July 3, 2009
Palin Resigning
Sarah Palin is resigning as governor of Alaska.
You know, position flexible also.
UPDATE: Video via Paddy. This speech (or stream of conscious nonsensical ramble) absolutely goes into the WTF? hall of fame:
The water fowl in the background made me spit out my beverage. It sounds like they're mocking her -- "BAHAHAHA! WHAH-WHAH!" Also, did she suggest that the world needs more children born with Down's?
Anyway, it sounds like her excuse is that she's quitting in order to practice not being a doof in time for 2012.
UPDATE 2: Via the comments, Ed Rollins on CNN:
Republican strategist and CNN contributor Ed Rollins said, to a certain extent, Palin's announcement makes her look "terribly inept.""I think everyone is shocked by this, and I think to a certain extent everyone is going to assume there's another story. You don't just quit with a year and a half to go. You certainly don't do this as a stepping stone to run for president. You finish the job that you're in, and obviously she's not doing that," he said.
And when reached for comment, the water fowl in the background said: "BAHAHAHA. WHAH. WHAH! BEHEHEHE!"
Filed under: Position Flexible || Sarah Palin
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 3, 2009 3:57 PM | Comments (38)
Quote of the Day
"God killed Michael Jackson to save your ass -- and you gave another interview?!?" —Jon Stewart to Mark Sanford
Filed under: Mark Sanford || Michael Jackson || Quote of the Day || The Daily Show
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 3, 2009 2:29 PM | Comments (5)
More Harry Reid Spinelessness
“I don’t dictate how people vote,” he said in an interview this month. “If it’s an important vote, I try to tell them how important it is to the Senate, the country, the president … But I’m not very good at twisting arms. I try to be more verbal and non-threatening. So there are going to be—I’m sure—a number of opportunities for people who have different opinions not to vote the way that I think they should. But that’s the way it is. I hold no grudges.”
I'm begging you, Nevada -- find a killer Democrat to challenge this guy in the primary. Or just replace him with an actual jellyfish.
Filed under: Harry Reid
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 3, 2009 12:19 PM | Comments (9)
Bloomberg Endorses the Public Option
Today, most Americans get their health coverage from private insurers. A public health insurance option would create a competitor to private insurers that could potentially drive down costs across the board. I support the concept of a public plan, because if it's done right, it means introducing exactly the kind of competition our system needs.
Bah. Bloomberg is such a socialist.
Filed under: Healthcare || Michael Bloomberg
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 3, 2009 10:39 AM | Comments (6)
On the Radio
I'll be on the Young Turks today at around 12:20PM eastern talking healthcare, COCS and the public option.
UPDATE: Going on any second now.
UPDATE 2: All done!
Filed under: Radio Show || The Young Turks
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 3, 2009 8:42 AM | Comments (1)
China Wins Again
Another reason why the Republicans need to be ignored:
As the United States takes its first steps toward mandating that power companies generate more electricity from renewable sources, China already has a similar requirement and is investing billions to remake itself into a green energy superpower.
Yeah, we could've been a green energy superpower, but the Republicans (and more than a few spineless Democrats) would rather dick around and do nothing. Because Pat Buchanan and Rush Limbaugh think it's a hoax and Glenn Beck thinks that exhaling produces greenhouse gasses. And Brawndo's got electrolytes!
As long as America champions stupidity, we'll be left behind again and again and again.
Filed under: Environment || Glenn Beck || Green Energy || Idiocracy
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 3, 2009 8:31 AM | Comments (1)
Morning Awesome
Not everyone is happy about the return of Lance Armstrong. The 96th Tour de France begins tomorrow!
Adding... Boonen is in. Suck it, Cavendish.
Filed under: Awesome || Cycling
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 3, 2009 6:00 AM | Comments (5)
July 2, 2009
Doof Quote of the Day
"Sarah Palin held her own in the debate." —Roger Simon on MSNBC
Seriously?
