Monday Stuff

RIP former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop – the Reaganites wanted him to be just like them, but he changed and evolved over time, as all intelligent adults in a position of leadership are supposed to do…



…and John Nichols of The Nation brings us great stuff on the “fix the debt” con that is being perpetrated here, with this guy being one of the supposed “centrists” giving it more “cred” than it deserves; there was a real stink in these parts recently when this came to light with Rendell and his former right-hand man, David Cohen (when Rendell was mayor of Philadelphia), deciding to support Tom “Space Cadet” Corbett here; I wish I could say I was surprised…yes, Rendell and Cohen, along with former City Council president and eventual mayor John Street, did some good way back when, with the help of some altruistic union cave-ins, but when push comes to shove, they’re “bottom line” guys, and I guess they figured out that the “dark side” paid better and it was time to cash in…



…and speaking of bottom-line guys, let’s try to “soften up” Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao so he looks more vulnerable to a Teahadist takeover (here); let them knock off McConnell and save us the trouble, to say nothing of saving the money…



Update 2/26/13: And by the way, speaking of McConnell…I try not to participate in spats between lefties, which are dumb, counter-productive…you name it…but as much as I admire Think Progress, I think they’re off base here; yes, Progress Kentucky walked a fine line by pointing out that former Bushco Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, who may very well go down as the absolute worst Secretary of Labor this country has ever seen, did her level best to send as many good-paying jobs in this country to China as she could, but I don’t think pointing that out is necessarily “racist.” If she had been African American and she’d sent jobs to, say, Ghana, would pointing that out be racist too?

The bigger issue I have is that, while it’s emotionally satisfying to take another shot at Chao like this for the upheaval and ruin she caused among an untold number of workers and their families in this country, the fact of the matter is that she’s been out of public life for over four years. Unless she pops up somewhere in the wingnutosphere to try and practice some revisionist history, I think we’re obligated to let bygones be bygones.

…and George Harrison would have been 70 today.

Saturday Stuff

Gee, it looks to me like Mr. Puppy Dog Eyes With The Shiv was for the sequester before he was against it – ya’ think (Ryan being so “serious” and all)...



…and I know I’ve featured a lot of blondes here lately (problem?)...well, here is another one.

Friday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

(And by the way, I know about this – aside from saying that Flush Limbore is a babbling, OxyContin-addicted blowhard with the common sense and intellectual curiosity of a flea, I have no further comment, except to say that there are times, Flush, when we are ashamed of you…too many to count, actually.)

Turning to the videos, Rachel Maddow brings us a whole bunch of stuff, including the antics of Teahadist Texas Senator Ted Cruz (a bit of a spawn of Limbore, I suppose); we used to refer to Joseph McCarthy as more or less of an abstraction in our politics given the passage of time. But now, we’re talking literally again – pathetic (I actually would have liked to see a bit harder of an edge here...after all, people's careers were ruined over this stuff...hell, people died over this stuff)…

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…and thanks to a U.S. Congress with a whole bunch of Teahadist nematodes like Cruz, we have to deal with this…



…turning to a decidedly more upbeat topic, this tells us of the latest entrants to the Songwriters Hall of Fame; nothing against Aerosmith or Foreigner, but those guys still get tons of airplay – allow me the opportunity to salute fellow entrant Tony Hatch, who brought us many great tunes particularly with Petula Clark, including this one (a bit timely for the weekend – yeah, I know, real “Carnaby Street”)…



…and RIP Magic Slim (and I’m sure Fred and Ginger wouldn’t mind a bit).

Thursday Stuff

Yep, as I just-about-always say, when you need hard-hitting journalism and the networks with initials for names aren’t getting it done, it’s time for Jon Stewart (well, I may not always use those exact words – wow, what a finish to this one!)…



…and as I said last night, there was nothing supposedly spontaneous, or anything even close to that, about the Teahadists (and as those smarter than I have pointed out, it was nothing but an attempt at rebranding the Repug Party to try and get rid of the stench from Dubya anyway)…



…and I’m a little behind on the news cycle on this from Monday, but I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss it…

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…and happy birthday to Mary Chapin Carpenter (tough call between this and “Shut Up And Kiss Me” I must say).

