Let's Take A Hint From Newt Gingrich While Exposing His LIES About ObamaCare!

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Thursday September 08, 2011 · 3:18 PM PDT

2011/09/08 · 15:18

Photobucket I must admit last night's Republican Debate was quite entertaining but also enlightening if you were not well informed about the direction of where each and everyone of the candidates want to take this county. Simply put, they want to rape the country dry and make it like a third world country. You can just sum up the narrative of the debate, undoing anything President Obama has done and then some.

However, one thing stood out to me. That is the political mind displayed by Newt Gingrich to preemptively put the tone of the debate early on from getting nasty. These is what Newt said when Politico's John Harris asked him to weigh in on the "genuine philosophical difference" between Rick Perry and Mitt Romney over the individual health care mandate with the kind of scolding that was unnecessary but got many applause from the Republican candidates as well as debate participants (transcript below the video) :

I am frankly not interested in your efforts trying to get Republicans to fight with each other.....You would like to puff this up into some giant thing. The fact is every person up here understand that Obama Care is a disaster. It was a disaster procedurally. It was rammed through after they lost Ted Kennedy's seat in Massachusetts. It was written badly. It was never reconciled. It can't be implemented. It is killing this economy. If this President has any concern for working Americans, he will walk in here Thursday night and asks us to repeal it. Because it is a monstrosity. Every person in here agrees with that. (Huge applause).
Since I have a little time left, let me just say, I for one and I hope all of my friends up here are going to repudiate every effort of the news media to get Republican to fight each other to protect Barack Obama who deserves to be defeated and all of us are committed as a team whoever the nominee is, we are all for defeating Barack Obama.

Here is my take. Everything Newt said is a lie about the ineffectiveness of ObamaCare which I will prove below. However, the man is a giant persuasive debater if you are low information voter who has never laid an eye on what has been going on in the political world which in fact was what he was catering that performance towards. It was effective and got him huge applause. Not only the man knows how to play politics but also he knows how to defuse what could have been a nasty debate we would have loved to see by stepping in to speak as if the Republican candidates are one coalition. The emphasis put is we are united against them (us Democrats).

I just wish that progressives would stand to support the only Democratic Candidate we have for the Presidency in the same way the Republicans stand together even though they are divided ideologically. I also wish knowing that we don't have a better candidate than President Obama at this time, many of the critics of President Obama tone down the over the top rhetoric that does nothing to build a coalition except divide the party because as one commenter stated, "there is far to much at stake for us as Party and a Nation, to be playing games with the Republicans and their hate for the American poor, elderly and children". We just can't afford to lose because if anything we have seen is any indication, we must fight hard, unite as one and ensure that the 113th congress is a Democratic Congress and the White House is occupied by President Obama for another term.

If we are interested in electing more and better Democrat, let's get out in our local communities and elect candidate that reflect our ideals. Support your primary candidate vigorously because believe me if your candidate wins the primary, they will win the 2012 election as we all unite to get out to vote as we did for President Obama in 2008. Let's stop showing defeat because we have so much to show and be prideful. I am proud and hopeful. I hope Democrat see beyond the short term to acknowledge that we live in a very complex time that require extra ordinary and calm leadership. We have that leader. Let's give him the tools to implement what I will guarantee is one million times better future for all Americans than what the Republicans have stored for America.

What we have in President Obama, is a valuable future indeed. Let us not destroy it! Let us protect it. Let us embrace it even if there are things we disagree with the President. It’s gonna make us all proud one day — I promise you. Let us be a United Democratic Party with all our differences and make sure we defeat the Republicans.

I know all the argument there is in how to criticize President Obama. I am hoping for a positive dialog that will help us win reelection and the 113th Congress without making this diary a focus of Obama's shortcoming and such.

As to that ObamaCare Newt the clueless foamed about as being ineffective last night at the debate, I wonder what he has to say when he cuts off over 30 million Americans from having access to Health Insurance through the repeal effort. Better yet, somebody please send this small list of benefits of the HCR bill until I expand it in its entirety soon:

