Posts Tagged ‘GOP’
Brother, can you spare some unemployment benefits? (Courtesy of NYPL.)
You’re not trying to be a journalist when you grow up, are you? This article from the NYT might change your mind…:
Such is the state of the media business these days: frantic and fatigued. Young journalists who once dreamed of trotting the globe in pursuit of a story are instead shackled to their computers, where they try to eke out a fresh thought or be first to report even the smallest nugget of news.
The new GOP campaign slogan: “Ahhh, remember those sunny days when G.W. Bush was in the Oval Office?”
Courtesy of Minnesota Public Radio.
Extending unemployment benefits: Making people lazy or helping out down-and-out folks? You’ll never guess what President Obama thinks.
When you thought you’d heard it all when it came to politicians and their favorite pastimes (getting involved in scandals), along came Eric Massa and his tickle fights.
While we at USDemocrazy have explored the Democrats’ problems before and have an understanding of scandals (blogging about them, not participating), the big one that broke this week about former New York Democratic Representative Eric Massa has so many facets, we just couldn’t resist dissecting it today. …read more.
Thanks to TPM
Scott Brown was sworn in yesterday as Massachusetts’s junior senator. He completes the GOP’s 41-59 majority.
Playing politics. As if they don’t already have enough nonsense to cover, posters find the Super Bowl to be partisan issue.
Harold Ford Jr. and RNC Chairman Michael Steele squared off last night in a debate for America’s future.
TMP Photo Galleries
We at USDemocrazy are used to poor leadership. The more our editors want to talk, the more we want to walk (more often run) in the opposite direction.
The Republican Party is suffering from a similar problem. Only on a much larger scale.
The problem is Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman, Michael Steele.
He has a history of scatter-brained TV outtakes (he once referred to himself as a cow on the tracks blocking the health-care train). Some call it distracting, others call it stupid, either way many Republicans have had enough.
Yesterday, a conversation between RNC and Congressional aides, became heated when one aide called Steele a “fool” while a colleague suggested to the RNC “You really need to have him be quiet.” …read more.
Michael Steele laughs at Arlen Specter on T.V. Did we just hear a collective “Awwwww…” from the left?
I’ve search your person, you pockets, and your luggage. Now may I have your D.O.B. to make sure you’re not lethal?
Hey Google! Thanks for saving our butts! Love, Twitter.
“Russian Vodka Consumption Shocks Even Russians.” We believe that is enough said.
Who's the leader?
Ever lost a million bucks? Then had to dumpster dive for it?
Who doesn’t like jewelry? The State Department. (At least when it could be an ethics violation.)
Does the US have more czars than Russia? “Pay czar” appointed to keep the shareholders in control!
“Self-esteem” issues? That’s a new one for the GOP.
Normally when we at USDemocrazy hear words like BATTLE! FIGHT! ATTACK! bandied about we head for cover and find our Kevlar. This week we heard those terms being shouted in Washington DC. and around the country!
The cause of this aggressive aggravation? President Obama’s appointment to the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor.
Just in case you missed it, a few weeks back Supreme Court Justice David Souter announced his retirement. This created a crucial new opening for Obama to make his first judicial appointment. (Not to fear, we’ll catch you up.)
After a couple of weeks of yelling, asserting, positing, and opining as to who should be the next judge on the highest court in America, Obama announced on Tuesday that Judge Sotomayor is his pick for the bench.
So…who is this justice potential?
Judge SotomayOR (pronounced with an emphasis on the OR — very judicious, no?) is 54, a Yale law graduate, a circuit court judge, and yes, a Latina. SotomayOR was born in Puerto Rico, but moved with her family to the Bronx, New York, where she grew up.
The fact that she’s a Latina has stirred up a lot of talk. She’d be the first Hispanic on the Court, and only the third woman. (We wonder what kind of advice Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg would give the new girl?)
And yes, though the announcement was made merely two days ago, the Republicans are already mounting their attack.
