The latest outrage from the right is the legislation Congress is trying to pass before the 111th United States Congress adjourns. They insist that it is wrong for anything to pass before the new Congress is sworn in. Some of the legislation are minor things like approving the START Treaty to make it difficult for nuclear proliferation.
I’m trying to remember when there was this sort of major outrage during other lame duck sessions. Sure there’s always squawking about it, but I can’t remember it to this level.
Perhaps those on the right who are upset about enacting controversial things during a lame duck session should set the Wayback Machine to December 19, 1998. It was on that day that the lame duck Republican House impeached President Clinton.
The BackChannel Blog 
Facts. What inconvenient things they be.
Forgot the impeachment was a lame duck debacle.
Religion rules! Another war in Phoenix AZ. Another of the many reasons why I gave up the church. I actually had surgery in this hospital many years ago. I can’t think of why I care if this hospital is officially “Catholic” anymore.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-12-16-catholic-hospital-phoenix_N.htm
Bev, perhaps they should rename that hospital from “St. Joseph’s” to “St. Jude’s.” For the non-Catholics, St. Jude was the patron saint of hopeless causes.
From the story Bev posted:
“Lisa Fullam, professor of moral theology at the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University, blogged at commonwealmagazine.org that the hospital ought to stand up to the bishop.
“Why don’t they simply point out to Bishop Olmsted that, while under church law he can restrict who uses the appellation ‘Catholic,’ he does not have a copyright to the term under U.S. law? If the administrators at St. Joseph’s believe it to be a Catholic hospital, they should continue to use the name and let the canonical chips fall where they may. The bishop does not own Catholicism, in his diocese or elsewhere.”
Ah , those Jesuit heretics. They think.
The bishop has likely picked a fight he is not going to win.
I gave up on the Catholic Church too. Guess healing the sick — especially sick women — takes a backseat to following religious doctrine imposed by men.
I love your last sentence, Dog. Yes, St Jude’s would be great but probably won’t change. Can’t wait to see what the decision is tomorrow.
The “birther” LTC that questioned the order to deploy to Afganistan has been convicted and will likely receive jail time and dismissal from the Army. This is gonna cost him his retirement which if he lived long enough could be a couple of million dollars over a long enough period of time. “Like apples?”
“Well, how you like them apples?”
Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Fri, December 17, 2010 — 12:01 AM ET
—–
Congress Approves Tax Cut and Jobless Benefits Legislation
WASHINGTON — Congress late Thursday night approved an $801
billion package of tax cuts and $57 billion for extended
unemployment insurance. The vote sealed the first major deal
between President Obama and Congressional Republicans as
Democrats put aside their objections and bowed to the
realignment of power brought about by their crushing election
losses.
The bipartisan support for tax deal also underscored the
urgency felt by the administration and by lawmakers in both
parties to prop up the still-struggling economy and to
prevent an across-the-board tax increased that was set to
occur if the rates enacted under President George W. Bush had
expired, as scheduled, at the end of the month.
Love the “Way Back Machine” pic d!
Morning peeps
Dancing band man at Moby Arena
It’s best at the end.
Psychiatric therapy is often considered a helping profession, but not right now when the press pack is off on one of its “Have Analytic Couch, Will Travel” frenzies. These days, even graying pundits are Forever Jung when it comes to offering psychological assessments of Barack Obama.
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/12/11/ready-obamas-autobigraphy-revisited-dreams-from-a-beleague/
Bookmarked that one yesterday, dnd. Love Walter Shapiro.
To make you smile: a 74 year old South Carolina man, Dennis Ferguson, sent California’s treasury a check for $10,000, to thank the state for providing retraining in 1964 when he was laid off from aircraft engineering. He retrained successfully in computers. California provided about $1,100 in aid over 4 months.
“Anyone who is helped out when they are down ought to give something back, especially now that California has budget problems,” [Ferguson] told state officials.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-unemployment-check-20101217,0,4277215.story
We need to hear more stories like this, and less shrieking from the Tea Partying and Medicare-collecting set.
Sarah Palin on START:
The proposed New START agreement should be evaluated by the only criteria that matters for a treaty: Is it in America’s interest? I am convinced this treaty is not. It should not be rammed through in the lame duck session using behind the scenes deal-making reminiscent of the tactics used in the health care debate.
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/255568/senate-republicans-vote-no-new-start-sarah-palin
Every smart Republican foreign policy analyst believes in the ratification of START. If anybody believes that Palin knows anything whatsoever about the treaty, they probably think she can see Russia from her back porch. There is seriously something wrong with the wacko right and those who promote them.