1) Coverage can’t be denied to children with pre-existing conditions.
2) Adults up to age 26 can stay on their parents’ health plans.
3) Free preventive care.
4) Rescinding coverage is now illegal.
5) Eliminating lifetime limits on insurance coverage.
6) Restricting annual limits on insurance coverage.
7) More options to appeal coverage decisions.
8) $5 billion in immediate federal support to affordable Coverage for the Uninsured with Pre-existing Conditions.
9) $10 billion investment in Community Health Centers.
10) Create immediate access to re-insurance for employer health plans providing coverage for early retirees.
11) Made an $80 billion dealwith the pharmaceutical industry to contribute to cut prescription drug costs for the nation’s seniors reduce the size of the "donut hole" in the Medicare (Part D) Drug Benefit.
12) Provides a $250 rebate to 750,000 Medicare Beneficiaries who reach the Part D coverage gap in 2010. As of March 22, 2011, 3.8 million beneficiaries had received a $250 check to close the coverage gap, according to an HHS report.
13) Businesses with fewer than 50 employees will get tax credits covering up to 35% of employee premiums effective 2011 and a 50% tax credit effective 2013.
14) Creates a state option to provide Medicaid coverage to childless adults with incomes up to 133% of the federal poverty level. By 2014, States are required to provide this coverage.
15) Provides a 10% Medicare bonus payment for primary care services and also a 10% Medicare bonus payment to general surgeons practicing in health professional shortage areas.
16) Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) requires that insurance companies spend at least 80 to 85 percent of the proportion of the premium dollars on clinical services. As an example, WellPoint's Anthem Blue Cross unit in California has reduced its proposed rate increase.

"President Obama is a long distance runner." Pragmatism Has Worked and Will Continue To Work.

ThisIsMyTime

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Tuesday September 06, 2011 · 12:30 PM PDT

2011/09/06 · 12:30

Crossposted from the PeoplesView

Photobucket I posted this article about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial a few days ago and reading through the comments, something I read profoundly touched me. When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, I was in my mother's womb swimming and doing a lot of backstroke I bet and did not know a great man in the real world was paving the way for a better outside world that was awaiting me. Today some 40 years later after his death, his legacy lives on to reach many lives and humanity. I can assure you that had it not been for the many civil rights leaders who had sacrifice their being to change the world like Dr. King did, I may not have this little privilege I have today to talk to you. However, amongst us, many have walked, marched, jailed and prosecuted along side Dr. King and most of all remember the struggle vividly as if it was yesterday.

The comment below was posted by blogger nathkatun7 and it was making the case for why President Obama is the way he is -- a President whose eyes are always on the prize while trying his very best to also be a bridge builder, a monumental legacy and a torch that is passed on to him by Dr. King, which he must continue to exemplify in order to preserve a legacy that some day will earn him many recognition while he faces so much adversity today. I think the comment in its entirety is worth sharing:

I owe everything in my life to the struggles led by Dr King and all those incredibly courageous people, young and old, who sacrificed so much to bring about monumental, though imperfect, changes in America and throughout the world. The poet, Haki Madhubuti (Don L. Lee) always talked about the difference between long distance runners and short distance runners as a metaphor for those who were ready to give up the struggle because they wanted instant success and those who were prepared to engage in a long struggle. Dr King was a long distance runner. He always knew that change was not going to be a quick sprint. For thirteen years, he carried on the struggle, winning some victories while loosing some, but never giving up. Today, we need the same long distance runners to continue his struggles.
In my humble opinion, I think President Obama is a long distance runner. What he needs are supporters who also believe that progress is never instant. Change requires persistence, patience, and dedication, especially in the face of hostile opponents.

As we honor Dr. King, Lets also honor the wisdom of this young man who was tapped by his community to lead a protracted struggle at the tender age of 26, but who, despite his age, lead one of the most impressive grass roots movement for justice, equality and humanity in America. Sometimes we forget how young Dr. King was-- just barely 39 years old-- when he was assassinated. I was 17 years old when Dr. King gave his famous "I have a Dream speech." And I was 22 years old when he was assassinated. Yet even at such a young age, I learned from Dr. King that the struggle for justice and equality would not be easy. He always insisted on letting people know that the struggle for justice, equality and human dignity required discipline, sacrifice, maturity and a willingness to believe in the goodness of all human beings.

I know that a great many of so called progressives have been attacking the President for trying his best to talk to Republicans who hate him so much. But I feel he is following the foot steps of Dr. King, who urged us to do our best to lovingly talk to everyone, including our enemies.

In this day of 24 hours news cycle, in the face of unprecedented resistant infused by a tea-party ideology that want to make government irrelevant with all the challenge we face as a country, President Obama has been nothing but gracious trying to implement an approach that will win the future - be it health care, energy independence, financial reform, solving our debt crisis, foreign policy, etc., staying above the many partisan squabbling we see in Washington while focusing on a liberal vision that are paramount for Democrats in the long-term and effectively fulfilling his promises while some being compromised because of the Party of NO.

