text:
Chat away – back in a while, have to finish off this George Clooney photo-shoot. I just wish he'd put on some clothes 🙄
312 Responses to "Chat away"
November 12, 2012 at 11:37 am
Congrats on first . .. yes indeed "Hilarious Caption" … she is on a roll!
November 12, 2012 at 11:36 am
Man, that's EXACTLY what I look like in a wet shirt! (Except for the pasty white skin and hairiness……love handles. TMI?)
November 12, 2012 at 12:50 pm
In that case, I bear an eerie resemblance to the First Lady. (Except for being white and old and fat,)
November 12, 2012 at 11:38 am
Drat! I had to sign in or I would have been quicker!! 🙂 Good day to all.
November 12, 2012 at 11:38 am
It's one thing for a Democratic presidential candidate to dominate a Democratic city like Philadelphia, but check out this head-spinning figure: In 59 voting divisions in the city, Mitt Romney received not one vote. Zero. Zilch.
November 12, 2012 at 12:14 pm
In reading this article, what is surprising, but not so surprising is the fact that a lot of people claimed or registered as republican but voted for OBAMA! Crying fraud by the republicans is nonsense! If they had done their homework, they would realize that many more "registered" republicans and independents were voting for the dems.
November 12, 2012 at 1:44 pm
My friend who is a registered Republican confessed to me today that she voted for President Obama because of what I discussed with her and her sister told her.
November 12, 2012 at 2:00 pm
Marlz. that doesn't surprise me at all.
There was plenty of "SHIGGEDITY" at the County Board of Elections in Philadelphia. There are documented incidents of people leaving the party choice blank and their registration card being sent back to them classifying them as a Republican.
November 12, 2012 at 3:30 pm
The Philadelphia tourism bureau should add that to their marketing. I'd visit! Ha!
November 12, 2012 at 11:39 am
Chips…I expect that you'll be posting those Clooney photos ASAP. I have no preference as to clothed or unclothed….all fine with me:) My husband of 31 years understands that Mr. Clooney is his only threat:)
November 12, 2012 at 1:10 pm
Same here in my household too 🙂 And a rainy wet President is a glorious thing to behold. I'm gonna have to frame it.
November 12, 2012 at 3:33 pm
Dear Chips,
If you need me to look at the photos in advance of posting, you know ~ to get an older woman's POV, you have my email address.
Anonymous in the Midwest Somewhere-
November 12, 2012 at 3:50 pm
As if any of us have moved from the 'mats' since that pic of PBO flanked by SS hotties, in sunnies, no less….. Ai yai yai! Admit it ladies, we are all that and more! 😆
November 12, 2012 at 11:39 am
Greg Sargent @ThePlumLineGS
GOP already successfully spinning media with idea that giving ground on loopholes, not rates, is big concession. It isn't.
November 12, 2012 at 11:42 am
Just forget it….I am glad to be alive and well k owing we have the best man in the White House. Still celebrating looking for gowns, going to the Inauguration. Thanks Theo67 for the heads up booking hotel reservations loooong time ago. Taking my two sisters and 2 nieces.
So excited!-
November 12, 2012 at 2:38 pm
what fun!! those girls will be telling the story their whole long happy lives!
November 12, 2012 at 11:42 am
Hi everyone!
Took off from work today.
Have you all seen the story about the guy that plays Elmo on Sesame Street?
He's accused of having underage sex with a boy about 7 years ago. He doesn't deny relationship with boy (now 23) – which is very sad because he's married with kids – but he does deny the underage sex part.
I feel for his wife and kids.
Its a TMZ link but the story is true.
November 12, 2012 at 12:08 pm
Well that brings new meaning to Tickle Me Elmo. I hope the underage thing is as he says and not true. I am not making light of a situation if he indeed is guilty of such a horrible crime.
November 12, 2012 at 11:42 am
bobfr, thought of you when reading this…
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/11/1160599/-The-untold-truth-behind-the-GOP-election-meltdown"I don't mean to sound overly dramatic but this election was an extension of the Civil War. A battle that will live on in our history like Gettysburg. Now, Gettysburg did not end the Civil War and neither will this election. This war goes on but the silver lining that we can take from Gettysburg is that one, this is a turning point in the war and two, it's the point in the war that for the first time in my lifetime I can say, "We are winning!"
Take nothing for granted and leave nothing to chance. Be ready for 2014 because just like 2010 I assure you, they will be ready. Thank you for reading and God bless."
November 12, 2012 at 12:05 pm
Thank you 4More! And, yes, it is a 'turning point' and "We are winning!"
November 12, 2012 at 4:45 pm
Take nothing for granted and leave nothing to chance. Be ready for 2014 because just like 2010 I assure you, they will be ready. Thank you for reading and God bless."
I would say for us not to be misled by the trojan horses that will be brought out to mislead and confuse people…we have to stay focused…stay organized….and move our Country Forward>>>>>>>>>>……
esp in the State Houses that are Repub controlled…there will be more odious laws passed to restrict our rights…not to mention…the issues before the Supreme Court…Affirmative Action…and The Voting Rights Act…
yes we will have to stay focused…stay organized…
November 12, 2012 at 11:48 am
Where is the petition for Macy to fire that racists dope "A" Donald Trump so I can sign it?
November 12, 2012 at 1:20 pm
Would be great if 'the donald', got trumped by "We the People". OT, I saw an interesting program on Current TV last night about the Koch brothers, followed by one on Nigeria and their oil. Another reason President Obama should be supported in his goal for green energy, renewable engery, and less dependence on places like Nigeria.
November 12, 2012 at 11:54 am
Check here: http://www.change.org/petitions/macy-s-department-stores-fire-donald-trump-from-thier-advertisments
November 12, 2012 at 3:38 pm
If I recall correctly, this type petition was sent to Macy's (and other corporations aka people) a while ago, and they all said they just sell the products and don't endorse the political views aka racism of the designers. That's where our "we just refuse to buy those products at your establishment" comes in.
November 12, 2012 at 11:49 am
Okay, this is bothering me. People can we please stop with the freakout mode about the media? It's like nothing has changed since before the election. The one person who has been absolutely flawless (by order of Al Giordano magnitude) this past year+ has been Smartypants. She has nailed every single bit of the process. She has an excellent post up right now as part of her ongoing series of exposing the GOP: http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-republican-agenda-laid-bare.html
I highly recommend everyone here read it and see that it clearly DOES NOT MATTER one tiny bit what the media says about the negotiation about the debt and deficit. Whenever the GOP has to expose its agenda, the President wins. Every single time. They've got nothing but their naked ploys to line the pockets of the 1% and the American people have demonstrated that we're not buying it.-
November 12, 2012 at 11:53 am
You beat me to it:) and I agree wholeheartedly about Smartypants. She nails it each and every time.
November 12, 2012 at 12:13 pm
I agree, of course.
I don't think people are gonna stop freaking out about the media until they realize that they're just people talking for a living. I think some folks still believe that there is some kind of expertise or experience or knowledge that these talking heads possess. But they don't. 99% of them don't have any true, useful information to present, and NOTHING HAS CHANGED since people began complaining about them. 😆
Further, it would be interesting to note that if you go to right-wing or conservative websites, their comments about the media almost exactly mirror complaints here or on other moderate to progressive websites. Sometimes, they same the exact same thing about the exact same people. It's hilarious.
I like Nate Silver's take on the pundits: they're clueless. I agree with PBO's take on cable "news": it's toxic (most of it anyway).
I do think that endless viewing of the punditry is basically an addiction. People need their daily hit of excitement and/or outrage — so tune in they will. *shrug*
November 12, 2012 at 12:25 pm
Yup. It's like asking people to not rubberneck at an accident site.
For me I cannot tolerate their breathless excitement discussing other carnival barkers – it's just one big Mutual Admiration Society.
Other than watching CNN & MSNBC on election night I have watched no more than a total of about 20 hours of Rachel Maddow and some of the other MSNBC shows. Otherwise I haven't watched any cable or network "news" or political shows since 2008. The only small segments I do see are those that are later posted on the internet that may be of interest (although they usually aren't lol).
Whether it's Brian Williams or Wolf Blitzer or Rachel Maddow or any other — none of them know any more than we do and astoundingly most of them know less.
November 12, 2012 at 1:36 pm
yes. it's called narrative marketing and smart people are immune to it.
November 12, 2012 at 11:53 am
I need to get something off my chest!
I hate to make this about race but it is a reality.
Since election night, I have read article after article talking about the need for the Republican Party to learn to adjust their tone and do a better job of outreach with respect to Latinos. I love my Latino brothers and sisters. I fought hard in this election for them as well as all other folks who want to be a part of our great society but can we African Americans get a little acknowledgement from all these pundits, writers and the Republican Party as a whole who sat by and watched us being demonized and discounted throughout this entire election. Yep I'm talking to you Chuck Todd with your AA's are not going to be enthusiastic about the 2012 election et al… What makes them think that the Republican Party doesn't need to adjust their tone and outreach in regards to people who look like me!
Donald Trump being paraded around from station to station questioning everything he can think up about this President when no President prior to PBO was ever treated with such disrespect and it was all sanctioned by the media. Can you imagine if PBO had Rev. Wright as a spokesperson for his campaign what the fallout would have been. Two sets of rules and we all know why!
Romney running those out right lying Welfare ads even when the fact checkers said they were false because he knew it played on the false notion that AA's are lazy good for nothing "takers" who just want free stuff!
Sununu, another Romney spokesperson, calling our President lazy as well as other ridiculous proclamations.
All those Republican state officials that sent their racist emails to only apologize once they got caught (in case they offended anybody). WTH!!
Then you have the long list of outrageous, egregious remarks over the last four years about our President not being American enough from the likes of Allen West, Michele Bachman, Joe Walsh and we will never forget the "You Lie" man, Joe Wilson.
They act as if I am invisible. Yes, it would take a helluva lot of effort to win over AA's to the Republican Party but less they forget that GWB got 12% of the AA vote in 2004. They better realize that ALL minorities are a voting force that they need to reconcile with or next time that zero vote we're seeing precincts report that Romney got will spread like wildfire in future elections.
Okay I feel better now.
End of Rant!
