Wikipedia: Liz Wright (born January 22, 1980) is an American jazz/R&B singer and composer.
Wright was born in the small town of Hahira in the US state of Georgia; one of three children and the daughter of a minister and the musical director[1] of their Church. She started singing gospel music and playing piano in church as a child, and also became interested in jazz and blues. She attended Houston County High School, where she was heavily involved in choral singing, receiving the National Choral Award. She went on to Georgia State University in Atlanta to study singing.[1] Since then she has studied at The New School in New York,[citation needed] and in Vancouver. She currently resides outside Hendersonville, North Carolina.
Her first album, Salt was released in the Spring of 2003 (and reached number two on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz chart in 2004). Her next release was not a follow-up of her debut, but this record maintained the jazz and pop blend, while incorporating folk music to her musical blend.[1] Dreaming Wide Awake in June 2005 (which reached number one on the Top Contemporary Jazz chart in 2005 and 2006). In 2008, Wright released The Orchard to positive reviews.
Happy HUMP Day, Everyone. Go out and share your gratitude for life. Spend today saying Thank You!
Pingback: Afternoon Open Thread - Jack & Jill Politics
Pingback: Lawrence O’Donnell’s interview with Dr. Condi Rice…make your own judgements | Top US News Today
Blown away
Powell: Obama trumped birthers
By ASSOCIATED PRESS | 05/06/11 10:27 PM
historically black university that they were graduating during a tumultuous time that saw a royal wedding, a pope’s beatification and a U.S. military assault that killed Osama bin Laden, “the worst person on earth.”
But the former secretary of state and Joint Chiefs chairman told South Carolina State University’s 400 graduates on Friday that he particularly enjoyed another recent event: “That was when President Obama took out his birth certificate and blew away Donald Trump and all the birthers!”
The stadium roared in approval of Powell’s comments on the president’s move last week to quell the doubts of those who don’t believe he was born in Hawaii. The retired Army four-star general endorsed Obama’s 2008 presidential bid.
Earlier Friday, Powell was made an honorary member of the school’s ROTC hall of fame.
http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0511/blown_away_b4a8064b-12c2-400f-ab8c-d55002b61fca.html
But the former secretary of state and Joint Chiefs chairman told South Carolina State University’s 400 graduates on Friday that he particularly enjoyed another recent event: “That was when President Obama took out his birth certificate and blew away Donald Trump and all the birthers!”
I know he did!
BWA HA H HA HA
“WE PLAYED THAT HARDBALL, WARFARE RUGBY”
“WE HAD TO CAUSE OSAMA’S AGENDA WAS FUGLY.”
Then flew off in the night screaming…”Duh, Winning”
BWA HA HA HA HA
“For my record right now, you aint messin with my dougie.”
Team 6 showed up in choppers, it was so cash. Lit his house with red dots like it had a rash.
LOL
BWA HA HA HA
Al Sharpton: Working Behind the Scenes With Obama
The Rev. Al Sharpton talks to the WSJ’s Lee Hawkins about his role as an informal advisor to the President on civil rights issues, the response in the African American community to Donald Trump’s birth certificate accusations, and his feelings on black leaders who have been critical of the administration.
http://www.videowired.com/watch/?id=20802215
America, LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE!
AMEN
U.S. Targeted Awlaki in Missile Strike
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703992704576307594129219756.html
A U.S. drone strike in Yemen Thursday was aimed at killing Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born radical cleric who is suspected of orchestrating terrorist attacks on the U.S, but the missile missed its target, according to Yemeni and U.S. officials.
The drone strike comes less than a week after a U.S. Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden at a compound in Pakistan. Had the drone strike in Yemen been successful, the U.S. would have killed two of the top three most-wanted terrorists in a single week.
Mr. Awlaki has emerged as the charismatic frontman of an al Qaeda branch based in Yemen, which the U.S. considers the most active terror group in the world. With bin Laden’s death, some officials believe Mr. Awlaki and his group now represents the gravest threat to the U.S.
White House and Pentagon officials declined to comment on any strikes in Yemen.
The timing of the strike shows the administration’s resolve to take out Mr. Awlaki and other members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, as his group is known.
The attempt to kill Mr. Awlaki was the first known U.S. military strike inside Yemen since May 2010, when U.S. missiles mistakenly killed one of Yemen President Abdullah Ali Saleh’s envoys and an unknown number of other people.
They’re on your trail, Anwar al-Awlaki! They’re coming to get You!
Trump’s ‘University’ Accused Of Scamming Customers
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/06/trump-university-scammed-customers_n_858587.html
NEW YORK — Along with touting his wealth and business acumen, real estate mogul Donald Trump has long portrayed himself as an educator, who is ready and willing to impart the knowledge that can turn any motivated person into a multimillionaire.
On top of the millions who watch his prime-time smash hit, “Celebrity Apprentice,” thousands have enrolled in seminars with Trump University in order to better learn his money-making real estate sales methods. The educational program, launched in 2005, promises mentorships that are “the next best thing” to being Trump’s apprentice.
In speeches across the country, the potential 2012 GOP presidential candidate touts the importance of education. Trump has decried the state of our public schools and mocked President Barack Obama’s academic credentials.
“I’m deeply and actively involved in Trump University because I firmly believe in the power of education and its function as an engine of success,” he wrote in “Trump 101: The Way to Success.” “I want to help people, and, simply put, the Trump University students want to be successful. I’m on their side.”