Folks I’m all a titer, I got all my benefits docs emailed to me today, I can’t tell you how thrilling the prospect of having private insurance again is!
If you haven’t seen the high tech birth of Christ, check this out:
PS congrat, Brian.
Anyone else been watching the American Masters series on Dylan, it’s amazingly good!
morning peeps and peepettes
Brian,
was not on here. If it is the Martin Scorsese, “No Direction Home” doc it it very good. I have seen both parts of this movie. Have your read Dylan’s book? It was pretty dense and hard for me to get into at first but I slogged thru and it opened up and I enjoyed it.
Yes doots the Scorsese piece, not I haven’t read the book.
Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Sat, December 18, 2010 — 11:32 AM ET
—–
Dream Act Bill for Illegal Immigrant Students Fails on Senate Vote, 55-41
The Dream Act, a bill to grant legal status to hundreds of
thousands of illegal immigrant students, fell 5 votes short
of being brought to the Senate floor for debate.
Do those that voted against the Dream Act have a clue about the largest and most rapidly growing minority in America? Regardless of what one thinks of the bill, bad move politically.
Wasn’t it the right’s hero, Ronald Reagan, who granted blanket amnesty to illegals? Without the condition of going to college or serving in the military?
Procedural vote to overturn DADT passes in the Senate. Paves the way to allow Gays and Lesbians to serve openly in the US military.
“As Barry Goldwater said, ‘You don’t have to be straight to shoot straight,'” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., referring to the late GOP senator from Arizona.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/18/dont-ask-dont-tell-repeal_5_n_798636.html
Gee that quote gets used a lot don’t you think d?
🙂
‘Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos has said he thinks lifting the ban during wartime could cost lives. “I don’t want to lose any Marines to the distraction,”‘
Um, just what kind of “distraction” is he referring to? I’m guessing that during a firefight one is not easily distracted.
Final vote for Don’t Ask…. scheduled for 3:00 Eastern
http://www.c-span.org/Events/Senate-Set-to-Take-a-Final-Vote-on-Dont-Ask-Dont-Tell/10737418303-1/
so, there you are. Done deal. Now Tony39 can rest easy. That has been a hot button for him for 2 years.
Hooray – it’s over. Now if they would only take care of the 9/11 first responders.
Yeah Bev, those 9/11 responders need help. Jon Stewart had a great segment on that. Those who are stalling should be ashamed.
And we need START too.
Looks like this lame duck is quackin’!
Grand, just grand!
Saw Stewart yesterday. First time I’ve ever seen him so emotionally involved and expressing such strong feelings about the 9/11 responders. Not sure the repubs understand the power of Jon!
Shepherd Smith of Fox said he saw Stewart’s show and was moved to do something. He’s getting criticism for not naming who is holding up the process. Gee you do think it has something to do with who he works for?
Perhaps this is S. S’s fond farewell to Fox news or Fox News’s pinkslip for S.S. He could do so much better.
Bev,
Shep Smith has been thumbing his nose at the Fox propaganda for a while. I think they know that if they fire him (and they may) he’s got a job at CNN or MSNBC.
I am wondering if Marine Commandant Amos is angling for a job at Fox.
They’ve already got one Marine, Oliver North, who cashiered out at colonel.
d this is the clip:
McGrumps: ” Today is a sad day.” That’s how I felt when the Democratic Senatorial candidate lost the election in November to him.
This is something I posted on another blog in regards to the McCain and some other repugs threatening to block START because they have their nickers in bunch of Don’t Ask being repealed:
John McCain is going to go down in history as the greatest sore looser of all times. There are only two things that drive the senior senator from AZ, his desire to stay in office and his burning jealousy of the president for having beaten him. Sadly for Mr. McCain (and the American people) the lessons of both Barry Goldwater and Teddy Kennedy have been lost on him. Any hopes he had of being considered one of the greats of American politics have been tossed aside by a petty vindictiveness not often put on such public display. As of late all the man has done is demonstrate that he is not fit for high office and the American people chose wisely in not electing him president.
Hey Dog,
batten down the hatches as a very large storm is getting ready to lam blast California. Stay dry and safe.
oh and Dog,
did you happen to participate in the “Speedo Run” in Santa Monica yesterday? if so, we need pictures.
The weather’s going to be really rotten for the Broncos/Raiders game today in Oakland. Perfect for Tim Tebow’s first start. Is this the storm that’s moving into SoCal?
John Kerry and Richard Lugar on This Week. What a pleasant surprise to see a couple of reasonable Senators instead of the usual blow-hards.
The VP on MTP this morning.
Dnd,
I think so re: the SoCal rain storm. I think it affects all of California. Gonna be low 60’s here today with sunshine. Cowboys and Deadskins play indoors at Jerry World.