Everyone have a great productive O'Day!
November 12, 2012 at 12:02 pm
You're not alone. I feel the same way. It's as if we, African Americans, don't matter. We don't exist. Ralph Ellison was right — if you ever read his book "Invisible Man." It still applies today.
November 12, 2012 at 12:03 pm
Donna, I am an old white southern guy and agree with every word of your wonderful rant.
November 12, 2012 at 3:41 pm
I'm an old white currently midwestern woman and I agree, as well. Sickens me.
November 12, 2012 at 12:08 pm
Totally agree with you. Its as if we deserve to be spoken to that way.
November 12, 2012 at 12:08 pm
I completely agree with your assessment. I do think however that they don't think they can ever win the African American vote. Couple that with the fact that the Latinos are the fastest growing ethnicity and so they want to try to capitalize on that if at all possible. They also discount the Asian ethnicity voting bloc specifically because it is not as big and not growing as fast as the Latino segment. We all know they don't give a rat's ass about women or minorities – they just want to see if they can take advantage of something that might make a difference in their numbers.-
November 12, 2012 at 12:21 pm
Asian Americans are the fastest-growing wave of immigrants in the United States, surpassing Hispanics, according to a survey released today by the Pew Research Center.
"It has happened somewhat under the radar screen," Paul Taylor, executive vice president of the think tank, said from his office in Washington, D.C.
In 2010, 36 percent of new immigrants to the U.S. were Asian and 31 percent were Hispanic, according to Pew.
That's a reversal from the beginning of the decade in 2000, when 59 percent of new immigrants to the U.S. were Hispanic and 19 percent were Asian.http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/06/survey_asian-americans_pass_hi.html
President Obama carried 73 percent of the Asian vote on Tuesday, continuing a two-decade-long march of Asian-Americans toward the Democratic Party in presidential politics.[…]
In 2012, Asian-Americans sided decidedly with the Democrats. In fact, Obama garnered a higher percentage of the Asian vote than he did among Latinos (71 percent).
November 12, 2012 at 12:29 pm
That's interesting. I would guess Latinos having more children are still considered the fastest growing.
November 13, 2012 at 11:03 pm
That has been surprising to me. My neighborhood is predominantly white, with a few Asians and even fewer blacks and Hispanics, but the first family to put Obama signs in their yards were ASIAN. And, this neighborhood in No. Virginia had TWICE as many Obama signs as they had in 2008 from everybody, AND 3 times as many as Romney signs this year. I was really delighted. My only concern was that it might have been an aberration, mainly because of what I was seeing in some of the national polls. I always thought he would win, but I was really worried about my own state. Never been so happy to be wrong……
BTW, we had workers from DC and Maryland coming to Virginia to help us with canvassing and data collection. Thanks goes to those workers, and the Obama campaign's great organization.
November 12, 2012 at 12:13 pm
Hey D, I've been thinking exactly the same thing over the past couple of days and I'm a white foreigner. R's are stupid. I'm glad you posted the rant – you have expressed what many others were feeling.
November 12, 2012 at 12:23 pm
I agree 100% with you Donna. However, I think they've given up on the AA vote, so they are doing what they normally do: focus on Latinos as tokens. They'll fuck that up, too, trust me. And when they do, they'll relegate Latinos to the "non-entity" category as well.
The GOP MO goes like this:
1) demonize the group (ala Willie Horton, welfare queens for AAs; papers please laws, electrified fences for LAs)
2) group rejects GOP en masse
3) GOP is "shocked" by the rejection
4) GOP makes some half-hearted attempts at reflection or outreach which usually manifests in tokenism, which is further rejected by group
5) GOP is angered by the rejection, doubles down on the hate rhetoric, then relegates group to "non-entity" status
6) GOP continues to shrink into southern rump party.We know who we are. Nothing the GOP does or doesn't do can change this.
November 12, 2012 at 1:09 pm
I would add: and the mainstream media ignores it, won't call them on it, or fans the flames for ratings.
November 12, 2012 at 5:28 pm
Thank you Donna for your rant. It needs to be put out there continiously for all to hear and think. Most of these talking heads do not realize that not only are they not recogzining the AA voters, they are also forgetting that AA, Latinos, Asisan, and other wonderful ethnic groups are marrying and making their families together in this country. We are moving away from this one size fits all.
We have to put that away in our thinking as well as in our deeds. Most of these people will not get it until the younger generations of black , brown , and white will send them into a land of no return. However, I am so glad that you raise the questions and we need to listen and help resolve this problem in our country. I am trusting the young people to start setting the trend in the right direction. I believe that they will be able to do great to these old selfish, backwards thinking people who will be left behind for sure. Moving FORWARD we must. HZ
November 12, 2012 at 12:23 pm
Oh yes, it is so apparent what their next move will be. They are not subtle at all. The strategy will be divide and conquer. Expect to see iniatives that pit AAs and Latinos against each other. It'll be very obvious to some of us, others will fall for it. They'll want to have us fighting over crumbs, rather than fighting together for the whole damn pie. AAs are written off and are of no value to the Repubs. They will keep the 'food stamp' and 'lazy' stereotype going in hopes to alienate Latino and Asians against AAs. We'll be portrayed as living off the government, doing nothing while they work hard, go to school, abide by the law of the land and bible, and believe in liberty and freedom.
I have to give it to the pubs though, they will be diligent and patient. If the Dem organization take this victory of this demographic for granted and not continue to work to maintain them, then they will be sorry.The good news? The younger folks of these groups are smarter than that.
November 12, 2012 at 12:26 pm
Donna, I hear you. I think the plan and strategy is to drive a wedge between the Latino and AA communities. By making the Lationo seem more valuable to the GOP than the AA , but stoking anger and resentment between both communities. Hoping Latino's will vote against their own interest. Typical GOP, divide and conquer
November 12, 2012 at 12:59 pm
But to them you ARE invisible. How can they reach out to Black people when none of them even know any Black people. Making Michael Steele the head of the RNC was a perfect example. "Look! A Black man! We can make him head of the RNC so no one can say we're racist!" It didn't matter that, whatever his other talents might be, Michael Steele was totally unsuited to the job.
They're willing to tolerate a few Black GOPers but have no interest in recruiting others. Anything they could do would cause them to lose some of that white racist vote that they cling to as if it were a lifeboat. A leaky one — but that just makes them cling all the harder.
November 12, 2012 at 1:41 pm
Actuallly Steele was more than suited for the job. They couldn't stand that he was better at it than his predecessors while being black. He brought in more money, got more folks elected at all levels in their party. Then they dissed him and voted in the the crazy teabutt. My surprise is that Steele still covers for them, though I'd bet anything he voted PBO. As much as I disagree with everything he stands for politically, I don't like the way he was treated. He would have been fine with them, had he did the Herman Cain/clarence thomasallen west act.
November 14, 2012 at 12:54 pm
You may be right. He wasn't very good at explaining the GOP's positions. Always looked uncomfortable.
November 14, 2012 at 1:39 pm
I found him over confident, another characteristic they couldn't stand about him. He explained their positions without the fluff or Lutz talking points, that's what did him in. He brought in more money, got more Republicans elected as Governors, State and National Congresspeople than had ever been done in that party. The thanks they showed him was to give him the boot. I don't feel sorry for him, but he deserved better.
November 12, 2012 at 1:02 pm
Donna..you are right on the mark here. The words "African American" and "Invisible" mean the same thing in the dictionary found in GOP land. What I find perplexing is why some prominent AA republicans don't call their side out on this total disrespect to AA's. What did they think of Romney's remarks to NAACP earlier this year? Every person, regardless of race or sex, wants to be valued, not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character (MLK). Only those AA's that have a voice and are respected can speak to this issues. I'm still waiting for them, I have been waiting for them for over 4 years. Does Condoleezza Rice not "see" this? Michael Steele? Collin Powell has been marginalized by the right, he endorsed President Obama, not because of Obama's policy's/character, but because they share the same pigment…yet Colin Powell is not up to having this talk either. And I might say, forgive me if this upsets some TOD people, I was waiting for Oprah's voice this election cycle too. She is respected and could have and still can, have a frank discussion on this topic which could include a wide range of people. She has the media power to produce such a discussion. I'm sick of being labeled a taker and lazy…and being told I only voted for my President because he is black…fuck all those that paint AA's with such a brush! The vast majority of AA's have no clout, no lobbyists, even inside our party sometimes I feel our side is afraid to call out the racists…for it somehow turned into us being the real racists. A white man or woman can't argue our cause, it must come from an respected AA that has the guts to call what took place during our President's first term, what it is…a disrespect on epic proportions based on race.
November 12, 2012 at 1:09 pm
Donna, I am a 66yr old white woman and I agree with your rightous rant. They talk about changing or messaging etc. They don't understand the world at all anymore.
November 12, 2012 at 5:33 pm
Mtmarilyn, you nailed it also. "They don't understand the world at all anymore." ((((( Love you MT.))))))HZ
November 12, 2012 at 1:15 pm
Donna, I keep thinking of that line from POTUS about how the pundits like to slice us and dice us. Well, same goes for the GOP x 1 billion. I know and you know that our story is only possible in America and it's an America of the FUTURE. The GOP can hire Frank Luntz and Norquist and all those other idiot loser consultants but they will never see what is right in front of them. America is about all of us and we are all fighting for justice and equality FOR ALL. They can dream up some outreach scheme until the cows come home but they will never reach any one of us because they have NOTHING but fear and greed and exclusion. They don't get it and I wonder if they ever, ever will.
November 12, 2012 at 1:22 pm
Thanks everyone for your thoughtful responses. I posted this and went for a walk to get a salad and to clear my head.
Just to clarify. My rant is directed squarely at the Republican Party and the MSM who enable their neglect of an entire demographic who stood in long lines, as an example, in a very heavily populated area of Ohio, Cuyahoga County, to help propel that state to victory for President Obama. The fact that they will ignore that AA's overperformed in turnout in that state for the second GE in a row would be a mistake of epic porportions. GWB as I said got 12% of the AA vote in 2004 and he also got 44% of the Latino vote that year. No, they probably will never "win" either of those demographics but those few percentages helped GWB to win a very close election in '04.