Yet Trump’s credentials as an educator may be undercut by the recent history of his so-called university. The for-profit institution is the target of a class-action lawsuit in federal court and the attorneys general of six states are investigating numerous complaints about it.
Whn evil gets to rockin…Karma comes a knockin!!!!!!!!
Wanda Sykes Rips Donald Trump, Calls Birthers Racist
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/06/wanda-sykes-rips-donald-trump-birthers_n_858468.html
Wanda Sykes has never pulled punches, especially when it comes to controversy and politics. On Thursday night, she delivered a jab to Donald Trump, and a full-on smack down of conservative birthers.
Before her scheduled performance in Vancouver, Sykes spoke to the Vancouver Sun about her take on the right wing attacks on President Obama.
“I feel sorry for ’em, they’re just sad,” she said of the birthers. “I love that they’re hanging it on ‘Well, he’s not from this country’ when they should just face it: You’re having issues because a black man is president. That’s what it is, and you need to deal with that, to work with that.”
Of course, last week, Obama presented his official long-form birth certificate to the public, though that hasn’t quieted some on the right down very much. That includes potential presidential candidate Donald Trump, who both took credit for forcing Obama to produce the certificate, and said that he would have to investigate further into the matter.
Trump’s act has not exactly impressed Sykes.
“He’s not happy unless he’s relevant in some way,” she told the paper. “He wants people to be talking about him. I thought he would be happy enough to finally have a decent season of ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ but, you know, he had to make a little bit more noise than that, I guess.”
Sykes has long been outspoken politically; she took on Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh (whom she called the 20th 9/11 high jacker) at the 2009 White House Correspondents Dinner.
Live PBO speaks to troops in Fort Campbell, Kentucky
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/president-obama-speaks-troops-0
Yessssssssss!
Obama’s Stimulus Reaps Rewards: Major Education Union Begins 2012 Endorsement
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/06/obamas-stimulus-education-union_n_858664.html#comments
WASHINGTON — The National Education Association’s decision on Friday to begin the formal process of endorsing President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign may be the most vivid demonstration to date of the political benefits of the stimulus package passed by the president.
During its annual meeting, the union’s political action committee issued a recommendation to its 3.2 million members that they back Obama in the 2012 campaign during representative assembly meetings that will take place this July. The timing was a bit head-scratching. Not only was the 2012 election roughly a year-and-a-half away, but the NEA was also beginning its endorsement process without knowing who the Republican candidate would be (let alone the full Republican primary field).
In an interview with the Huffington Post on Friday, the union’s director of campaign and elections, Karen White, explained that the timing of the endorsement was driven out a scheduling necessity. The NEA’s PAC meets yearly to make endorsement recommendations to the full assembly. That meeting took place on Thursday. Had state presidents not suggested a presidential endorsement then, a final vote would have only come when the assembly next met in July 2012.
UPDATED: Bill Nelson warns Rick Scott: veto election bill or I’ll call in the feds
Senator Bill Nelson doesn’t mince words in a letter to Florida governor Rick Scott: veto a controversial election bill, or prepare to answer to the Justice Department.
Because Florida is one of 9 states covered by both sections (5 and 203) of the Voting Rights Act, meaning any changes to election laws that could impact racial, ethnic or language minorities must get federal preclearance, Nelson is warning Scott that if he signs an election overhaul that many see as limiting minority (among other) voting rights, he could be made to answer to the feds.
Nelson’s letter reads:
Please veto the elections legislation the Florida Legislature just passed. No doubt you’ve seen the many criticisms, especially that it would significantly reduce the number of early-voting days. Because Florida has five counties needing federal approval in the event of major changes in election procedures, I have asked the U.S. Department of Justice for an investigation if this bill becomes law.
There are just too many questions about whether this measure would disenfranchise an untold number of Floridians. I remain convinced it is bad for our democratic process. Thank you for considering these concerns.
So far, Scott has not appeared amenable to persuasion (except by the tea party.) We’ll see if Nelson’s letter gets him, or Florida, anywhere.
UPDATE: Nelson’s stance has put him into a verbal shooting match with potential Republican Senate opponent (and current state Senate president) Mike Haridopolos, who was pissed that Nelson in criticizing the election overhaul bill said it could disenfranchise the very troops who were successful in taking down Osama bin Laden.
Haridopolos, who is running for Senate in 2012 and would face Nelson if both win their respective primaries, said that Nelson was playing “political games” by invoking the Bin Laden killing in the election bill debate.
“That is unbecoming of a United States Senator and a leader in our state,” he said in a prepared statement.
Meanwhile, Nelson isn’t the only, or even the first to seek redress from the feds from what they call Republican attempts at voter disenfranchisement. The ACLU of Florida and the NAACP have already asked the Justice Department to investigate Scott’s executive order reversing an easing of restrictions on the voting rights of former felons.
