Inspire Political Discourse

TRANSCRIPT: President Obama on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill – May 27, 2010

An excellent conference with the President taking full responsibility for the response to, and clean up of, the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.

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THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, D.C.

12:50 P.M. EDT, THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2010

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Good afternoon, everybody.

Before I take your questions, I want to update the American people on the status of the BP oil spill, a catastrophe that is causing tremendous hardship in the Gulf Coast, damaging a precious ecosystem, and one that led to the death of 11 workers who lost their lives in the initial explosion.

Yesterday the federal government gave BP approval to move forward with a procedure known as a top kill, to try to stop the leak. This involves plugging the well with densely packed mud to prevent any more oil from escaping. And given the complexity of this procedure and the depth of the leak, this procedure offers no guarantee of success; but we're exploring any reasonable strategies to try and save the Gulf from a spill that may otherwise last until the relief wells are finished, and that's a process that could take months.

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Video of Blumenthal in March: "I did not serve in Viet Nam"

President Obama on Wall Street

On Thursday, President Obama went in to the veritable 'lion's den' and made a strong case for financial reform:

“As I said on this stage two years ago, I believe in the power of the free market.  I believe in a strong financial sector that helps people to raise capital and get loans and invest their savings.  That’s part of what has made America what it is.  But a free market was never meant to be a free license to take whatever you can get, however you can get it.  That’s what happened too often in the years leading up to this crisis.  Some -- and let me be clear, not all -- but some on Wall Street forgot that behind every dollar traded or leveraged there’s family looking to buy a house, or pay for an education, open a business, save for retirement.  What happens on Wall Street has real consequences across the country, across our economy. [emphasis mine]

Rodney Glassman Democratic Challenger to John McCain (or Hayworth)

A real possibility for a Democratic challenger to McCain or Hayworth, whichever one wins the primary. This guy has the creds. Via Sam Stein:

Glassman's personal story, meanwhile, is an almost absurdly weaved-together set of impressive jobs and achievements that make him all the more compelling. In an interview several months ago with the Huffington Post, he promoted himself as having grown up as a "nice Jewish boy in a Scout troop chartered by the Mormon church."

He hails from California but came to Arizona in 1997. At the age of 23, Glassman started his own non-profit group called the Glassman Foundation, which did charitable work throughout southern Arizona. He volunteered for Grijalva's congressional campaign in 2002, after which he went to D.C. to be part of the congressman's legislative staff.

His time in D.C. was limited, as he went back to Arizona to get his PhD in Arid Land resources at the University of Arizona's college of agriculture. But he kept one foot in politics, holding on to his formal duties on the congressman's staff. As if that wasn't enough for his plate, Glassman than pursued a law degree at UofA, during which a spot on the Tucson City Council opened up. Persuaded to run for the post, he left Girjalva's office and announced his candidacy. That was 2006, his second year of law school.

The actual election took place in 2007 and his admission to the Arizona Bar took place in May 2008. Still, apparently, not internally satisfied, he decided to join the Air Force to become a JAG -- a challenge in its own right, but made even harder by the fact that officials told him he had to lose 60 pounds to qualify. He did it. In six months.

It was during JAG training, Glassman says, that he first was approached about the idea of running for the Senate in 2010. A listening tour followed, during which Glassman took only $20 donations for an exploratory committee. In between, he got married. And on Tuesday, he decided he would officially run for the seat held by an Arizona icon.

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Will 2010 rival 1994 as a debacle for the Dems?

According to Time magazine, perhaps not. A summary of the reasoning behind the article:

“At a time when Republicans should be celebrating their momentum, Steele is stealing headlines — and not in a good way.

In my opinion, this will not have much of an effect. While it's fun to kick Steele and the RNC around, I don't think that their shenanigans will do much to affect the vote. Republicans aren't going to vote Democratic because of it. Although, it could affect the motivation of Republicans when they consider whether or not to vote at all in midterm elections.

NO to "Drill, Baby, Drill"!

A major disagreement is brewing in the Democratic Party, with both Democrats and Progressives at odds  with President Obama over his proposal to allow drilling along the East Coast of the US, and parts of Alaska.  

Is this another attempt at more fruitless bipartisanship? We disagree, Mr. President. Strongly.

The proposal — a compromise that will please oil companies and domestic drilling advocates but anger some residents of affected states and many environmental organizations — would end a longstanding moratorium on oil exploration along the East Coast from the northern tip of Delaware to the central coast of Florida, covering 167 million acres of ocean.

Under the plan, the coastline from New Jersey northward would remain closed to all oil and gas activity. So would the Pacific Coast, from Mexico to the Canadian border.

The environmentally sensitive Bristol Bay in southwestern Alaska would be protected and no drilling would be allowed under the plan, officials said. But large tracts in the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea in the Arctic Ocean north of Alaska — nearly 130 million acres — would be eligible for exploration and drilling after extensive studies.