One thing is for sure, whichever minority they continue to ignore will be motivated to continue to vote against them in record numbers!
November 12, 2012 at 1:46 pm
You are correct, in addition to everything else the pubs are pulling, there is no coverage of how the AAs overperformed, only howLatinos and Asians voted. It's done all the time. We've disappeared from everything except sports and entertainment.
November 12, 2012 at 1:24 pm
Donna, I think they are still underestimating us as a voting block. As shocked as they were that AA's turned out in equal or higher numbers this year than 2008, the establishment still believes that it is some kind of meaningless blip on the radar. That we are only tribally committed to Obama, and when he leaves, so will we. What they don't want to recognize is that PBO has awakened and mobilized a different, bigger, more diverse electorate, and we're here to stay. This means that politicians will no longer be able to get away with ignoring, pandering, or lying to segments of voters to appease others.
This coalition, that Senator/President Barack Obama helped to create, is the new majority. The fact that we won without the South, without rural America, and in *spite* of millions to billions of mysterious money and super PAC influence- that scares them. So yes, THAT version of America- the version controlled solely by the few and the privileged and dependent on the low information citizen, is done! Now, it is up to us to carry the mantle continue the work.
November 12, 2012 at 4:01 pm
It's rants like this that need to spread far & wide to counteract the GOP looney (& dangerous) tunes!!!
A great O'Day to you too Donna. {{{hugs}}}-
November 12, 2012 at 5:37 pm
Yes, continue to speak the word, Donna. We must heed your concerns and diligent in our responses as we move forward with POB. People, especially in the AA communities will not lie still and continue to be ignored anymore in this political process. Tired, and very Tired of being in this position. Enough is Enough!!!HZ
November 12, 2012 at 7:27 pm
Good rant, Donna. I see it as a good thing – progress – that black people will no longer being pigeon-hold into a caricature or stereotype that the GOP repeatedly use to rile up their base, but can join the broader voting group of just "middle class". In a fair society, I'm not sure there is a monolithic "black vote" anyway. Some are educated, some not. Some are more affluent, some less. Some have one view of social policies, some not. Some are conservative fiscally, some more liberal. Most of the beltway only see the American people in political terms – and right now, all eyes are on Latinos and Asians. That's just a fact. I don't see us as having less power with less focus on the "black vote", but as having more power in the "middle class vote". I think if black voters see themselves as "middle class voters" versus "black voters", then they will still be able to leverage the power of the many – which is a good thing if they consistently come out to vote.
November 12, 2012 at 12:15 pm
You know…these kinds of photos do not really help me in having a productive afternoon here…so far. *stares*
*goes and sits on the naughty mat* -
November 12, 2012 at 12:22 pm
I'm always commenting just when a new post appears. So I'm bringing this one over.
Hello TOD family,First I want to express my deep gratitude to Chips for keeping this blog alive after the election. Over the last several years, TOD has become my refuge and my source of information like no other. In words and pictures, TOD recorded history in the making even as the media continued to misinform and pursue an agenda of their own. Reading the comments of the large TOD family helped me understand the change that was taking place as well as the resistance and false claims from those who wanted to keep the status quo. Thanks to you, I never had to suffer through hateful commentaries – I learned about them in the form of a spirited counterattack by a TODer. As Election Day approached, I knew that I could only get through it by keeping too busy for thought and analysis. I spent so much time in New Hampshire that the state felt like home, including Election Day (after voting, of course). I returned to Massachusetts in the late afternoon to do a last canvass for Elizabeth Warren. When the polls closed, I went for a long walk on the beach with my very excited little dog who probably felt that he had just found his human again after a long absence. Then on to a party with one of my OFA team leaders. Of course, I expected the President to win – but it was still a glorious night. In the morning after the election, my inbox was filled with emails from friends and family, many of them from abroad. Few Americans realize how much the whole world watched and prayed. Obama won – planet relieved, indeed.
What's important now is what comes after the celebration. Already, the Republicans are indicating that they will continue their strategy of obstruction.
They still have control of the House of Representatives which gives them a means to slow down or shut down the President's agenda. That's where we can be a force for our President. I am happy that OFA will continue as well. It was interesting to note in the NY Times article that "Democrats" did not feel that the grassroots organization has been particularly effective in influencing legislation. We need to do more to change that. We need to go beyond just calling our representatives' offices and ask them to vote for the President's plan. We need to become a real force – one big enough and loud enough to be heard over the din of the right wing and their allies in the media. Twitter, Facebook, letters to the Editor, community events, rallies and, of course, a sustained contact with all our elected officials will be needed. We will also benefit tremendously from being engaged in local politics and community issues. TOD can be a very important part of this. I am looking forward to your ideas. -
November 12, 2012 at 12:24 pm
The President is a good man. He speaks the truth all the time unlike GOP.
November 12, 2012 at 12:37 pm
Petraeus and his wife, Holly, who have been married for 38 years, are said to be staying in their Arlington Home and are doing "OK." "Knowing the family, I suspect it will be hard work, but given the effort, they will get through it," Boylan, the former Petraeus spokesman, said.
November 12, 2012 at 12:38 pm
I can't wait until this story goes away. It's a none story and should have never seen the light of day.
November 12, 2012 at 12:43 pm
When a misguided debate meets a wrongheaded metaphor
By Steve Benen
Also, to echo a point Suzy Khimm raised on Friday, another part of the problem with the metaphor is that much of the political debate is predicated on the notion that the "fiscal cliff" necessarily refers to a fiscal problem. That's actually backwards — if the automatic spending cuts and automatic tax increases kick in, the nation's budget deficit would shrink a lot and in a hurry.
This is important because it should, in theory, help shape the debate. I've heard pundits arguing lately, "We need a deficit-reduction plan to avoid the fiscal cliff," but that doesn't really make sense. Going over the so-called "cliff" would mean automatic deficit reduction. The point of the bipartisan talks, then, is to find an alternative solution to the same challenge. Policymakers are effectively looking to replace an unpopular austerity plan with a more palatable one.
Ezra's looking to replace the "cliff" metaphor with something more sensible. Here's hoping something better comes along soon.
November 12, 2012 at 7:31 pm
Steve Benen has voiced a question I've been asking for a while now. If the GOP are so concerned with the deficit, then why don't they want deficit reduction that is inherent in the "fiscal cliff", which encompasses both the sequestration cuts and the end of the Bush tax cuts. They don't seem to be offering any other solutions that will cut as much from the deficit, and the only people they seem to be targeting are the middle class – be it with cuts to loopholes or social programs. The so-called "fiscal cliff" should be a welcome prospect to those who are really interested in reducing the deficit.
November 12, 2012 at 12:50 pm
I believe that people need a cooling off period from the media. We know that they are paid to talk and stir up controversary all day everyday. They are powerful in that they do get to our emotions. On election day my nephew called me from Florida and said that he was getting nervous because he was watching CNN and MSNBC saying the election was close etc. etc. I told him to turn the tv off and come on this blog, he will get up to the minute information about the election results from enthusaiatic and smart supporters without the drama of tv. He did just that and fell in love with the blog, he was calmer. He turned the tv on about 10pm after reading encouraging news from this blog. THE MEDIA LOST THE ELECTION.They were not able to turn the election for Romney nor Mcain, nor Hillary. They are embarassed, all their predictions were wrong, Nate Silver stated that their objective is not to inform but to entertain, after they ignored his projection of the election race based on MATH. I respect the opinions of the TOD group more than the paid talking heads. The newstainers are becoming irrevelent and useless, young people do not watch television, they tweet, facebook and critical thinking is what caused them to come out in record numbers in this election ,shocking the pollsters. Our tweets and facebook messages are becoming more powerful than the US corrupt Media. I say about time.
November 12, 2012 at 12:58 pm
Here's another article that speaks to the struggle ahead: http://cendax.wordpress.com/2012/11/12/a-lesson-for-liberals/ It's Norbrook and is very level-headed and underscores the new number that I would like us to see as our new goal for the next two years: 218 If we can look at that number the same way we looked at 270…as the goalpost for success, then we improve our chances of success. We need to sleep, eat and breathe the number 218 for the foreseeable future.
November 12, 2012 at 12:58 pm
So this explains why there was repeated conversation about good Dem turnout in North Carolina. Instincts weren't wrong on betting 347 electoral votes instead of 332.
November 12, 2012 at 1:03 pm
Wow, it's barely been 4 days, and this video already has more than 6.1 million YouTube hits:
When the President acknowledged the 'best ever in history' staff and volunteers on election night, it felt good knowing *I* was one of the ones who made this possible. Same with this heartfelt thank you. I feel the sense of pride and gratitude. That came straight from his heart.
This is a real grassroots, technologically mobilized movement, one that we have to keep going even after PBO is done with his second term. He has awakened something great in so many people, especially young adults. We're the one's who will be running things soon, and he is one of the best examples we could have hoped for.
November 12, 2012 at 1:10 pm
This was such a great moment for all present, the Presidentnt saw himself as a young organizer in these young people and the young people sees their future as leaders in him, it is the result of their hard work, and it is the result of his hard work.
November 12, 2012 at 1:11 pm
Pundits: In Victory, Obama Must Accommodate His Opponents
By Peter Hart
With the election over, you're seeing familiar corporate media advice about the need for Obama to move to the right and learn to compromise with Republicans.
The clearest take, perhaps, came from NPR's Cokie Roberts, who explained on Morning Edition (11/8/12) that the election showed that the country is divided. (This is, in a sense, what elections are supposed to do.) She explained the task for Obama:NPR's Cokie Roberts
It is a divide where he's lost whites, he's lost Southerners, he's lost people of a certain income and age, and he's really got to do something fast to deal with that.
This is a curious notion of how politics work. After winning an election, the victor should immediately…do what his or her opponents want to do. It's something the press has done before–especially when Democrats win.
November 12, 2012 at 1:15 pm
When the Rethugs win they do not compromise, they immediately put in place their hateful agenda, and for the most part it is never reported, only when something terrible happens because of their bad laws then it is forced to be reported. The media is theagent of Republican Party.
