Inspire Political Discourse

Trailer for Glenn Beck's New Book

Ye "Gods of the copybook headings", is Beck having us all on, or is he just certifiable [as most of us have long thought]?  

Political Cartoon of the Week: Beck Followers Are Morons

Via LAProgressive

Idiot Quote of the Week: Sarah Palin on Hannity

The woman who was labeled by TIME magazine as one of the “top 25 WORLD leaders” has still never, ever given a press conference. There is NO reason you should wonder why.

"This is the problem with that lamestream media throughout our country, it's not just this issue but so many. One of the media outlets the other day just, ah, just was killin' me on this one, Sean, where they had a caption across their screen that said this Arizona law will make it -- it will make it illegal to be an illegal immigrant -- some bizarre type 'a headline like that where it was just this illustration that they just don't get it." Sarah Palin on the Hannity show on April 27.

She makes me cringe with embarrassment for my country.

The Morons er Tea Partiers Are Gonna Love This

Hahahahaha.........I am still laughing over the history lesson I came across on Cesca's blog. An excerpt:

Now here’s the part Sarah Palin loves about George Washington, her favorite Founding Father: Agreeing with Hamilton that some serious taxation was necessary to pay for the ass-kicking we’d just handed Britain and to “secure the power of the new federal government,” Washington did what any freedom-loving anti-tax Teabagging historical Super-Patriot would have done. He got the fuck on his horse and – in the first real test of Federal Authority – led a massive army against these tax-dodging pricks.

Let me repeat this for our Teabagging friends who don’t read so good, or can’t understand “irony”: In the first real crisis of the new Federal Government, Sarah Palin’s bestest Founding Father Figure (you know, the one she loves because he’s the one she remembers from all the crisp one dollar bills she feeds into the Fox News Mountain Dew machine) personally horsed up and led a federalized army into battle against protesters bitching about high federal taxation. And he kicked the shit out of them, which wasn’t difficult because most were – much like today’s Teabaggers – drunken or retarded.

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VIDEO: Jon Stewart Schools the Fox News Channel Nitwits on Nuclear Policy

Jon Stewart schools the nitwit liars, Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, and Sean Hannity on America's new nuclear policy.

Do these people have NO conscience?

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President Obama Dismisses Sarah Palin’s Foreign Policy Cred

Yesterday, the ever non-credible Sarah Palin compared the President’s new nuclear policy to a playground fight.

PALIN: No administration in America's history would I think ever have considered such a step that we just found out that President Obama is supporting today.

You know that's kinda like getting out there on the playground, a bunch of kids ready to fight and one of the kids saying 'Go ahead, punch me in the face and I'm not going to retaliate. Go ahead and do what you want to with me.

During a GMA interview this morning, George Stephanopoulos asked President Obama to respond to Palin's ridiculous comment:

STEPHANOPOULOS: I want to get to some of those broader issues [of nuclear proliferation]. Because you're also facing criticism on that. Sarah Palin, taking aim at your decision to restrict the use of nuclear weapons. Your pledge not to strike nations, non-nuclear nations, who abide by the nonproliferation treaty. Here's what she said. She said, "It's unbelievable, no other administration would do it." And then she likened it to kids on the playground. She said you're like a kid who says, "Punch me in the face, and I'm not going to retaliate." Your response?

OBAMA: I really have no response. Because last I checked, Sarah Palin's not much of an expert on nuclear issues.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But the string of criticism has been out there among other Republicans as well. They think you're restricting use of nuclear weapons too much.

OBAMA: And what I would say to them is that if the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff are comfortable with it, I'm probably going to take my advice from them and not from Sarah Palin.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But not concerned about her criticisms?

OBAMA: No.

A strong, pointed response from Obama. I do not, however, understand what the hades Stephanopoulos was thinking when he asked this question. As most of us recall Palin's utterly childish response to Charlie Gibson's question to Palin regarding her foreign policy credentials, or lack thereof, the question to President Obama seems particularly outrageous.

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DRUDGE BYTES, or CRAZY WINGNUTS RANT

Yeah, I recognize an oxymoron when I type it, but sometimes, only an oxymoron will do.

Today's Drudge bytes are just more of the same old attempt to delegitimize this President, and have no basis in reality.

GINGRICH: Obama 'most radical president ever'...

LIMBAUGH: Obama 'inflicting untold damage on this great country'...

PALIN: Obama's Nuke Stance Like Kid Who Says 'Punch Me in Face'...

LIZ CHENEY: Obama Putting America on 'Path to Decline'...