Barack Obama has made part of Dr. Martin Luther King's dream a reality when he become the President of the United States. He was in fact not judged by the color of his skin but the content of his character. However, ever after 40 years, MLK's dream is not fulfilled and the struggle for justice, equality and human dignity is still a work-in-progress endeavor with so many class and race disparities. While some of us would like to see many radical changes in two and half years of the Obama Presidency, change is a struggle we have to work harder for in our system of Government as MLK did then and President Obama is working towards today.

I think The Optimism of Uncertainty by Howard Zinn speaks volume to me and I often find myself referring to it about how we can fulfill our DREAMS:

We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world. Even when we don't "win," there is fun and fulfillment in the fact that we have been involved, with other good people, in something worthwhile. We need hope. An optimist isn't necessarily a blithe, slightly sappy whistler in the dark of our time. To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places-and there are so many-where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.

The only way to reaching new heights in our political environment to fulfilling the DREAM is to understand that we must stay focused on the common good to improve each others lives and bridge a coalition no matter what our race, religion and beliefs are . If we want to see the kind of progressive changes we are seeking, we have to recognize and ensure that our common enemy and an obstacle to every progressive ideology must be defeated. That was what Dr. King has been doing all his life with thoughtful words. President Obama understands that legacy and is following MLK's foot steps while many want to see him be combative and angry only to misunderstand that there are many ways to be combative without showing you are angry.

Some of us believe in the approach President Obama is taking and some of us don't but if we choose to focus our energy in seeing only the worst, it sure will destroy our capacity to do something to fulfill the vision of Dr. King -- to win the struggle for justice, equality and human dignity.

I am a pragmatic who is interested in electing more and better Democrats that will help make the DREAM come true and I will add that "that Pragmatism" has shown me many good things. As a reminder, the 111th Congress under the leadership of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority leader Harry Reid had made it possible for President Obama and this Administration to achieve many important legislative accomplishments. The 112th Congress however has done very little compared to this comprehensive list of successes by the Obama administration and the 111th Congress and we know why that is. If Democrats are ever to achieve any success, as Jonathan Chait of the New York Time noted, they must "stop wanting both maximal partisan conflict and maximal legislative achievement" which he notes are often at odds. Some feel President Obama does not understand them. He does. He just respectfully disagrees with their approach and the maximum partisan conflict is not the approach he chooses to take regardless of the beating he takes each and everyday. MLK said:

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
~Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963

MLK has seen so much cruelty, the lynching, physical violence and systemic slavery under Jim Crow in his time but choose to emphasis peace, love and non violent message to win the struggle that is still no yet fully fulfilled.

As progressives, what we choose to emphasize in this complex time will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to fulfill our DREAMS by letting Teaparty ideologues shape the path for this country which means destroying our ability to do something fundamentally game changing. We can do that with President Obama but we must learn to be patient. We must continue to help him win re-election and take back the 113th Congress so that we can continue building on the progress we have made during the 111th Congress.

Our President is indeed a long distance runner. We must understand he is made of something extraordinary that is hard to understand to most Americans but he has always been principled. I recall reading this article by Sasha Abramsky at the Gardian and encourage every one to read it in its entirety:

As a politician, President Obama has always been a long-distance runner. When early supporters panicked in the autumn of 2007, a few months before the Iowa caucus, and convened meetings with the candidate to urge a more aggressive stance versus Clinton, Obama told them he was going to adhere to the script created by Axelrod, Plouffe and himself. He did, and a couple weeks before the caucus, he pulled ahead in the polls. When the pundits opined that he was being too passive after the Democratic party's August 2008 convention and was giving an opening to McCain and Palin, he urged his team to stay calm, to stay focused … and sure enough, his poll numbers rebounded. Numerous of Obama's friends told me, while I was reporting my book Inside Obama's Brain, that he is congenitally even-keeled, a man who revels in staying calm under pressure and in remaining consistent despite the shifting sands around him.

One thing that is for sure is that President Obama's vision is never short-sighted and has always been aimed at helping those most in need while the Republicans pester him at every stage of policy making denying him support on any of his agenda. However, as the former New York Governor Mario M. Cuomo said:

"Never has the world needed strong and wise American leadership more than it does now...[President] Obama's personal gifts makes it clear that he is remarkably suited to be the president the moment requires."

The road ahead is not a sprint to victory, it is a long distance marathon that will require a lot of patience while building a majority. That is exactly what MLK did and that is what President Obama is trying to do. I am standing by my President and will continue supporting him. I hope you do the same too because in the long haul we will be a better country and a great nation we ones used to be if we support our pragmatic president and fight along side him to building a majority. What we have in President Obama, to quote Al Pacino from the movie "Scent of a Woman", is "a valuable future. Believe me. Don’t destroy it! Protect it. Embrace it. It’s gonna make ya proud one day — I promise you."

