We need to continue the thoughts of strength & compassion to Theodore Olbermann, Keith Olbermann, the entire family, and their friends.
The "this day in history" cupboard is pretty bare for today, so I'll only discuss one event. On this date in 1916, Charlie Chaplin signed a movie contract with Mutual (a now defunct studio or a part of a bigger studio?). Chaplin did it all; he acted, he directed, he produced, he composed music, and he was larger than life. Our country should be forever ashamed for what we did to him. So, ladies & gents, Charlie Chaplin...
The Great Dictator, easily in my top 10 favorite movies EVER, was his first "talkie."
If you get the chance to see Robert Downey, Jr.'s portrayal of Chaplin, I absolutely recommend it!
Let's Countdown.
Thanks to Lawrence O’Donnell for DHing for Keith so he can spend time with his family – where he’s needed more than any place else.
#5 "Bipartisanshi*" AKA "What’s Next for Health Care" - Did anyone honestly think that hearts & minds were going to be changed after yesterday? Please... GOP Senators claimed a victory after yesterday’s meeting. Dears, denial ain’t just a river in Egypt!
Nobody "won." A whole lot of politicians got together & pontificated. Most of the dialogue was hot stinky air; actual substantive dialogue was a precious commodity. There were some good zingers, though! ;D We’re talking HCR passage by April now? $hit! Remember the good ‘ol days when it was going to be done by the August recess? Hell, even Lawrence in a previous show said it would be March. Anyone who took the over on Lawrence’s prediction done good! President Obama will shine a light on the next step in HCR sometime the middle of next week. Honey, don’t do it in the middle of American Idol or Lost; most Americans just couldn’t handle that.
Speaker Pelosi put the ball in the Senate’s court. The ball will go flat in the Senate’s court. Senator McCentury cried to the Mannity that the worst thing about yesterday is President Obama’s refusal to take reconciliation off the table. How many reconciliation votes has Senator McCentury participated in since he began his Senate career? Here’s Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey. Uh, not to get too critical, but the show couldn’t find anyone better to interview about this – maybe someone who was actually there yesterday? Hell, Jon Stewart got Rep. James Clyburn! OK, *itching over – for now. Rep. Pallone thinks the pre – existing condition part of HCR reform would be the most difficult to do via reconciliation. Huh...I wonder why? If you cover more people in the health insurance "pool," there’s more money & more resources to deal with pre – existing conditions, isn’t there? Most people seem to think the House must pass the Senate bill first (a tall order), then parts of the Senate bill is fixed via reconciliation. Are there huge differences between the House & Senate bills as far as the pre – existing condition stipulations? I forget. Rep. Pallone said the Senate is "the problem." I like what someone said on NPR this morning better; the Senate is where good bills go to die – HA! Ain’t that the sad sorry damn truth?! Here’s Jonathan Cohn; long time no see! He thought yesterday was "clarifying." JONATHAN COHN NAILED THE MESSAGE FROM THE GOP YESTERDAY! Sorry for all caps, but this is important. The GOP just doesn’t think it’s worth the time, the effort, and the MONEY to try to cover everyone; they think health care is a privilege – not a right. The House doesn’t trust the Senate; hell, I wouldn’t either. The GOP will continue to stall & obstruct.
#4 "‘Tough $hit’" -
We sure are NOT going to miss Senator Jim Bunning.
HA! Now, that was a damn great intro to this segment from Mr. O’Donnell; it was a bit of an understatement, though. ;D I’m more along the lines of "Good Riddance!" and "Don’t let the door hit ya’ where the good Lord split ya’!" I still think he took one too many baseballs to the head without a helmet or something during his baseball career.
