Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Obama not afraid to do a little marketing

President-elect Barack Obama is preparing to lead a full-scale marketing blitz to pass the massive new stimulus package that he says is needed to revive the slumping economy and put the nation on the course he laid out during his campaign.

It's one thing to have a great plan and message, it's quite another to ensure that the masses hear and understand it.

Full story...

Blagojevich snubs Senate, taps Burris for seat

In a display of political bravado, disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich today appointed former Illinois Atty. Gen. Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate, challenging national Democratic leaders to reject the appointment of an African-American to the seat that propelled Barack Obama to the White House.

Has this man no shame? The bigger issue is the repercussions that this appointment could create. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he'll refuse to allow Roland Burris to fill Obama's vacant seat, setting up a standoff.

Full story...

Monday, December 29, 2008

Cheney clueless about his unpopularity

So ... let's get this right ... Dick Cheney has broken dozens of laws, plunged our country into darkness, trashed civil rights, authorized the killing of thousands of innocents and he has no idea why he is unpopular. That is downright scary.

Full interview...

Virginity pledges don't work, increase later risk

Teenagers who pledge to remain virgins until marriage are just as likely to have premarital sex as those who do not promise abstinence and are significantly less likely to use condoms and other forms of birth control when they do, according to a study released today.

I can't say that I am surprised. While I have no problem with parents encouraging abstinence, there are grave consequences for refusing to discuss birth control and/or protection.

Full story...

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Franken ahead of Coleman by more than 250!

So much for the Republican momentum. And there are already cries from the Rethugs that this election was stolen. Wah, wah, wah. Counting every vote is not stealing, it's called an election.

It looks like this trend will continue, and that Coleman will have to go back to his remodeled home and a brewing scandal.

Full story...

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Chrysler shuttering 30 factories for a month

More bad news on the automobile front affecting thousands of fellow Americans.

Chrysler has announced that at the end of this Friday's shift, all manufacturing facilities will be closed until January 19, 2009.

Chrysler has 30 facilities in North America. All will close temporarily.

Full story...

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Obama selected Time's person of the year

I couldn't agree more. Barack Obama managed to emerge from the democratic primaries a victor, then went on to win the country in a most decisive victory. Barack Obama is truly an American we can all be proud of!


Full story...

Monday, December 15, 2008

Caroline Kennedy to Seek Clinton's Senate Seat

Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of an American political dynasty, has decided to pursue the United States Senate seat being vacated by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, a person told of her decision said on Monday.

Others likely to be considered for the Senate seat are members of Congress including Kirsten Gillibrand, a rising star in the Democratic party who represents an upstate district; Tom Suozzi, Nassau County chief executive and a former candidate for governor; and the New York State attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo.

Full story...

McCain unsure if he'd support Palin for president

This is rich.

Speaking to ABC's "This Week," McCain was asked whether Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin could count on his support. "I can't say something like that. We've got some great other young governors. I think you're going to see the governors assume a greater leadership role in our Republican Party," he said.

"Have no doubt of my admiration and respect for her and my view of her viability, but at this stage, again ... my corpse is still warm, you know?"

(just barely).

Full story...

Iraqi shoe-throwing reporter becomes the talk of Iraq

The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush in a supreme insult has suddenly become the talk of Iraq, hailed by marchers as a national hero but blasted by the government as a barbarian.

I tend to think of him as more of an international hero...

Full story...

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Bush makes another surprise visit to Iraq

President Bush flew to Iraq on Sunday, a final trip to highlight the recently completed security agreement between Iraq and the United States.

The new security agreements, which take effect on Jan. 1, replace the United Nations Security Council resolutions that authorized the presence of foreign troops in Iraq. Iraqi officials extracted significant concessions from the Bush administration over several months of hard bargaining, including a commitment to withdrawal all American forces by the end of 2011.

Sounds an awful lot like a timeline to me. Isn't that what Bush calls surrender?

Full story...

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Obama selects another well-respected and well-qualified candidate for his cabinet

President-elect Barack Obama has picked the widely respected housing commissioner for New York City, Shaun Donovan, to be the secretary of housing in his cabinet.

Mr. Donovan has experience in all facets of the affordable housing market, having worked in both the nonprofit and private sectors and in academia as a scholar of housing policy. He has even worked as an architect in New York and Italy.

It is encouraging to see that intellect and experience matter.

Full story...

Friday, December 12, 2008

GM to ring in 2009 with factory closings

General Motors Corp. said Friday it will temporarily close 20 factories across North America and make sweeping cuts to its vehicle production as it tries to adjust to dramatically weaker automobile demand.

The move affects most of GM's plants in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

The economy is already hemorrhaging, yet the Republicans say "bring it on". At least this time Bush isn't the one displaying idiocy.

Full story...

Gore in Poland on environment - "Yes we can"

After 8 years of Republican denial, the world can finally move forward on addressing environmental issues and correcting manmade problems.

Nobel-winning Al Gore, who is in Poznan Poland attending UN climate talks, said that before coming to Poznan he had held a meeting with Obama in Chicago at which the president-elect had assured him that climate change would be a "top priority of his administration."

Full story...

The Most Embarrassing Re-Elected Members Of Congress

You knew this was coming. I just have to say that I am thrilled Michele Bachman is on the list. While we are embarrassed of Bachman in urban Minnesota, it is a constant reminder of how out-of-touch so many voters (read REPUBICAN voters) truly are.