This Law Directly Benefits Poor Communities

Muskegon Critic

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Monday September 05, 2011 · 9:02 PM PDT

2011/09/05 · 21:02

The importance and brilliance ofUS Department of Agriculture's Community Eligibility Option, signed into law by President Obama last December as part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, cannot be overstated.

What does it do?

For one, it directly targets and infuses money into poor neighborhoods.

For another it cuts the bullshit class warfare arguments in a community and just helps EVERY child in a given school district...no more pissing and moaning about why the poorest get free school lunches and breakfasts. It removes a tool to pit the middle class against the poor.

For another-nother, it also does this

A major goal of the program is to eliminate the stigma of receiving a free lunch, said Howard Leikert, supervisor of the state education department’s school nutrition programs.

Okay...not only is this program designed to help children with low income get access to a hot meal during the day, it is explicitly designed...EXPLICITLY DESIGNED to eliminate any stigma of receiving a free lunch or breakfast in a community.

The program evaluates the economic eligibility of an entire school or district, rather than individual students, and if 40 percent of the school or district’s students qualify for free lunches, all students get them.

and

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimatesup to 10,000 schools in the country’s poorest neighborhoods will be able to participate, starting with the 2011-12 school year.
“Families won’t have to complete applications providing detailed information on their income. And schools won’t have to process those applications or have a cashier figure out whether to provide a free or reduced-price meal every time a child goes through the lunch line,” Zoe Neuberger, a senior policy analyst with the Center, wrote in a blog post.

ThisIsMyTime

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Sunday September 04, 2011 · 10:52 AM PDT

2011/09/04 · 10:52

The comment section of the diary I posted, So That Ignorance Won't Be The Reason Why "Progressives" Are Throwing The President Under The Bus, is a very telling story of why it is impossible to make Dailykos a serious place to fulfill its motto of "electing more and better Democrats".

I read this comment I would like to share because I really would like to get your feed back about if this site that sells itself to electing more and better Democrats is in fact taken over by Naderites and/or Republican-lite.

This blog has been taken over by Naderites and members of the Green Party, they were loudmouthed and obnoxious when they belonged to those parties, and still are. We see once again the power of a few determined fanatics. They took over the Republican Party, and now their mirror image is trying to take over the Democratic Party. Good Luck, if anyone was the least bit interested in what they have to say Ralph Nader would be President.

We do have people who have already claimed their loyalty to the Green Party and some would vote for a Republican for the 2012 election.

What should Markos do about these kinds of people who are not here to help elect more and better Democrats?

The floor is yours.

So That Ignorance Won't Be The Reason Why "Progressives" Are Throwing The President Under The Bus

ThisIsMyTime

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Friday September 02, 2011 · 7:40 PM PDT

2011/09/02 · 19:40

Crossposted from the PeoplesView

This is a summation of the first two years of the Obama Administration's accomplishments to remind us all about what it means to have the majority in Congress that can actually pass legislation and effect the kind of change that guided the State of our country's affair in the right path. Whether we like what the Obama Administration accomplished or not is beside the point but it takes a majority to push for something as we had witnessed during the first two years of the Obama Administration.

This is also a reminder about why we need to reverse the power structure in 2011 by electing more and better Democrats to achieve more of what we had started in the first two years of this Administration. I understand some folks will try to undermine the progress we have made but we must highlight them so that the false narrative of some does not feel like the reality.

Share it to all that you think will help inform and to those who appreciate what we have accomplished in the first two years of the Obama Administration. And, tell 'em that these were all possible because we had Democratic Majority and why it is important not to be complaisant come election 2012.

ThisIsMyTime

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Thursday September 01, 2011 · 10:33 AM PDT

2011/09/01 · 10:33

Crossposted from the PeoplesView

Scent of A Woman -- a beautiful movie!

I still get chills about that speech Al gave. You can see the transcript here and a modified transcript and a satire below the video:

The transcript for the above video has been modified by me as I have changed the characters to reflect current events. You can find the original script here:

The Professional Left (PL): What you tea party folks are about is such a crock of shit.

Boehner: Please watch your language, Mr. Liberal. You are in the exclusive "whites only" Baird School for the racists not a barracks. Mr. Professional Left, I will give you one final opportunity to speak up.

