Democrats still don't have enough votes to overcome a filibuster, and unless they can win over at least one Republican, they may adjourn this coming weekend empty-handed.
What's the hang up? Republicans are working with Democrats on one key aspect of the legislation: tax breaks for employers who hire new employees. But beyond such a measure, Republicans are balking at supporting a full package. And with Democrats now one vote shy of a 60-vote supermajority, they will need one GOPer to break ranks if they want the package to overcome a filibuster.
So far, Democratic rhetoric has been gentle. Last week, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) said "You need two to tango. And you need Republicans for bipartisanship."
"Hope is prospective," he said. "We don't have bipartisanship at this moment. I hope we'll have it in a matter of minutes, hours, days."
Days later, they still don't have it. Which makes you wonder if and when leadership will pivot to directly call out Republicans for unanimously filibustering a jobs relief package when unemployment hovers at near 10 percent.
Sarah Palin with Fox News' Chris Wallace on name-calling:
"Name-calling by anyone, I teach this to my children and you teach it to your children and grandchildren, too. Name calling by anyone is just unnecessary."
Again, name-calling, using language that is insensitive, by anyone, male, female, Republican, Democrat, is unnecessary. It’s inappropriate. Let’s all just grow up."
Rep. Eric Cantor's (R-VA) office has responded to President Obama's calls for a bi-partisan health care summit by issuing a statement that makes it clear that the only way it's going to get done is to scrap everything that's been done and follow the Republican plan.
After going it alone on health care reform for nearly a year, President Obama has decided he wants to bring Republicans into the conversation. Here’s the problem: unless the President and Speaker Pelosi are willing to scrap their government take over and hit the reset button, there’s not much to talk about.
Republicans believe the status quo is unacceptable, but so is any health reform package that spends money we don’t have or raises taxes on small businesses and working families in a recession. To that point, House Republicans have offered the only plan , that will lower health care costs, which is what the President said was the goal at the start of this debate.
THIS is why the Democratic party is in the dumps. They have a 59-41 majority - the largest in decades - and yet they can't find a way to pass basic legislation.
This is screwed. Really screwed. This is why the nuclear option changing the filibuster MUST happen. The minority is holding the majority hostage and blocking every attempt to go the business of the nation.
Q: Since when is an 18 vote majority a liability? A: When Harry Reid and the Democrats are in charge.
Co-hosting The View today, Meghan McCain cited racism in the "tea party" as a reason why young people are turned off by the movement. She also cites Sarah Palin's hypocrisy is a "perfect example of what's wrong with this country today."
Congressman Tancredo went on TV and he was the first opening speaker and he said, 'People who could not even spell the word vote or say it in English put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House whose name is Barack Hussein Obama.' And then he went on to say that people at the convention should have to pass literacy tests in order to be able to vote in this country, which is the same thing that happened in the 50's to prevent African Americans from voting. It's innate racism and I think it's why young people are turned off by this movement. And I'm sorry, but revolutions start with young people, not with 65-year-old people talking about literacy tests and people who can't say the word 'vote' in English.
...the sudden outbreak of deficit hysteria brings back memories of the groupthink that took hold during the run-up to the Iraq war. Now, as then, dubious allegations, not backed by hard evidence, are being reported as if they have been established beyond a shadow of a doubt. Now, as then, much of the political and media establishments have bought into the notion that we must take drastic action quickly, even though there hasn’t been any new information to justify this sudden urgency. Now, as then, those who challenge the prevailing narrative, no matter how strong their case and no matter how solid their background, are being marginalized. And fear-mongering on the deficit may end up doing as much harm as the fear-mongering on weapons of mass destruction.
Of course, each and every Republican voted against raising the debt ceiling. Now remember, from 1995-2007 the Republican-controlled Congress voted eight times to raise the debt ceiling. But not this time. Because they think their voters are idiots who can't remember anything prior to January 20, 2009.
This is beyond stupid. The utter cynicism embodied in this spot is staggering. The Republicans are taking their voters for drooling, mouth-breathing nincompoops who will be easily tricked (ed note: are you sure they're not?) into believing "snow storm in Virginia" equals "cold everywhere on the planet."
To repeat, just because it's snowing on the east coast of the United States this weekend doesn't mean it's snowing and cold everywhere and for all time. Just so we're clear on that.
