Inspire Political Discourse

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.

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.

Obama Says "Yes" to Labor and the Middle Class

:: The Prez signs executive orders which reverse anti-labor orders enacted by Bush H.W. and Bush 43. He is also re-introducing Biden's task force which focuses on the middle class, and Joe will be in charge. GO, OBAMA! :)
From HUFFPOST:

Among the George W. Bush-era executive orders that Obama was to reverse was one that allowed unionized companies to post signs informing workers that they are allowed to decertify their union. Critics claimed it was unfair because nonunion businesses are not required to post signs letting workers know they are legally allowed to vote for a union.
Two Democratic sources also said Obama would prevent federal contractors from being reimbursed for expenses that were intended to influence workers' decisions to form unions or engage in collective bargaining. A third Obama order would require federal vendors with more than $100,000 in contracts to post workers' rights under the National Labor Relations Act.
The final order would require service contractors at federal buildings to offer jobs to qualified current employees when contracts changed. For instance, rank-and-file workers could continue working on the same federal project even if the administrative contract expired.

AP photo/Ron Edmunds 
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Political News Summary: Tuesday, January 27, 2009

:: Rush Limbaugh copies GOP liars, makes false claim that ACORN is mentioned in the stimulus and will receive $4.19 billion. What a sad loser cherub-cheeked Rushie is...... From Media Matters:

Summary: Parroting GOP talking points, Rush Limbaugh falsely claimed $4.19 billion of President Barack Obama's economic recovery package "is going to ACORN." In fact, the bill does not mention ACORN or otherwise single it out for funding.

TAGS: Rush Limbaugh, Conservative Pundits, GOP/Republicans, President Obama, LIES,
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Political News Summary - Monday, January 19, 2009

:: The New York Post is reporting that Caroline Kennedy is Paterson's choice to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate.

“DESPITE claims that he's still undecided, Gov. Paterson is "certain" to pick Caroline Kennedy to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton in the US Senate, several unhappy contenders for the job have told friends and associates in recent days.
The contenders based their conclusion on the view that Paterson, after nearly two months of indecision, would "greatly embarrass" and "entirely humiliate" Kennedy, anger her prominent political family and even offend President-elect Barack Obama by picking someone other than President John F. Kennedy's daughter.
As for the governor's claim to be weighing a last-minute finalist, the contenders agree with a close Paterson friend who said, "It's clear David is just trying to play mind games with the press."”

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:: Shoes follow Bush.
There was a protest in Washington today. At the White House. And amazingly enough, no one was even arrested (well, one guy). The guards at the White House allowed protestors and tourists to lob shoes on to the White House lawn. Some of them even encouraged onlookers. Amazing. Only in America.

“President Bush was given an Iraqi-journalist-style sendoff on his last full day in office Monday, as tourists and demonstrators lobbed shoes, pumps, boots, sandals and Crocs from Pennsylvania Avenue onto the White House lawn.
Before launching the operation live, the shoe-chuckers took target practice in Dupont Circle on a 20-foot-tall blow up doll of the outgoing president, decked out in the flight suit he wore aboard the "Mission Accomplished" aircraft carrier.”Source: HUFFPOST

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The Next Step: President-elect Obama Announces the Formation of a New Organization, "Organizing for America". Full transcript and video.

President-elect Obama sent out a press release to his grassroots organizers.---yes, that includes many of us!

Not too bad for a community organizer, eh, right-wingers? Not to mention brilliant. The man and the idea.

The release is to announce a new organization, comprised initially of the volunteers who worked to get him elected, Organizing for America. The purpose of the organization is to re-direct those energies in to support of the Obama/Biden agenda through community organizing. Brilliant.
Following the video is the full press release, which includes the transcript of the video.

Political News Summary - Monday, December 15, 2008

:: Cheney denies perverting the constitution.

In an on-air interview with Rush Limbaugh [gag], via Politico, Cheney says that he believes that "the next president" will thank him for expanding presidential authority, and denies exceeding their constitutional authority.

"We did not exceed our constitutional authority, as some have suggested," Cheney added. "The President believes, I believe very deeply, in a strong executive, and I think that's essential in this day and age. And I think the Obama administration is not likely to cede that authority back to the Congress. I think they'll find that given a challenge they face, they'll need all the authority they can muster."  POLITICO

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:: IPD Daily Cartoon Find

 

Bob Lang/Christmas Giving

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Daily Political News Summary - Monday, December 8, 2008

►Condi RIce and Hillary Clinton to have dinner tonight at Rice's Watergate apartment.  

