How to Make a Rightie's Head Explode

Score one for the Big Dog!

North Korea's official news agency says leader Kim Jong Il has pardoned two American journalists and ordered their release following a request from former President Bill Clinton.

Not a Hall of Famer...

But still, it is Corner Time.

One of our favorite loons, Nancy J. Thorner of palatial Lake Bluff gives us this:

Why was there no mention of tort reform? The insane cost and arbitrary rewards of our malpractice system is forcing doctors to practice defensive medicine--what the Tribune calls unnecessary medical treatment--for fear of getting sued. Tort reform would yield tens of billions in savings, yet there is no mention of tort reform in any of the proposed health-care reform bills.

Umm...Nancy?

"Tort Reform" has nothing to do with bringing down medical costs. It serves only to protect insurance company profits. From the jury system to review boards to several levels of judicial scrutiny to sanctions for frivolous litigation, we have more than adequate safeguards available to ensure that malpractice recoveries are just that--appropriate recovery for damages suffered.

So Nancy.....

New G-NO-P Strategy: Send in the Thugs

The Republicans finally unveiled their strategy to enlighten the American people on alternatives (read sarcasm here) to the President’s healthcare priorities and the bills that have cleared the House and Senate: Send in the screamers to drown out debate, information, and Q&As, do everything to disrupt the healthcare town hall meetings; in short, carpet-bomb the body politic with fear and loathing.

In the kickoff August follies, the thugs crawled out of their rocks and bunkers to assault healthcare town halls from Texas to Pennsylvania, trying to drown out questions and debate from solid majorities of attendees with legitimate concerns. At a Texas town hall for Rep. Lloyd Doggett, the G-NO-P storm troopers screamed the oh-so-original Nancy Reagan Republican solution to drugs, sex, and [everything else except tax cuts and military spending]: “just say no!”

Irony of ironies, these know-nothing thugs conceded their only point: Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the nation. But in their whacky wingnut world, the uninsured are the undocumented like, well … President Obama. Rep. Doggett said the thugs were outsiders summoned by Texas Republicans and the familiar corporate lobby Tea Bag networks now working for the "health"-for-obscene-profits industry with orders not to participate, but to scream and disrupt. According to a leaked memo, the thugs were urged to “yell,” “stand up and shout,” and “rattle” the members.

At a town hall meeting in Pennsylvania featuring the classy HHS Secretary Kathleen Sibelius and Senator Arlen Specter, about 40 thugs put this strategy to the test. They lined the aisles trying to drown out questions from the 400 persons who had come to participate in the healthcare debate with shouts of “abortion,” “socialism,” “rationing,” the usual ignorant rants from those who didn’t take the time to educate themselves on what’s in the legislation.

The HHS Secretary and the Senator navigated through the disruption and answered all questions. In this crazed incarnation of a G-NO-P led by right wing radio nuts, slogans and screams replace ideas and debate.

One sign read: "Go Home, ACORN." Huh ...? Bring it on, know-nothings.

Soylent Republicans

So now the Republicans have sunk to scaring seniors by threatening them with euthanasia. Seriously. An innocuous Medicare provision that lets the program PAY for seniors to discuss end of life issues with professionals is now...The president's health care plan...is PEOPLE!!!

Dear Mr. President:

In watching your recent town hall meetings on healthcare, it seems to me that you're losing the pro-healthcare reform message to the forces arrayed against it -- significantly the insurance industry, with its $1.4 million daily investment aimed at spreading fear and misinformation among vulnerable populations, such as our seniors.

I wish you'd hone your message. For example, why haven't you mentioned the waste, fraud, and abuse of the insurance industry? Twenty cents out of every dollar is spent by insurers on non-healthcare delivery; lining the pockets of CEOs and shareholders, and on advertising to defeat your plan. The other day you were at AARP. Their Medicare supplement is insured by UnitedHealth Group, which posted a 155% profit and had agreed to a $400 million settlement with the AMA and New York Attorney General for defrauding its customers over a period of years. The Lewin Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of UnitedHealth, has been dishing out misleading statistics in talking points to Republicans in the House and Senate, including Senator Grassley, slamming your public option.