The PL: Mr. Obama doesn’t want it. He doesn’t need to be labeled: “Still worthy of being an ‘American.’” What the hell is that? What is your motto here? Hijacking jobs bills, killing regulations, killing unions, calling teachers thugs, stomping on a woman’s head, threatening Senators for supporting healthcare reform, making our townhalls a place where other citizens couldn’t be heard, intimidating legislators, spitting on legislators, asking for the President’s birth certificate, calling us socialists, calling the President a Muslim as a slur, bringing hate to American Muslims, questioning the patriotism of our President and the First Lady, calling Obama Hitler at your rallies.

“Boys, kneecap the President, smear him non-stop, say no to everything he proposes and make sure his legacy is tarred beyond repair — anything short of that we’re gonna burn you at the stake? Well, gentlemen, when the shit hits the fan some guys run and some guys stay. Here’s President Obama facing the fire; and there’s you Mr. Boehner, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney and the rest of them racist fucks hidin’ in big Koch brother’s pocket. And what are you doin’? You’re gonna reward the sock puppet of the Koch and try to destroy President Obama for looking out for the American People and doing magnificent thing in his first two years in office until your teabagging racist party paralyzed the House of Representatives.

Boehner: Are you finished, Mr. Professional Left?

The PL: No, I’m just gettin’ warmed up. I don’t know who went to this place, William Howard Taft, William Jennings Bryan, William Tell, Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan — whoever. Their spirit is dead — if they ever had one — it’s gone. You’re building a rat ship of racists, secessionist, hatefully cowards here. A vessel for sea goin’ snitches and fucking religious right lynch mob fundamentalist who are interested in ending the world. And if you think your preparing these country for greatness, you better think again. Because I say you are killing the very spirit this country proclaims it instills! What a sham. What kind of a show are you Republicans and some Leftists puttin’ on the MSM or blogs today because the President rescheduled his speech to a joint session in the House. I will tell you, if you think hating on this President is classy, you are classless. The only class in this act is sittin’ by the country and that is President Obama. And I’m here to tell ya no matter what you do, no matter what you say, no matter how much you try to disrespect him, no matter how inconvenience it is to see a black man being the leader of the free world, President Obama's soul is intact. It’s non-negotiable. You know how I know? Someone here — and I’m not gonna say who — have made so many assertions to only be proven wrong time and time again. Americans know he may not be able to do everything the way all 300 million people want things done but he ain't sellin’.

Boehner: Sir, you are out of order!

The PL: Outta order? I’ll show you outta order! You don’t know what outta order is, Mr. Boehner! I’d show you but I’m too old; I’m too tired; I’m too f*ckin’ blind; I am too fucking emotional I would be afraid I might do something to you. If I were the man I was as dictatorial Leftist I was some years ago I’d take a FLAME-THROWER to this place! Outta order. Who the hell you think you’re talkin’ to? I’ve been around, you know? There was a time I could see and reason. And I have seen a country take pride in itself doing the right thing for the poor, the have nots, those who can't feed themselves, those struggling to make ends meet. But there isn’t nothin’ like the sight of an amputated spirit; there is no prosthetic to fix it unless you Mr. Boehner stop this bullshit and work for America's common interest instead of the "racist-laced Medicaid-mugging, billionaire-codling right staggers". What you people are doing to this splendid President with your nonstop evil spirited hate fest is cowardly. You think you’re merely sendin’ this splendid foot-soldier back home to Chicago with his tail between his legs, but I say you are executin’ his SOUL!! And why?! Because he’s half White or too Black or not a Baird man! Baird men, ya hurt this boy, you’re going to be Baird Bums, the lot of ya. And Hamsher, Greenwald, Green, Cenk, Krugman, Huffington wherever you are out there, FUCK YOU, too!

Boehner: Stand down, Mr. Professional Left!

The PL: Fuck you, I’m not finished yet! As I came in here, I heard those words, “cradle of leadership.” Well, when the bow breaks, the cradle will fall. And it has fallen here; it has fallen. Makers of men; creators of leaders; be careful what kind of leaders you’re producin’ here. I don’t know if Mr. Obama’s kindness in not wanting to steal the thunder from the Republican debate here today is right or wrong but I will tell you it is gracious and compassionate.

I’m not a judge or jury. But I can tell you this: he won’t sell anybody out to buy his future!! He will do what is RIGHT. And that, my friends, is called integrity! That’s called courage! Now that’s the stuff leaders should be made of. Now I have come to the crossroads in my life. I always knew what the right path was. Without exception, I knew. But I never took it. You know why? It was too d*mn hard. Now here’s President Obama. He’s come to the crossroads. He has chosen a path. It’s the right path. It’s a path made of principle — that leads to character. Let him continue on his journey.

