political operation? That’s where we’re having a difference of opinion."