Here's Sarah Palin in the debate describing the role of the vice president -- the job she was running for:
I'm thankful the Constitution would allow a bit more authority given to the vice president if that vice president so chose to exert it in working with the Senate and making sure that we are supportive of the president's policies and making sure too that our president understands what our strengths are.
And...
Well, our founding fathers were very wise there in allowing through the Constitution much flexibility there in the office of the vice president. And we will do what is best for the American people in tapping into that position and ushering in an agenda that is supportive and cooperative with the president's agenda in that position. Yeah, so I do agree with him that we have a lot of flexibility in there, and we'll do what we have to do to administer very appropriately the plans that are needed for this nation. And it is my executive experience that is partly to be attributed to my pick as V.P. with McCain, not only as a governor, but earlier on as a mayor, as an oil and gas regulator, as a business owner. It is those years of experience on an executive level that will be put to good use in the White House also.
Uhhhh.
Filed under: Doof Quote of the Day || Roger Simon || Sarah Palin
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 2, 2009 9:08 PM | Comments (5)
WTF?
MSNBC is seriously preempting Rachel Maddow tonight for the "countdown" to the Michael Jackson memorial?
Good effing gravy. Very serious!
And you know, there's a special place in hell for that old lady on MSNBC who's whole thing is to rip the guy apart. I'm no fan of Jackson, but this old gasbag is the worst of the worst.
UPDATE: The lead story on Countdown (Shuster hosting) was the emergence of the "final" Michael Jackson video. Just awful, awful, awful.
Filed under: Michael Jackson || MSNBC || Very Serious || WTF?
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 2, 2009 7:39 PM | Comments (13)
New Huffington Post Column
Time for President Obama to Throw Down Against the Corrupt and Spineless
Enjoy and Digg often.
Filed under: Healthcare || Huffington Post
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 2, 2009 3:25 PM | Comments (15)
Washington Post All Access!
by Lee Stranahan
Do you have any like, ya know...lingering doubts that our political system and media are corrupt?
Politico reported Thursday morning on a flier being circulated offering an "underwriting opportunity" for "Washington Post salon," where, for $25,000 per sponsor, organizations and lobbyists can cozy up to administration officials:"Underwriting Opportunity: An evening with the right people can alter the debate," says the one-page flier. "Underwrite and participate in this intimate and exclusive Washington Post Salon, an off-the-record dinner and discussion at the home of CEO and Publisher Katharine Weymouth. ... Bring your organization's CEO or executive director literally to the table. Interact with key Obama administration and congressional leaders...
Filed under: Media || Washington Post
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Posted By Lee Stranahan | July 2, 2009 2:25 PM | Comments (0)
The King of All Spineless Cowards
Harry Reid could be the weakest, most tepid, spineless bastard to skulk across the Senate floor:
"We have 60 votes on paper," Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, said Wednesday in an interview. "But we cannot bulldoze anybody; it doesn't work that way. My caucus doesn't allow it. And we have a very diverse group of senators philosophically. I am not this morning suddenly flexing my muscles."
What muscles?
Filed under: Harry Reid
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 2, 2009 2:01 PM | Comments (16)
Quinnipiac: 69 Percent Support the Public Option
July 1 (Bloomberg) -- Sixty-nine percent of Americans support creation of a government-run health plan to compete with private insurance companies, a new poll found.In addition, 52 percent of those surveyed by Hamden, Connecticut-based Quinnipiac University said such a plan would keep the private insurance companies honest.
How can the Coalition of the Corrupt and Spineless continue to ignore numbers like this?
Filed under: Blanche Lincoln || Healthcare || Polls
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 2, 2009 11:24 AM | Comments (2)
BWA-HAHAHAHA!
It finally sunk in yesterday that Al Franken is a United States Senator. And stuff like this is making me laugh and laugh:
No matter how he approaches his new gig, he's going to drive wingnuts crazy for the next six years and it's going to be so much fun to watch.