HANNITY: Obama 'Is a Socialist'...

SAVAGE: 'Obama The Destroyer'...

An excellent response to the seditious racists via Bob Cesca:

Okay, let's look at the numbers since radical, socialist, damaging President Obama was inaugurated.

---The Dow? Up from 7,000 to 11,000.

---Jobs? 700,000 losses a month to 160,000 jobs created.

---Recovery/Stimulus Act? Added 1.8 million jobs.

---GDP (economic growth)? -6 percent to +6 percent. (Technically, the recession is over.)

---Housing prices? Up 20%.

OH HOLY SHIT! What a nightmare! IEEEEEEEEEEEE! Impeach!

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Andrew Sullivan on President Obama vs. the Right

A brief excerpt with Andrew Sullivan on Fareed Zakaria's show this past weekend. Andrew says that the Pres is the adult in the dynamic with the right, and points specifically at the rhetoric coming from right wing media such as Fox News, et al.

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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.

Boycott Fox News Sponsors

The political news headlines these days are completely repulsive. And, for the most part, they lead back to one particular "news" organization; Fox News or as some like to call it, "Faux News". Ahem....."faux" is certainly a fitting term.

Please join us, along with many organizations, in boycotting the sponsors of Fox News. Call them, write them, using the reference links in this post.

And consider this.

Can we really continue to allow former Australian, racist bigot, Rupert Murdoch to sow the seeds for the destruction of our democracy? Speak out now by contacting the advertisers Fox News relies upon. This. is. important.

To gather contact info for Fox News sponsors, as well as info on which sponsors have agreed to stop sponsoring Fox News, and which sponsors need to be further pressured, visit the following links:

Democrats.com

Boycott fOX sponsors

FoxNewsBoycott.com 

both of the lists linked below include full contact info for all sponsors.

• List of Fox News sponsors A-L
• List of Fox News sponsors M-Z

Color of Change.org

Reference: Media Partisanship – Lies – and Incompetence as Chronicled by Media Matters, April 20 - April 26, 2009

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

• Politico doesn't challenge comparison of Obama health care plan to UK and Canada
• Fox's Angle did not disclose that "analyst" Holmstead is an energy lobbyist
• Scarborough slowly walked back criticism of Obama's interaction with Chavez
• Contradicting Bush Justice Dept., Angle equated waterboarding of terrorists, trainees
• NBC report on NY Times' five Pulitzers ignores military analysts report

IPD Political News Summary: Monday, April 13, 2009

Political News Summary: Friday, April 10 – Sunday, April 12, 2009

| The hostage crisis near the Somali coast was resolved on Sunday, when Navy Seals engaged in a brief firefight with the pirates, killing 3  of them, and wounding one. The hostage, Captain Richard Phillips, has been rescued, and is not injured. Thanks to President Obama who managed the crisis, and to the Navy Seals who accomplished it. It is so nice to have an adult once again in charge.  AP article:

[Unlike Bush] “Obama didn't go before the cameras Sunday to trumpet the success, instead releasing a written statement that saluted the bravery of the military and Phillips but claimed no credit for himself.”

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| The “teabagging” insanity continues, generating massive sales in related merchandise, and demagoguery: Tea Party Insanity: "Burn The Books!" (VIDEO)

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| Mayor Bloomberg will seek re-election to a third term this fall by running as a Republican.

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| First she was for it, then she was against it. Last Tuesday, Texas lawmaker, State Rep. Betty Brown (R), set herself up for an enormous amount of criticism when she said that Asian-Americans should change their names because they’re too hard to pronounce:

“Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?” source

She was called upon to apologize or to resign, and up until a couple of days ago, she resisted either course of action, . Her spokesman suggested that Democrats “want this to just be about race.”. Ahem.
Brown finally issued an apology, saying that “the remark came during a conversation on the difficulty of translating names and that she was referring to transliteration issues when she asked a representative of the Organization of Chinese Americans whether Asian-Americans could adopt names that "we could deal with more readily here."”

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| Certain news organizations have intentionally mischaracterized President Obama’s stance on supplemental spending bills having to do with the Iraq War, claiming that his war funding request is the same type of supplemental war spending that he [Obama] opposed during the Bush administration. In point of fact, in 2007, when Obama opposed those spending bills, he made the statement then that he opposed them because they contained NO timeline for U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. source
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| John McCain’s former economic adviser, and ex-CBO director, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, flipped re his stance on the Bush tax cuts. Throughout the presidential campaign, not only was Eakin very vocally in favor of McCain’s plan to retain the Bush tax cuts, he wanted to double these cuts for the very wealthy. He has now said that he believes the tax cuts should be allowed to expire in 2010 for fear of a fiscal meltdown, and rising deficits. Said Holtz-Eakin:

"If you ask: 'Who pays the taxes?', it's the first step toward not having the answer be: 'Our kids.”