Don’t be surprised if the League of Women Voters goes after the part of the bill that puts severe restrictions on groups who register people to vote, if and when it’s signed.
http://blog.reidreport.com/2011/05/bill-nelson-warns-rick-scott-veto-election-bill-or-ill-call-in-the-feds/
It’s on & poppin
under W-T-F news:
………………………
Something is Rotten in Paris, Texas
by Steven D
Fri May 6th, 2011 at 01:39:04 PM EST
No, I don’t mean the movie. The real Paris, Texas. (h/t The Field Negro)
Specifically, I am referring Bobby Yates, a resident of that lovely metropolis, who has been put on trial for sexually assaulting a 16 year old white girl. Why is this wrong? Well let’s start with some basic information about Mr Yates. For example, this is a photo of him. Please take a close look:
Mr. Yates is a double amputee because of a hunting accident that occurred over 20 years ago. As a result of that accident he also had a penectomy (i.e., the removal of his penis). Mr. Yates also had his testicles removes as a result of that injury. Mr. Yates has no prior criminal record. Never been convicted of a any crime. Yet, he has been accused of sexually assaulting a 16 year old white girl with his fingers
read the rest here:
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2011/5/6/13394/23730
I’ll just be for real…hell no, I don’t believe that a 16 year old White girl couldn’t get away from a man in wheelchair.
fuck this racist ass bullshyt.
WTF?! a double amputee and NO PENIS? Get the fuck outta here!
Insane!
INSANE…IN THE MEMBRANE!
Jon Kyl’s Approval Rating Falls After False Planned Parenthood Claim
Jon Terbush | May 6, 2011, 1:58PM1diggdigg
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
Read More
Abortion, Arizona, Jon Kyl, PPP, Polls, Stephen Colbert
Share
Send to a friend!
To email: Your Name: Your email:
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) is still a very popular politician in Arizona despite his false claim that abortions make up 90% of Planned Parenthood’s services. Actually, that’s not intended to be a factual statement.
In reality, Kyl’s approval rating has gotten markedly worse since January, according to a PPP poll released on Friday, perhaps not coincidentally because of the false claim he made on the Senate floor last month, and the negative press attention it generated.
In the same PPP poll that showed Kyl’s approval rating slipping, a majority of Arizonans said they opposed cutting funding for Planned Parenthood. Further, while Republicans’ opinion of Kyl hasn’t changed much since January, large numbers of Democrats and independents — who both strongly opposed cutting funding for Planned Parenthood, according to the survey — have soured on Kyl over the same period.
Back in January, 47% of voters approved of Kyl’s job performance, while 40% disapproved. Now, those numbers have practically flipped, with 42% of voters giving Kyl a thumbs up, and 46% giving him a thumbs down.
That quick downturn was caused almost entirely by defections from Democrats and independents. In January, Democrats disapproved by Kyl’s job performance by a 24% to 63% split, while independents said the same, 35% to 50%. Those splits have since grown worse for Kyl, as Democrats now disapprove of him 16% to 70%, and independents dislike him by a 24% to 63% margin.
At the same time, the latest survey found that 69% of Democrats and 62% of independents opposed banning all federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
Overall, 51% of registered voters opposed defunding Planned Parenthood, while 35% supported that proposal.
In releasing the poll’s findings, PPP’s Tom Jensen wrote:
Kyl’s numbers are pretty much unchanged with Republicans but he is way down with Democrats and independents, perhaps not so coincidentally the two groups that are very supportive of Planned Parenthood.After making his false claim about Planned Parenthood’s abortion services, a Kyl spokesman tried to clarify that Kyl was not making a factual statement — even though he said it on the Senate floor during a broader budget debate the focused heavily on a proposal to completely defund Planned Parenthood. That sparked a renewed round of criticism and mockery, most notably from Stephen Colbert, who teased Kyl on his show and on Twitter with a string of false facts about Kyl, all followed by the disclaimer that his Kyl facts were not intended to be factual statements. (For example, Colbert tweeted that, “For the past ten years, Jon Kyl has been two children in a very convincing Jon Kyl suit.”)
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/05/jon-kyls-popularity-drops-after-false-planned-parenthood-claim.php#more
Orrin Hatch Thinks The Tax System Is Unfair Because It Doesn’t Tax Poor People Enough
In an effort to fend off Democratic budgetary proposals that include higher tax rates on the rich and corporations, Congressional Republicans are dusting off one of their favorite talking points: that America’s debt and deficits are caused entirely by spending and not at all by decreasing revenue streams. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made the argument on the Senate floor yesterday, saying: “We all know that raising taxes would stall the rebound we all claim to want. Let’s just admit we don’t have a revenue problem. We have a spending problem.”
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, has been making the argument in a different way, pushing a recent report that 51 percent of Americans don’t pay any income taxes. To Hatch and his Republican colleagues, the report is perfect evidence that the rich already pay too much in taxes. The answer to that problem, as Hatch explained on MSNBC’s Daily Rundown today, is to revamp the tax code in order to make middle- and lower-class Americans pay their fair share:
HOST: Do you reform the tax code system? The president’s own fiscal commission came out and said that if we reform the tax code, you could save and add a trillion dollars.
HATCH: Well, Bastiat, the great economist of the past said, the place where you’ve got to get revenues has to come from the middle class. That’s the huge number of people that are there. So the system does need to be revamped. As far as, I think I made the point that if you just go with what the president says about the wealthy, you might get $36 billion compared to the $1.5 trillion expenditure this year, or should I say deficit this year. And the problem with that is that you hit about 800,000 small businesses where the jobs are created that would hopefully get enough people to pay taxes. So, yeah, we have an unbalanced tax code that we’ve got to change
I tell you, if we get control of that committee, the Finance Committee, I intend to see that it’s changed. Not to hurt the poor. We should help the poor. But to make sure that there’s a civic duty on the part of every one of us to help this government to, uh, to be better.