Via The New York Times

Trash Talking: the health care reform bill not as unpopular as you think

At least according to Ana Marie Cox at The Wire, and she makes a very good case for her position:

I was on the phone with a Republican staffer the other day, talking about the GOP's response to the passage of health care reform legislation. He said that his side was actually pleased, not because they like the bill, obviously, but because "the public will fight back in November. It's an enormously unpopular bill and the Democrats will suffer for having supported it."

But, I replied, what about the most recent polling? The USA Today poll, that showed 48 percent of respondents think of the bill as "a good first step"? Or the ABC/Washington Post poll that showed a more voters -- (40 percent) -- say that their representative's vote on the legislation will make "no difference" in who they support in the fall than say it will be a positive or a negative? Or the CBS poll that showed a five point bump in favor of the bill after passage? Or the second ABC/WP poll that showed that Congressional Democrats and Nancy Pelosi got steady in their approval ratings among after it passed?

Be sure to read the entire article.......there is much more to it than what I quoted, and it will help you to bolster your arguments with the naysayers/proponents of "I hate the bill so I'll claim that everyone else does too, and because of all this hate, Democrats are gonna lose big in the midterms".  Heh.

Sweet.

A hug between the two former rivals after President Obama signs the health care reform bill. I love it.

Turning back the Reagan legacy

As Obama tackles health care reform, he simultaneously strikes at wealth inequality.

In the U.S., we have been dogged by wealth inequality via redistribution, since the Reagan years. Hence the near demise of the middle class. Along comes Obama.

The bill that President Obama signed on Tuesday is the federal government’s biggest attack on economic inequality since inequality began rising more than three decades ago.

Over most of that period, government policy and market forces have been moving in the same direction, both increasing inequality. The pretax incomes of the wealthy have soared since the late 1970s, while their tax rates have fallen more than rates for the middle class and poor.[.....]

Health Care Reform Signed in to Law

Today, President Obama signed the historic health care reform bill in to law.

“Today, after almost a century of trying, today, after over a year of debate, today, after all the votes have been tallied, health insurance reform becomes law in the United States of America. In a few moments when I sign this bill, all of the overheated rhetoric of reform will finally confront the reality of reform.

Patrick Kennedy Calls Out the National Press

During a debate today on ending the war in Afghanistan, Rep. Patrick Kennedy aimed a fierce diatribe at the press, which he feels has been irresponsible in reporting on the topics that really matter.

“There's one, two press people in this gallery. We're talking about Eric Massa 24/7 on the TV. We're talking about war and peace; $3 billion; 1,000 lives and no press! No press!

You want to know why the American public is fit? They're fit because they're not seeing their Congress do the work that they're sent to do! It's because the press, the press of the United States, is not covering the most significant issue of national importance and that's the laying of lives down in the nation for the service of our country. It's despicable, the national press corps right now.” [....]

It's about damn time that someone said it. You GO, Patrick.

Note to Congress: Reconcile That Baby!

Health Care Reform is too long past overdue.

The Democrats have worked in good faith with Republicans who care more for their corporate masters than they do for the American people.

The time has come to move past the obstructionists, and do what is needed.

In 14 out of the 22 times that reconciliation has been used since 1981, it was used by the GOP.

And not just on minor issues, but on very major and controversial issues such as the Contract for America, Medicare reform, tax cuts for the wealthy, welfare reform, etc..

The hypocrites be damned.

Rep. Anthony Weiner [D-NY] calls out the Republicans in Congress on their corporate ownership.

2008 Democratic Convention Tribute to Senator Ted Kennedy

Video and Text of Ted Kennedy's Speech at the 2008 Democratic Convention

TRANSCRIPT of Kennedy speech at the 2008 National Democratic Convention in Denver, Colorado.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy:

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Caroline.

My fellow Democrats, my fellow Americans, it is so wonderful to be here.

And nothing - nothing is going to keep me away from this special gathering tonight.
I have come here tonight to stand with you to change America, to restore its future, to rise to our best ideals, and to elect Barack Obama president of the United States.

As I look ahead, I am strengthened by family and friendship. So many of you have been with me in the happiest days and the hardest days. Together we have known success and seen setbacks, victory and defeat.

But we have never lost our belief that we are all called to a better country and a newer world. And I pledge to you - I pledge to you that I will be there next January on the floor of the United States Senate when we begin the great test.

Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.

For me this is a season of hope - new hope for a justice and fair prosperity for the many, and not just for the few - new hope.

And this is the cause of my life - new hope that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American - north, south, east, west, young, old - will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege.

We can meet these challenges with Barack Obama. Yes, we can, and finally, yes, we will.
Barack Obama will close the book on the old politics of race and gender and group against group and straight against gay.
And Barack Obama will be a commander in chief who understands that young Americans in uniform must never be committed to a mistake, but always for a mission worthy of their bravery.

We are told that Barack Obama believes too much in an America of high principle and bold endeavor, but when John Kennedy called of going to the moon, he didn’t say it’s too far to get there. We shouldn’t even try.