Wednesday Stuff

Once again, Chris Matthews explains it all (here – he’s on a hell of a roll)…



…and yeah, it looks like the Repugs are going down in flames…good times (and I’d love to agree with Rachel on the line about Chuck Hagel being the first filibustered cabinet nominee, but it’s not completely true – by the way, Rachel Maddow is waay too smart not to know that there was nothing spontaneous about the rise of the Tea Party)…

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…and it looks like Fix Noise humanoid Megyn Kelly is trying to gin up more supposed controversy over Al Gore’s sale of Current TV to Al Jazeera America – Kelly should keep this in mind…



Update 2/21/13: And from the ridiculous to the even more ridiculous, I give you this.

…and in keeping with the “stupid and contagious” theme, I should point out that Kurt Cobain would have been 46 today.

Tuesday Stuff

And while all of this is going on, Mikey the Beloved and his pals have closed up shop for a little while; Obama is somewhat to blame for agreeing to the sequester also, though not primarily – this was the best he could come up with when dealing with those knuckleheads in the House who were holding the debt ceiling hostage, resulting in the 2011 Budget Control Act…as actor Bradley Whitford said on “Real Time” all those years ago, as far as the Repugs are concerned, “tax cuts are their Jesus” (for the one percent, of course, and nobody else)…

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Update 2/20/13: And here is a bit of history on this subject.

…and happy 73rd birthday to William “Smokey” Robinson.

Monday Stuff

I give you the following in honor of President’s Day (hey there, Abe sweetheart)…



…and kudos to Barbara Morrill at Daily Kos for providing the needed context on the latest nonsense from Fix Noise news model Ed Henry (here)…



…and before anyone decides to shed a tear for departing U.S. Senate Repug Mike Johanns (here), remember that he probably had more to do with killing ACORN than anyone else (here), sponsoring those amendments that turned out to be unconstitutional (here)…Johanns is also attached to this bit of political cowardice, which we are reminded of once more by that Murphy fellow…



…and I watched just about all of Rachel Maddow’s excellent documentary tonight on the run-up to the Iraq war (here); she ended up recounting a lot of stuff many of us already knew, but she nevertheless performed a great service – watching Doug Feith now utterly copping out was one of the many repugnant moments, with Feith being one of the biggest fabricators…I kind of wish a bit more of a withering eye had been cast at Judith Miller and Michael Gordon of the New York Times, though.

The bottom line, of course, is that the proverbial buck stops with this guy – here’s a song in his “honor” starting at about 4:17.

Sunday Stuff

Wow, Republicans talking out of both sides of their faces on the “sequester” (more here) – shocking I know…



…and yeah, I think this about covers it.

Friday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

Kudos to departing Dem Senator Frank Lautenberg for a great career in public service, he being one of the precious few politicians in this country to stand up to the NRA prior to Sandy Hook; he is getting ready to (by all accounts) hand the baton, as it were, to Cory Booker – wonder how this makes Rob Andrews feel…



…and in case anyone is wondering why we fought so hard for Elizabeth Warren last year, here is a reminder (more here - awww, their widdle feelins is hurt, boo-f*cking-hoo)…



…and in case the NRA is hoping that the momentum for common-sense gun reforms is letting up any…well, I don’t see that, and if they say they do, then they’re dreaming…



…and here’s a neat little tune to help us zip into the weekend.

Thursday Stuff

Every time I think they can’t go lower (here…why in God’s name Harry Reid won’t pursue filibuster reform for real after this is something I cannot possibly imagine)…



…and in case anyone thought the Repugs would have learned not to play stupid voting tricks after last November, think again (if anything, it has only encouraged them)…

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…and with all the other stuff going on, I hope the issue of raising the minimum wage doesn’t get ground into the dust…



…and Happy Valentine’s Day, people.