By using the report to make the assertion that poor and middle class Americans aren’t paying their fair share in taxes, Hatch and his Republican colleagues are ignoring all sorts of realities. The majority of Americans who do not pay federal income taxes don’t make enough money to qualify for even the lowest tax bracket, a problem made worse by the economic recession. That includes retired Americans, who don’t pay income taxes because they earn very little income, if they earn any at all.
And while many low-income Americans don’t pay income taxes, they do pay taxes. Because of payroll and sales taxes — a large proportion of which are paid by low- and middle-income Americans — less than a quarter of the nation’s households don’t contribute to federal tax receipts — and the majority of the non-contributors are students, the elderly, or the unemployed.
Meanwhile, tax rates for upper-income Americans continue to drop. As ThinkProgress’ Zaid Jilani has reported, the 400 richest Americans — who have more wealth than half of America combined — are paying less than they were a generation ago. As a result, the United States now boasts one of the largest income gaps in the industrialized world, as our level of income inequality is now comparable to that in Uganda and Pakistan.
Hatch is also wrong in his assumption that raising tax rates on the rich would hurt job creation. As Wonk Room’s Pat Garofalo notes, fewer than two percent of American businesses fall into the top two income brackets, the only two brackets that would be affected should taxes on the rich increase. Only three percent of Americans who claim business income would be affected by the increase.
Hatch attacked low-income Americans on Twitter earlier this week, saying, “51% of US households did not pay any federal income tax in 2009. It’s easy to want more gov’t benefits when you aren’t paying.” Though Hatch and his colleagues pretend that their hardline stance on budget cuts to vital programs is about “shared sacrifice,” they have made it clear that if they get their way, the only Americans sharing in the sacrifice will be those who can afford it least
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/05/05/orrin-hatch-tax-poor-people/
Is Gov. Rick Scott Rewarding Donors With Private Prison Plan?
Even before he was in office, Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) proposed privatizing much of Florida’s prison system, and state House and Senate negotiators agreed to do just that Monday as legislators hammer out a budget. The agreement will move thousands of inmates to prisons run by for-profit companies in an 18-county region in Southern Florida.
As the Maimi Herald reported last month, Scott’s plan “could open a lucrative door to politically connected vendors who stand to profit.” GEO Group appears to be the company with the most to gain. The nation’s second largest private corrections company, GEO — based in Boca Raton, FL — already manages two of the state’s seven private prisons and four of its seven mental-health facilities.
A “prime financier[] of the Republican Party,” GEO Group gave more than $400,000 to GOP in the 2010 election cycle alone and gave the maximum $25,000 to Scott’s inaugural fund.
The company has also deployed a small army of lobbyists in Tallahassee, including Florida “uber-lobbyist” Brian Ballard. Ballard and Scott have an unusually close relationship. Scott appointed Ballard to the finance committee for his inaugural fund and Ballard helped raise $3 million for the festivities. The month after Scott was sworn in, Ballard hosted a fundraiser Superbowl party at his Tallahassee home — Scott was the guest of honor.
Ballard is also a lobbyist for the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) — the nation’s largest corrections company with close ties to GOP statehouses across the country — which also stands to gain from the privatization scheme. The company has spent $373,000 in political contributions in Florida since 2003, over 60 percent of which have gone to Republicans.
Meanwhile, a third company, The Boca Raton company, is a “a reliable contributor to the Republican party” and gave Scott’s inaugural fund the maximum $25,000. It also employs a stable of 16 lobbyists in Tallahassee.
“It’s really just a gift to the private-prison industry,” said David Murrell of the Police Benevolent Association, the union which represents correctional officers. “It’s very political. The private corporations have been very helpful to the governor and his people.” Ironically, Scott “campaigned against the influence of special interests,” the St. Petersburg Times’ Marc Caputo notes. “But that was sooooo 2010.”
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/05/05/rick-scott-private-prisons/
May 6, 2011
FOR THE RIGHT, IT’S A FEATURE, NOT A BUG…. In April, the private sector added 268,000 jobs, while the public sector lost 24,000.
So far in 2011, the private sector has added 854,000 jobs, while the public sector has lost 86,000 jobs.
Over the past year, the private sector has added 1.7 million jobs, while the public sector has lost 404,000 jobs.
Looking at the larger trend, the overall situation is clearly improving. An economy that was shrinking is now growing. An economy that was losing jobs is now creating jobs. Based on the latest data, the job market is now at its strongest point in five years, and while that’s not good enough, it is heartening.
But the larger trend also reminds us that the job picture would be even better were it not for conservative economic policies that are causing so many job losses in the public sector.
Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty recently claimed that “the only booming ‘industry'” in the Obama era is the public sector, while the private sector has lost jobs. That’s not only backwards, that’s hopelessly insane.
As Matt Yglesias reminds us this morning, Republicans have little to complain about.
[A]nother issue is simply that this is the recovery conservatives say they want. The balance of economic activity is shifting away from the public sector and toward the private sector. So why is it that we have people running around the country — not just ignorant grassroots folks or talk show entrepreneurs, but billionaire political organizers like David Koch — screaming about incipient socialism?
It’s within the government’s power to intervene and prevent these public-sector layoffs at the state and local level. Indeed, in 2009, Democrats did just that, and it immediately helped improve the nation’s economy.
It’s no longer an option because Republicans reject such a move on ideological grounds. Worse, according to GOP leaders, the goal is to expand this approach, and make public-sector layoffs even worse, on purpose. Remember Speaker Boehner’s “So be it” line? It was in response to a question about deliberately making unemployment worse by laying off hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
For the GOP, the loss of public-sector jobs is a feature, not a bug. It’s not a development to lament, it’s a development to duplicate and expand.