November 12, 2012 at 2:51 pm
and that's just not true! he hasn't 'lost' white people or older people or any people! he didn't win the ignorant bigot vote, true, but that's not a failing on his part.
just the same, he's 'doing something' about that all the time: he's graciously demonstrating that the ignorant bigots are wrong about him, and offering them a chance to join the rest of us in making a better world.
November 12, 2012 at 1:11 pm
Lawd! Diane Feinstein is hearing for the first time that an FBI agent was asked to check out some harassing emails to a Florida citizen. She's now suggesting that supeona (sp) and disciplinary action may be warranted. She didn't know about the fact finding trip into Bengahzi that Petreaus took. So where has she been, under a rock or celebrating the Dem wins? Can we please get this story where it belongs, on Entertainment Tonight.
November 12, 2012 at 1:29 pm
I heard her say she had no idea about the woman in Tampa who received the threatening emails. I also wondered where she's been and if she has access to a newspaper, TV or computer. Pretty amazing. And actually Pete Williams just shot all of Andrea's (and Diane's) "concerns" down. Said FBI acted according to protocol, determined early no no natl security threat, only about an affair, no requirement to inform members of Intelligence Cmte about an affair.
November 12, 2012 at 1:31 pm
That's why this is a none story. It had no business going any further once the investigation determined it was a case of Petreaus' bat-sh!t crazy mistress.
November 12, 2012 at 1:29 pm
Well, if the stories about Broadwell having classified information on her computer are correct, I'd like to see that investigated. May not be Petraeus but it deserves to be clarified.
November 12, 2012 at 1:35 pm
I am hearing that either it isn't correct or what was there wasn't considered to be classified. Who knows and that part I can agree with. The investigation was never about Petreaus, but about Brownwell. Why it was made public before they determined Brownwell jeopardized anything is beyond me. Why the FBI even directly took up a case of a citizen getting harassing emails is also beyond me.
November 12, 2012 at 2:16 pm
Well, meta, it didn't take long for someone to begin the timeline analysis I knew was inevitable when that Rove tweet and photo of him and Ms Broadwell was discovered late yesterday …
We may have a whole store of shoes to fall off the racks before this ends …
November 12, 2012 at 6:32 pm
Wow…yes I smell a Rove rat in this mess. Great article and the comments are spot on. Hate has no bounds.
November 12, 2012 at 1:47 pm
True—–and if she was giving classified secrets in speeches, and the source of those, as has been reported. I—me personally—-want to know why Broadwell thought that the Tampa Kelley lady was a threat to her share of affection from Petraeus, or whatever it was, so much so that she continually targeted her with nasty emails.
November 12, 2012 at 2:01 pm
I guess what bothers me about this whole fiasco is not Petraeus' personal affairs. But when people enter into an affair there is always the possibility of emotional attachment. And that's what causes some people to go off the rails. And when people go off the rails they do stupid and crazy things. Now, if Petraeus' computer was ever compromised or whether his own security was breached, then he would automatically lose his security clearance. And if he loses his security clearance, then he cannot direct the CIA. So I think he was right to resign in the face of realizing he'd lost control of the situation. And POTUS was right to accept it.
November 12, 2012 at 7:01 pm
Broadwell has hired a criminal defense attorney. How it started? Jill Kelley told a friend who was an FBI agent in Florida about the emails He took it to his superiors, who investigated it. Because the FBI friend did not like the "official" outcome of the FBI investigation, he took it to a WA state Congressman who took it to Cantor, the GOP House majority leader. Cantor reports he contacted the FBI director, Richard Mueller. The WA state Congressman has also retained counsel.
November 12, 2012 at 1:16 pm
I just tweeted rainy wet PBO to my followers because it is a thing of beauty of joy of perfection of tenacity of hope of commitment of LOVE
November 12, 2012 at 1:29 pm
So many rebugs seem to have gone in a panic over taxes, while so many mddle class Americans say let it happen. Just how corrupt are the tax laws in favor of the rich? It is as if the 'hit man', AKA wealthy, are going to take contracts out on the people they thought they had bought to keep the money flowing into their pockets.
November 12, 2012 at 1:22 pm
FAIR TV: Obama's 'Non-Mandate,' Final Factchecking Fail, Climate Science
By Peter Hart
This week on FAIR TV: How does Obama's "non-mandate" compare to Bush's 2004 "mandate"? Does corporate media factchecking need a reality check? And we look at how superstorm Sandy failed to generate talk about climate change on the Sunday shows.
November 12, 2012 at 1:23 pm
Now, politically, that could have taken votes away from the President, 1 week away from election.
So, the REAL question is: why did cantor sit on this information, when he knows it could have hurt POTUS?
Because, Petreas was one of them, Thats why. They were the ones attempting to keep it quiet.
But, now they ate backtracking, saying it was POTUS and a coverup on Benghazi.
Jeeze, they are so damn malevolent!-
November 12, 2012 at 1:44 pm
It would not have taken away votes from PBO – Patraeus (a Republican) was the one who had the affair, not President Obama. Had Cantor tried to make this an issue right before the election by artificially tying it to Benghazi with no evidence, the Republicans would have came across as petty and desperate -which would have backfired.
And I'm sure Cantor was well aware of all that.
November 12, 2012 at 1:50 pm
True, hf.
Cantor's main reason for keeping it quite is because he had been gulping Rove's koolaid and thought that Romney had it in the bag. Had Romney won, we would never have heard about this story.
November 12, 2012 at 1:56 pm
Exactly Bob! The Republicans are now feverishly trying to create a story out of this to get back at the President because they're mad that Romney didn't win.
November 12, 2012 at 2:05 pm
With their track record? They latch onto anything!
No, Cantor wanted to, when he first found out, he told, on air, morning Joe about it, and then nothing, for 2 weeks.
He should be subpoena, as well!
November 12, 2012 at 8:43 pm
y'all this has nothing to do with PBO as the GOPKKKers are learning. Broadwel, a REPUBLICAN and good Rove buddy has hired a criminal defense attorney and WA House rep who took it to Cantor has also hired counsel. Cantor may also need legal counsel. I imagine Petraeus also has legal counsel. Here's the problem for the WA rep and Cantor – depending on how both approached the FBI, it may have been seen as interferring with an ongoing criminal investigation and/or obstruction of justice. The Florida FBI agent was removed from the investigation and as a result went to his friend WA House rep. The reason Cantor referred to the Fla FBI agent as a whistleblower was to protect him from any action he may have taken which under normal circumstances would be considered a violation of his oath of duty and/or illegal. I'm guessing it's not gonna work. And y'all this shit is some BIG shit. It will bring down the entire GOPKKKer Party. Keep watching. This is not about some affair.
November 12, 2012 at 1:33 pm
Moody's: Obama will approve Keystone XL pipeline
By Ben Geman
President Obama will give the proposed Keystone XL oil sands pipeline a green light, Moody's predicts in a new report.The fate of TransCanada Corp.'s proposed Alberta-to-Texas pipeline is shaping up as a major post-election battle.
Environmentalists oppose Keystone and will stage a Nov. 18 demonstration at the White House, while a number business groups and unions want the State Department to permit the project.
"We believe the White House will reverse course and approve the Keystone XL pipeline, which would ship crude from Canada's western oil sands to the Gulf Coast," the ratings agency said in a wide-ranging report Monday on the implications of the elections.
However, the Moody's Investors Service report adds: "[A]pproval will not be quick. A prolonged permitting process risks missing the very oil price boom that inspired Keystone XL in the first place. Still, even if Keystone XL went into operation in 2015 or 2016, Gulf Coast refining and marketing companies would benefit from wider light/heavy crude price differentials."
November 12, 2012 at 3:07 pm
Back to their old divide and conquer tactics, I see. Wasted no time.
PPl we have all seen this before. Find an issue important to a particular constituency then try to sow discontent. By the time everyone figures out THEY LIE they've already sowed the seeds of suspicion, fear and division.
To repeatedly fall for it is to be Charlie Brown trying to kick the football that Lucy is holding.
Remember: not everything you read is fact and always question the source.
November 12, 2012 at 5:51 pm
Remember: not everything you read is fact and always question the source…….
Right ON!
November 12, 2012 at 7:42 pm
This is a prediction. Not news. As far as I'm concerned, it's such a football at this point, that the facts have been long erased. The President will authorize it, if it's safe and it makes sense for the country.
November 12, 2012 at 1:39 pm
Like it matters what the Grand Wizard of the KKK thinks. He's irrelevant.
November 12, 2012 at 1:41 pm
That's all bluster, because taxes will be raised for everyone on Jan. 1 when the Bush tax cuts expire. And the American people will hold the GOP accountable.
November 12, 2012 at 1:51 pm
He needs to get re-elected in '14. Blustering for his base. Ashley will reek considerable havoc and untold damage imo.
November 12, 2012 at 3:12 pm
If they do nothing then our revenues soar and the deficit is reduced more quickly than if they did anything.
Happily that will take away one of the last talking points they have as a party. HEHEHE
And furthermore, it would be under a DEM president that the deficit shrank so quickly. Scratch that, S/B 'under a colored, Kenyan, Socialist, Redistributionist, Liberal Commie, Affirmative Action, unAmerican president'. (There, fixed!)
November 12, 2012 at 1:42 pm
Yeah, phew. HHAAA! I've been looking at December a lot lately for planning purposes so I'm a little cross-eyed, I guess.
November 12, 2012 at 2:57 pm
's okay, meta–chips put that picture up there, and we're not responsible for the consequences!
btw, i'm definitely trying your pumpkin cinnamon swirl bread recipe! yum!
November 12, 2012 at 1:40 pm
Andrea Mitchell is doing her part in trying to stir up s__t continuing to try to link the Petraeus affair to Benghazi, now prodding WP's David Ignatius. And she's using clueless Diane Feinstein's demands as fodder.
November 12, 2012 at 1:45 pm
The GOP and wall street want leverage for their taxcuts!
That is all this ever is about, all anything is ever about, is their fucking taxcuts for the wealthy.
One tracked mind! -
November 12, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Her ratings are not very good. MSNBC keeps her on air because of her stature at NBC. She is a relic. That.Is.All!
November 12, 2012 at 1:54 pm
yep, it's almost pitiful. Oh well, a disgusting job, but somebody's got to do it. At least we aren't watching her on the trail sniffing up behind $arah Pay'em.