Filed under: Al Franken
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 2, 2009 10:59 AM | Comments (4)
WTF?
Hang with this until the end, and then explain to me what it means.
It was apparently produced by SarahPac -- Sarah Palin's political action committee. But then they claimed they didn't do it after all. Either way, what the hell?
Filed under: Sarah Palin
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 2, 2009 9:35 AM | Comments (17)
More Great News
If you recall, the CBO scored the Kennedy-Dodd HELP version of healthcare reform legislation with many of the important details left out, including the public option. Consequently, the cost ended up being over $1 trillion.
Now they've finally had a chance to evaluate the plan with the public option included and the results are much more positive.
The plan carries a 10-year price tag of slightly over $600 billion, and would lead toward an estimated 97 percent of all Americans having coverage, according to the Congressional Budget Office, Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and Chris Dodd said in a letter to other members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. [...]The [employer mandate] provision is also estimated to greatly reduce the number of workers whose employers would drop coverage, thus addressing a major concern noted by CBO when it reviewed the earlier proposals.
The $600 billion price tag is covered under the president's "down payment" he outlined in his budget. With additional savings, it appears (at a glance) that if everything goes according to plan, the public option and healthcare reform could actually run a surplus.
Filed under: CBO || Healthcare
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 2, 2009 8:40 AM | Comments (7)
The AMA Now Supports the Public Option
(CNN) — The new president of the American Medical Association, which represents the interests of the nation’s doctors, said Wednesday the group is open to a government-funded health insurance option for people without coverage.Dr. J. James Rohack told CNN that the AMA supports an “American model” that includes both “a private system and a public system, working together.”
So 75-ish percent of the American people support the public option. The American Medical Association supports the public option. Where's Congress?
Adding... Call the Coalition of the Corrupt and Spineless and let them know. Phone numbers after the jump...
Continue reading "The AMA Now Supports the Public Option"
Filed under: AMA || Healthcare
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 2, 2009 7:19 AM | Comments (1)
Morning Awesome
Brüno at Spring Break
From Da Ali G Show
This is quite possibly Sacha Baron Cohen's greatest bit.
Filed under: Awesome || Sacha Baron Cohen
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 2, 2009 6:03 AM | Comments (0)
July 1, 2009
Radio Show Open Thread
Me and Stranahan on the internet radio! 8:30PM EDT.
Listen live here.
Call the show: 347-945-5235
Or just participate in the comments.
UPDATE: Show's over. Thanks for listening! Be sure to download the podcast.
Filed under: Radio Show
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 1, 2009 8:27 PM | Comments (4)
Public Option Now
If for no other reason than to help this woman pay for her cancer treatment. From today's town hall meeting:
Routinely, the private health insurance corporations would investigate her for fraud -- or drop her entirely.
Filed under: Healthcare || President Obama Videos
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 1, 2009 6:47 PM | Comments (1)
Lieberman : Follow The Cough
by Lee Stranahan
Immature. Props to Bob Cesca. Very immature.
Filed under: Healthcare || Stranahan Healthcare Videos || video
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Posted By Lee Stranahan | July 1, 2009 3:49 PM | Comments (1)
Crazy Quote of the Day
"And if you don't do this and if I don't do it, one of these days you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children, and our children's children, what it once was like in America when men were free." —Ronald Reagan demonizing Medicare in 1961
Filed under: Crazy Quote of the Day || Healthcare || Medicare || Ronald Reagan
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 1, 2009 3:43 PM | Comments (2)
(Cough) Douchebag (Cough)
Joe Lieberman pretending to be thoughtful about his opposition to the public option when, in fact, he's been bought off by the healthcare lobby.
Lucky Joe. He can use his government healthcare plan for that nagging cough.
But you can't.