If Americans disapprove, and want to see fewer layoffs, they shouldn’t have elected a Republican House.
—Steve Benen 11:25 AM
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2011_05/029331.php
Raw: Obama Arrives In Indianapolis
WRTV ABC Indianapolis
May. 06, 2011. 11:24 AM EST
http://www.blogowogo.com/blog_article.php?aid=3417414&t=11
PBO’s talking B-Ball with Butler’s coach Brad Stevens.
SURPRISE!
Wis. Dems Alleging GOP Fraud In Recalls
Eric Kleefeld | May 6, 2011, 12:11PM
Wisconsin Democrats, who are seeking to win a majority in the state Senate through recalls against six incumbent Republicans, have filed a challenge to Republican efforts to recall three Dems, alleging that vast levels of fraud will disqualify the Republican recall efforts against Democrats.
The Dems had previously announced that they would file such a challenge, citing stories of voters being misled into signing petitions. The Dems also alleged that Republican signature-gatherers were brought in from out of state and paid on a per-signature basis.
The Dems rolled rolled out their official complaint on Thursday, after making phone calls to almost 1,800 petition-signers, and acquiring affidavits from signers who say they were falsely told that the petitions were for other things — such as supporting a local park, recalling a Republican state senator in a different district, or recalling Gov. Scott Walker.
Also from the Dems’ announcement:
William Pocan’s forged name appears on line 10, page 362 of circulator Kevin Pursell’s petition. As his widow Corinne Pocan’s affidavit attests, William Pocan has been deceased 20 years, although his name remains in the phone book. Pursell circulated numerous pages.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/05/wis-dems-alleging-gop-fraud-in-recalls.php?ref=fpblg
May 6, 2011
BOEHNER STRUGGLES WITH GOOD NEWS…. The new employment report shows the strongest job creation in five years, leaving House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) with an awkward challenge. Does he take credit for Democrats successfully getting the economy back on track and risk being mocked, or does Boehner downplay good news and look like a leader rooting for failure?
In his press statement this morning, the Speaker leaned towards the latter.
“While any improvement is welcome news, job growth in America is still nowhere close to what it should be. Our economy continues to suffer from the uncertainty being caused for private-sector job creators by the Democrats who run Washington. Over the past month, rather than joining Republicans in focusing on policies that promote long-term economic growth to help balance the federal budget, the Democrats who control Washington have indicated they are planning to increase taxes and allow the government’s spending binge to continue.”
This is kind of sad, but let’s take a moment to unfold the statement anyway.
First, the only “uncertainty” hanging over the economy right now is whether the debt ceiling is going to be extended, or whether there will be a massive catastrophe of Congress’ making. The only people in America responsible for this “uncertainty” is John Boehner and his caucus. (Indeed, this morning’s statement goes on to say, “Congressional Republicans have made clear there will be no debt limit increase unless it is accompanied by significant spending cuts and reforms.” Isn’t this a perfect example of creating uncertainty?)
Second, Democrats don’t “run Washington” anymore. Boehner should realize this — he’s the Speaker of the House.
And third, Republicans aren’t “focusing on policies that promote long-term economic growth,” they’re focusing on abortion rights and austerity measures that undermine economic growth.
Aside from this and assorted other problems — Boehner’s wrong that the GOP plan balanced the budget — the Speaker’s message is just fine. It would be nice if he were capable of applauding good news, though I suppose that’s too much to ask.
—Steve Benen 10:00 AM
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2011_05/029326.php
Not o worry, Boner, it’s Friday. the D.C. taverns have your barstools reserved.
found this comment over at BooMan about the GOP Debate:
I am just sitting down to watch it on the DVR and it’s like watching a REALLY BAD game show. I think I need to turn it off and watch it sometime when I’ve got a good supply of weed. I’ve had two Gin and Tonics so far and I’m finding it unbearable. And Rick Santorum needs a bigger and better dog to fuck him before he makes public appearances. He looks really uptight.
by RandyH on Fri May 6th, 2011 at 12:30:12 AM EST
BWA HA HA HA
***icain’tbreeve***
Reality Check
by BooMan
Thu May 5th, 2011 at 11:08:55 PM EST
Remember when certain overly-ardent progressives questioned the president’s progressive credentials because he didn’t appoint Elizabeth Warren as head of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau? Here’s something to think about:
Nearly every Republican senator is vowing to block any presidential nominee to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) unless major changes are made to the agency.
In a letter sent to the president Thursday, 44 GOP senators said that any pick to become the first director of the CFPB, regardless of political affiliation, will be unacceptable unless the bureau is significatly altered to reduce its “unfettered authority.”
…
“The CFPB as created by the deeply-flawed Dodd-Frank Act is set to be one of the least accountable and most powerful agencies in Washington,” said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). “The reforms outlined are necessary before we will consider any nominee to head this agency.”
The president could nominate the dead corpse of Ronald Reagan and the Republicans would still filibuster.
Maybe this example will help a couple of people understand how Washington works. The president doesn’t get to decide what he wants to do and then, presto, it is done. The way things work is that the president asks for something, and if it is okay with the Senate Republicans then it is done.
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2011/5/5/23855/13923
Here we go, Ametia..
Obamas to hold White House poetry night
http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/yeas-nays/2011/05/obamas-hold-white-house-poetry-night-0
Next Wednesday is poetry night at the White House, as the president and first lady celebrate American poetry and prose by hosting a gathering of poets, musicians and artists.