November 12, 2012 at 1:58 pm
I've watched clips of her interviewing people on her show. She is pathetic. At times she doesn't even speak in complete sentences. Her questions generally lean right most of the times so I'm never shocked to hear that she is framing something in a negative light for us. It's to be expected IMO.
November 12, 2012 at 2:05 pm
She has many senior moments on camera. I can tell, I get them too. I have the good sense enough to have my moments online though. Some of my posts are more than evident of that.
November 12, 2012 at 4:41 pm
I suspect that now that the election is over alot of MSNBC shows will be down in ratings. The only way to keep them up is to play the hair on fire game. I fully expect people like Maddow, Tweety, Hayes and MHP to latch on to any and every leaked or speculative source that claims Obama is trying to "abandon his base". I didn't include Ed Schultz because I swear I heard a twitter rumor that Ed Shultz may be losing his show to Ezra Klein because of low ratings.
November 12, 2012 at 6:11 pm
and they think that EZra Klein…will be better….
if i had a choice…i would keep ED…..
although i have done some jaw dropping with some of the comments that ED has made…no one on MSNBC is more pro worker/pro union than ED….we need his voice….
November 12, 2012 at 1:46 pm
Good news for AZ CD9
November 11th, 2012Phoenix, AZ — Kyrsten Sinema for Congress released the following statement regarding today's vote count results:
"On Sunday, after additional votes were tallied by the Maricopa County Recorder's Office, Sinema increased her lead by an additional 1,079 votes. Sunday's total brings Sinema's lead to 5,789 over Parker, or 2.8%. We look forward to the remaining votes being counted and Kyrsten Sinema being sworn into Congress next year."
November 12, 2012 at 2:05 pm
Moreover, we could win AZ CD2! At the moment, 7 of the 8 undecided House races are being led by Ds. That would give us 201 seats if they all are won 🙂
November 12, 2012 at 1:56 pm
Now they just need to finish the tally for Murphy, who takes Gifford's seat. I don't care for him, but he's better than a Repub.
November 12, 2012 at 1:58 pm
You mean Barber! He's a few hundred votes ahead now. Let's hope he retains and/or increases that lead. 🙂
November 12, 2012 at 2:01 pm
Thanks. Murphy is the one from Indiana who also barely gives me a warm fuzzy. They're both better than a Pub though.
November 12, 2012 at 1:58 pm
This is AWESOME news! I met her in 2008…she would come into the Dem office while we were calling for PBO and AZ dems….and bring us pizza:) She is fierce,and smart…and will be a wonderful addition to Washington:)
November 12, 2012 at 2:58 pm
i was grumbling that these house races are taking so long to count, but now i realize we get to celebrate each one as individuals! hooray for arizona!
November 12, 2012 at 1:58 pm
Gotta ask: Which would you rather be seeing on television? Blanket coverage of the Patreus mess or blanket coverage of a Romney transition team? We Win.
November 12, 2012 at 2:09 pm
I'd rather see my wonderful President chasing Bo around on the southlawn while the kids chase their dad chasing Bo and FLOTUS looking on with glee. 😉
p.s. I don't even watch that stuff when I am home from work. It's a workday for me today so I only know what I read here and it's basically the same stuff just a different day. Nothing our lazy, sloppy cable media ever does surprises me. I long ago figured out their mission. Some enjoy watching it and I've learned to respect that but it ain't for me…..
November 12, 2012 at 1:59 pm
The MSM believed that they made Pres Obama and that they had the ability to take him out and they were ready to show him how powerful they were. They are embarrassed. They know that they are losing their clout.
November 12, 2012 at 3:19 pm
Yeah, they were counting on 'the pen is mightier than the sword', but ran smack into 'the truth shall set us free' or was it 'speaking truth to power'?
dueling metatphors here, no? 😆
November 12, 2012 at 2:00 pm
LONDON, Nov 12 (Reuters) – The United States will overtake Saudi Arabia and Russia as the world's top oil producer by 2017, the West's energy agency said on Monday, predicting Washington will come very close to achieving a previously unthinkable energy self-sufficiency.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) said it saw a continued fall in U.S. oil imports with North America becoming a net oil exporter by around 2030 and the United States becoming almost self-sufficient in energy by 2035.
"The United States, which currently imports around 20 percent of its total energy needs, becomes all but self-sufficient in net terms – a dramatic reversal of the trend seen in most other energy importing countries," it said.[…]
This could have significant geopolitical implications, if Washington feels its strategic interests are no longer as embedded in the Middle East and other volatile oil producing regions.
November 12, 2012 at 3:21 pm
I find that hard to believe since we only have about 2% of the oil. That's a fact that has been established time and again. So the question is what strange thinking brought about this analysis?
November 12, 2012 at 8:06 pm
Yes, this seems suspicious to me, too. What about South America? Canada?
November 12, 2012 at 2:07 pm
I have a question: Under ACA larger companies have to 'offer' health care. Are there provisions in the law that specify that those companies have to pay for it?
My best friend, who has run HR for large companies for 35 years, believes that ACA is the best thing to happen to America, and that the BEST result down the line is that companies GET OUT of the business of providing health care, where the employee has virtually no choice. If the exchanges are affordable as they are meant to be, and with a non-profit (read: 'public' option, Ed Schultz and you other idiots) option, people are better served getting their own insurance and being able to afford it, even if they choose to move to another job or are without employment for a time.
She maintains that how much health care you get, what it costs, etc. has a lot more input from other aspects of the business than just the issue of health care. If the widgets are more expensive to make the thingy, then that will impact on what health care the company offers. This way, individuals will have complete control of their health care choices.
Let's be clear on one thing: the 'mandate' = all Americans being part of one big 'group' with the buying power that is now only available to large groups.
November 12, 2012 at 2:23 pm
Thanks! I totally forgot about that terrible, awful, nasty, 'job-crushing' fine.
What small, miserable bastards they all are.
November 12, 2012 at 2:21 pm
By Ryan Cooper
I was watching some Up with Chris this morning (update: posted above) and Hayes about came unglued making the point that few in Washington seems to get—that the problem with the fiscal slope (the set of tax increases and spending cuts set to take effect automatically next year) is that it will make the federal deficit too small. And yet we have the same parade of rattling deficit scolds who have been gravely intoning about how immoral it is to leave such a debt load to our children suddenly up in arms about this fiscal slope.
But this moment has starkly revealed the fiscal scolds for what they are: a bunch of frauds. Not Sullivan, I think, he seems more just muddled by a weird crush on the Bowles-Simpson plan, but nearly all of the rest. Read this incredibly duplicitous letter from a bunch of CEOs sounding the alarm about this issue. What's their recommended solution? Why, tax reform which just coincidentally includes lower rates for everyone.Nobody cares about the deficit, least of all the people who whine about it constantly. Their preferences have been revealed.
UPDATE: Paul Krugman has more, including an amazing catch from a deficit scold org saying we should only cut "low priority" spending. Wonder what that means…
November 12, 2012 at 2:21 pm
Well, my heartfelt thanks to dKos for pulling back from the insanity cliff before the election. Too bad you're jumping over that cliff already. No, PBO is NOT going to nominate John Birch to be Treasury Secy and 'betray' us again. Yeah, not even going get myself worked up over it and fight with them. I'm gone.
November 12, 2012 at 2:44 pm
I guess I shouldn't be shocked at how fast it happened but I'm not wasting a year trying to reason with them. Not again. I've learned a lot about how we can effect change and I won't get sucked into that cesspool again.
November 12, 2012 at 2:23 pm
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is calling on Arizona to count all votes fairly, as the state continues to tally ballots nearly a week after Election Day.
Reid's statement came a day after reports said nearly 525,000 votes remained uncounted out of 1.8 million total ballots cast. In Maricopa County, more than 350,000 votes remained uncounted.
"All of the votes in Arizona must be counted promptly, accurately and equally," Reid said in a statement Saturday. "The uncounted votes in Maricopa County alone represent a major portion of the total votes cast in Arizona on Tuesday."
Although Reid did not mention the Senate race in Arizona between Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Democrat Richard Carmona, in which roughly 80,000 votes separate the two candidates. Flake is ahead of Carmona, but that could change depending on the uncounted ballots.
November 12, 2012 at 6:00 pm
Jeezzz how much time is necessary to count ballots ? What's the problem over there ?????
November 12, 2012 at 3:02 pm
zowie! 59 districts with zero myth voters! congrats to the obamabots on the ground there!
November 12, 2012 at 2:29 pm
I commented earlier in the previous thread about the areas in Ohio that got zero votes for Romney, now check out Philly:
It's one thing for a Democratic presidential candidate to dominate a Democratic city like Philadelphia, but check out this head-spinning figure: In 59 voting divisions in the city, Mitt Romney received not one vote. Zero. Zilch.
These are the kind of numbers that send Republicans into paroxysms of voter-fraud angst, but such results may not be so startling after all.
"We have always had these dense urban corridors that are extremely Democratic," said Jonathan Rodden, a political science professor at Stanford University. "It's kind of an urban fact, and you are looking at the extreme end of it in Philadelphia."
Most big cities are politically homogeneous, with 75 percent to 80 percent of voters identifying as Democrats.
Cities are not only bursting with Democrats: They are easier to organize than rural areas where people live far apart from one another, said Sasha Issenberg, author of The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns.
"One reason Democrats can maximize votes in Philadelphia is that it's very easy to knock on every door," Issenberg said.
November 12, 2012 at 2:38 pm
Here is the money quote that speaks to my earlier rant:
As the first African American president, Obama held immense appeal to black voters, but skin color is only part of the story, said Mark Sawyer, a political science professor at UCLA.
Previous Republican candidates, including Richard Nixon and Jack Kemp, supported affirmative action and urban development, but their party has abandoned those stances, Sawyer said.
Romney's comments, including talking about people who want "more free stuff from the government" after a visit to the NAACP, only further distanced African Americans who felt the comments played to stereotypes about welfare, Sawyer said.
Knock, Knock MSM Wake Up!!!!!!!!!!