The White House response: crickets.

Sure, you've spoken of the public option in town halls, but not once have you specifically pushed back against your opposition: the health insurance industry and Congressional Republicans. Why?

Rather than giving Congress a clear direction on your priorities, drawing a line in the sand, you have allowed the tail to wag the dog. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus is prancing around the Senate halls like a Maharajah with his loyal sidekick, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley. Their closed door meetings of the so-called Group of Six have resulted in the evisceration of key Democratic provisions and priorities of yours, most notably the public option. All of this to peel off two or three Republican votes so that it can be called bipartisan?

With all due respect, Mr. President, we didn't vote for change, we didn't hand you huge majorities in the House, and a filibuster-proof 60 votes in the Senate, to have the fate of meaningful healthcare reform for all Americans decided, or rather destroyed, by Senator Chuck Grassley, who is a shill for the insurance industry.

I'm among a growing number of Democrats who are outraged by Senator Baucus's capitulation. We believe Senator Baucus should be divested of his chairmanship. Senator Rockefeller favors this as well. We hear of all the hard work the Senator is putting into this effort, the long hours. The problem is, he's not working on behalf of the American people; he's working for the insurance industry. Are we really to believe it makes no difference that Senator Baucus is the second highest recipient of insurance industry campaign donations, behind Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell?

The other day I saw a photo of the Group of Six: Senators Baucus, Grassley, and Snowe were chortling, while the Democrats around the table looked grim. This was in the wake of the news the Group will slash the public option and other Democratic priorities. Not surprisingly, Aetna stock rose 12% on this expectation. One observer noted that insurance industry CEOs would be exchanging high fives in their corporate boardrooms.

I know you're a student of history, Mr. President, and if I could suggest a role model in this fight, it would be Bobby Kennedy. One reason that Bobby could bridge the great divides in American society, communicating as easily with inner-city blacks and latinos as with white conservative hardhats and rural voters is that he didn't pander to any of these groups. He told it to them straight, he didn't back down, and he couched his message in clear moral terms. When he said something was unacceptable, people knew he meant it.

We're losing this fight, Mr. President. If you don't push back against the powerful anti-reform forces, we will not get meaningful healthcare reform for all Americans. Honestly, I'm tired of hearing of the $80 billion the pharmaceuticals pledged to "give back" to us. They're not philanthropies. They stand to reap windfall profits (as do the private insurers) from a $1 trillion healthcare reform package without a public option that can negotiate down prescription drug prices and ensure competition.

In getting out your message, Mr. President, my advice is to take a page from Ronald Reagan's playbook. One thing he did to great effect communicating to the American people was to personalize his message. When you mention the "heartbreaking" letters you receive from people with life-altering health crises, rather than speak of them generically, I wish you would read some of these letters in your speeches. The American people relate well to personalized accounts that humanize the issue.

We can still win, Mr. President, and you have our support. But we need you to hone your message, to be more specific about the reforms and the opposition's lies, to be more like Bobby.

Sincerely,

Carlos

Now that Walter Cronkite Cronkite has left us …

Why is a comedian rated America’s most trusted newscaster?



This is why:


Congratulations, Jon, for bringing us news we can believe in with a Cronkite (liberal) bias, and … humor. Unlike the phony meme black T-shirt/blue flak jacket (to match his eyes) AC360 franchise, Jon Stewart wears his heart on his sleeve. Lesson learned, Coop?

While we're in the file cabinet...

This one is from the "Things You Can't Make Up" file.