You hold this boy’s future of this country in your hands, Mr. Boehner. It’s a valuable future. Believe me. Don’t destroy it! Protect it. Embrace it. It’s gonna make ya proud one day — I promise you.

The Professional Left has spoken for me today.

PS: I am in sleepless in Seattle and I am going to enjoy the day visiting friends so I won't be able to fully engage but have a good day.

Pissed at the Democrats? Run for Office and Replace Them

Frank Vyan Walton

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Sunday August 28, 2011 · 9:42 AM PDT

2011/08/28 · 09:42

Tired of being "Hippy Punched"? Tired of being ignored? Discounted? Told to "SHUT UP"? Sitting at the little table? Taken for granted? Blamed for us losing the Congress in 2010? Threatened that you'll be the reason we now have President Perry to contend with?

I've tried saying that maybe all that frustration and energy should be directed at Republicans who've put us in this position rather than at fellow Democrats who want the same things you want, only at a slower pace perhaps. But that didn't seem to work and only seemed to throw the dust storm even higher. My apologies for contributing to the ongoing Meta-Melee. That wasn't my intention.

So I have a alternate suggestion.

Why not take all that passion, all that frustration, and RUN WITH IT.

Gotta Tea Bagger Representative in your district? Challenge them. Got a ConservaDem Capitulator? Primary Them.

Don't think you'll be able to find the funds? Well, Richard Trumka just started a SuperPac for the AFL/CIO, who do you think they're going to support? Anti-Union Tea Baggers?

Or might they be willing to put their support behind YOU, if you've got the goods.

I'm just saying...

ThisIsMyTime

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Sunday August 28, 2011 · 8:36 AM PDT

2011/08/28 · 08:36

Crossposted from the PeoplesView

Photobucket A Dailykos front pager writes,

It would be irresponsible for responsible Democrats not to make their voices heard. It would be irresponsible for responsible Democrats not to be very clear about what they consider to be unacceptable outcomes. It would be irresponsible for responsible Democrats not to continue to define what it means to be responsible Democrats. It is never wrong for Democrats to stand up for what is right.

I agree but how far must a responsible Democrat go to be an irresponsible Democrat?

Would it be irresponsible for a responsible Democrats to uprate comments that say there is NO substantive difference between Obama and Bush or claim that the President is criminal or serves criminally selfish elites or embrace statement that claims the responsible Democrat'scontempt for Obama is stronger than it was for Bush or call for his impeachment or address President Obama as that fucking piece of shit or call him a Constitutional Rapist all in one comment?

Yes, I think it is irresponsible for irresponsible Democrats to literally say I am rooting for a Teabagger to win the White House or I am voting for a Republican or Green for President and still be considered a responsible Democrats. Moreover, 100 plus critics of the President uprate such comment and can be considered responsible Democrats to have an outlet to continue undermining our Democratic President.

Is it responsible to using offensive and filthy racist video to undermine and demonize President Obama and then ask the question Why Are We So Afraid to Debate a Primary Challenge to President Obama? not to mention the racist nature of that post got 153 "likes" to reaffirm that it is ok for responsible Democrats to use such racists video to undermined a Democratic President.

Oh, there are a lot of irresponsible stuff that are said in progressive sites by so many so called responsible Democrats but you don't find Dailykos front pagers running to tell these responsible Democrats how irresponsible and counter productive they are but in fact it appears they are encouraged by some so called responsible Democrats to continue to fling vile personal attacks that are hateful and appalling towards the President in the name of dissent. Right! What is funny is when responsible Democrats challenge them, they claim these responsible Democrats fear dissent because it reveals some kind of truth and somehow threatens them personally. I guess fling right wing talking point in a Democratic site is not a threat to the Democratic Party and progressive agenda. I guess the alternative to losing the White House for a Republican does not threaten some responsible Democrats.

I think it is irresponsible for responsible Democrats to continue to define what it means to be responsible Democrats if it serves to hinder electing more and better Democrats. I also think it is irresponsible not to push back against irresponsible Democrats when they promote RW talking points.

I say...

Be wary of they that would use dissent to tar the Democratic Party, a Democratic President and progressive agenda. "Consider their motives. Consider their means. Feel free to disagree. With them or me."

durrati

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Wednesday August 24, 2011 · 1:44 PM PDT

2011/08/24 · 13:44

From The Detroit Free Press

WASHINGTON -- No promises that he'll join a chorus of "Solidarity Forever," but President Barack Obama is headed to Detroit to speak to thousands of union members for Labor Day celebrations.
Metro Detroit AFL-CIO President Saundra Williams said Obama's visit could result in more than 100,000 people participating in the annual Michigan AFL-CIO Labor Day Parade and its associated activities -- nearly twice the typical crowd.

