Don't Mess With Nancy

How many times did you rewind and play the 'you lie' moment because you enjoyed watching speaker Pelosi's reaction so much?

Mike Powell at The Gaggle has a story about that stare and lists the top 5 people on Pelosi's poop list after last night's speech. Here's the intro.

Joe (YOU LIE!!!!) Wilson may be getting all of the attention in Washington today, but who will ever forget that death glare that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shot Wilson moments after he unleashed his id on President Obama? Talk about withering—no wonder Wilson looked so shaky when he went before reporters this morning. This is why we enjoy watching Pelosi so much whenever Obama gives a big speech before congress. She hovers over his shoulder in that big brown chair, trying to smile and act cheery. Sometimes Pop-Up Pelosi’s outbursts of enthusiasm seem truly genuine. But when someone annoys her, even just a little bit, she can’t hide it. After all, we’re talking about a lady who likes to run a tight ship and those who cross her … well, she lets them have it. Last night was no exception: sitting over Obama’s left shoulder, Pelosi bounced between moments of smiling and seething. And while Republicans were her primary annoyance, she shot some fairly telling looks to Democrats, too. Who officially made Pelosi’s S--t List last night? Where do we begin?

Best Healthcare System In The World!

Not even close to the best. Hat tip to Bob Cesca for this new story about Blue Cross Blue Shield's generous bonus givings to their corporate executives.

Of the $418 million in Blue Cross Blue Shield's administrative expenses over the past five years, a state audit found "millions and millions of dollars in excessive expenses."

The audit also found that Blue Cross Blue Shield funded nearly $15 million in employee bonuses that were almost assured regardless of performance, a $3.5 million investment in a hotel in Fargo and sales reward trips to resorts totaling $1.2 million.

In one case, the audit found that $34,814 was spent for a party for a retiring vice president.

Video: 'You Lie' Carl Cameron!

Here's Carl Cameron at the Counter-Revolutionary Media. Is this poor journalism or just Fox News telling big fat lies again? You decide!

Video: Another Family Values Republican Caught On Tape

Unaware that the mic in front of him is live, state lawmaker, Michael Duvall (R), from California openly brags about two women he slept with. Sex scandals are becoming something of a once a week occurrence for the Republican Party these days.

You gotta watch this.

Deja Vu All Over Again

There was a moment back in 2008 when we became a little frustrated at the lack of red meat in Barack Obama's campaign. While Republicans relentlessly ridiculed Obama and labeled him an Unpatriotic-Muslim-Socialist, it seemed as if the young candidate wasn't willing to get in the mud and fight. The liberal media was obsessed with Bill Ayers, ACORN, Jeremiah Wright, Joe the Plummer Handyman and the McCain/Palin accusation that Obama would rather lose the war in Iraq than lose the election.

McCain gained several points on then-candidate Obama in key states while Obama's campaign remained above the fray. All of us were screaming, "Fight back!" And then, to the cheers of 69 million Americans who voted for him, Obama finally took the gloves off and reminded everyone that McCain and Bush were the same (and that McCain owned nine homes, all of which were perfect spots for the Republican drill baby drill for oil plan).

Seems like years ago...

And here we are again in 2009. It was like dejavu all over again last month, watching the same uncivil, uncooth specimens spew their unholy venom at healthcare rallies. Nazi signs, cries of socialism and out-and-out racism. The perpetual loop of these images must have boosted ratings for cable news networks given the non-stop coverage we were forced to endure.

Now, once again, it appears that Republicans have got all the mileage they can possibly get out of their lies. Despite their best efforts to kill healthcare during the August recess, President Obama and progressive Democrats are still moving forward, and they're closer now than ever to true insurance reform. Another positive sign can be found in President Obama's approval numbers. They appear to have bottomed out somewhere around the low to mid-fifties, numbers similar to what he earned last November - along with 365 electoral votes. We shouldn't forget the electoral significance of 52.8% of the popular vote.

Here's what we can soon expect: President Obama will sign a healthcare bill this fall, at which point Democrats' national poll numbers will get an immediate boost. The new reform will be regarded as the greatest change since Social Security, and most importantly, 47 million Americans will have a greater hope in obtaining affordable health insurance - public option or not. Republicans will be the biggest losers, yet again. A majority of Americans will remember the sincere attempt by the Democrats to pass a bipartisan bill, only to be opposed almost all Republicans, most of whom offer no real solution.