Apparently suffering from irony deficiency, Sen. David Vitter (R-La) said in response to charges by Sen. Voinovich (R-Oh) that southern conservatives were dragging the GOP down that "I'm on the side of conservatives getting back to core conservative values...there are a lot of us from the South who hold those values, which I think the party is supposed to be about. We strayed from them in the past few years, and that's why we performed so badly in the national elections."

Really, Dave? And how does paying, umm, "professional" women to dress you in diapers fit in with those "values?"

From the "Well Duh" File

So Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, pictured below



is going to vote against Judge Sotomayor. I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!

Sorry, haven't been around much. I've been very busy lately, working hard to help the people of Alaska.

BIRTHER CONGRESSIONAL LIST - FIRST INSTALLMENT

Submitted as a public service to promote good government, here is an incomplete list of "Birther" Republican Congresspersons, who are on record as subscribing to the wingnut conspiracy theory that President Obama is not a natural-born citizen. Please share this information with the voters from their respective districts who will have the last word on whether these nutjobs win re-election. Hey, there are some nice 30 second TV and radio spots here for their opponents, too!

In fairness, Rep. Trent Franks deserves our respect for answering a simple question directly, honestly, and correctly, regardless of his ultra-conservative views.


REP. CATHY McMORRIS RODGERS (R-WA)
REP. CHARLES BOUSTANY (R-LA)
REP. TIM MURTHY (R-PA)
REP. AARON SCHOCK (R-IL) WISHY WASHY!
REP. DAVE REICHERT (R-WA)
REP. TOM “ROCKY”/”CHARIOTS OF FIRE” PRICE (R-GA)
REP. THADDEUS McCOTTER (R-MI) WEAK DODGE!
REP. JEFF FORTENBERRY (R-NE)
REP. GREG HARPER (R-MS)



REP. TRENT FRANKS (R-AZ) YAY! WE FOUND AN HONEST RIGHT WINGER!!!

What’s Wrong with this Picture?

After the President said that the Cambridge police Department had acted “stupidly” in arresting distinguished Harvard professor Louis Gates in his own home, he made more conciliatory statements today that both the white police seargent and professor Gates had “overreacted.” The President is correct, politically, in dialing this back.

But here’s what I don’t get. Did anyone see the Massachusetts police unions press conference today? (See picture below.) I happen to think the picture is at variance with the AP story lead on this, by Bob Salsberg, which was widely distributed in the mainstream media:

“CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — A multiracial group of police officers today stood with the white officer who arrested a prominent black Harvard scholar and asked President Barack Obama and Gov. Deval Patrick to apologize for comments the union leaders called insulting.”

“Multiracial group of police officers” –– really?


When the camera pans out to include the entire group, there are a whole lot of ethnic white middle-aged men (sorry, but these guys come across as Archie Bunkers to me) with two African American men and two women that I could see –– tokenism at its best. One of the women was hidden behind a wall of plump beer-and-donuts white guys, and the other was a P.R. step ‘n fetchit responsible for tapping microphones and making sure everyone exited stage right. None of the black officers or women onstage spoke or were introduced as leaders in their organizations.

Is it me, or was this lineup of Massachusetts' finest long on obesity and white ethnic homogeneity and short on diversity and promotional opportunities for women and minorities?

Chris Matthews (mixed feelings about this guy) made an awful analogy, when he said had it been a black police officer and the “GREAT” white Henry Kissinger who was arrested in his home, the black officer would have gotten all kinds of grief for treating such a “distinguished” academic in this way.

Not from me, he wouldn’t. My hope is, the black officer would be arresting Kissinger on an order of extradition to a ballsy country, like Spain, or to the World Court at the Hague, which the Obama Administration had rejoined as signatory, to be tried for war crimes.

The black officer might not get an invite to the White House for a beer with the President, but he wouldn’t lack for invitations from those of us who believe no one is above the law.

