2.06.2009

Quote of the week

"I really don’t understand how bipartisanship is ever going to work when one of the parties is insane. Imagine trying to negotiate an agreement on dinner plans with your date, and you suggest Italian and she states her preference would be a meal of tire rims and anthrax."
—John Cole, Balloon Juice

In turning up the heat, Obama throws down.

1) It is about time we had a President who was articulate
2) It is about time we had a Democrat who wasn't afraid to take it to the Republicans
3) It is about time we had a President who wasn't going to pander
4) It is about time we had a President who isn't afraid to call "bullshit" when he sees it
5) Barack Obama IS the man

"IT IS NOT A GAME"


The Republicans are willing to shove the economy over the cliff because they're afraid that Obama might actually fix their f*ck-up and get credit for it. They are playing dangerous politics.

So do you know what? LET THEM FILIBUSTER. Let them stand up and say "I'm voting against recovery." Because it also says that "I'm a pompous asshole who would rather shoot the American worker in the face to spite the president than do what I was elected to do, what the voters said they wanted in November."

So do it. I DARE you.

Call Harry Reid and tell him "No cloture votes, make them filibuster"
Majority Leader Harry Reid
(202) 224-3542

President moonlights

Apparently, the President needs a few extra bucks. He's moonlighting at the Washington Post. My personal favorite is the tag at the end of the article. Scroll down.
The Action Americans Need
By Barack Obama
Thursday, February 5, 2009; Page A17
By now, it's clear to everyone that we have inherited an economic crisis as deep and dire as any since the days of the Great Depression. Millions of jobs that Americans relied on just a year ago are gone; millions more of the nest eggs families worked so hard to build have vanished. People everywhere are worried about what tomorrow will bring.

Because each day we wait to begin the work of turning our economy around, more people lose their jobs, their savings and their homes. And if nothing is done, this recession might linger for years. Our economy will lose 5 million more jobs. Unemployment will approach double digits. Our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse.

That's why I feel such a sense of urgency about the recovery plan before Congress. With it, we will create or save more than 3 million jobs over the next two years, provide immediate tax relief to 95 percent of American workers, ignite spending by businesses and consumers alike, and take steps to strengthen our country for years to come.

This plan is more than a prescription for short-term spending -- it's a strategy for America's long-term growth and opportunity in areas such as renewable energy, health care and education. And it's a strategy that will be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability, so Americans know where their tax dollars are going and how they are being spent.

In recent days, there have been misguided criticisms of this plan that echo the failed theories that helped lead us into this crisis -- the notion that tax cuts alone will solve all our problems; that we can meet our enormous tests with half-steps and piecemeal measures; that we can ignore fundamental challenges such as energy independence and the high cost of health care and still expect our economy and our country to thrive.

I reject these theories, and so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change. They know that we have tried it those ways for too long. And because we have, our health-care costs still rise faster than inflation. Our dependence on foreign oil still threatens our economy and our security. Our children still study in schools that put them at a disadvantage. We've seen the tragic consequences when our bridges crumble and our levees fail.

Every day, our economy gets sicker -- and the time for a remedy that puts Americans back to work, jump-starts our economy and invests in lasting growth is now.

Now is the time to protect health insurance for the more than 8 million Americans at risk of losing their coverage and to computerize the health-care records of every American within five years, saving billions of dollars and countless lives in the process.

Now is the time to save billions by making 2 million homes and 75 percent of federal buildings more energy-efficient, and to double our capacity to generate alternative sources of energy within three years.

Now is the time to give our children every advantage they need to compete by upgrading 10,000 schools with state-of-the-art classrooms, libraries and labs; by training our teachers in math and science; and by bringing the dream of a college education within reach for millions of Americans.

And now is the time to create the jobs that remake America for the 21st century by rebuilding aging roads, bridges and levees; designing a smart electrical grid; and connecting every corner of the country to the information superhighway.

These are the actions Americans expect us to take without delay. They're patient enough to know that our economic recovery will be measured in years, not months. But they have no patience for the same old partisan gridlock that stands in the way of action while our economy continues to slide.

So we have a choice to make. We can once again let Washington's bad habits stand in the way of progress. Or we can pull together and say that in America, our destiny isn't written for us but by us. We can place good ideas ahead of old ideological battles, and a sense of purpose above the same narrow partisanship. We can act boldly to turn crisis into opportunity and, together, write the next great chapter in our history and meet the test of our time.

The writer is president of the United States.

Q: Andy Card - Liar or douchebag? A: Both

Perpetual douchebag/Bush Chief of Staff Andy Card said on Wednesday that "there should be a dress code of respect....I wish that [Obama] would wear a suit coat and tie."

Well Andy, look here:  


And here:


Why? That's my question. Why?

Obama is trying to bail us out of 8 years of incompetence and you're going to trash him on, literally, rolling up his sleeves and getting to work.

Has a suit and tie generated good decisions? Let's review.... in a suit and tie the Bush administration managed to:
1) Lie to get us into a war that's costing $10 billion a month. For almost 6 years now. That's over $650 billion. Bailout money.
2) The money we've spent has driven up our debt....
3) ... which, along with zero regulatory policies, has sent our economy into the shitter.
4) Make us a joke in the eyes of the world with our "do as I say, not as I do" fear-mongering policies.

Why?

Obama on the recovery bill

From the Department of Enegry:
"So let me be clear: [Republican] ideas have been tested, and they have failed. They've taken us from surpluses to an annual deficit of over a trillion dollars, and they've brought our economy to a halt. And that's precisely what the election we just had was all about. The American people have rendered their judgment. And now is the time to move forward, not back. Now is the time for action."
-Barack Obama

"Yes sir."
- Me

Watch the vid

2.04.2009

Kings of Leon

Arizona - live at Hammersmith Apollo, London


Manhattan (Live On Channel 4)


Use Somebody (Live On Channel 4)


Sex On Fire (Later... with Jools Holland)


Revelry (Tabernacle in Atlanta on 11-18-08)


Fans (Live @ Reading 2007)

2.01.2009

Kings of Leon, Kings of New York

On Thursday January 29th, Kings of Leon headlined a sold-out Madison Square Garden.

For a band who is huge in much of the world, and relatively unknown in their own country, this has been long overdue.

From the beginning, the crowd was ready to love the band, and the Kings didn't disappoint.  Quoting from their song Manhattan, "We're gonna show this town how to kiss these stars".  

The highlight of the show had to be The Single.  As the band hit the first chorus of Sex on Fire, the Garden exploded, singing it back to the band, and nearly drowning them out.  

Brilliant show. Brilliant band.

Some video.  More, including a full setlist, here:

Sex on Fire:


Manhattan:


Use Somebody:


Fans: