Howard Dean on Bipartisanship Lost on Obstructionists

Real Health Care Reform (With a Government Option) NOW!

Dick Cheney's Ongoing Revisionism Tour

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Here We Go (Again)

Divisiveness is endemic to the new GOP ticket for Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney General. With the Republican state caucus behind them, candidates for governor (Bob McDonnell), LG (Bill Boling) and AG (Ken Cuccinelli)bring to Virginia what Lavar Stoney (Executive Director of the Virginia Democratic Party) called "the most divisive ticket in modern Virginia history." Indeed. The state Republican Party seems to dig a deeper hole for itself every time.

Here's more of what Stoney said:

The Republican Party of Virginia held their State Convention today in Richmond and as expected they have nominated the most divisive ticket Virginia has seen in the modern era.

If elected, we can expect Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling and Ken Cuccinelli to put their far-right-wing agenda ahead of the needs of Virginia's families. They will do everything they can to turn back the clock on the progress we've made under Governors Warner and Kaine.

The Republicans' choices just give us another reason to go out and work hard again this year to elect sensible, pragmatic leaders that will continue moving Virginia forward.

It's laughable that Bob McDonnell says he'll be a "jobs" governor. Not only is he the antithesis of a jobs candidate, with no plan to do that, but he flunked the first real test--by urging Virginia's legislative body to reject the stimulus for extended unemployment benefits. This ticket cares nothing about real men and women who are without work. Instead, they rely on ideological utterances and empty slogans. It seems the Virginia GOP, like it's national org just doesn't listen (or care) what America needs. More on what's wrong with the Bob McDonnell ticket as we move toward November. Suffice it to say that anyone but Bob will be our mantra. Any of the Democratic alternatives would do a better job of bringing Virginia's economy back from the brink that the party of Bush-Cheney-and Bob McDonnell brought us.

Using case of Dan Choi, Jon Stewart and John Oliver Satirize and Show the Idiocy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT)

In this video Jon Stewart and John Oliver rip into DADT and show it for the absurd policy it is.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Dan Choi Is Gay
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

Deeds Campaign Gets Defensive/Aggressive: And Reveals Something About Itself

Analysis

The overall capable and energetic Deeds campaign staffers have done a very good job in the campaign so far. However, the campaign’s apparently creating controversy where there is none. In so doing, it has created a problem of its own. And you have to wonder whether they shouldn’t have just staked out the record and let that be that. Instead, in its railing against McAuliffe about payday lending and falsely claiming that
McAuliffe “attacked” Democrats Warner and Kaine, the Deeds campaign revealed its own shortcomings. First, a little history...

This appeared in the Virginia Pilot in the fall of 1999 (11/17/1999).

The battle over whether triple-digit ``payday'' loans should be more available in Virginia will resurface in the General Assembly next January, the state's banking commissioner and consumer advocates predicted Tuesday.

But the influence of federal banking regulations have made it more difficult for Virginia and other states to curb questionable lending practices, including these high-interest loans to cash-strapped consumers, said Joe Face...

Payday lending, which resulted in usurious rates to borrowers and exploited them into graver financial peril, has been a runaway train since the bill allowing it was passed in Virginia in 2002. Indeed the claims by Deeds of “regulating” in the 2002 bill involved some word-smithing.

Whether or not the bill was marginally better than nothing was debatable. However, it was in its aftermath that the real flood of storefronts began saturating Virginia. While, in the effort to repair the damage, incrementalists, such as Deeds, all well-meaning (they even include the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, the NAACP and the Virginia Poverty Law Center, all stellar non-partisan organizations), ultimately (in 2002) opened the floodgates to extremely usurious rates—which would have been criminal only a decade ago. Calculated at an annual rate, interest rates of 391% were average. So, efforts in 2002 were both reactive to anticipated problems in Virginia following national bank deregulation, but also permissive.

Unless they voted against the original bill, though, Democrats don’t have much high ground on this particular issue. Again, saying so is not attacking them. Some of them wised up. Some of them, such as the well-intentioned Creigh Deeds, have sought to first improve and, finally, to reverse course.

