Tag: yep

Free to vote

Democratic leaders in the Senate are asking colleagues who are reluctant to support Bernanke’s nomination for a second term as Federal Reserve chairman to nevertheless vote with them to end a filibuster and allow a vote on the actual nomination. The reluctant members would then be free to vote no to express their displeasure.

Of course, for everything else, a vote for/against cloture is somehow magically indistinguishable from a vote for/against final passage. Un-fucking-believable. And you can bet that every last motherfucker on the yes-cloture no-confirmation list is somebody who’s come out all “there’s no difference between cloture and final passage” before. And will expect (and experience) no blow-back from this sort of utter hypocrisy.

And we wonder why these fucktards fail. As Krugman notes: “I can hardly think of anything more calculated to solidify the view that Wall Street doesn’t have to play by the rules that apply to everyone else.” Yep.

The Democrat as currently constituted is utterly and completely unfit to govern. At least they won’t have to worry about it anymore come 2010/2012. Then they can go back to going along with whatever the GOP says to do, all in the name of comity.

I say again: any Democrat, or fucking execrable fucktard that is allowed to caucus with them, that votes against cloture on a key issue or critical Democratic initiative should promptly find themselves so far down the seniority tree that they are often unable to purchase bean salad at the Senate cafeteria. Period. Until that happens, you’ll end up with the shit-sandwich we’ve been eating since they took over in record fashion.

In the same vein: You want to start over on insurance reform, GOP? Fine, as a first step towards that exciting new future, let’s pass a revocation of all health care provisions, including Medicare, for all serving members of Congress and their families, effective immediately; furthermore, we will tie any and all future health plans for same to the costliest option offered under any new legislation. Put your fucking market money where your fucking market mouth is, motherfuckers.

Is this all so very complicated?

…if America cannot grapple with its deep and real problems after electing a new president with two majorities, then America’s problems are too great for Americans to tackle.

And so one suspects that this is a profound moment in the now accelerating decline of this country. And one of the major parties is ecstatic about it.

Andrew Sullivan, seemingly channeling my underlying thoughts re: last post.

I don’t think Osama bin Laden sent those planes to attack us because he hated our freedom. I think he did it because of our support for Israel, our ties with the Saudi family and our military bases in Saudi Arabia. You know why I think that? Because that’s what he fucking said! Are we a nation of 6-year-olds? Answer: yes.

David Cross
(via alex ryking)
Source: azspot

This is the unusual case where a Dowd column actually provides some valuable insight, albeit inadvertently. Her desire for a Daddy in the White House who will tell her scary bedtime stories and then reassure her that Daddy will keep her safe seems to be widely shared; the Republicans’ vaunted edge on “national security” is mostly about the “security” in the phrase “security blanket.”

Mark Kleiman

What has Obama ever done for us?

squashed:

  • Torture memos released
  • No more waterboarding
  • White house visitor logs released
  • Iraq withdrawal in progress
  • Mexico City policy reversed
  • Certain arguments against DOMA rejected
  • Money set aside for high-speed rail
  • Environmental Protection Agency enforcement is up
  • Restrictions on Legal Services Funds eased
  • Being HIV+ no longer disqualifies people for a green card
  • Net neutrality
  • EPA to regulate carbon
  • The HAMP program has helped a lot of people avoid foreclosure
  • Review of mandatory minimum sentencing
  • Credit card bill of rights created
  • SCHIP eligibility expanded
  • No permanent bases in Iraq
  • Cuba restrictions eased
  • Release of Presidential records expedited
  • National Park funding increased
  • Protections for gays and lesbians added to hate crimes law
  • AmeriCorps funding increased
  • EEOC funding restored to pre-Bush levels
  • Ledbetter Act
  • Unemployment insurance extended
  • Stem cell restrictions eased

Etc.

I tell people that if it’s in the news, don’t worry about it. The very definition of “news” is “something that hardly ever happens.” It’s when something isn’t in the news, when it’s so common that it’s no longer news – car crashes, domestic violence – that you should start worrying.

Bruce Schneier