Brian, your thoughts on McC were direct and to the point. You stated it beautifully. I agree 100%. It’s too bad. He is now an official embarrassment to
himself and the state that re-elected him. Oh well, currently the state is full of idiots holding national and state office.
Happy Christmas Week to all.
And yeah, it’s pouring steadily in SoCal. Biggest storm expected Wednesday and then clearing. I am loving the rain and the palm trees.
Speedo race, hmmm? Nada.
Thinking on seeing “The King’s Speech” soon. Colin Firth was tremendous in “A Single Man” — did any of you see it? Rent it if not.
What are backchannelers doing for the holidays?
The Vegas trip is safe, since the good people of Nevada did the right thing and refudiated Sharon Angle.
Plus, did you see that John Ensign voted for DADT? Nice surprise there.
People who follow rock music more carefully than I do revered Captain Beefheart, who died this week in Trinidad, California. Tiny fog-shrouded coastal town close to the Oregon border; magical place.
Doots: did you ever see him play or follow his career? dnd?
http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-captain-beefheart-20101218,0,232335.story
The Kings Speech is definitely on my holiday viewing list.
D,
never saw Beefheart play or follow his career. I knew about him of course but I was not a Zappa kinda guy and I always related him with Zappa.
He died of MS I think I read.
NYT obit for Captain Beefheart. Ry Cooder worked with him in 1967.
I would have bet money you saw him, Doots. You are the go to for many things musical.
Got to check in on offline life. Cheers.
PS: good comment on McCain, as Bev noted.
It’s too damn cold!
It’s a balmy 50 here, though it is snowing like mad in the mountains. They expect 2-4′ today. I-70 backed up for miles near the Eisenhower tunnel due to all the accidents.
around 60F here so far today. pretty typical week of Christmas for us.
now it is 77F at 2:20PM cst but a little windy. Ahhhhh!
CNN/Opinion Research poll on Obama job approval rating:
November Now
Liberals 79% 72%
Moderates 55% 60%
Conservatives 21% 22%
sampling error +/- 7.5%
I assume a 95% confidence interval, but a sampling error of 7.5% means they called a couple of hundred people. Which means the survey was a waste of money.
Lunar eclipse on winter solstice tonight:
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/17dec_solsticeeclipse/
It’s suppose to be cloudy here so I’m gonna have to wait until 2095 for this to happen again. Hope the weather’s better then.
I went to to post office today and found that I’m not the only one who procrastinates. I’m guessing I’ll probably see these same people when I go out Christmas shopping on Friday…
You mean my gift is going to be late again d?
Tea Party Nation Founder: Let’s Get Rid Of The ‘Socialist’ Methodist Church
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/12/tea_party_nation_founder_lets_get_rid_of_the_socia.php?ref=fpb
First they came for the Methodists, then they came for…..
yeah, those wacky Teapartiers.
Happy Winter Solstice! Tomorrow is suppose to one second longer than today. Can’t wait.
I’m guessing Haley Barbour won’t be getting a lot of love from the Black community:
http://nationaljournal.com/congress/haley-barbour-slammed-for-downplaying-civil-rights-era-20101220
You gotta wonder what’s going to happen when Shep’s contract is up for renewal.
I’m guessing Shep Smith’s agent has already got offers from CNN and MSNBC.
Don Imus (a big Shep Smith fan) grills John Thune on 9/11 healthcare (the good stuff starts around the 2:30 mark)
I keep hearing the term “jam” from all of the Republicans when referring passing bills during the lame duck. This has Frank Luntz’s fingerprints all over it. It’s pretty clear that since they’ve had plenty of time to look at these bills, what they really mean is not “jam” this bills through, as if they haven’t had a time to look at or debate them, what they mean is that they don’t want the President to get the credit and they want to take all the credit in the next Congress. Pretty transparent.
Did he ever get a lot of love from the black community? He’s playing to base big time, not to mention he’s a true believer.
South Carolinians Celebrate 150th Anniversary Of Secession
Thomas Hiter, of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, appeared on Hardball last night, along with Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson. Hiter defended the event, called the state’s secession an “act of immense political courage” and went so far as to claim the Civil War didn’t start over slavery.
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/12/south_carolianians_host_secessionist_ball.php
The fact of the matter is, as the president well knows, if it doesn’t get done now it will never get done. For the next two years the house will be a zoo with the establishment repugs battling it out with the teabaggers. Fun to watch but very little will get done.
I haven’t seen Imus since he left MSNBC but man he is looking old.
Doots, Imus is old. 😉
When did he stop dyeing his hair?