Filed under: Healthcare || Joe Lieberman
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 1, 2009 12:09 PM | Comments (7)
Hey Joe! What ARE you?
by Lee Stranahan
Filed under: Healthcare || Stranahan Healthcare Videos || video
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Posted By Lee Stranahan | July 1, 2009 11:29 AM | Comments (2)
It's The Public Option or Nothing
Ezra Klein lays out the three degrees of the public option:
According to early documents and consistent reports, the health reform plan that the Senate Finance Committee is considering won't have a public option at all. Rather, it'll have some variant of Kent Conrad's co-op compromise. The House plan, meanwhile, has a strong public option that can use Medicare's bargaining power to negotiate low rates and a large provider networks. And Ted Kennedy's HELP Committee, we learned today, will endorse the "level-playing field" public option, wherein the government's insurer has no advantages over the private market.
In order: 1) Co-ops: weak and doomed to fail. 2) Level playing field: Iffy costs and premiums. 3) Robust public option: robust.
In order for healthcare reform to pass the House, it has to be #3 or a mixture of #2 and #3. I can't imagine the TriCaucus voting for co-ops. So at this point, wouldn't it make sense for anyone with healthcare reform as a high priority (like the president, for example) to put his full weight behind the public option? Nothing else will pass the House -- at least not now.
Filed under: Healthcare || Progressive Caucus
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 1, 2009 11:15 AM | Comments (3)
Delusions of Grandeur
Glenn Beck thinks Al Franken is just like him.
Dream on, Punch-Me Face.
See, Al Franken is well-educated, smart and intellectual. Glenn Beck is an uneducated, willfully ignorant wingnut.
Al Franken was a professional comedy writer and satirist with a prestigious resume including two decades on Saturday Night Live. Glenn Beck misinterprets googly eyes, prop comedy and saying "maybe it's just me, but..." in a weird voice for actual funny. It's not.
And now, Al Franken is a United States Senator. Suck it, Beck.
Filed under: Al Franken || Glenn Beck || Wingnuts
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 1, 2009 9:49 AM | Comments (2)
Worst Persons
Glenn Beck and guest Michael Scheuer wishing for a terrorist WMD attack inside the United States:
Wingnuts are good people.
Adding... Add Scheuer to your roster of Fox News guys with ILH (Impossibly Low Hairlines). He joins the ranks of Hannity, Napolitano, and Brett Baier the Monchichi.
Filed under: Glenn Beck || Terrorism || Wingnuts
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 1, 2009 8:15 AM | Comments (3)
Morning Awesome
Luke Jackson - "Goodbye London"
From ...And Then Some
Filed under: Animation || Awesome || Music
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Posted By Bob Cesca | July 1, 2009 6:07 AM | Comments (0)
June 30, 2009
They're Poisoning Us
They appear to be narrowing down the potential causes of autism and other childhood disorders. Harvey Karp reports:
One group of substances of particular concern is a ubiquitous family of hormone twisting compounds, known as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). These substances are the focus of intense scrutiny because: 1) they're found in every home in America 2) they're increasingly linked to human disease 3) our exposure to them has risen in parallel with the surge in autism diagnoses and 4) they may theoretically affect the developing fetal brain.In recent years, research has mounted against a virtual police lineup of EDCs, like BPA (in food cans, hard plastic water bottles), phthlates (in soft plastics, cosmetics) and fire retardants (in sofas, computers, flame-resistant clothing). Multiple animal and human studies have linked EDC exposure (during or after fetal development) with a host of hormone-related disorders, like low sperm count, cancer (breast, ovarian, prostate, testicular), congenital malformation of the genitals and even obesity.
As if we don't have enough corporate poison to worry about. I have one healthy daughter and I feel like my wife and I dodged a spray of toxic buck shot.
Filed under: Autism || Corporate Crime || Healthcare
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Posted By Bob Cesca | June 30, 2009 9:58 PM | Comments (10)
Ted Rall Goes Batshit
Ted really loves his "Obama = Bush" beat, because he's at it again.