November 12, 2012 at 2:38 pm
57andfemale it feels different now knowing that President Obama has been handily re-elected in an electoral landslide with a 3 million plus popular vote. He is no longer facing re-election.
So hearing the bluster from the Right or the Left about what he must do or will do, has an entirely different context, now that neither side poses any threat to him being re-elected.
The next four years should be calming. The President is free to do what is in the best interest of the country and the blusterers are free to bluster.
Most of the most prominent firebaggers have faded away from the conversation as they have been drowned out by actual progress.
November 12, 2012 at 4:21 pm
You're absolutely right. However, I do NOT want to see happen in 2014 what happened in 2010.
I'm more dismayed that, yet again, every crackpot rumor has legitimacy with these loons. Just because David Gregory wondered if Romney should be Treasury Secretary (!) doesn't mean PBO is considering DimMitt for Treasury Secretary!
There is absolutely no evidence that PBO doesn't understand that he not only has a mandate, he takes his obligations seriously to follow through on the vision that Americans chose. How can the same people who understood how to reelect POTUS, now have jettisoned their brain cells and assume because PBO says he will listen to ideas that are sound (shouldn't ANY President say that, for God's sake?) means he's going to 'cave' or 'betray'.
Thank God, I'm hearing some common sense as well. Leo Girard said this morning that they would NOT make the mistakes they made in 2010, assuming that the country was indeed lurching to the right because the tea party said so, and that unions would mobilize to fight back, and take the fight to the people and not let things get out of hand. This is how I see our task here at TOD – understand those battles and the direction they're going in. My task, personally and I'm sure I speak for many of you — is to make this next four years as successful as possible for our President and to pave a way toward a progressive political discourse, undoing the damage of the last 30 years.
I'm completely calm. Our wonderful President knows what the American people voted for and he will do everything in his power to fulfill that solemn pledge. His supporters, and supporters of the Democratic vision, are much more sophisticated than we were four years ago. We see the long term vision ahead of us and we're going to continue working toward that goal.
November 12, 2012 at 8:18 pm
You're so right! I am greeting all this right wing and media nonsense with a sense of calm,because it actually means nothing. President Obama got his second term. He's not ruled by politics anymore. He's already got a strong legislative record, and if he does nothing more from this point out, he reduces the deficit and still has record-breaking accomplishments under his belt. He doesn't need Congress. He doesn't need the media. And the media has lost all credibility (what little they had) with their misinformation campaign in Romney's favor.
November 12, 2012 at 4:46 pm
There is only one street car line operational now in NOLA. That's the St Charles Streetcar line. It's route is from the beginning end of St Charles Street in the Carrollton area, then along a route that passes through the Uptown area, Garden District, and the Business District and back.
Didn't realize they were gonna add to it. Thanks for the link.
November 12, 2012 at 4:54 pm
What I mean is there is only 1 classice historical streetcar line. That is the St Charles Line. They've added a few other "tourist" lines since they expanded the tourist areas, but the St Charles Line is the one that has a full route and runs daily as the regular public transportation.
November 12, 2012 at 2:52 pm
Yea! http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/ap-calls-arizona-9th-congressional-race-for-democrat
Another first. She will be the first bisexual representative in Washington. AZ can do SOMETHING right:)
November 12, 2012 at 3:23 pm
hahahaha the good news just keeps on coming and extending our celebrations AND gloating
November 12, 2012 at 3:43 pm
Sound familiar?
Phoenix, AZ — Kyrsten Sinema released the following statement following the AP's calling of the AZ09 race in her favor:
"I am grateful for the honor and the opportunity to serve the people of Arizona again. My job is to represent all of the people in CD9 whether they voted for me or not. The voters have given us a clear 'to do' list – work to fix our economy, reduce our ballooning debt and better protect the middle class. I am eager to get to work and I intend to team up with anyone of any party who is willing to help change Congress and move our country forward."
November 12, 2012 at 2:55 pm
Nothing good comes with this type of association.http://twitter.com/KarlRove/status/212180677532205056/photo/1
November 12, 2012 at 2:56 pm
I saw a headline over at Dkos (I won't link) that said that Ohio Repubs were 2 seats short of having a supermajority in their legislature. I didn't read the whole diary. Does anyone here know about this? If this is true it is very scary.
November 12, 2012 at 4:45 pm
I saw tweets concerning this. I think it's true and they're fighting like hell. How the hell did THAT happen? Oh, right – gerrymandering because whiny liberals 'sent a message' in 2010 and didn't vote.
The lesson of 2012 is frankly quite simple: if the left votes, we win. If we stay home, we cede the country to RWNJ's who vote all the time.
November 12, 2012 at 2:58 pm
Donna, Carla, CK and others, I have read your rants and couldn't agree more although I think it is far worse than the way you've painted the GOP. While there is the "invisibility" in not talking about the AA vote, how many of them have said since last Tuesday that the Latino vote "Should be" a natural constituency with the GOP in coming to this country and wanting to work hard, start small businesses, get ahead, etc. And those same things don't apply to the AA community? In their minds, apparently not. Just the same old racist stereotype that they've touted for years. It is utterly disgusting. But it is also disgusting that these same idiots think that simply working on an immigration policy will change their fortunes with the Latino community. I believe it was a Latino Decisions survey a couple of months ago that showed that the most important issue to Latinos was health care. Not going to get much help from the Repubs there. I'm not sure which is worse but this is clearly a party that has absolutely no idea what is going on this country. I think their view of the Latino community is pretty insulting as well. And given what I've heard, I don't see many major changes coming in their attitudes other than the possibility of a comprehensive immigration policy which would be good. But I don't think that will change much. And I do think they will try a divide and conquer strategy which we all need to be on guard against. But for now, I am cautiously optimistic that we can hold this constituency together for the foreseeable future. Given my belief that the Republican platform the last 30 years has come close to destroying this country that can only be for the good.
November 12, 2012 at 3:08 pm
The Asian voting block is also paying attention to what the Racist Party is doing, only trying to reach out to Hispanics and to focus the debate of immigration reform geared towards only hispanics is unfair. The President need to finally put a stake in the heart of the racist ,vampire, the Republican Party, in their present incarnation they must die for the good of the country.
November 12, 2012 at 3:40 pm
Flicking channels and just heard big mouth Alan Simpson say "The President needs to get off his can and lead" Once again, I said "Fuck You" to the TV and turned the channel.
November 12, 2012 at 3:46 pm
Idiots. What they really mean is he needs to be a bully. Did this man learn nothing about the presidents character? the idea of compromise and discussion seems to escape these folk.
November 12, 2012 at 4:05 pm
DF, I join you in giving a rousing FU (complete with the middle finger) to that crotchety old man aka Alan Simpson. The poor man craves attention. My only regret about his latest outburst is that it will probably result in invitations to the Sunday Shows because there is nothing they like more than a guest who will criticize President Obama. They won't be able to resist a snarling Alan Simpson.
November 12, 2012 at 3:44 pm
GOP's Biggest Problem Is Itself
By Leonard Pitts Jr.
All that said, the biggest question here is not whether the GOP can transform itself, but whether it can even try. At this point, the Republicans are less a traditional political party than what disenchanted former GOP staffer Mike Lofgren has called an "apocalyptic cult."
And cults are remarkably fact-resistant. Cultists live in a reality of their own construction and, far from being chastened by it, they thrive on rejection.
This, then, is the dilemma Republicans have created for themselves by their own short-sightedness. It was all well and fine to embrace angry white male extremism so long as white male extremism was able to deliver elections. That day is passing and the party awakens in a new America, desperately needing to change but quite possibly prevented from doing so by the very craziness it has so long cultivated.Ain't that a kick in the head? For years, the party has won elections by inventing enemies for angry white men to fear. But at this point, the GOP has no bigger enemy than itself.
November 12, 2012 at 4:35 pm
this is an excellent analysis. thanks ladyhawke. a lot of hot air is being wasted (could be driving turbines!) on how the rethugs should finesse their messaging.
the first step in solving a problem is identifying it, and here it is in plain english: apocalyptic cult. not looking for improvement in american government; looking for the rapture. deal with that, rethugs, and then get back to us.
November 12, 2012 at 3:50 pm
The "Cycle" has officially begun its journey towards cancellation. Really, chasing "Bigfoot?"
November 12, 2012 at 4:03 pm
Love the cycle and it's about time younger people have their voices heard. I'm tired of the same old retread long in the tooth gray haired relics that pontificate on high. They don't reach older folks anymore and they certainly don't relate to the younger set. I even appreciate SC Cupp's opposing view. There's no better way to reinforce your own view than hearing the viewpoint of someone who disagrees with you. She's not a nut job, just a Republican, who belongs to a party whose policies I disagree with. I've encouraged young folks I know to tune in to The Cycle to test the political media waters.
November 12, 2012 at 4:12 pm
Um…..I think when you defend S.E. Cupp by starting out with "She's not a nutjob" I think you might want to rethink your defense for her.
November 12, 2012 at 4:17 pm
She's not a nut job. she differs with me in opinion on policies. Rush limpballs is a nut job, who preys on the low informed to get them to agree with his idiocy. SE explains her position well and without the poutrage or hand wringing name calling. I can acknowledge that there are two parties in this country. The Pubs have been taken over by the loud mouth crazies, but I don't mind hearing from the few sane ones that are still left. Different strokes for folks, imo.
November 12, 2012 at 4:38 pm
Does S. E. Cupp actually offer policies? It seems the right only criticizes President Obama and offers nothing as an alternative.
November 12, 2012 at 4:42 pm
she doesn't offer anything but GOTP talking points that marginalize her own gender. She's a pretty face wearing glasses that likely aren't needed in order to look smarter than her political view points indicate she is. I don't watch that show but the few times I've seen her on other shows, she sounds just as dumb and as pointless as the angry old white men leading her party.
November 12, 2012 at 5:35 pm
What are the GOP…talking points….
Smartypants listed them in piece today….
Their Talking points!
Reduce taxes
More military spending
Privatize everything – especially entitlements
In the past they've been able to sell a lot of the 99% on these things through fear – especially when it comes to their culture war. That's one of the reasons this election was such a big deal. The country is changing and those cultural issues don't work anymore. All of those things – including the Southern Strategy, marriage equality, women's reproductive rights, demonization of immigrants, Islamophobia – were taken off the table.
however i do not think that it off the table….
those 3 bullet points represent the GOP….and they use the culture wars as a way of keeping their base from joining forces with us…
i do not anticpate any of this changing….
