The only thing more "out there" than Joe Wilson's disrespectful display during the President's speech to Congress on Health Care is Representative Wilson's all over the place take on two of the largest government-run health systems there are - the ones that benefit our troops and veterans.
Wilson has railed against health care reform, warning that offering more choice to people amounts to a government takeover of health insurance. To him, it's an evil that has to be defeated.
Yet, at the same time, Wilson hasn't said whether he's opted into TRICARE for Life. The completely government-run health insurance system for certain military retirees is available to Wilson, as he's a 31-year Guard and Reserve veteran (though he joined after getting out of Vietnam). If he's not, of course, then he's taking insurance from the government-run pool offered to Congressmen. Then, there's all of our active duty service members who are on TRICARE - stuck in an evil government system that must have turned them into Communists by now.
Wilson has saved them and gotten them out of TRICARE, right?
Right?
"TRICARE provides world class health care," said Wilson in a press release. "I believe TRICARE is one part of our health care system that's working."
What?! Joe Wilson is all for this horrible fascist system of government care?
Part-time foreign policy expert Senator Lindsey Graham had timid and passivestrong words for President Obama this morning concerning El Jefe's response to Iranian election protests.
"The president of the United States is supposed to lead the free world, not follow it," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on a Sunday morning talk show. "He's been timid and passive more than I would like."
Anytime America stands up for freedom we're better off. When we try to prop up dictators or remain silent it come backs (sic) to bite us
Ronal Reagan would be strangling the ayatollah with his bare hands right now. Nevermind that whole Phillippines thing...
They've killed Americans in Iraq...
That's not meddling, that's doing the right thing.
We can only assume Graham would like to see John McCain in the White House so he could use this as an oppotunity to "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran". See video of Graham and Sen. Chris Dodd's response HERE.
(Unfortunately I had this down on my calendar for tomorrow night so I didn't put up a "heads up" post, but hopefully there will be a chance for you to catch it again)
"Ask Not", a documentary about the military's 15-year-old "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy restricting homosexuals from serving openly in the military, aired tonight on PBS' Independent Lens.
The documentary offers a retrospective of DADT and looks at both views of the issue, including glimpses of lives directly affected by the policy, from veterans who opt to leave the military to active duty servicemembers living in the closet. Two former Columbia residents, Jarrod Chlapowski and Alex Nicholson, are featured in the film, including an interview with WVOC's Kevin Cohen during their "Right to Serve" tour educating people about the policy.
While 2010 will be chock-full of exciting races at all levels of government. In 2009, though, there will be two marquee races across the country: the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey. Republicans are favored in both races, but both races should come down to the wire, and Democrats can hold both seats - with your help.
In Virginia, Democratic State Senator Creigh Deeds won an impressive, come-from-behind victory for the nomination this past Tuesday, demonstrating a strong ground game. The Republican nominee will be far-right-winger Bob McDonnell. The best description for McDonnell's brand of Republicanism is that he is a Pat Robertson disciple. You can learn more about McDonnell at TheRealBobMcDonnell.com. Deeds and McDonnell have tangled before, in the 2005 Virginia Attorney General race, where McDonnell barely edged Deeds by 323 votes (yes, just 323 votes - that's not a typo with zeroes missing) out of over 1.94 million votes counted. This race will be exceptionally close, so every single dollar contributed and every single hour spent volunteering will make a real difference. A bit of good news is that the first poll taken after Tuesday's primary, by Rasmussen Reports, shows Deeds with a 47-41 lead over McDonnell, but this could just be due to a primary bump. Rasmussen's last poll showed McDonnell leading Deeds 45-30. Your support will help Deeds sustain his new lead.
Sen. Jim DeMint does not like big business. The picture he paints in today's Washington Times would make you think that the feeling is mutual, but no sir. Nearly $275,000 in first quarter campaign donations from big business political action committees suggest that DeMint has got more friends than he's willing to admit.
The column in the Times is in response to the national Chamber of Commerce, which gave DeMint and others low marks for opposing the federal stimulus. DeMint calls the chamber members the "corporate elite" and says that he's not their stooge.
The road back to Republican success is not to reinforce our weakened coalition of corporate interests, but to drop it altogether. Republicans shouldn't be the party of business any more than they should be the party of labor - we're supposed to be the party of freedom.
That's a costly proposition, particularly for DeMint. Tons of big businesses have donated to his reelection campaign, particularly in this first quarter of the year. There were $1,000 contributions from political action committees at AFLAC, Allstate, Bayer, Coke, Chevron, G.E., and McDonald's. Larger contributions included PAC money from Sprint Nextel ($1,500), Campbell Soup ($2,000), R.J. Reynolds ($2,500), and Cisco Systems ($3,000)...
You have a party void of ideas, without a hint of a forward-thinking agenda. When you win, it's because the other side hates America. When you lose, it's because the other side hates America. You're ugly and old. There's nothing attractive about you. Leaders of the future will not want to be associated with you. You let clowns like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh take the public face of your policies. Your values are a mystery to the rest of us.
But keep it up. As infuriating as you are to me, I have faith that you won't have a powerful base for much longer. Not with trash like this coming from you.
Some photos, videos and links for today's People's Stimulus Rally organized by the South Carolina Progressive Network. I hope everyone who attended will write their own account.
The message was simple. The people of South Carolina need help now, and don't be confused by the vocal opposition: this is about investing now so we can save later, so there is something left to save later. This is about our public school system, our health and human services agencies, our higher education funding, and our law enforcement and public safety agency budgets. Make no mistake, this money will be spent and South Carolina will pay it back. The only question that remains is who receives this $700 million investment.
Governor Sanford has had six years to get South Carolina on track and he has failed.