With August behind us, President Obama seems ready to take the gloves off once again - just in time. The August smoke has cleared, and he's still standing. This AFL-CIO speech from Labor Day leaves little doubt that the president is as optimistic as ever about delivering CHANGE. From the looks of things, Fall 2009 may just turn out to be just as sweet as Fall 2008.

Video: Real People Denied Real Healthcare

"This healthcare problem is a product of greed."

President Obama's Weekly Video Address

Making it easier to save money in America.

Liberals Were Right

Bob Cesca makes the case.

The left was never this crazy during the Bush years. And, in fact, we were amost always right.

1) Liberals were right about Bush being incompetent.
2) Liberals were right about WMD.
3) Liberals were right about torture authorizations.
4) Liberals were right about Dick Cheney's executive power grab.
5) Liberals were right about the economy.
And on and on...

The wingnuts are claiming that President Obama was born in Kenya, they're claiming that his presidency is a communist plot, they're claiming that he wants to kill old and disabled people including Downs babies, and they're claiming that a 30 percent increase in the Dow means there's an "Obama Depression." None of this is right, nor will it ever be.

Video Ad: Sinead's Hand

This ad should run in the other 45 states that do not recognize same-sex marriage.

Gallup Daily: Obama Up 5 Points

Here's some good news as everyone gets ready to clock-out and go home this weekend.

Gallup's three day rolling average has the president's approval number going up this week to 55%.

Click image to enlarge

'Brakes Of Civil Discourse Are Not Working'

These words from Joe Klein yesterday stopped me in my tracks.

"Could I just say that the intensity of this is getting pretty scary...and dangerous? We are heading toward a cliff and the usual brakes of civil discourse are not working. Indeed, the Republicans have the pedal to the metal... I'm usually not one to panic or be overly worried about the state of our country -- even when we do awful things like invade Iraq and torture people, we usually right our course before long -- but I have a sinking feeling about where we're headed now."

God help us.

Health Insurance For the 'Well, Well-Off and Well-Connected'

I attended a healthcare rally earlier this evening in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. About 400 enthusiastic people came out to voice their support for reform at the Allen Chapel AME church.

One by one, Middle Tennesseans bravely took the stage and shared with the audience their heartbreaking testimonies. One man who contracted shingles last year told a story about how the infection spread to his eye. Fortunately, a doctor gave him a free 30-day prescription for contacts. Unfortunately, he had to wear them for seven months because he couldn't afford the monthly cost for a new pair.

Another sad story came from a tearful girl who still has a lump in her arm that has gone unexamined and untreated for months. The insurance coverage that would normally subsidize the care she needs far exceeds her budget as a working college student. Every one of these Tennesseans are employed, most of them full-time, but still unable to afford the insurance premiums available to them.

To the point. Despite the narrative that right-wing squabblers have been telling over the last month, many Americans who are uninsured do have full-time jobs, just like those who spoke at tonight's rally.

There were no Republican protesters screaming in anger, "Get a job! Buy your own insurance!" although they have been quite effective in controlling the message war on several fronts, including this one: Uninsured = Unemployed.

Look at the chart below from the Kaiser Family Foundation. There's a clear correlation between those working Americans whose incomes are near the federal poverty level and others whose incomes are much higher. If you're a young American attending college who's been dropped from a COBRA plan, there's a strong chance you are uninsured because you can't afford coverage. Thousands of others who've recently lost their jobs as a result of the Bush Recession may be finding work as servers, bartenders, bellmen and cashiers, but they still can't afford the sky-high premiums offered by their employers.

The conclusion? As one supporter this evening said, "You can afford insurance in this country if you are well, well off and well-connected." Here's proof.

Lunch With My City Councilman

Thanks to Jeff Woods at the Nashville Scene who's been covering the Nashville City Council and their progress toward passing a non-discrimination ordinance that protects "sexual orientation" and "gender identity." Supporters of ORDINANCE NO. BL2009-502 are poised to soon see this bill become law.

Included in Woods' latest write-up is part of a discussion that I had with my own city Councilman, Duane Dominy regarding the bill.

Then there's Antioch council member Duane Dominy, who represents District 28. One of his constituents, Bill Newsome, was so outraged by a lunch meeting with the council member that he contacted the Scene. Dominy didn't return the Scene's calls seeking comment about this meeting. But according to Newsome, Dominy told him he opposed the bill because sexual orientation "could be construed in a court of law to mean bestiality and pedophilia."

