Archive for January 27, 2010
At the SOTU — Live Blogging
Republicans aren’t going to clap or stand for anything — turn your TV on and see for yourself — including for a remark by Obama that the banks are going to have to pay back some of the loans we gave them.
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Ooop. No sooner do I put this post up than Obama says “The true engine of this economy will always be business,” and the R’s go nuts.
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Obama proposes that we “slash tax breaks” for companies that send jobs overseas and the R’s sit silently.
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Obama says lobbyists are trying to kill banking reform and we’ve got to stop that, and R’s sit and don’t clap.
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Obama says we have to “reform our schools” yet he wants to cut funding for education?
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Obama says he came to Washington to “give the people the government they deserve,” then he goes on about how he has excluded lobbyists from taking a seat in the decision-making process. What?
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After a year of NO from Republicans Obama insists he’s still “trying to change the tone of our politics.” Oy. Give it up.
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Obama is one year into his presidency but he doesn’t seems to have any passion or drive. He’s as dead-sounding as W. was.
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Let’s include some peace people in the mix of those who sit by the First Lady. Lots of military there tonight.
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Re DADT - “I will work with congress” to get the law repealed. Not enough Obama.
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I wish Nancy Pelosi would quit smiling.
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Ugh, the speech is over and Tweetie’s on. Gotta go change the channel.
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Overall? Uninspiring and disappointing. I hoped to see way more fire from a president who’s entering his second year — early in the potential length of a presidency — but I didn’t see it.
Good night.
POTUS Entering the Chamber
I’m old enough to remember when people gasped when a black man kissed a white woman.
Chris Matthews is Insane
He said this just now in the lead up to the SOTU: “The Democrats suffer from what they gave this country, which is the middle class.”
What?
W-H-A-T?
17-Year-Old Girl Pulled From Rubble in Haiti Today
A 17-year-old girl was pulled from under a collapsed house in Haiti today.
Can you imagine — I can’t; it’s truly unimaginable — being buried alive for 15 days?
Obama re DADT: Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Word is that Obama will ask for an end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” tonight.
I’m going to wait and see what he says but I fear that another call to end DADT — which he called for during the campaign but which he hasn’t pushed since — will ring hollow and be patronizing and condescending. What he needs to do is say that he has,
signed an Executive Order banning further military separations based on DADT…
That would be the action we want to see, as opposed to yet more lofty rhetoric.
That would be change we can believe in.
R.I.P. Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn, a wise and compassionate voice, died of a heart attack in Santa Monica, California today.
I had the pleasure and privilege of listening to him just the other day — Friday, or was it Monday? — on David Sirota’s radio show.
He will be missed.
Rest in peace Howard.
You showed us the way but the powers that be in this country didn’t want your voice to be heard. I bet you and God are talkin’ up a storm right now.
Fox News: Obama’s Speech Tonight Will Be Nothing But Empty Promises
This graphic is the headline on FoxNews.com right now:
Get the gist of the message? Obama made a lot of promises last year about job creation and economic recovery and he’s going to say the same thing tonight. Empty promises.
More on That Big Tea Party Convention in Nashville
Not goin’ so well: Some people are demanding a refund and others are urging Sarah Palin to cancel her appearance.
What a mess.
Vote a Corporation Into Congress
If corporations are “persons” then hey, why can’t they run for congress? Oh, they can and they are.
John and Elizabeth Edwards Have Separated
Correction — they have legally separated, i.e., it is far more serious than simply moving into separate residences.
Anyway, John, I could throttle you, you scum.
Elizabeth, all the best.
The DCCC Takes on Fox
Having worked on Outfoxed in 2004 and on the Newshounds blog from 2004 through 2008, the idea that there is any question as to whether Fox News shills for the right wing and distorts facts at will in order to push its agenda, is just silly. Seems to me that has been proven over and over agin.
Nonetheless, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee seems to be firing people up with a “Fact Check Fox” campaign, “letting them debunk/get debunkings of Fox News spin on the State of the Union.”
Could be interesting. Maybe I’ll check it out later tonight.
You Lie!
There was a time, not long ago, when decorum and manners dictated that the congress of the United States listen quietly when the president addressed it in a joint session. Then, along came a Republican named Joe Wilson who demolished that tradition by yelling “You lie!”
Will there be any yelling tonight? My gut says yes.
Hey, a Bit of Good News For a Change
GlaxoSmithKlein has pulled its ads from Glenn Beck’s show, bringing to 99 the number of sponsors who have come to their senses.