Wednesday Stuff

Happy 90th birthday to a real American hero…



…and once again, Chris Matthews speaks the truth – God only knows (literally) if Rome is listening…



…and I don’t know what has gotten into Matthews exactly, but as far as I’m concerned, he’s a “man on fire” for this too…



…and why can’t Deadeye Dick Cheney just go crawl into his undisclosed location somewhere and let nature take its inevitable course (here – God, is Charlie Rose a tool)…



…and surely as flatulence follows indigestion…well, didn’t you just know where “Wall Street Scott” Brown would end up (here)…



...and happy 71st birthday to Peter Tork of The Monkees, sharing vocals here with Micky Dolenz.

Tuesday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

You go, Gabby…



…and to get an idea of how big the obstacle is that we face on this issue, please watch this…



…and aside from getting the word out, another way we can fight back is to support Democratic U.S. House candidates like Robin Kelly (here)…



…and Dem Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio talks to Rachel Maddow about what he’s like to see in President Obama’s State of the Union address tonight…

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…and I actually think Moon Unit Bachmann is right at about a minute or so here concerning changes in American politics, but not the way she realizes of course (excerpts from Repug responses to the SOTU over the last four years - I think all Marco Rubio has to do is show up to top these jokers, he being the supposed Repug savior and all...absolutely love K.O.’s snickering under his breath as Jindal walked up to the podium)…



Update 1: And isn't it funny, in an unfunny way I'll admit, that the supposed future of the GOP in the Senate opposed the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (here).

Update 2: And concerning Rubio, I think this and this are worthy of a (just about) "spit take."

Update 3: Meet the new boss, same as the old boss (here).

…and I selected this video for the expert level of musicianship and the subtlety of the lyrics – yeah, sure I did.

Monday Stuff

Professor Krugman had, as usual, some interesting words related to this today (here…and Grayson makes a good point in particular about the Repugs and the primaries – love to see a Teahadist go after Mikey the Beloved next year - more here)…



…and I’m including this video partly because it depicts actual sunny weather; it’s also a neat tune.

Saturday Stuff

As of August 1, 2013, the Post Office will stop Saturday mail delivery – Sam Seder gives us the sordid history as to why (like just about all bad things in government, think Bushco…more here)…



…and here is a good Saturday night bar song (I think this loops into a playlist, just so you know).

Friday Stuff

I don’t know how many other people besides your humble narrator were aware of this, but last Wednesday would have been the 102nd birthday of The Sainted Ronnie R.

How many other people, I mean, besides PA’s Governor Tom (“Space Cadet”) Corbett, who was one of 40 Repug governors signing a declaration here proclaiming February 6th as “Ronald Reagan Day.”

Which made me recall this speech that Number 40 once gave in PA, in which he said the following…

Our tax cuts in 1981 lifted our economy out of—you've heard the word back then-"malaise" and into an almost 2 1/2 years of growth. If those tax cuts could take a sick economy suffering from runaway inflation, skyrocketing interest rates, declining investments, sinking morale, and slumping initiative and turn it into the strongest, most dynamic and innovative economy in the world, think what America's tax plan can do today. We can build success on top of success. We can ignite the second stage of our booster rockets and blast this economy to new heights of achievement. We can do it, and we will do it.

Utterly (and typically) ridiculous hyperbole aside (also on display from Reagan here), the following should be recalled about President Jimmy Carter’s “malaise” speech from here (basically, after he gave it, his approval rating rose 11 points – and of course, he never even actually said the word “malaise” in the speech).

Also, Reagan typically talked about how supposedly great his tax cuts were. Well, he gave the speech from which I provided the excerpt in May 1985. And as noted here, by then, he had raised taxes in 1982, 1983 and 1984, and would do so again in 1986 and 1987.