Republican voters -- if you have even the slightest brain in your head, please realize that your party is attempting to trick you.
Adding... It's cold in my basement. Does that mean global warming is a myth?
The red bars represent recession unemployment under Bush, and the blue bars represent President Obama's jobless numbers. (Click to enlarge)
And people are actually thinking about voting for Republicans again? Really?! Not to be rude or anything, but what's wrong with you people?
And that's just "Main Street." What about Wall Street? I made this chart based on the Google Finance stock market ticker a while back. The Dow is steadily hovering above 10,000 now.
From the woman who criticizes Barack Obama for using teleprompters comes this: she read her speech off her hand.
As Oliver Wills reports, at her keynote speech to the Tea Party Convention, she had her talking points cribbed onto her hand. Proof:
And yet she still said "conventional sources of resources."
Oh, and then she took a jab at Obama for the telprompter. "This is about the people" and "it's a lot bigger than any charismatic guy with a teleprompter," she said, jabbing at Obama.
It has to be willful stupidity. I don't think anyone could actually be this clueless.
Last week, media gadfly Sarah Palin demanded that President Obama fire Chief Of Staff Rahm Emmanuel for saying that liberal groups thinking of running health care-related ads against Democratic lawmakers were "Fucking retarded". She compared it using the "N" word and urged his immediate dismissal.
However, the rules are different in the party that genuflects before the altar of Rush:
But the former governor went to great and sometimes awkward lengths to insist that when conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh used the same exact term to describe the same exact group, it was simply in the role of political humorist.
"They are kooks, so I agree with Rush Limbaugh," she said, when read a quote of Limbaugh calling liberal groups "retards." "Rush Limbaugh was using satire ... . I didn't hear Rush Limbaugh calling a group of people whom he did not agree with 'f-ing retards,' and we did know that Rahm Emanuel, as has been reported, did say that. There is a big difference there."
Sorry about the 3 week absence. It's been a hell of a 3 weeks. Here's a recap:
The Republicans took Teddy Kennedy's seat with a former nude model who pledged to vote against the same health care bill that he supported when it passed in Massachusetts. Republicans rejoiced. Scott Brown then said he supported abortion rights. They've been kinda quiet about the whole thing ever since.
Obama was said to have lost his mojo. 8 days later, he found it again when he went after Republicans in the State of the Union address. And then he accepted an invitation to appear before the GOP House caucus - on camera - and went up and down the court on them for 90 minutes. This caused Fox to break away for the sake of the narrative.
The Supreme Court turned our political campaigns over to corporate America, paving the way for "Palin 2012, brought to you by Monstanto".
The Republicans are using the filibuster, of the threat thereof, as a blunt weapon.
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) is holding as many as 70 of Obama's appointments hostage until he gets his pork projects (earmarks) passed in the Senate. To break his hold, the Senate needs - you guessed it - 60 votes. It's time to bring on the nuclear option and change the filibuster to a more reasonable procedure - one that doesn't cripple the business of the nation.
After all, if the only things the party in power can accomplish are those that the minority power can agree with, then what is the point of having an election? No matter which side won a majority, "common ground" -- the things they all agree on -- would still be the same.
And it appears that "Don't ask, don't tell" is going away, paving the way for gays to openly serve their country. For years, the GOP said they'd leave it up to the military high command. I guess they figured that generals and stuff would never let fags serve. Well, last week they did. Adm. Mike Mullen told Congress that gays should be allowed to serve openly in uniform, arguing that it is "the right thing to do." And many, many Republicans lost their shit. John McCain backtracked on his comments of 3 years ago and Ollie North told Sean Hannity that if we let gays serve, the next steps was NAMBLA members. That's the North American Man-Boy Love Association, the group that advocates legal sodomy with minors.
Jon Stewart mocked Fox News, comparing the network to someone trying really hard to hide an erection and intercutting their reaction with clips of the phallic Shake Weight.
Stewart went on to note that Fox News anchors seemed to be reveling in the fact that Scott Brown and his family are becoming celebrities. Pointing out the hypocrisy of this, he recapped what Fox News has thought of political celebs in the past, as the network has repeatedly bashed Obama for being a celebrity, rather than an experienced politician.
Justifiably ripping the Democrats for screwing things up...
Going after Olbermann in the wake of the Massachusetts Senate race:
Commenting on Sarah Palin's first day on Fox "News".
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