And he's repeating far-right memes now. Mainly the one about how CIA Director Panetta said that he would be "reviewing" enhanced interrogation techniques despite the president's torture ban. Rall:
You saw the headline: "OBAMA BANS TORTURE." But it was a lie. Obama's CIA director told Congress that there's a "review process that's built into [Obama's] executive order" that allows torture to continue. Leon Panetta said the Obama Administration will keep using at least 19 torture techniques against detainees. In addition, Team Obama will "look at those kinds of enhanced techniques to determine how effective they were or weren't and whether any appropriate revisions need to be made as a result of that."
Wow.
No.
The "19 techniques" are, in fact, the Army Field Manual techniques which have never been at issue, at least not that I'm aware of. In fact, the main thrust behind the two congressional torture ban laws were to limit the techniques to the AFM techniques -- bills that we all supported. (One bill became law, but the other, regarding the CIA's use of torture, failed in early 2008. McCain famously voted 'no'. Now, with the president's executive order, the CIA is forbidden from using torture, too.)
According to TPM, Panetta was saying that he's going to be reviewing the AFM techniques to see if they're effective and whether they should even be used. And as far as I know, no one other than Rall considers the AFM techniques to be "torture." Rall makes it seem as though Panetta would be reviewing and authorizing 19 new ways of torturing people, and no mention of the AFM at all. But for the record, here's the gist of the AFM techniques:
"Emotional": taking advantage of a source's strong feelings;"Fear-up": exploiting a source's fears, real or imagined;
"Pride and ego": flattering a source or attacking his pride, both to serve the purpose of putting him in a frame of mind to reveal information;
"Futility": using facts to prove to the source that his or her current situation is hopeless.
In other words, the AFM techniques are all about coercive interrogation -- nothing in the universe of waterboarding and nothing we would consider torture.
But the far-right, and Dick Cheney in particular, have taken Panetta's statement and twisted it to mean that President Obama, despite banning torture, is vindicating Bush's decisions regarding waterboarding and the like. Naturally, this isn't true at all.
Ted goes on to rip into President Obama's spending, when in fact, if you ask people like Paul Krugman, the president hasn't spent enough.
The only similarity between Bush and Obama is the job itself. Beyond that, would Bush have expanded SCHIP? Would Bush have authorized the use of federal funds for embryonic stem cell research? Would Bush have allowed today's redeployment in Iraq? Would Bush have banned torture? Would Bush have passed the recovery bill? Would Bush have signed credit card reform?
Chill out, Ted.
Filed under: President Obama || Ted Rall || Torture
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Posted By Bob Cesca | June 30, 2009 6:54 PM | Comments (5)
Senator Franken
by Lee Stranahan
Filed under: Al Franken || Stranahan Healthcare Videos || video
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Posted By Lee Stranahan | June 30, 2009 3:57 PM | Comments (7)
It's Everyone
I think there still might be a misperception about the push for the public option -- that it's all about guys like me and Lee who, for various reasons, don't have health insurance.
This is about everyone.
Even if you have a health insurance plan that you like, you're seriously bound to be screwed at some point or another. Like a casino, the house is playing against you. "For profit" means maximizing revenue and minimizing pay-outs. They don't want to pay and it's only a matter of time before they don't pay on your policy, or they drop you entirely, or they gouge you to the point where you or your employer have no choice but to drop them.
One of the best aspects of Michael Moore's Sicko is the fact that he focused on people who were covered by an insurance policy, but who were screwed out of the coverage they paid for.
Even if you happen to be lucky enough to own a high-end policy, you should be seriously pushing for the public option. You never know when you might need it. And chances are, you need it now -- if for no other reason but to help keep your insurance carrier in check.
Filed under: Healthcare || Michael Moore
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Posted By Bob Cesca | June 30, 2009 3:51 PM | Comments (10)
Franken Wins Supreme Court Ruling
The Minnesota Supreme Court has handed down its much-expected ruling in the heavily-litigated Minnesota Senate race from 2008 -- and it's a unanimous one -- deciding against Republican former Sen. Norm Coleman's appeal of his defeat in the election trial and affirming the lower court's verdict that Democratic comedian Al Franken is the legitimate winner of the race.
Now it's up to Pawlenty to certify the election and it's Senator Al Franken (D-MN).
Lizard People: still sad.
UPDATE: Coleman is on TV right now conceding!
Filed under: Al Franken || Election 2008 || Lizard People || Norm Coleman
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Posted By Bob Cesca | June 30, 2009 2:21 PM | Comments (13)
Thank You Very Much, Spineless Dems
For the usual spineless reasons, senators like John Kerry and others floated support for a trigger mechanism for the public option, which would basically crowbar a 10 year waiting period into the law before the public option would take effect.
And now, the only Republican to support the public option thinks a trigger is an awesome idea.
This idea sort of came and went a few weeks ago, but some legislators just can't let it go. According to the Associated Press, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME)--a potentially key moderate on the Senate Finance Committee--hasn't forsworn signing on to a health reform bill that includes a public option. But she's holding out to see it affixed to a "trigger mechanism," which would, in theory, give insurance companies a years-long window to lower costs on their own and only "trigger" the public option if they failed to do so.
So Senator Snowe was ready to support the public option, but now with this trigger talk, it looks like her support is now contingent upon this craptastical idea.
Filed under: Coalition of the Corrupt and Spineless || Healthcare || Olympia Snowe
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Posted By Bob Cesca | June 30, 2009 12:23 PM | Comments (15)
Healthy Economy
by Lee Stranahan
Different approach this time - feel free to share it with Republicans or your parents or somebody.
Filed under: Economy || Healthcare || Stranahan Healthcare Videos || video
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Posted By Lee Stranahan | June 30, 2009 10:46 AM | Comments (1)
Bloodbath
Check out the descent into chaos in Iraq as American forces pull out of the cities there:
Trumpets everywhere!
Seriously, though, there will very likely be additional violence there, but we won't be so much in the middle of it.
Adding... When people repeat "Obama is just like Bush" how, exactly, is this withdrawal just like Bush? I think amongst everything that's happened since January we forget that President Obama all but ended this war.
Filed under: Iraq
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Posted By Bob Cesca | June 30, 2009 9:04 AM | Comments (9)
Morning Meeting
About the Dylan Ratigan unit -- the show title "Morning Meeting" is terrible. Do viewers really want to dial up a show with a title relating to a miserable workplace chore? Morning meetings suck, and I don't know anyone who looks forward to them.
Coming next week on MSNBC... "The Employee Evaluation" with Whitey McWhitedouche! Followed by "Forced to Come In On Saturday" with Corky St. Caucasian!
Filed under: Dylan Ratigan || MSNBC
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Posted By Bob Cesca | June 30, 2009 8:50 AM | Comments (4)
Morning Awesome
Guns N' Roses - "You Could Me Mine"
From Use Your Illusion II
In honor of my brother Brian's 36th birthday today (his favorite band). Happy birthday, Brian!
Filed under: Awesome || Music
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Posted By Bob Cesca | June 30, 2009 6:02 AM | Comments (1)
June 29, 2009
The Bullshit Racism of an Impotent Man
In Venezuela, we had a soul shake, or whatever -- that black handshake he has that he had with Chavez. We had a soul shake.
Alright, you know what he's doing? He's pushing closer and closer towards making it okay to be outwardly racist on the public airwaves -- I mean, full blown white power against "the darkies" racist.
Poor Limbaugh -- anything to compensate for his tiny, shriveled, flaccid penis.
Filed under: Racism || Rush Limbaugh
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Posted By Bob Cesca | June 29, 2009 8:41 PM | Comments (9)
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