Posted by Len on Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011 at 8:49 pm CT in Middle East,Politics
President Obama addressed the nation this evening on “The Way Forward in Afghanistan.” He outlined the expected troop withdrawal from that country and explained exactly what our goals are and were in that conflict. He also stressed the importance of all Americans working together to rebuild our own country. The speech was carried live by all the major television networks, but in case you missed it…
(I love the way they stage these things, by the way. It looks like he’s standing in some European castle, doesn’t it?)
They’ve made it explicit. Democrats are accusing Republicans of trying to sabotage the recovery — or at least stall it — by blocking all short-term measures to boost the economy, even ones they previously supported.
In a Capitol press conference Wednesday, the Senate’s top Democrats argued that Republicans don’t want to pass measures like a temporary payroll tax holiday for employers because they’ll improve President Obama’s re-election chances.
“Our Republican colleagues in the House and Senate are driven by putting one man out of work: President Obama,” said Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL).
The harshest denunciation came from Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the man who crafted the Dems’ new “jobs first” message.
“We are also open to hiring incentives, perhaps in the form of a payroll tax cut for employers that was floated by the administration…. [T]hat might not be our first choice, that shows how willing we are to work with the Republicans to create jobs. It’s pro-business, it’s a tax cut, and many Republicans have been for it in the past. But now all of a sudden they’re coming out against it,” Schumer said.
John Boehner called it a gimmick, Paul Ryan called it sugar high. Lamar Alexander and Jeb Hensarling both criticized it as short-term stimulus — apparently that’s a bad thing. Would Republicans really oppose a tax cut for business that created jobs? This is sort of beyond the pale. So if they’d oppose even something so suited to their tastes ideologically, it shows that they’re just opposing anything that would help create jobs. It almost makes you wonder if they aren’t trying to slow down the economic recovery for political gain.
It’s not like there haven’t been enough hints already. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had this to say way back in October of last year:
The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.
Posted by Len on Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011 at 12:09 pm CT in Entertainment,Politics
During his interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News last Sunday morning, Jon Stewart pointed out that Fox News viewers are consistently among the worst informed of any consumers of any of the major media news outlets. Politifact did some investigating and determined that Mr. Stewart’s statement was not correct. On last night’s Daily Show, Jon replied to Politifact’s finding and in the process pointed out that Fox News lies a lot. (That should not come as a surprise to anybody who regularly visits this blog or to anybody who watches Fox News and has an IQ higher then their shoe size.)
Countdown with Keith Olbermann is back! It airs at 8:00 Eastern/7:00 Central on Current TV (check your local cable/satellite listings). Here are tonight’s Worst Persons in the World and Special Comment:
Welcome back, Mr. Olbermann! You have been missed.
Posted by Len on Sunday, June 19th, 2011 at 8:49 pm CT in Politics
Jon Stewart was Chris Wallace’s guest on Fox News Sunday this morning. The show had its moments…
For the record, I do not usually watch Chris Wallace. He leans just a bit too far to the right for my taste.
UPDATE: The above video is the full, unedited interview between Chris Wallace and Jon Stewart. It seems that the interview aired by FOX News was heavily edited. If you watched the interview on FOX News, it is recommended that you watch this video to gain the full Wallace/Stewart experience.
Posted by Len on Saturday, June 18th, 2011 at 10:36 am CT in Politics
“Celebrating Fathers”
From the White House weblog:
On Father’s Day weekend, President Obama reflects on his experience as a parent and discusses the challenges and necessity of being a good father.
Click below to listen to the audio only:
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Posted by Len on Thursday, June 16th, 2011 at 7:10 pm CT in Politics,Republicans
How is it that Anthony Weiner, who broke no laws, has to resign from the House of Representatives yet David Vitter, who actually did break the law, gets to serve in the Senate as long as he wants?
Posted by Len on Tuesday, June 14th, 2011 at 10:07 pm CT in Politics,Republicans
When asked by a FOX News interviewer why he seems to be more popular outside his home state than he is within it, Texas governor and probable candidate for the Republican presidential nomination Rick Perry answered that “a prophet is generally not loved in their hometown.”
So Governor Goodhair thinks he’s a prophet, does he? Perhaps that explains his call for all Texans to pray for rain during the recent wildfires in our state or the prayer meeting he will be holding in August to ask Jesus for solutions to our country’s problems.
The man certainly thinks highly of himself. This is probably good because so few who really know him do.
Posted by Len on Saturday, June 11th, 2011 at 11:01 am CT in Politics
“Partnering with the Private Sector to Spur Hiring”
From the White House weblog:
The President outlines how the government is partnering with the private sector to ensure workers have the skills they need to be competitive and grow the economy.
Click below to listen to the audio only:
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