Based on what, you ask? Well… there’s a lot to be said about the Judge, and it seems every news outlet has a few cents to throw into the discussion.
To help you out we’ve found all the valuable stuff on Sotomayor that you’ll want to know. Now you can start an argument of your very own!
The Daily Beast gives you 200 words…
The White House wants to get Sotomayor approved as smoothly as possible… so they’ve compiled a complete story about her to help convince America!
Judgepedia.org has the dirt. (Like, judicial dirt.)
The Washington Post and the New York Times have the stuff on her interesting background.
A quick overview of some of Sotomayor’s opinions on hot issues.
Already a few of Sotomayor’s quotes have sparked controversy, including:
I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.
and this (see video):
So, responses? Respectively, here and here.
That first quote even inspired Newt Gingrich to call her a racist! And then the White House responded. (And the back-and-forth begins…)
And how will the right respond? Let’s take a look…
Politico predicts how she’ll get picked on!
But should the Republicans just take it easy on her?
Obama put the GOP in a tricky place, says Mother Jones.
Yet the Wall Street Journal has some questions lined up for the nominee.
And we get to see Orrin Hatch’s take too!
So… are you pro-Sotomayor or against? Let’s hear it!
We here at USDemocrazy ponder politics quite a lot. (That’s why we get paid the big bucks — wait… we haven’t been paid in a while… Gotta go talk to someone about that.)
You know who DOES get paid? Senators… and right now things are really paying off for Democratic Senators.
Yesterday it was announced Pennsylvania’s Republican Senator Arlen Specter… is SWITCHING OVER TO THE DEMOCRATS!
That’s gotta make some people (namely, Republicans) unhappy, right? You betcha. (Michael Steele said Specter basically “flipped the bird” to Republican leadership…)
The best explanation for this monumental switch can be heard straight from the horse’s mouth (or do we call him a donkey now?), which you can see in the video above.
Now… this switcheroo is kind of a big deal.
Specter’s addition to the Democrats in the Senate would give them a filibuster-proof majority (it takes 60 votes… they currently have 59). This will allow the Democrats to straitjacket any Republican opposition and bulldoze through their (and President Obama’s) agenda.
This a body blow to an already reeling Republican opposition.
There’s so much news on this subject right now that we’re going to let those people who are WAY smarter than us do the talking. I mean, those journalists get paid too… So they better be doing a good job.
Here goes:
Salon explores “The Specter of a shrinking GOP”
The NYT gives us the deets (that’s hip-talk for details, we’ve been told).
Was this just a career-saving move? Some say yes.
The floor is now open for debate on what will be Specter’s contribution to the Dems.
Can he alter Obama’s financial agenda? Really?
What does this supermajority truly mean?
How’s the GOP taking this? Maybe better than we thought? (But maybe not.)
He was against party-switching before he was for it.
Finally, what does our good ol’ Vice Prez think? As a Democrat, he’s pretty happy. Here’s what he had to say:
I welcome my old friend to the Democratic Party. Senator Arlen Specter is a man of remarkable courage and integrity. I know he will remain a powerful and independent voice for Pennsylvania and the country.
Do you think party-switching should be allowed? How do you feel about Specter’s choice? We know we’re still caught up in the whirl of news stories, so we’d appreciate some opinions…
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‘Game Change’: A game-changer?
by ForeverPlaid
News
From Politico
We here at USDemocrazy know what it’s like to say stupid things. Fortunately for us, we can always rely on our elected representatives in Washington to outshine us in the “stupid” department.
This week’s foot-in-mouth champion is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.(Thanks for helping us out, Harry!)
Reid’s blatantly bad blooper comes from a book set to come out this week, Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime by political journalists Mark Halperin and John Heilemann.
Here’s his quote, provided by the Atlantic,:
This isn’t even the first “oh darnit” moment Reid has had, but the GOP’s Michael Steele is taking advantage of the situation to call upon Reid to resign. …read more.