The Dumbass Hall of Fame

Our newest inductee of this special and elite section of the corner is Peter J. Riga of Houston, Texas. In an inspiring work of pure genius appearing in today's Chicago Tribune, our newest Hall of Famer pens that

History is both revealing and obscuring. Walter Cronkite was a superb TV anchorman--calm, collected and intelligent. The one time he deviated from his position was a disaster. When he came back from Vietnam and told the American people that Vietnam was a stalemate that we could not win, that was a turning point of public opinion. Even then-President Lyndon Johnson said that view from Cronkite lost America the conflict in Vietnam. That was precisely when we were on the verge of victory in Vietnam and Cronkite turned public opinion massively against the war, which then became unsustainable for the president. In other words, Cronkite was indirectly responsible for our defeat in Vietnam, which history will show.

Mr. Riga, I have little to add to your perceptive grasp of history except to point out the obvious, that you are a pathetic and delusional little man.

And oh, by the way...

,

Those Obamas were clever birth conspirators

Imagine the depth of the conspracy, when the Honolulu papers printed the phony birth announcement!!

Matthews Exposes Whacko Birther Wingnuts

I'm not a big Chris Matthews fan, but every so often he's pitch perfect, as in this instance:



Anyone up for the circus, free of charge? Look up your local Repugnant town hall meeting and show up incognito, which means dressing like Joe the Plumber with an American flag in each hand. Be sure to bring a copy of President Obama's birth certificate. When the Birthers disrupt the meeting screaming that Obama is not a citizen, stand up and demand to be heard by waving your American flags. As soon as the dumbass Birthers cede you the microphone, proceed to mock them by producing the President's birth certificate and reading its contents aloud. Then call for all red-blooded Americans to stand up and recite the Pledge of Allegiance while you make your getaway.

One more thing. Today, Lou Dobbs of CNN -- aka Faux News Lite -- picked up on this garbage, venting his ill-concealed racism by calling President Obama "undocumented."

Sotomayor and the 2nd

One opinion that the Repubs seized on in the Sotomayor hearings was Maloney v. Cuomo (link). In that decision, she authored an opinion that was absolutely correct in holding that the Heller 2nd Amendment decision did not apply to the states. If you are completely conversant with 14th Amendment incorporation, or aren't interested in legal geekiness, you may stop reading now.

In The Paper Chase, the imposing Prof. Kingsfield tells his first year students that "You come in here with a skull full of mush, and you leave thinking like a lawyer." I used to think that was crap until I realized that I think like a lawyer. That is what makes explaining 14th Amendment incorporation, which to me seems so easy and obvious, seem so difficult.

First of all, something that there is NO argument about. That FACT is that the so-called Bill of Rights applies BY ITS OWN TERMS only to FEDERAL matters. We have wacko sites that give you headlines that "Sotomayor Ruled That States Do Not Have to Obey Second Amendment." Yup. That woman hates you gun freaks who demand the right to vaporize deer with shoulder mounted rocket launchers. The LAW on this, which Judge Sotomayor followed, was absolutely correct.

On incorporation--the first 10 amendments apply only against the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. Beginning in the late 19th century, the Supreme Court decided that certain rights described in the Bill of Rights could be "incorporated" or made applicable against the states. Never has the Supreme Court decided so w/the 2nd--that was not an issue given that DC was federal and the 2nd applied.

The question is not whether Heller is binding but rather whether individual gun ownership is a fundamental right that should be applied against the states.

Sorry, been under the weather

Methinks the whole damn Love Boat crew has been sick!

Anyway, some scattershot thoughts on the Sotomayor hearings.

Nothing surprising really happened in light of the absurdity of having someone with Jefferson Beauregard Session's record leading the inquisition questioning and what that said about the party. It turned out to be exactly what I expected, the Repubs using the forum to rile up their base on brown people.

That said, the GOP and the Dems both screwed with it. The GOP tried to rally their base, the Dems failed to aim at the twisted direction of the Roberts court.