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| MEDIA MATTERS log, April 13 - April 19, 2009

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Reference: Media Partisanship – Lies – and Incompetence as Chronicled by Media Matters, April 13 - April 19, 2009

Sunday, April 19, 2009

• Fox News Watch doesn't disclose Pinkerton's role in hyping tea parties
• Contradicting other reporting, Bennett claimed intel chief opposed torture memos release
• Wallace, defender of "fair and balanced" Fox, ignores Fox's promotion of tea parties

Saturday, April 18, 2009

• Fox News market analysis: Blame Obama for bears, credit tea parties for bulls

Friday, April 17, 2009

IPD Political News Summary: Monday, April 6, 2009

Friday, April 3 – Sunday, April 5, 2009

| For 18 years, in a practice begun by George H.W. Bush, the government has banned the media from providing coverage of returning war dead.
At President Obama’s request, the Pentagon has now lifted the ban, although permission from the service member’s family is required. “The arrival of the remains of Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Myers, a 30-year-old supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, at Dover Air Force Base at 11 p.m. today [ipd note: Sunday, Apr. 5] marked the first time that the transfer of any of the nearly 5,000 U.S. troops who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan was open to the media. The transfer of the flag-draped casket was carried out with great dignity, for the seven family members present.” source
AP/Reuters photo
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Reference: Media Incompetence/Negligence as Chronicled by Media Matters, April 6 - April 12, 2009

Sunday, April 12, 2009

• After smearing Obama, media figures call him polarizing

Friday, April 10, 2009

• Conservative media unleash violent, revolutionary rhetoric
• Conservative media smear Obama for purported overseas "apology tour"
• Pandemic: Limbaugh's Obama Derangement Syndrome spreads through conservative media
• Media Matters: Fox News is throwing a party!
• Foser: The military-media-industrial complex
• Black helicopter alert! Conservative media suggest Obama supporting one-world government
• Hannity rewrites economic history to bash Obama
• Fox News' Tantaros overstates support for "tea parties"
• Wash. Times misrepresented Obama's position on Iraq war funding bills
• Frisch: Warning: This tea may cause severe damage to journalistic integrity

Reference: Media Incompetence/Negligence as Chronicled by Media Matters, March 30 - April 5, 2009

Monday, March 30, 2009

• Media promote claims of global cooling despite overwhelming consensus to the contrary
• Fox News invokes Canadian health care bogeyman in talking about Richardson's death

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.

ABC News Vs. Sarah Palin-the-Not-a-Fiscal-Conservative

Sarah Palin continually amazes me. You would think, as a long time political operative, she would understand that responding to well-deserved bad press will only draw more attention to it. And yet......Palin still does so, this time, she took on ABC News, or more specifically, Jake Tapper at ABC News.

Tapper is a conservative who can be counted upon to point out conservative and liberal faults, and thus is that exceedingly rare reporter, the one who struggles to report in an unbiased manner.

Last Thursday, Tapper invoked a hissy fit from Palin when he posted the following article on his blog, Political Punch(bolding is mine):

Palin's Back to Lovin' Her Some Earmarks

March 12, 2009 9:55 PM

Not only are earmarks a bipartisan affliction, but the double-talk and hypocrisy surrounding them are as well.

After spending sigificant time and airspace bashing the earmark process as the running mate of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin requested an unspecified number of earmarks in the omnibus spending bill, Jonathan Stein and David Corn report at Mother Jones.

One hundred earmarks worth $144 million are headed for Alaska, Taxpayers for Common Sense says. That works out to $209.71 per state resident -- more money, per capita, than any other state.

"We have drastically, drastically reduced our earmark request since I came into office," Palin told ABC News' Charles Gibson last year after he pointed out that Alaska received $231 per person in earmarks in 2008.

"The abuse of earmarks, it's un-American, it's undemocratic, and it's not going to be accepted in a McCain-Palin administration," she said. "Earmark abuse will stop."

Palin went on to call it "an embarrassment that abuse of the . . . earmark process has been accepted in Congress. And that's what John McCain has fought. And that's what I joined him in fighting."