"I'm sitting there and I'm thinking, 'Am I really hearing this?' " Newsome says. "I really could not believe what I was hearing. I thought, 'Here's a guy who's on the city council and he's saying this.'

"I said, 'Hang on a second. You're putting bestiality and pedophilia in the same category as this?' Our meeting ended civilly and we shook hands but, as important as this issue is to me, I probably should have cleaned his clock. I was overwhelmed with this sense of anger inside."

Here's part two of the story. Councilman Dominy also wanted to followup his "research" with me in an email. Here's the followup email he sent.

From: Duane Dominy <duanead2@yahoo.com>

Date: Wednesday, August 5, 2009 10:14 PM

To: Bill Newsome

Subject: Today's meeting

Dear Bill,

It was a pleasure meeting with you today. I enjoyed our discussion though we remain on opposite sides of this issue. I wanted to share with you the article I mentioned concerning bestiality. I understand the concern of linking this activity with homosexuality and do not desire to do so. Which is why, I currently do not intend to bring this up during discussion of this bill on the council floor, though it will likely be discussed in committee and with our legal staff. I was mistaken as to the source of the article, as I read numerous articles that evening. The information is available at www.reference.com/browse/beastiality . This discusses Zoophilia, its variations and includes distinctions between it and bestiality. However, reading the forth paragraph, a thinking individual must give pause when considering the wording of the proposed bill we discussed.

FYI. I was informed tonight, that the sponsor does plan to defer the bill Thursday evening. Also, I would expect that some may attempt to defeat the bill as well. I am unsure how this may progress and ultimately play-out. You are welcome and encouraged to attend either way.

Kind regards,
Duane Dominy
101 Cherokee Place
Antioch, TN 37013
615-831-0774

Seriously now. We have an elected official who represents a large district in a city, which just happens to be the state capital. It'd be outrageous if this were some rural town in Cullman County Alabama, but this is Nashville for god's sake. You'd think that a "thinking individual" would leave a meeting like that and say, "Woops. I probably shouldn't have talked so much about bestiality," but instead he digs a deeper hole for himself by sending me his so-called research on the subject (yes, from Reference.Com), time-stamped and dated with his name on it.

Many Nashville residents were also outraged by Councilman Hodge and his moldy comments, but at least he was telling the truth. Councilman Dominy, on the other hand, cowardly hides behind this phony notion that gays and lesbians are "under the same umbrella," as he put it that day, as sex offenders and those who practice zoophilia - whatever the hell that is.

You are an embarrassment to this city, Councilman.

It's important for citizens to know what their elected officials are saying when they're meeting with constituents. That's the only reason I initiated contact with the Scene. "Let me be clear," I said to Jeff, "I am not calling you to promote some kind of smear campaign." I stand by that.

Once upon a time, a true thinking individual said this. "One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors." Here's real proof that not enough people from Nashville's District 28 participated on August 2, 2007, the day this guy was elected - with just 791 votes.

Right-Wing Rabies Spreading

If you think these protesters are screaming at the top of their lungs because they oppose Obama's healthcare plan, you're wrong. They're screaming because they hate Barack Obama and because they lost.

R. Neal over at Knox Views builds a pretty strong case that right-wing rabies is spreading. Besides the fact that the Secret Service investigates on average 30 death threats on President Obama every day, we have governors joking around about shooting Obama and other idiots holding signs at rallies that say, "Death to Michelle and her two stupid kids." One pastor in Arizona even prays for the death of Obama and his family.

So much for Christ-like...

Here's more from R. Neal.

It's almost not fair to lay this at the doorstep of the Republican Party. Most of these idiots are libertarians, or apolitical from being too stupid and uninformed to form a cognitive thought on politics or policy (Republican candidates for governor of Idaho notwithstanding). But the Republican Party has tapped this boiling-over hatred to fuel resentment and distrust of anything resembling progressive reforms. They are spreading lies and misinformation like a virus, infecting a large swath of America with a bad case of right-wing foaming at the mouth rabies.

And there's a racial element. The operator of a popular white supremacist website said that 2000 new members joined the day after the election and that an overwhelming increase in activity crashed the site. Otherwise "normal" people are showing up at public protests with their hatred on full display.

Anti-Healthcare Protesters Video

There's been a lot of right-wing-nuttery video circulating the internet lately, but this one takes the gold medal. Didn't we see these same nuts doing the same thing exactly one year ago?

I'm not going to lie to you. This is going to hurt.