Those slated to attend include Elizabeth Alexander, Billy Collins, Common, Rita Dove, Kenneth Goldsmith, Alison Knowles, Aimee Mann and Jill Scott. The performers, using music and verse, will highlight poetry’s influence on American culture, according to the Associated Press.
As per usual, Michelle Obama will use the event to teach young ones. The first lady will host an afternoon workshop connecting students from all across the country to the evening’s performers.
“An Evening of Poetry” is part of White House’s music series, which began in 2009 with a jazz studio. Since then, Michelle Obama has hosted a celebration of country music, classical music, Motown music, Latin music, a salute to Broadway, music of the civil rights movement and a dance tribute to Judith Jamison.
Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/yeas-nays/2011/05/obamas-hold-white-house-poetry-night-0#ixzz1LaVuGNnP
OMG! Hubby’s gonna LOVE this! Thanks, SG2.
Obama to push for immigration bill in speech next week
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/05/obama-we-need-to-fix-broken-immigration-system/1
President Obama will make a major immigration speech next week in El Paso, Texas, the White House announced today.
The announcement comes as Obama is making it clear he will used his newly earned political capital to push his version of immigration reform, including potential citizenship for illegal immigrants who are already in the United States.
“I strongly believe that we’ve got to fix this broken system so that it meets the needs of our 21st Century economy and our security needs,” Obama told Hispanic supporters last night during a Cinco de Mayo event at the White House.
Obama, whose approval rating is up after the death of Osama bin Laden, says he wants to both toughen the border and provide a path to citizenship for those who have already made it across.
That last item has drawn fierce objections from congressional Republicans — including those who run the U.S. House. They say it amounts to amnesty for lawbreakers.
n his Cinco de Mayo remarks, Obama said “his is not going to be easy” and “it’s going to require bipartisan support.”
If Obama cannot get an immigration bill through Congress, he has indicated he will make it an issue in the 2012 elections.
Hi All; you can sign up for WH Daily Snapshots here:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/daily-snapshot?utm_source=050611&utm_medium=signup&utm_campaign=daily
HOUSE REPUBLICAN ON MEDICARE PLAN: ‘THINGS ARE UNRAVELING’…. Three weeks ago today, House Republicans approved their radical budget plan, which included, among other things, a measure to eliminate Medicare and replace it with a privatized voucher scheme. After the vote, GOP officials were all smiles, confident they’d made the right move.
As of this morning, the party’s leadership is retreating. Over the course of 24 hours, Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp all backed away from the Medicare privatization scheme. Rank-and-filed Republicans, who apparently weren’t told this was coming, were left dazed and confused.
“It is a big problem,” one GOP aide said. “Things are unraveling.”
Indeed, in the first round of White House budget talks, overseen by Vice President Biden, Cantor outlined his party’s vision on the budget, but largely ignored the Medicare plan. “He didn’t need to talk about it in that room,” said one participant. “Everyone knows it’s dead.”
At this point, the folks to keep an eye on are the vulnerable House Republicans who voted for their party’s radical budget plan, knowing full well it wouldn’t pass the Senate.
Some members — especially freshmen from districts with steep re-election hills to scale — were upset to hear that the plan could be scotched after they had voted for the budget proposal and then invested so much hard work trying to sell it back home over the spring recess.
Right. These lawmakers stuck their necks out, and then returned home to angry constituents, trying to sell their party’s agenda. Four days after going back to work, they learn that their leaders — the ones who demanded they vote for the right-wing agenda — are giving up on the most contentious idea. It’s the sort of thing that’s likely to breed intra-party resentments.
As for the leadership, Atrios asked a good question yesterday: “What were they thinking?”
That’s not a rhetorical question. Boehner, Cantor, & Co. knew the risks and knew Dems were unlikely to give in on Medicare. So why force their own caucus to put their careers and majority on the line?
Jonathan Bernstein outlined three possibilities: (1) GOP lawmakers are afraid of primary challengers; (2) they’re so stuck in epistemic closure that they thought their plan would be popular; (3) they’re just incompetent and didn’t realize what they were doing.
Without access to the internal deliberations, it’s obviously hard to say with certainty, but I’m going with Door #2. Republicans boasted for months that they’re following the will of “the American people,” convinced they earned a mandate in November to shred the social contract. Since they only interact with people who agree with them, GOP officials actually started to believe their own spin.
As of yesterday, it seems the leadership woke up.
—Steve Benen 8:00 AM
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2011_05/029322.php
Bin Laden wife: I didn’t leave hideout for 5 years
UN human rights investigators calls on US to disclose whether there had been any plan to capture terror chief
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42926798/ns/world_news-death_of_bin_laden/t/bin-laden-wife-i-didnt-leave-hideout-years/
WASHINGTON — One of Osama bin Laden’s wives has claimed she lived in the al-Qaida chief’s final hideout for five years without leaving the upper floors of the house, a Pakistani intelligence official said Friday.
The Yemeni-born woman is one of three wives of bin Laden currently being interrogated in Pakistan.
Authorities are also holding eight or nine children found at the compound after the U.S. raid.
Their accounts will show how bin Laden spent his time and could offer glimpses into the inner workings of al-Qaida.
Speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, the official did not say on Friday whether the Yemeni wife has said that bin Laden was also living there since 2006.