Our people answered his call and rose to the challenge, and today an American flag still marks the surface of the moon.

Yes, we are all Americans. This is what we do. We reach the moon. We scale the heights. I know it. I’ve seen it. I’ve lived it. And we can do it again.

There is a new wave of change all around us, and if we set our compass true, we will reach our destination — not merely victory for our party, but renewal for our nation.

And this November the torch will be passed again to a new generation of Americans, so with Barack Obama and for you and for me, our country will be committed to his cause. The work begins anew. The hope rises again. And the dream lives on.

Krugman on Faux-Populist Tea Parties, Republicans, and Democrats…..

| In his NYT column, Nobel prize- winning economist, Paul Krugman weighs in on tea parties, Republicans, and   Democrats…..And once again, I find myself agreeing with Krugman, the economist whom Republicans have just recently loved to quote, as Krugman has been at odds with the Dem mainstream over the handling of the economy. This time, however, I suspect that the right wingers won't be too happy about what Krugman has to say…..

Today’s G.O.P. is, after all, very much a minority party. It retains some limited ability to obstruct the Democrats, but has no ability to make or even significantly shape policy.

Beyond that, Republicans have become embarrassing to watch. And it doesn’t feel right to make fun of crazy people. Better, perhaps, to focus on the real policy debates, which are all among Democrats.

Krugman goes on to say essentially the same thing that I pointed out in my article last week --- namely that the tea parties are not a matter of public sentiment, are not spontaneous, but rather, organized and paid for by the corporatists, and promoted by Fox News.

Last but not least: it turns out that the tea parties don’t represent a spontaneous outpouring of public sentiment. They’re AstroTurf (fake grass roots) events, manufactured by the usual suspects. In particular, a key role is being played by FreedomWorks, an organization run by Richard Armey, the former House majority leader, and supported by the usual group of right-wing billionaires. And the parties are, of course, being promoted heavily by Fox News.

Liberals invented revolution in this country. Leave it to the Republicans to muck it all up and give it an undeservedly bad rep. Happy teabagging, tools.

UPDATE:

MSNBC’s David Schuster gives us some background on the teabagging movement. Hilarious and factual.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

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Anonymity, Political Commentary, and Why Alaska Democrat Mike Doogan is an Asshat

This country has a long, and revered history of anonymous political commentary, beginning with Thomas Paine, the author of the widely read pamphlet, Common Sense (1776), which advocated for America’s independence from Great Britain, and The American Crisis (1776–1783), a pro-revolutionary pamphlet series.

Our founding fathers also utilized the ability to anonymously make political commentary in the creation of our country. The greatest example of this is The Federalist Papers.

The Federalist Papers are comprised of 85 articles advocating the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, and were originally published between October 1787 and August 1788. They were written by  Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, using the pseudonym "Publius," in order to preserve anonymity and to ensure that the ideas were considered on their own merit, separate from the authors of the ideas. These papers are still today a primary source for interpretation of the Constitution, being that they outline both the philosophy and the motivation for the system of government being proposed.

ZERO Cred, and ZERO Numbers in the GOP “Budget” Plan

In response to President Obama’s call to produce their own budget, the GOP did just that, invoking the criticism of media conservatives, as well as hilarity from the Democrats, when it was noted that the GOP budget had not one number in it! That’s right, ZERO NUMBERS in a budget!

You may see this ad put out by the DNC as a little silly……on the other hand, the GOP’s idea of a budget is one hell of a lot sillier. Still laughing here.

Sebelius Faces Strong Oppostion From Anti-Abortion Groups

:: President Obama's choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D), faces tough opposition from anti-abortion forces. 

From The Hill:

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins called Sebelius an "extremely pro-abortion" pick to head HHS.

Patrick Mahoney, executive director of the Christian Defense Coalition, said within an hour of the news of Sebelius' nomination on Saturday night, he had been in touch with many social conservatives about formulating a strategy to oppose the nomination. One facet of that strategy will be to hold a news conference this week, he said.

Like several other Catholic Democratic politicians, Sebelius has come under fire from Church officials who say she should repudiate her pro-abortion rights positions. In 2006, Joseph Neumann, the archbishop of Kansas City, said Sebelius should refrain from receiving communion until she changed her views.

AP photo.
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Howard Dean's Post DNC Life

:: In an exclusive interview with the Huffington Post's Sam Stein, Dean talks about life after the DNC. From HUFFPOST:

Despite spending four years deep in the trenches of political warfare, Dean won't be winding down. In a phone interview with the Huffington Post he listed seven full-to-part-time gigs that he has lined up for the months and years ahead. Chief among them would be to renew his work with Democracy for America, the organization that he founded to build on the grassroots success of his presidential campaign.

"I'll be most interested in their health care stuff," he said. "Not only pushing for a health care bill but for one with meaningful reform."

Image courtesy of sindlinger.
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Official Portrait of Michelle Obama

Taken in the Blue Room by White House photographer, Pete Souza. You can view President Obama's official portrait here.
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