I am so tired of these asshat Repubs claiming we need to listen to the troops and the ranking members of the armed forces about DADT. The goddamned military is under civilian control and troops shape up and follow the goddamned orders or get the fuck out.
Nothing more than rationalizing your homophobia doots.
Speaking of old, which I get the impression most of us are either climbing or already over the hill, I received this email which I think applies to many of us who text and use abbreviations on the blog and to others. My contribution for the yuk of the day. If you’ve seen it, now I know what you’re talking about.
Texting for Seniors
Since more and more Older People are texting and tweeting, there appears to be a need for a STC Senior Texting Code).
ATD: At The Doctor’s
BFF: Best Friend Farted
BTW: Bring The Wheelchair
BYOT: Bring Your Own Teeth
CBM: Covered By Medicare
CUATSC: See You At The Senior Center
DWI: Driving While Incontinent
FWBB: Friend With Beta Blockers
FWIW: Forgot Where I Was
FYI: Found Your Insulin
GGPBL: Gotta Go, Pacemaker Battery Low!
GHA: Got Heartburn Again
HGBM: Had Good Bowel Movement
IMHO: Is My Hearing-Aid On?
LMDO: Laughing My Dentures Out
LOL: Living On Lipitor
LWO: Lawrence Welk’s On
OMMR: On My Massage Recliner
OMSG: Oh My! Sorry, Gas.
ROFL… CGU: Rolling On The Floor Laughing… And Can’t Get Up
SGGP: Sorry, Gotta Go Poop
TTYL: Talk To You Louder
WAITT: Who Am I Talking To?
WTFA: Wet The Furniture Again
WTP: Where’s The Prunes?
WWNO: Walker Wheels Need Oil
Yes, there are serious things going on, but we all need to laugh.
Bev,
BFF 😉
Military Will Write Rules on Gay Ban Repeal
http://www.military.com/news/article/military-will-write-rules-on-gay-ban-repeal.html
The FCC’s Democrats approved new “network neutrality” rules for the Internet today on a 3-2 party-line vote. The regulations, which have sparked considerable controversy in Washington and nationwide, are designed to ensure that the Internet is not dominated by major telecommunications and cable companies.
http://nationaljournal.com/net-neutrality-approved-by-fcc-20101221
Looks like we’re safe for now.
Since a lot of voice traffic is now VoIP, it makes you wonder if you had to call 911 if your call would be delayed for someone downloading a movie from Comcast.
cute Bev
Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Tue, December 21, 2010 — 3:36 PM ET
—–
Arms Treaty Clears Key Hurdle in Senate on 67-28 Vote
The Senate voted 67 to 28 on Tuesday to advance a new arms
control treaty that would pare back American and Russian
nuclear arsenals, reaching the two-thirds margin needed for
approval despite a concerted Republican effort to block
ratification.
Eleven Republicans joined every Democrat present to support
the treaty, known as New Start, which now heads to a
seemingly certain final vote on Wednesday, as the Senate
wraps up business before heading out of town. Voting against
the treaty were 28 Republicans who argued that it could hurt
national security.
“Today’s bipartisan vote clears a significant hurdle in the
Senate,” said Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, the
Democratic chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee who
led the floor fight. “We are on the brink of writing the next
chapter in the 40-year history of wrestling with the threat
of nuclear weapons.”
Read More:
Graham: GOP to blame for ‘capitulation … of dramatic proportions’ in lame-duck
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/134719-graham-gop-to-blame-for-capitulationof-dramatic-proportions-in-lame-duck
‘”When it’s all going to be said and done, Harry Reid has eaten our lunch,” Graham said’
What he meant to say was: “That meanie former boxer beat us up and stole our lunch money. True, we frame ourselves as bullies, but like all bullies, at the core we’re cowards. So when threatened, we gave Reid our lunch money.”
Harry Reid has a mild demeanor, but what the public doesn’t see is that he can kick ass and take names.
I don’t understand Lindsey Graham a lot of the time. He’s unquestionably the smart senator from SC, and more forward thinking than a lot of his GOP colleagues. He does some good stuff and then crap like this too.
Complaining to Fox News Radio station WTMA.
Way Too Much Asshattery
Lindsey is decidedly bi-polar.
This lame duck isn’t quacking.
It’s roaring.
Big day in DC. Repeal of DADT is now law. START vote, 9/11 responders vote.
DADT is DEAD!
there are some weird people over on the list we used to inhabit. They bitched because DADT was not repealed yet and when it is they bitch because of the process and how it was done. I don’t get it.
No Doots, you get it. They don’t get it.