Al-Qaida confirms bin Laden’s death
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42928874/ns/world_news-death_of_bin_laden/?GT1=43001
CAIRO — Al-Qaida on Friday confirmed the killing of Osama bin Laden and warned of retaliation, saying America’s “happiness will turn to sadness.”
The confirmation came in an Internet statement posted on militant websites, signed by “the general leadership” of al-Qaida.
The announcement opens the way for the group to name a successor to bin Laden. His deputy Ayman al-Zawahri is now the most prominent figure in the group and is a very likely contender to take his place.
The statement, dated May 3, was the first by the terror network since bin Laden was killed Monday by U.S. commandos in a raid on his hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
The statement’s authenticity could not be independently confirmed, but it was posted on websites where the group traditionally puts out its messages.
The statement vowed that al-Qaida would not deviate from the path of armed struggle and said bin Laden’s blood “is more precious to us and to every Muslim than to be wasted in vain.”
“It (bin Laden’s blood) will remain, with permission from Allah the Almighty, a curse that chases the Americans and their agents, and goes after them inside and outside their countries,” the militant network said in a statement released on Islamist Internet forums and translated by the SITE monitoring service.
“Soon, God willing, their happiness will turn to sadness,” it said, “their blood will be mingled with their tears.”
Pingback: Lawrence O’Donnell’s interview with Dr. Condi Rice…make your own judgements - Jack & Jill Politics
Trump’s disrespect for President Obama
By Etan Thomas, Special to CNN
May 5, 2011 2:28 p.m. EDT
Etan Thomas is a poet and author who plays basketball for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. He is a peace activist and actively supported Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. His website is http://etanthomas.com/
Donald Trump’s most recent challenge to President Barack Obama took me back to my collegiate years at Syracuse University. I had studied for two weeks straight for a calculus class, harder than I had ever studied in my life. After I completed my exam, I was confident that all my hard work had paid off.
But the next day, my professor greeted me with accusations of cheating, saying three-fourths of the class had flunked. How could I possibly have managed to get a B minus without cheating? Thankfully, not all of my professors were cut from this same cloth, but I had my share of run-ins. One professor asked me on the first day what I was doing in his classroom, and shouldn’t I be in remedial English or Rocks for Jocks?
Why did I have to prove myself worthy of being in their classrooms? The vast majority of professors at Syracuse University were not like this, but the sting of disrespect from those encounters has resonated with me till this day.
Donald Trump questioning the president’s educational background took me back to those unfortunate memories.
President Obama graduated from Columbia University in 1983 with a degree in political science. He went on to Harvard Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude and was the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. But apparently Trump is not impressed. He suggested — without offering any proof of this baseless claim — in an interview with The Associated Press that not only was he a poor student, he didn’t deserve to be admitted to the Ivy League universities he attended.
Michael Eric Dyson described this situation perfectly when he said on “Face the Nation”: “Skepticism about black intelligence and suspicion about black humanity have gone hand-in-hand throughout the history of this country in feeding the perception that black people don’t quite measure up.”
I don’t think any other president in the history of the United States ever had his citizenship cross-examined, his religious faith challenged or his educational achievements put to question.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/05/05/thomas.trump.obama/
you tell that rat-headed MOFO, Etan!
Cool pics of Cinco De Mayo at the WH
http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/lDV-HZv8la-/Obama+Hosts+Cinco+de+Mayo+Event+White+House/PKfn0zg-ExL/Michelle+Obama?pa=1&u=qnCWEWf6YrN&tb=C&e=alert&l=title
May 06, 2011
Those madcap Republicans
From The Hill, April 30: “House Republicans have stayed united behind a budget proposal imposing major changes to Medicare after a two-week recess highlighted by attacks on the plan.”
From the Post, yesterday: “Heading into key debt talks with the White House, congressional Republicans publicly split Thursday over the prospects for their ambitious proposal to transform Medicare.”
While Medicare’s original assassin, Paul Ryan, was conceding that his party is “under no illusion” that they just committed anything but the most asinine, suicidal political stunt in this nation’s history, and would now work overtime to act as though it never happened, the quivering upper lip of John Boehner was insisting that “nothing is off the table except for raising taxes.”
So here’s the deal. Until Election Day, Democrats’ position on the Republicans’ position will be that of the Republican speaker’s, while Republicans’ position will be that not of the Republican speaker but of a disgraced wonk and apostate committee chairman.
http://pmcarpenter.blogs.com/p_m_carpenters_commentary/
Wuh?! The GOP got nuttin,’ I tell you, NUTNIN!
May 6, 2011
PRIVATE-SECTOR JOB MARKET IMPROVES, REACHES FIVE-YEAR HIGH…. In the previous post, we talked about the new monthly jobs report, but in keeping with tradition, here’s a slightly different chart — one showing just the private sector job market.
In April, the overall economy added 244,000 jobs, but 24,000 Americans working in the public sector left the workforce, as state and local governments continued to cut spending. The private sector, however, added 268,000 jobs, marking the 14th consecutive month of private-sector growth.
More important that the streak, however, is the data. The 268,000 total not only beat expectations, it’s a genuinely good number. We’re accustomed to dealing with relative encouragement — results that are only heartening because of the larger, awful context. But a month in which 268,000 private-sector jobs were created is actually quite strong regardless of context.
Indeed, looking at the chart below, it’s worth emphasizing that April’s private-sector numbers were the single best Americans have seen since the Great Recession began in 2007. What’s more, the combined data from February and March shows easily the best three-month stretch in the last five years.