Members are not ranked, but rather listed in alphabetical order. The top 10 list includes:

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)
Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL)
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA)
Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA)
Rep. John Murtha (D-PA)
Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)
Rep. Laura Richardson (D-CA)
Rep. Don Young (R-AK)

Full story...

Auto deal dies in Senate

Republicans, breaking sharply with President George W. Bush as his term draws to a close, refused to back federal aid for Detroit's beleaguered Big Three without a guarantee that the United Auto Workers would agree by the end of next year to wage cuts to bring their pay into line with U.S. plants of Japanese carmakers. The UAW refused to do so before its current contract with the automakers expires in 2011.

The Senate rejected the bailout 52-35 on a procedural vote -- well short of the 60 required -- after the talks fell apart. Just 10 Republicans joined 40 Democrats and two independents in backing it. Three Democrats sided with 31 Republicans in opposition. Reid also voted "no" for procedural reasons.

It's going to be a pretty sad christmas for a few million families, but at least most Senate Republican thugs still have jobs.

Full story...

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Obama to nominate Daschle for HHS

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama turns his focus on Thursday to healthcare -- a key element of his election campaign -- when he nominates former Senate leader Tom Daschle as secretary of Health and Human Services.

In a news conference at 12 p.m., Obama is expected to announce that Daschle, a Democrat from South Dakota, would take the lead on the massive effort to revamp the American healthcare system.

Full story...

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Barack says Blago should resign

Stating what many of us think is the obvious thing to do, Obama said Blago should step down, and that "under the current circumstances, it is difficult for the governor to effectively do his job and serve the people of Illinois." We couldn't agree more.

Full story...

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Gov. Rod Blagojevichs arrested on federal corruption charges

Wow. Just wow.

Blagojevich and Harris were accused of a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy that included Blagojevich conspiring to sell or trade the Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama in exchange for financial benefits for the governor and his wife. The governor was also accused of obtaining campaign contributions in exchange for other official actions.

Blagojevich was taken into federal custody at his North Side home this morning.

Full story...

Monday, December 8, 2008

Auto bailout, er rescue, will have strings...

Lawmakers are likely to pass an initial $15 billion in loans this week for the beleaguered automobile industry in the United States. In addition to these loans, congress may require the leaders of these companies to resign AND for the corporations to submit to oversight in the form of a "car czar" (their words, not mine).

Bush has said that he will sign the measure--it may be the last piece of legislation that bears his name.

Full story...

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Obama acting with urgency on the economy

In his weekly address, President-elect Obama outlined portions of his economic stimulus plan. In addition to making government buildings more energy efficient, he proposes increased investment in national infrastructure, modernization of all schools including computers and internet access, renewing our information superhighway and modernizing our healthcare record system.

And this is only the beginning. It is refreshing to have an administration that is forward thinking and progressive. Full video and transcript here.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Another 533,000 jobs cut in November

Now that we have been officially told that we are in a recession the numbers just keep getting worse. The unemployment rate is the worst it's been in 15 years, and nearly 3 million jobs have been lost during the last year.

Inauguration day cannot come soon enough, we cannot afford another minute of this horrid administration.

Full story...

Thursday, December 4, 2008

So far so good for Obama

78% of Americans approve of the way Obama is handling his presidential transition, with only 13% disapproving. A majority of Democrats (94%), independents (79%), and Republicans (57%) say they approve.

There are rumblings on the blogsphere that the far left will feel betrayed by the cabinet selections, thinking they are too centrist. I completely disagree. I read the democratic party platform and I know what we stand for. Barack's decision to govern ALL Americans is refreshing, even to us lefties...

Full story...

The big 3 come a beggin'

The last time these three visited Washington D.C. they flew in private jets, asked for billions of dollars AND had no plan as to how that money was going to be spent.

This time: driving in an automobile from Detroit, taking personal pay-cuts, and presenting a business plan for how the money would be used. Is this enough?

Full story...

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Bill Richardson named head of commerce

Again, no surprise here. Obama continues to fill his cabinet positions with smart, qualified individuals. Richardson has served as secretary of energy, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., nearly two decades as a congressman representing New Mexico and is on his second stint as Governor.


Full story...

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Chambliss victory denies dems their 60

Well, I can't say that I am surprised that we fell short of the 60 democrats we were hoping to have in the Senate, but with the gains we made we have much to look forward to.

Full story...

Senate voting in Georgia has begun

This is one of two open seats remaining in the US Senate, the other one is in Minnesota between Coleman and Franken. Polls show Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss ahead of Democrat Jim Martin. In the lastest count numbers from Minnesota, Coleman is up by over 300 votes.

The democrats need to win both of these seats to reach the 60 votes required to override a filibuster.

Full story...

Monday, December 1, 2008

The recession started a year ago... like we didn't know.

Now that the presidential election is over, it is safe for economists to formally proclaim what we consumers have known for some time: we are in a recession, and have been for over a year. Tell us something that we don't know.

Carry on...

Full story...

Today is world AIDS day

While many are working hard to find a cure for this disease and many more are working to provide treatment for those suffering the affliction, there is much to do.

Besides acting like a responsible citizen and getting tested, what else are you doing to help?

More...