("Do what?" Crawl out from under that rock and get caught up)
Sanford's second spokesman is promoting a press conference tomorrow featuring the part-time governor and his pet think tank, the SC Policy Council. Sanford will undoubtedly continue his pitch of the last several weeks that South Carolina should turn down the money because the long-term bill will be too high. Sanford, and his devoted supporters, fail to respond to stimulus supporters who say what the government spends today will boost the economy tomorrow, giving the state the ability to repay the loan when it comes due. Sanford prefers to use the issue to boost his own fiscal conservative street cred and bludgeon his Republican adversaries in the State House. South Carolina, meanwhile, continues to suffer.
But I don't blame Sanford, even though those on the right and the left have supplied plenty of ammunition to use against his failed hypocrisy. He's doing the best he can for at least one guy: himself. And in this state, that's about all you can do. See, 800 Richland St. isn't the only place lacking for leadership in our capital city. South Carolina has allowed the GOP to creep over our highest offices like a corrupt kudzu and Democrats must share the blame for letting it happen.
There are few bright spots to focus on in this state and lately we make headlines for all the wrong reasons. We elect ideologues who want to waste time blocking voters and impairing Federally-protected health rights. Their idea of a "compromise" is taking a Confederate flag off the statehouse dome and putting it behind a damn monument. They want to protect an industry that preys on the weak and poor and then declare government should not bear the burden of helping people up. South Carolina has potential and it has ability, but it can't go anywhere with a blind driver and a shit engine. As Barack Obama said during his presidential campaign, when someone drives a car into a ditch, you don't pull them out and let them try again. It's time to change drivers in South Carolina.
Mark Sanford and the GOP have given South Carolinians a great opportunity to recognize the face of our failed leaders. Will we step up and force them from behind the wheel? Can a new generation of leaders emerge in this state and help it get on a path to prosperity? Could Anton Gunn, Linda Ketner, Chris Hart, Rob Miller, James Smith, Anne Peterson Hutto or Vincent Sheheen be a part of the change South Carolina so desperately needs? If this isn't a time for someone to stand up and say enough with the bullshit, the license plates, the pandering, the shameless self-promotion, then when will that time come?
Tomorrow in Charleston and Wednesday in Columbia, groups will gather to protest Sanford and the SC GOP's version of leadership. If the majority of those who are hurting in South Carolina will not be present at these rallies, we can only hope someone who would lead, someone who can represent the people, will be there. The time is right, and right now.
President Barack Obama will answer questions from the public on Thursday during a town hall meeting that will be held on the White House website.
The town hall, called "Open for Questions," begins at 11:30 am ET. The President will answer questions from the East Room, where an audience of about 100 people, including nurses, teachers and small business owners, will be present.
The public has until 9:30 am ET on Thursday to submit questions and vote for others at whitehouse.gov/OpenForQuestions. The most popular questions will be asked during the town hall, but the live audience can ask follow-up questions afterwards. Vice President Joe Biden's chief economist, Jared Berstein, will facilitate the event.
As of 7:00 am on Thursday, the White House had received 78,615 questions for the town hall, which comes two days after Obama held his second press conference since assuming office.
Four million to five million voters did not cast a ballot in the 2008 presidential election because they encountered registration problems or failed to receive absentee ballots, which is roughly the same number of voters who encountered such problems in the 2000 election, according to an academic study to be presented to the Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday.
An additional two million to four million registered voters — or 1 percent to 2 percent of the eligible electorate — were “discouraged” from voting due to administrative hassles, like long lines and voter identification requirements, the study found.
The study, which draws from a survey of about 33,000 eligible voters, was conducted in October and November 2008 by the Cooperative Congressional Election Survey, a consortium of more than 150 university researchers, led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who specialize in voting issues.
I guess our "leaders" who pushed H. 3418 through the statehouse last week will consider that a positive sign. Think of all of those seven million who probably wanted to steal your vote anyway!
News like this makes me all the more supportive of the Legislative Black Caucus' walk out during debate of H. 3005. What the idiots in charge don't seem to understand is that this execution of liberty by a thousand cuts will hurt everyone. Minorities and anyone concerned about the future of South Carolina can only hope our Senate will see the right path forward on this issue. I can only urge you to contact your Senator and tell them you want voting to be easier, not more difficult.
In what has been universally-declared anything except a State of the Union address, President Obama goes before Congress, the cameras and a young student from Dill-ville tonight. If you've been missing the political drinking games from the campaign trail, have no fear. Wonkette offers these rules for the "Historical First-Ever President Barack Obama Congressional Address Drinking Game!"
“This will not be easy.” — One sullen slurp.
“Challenging times.” — Try to drink from the side of your mouth without spilling.
“Bipartisan” or “bipartisanship.” — One shot, feel up somebody else’s girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse.
“Same old politics” and/or “politics as usual.” — Two quick gulps.
“Played by the rules.” — Ask somebody to get you another drink and then drink their drink while they’re in the kitchen.
“Recovery.” — One hit off your beverage. (You should have spares at hand.)
“Recovery.com” — Three drinks and punch anybody in the room who sort of looks like Biden.
“Resolve.” — Take a shot.
Camera stops on various “opposition” figures such as Cantor: If you’re male, do a line of meth and try to get another “straight” guy to blow you in the bathroom.
“Discipline.” — Take a very careful shot.
Camera stops on Hero Pilot “Andrew” Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III: Women and children take a drink, men go outside and have a smoke.
“Breaking ground.” — One manly gulp.
“Infrastructure.” — Two sips and check the fridge for supplies.
Any mention of the Taliban: Put a “burqa” (pillowcase) over the heads of any women and gaily drink with your male friends.
“Aggressive action.” — Chug a beer or glass of wine. Any variation of “best days are ahead.” — Finish all the booze in the house, weep.
Is this really what it's come to? With 