I wish I could find YouTube video of his rants during the Finance Committee mark – up of health care; he was absolutely vile. Now, he is single – handedly making sure that unemployment benefits for millions of people will expire. A whole mess of Senators had already ditched town not knowing little Jimmy was going to do this. He *itched on the Senate floor for missing a basketball game – CLASSY! Well, if he hadn’t been such a boil on the butt of humanity, he would’ve been able to see his damn game! Senator Bunning wanted the Baucus – Grassley jobs bill that had nothing (or very little) to do with jobs but had a whole lot to do with making sure rich people stayed rich to be THE jobs bill the Senate voted on. The Senate won’t have enough members to bypass Bunning’s shenanigans until Tuesday. Senator Richard Durbin had this to say about his not – so – honorable colleague:
I just don’t think that one Senator ought to be able to heap this kind of suffering and misfortune on people who are already struggling in this economy.
Well dear, them’s the Senate rules; CHANGE THE SPARKIN’ RULES so no one can do what he did or what Senator Shelby did.
David Corn’s back! Lawrence called Senator Bunning "silly"; I can think of a whole mess of other words for him – words not FCC – approved! Unemployment in Kentucky (like in Indiana) is higher than the national average – over 10%. Wouldn’t it be loverly if his constituents burned up his email inbox & his phone lines to express their feelings about their Senator’s shenanigans? ;D Mr. Corn claims that Senators are going to be back in DC on Monday to try to fix this mess. Senator Corker expressed admiration for what Senator Bunning did; well, of course he did. David Corn made a great point; no one in GOP leadership is denouncing what Jim Bunning’s doing. It doesn’t hurt that Senator Bunning’s colleague from Kentucky just happens to be the Senate Minority Leader, either – not bloody likely that Mitchie McConnell will say anything.
** "Winter Weary" Central Park has recorded its largest snowfall EVER! A whole bunch of people in that part of the country have no electricity. Look at that heavy wet snow! People have been stranded on highways for nearly a day in some parts of that area. Cities are breaking their snow removal budgets. New York City kids got a snow day! **
#3 "State of Affairs" - Governor Mark "Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina" Sanford is officially a divorced man today; he can go spark ‘ol whats – her – name now right out in the open! ;D Governor Jim Gibbons & Governor Jim Patterson aren’t having such good times being Governor these days, either. ‘Ol Governor Patterson may have really stepped in it this time.
And, the guy who will be investigating this, Andrew Cuomo, just might have a free and clear path TO the Governor’s mansion now! Governor Patterson just announced last Saturday that he was running for a term of his own. Gov. Gibbons is in the middle of a messy divorce; he probably went to some big Governor’s conference in DC with a girlfriend. Yea, you shouldn’t probably say you went to the conference by yourself when there’s photographic evidence to prove otherwise. Further, you probably shouldn’t pose in said photographic evidence with the poster child for SPARKING! ;D Y’all probably shouldn’t be seen getting in a state vehicle together, either!
#2 "Killer Whale Tragedy" - The killer whale show will go on in Orlando after a trainer was killed by a killer whale the other day. A whale expert from the Discovery Channel said the attack on Wednesday could’ve been mating behavior. The whale in the incident on Wednesday was a part of other deaths & injuries. Ya’ know, if an animal has a history of aggression with humans, maybe that animal should be left the spark alone & not with other humans. Just a thought...
#1 "Caribou Co – Ed" AKA "Learnin’ Me Somethin’" - Holy crap! I must have a capture of St. Sarah from Wasilla in the "graduation attire!" Hell, if you really put one of those on her, she’d complain of hat head. She looks like a graduate of Whatsamatta U – HA! ;D She & Lonesome Rhodes are taking their show on the road or something? BillO claims that Grandma ExGov TurkeyLover is DYIN’ to run in 2012. "That woman’s" been given advisors?! There is not enough money in the universe to pay me to be one of her "advisors!" What I would advise her to do probably wouldn’t be FCC – approved. Wow, she & Lonesome Rhodes ARE going to be in Tulsa together this spring; get out of Tulsa while you can! It will be sucked into a black hole of DDDDdddddUUUUUuuuuHHHHHHhhh! Here’s David Weigel. I wonder if he gets to go to Tulsa? She’s had over a year to bone up on issues. She’s too busy cavorting around the lower 48!