“NBC News reports that the current Secretary of State is having her successor over for dinner: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will host Hillary Clinton tonight for dinner at Rice's Watergate apartment, State Department transition sources tell NBC News.”

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►President-elect Obama's choice of an education secretary will very likely displease one faction or the other.

Two competing factions, the "reformers", and the teacher's unions, have different ideas as to who it should be, and there doesn't seem to be an actual candidate who can bridge that divide.One person does come close, Chicago schools superintendent, Arne Duncan.

“Can Obama make both sides happy? Not likely, said Republican Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina.”

One candidate might fit the bill _ Chicago schools chief Arne Duncan, who has spent seven years running the country's third-largest school district.

Why I am voting for Barack Obama

The issues are important. And in almost all cases, I agree with Obama's policy statements on how specific issues should be addressed. Not that I would expect to agree with all of any one individual's ideas..

But, there are other reasons that I will vote for Obama that are not about specific issues, but are just as compelling, and perhaps more so. For in the end, it is the character and intellect of the man who holds the office that matters most.

Vice Presidential Debate Video - October 2, 2008 - Sarah Palin and Joe Biden

Transcript :

• Vice Presidential Debate Transcript October 2, 2008 - Sarah Palin and Joe Biden

RELATED POSTS:

DEBATE TRANSCRIPTS:

¶ McCain and Obama: Transcript of the First Presidential Debate 2008
¶ Obama/McCain -  Transcript of the Second Presidential Debate - October 7 2008  
| Obama/McCain - Transcript of the Third Presidential Debate - October 15 2008
| Vice Presidential Debate Transcript October 2, 2008 - Sarah Palin and Joe Biden

DEBATE VIDEOS:

¶ Obama/McCain - First Presidential Debate, Sept 26, 2008 - Full Video
¶ Obama/McCain Second Presidential Debate - October 7 2008 - Full Video
| Obama/McCain Third Presidential Debate - October 15 2008 - Full Video
| Vice Presidential Debate Video - October 2, 2008 - Sarah Palin and Joe Biden 

POST DEBATE COMMENTARY:

¶ Sarah Palin Wasn't an Abject Failure, But She is Still Inadequate  [Veep debate]
| Second Presidential Debate - October 7 2008 - Random Thoughts Live Blogged 
| Post Debate: Obama Brought it Home Baby! [3rd - Final debate]

PRE-DEBATE NEWS - COMMENTARY:
¶ Presidential and Vice-Presidential Debate Schedules 
| McCain Campaign Attempts to Delay Vice-Presidential Debate
| McCain Campaign Protects Their Token Woman - the Vice-Presidential Debate Will Be Formal, Not Leaving Much Time for Unpredictable Questions and Freewheeling Discussion Between the Candidates 

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How to Assess the V.P. Debate

►The V.P. Debate: What to Watch for - The New York Times

The debate between Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware and Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska should be fascinating on every level — from substance to style, soup to nuts.

The much-anticipated show starts at 9 p.m. Eastern and runs for 90 minutes. We’ll be carrying the video live on nytimes.com and of course live blogging.

Here are some things we’ll be watching for:

Who looks presidential?

The whole point of the debate is to see if each of these candidates is prepared to be one heartbeat from the presidency. Look at everything through that lens, from policy prescriptions to body language.

How do Ms. Palin and Mr. Biden greet each other on stage?

We were mistaken and reported earlier in this space that the debate would be a .............Continue reading here.

Key States Shifting to Obama

►Battleground Polls Show Stunning Shift To Obama - The Huffington Post

Barack Obama has opened up significant leads in virtually every key battleground state, according to multiple polls released Wednesday. The size of the shift towards the Democratic nominee may indeed be historic.

"It is difficult to find a modern competitive presidential race that has swung so dramatically, so quickly and so sharply this late in the campaign," says Peter Brown of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "In the last 20 days, Sen. Barack Obama has gone from seven points down to eight points up in Florida, while widening his leads to eight points in Ohio and 15 points in Pennsylvania."

The latest Quinnipiac polls show Obama crossing the 50 percent threshold in all three of those states: Continue reading here.