It is, in other words, encouraging. As we talked about earlier, the kind of robust job growth we’d need to bring the unemployment rate down in a hurry would require even stronger employment numbers, but given the hole we’ve been in, what we’re looking for are significant steps in the right direction. That’s exactly the news we received today.
With that in mind, here is a different homemade chart, showing monthly job losses/gains in the private sector since the start of the Great Recession. The image makes a distinction — red columns point to monthly job totals under the Bush administration, while blue columns point to job totals under the Obama administration.
Steve Benen 9:10 AM
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2011_05/029324.php
Andrew Romano sees Senator Jon Tester as a test case for Democrats:
When Tester arrived on Capitol Hill, coastal types were quick to call him a New Kind of Democrat, which had a nice ring to it. Unfortunately, they couldn’t agree on what kind of Democrat he was. Some pundits pegged him as a populist. Others saw him as a Western libertarian. One even floated the phrase “macho Dem.” But as his recent decisions have demonstrated, Tester is, at root, something rarer and riskier than all that: a rural politician in an overwhelmingly urban party. “My stances are shaped by where I come from,” he told me in March. “Folks out here face challenges that most people don’t realize.” And so the question that will define the next 18 months, for Tester and his party, is not only whether there’s room in rural America for Democrats; it’s whether there’s room in the Democratic Party for rural Americans.
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/
Mystery question of the week???
http://gawker.com/#!5798691/bristol-palins-face-looks-different-doesnt-it/gallery/1
By Karen Tumulty and Nia-Malika Henderson, Published: May 5
GREENVILLE, S.C. — In their first formal debate, a group of GOP presidential contenders on Thursday hailed the death of Sept. 11 mastermind Osama bin Laden but said that long-awaited success has not tempered their view that President Obama has been weak in his international leadership.
Obama deserves credit for “making a tough call and being decisive as it related to finding and killing Osama bin Laden,” said former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty. But he added: “That moment is not the sum total of America’s foreign policy.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-first-2012-debate-gop-contenders-hail-bin-ladens-death-but-still-criticize-obama/2011/05/05/AFGNf92F_story.html?wpisrc=nl_politics
PBO Wins Big on GM- Rachel Maddow -President speaks softly carry BIG STICK
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#42924888
Breaking News Alert: Economy added 244K jobs in April; unemployment rate rises to 9%
May 6, 2011 8:38:35 AM
—————————————-
The nation added 244,000 jobs during April, the third straight month of hiring gains, the Labor Department reported Friday. The U.S. unemployment rate ticked up to nine percent.
http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/E5QODK/S3HXJT/R1TWC6/2SXLPW/QMIVO/82/h
If Cond’s had raised her head any further she would have drowned if there was rain poruing down in that room.
May 6, 2011
HOUSE REPUBLICAN ON MEDICARE PLAN: ‘THINGS ARE UNRAVELING’….
Three weeks ago today, House Republicans approved their radical budget plan, which included, among other things, a measure to eliminate Medicare and replace it with a privatized voucher scheme. After the vote, GOP officials were all smiles, confident they’d made the right move.
As of this morning, the party’s leadership is retreating. Over the course of 24 hours, Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp all backed away from the Medicare privatization scheme. Rank-and-filed Republicans, who apparently weren’t told this was coming, were left dazed and confused.
“It is a big problem,” one GOP aide said. “Things are unraveling.”
Indeed, in the first round of White House budget talks, overseen by Vice President Biden, Cantor outlined his party’s vision on the budget, but largely ignored the Medicare plan. “He didn’t need to talk about it in that room,” said one participant. “Everyone knows it’s dead.”
At this point, the folks to keep an eye on are the vulnerable House Republicans who voted for their party’s radical budget plan, knowing full well it wouldn’t pass the Senate.
Some members — especially freshmen from districts with steep re-election hills to scale — were upset to hear that the plan could be scotched after they had voted for the budget proposal and then invested so much hard work trying to sell it back home over the spring recess.
Right. These lawmakers stuck their necks out, and then returned home to angry constituents, trying to sell their party’s agenda. Four days after going back to work, they learn that their leaders — the ones who demanded they vote for the right-wing agenda — are giving up on the most contentious idea. It’s the sort of thing that’s likely to breed intra-party resentments.
As for the leadership, Atrios asked a good question yesterday: “What were they thinking?”
That’s not a rhetorical question. Boehner, Cantor, & Co. knew the risks and knew Dems were unlikely to give in on Medicare. So why force their own caucus to put their careers and majority on the line?
Jonathan Bernstein outlined three possibilities: (1) GOP lawmakers are afraid of primary challengers; (2) they’re so stuck in epistemic closure that they thought their plan would be popular; (3) they’re just incompetent and didn’t realize what they were doing.
Without access to the internal deliberations, it’s obviously hard to say with certainty, but I’m going with Door #2. Republicans boasted for months that they’re following the will of “the American people,” convinced they earned a mandate in November to shred the social contract. Since they only interact with people who agree with them, GOP officials actually started to believe their own spin.
As of yesterday, it seems the leadership woke up.
Stever Benen
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2011_05/029322.php
Happy FRY-day, Everyone! :-)
Good Morning, Everyone :)
Happy Friday, Rikyrah. :-)
Inspiration for today….
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Amen!
Good Morning, SG2.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__j-Yh5rKmeY/Sh2rGgOB69I/AAAAAAAAAjQ/o5mFlyVP8pk/s400/cup-of-coffee.jpg