November 12, 2012 at 7:24 pm
Yes, she does criticize PBO just as the Dems criticize her candidate. So what? She gives her opinions, they give theirs. That's how it's suppose to be. I don't recommend shutting out opposing voices. I enjoy hearing what they have to say. How else will I compare my thoughts to others that may not agree with me? Do I stay in an echo chamber like our very surprised friends who still can't believe PBO won? Nope, I choose to expose myself to other views as long as it's done with a semblance of intellect an honest disagreement. That is SE to me. Yes, she has on many occasions offered what she believed to be her idea of what Repubs stand for and the issues she agrees with them on.
November 12, 2012 at 4:18 pm
BTW, I didn't defend her, since there's nothing about her to defend. I observed that she has an opposing view that I have no problem listening to.
November 12, 2012 at 4:25 pm
The cycle does not represent young people. Young people are on twitter, facebook, and youtube. They have other things to do than listen to a bunch talking heads.
November 12, 2012 at 4:45 pm
Amen! That show is such crap! It's craptastic Crap! I wouldn't watch it if KKK Rove gave me all of Sheldon Adleson's money.
November 12, 2012 at 7:40 pm
You are not their demographic, they are not talking to you. From what you've written, it wouldn't matter what anyone said who opposed or disagreed with your political views, it'd be craptastic. So they aren't after your viewership.
November 12, 2012 at 8:11 pm
Ah……no. If they were normal republicans, I would at least hear them out. However, since this Republican Party is now full with crazies who want to relitigate voting rights and women's rights, then I don't have to listen. Obviously you are in love with this show, it's also obvious that others aren't. So what we see here are differing opinions. You have yours, we have ours. I don't think there's anything left to be said about it. On what planet is that show relevant to anything, even politics? Is this show going to push through PBO's legislation? Is it going to encourage the average voter to participate in their democracy? Does this show actually have any decent viewership? I would guess that's a big fat no. I think democracy and this president would be better served doing anything other than sitting around watching a bunch of political know-nothing's telling us what PBO should or shouldn't do. I like Steve and I like Crystal, but frankly, I'll not be taking advice or words of wisdom about PBO and his agenda from them.
November 12, 2012 at 8:31 pm
First of all, my comment was that I loved the show and yes, believe it or not, I don't have a problem with people who don't necessarily share my political views. I don't see how this became about PBO, about taking advice from anyone, nor describing what was said on any show as words of wisdom. I never once heard SE agree with the crazies and she has denounced the awful stuff they were saying. I don't proclaim to speak for anyone on this site other than myself and have respect for each opinion I read here. On planet earth the show has relevancy or it wouldn't be on the air. If you don't recognize it's value, then they aren't looking for your viewership, even for politics. I'm not so quick to throw the baby out with the pot and will continue to enjoy it for what it is. Neither television, print media, nor social media defines who I am, nor what I believe in. It's there to provide a variety in opinion and views. I choose what I take from them. I do not believe in staying in an echo chamber of only like minded thought. I don't go seeking to only expose myself to what I already believe in. I don't mind testing my theories and opinions, because they are not set in stone. They are subject to change, based on careful introspection of something I may not have considered. So even now, I have considered all I've heard on this with an open mind, but will agree to disagree with respect. My favorites are Tourre and Steve. I admire Crystal cause she actually ran for an office and walked the walk, not just talked the talk.
November 12, 2012 at 8:43 pm
I think it's wonderful that you are so open minded. I frankly don't care to have my mind cluttered by the opinions by a bunch of Tuesday night quarterbacks who know next to nothing about governing or the day to day intricacies of politics. The only tv opinionists I listen to are Rev Al, Martin and Lawry and I watch sparingly for all the reasons listed above. I'm sure Cupp is an okay girl, but every time I've seen her on guest appearances on shows, she's always spewing Repuke talking points. It's bad enough listening to that crap from diversity challenged old men, I don't need to hear the same crap coming from a different package, regardless of how nice she looks in a dress.
November 12, 2012 at 7:19 pm
Young people that I know who are at home visiting, or dropping by or in their dorms or just hanging out where a TV may be actually watch TV. My point is if they do then The Cycle is a great way to see and hear political viewpoints that are geared more to their level of talking head speak. Not all young folks are glued to their toys. Some come up for air and poke around in the real world. I'm happy to know and have raised a couple of them.
November 12, 2012 at 10:06 pm
I doubt they are watching the cycle. Its a bunch of talking heads. If they want to see another viewpoint, they could always use the internet.
November 12, 2012 at 10:12 pm
So based on the young folks I know and their friends, they have not trashed their TVs. My point is that for TV political fare, The Cycle would appeal to the younger crowd more than the old fogeys who reign over the airwaves now. It's not a indictment on other media that young folks enjoy. it's just an observation about a show I happen to think is a good one.
November 12, 2012 at 4:54 pm
The only one on "The Cycle" of substance is Crystal Ball, although the others have occasional bursts of original thought. She should have kept the time slot all to herself, and used the other three as guests. Along with other guests.
November 12, 2012 at 5:07 pm
I don't think that Crystal had a choice to keep the time slot to herself. Remember the Cycle replaced Rhattigan and was supposed to be MSNBC's answer to Fox's The Five.
November 12, 2012 at 5:10 pm
I know – but it would have been better than this format. Maybe it's me!
November 12, 2012 at 5:15 pm
U h uh . . . Richard Carmona campaign suggests upset possible!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/11/12/richard-carmona-monitoring-election-results/?wprss=rss_election-2012 -
November 12, 2012 at 5:19 pm
I see Paula Broadwell has hired long time Washington defense atty. Stay tuned.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/petraeus-told-biographer-to-stop-harassing-family-friend-officials-say/2012/11/12/6ccb325c-2d00-11e2-a99d-5c4203af7b7a_story.html?hpid=z1 -
November 12, 2012 at 5:22 pm
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced that New Yorkers affected by Superstorm Sandy can use funds from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for temporary relief.
Late last week, Schumer said the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would release more than $330,000 in a block grant to help New York.
"These funds will help provide relief to the Hurricane Sandy victims that are still without power and heat," Schumer said in a statement. "LIHEAP recipients should not have to choose between keeping warm and paying for food, and I am relieved that the federal government will be releasing these critical funds. This will help at-risk New Yorkers access the resources they need to keep warm and be safe during this difficult time."
LIHEAP funds are normally used by low-income families and seniors to help pay their heating bills, but it can also be used in emergencies to buy supplies.
November 12, 2012 at 6:53 pm
Not sure I'm feeling this. There are a lot of people who depend on that for winter heating and winter is only just getting started. What happens to these ppl when all the money is gone and the winter is colder and longer than expected?
I blame Bloomberg. His ego made him refuse the help FEMA (ie US Gov) offered BEFORE the storm even hit. Now he's scrambling to appear the hero that is saving the day.
Don't forget the funds were greatly reduced in trying to appease the GOP for their cooperation that never materialized. So they are starting the winter with less funds, and now this? Hopefully they will award FEMA funds that can be used to replace this.
I'm sorry but I work with the elderly and it is scary when it's in the single digits outside and they come to us looking for heating assistance because all LIHEAP sources have dried and there isn't any other resources to be found.
But I certainly understand being cold now and wanting heat now, and so I won't knock it but it does concern me.
November 12, 2012 at 5:23 pm
Right On …Right Onnnn
Since the dixiecrats fled from the Democratic Party over the issue of Civil Rights….we (meaning Blk Folks) have had to contend with the so-called Southern Strategy…it has not changed…
Frum said that the Repub base was fleeced and misled by the so-called Conservative Entertainment Complex…..yanno those folks who make fortunes from stroking racist, sexist, homophobic hysteria….in working class and poor white folks…
and he is right…however…NO ONE in the Repub party stood up these forces….NO ONE…and in fact the Romney campaign embraced them…why?….to get their votes….
and they are not talking about getting rid of those voices…because as they should have learned…that they cannot be controlled….
The question now is …Who is this Repub party….and will they still continue to stroke that racist…sexist…and homophobic hysteria…for an answer….just look to the states where they are in control…and you will see…
i think that you will see a continuation of their mission to take away our rights….
November 12, 2012 at 5:26 pm
Wowie Zowie…! That's some photo… And he can run a country, too…! And danged well.
Thanks, Chips… And loved seeing my dear friend BetseyC's post!!
November 12, 2012 at 5:34 pm
Hope this is so!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/11/12/richard-carmona-monitoring-election-results/?wprss=rss_election-2012 -
November 12, 2012 at 5:36 pm
ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT, Nov 12 – The United States will determine in the next several weeks how many troops it will keep in Afghanistan as part of a residual force following the drawdown of most combat forces at the end of 2014, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Monday.
Panetta said the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General John Allen, had submitted several recommendations for an enduring presence which were being reviewed by the Pentagon and White House.
"My hope is that we'll be able to complete this process in the next few weeks," Panetta told reporters flying with him to Australia. "I'm confident that we'll be able to get to the right number that we're going to need for the post-2014 enduring presence."
Panetta explained that the different options took into consideration the different types of missions for U.S. forces in the post-2014 period, including counter-terrorism, training Afghan forces and advising them.
"All of those are being carefully reviewed," Panetta said.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Todd Eastham)
November 12, 2012 at 7:07 pm
They know if they keep on fighting it, it will assure their ass is grass in 2014.
November 12, 2012 at 5:54 pm
law of the land, and coincidentally, florida voters just scored the big whomping mandate!
November 12, 2012 at 7:02 pm
" law of the land " Exactly! I was about to post same thing when I saw your post. And yes, the ppl of fla have spoken. Also. Too.
November 12, 2012 at 5:58 pm
Listening to Krishna Das and celebrating the festival of Light right now.
November 12, 2012 at 5:58 pm
Thank you, amk:) Happy Deepavali to you, as well! ( I looked it up…Who you calling lazybones!)
November 12, 2012 at 5:58 pm
Happy New Year, I think…. I remember is school where there are so many different ways of spelling Deepavali!