And THEN the Republicans dragged out one of the Bush administration's tired old tricks, using people in uniform as props. Exactly WHY were the firefighters there? [as an aside, it should be noted that Mr. Ricci is a very litigious fellow. Whenever he feels wronged, he calls one of those pesky "trial lawyers" the Republicans loathe. he is a serial litigator.] Litigants do not appear before appellate court judges. His case before Judge Sotomayor's panel was strictly a paper affair. The judges saw the district court record, read the briefs and heard the lawyers. Period. They would not have seen Frank in person, unless he was in the spectators' benches. He had nothing to add to the hearings except "I'm white, and I'm in uniform. She's not in uniform and she's brown!"

We have also seen the end of confirmation hearings as evaluative and informational inquiries. Now they are just a circus.

First, both sides grandstand, with the liberals equating her to Oliver Wendell Holmes and then the conservatives, after greeting her with some nice platitudes, ask why she hates America and has puppy smoothies for breakfast. Conservatives ask if we can kill this "little baby," liberals ask if an ex-con child rapist meth addict should be able to buy a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher under the 2nd, and of course the judge rightfully says that she can't speculate on future rulings.

Spector came close to an opportunity during his ever-so-predictable "why doesn't the court hear more cases" rant but wandered off into asking about one specific one. Of course she can't answer that, Senator. She wasn't there. She didn't read the briefs, wasn't in on conference how could she say that any particular case could have been heard.

Senators, STOP WASTING TIME and leave the community theater to me. Sen. Spector, ask her and future nominees about their GENERAL PHILOSOPHY of court docketing. What KINDS of cases need to be heard? What are your philosophical criteria in the abstract for seeing a case as decision-worthy?

And to the rest of you, leave your pet issues behind. Ask about judicial philosophy, her views on 14th amendment incorporation, the proper balance of federalism, etc.

For the love of God, ask questions that might actually be answered.

The Word is REPREHENSIBLE, Senator Hatch. Can You Say It?

In light of the following exchange between Senator Orrin Hatch and Judge Sonia Sotomayor, in which the Senator indignantly condemns an ad campaign by People for the American Way against the New Haven firefighter litigants, compelling Judge Sotomayor to call the ad -- sight unseen -- “reprehensible,”



Senator Hatch is invited to revise and extend his remarks regarding this utterly despicable anti-Sotomayor ad by the wingnut group with the incongruous title of “Committee for Justice”:



Senator Hatch’s mild rebuke of such right wing garbage, calling the spot “pretty harsh” and “not the type of ad I would run,” in a statement released by his office, is inadequate and offensive. The ad is an outrageous pack of lies.

The word is “REPREHENSIBLE,” Senator. Can you say it?

Perhaps Sen. Hatch’s reticence to condemn the ad in the strongest terms and in person has to do with the fact that he headlined a 2003 fundraiser for CFJ in which he raised $50,000 for the group.

Context is everything.

End this Session

So the Republicans have decided to make Jeff Sessions, too racist to be confirmed to a judgeship by a Republican Senate



their point man in the Sotomayor attacks.

His parents

must be so proud.

That crazy radical activist judge!

When you say ""I can walk in the shoes of the people who are affected by what the Court does" and I can "bring something different to the Court," that is just wrong. That is irresponsible and shows the judge is prejudiced.....right?

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Oh, wait--Clarence Thomas said that.

We've been Dicked. Isn't that "Special?"

C'mon, Mr. Attorney General. Do your job. Protect and defend the constitution. Name a special prosecutor NOW.

Absentee

I'm hoping to come back around here soon, but I'm back in the hospital again. This time it's for a slightly different reason, and when I finish recovering from this surgery, I'll essentially be back to normal. 'bout damned time.

In other news, we have good health care, so this whole process is something we can afford. I've gotten quality nursing and medical advice, I get supplies when I need them, and everyone is nice. There are tens of millions of Americans who don't get this, and that turns a very hard experience into something unbearable.