Palin then made the egregious error of contacting ABC News to complain, and in return, she got this from Tapper(bolding is mine):

Alarmed, I asked McAllister how Palin was "literally" injured. Was she okay? Was she infirm?
"I didn't say physically injured," he wrote back. "Certainly her reputation was injured by the erroneous reporting."
Ah.
In any case, the point is, Gov. Palin as a vice presidential candidate claimed that she "championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending of Congress."
And yet, she has asked for and is still asking for -- and receiving -- tens of millions of dollars in earmarks -- pork barrel spending that does not go through the normal appropriations process.
Including, you might be interested to know, moneys for alcohol bootlegging interdiction and North Pacific fisheries programs.
Her former running mate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., requests no earmarks.
That's a fiscally conservative position.
We've never hesitated to point out political mixed messages, on earmarks or other subjects, whether they come from Democrats such as President Obama (read HERE or watch HERE) or Republicans such as Gov. Palin.
We will continue to do so.
Have a great weekend, everybody.

Be sure to read the entirety of Tapper's response which details the letter received from lt. gov Bill McAllister---very amusing.

And just think, had she not responded, it would not have required a public response by Tapper, nor would it have landed on The Huffington Post, or many, many liberal blogs, including this one.

A comment posted on Huffpost:

What is so offensive about the process is the abject hypocrisy of those who piously claim no association with or opposition to earmarks but seek and/or take the money anyway.
You paying attention Sarah? You've got our attention, unfortunately, and in return we're keeping score. Sound like a good deal?

Brilliant move, Palin.

Finally, Palin on earmarks in September 2008:

PS....note to Jake --- DAMN IT! Now Palin is going to start ranting again about "bloggers sitting in their parent's basement in their pajamas". Just sayin'......

Image courtesy of The Huffington Post.
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COMPLETE VIDEO, Uncensored and Unedited: Jon Stewart Interview With Jim Cramer

Jon Stewart responds to the video posted here, re an interview with Jim Cramer, aired on Comedy Central last night.

Jon Stewart, forthwith to be known as the guy we turn to for the real news. It may be a comedy show, but as Jon Stewart spoke for everyone who has been affected by the takedown of Wall Street, it turned out to be a first class moment of real journalism. Well done, Mr. Stewart.

In segment no. 1, Cramer talks about Santelli, as well as his own mistakes. Uncensored, and unedited.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Interview Outtake Pt. 1

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

In segment no. 2, Stewart shows Cramer some video clips from his days as a hedge fund manager, a video which we posted here. Uncensored, and unedited.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Interview Outtake Pt. 2

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

In segment no. 3, Cramer defends his position as a commentator on an entertainment show. Huh. And here I, sadly deluded apparently, thought that "Mad Money" was intended to be taken seriously, used as a tool in the quest for financial solvency. Stewart says "These guys at these companies were on a Sherman's march through their companies, financed by our 401ks, and all the incentives of these companies were for short-term profit and they burned the fucking house down with our money, and walked away rich as hell. And you guys knew that was going on."

Jon Stewart, you rock. Unedited, and uncensored.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Interview Outtake Pt. 3

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

By the way, as Stewart himself said in video no. 3, Henry Paulson is the guy who wrote the rule that allowed people to over-leverage.

The video which started the brawl between Stewart and Cramer/CNBC, can be viewed here.

David Plouffe Takes Aim at the New Leader of the GOP

:: David Plouffe provides some perspective for the party of "NO!" on their choice of Rush Limbaugh-aka-the-sphereazoid-sleazy-manhood-cruncher-former?-druggie-I-hope-Obama-fails-right-wing-radio-show-lunatic, as their new leader.

Aren't you people (Republicans) embarrassed? For gawd's sake, the GOP has become a party ruled by 6-year-olds! From The Washington Post:

The 2008 election sent many messages. At the top: Americans wanted to turn the page on the politics of division and partisan pettiness, and they wanted a government -- and country -- that would put the middle class first.

Watching the Republicans operate this past month, it would appear that they missed that unmistakable signal.

Instead, Rush Limbaugh has become their leader.

Limbaugh, of course, told his radio listeners that he's rooting for President Obama to fail -- and hoping the president's ideas for bolstering our economy fail with him. For many Americans, hungry for leadership and cooperation, this sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard. When Limbaugh reiterated the sentiment this weekend, hundreds of Republican conservatives cheered him on. But instead of rebuking the radio personality or charting their own course, Republican leaders in Washington are paralyzed with fear of crossing their leader. Less than 24 hours after committing the unforgivable sin of criticizing Limbaugh, RNC Chairman Michael Steele felt compelled to publicly apologize. He was not the first and will certainly not be the last.

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