November 12, 2012 at 5:57 pm
The GOP Is The Food Stamp Party
By LOLGOP
Many of these workers who lost their good government jobs are unemployed or forced to take wages so low that they still qualify for food stamps. In 2010, 41 percent of those who received food aid had jobs.
Blue states tend to take better care of the poor and also take steps to prevent poverty by spending more on education.
"By nearly every measure, people who live in the blue states are healthier, wealthier, and generally better off than people in the red states," according to The New Republic's Jonathan Cohn.
Republican states not only benefit most from government support, their policies create the need for food stamps in the first place.
November 12, 2012 at 6:10 pm
I can't. It's time for that sucka to get a real job and see if an employer/employees will put up with that b.s. 😦
November 12, 2012 at 7:01 pm
I am sure he will have no problem getting a job at Fox News. I doubt that people like him, or Sarah Pallin, know how to perform in real jobs.
November 12, 2012 at 6:00 pm
Sorry—-but—-now being reported that Broadwell did have "sensitive military information" on her computer. Petraeus denied giving it to her, said she must have been given this info by other commanders while in Afghanistan. Thus, the defense atty.
http://www.nwherald.com/2012/11/12/petraeus-shocked-to-hear-of-emails-associates-say/ahr1j33/ -
November 12, 2012 at 6:37 pm
Jill Kelley, the Tampa woman, has also hired atty., Washington lawyer Abbe Lowell, Jack Abramoff's and John Edward's lawyer.
November 12, 2012 at 7:12 pm
Um has anyone informed her that their client's didn't fair so well. Someone send her an email -OH Wait make it a memo please.
November 12, 2012 at 6:51 pm
Looks like we might be keeping Gabby Gifford's seat if this lead holds up!
November 12, 2012 at 6:55 pm
OK . . . went over the dark side (Mitt's website) but they only had link to Facebook page up. Here are two comments (had to laugh):
Jim Pierson: God bless you Mitt, America lost a golden opportunity to have the best President since Reagan. Washington is sorely lacking morality something you no doubt could have supplied.
Elizabeth Startz-Stec: Well said by you as we'll, Jim Pierson. Romney in many ways would have been another Ronald Reagan.
Another Ronald Reagan!!!!!
November 12, 2012 at 7:05 pm
Well, they would have been correct. Another senile old man who is propped up by his wife and campaign advisors.
November 12, 2012 at 7:07 pm
No. The lying techniques of willard and ronnie are totally different. With willard it's constant, blatant and shameless. With ronnie it was kindly, forgetful and clueless. Not the same at all.
November 12, 2012 at 8:12 pm
one is pretending, the other is prevaricating. amounts to the same thing–if their mouths are moving, don't believe what comes out.
November 12, 2012 at 7:12 pm
Once again inquiring minds want to know, what has happened to 'Rinse Privates'?


text: M. Jooand, alias Leo Taxil, who promised to produce "Diana Vaughan " at a lecture to a meeting in Paris, acknowledged at the gathering what most people have long known — that she never existed save in his imagination. The Paris correspondent of the Times telegraphs : — " Taxil announced that Diana was one of a series of hoaxes. He had begun, he said, by persuading the Commandant of Marseilles that the harbour was infested with sharks, and a ship was sent out to destroy them. He next invented a lacustrine city on the Lake of Geneva — a story which drew tourists and archaeologists to the spot. He ironically tha aked the bishops and Catholic newspapers for facilitating his crowning hoax — namely, his conversion, his penitential retreat with the Jesuits, his audience of the Pope, the Pope's rebuke to the Bishop of Charleston for denouncing the anti-Masonic confessions as a fraud, and the Papal blessing to Diana Vaughan, who was a simple typewriter in his employ, but who laughingly allowed her name to be used by him in letters and pamphlets. The audience received these shameless revelations with mingled indignation and contempt, and Taxil was mobbed on leaving the hall, so that policemen had to escort him to a neighbouring cafe." — Catholic Times.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A week from tomorrow, Univision is launching the first remake of what I feel was the best telenovela ever made, "Betty La Fea." I'm holding my breath because we all know what most remakes end up doing to the original, and Betty does not deserve that fate. The original "Betty La Fea" (translated as Betty the Ugly) was a perfect blend of perfectly chosen cast with a story that touched both the usual ugly duckling story chords but also a national chord in its home nation, Colombia. The beautiful swan emerged in a country beset with drug corruption and gave viewers a reason to hope for intelligence, sincerity, and honesty winning both economic and romantic success. The secondary characters were like family, dysfunctional mainly, but like family, and the whole country rooted for Betty in ways that made the final Ross/Rachel coupling here look like a quick exit out of the room.
I'm a big telenovela fan, at least in concept. Too many of them are the "two men (brothers, best friends, business rivals) fall in love with the same impossibly beautiful woman" story, with the same interchangeable plots, characters, and, for the women at least, body parts, sometimes in this period, sometimes in some Zorro-looking place (these automatically get unwatched in my household). But when they're done right, with imaginative plots and creative twists, they give you the best of the soap opera (yes, those words appeared together in a sentence) with the emotional closure of a good chick movie (and those words did, too). For all the soap opera elements, telenovelas END. That makes them so much better than these ongoing afternoon laugh riots on US TV. And then you get to see the same actors turn up for another one, now good guys when just bad guys, strong when just weak, etc., and develop your favorites over the years and feel sorry for the ones, more often women, who can't seem to escape playing the inevitable whore.
Do you need to know Spanish to enjoy telenovelas? It helps, I suppose, although I don't know much (but have learned some from watching--ladies, if someone calls you a "fulana," smack them). You'd be surprised just how much raised eyebrows and intonations get messages across (couldn't you really tell what was going on in an American soap opera pretty much with the sound turned off?) You do need to know that, if "Tia" is making moves on "Sobrino," this is not really something you should endorse (and it's happened recently, on "La Madrastra," the umpteenth remake of a particularly successful mystery, my third favorite telenovela of all time, after "Betty" and "La Usurpadora," about two twin females separated at birth without knowing about the other, one good, one evil, the evil one blackmailing the good one into replacing her at home while she goes out and frolics and, of course, the good one falls in love with the noble but love-blinded hero who . . . just think of it as a grown-up "Parent Trap" without the parents and with a lot of short skirts and cleavage, another somewhat attractive feature of the genre.)
The Spanish problem is about to become less of a problem (Telemundo, which did the original "Betty," had already captioned its shows in English). US networks reportedly are about to launch their own versions this summer, to try the format on American audiences, some shows with actual telenovela experience. I'm not sure how that will work, given those networks generally well-demonstrated failure genes and how other imports have such a mixed track record. I'll give them a chance but not invest too much, a skill you learn quickly, separating the telenovelas that will give you something tasty versus the ones that are giving you the same old crap wrapped in a new tortilla.
I feel the same about the "Betty" remake, called "La Fea Mas Bella" (The Ugly Most Lovely). I've seen most of the leads in other shows and frankly question how they can match the originals, but we'll see. Like many remakes, if you didn't see the first, the story alone may carry you through this one, not knowing how much better it was with the better actors. Or, maybe it will be really good, like "La Madrastra," putting in its own touches and saving the gems from the earlier efforts. "Betty" was such a good story and show that, even if this is a paler version, it might still be worth seeing. I'll check in occasionally with reviews and comments. It is certainly likely to outclass almost anything that's on against it right now.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Betty La Fea, the best telenovela ever
Posted by berlin niebuhr at 7:46 AM
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text:
BettingWar necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 45 diseños de 19 diseñadores freelance.
Betting War is an online sports betting community that revolves around the notion that users have a permanent record of their predictions and actions.
Currently, the site is in development, but I am looking for a logo that encompasses both sport and the competitive aspect of the site.
The logo will be the basis of the website design, which I will hold a contest on this site after the logo is created. I do not have a specific image in my head of how the logo should look or feel, but I like the concept of associating sports with war (think Kellen Winslow quote).
I would like the logo to incorporate an image as well as the site's name. I will give a ton of 1:1 feedback as well as feedback to the whole group, and so my concept will become clearer over time.
Check out the online sports betting community site. Also, check out my past contest for some indication of what I am looking for.
- sleek and modern logo that can stand on its own
- looking to integrate an image with the words "Betting War"
- want to encompass sports in the logo
- web 2.0 for an eventual social media site
- look for an easily scalable logo (e.g. vector format)
- not looking for a cheesy football icon logo
- not looking for simply font of Betting War


text:
Does anybody have any cool apps...that we preferably free?? My next question is this: I have a ministry and was wondering what apps would be good to do different things to help make things a little easier for this new ministry. <thanks-sarah>
There's a lot of apps to choose from for your ministry! What kind of ministry are you talking about? If I know I could recommend some apps. Just search in app store and in the net, you'll find a lot. A blessed day!
Hello Sarah - welcome to the forum! Now, there are tens of thousands apps for the iPad, so you will really need to be more specific regarding your needs? Go the the App Store were the apps are categorized and look to see what you may need - many are free and the paid ones are often cheap; read the reviews and decide. Then, re-post here once you have come up w/ your immediate wants - good luck in your search!
Hi Sarah, you could start with a free app called AppStart, it has lots of reviews and advice about apps that are available for your iPad as well as tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your iPad. The Archangel
Appshopper is a really good app for finding free apps it also lists apps that are on sale on both iPhone and iPad
I use Keeper for private stuff that I want on multiple devices that is secure , Diary for daily journals, BibleES for audible Bible, Kindle for Bible related ebooks, YouVersion Bible . It's free, has lots on translations, highlight and notes and available offline reading, a daily devotional ability, read the Bible in a year capable plus lots more. Hope that helps <>< Support Our Troops!!! This post was Tapatalk approved Sent from this Galaxy
Also, there are a lot of sales this weekend as well as apps that we usually pay for for free so try to take advantage of them.
Thanks everyone! I really don't even know where to begin to look for apps...like I know that there are a lot out there but I don't even know where to begin! I am basically a Traveling musician who really wants to start to utilize the iPad. Not hat any of this is helping me figure out what apps to download!! I have installed most of your suggestions and will be trying them out.