"We're always ready for the president to join us, and we're very pleased that he's coming this year," Williams said.

The President has always had his own unique sense of timing. Coming out of the August recess I believe that we will see more offense in his game and kicking off by speaking to 100,000 union members is a good place to start.

JekyllnHyde

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Tuesday August 23, 2011 · 11:30 PM PDT

2011/08/23 · 23:30

To say that these are uncertain political and economic times is a huge understatement.

The world's financial markets are in turmoil and healthy future of the world economy in doubt. Joblessness (and underemployment) is stuck at a stubbornly high rate. Two wars rage on in Afghanistan and Iraq at great expense to the taxpayers, with American casualties still a fact of life. Cherished social programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid -- ones that defined for generations what it meant to be a member of the Democratic Party -- are under relentless political attack and one which threatens to redefine the social compact between the governed and those who govern. There have been riots even in a gentle city like London, England where I spent a couple of years in one of my grad schools.

It is not an exaggeration to say that prospects for a bright future are, at best, murky. However, the news around us is not all bad. MB's departure from Daily Kos was, to state the obvious, very sad. But, as some of you have pointed out in recent days, there have been a few MB sightings in diary and comment recommends. Given that he has family ties in the country, I'm sure MB is particularly pleased that an authoritarian, repressive regime is about to fall in Libya. The winds of change are blowing across most of the Greater Middle East and after four decades, a new, more open society awaits the people of Libya.

Whether the news is awful or encouraging, one place can never seem to catch a break: the Continent of Africa. In recent months, a devastating famine has caused unprecedented suffering and death. The people of East Africa have no future at all unless all of us extend a generous helping hand. Moreover, the world community is falling dangerously short in providing aid to East African countries suffering the worst drought in 60 years.

I have a simple request below the fold on how you can do something to highlight the desperate plight of millions of people in the Horn of Africa.

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Will You Be Able to Change Your Daily Kos Signature for One Week?

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Will You Be Able to Change Your Daily Kos Signature for One Week?

Absolutely Yes, And I Have Already Contributed to Oxfam

18 votes

Yes, And I Will Make a Contribution to Oxfam

11 votes

Probably Yes, But I'm Not Sure If I Can Contribute

9 votes

No, But I Have Already Contributed to Oxfam

11 votes

No, But I Will Make a Donation to Oxfam

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Something Else (comments attached)

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"Diaries" or "stories"?

kos

Daily Kos Staff

Tuesday August 23, 2011 · 8:44 PM PDT

2011/08/23 · 20:44

When I moved this site over to the Scoop platform in 2003, the software allowed community members to create "diaries". The nomenclature was part of the package. At one point, about a week after launching Scoop (DK2), I mentioned that I might change the name of "diaries", and someone shot back in a comment, "What, does 'diaries' threaten your manhood?" It didn't, so I kept it.

But for years we had a division of nomenclature. What the community did was "diaries", but writers on the front page wrote "stories". With DK4, I erased that distinction, and now everyone writes "diaries".

Since then, we've added several members to our tech team, and they've been doing a comprehensive review of site code as they prepare for some major new development and a gradual transition away from Perl to Rails (if you don't know what that means, don't sweat it. It's behind-the-scenes stuff). As they comb through the code, they're finding multiple references to both diaries and stories and they need to consolidate to one term.

My initial answer was, "just change everything to diaries", but Jason, my new VP of product and technology and a methodical, deliberate person, wanted me to be sure.

"If you started the site fresh today, what would you use?" he asked.

"Stories," I replied.

"So why not use stories?" he asked.

"Because of years of tradition using 'diaries'," I responded.

"What do you think the community thinks?"

"I don't know. I'll ask them."

"Do you think it's clear to new users what this 'diary' stuff is all about?"

"Beats me. Good question."

"Would people prefer being 'authors' to being 'diarists'?"

"Beats me. I'll ask them."

So here I am, asking you. Do we stick with "diaries", or do we transition everyone to "stories"? I'm interested in the long-time power users, of course, but also more recent members of the community. I'm curious if the word "diary" dissuaded (or encouraged) people from participating. So please share your thoughts on the matter.

Additionally, I've got two quick site updates --

1) We're close to launching a design refresh that I think answers critics who think the current look is too cluttered. Essentially, we're stripping the hell out of this place and going for a minimalist look. The new look is scheduled to hit at the end of the month. Note, this is just updating the look, not the functionality of the site. It shouldn't affect your ability to get around the site and find your favorite features.