Could it be they just like to bitch? 😉
I thought there were some good points in the prez’s speech at the signing ceremony:
* that he’d been working with the military and staff on this since he was sworn into office
* the female solder who hugged him on the rope line when he visited Afghanastan and asked him to get it done.
* inviting those who’d been discharged because of DADT to re-enlist
Yes Doots noticed that myself, in fact d and I were discussing that last night on the phone, being PUMA doesn’t require one to be rational!
Oh, I hope that those who have been discharged do get to re-enlist or come back to their commissions. Fairness demands it, and we lost a lot of good soldiers and sailors and skills.
Haven’t seen any news. Just listening to the rain.
Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Wed, December 22, 2010 — 1:26 PM ET
—–
Deal for 9/11 Health Bill Reached in Senate
A deal has been reached in the Senate to approve a bill that
covers the cost of medical care for rescue workers and other
individuals who became sick after breathing in toxic fumes,
dust and smoke at the site of the 2001 attacks on the the
World Trade Center.
The action was a dramatic turn of events for a bill that
stalled in the upper chamber. Only 12 days ago, Senate
Republicans blocked the bill from coming to the floor for a
vote after raising concerns about its $7.4 billion cost.
But Republicans eventually backed down after facing a barrage
of criticism — not just from Democrats but also from
traditional Republican allies, including former New York City
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and conservative news outlets like
Fox News.
Maybe the next two years are going to be fun to watch for good reasons.
Very productive lame duck session.
And the Senate passes the Arms Control Treaty.
I wish Reid would keep them all hostage to legislating through the New Year.
What are they doing that’s more important?
Bring up funding the healthcare act implementation: I hear that got stripped out.
Go after the banksters. That would make everyone’s holiday merrier. (Except the banksters. They can cry into their Cristal, unless that’s declasse now.)
Obama to hold news conference at 4:15 Eastern.
dog’s monologue continues. (Rain has stopped, though.)
Comment by reader Martin Gale (tee hee) on Kevin Drum’s excellent blog on the Lindsey Graham quote we discussed above. Makes a lot of sense to me.
Martin Gale: “I think this is in part Graham giving cover to the Dems for their ineffectualness. Graham himself described how he used to play this game with the late Ted Kennedy:
“According to Graham, Kennedy claimed that, while working behind the scenes to garner support from fellow senators across the aisle, he would publicly lambaste the same Republicans for one reason or another, so that back home they would not be tarred as bedfellows of the liberal icon.
A similar element of kabuki theater attends Graham’s relationship with the Obama administration. “The president has said very nice things about me off the record to other reporters,” Graham recently told me, and a senior administration official confirmed that the White House places particularly high value on Graham.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07…
BTW, the entire article is interesting as a glimpse into how one of the big political players operates, and also, Graham states quite plainly that it’s the Republicans who refuse to work with Obama, not vice versa as conventional wisdom, and wingnut pundits (to the extent that isn’t an identity relationship) are now saying. The article was published all the way back in July of 2010. Talk about memory holes.”
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/12/quote-day-skinning-duck
dog: there may be some freedom for Graham in knowing he is going to get pilloried and primaried by the hard right in South Carolina in whatever he does. The SC GOP is ugly personified. Maybe he will work harder to get legislation he finds useful through.
Can you imagine what some of the Republicans who got taken out by the teatards are saying among each other in private?
Dog,
That Martin Gale comment and the nytimes link is an interesting lens from which to view political posturing. Thanks.
Will make you tear up.
Dan Choi gets his ring back.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_12/027218.php
Maybe the prez’s best press conference, was very interesting to hear his statements on immigration reform and same sex marriage.
Time for a football analogy. Near the end of the fourth quarter of the 1987 AFC Championship game the Denver Broncos were losing to the Cleveland Browns. With less than six minutes to go, the Broncos were pinned on the Browns two yard line. Broncos offensive guard Keith Bishop said of the Browns: “We got ’em right where we want ’em.” This began what became known as “The Drive.” In the next five minutes Broncos quarterback John Elway lead his team 98 yards to tie the game. The Broncos won in overtime.
In this lame duck session, Harry Reid is Keith Bishop and President Obama is John Elway.
Ok, that’s probably a really bad analogy, but I can’t help remembering “The Drive” as the Broncos have been having such a lousy season. 😉
Today is a day that is to be savored!
*wonders if there is an expiration date on this thread*
There’ll be a new thread tomorrow. Another great piece from Bev.
Happy Festivus.
Blame The Lame Duck: Republicans Find A New Reason For ‘No’ Votes
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/12/blame-the-lame-duck-republicans-find-a-new-excuse-for-no-votes.php
New thread – “Someday at Christmas” from Bev