So that makes him at the very least “The Great Obfuscator” based on the excerpt (you could also argue that that makes him a goddamned liar, but I’ll leave that judgment to history).

Anyway, here is my point (at last)…as bad as Reagan was, he looks like FDR in comparison to the yokels in his party now, including Rand Paul in the U.S. Senate, who apparently has no trouble with our economy defaulting based on this.

Well, Reagan, for his myriad faults, actually had some words of wisdom on that subject…



…and I pointed out yesterday that Karl Rove is pitching a fit over the prospect of Steve King running for the Iowa U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated by Dem Tom Harkin.

Well, while you’re trying to wrap your head around that as they say, try this on for size: Al Franken versus Moon Unit Bachmann in Minnesota (here).

OHPLEASELETITBESOOHPLEASELETITBESOOHPLEASELETITBESOOHPLEASELETITBESO (and I still can't believe, after all these years, that Chrissie Hynde gave that great song to Flush Limbore)…



Update 2/9/13: In a way, this is actually positive - let her be a constant reminder that the U.S. House Repugs and their "leadership" learned absolutely nothing from the 2012 elections.

…and here is a deadly serious message that needs no embellishment from yours truly…



…and I was trying to find a video that mentioned Reagan, so I settled for this (don’t blink or you’ll miss it – a tune that has launched a thousand Google searches I’m sure…masterful and clever from the “Top Gun” era, and with a message).

Thursday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

Kudos to Sen. Bernie Sanders for trying, once again, to fight this country’s ridiculous income inequality…

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…and RIP Donald Byrd.

Wednesday Stuff

If a certain George W. Bush were doing this, we in left Blogistan would be jumping up and down, and well we should be.

But it’s President Hopey Changey instead. And that makes it OK in no way, shape, or form.

Actually, it makes it worse because, as Ray McGovern points out in the clip, Obama should definitely know better (more here...this is a bit of positive news, though)…



…and Martin Bashir tells us that, when it comes to faith, this truly is a center-left country…

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…no matter what kind of rebranding the Repugs attempt, as Jon Stewart notes here…



…and this absolutely has to be a Photoshop special – hope so anyway.

Tuesday Stuff

This happened ten years ago today…



…and here is TMI on the guy Karl Rove is trying to stop for the reasons noted here (should probably have pointed this out last night – oh well)…



…and why oh why is our beloved commonwealth trying over and over and over to play electoral political games (here – and yes, I know the answer…and Smerky represents people “in the middle”? Of what, I wonder…I’ll make it easy on the Repugs; you want to try this crap in all 50 states? Be my guest – love to see you guys start losing Texas and NEVER win it back again)…

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…and RIP Reg Presley (and let’s hold off on the Austin Powers jokes, OK bay-bee??)

Monday Stuff

I don’t know about you, but I think this is pretty darned interesting; made me recall this clip (a bit of culture once more)…



…and this tells us about the eight Republican troglodytes STILL opposing the Violence Against Women Act (the fact that the bill would probably die anyway because of the Teahadists in the House is no excuse, by the way)…

…and how funny is this, by the way (and let’s never forget that, no matter what it is, as far as our corporate media is concerned, it’s always good news for Republicans…I know Admiral Joe is more of a “take the high road” kind of guy, which is admirable, but I wish he’d pointed out that the Repugs made their own Frankenstein monster here and now they’re trying to kill it…weak Dem messaging again - sigh)…

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…and yeah, this is kind of a gimmicky video, but it’s for a good tune.

Sunday Stuff

Out of the mouths of babes, as they say (here)…



…and I wonder if this is the reason why the Sunday morning gab fests don’t feature more economists instead of giving the spotlight over and over again to corporate grifters like Carly Fiorina (here)…



…and I know this is old ground, but I love the commentary about the books in particular from Bill Maher…



…and I hope they went out and got permits before they shot this video, assuming it was filmed in PA (don’t know) – you need ‘em in our beloved commonwealth (for real...being tongue-in-cheek about the fireworks, I should add).