2) We are in the process of sketching out a new community adjudication process for problem comments. The "hide" rating is not long for this world. It'll be replaced with a process that allows individuals to flag potential problems. The broader community would then adjudicate the comment.

The end result would be real punishment: if the community ruled against the commenter, then that commenter would receive a time out (exponentially increasing in length each time a new comment was hidden). If the community ruled FOR the commenter, the people flagging the comment would suffer their own time outs.

This is still a very early concept. At some point in the next month I'll have wire frames and a more fully developed plan, and I'll bring them to the community so we can all discuss the full concept and have you guys offer your feedback. I just wanted to make sure you all knew that we are working hard to come up with a way to better moderate the community.

Poll

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I prefer

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I prefer

diaries

282 votes

stories

477 votes

Both are fine

373 votes

Libya, Vindication of President Barack Obama's Policy and Republican Confusion (photos) - Updated

ThisIsMyTime

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday August 22, 2011 · 3:14 PM PDT

2011/08/22 · 15:14

Crossposted at the PeoplesView

Photobucket It was only about six months ago when the Qadaffi's regime threatened the many innocent people of Libya not to mention the killing of many peaceful demonstrators indiscriminately in a bloodbath that cost many lives until the international community came together to protect the Libyan people.

This is what President Obama said on March 28, 2011:

To brush aside America's responsibility as a leader and — more profoundly — our responsibilities to our fellow human beings under such circumstances would have been a betrayal of who we are. Some nations may be able to turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries. The United States of America is different. And as President, I refused to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action.
(full transcript here):

The United States push and adopting of resolution 1973, a measures to protect civilians under threat of attack by the Libyan Government, was one of the major highlights of the United States effort in what is today a success story in ending a 42 years of Qadaffi's regime. The United States under the leadership of President Obama was able to bring the world community together as a united coalition of International bodies to stop the inhumane treatment of one of the most brutal regime in North Africa.

Six months ago many had doubted and criticized President Obama's strategy in leading NATO and other International coalitions to act in the way it had. Today, because of the Obama Administration strategy, America has showed yet again its strategy has bear fruit by working with NATO, the European Union, the Arab League, Turkey and Other in the International community but acknowledging success is hard to swallow depending on who you ask.

According to two hawkish Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, the victory in Libya that will pave the way to democracy in the country does not matter. What matters to them is to blame America first and thank America last while bemoaning how long it took to ending the Qadaffi's regime in Libya:

Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) issued a joint statement last night on the developments in Libya. It’s worth taking a look at the lede.

“The end of the Qadaffi regime in Libya is a victory for the Libyan people and for the broader cause of freedom in the Middle East and throughout the world. This achievement was made possible first and foremost by the struggle and sacrifice of countless Libyans, whose courage and perseverance we applaud.
“We also commend our British, French, and other allies, as well as our Arab partners, especially Qatar and the UAE, for their leadership in this conflict. Americans can be proud of the role our country has played in helping to defeat Qaddafi, but we regret that this success was so long in coming due to the failure of the United States to employ the full weight of our airpower.”

Remember hearing about the “blame America first” crowd? Well, say hello to the “thank America last” crowd.

Well, while there is much to say about how small and irrelevant these so called "Republican Hawks" sound when it comes to foreign policy issues, all I would like to say today is I am proud that America along the world community acted quickly and swiftly to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe saving the lives of many innocent men, women and children. While liberating a nation is a difficult task to achieve, governing a new nation in Democracy will be even harder and it is my hope that the International community will continue the effort to rebuild Libya so that their movement will translate to true Democracy.

In an article by David Cortright, A major win for Obama's Libya policy, he notes:

Many questions and uncertainties remain, especially regarding the character of the new regime and whether Gadhafi loyalists go quietly or continue to resist, but one point is clear: The apparent collapse of the Gadhafi government is a major success for NATO and a vindication of President Barack Obama's policy of multilateral humanitarian interventionism.
In making the case for a limited military intervention in Libya, Obama emphasized the moral and political obligation of states to protect those who are victimized by genocide or mass killing, especially when such crimes are perpetrated by their own governments. The principle of the "responsibility to protect" entered the international policy lexicon over the past decade as a response to genocidal killings in Rwanda, Serbia and Sudan.

Mr. President, thank you for working with our allies to protect the Libyan people from Qaddafi’s forces. You have indeed contributed to saving many lives that would have been lost today by the actions you have taken. You actions and leadership is commendable and for that many of us and especially the People of Libya who are in the trenches give we all give you our gratitude and respect.

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