The fact is, though, they didn’t do it soon enough. And so it’s pretty extraordinary that when Terry McAuliffe became the first to call for the end to payday lending (all other candidates followed in quick pursuit), the Deeds campaign tries to portray this as a liability for McAuliffe. The fact is Terry led on the issue.

In as much as Democrats were involved in the whole nuanced mess, I say, own up to it and fix it. A simple idea. Instead, on May 5th, the Deeds campaign issued a press release blasting Terry McAuliffe with a headline as follows:

TERRY MCAULIFFE ATTACKS MARK WARNER, TIM KAINE, AND GENERAL ASSEMBLY DEMOCRATS IN NEW RADIO AD
McAuliffe ad hurts Democrats' efforts to win back the House of Delegates, breaks positive campaign pledge, and gives false information

The campaign continues:

CHARLOTTESVILLE – Yesterday, Terry McAuliffe released a new radio ad that criticizes Mark Warner, Tim Kaine, and Democratic leaders in the General Assembly on payday lending reform, which is the same negative attack that Jim Gilmore used against Mark Warner in the 2008 U.S. Senate race. Instead of targeting Republicans who have stood in the way of payday lending reform, Terry's ad actually attacks the entire General Assembly, including the Democratic-controlled Senate and Democratic members of the House of Delegates.

You can listen to the audio of the McAuliffe ad here. Then, using the the text below, Joe Abbey purports that Terry McAuliffe has “attacked” Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (when he did not).

In Terry's ad, the announcer says: “But some loans come at too high [of] a price because legislation that was passed in Richmond in 2002 allowed predatory payday lenders to do business in Virginia. The legislation even allowed lenders to make loans with annual percentage rates as high as 391 percent. In these tough economic times, the legislature is finally working towards fixing this problem, but why has it taken so long to stop these lenders from preying on Virginia’s most vulnerable families? ”

And then this:

"The McAuliffe campaign's claim that Terry is the only candidate who supports a ban on payday lending is an outright lie. Every Democrat in this race has pledged to end payday lending in Virginia, but Creigh Deeds is the only one who stood with Tim Kaine earlier this year to pass meaningful payday lending reform to protect our families."

Not exactly. The McAuliffe ad did err that, in the time since McAuliffe first announced support for an abolition of payday lending, the other two candidates followed suit. But they only did so when one-upped by the McAuliffe campaign. In fact, had McAuliffe not staked out this position, it is doubtful the other two would have. We'll never know.

Then this week (May 14) the Deeds campaign released a radio ad which protracted this argument and further strained credibility. Here’s the text:

RADIO AD - "Disappointed"
Female: Disappointed.
Male announcer: Yep, disappointed that McAuliffe is attacking his opponents.
Female announcer: Even after he promised not to say anything negative?
Male announcer: And he's even attacking Mark Warner and Tim Kaine record’s in a new radio ad.
Female announcer: Really?
Male announcer: Yep, McAuliffe wants you to believe Warner, Kaine and Democrats in the legislature went easy on those payday lending companies.
Female announcer: That’s the same attack Jim Gilmore tried against Mark Warner.
Male announcer: It didn’t work then and won’t work now.
Female announcer: Kinda strange for someone like Terry McAuliffe who made millions in the high interest credit card business himself to use this deceptive Republican attack.
Male announcer: Well, it's a good thing we have a friend like Creigh Deeds fighting for us.
Female announcer: I know, it was State Senator Deeds who stood With Gov. Kaine to pass new laws that crackdown on payday lenders.
Male announcer: And Deeds is the most qualified Democrat to carry on the Warner-Kaine agenda.
Female announcer: That's why leaders like Senators Yvonne Miller, Louise Lucas and Henry Marsh are supporting Creigh Deeds for Governor.

Here the campaign goes negative while claiming the other guy is. The ad is also extremely misleading. The history of Deeds on payday lending is a lot more nuanced. The Deeds campaign claims “2002: In the initial legislation, Creigh voted for the original language to regulate payday lending in 2002 (HB940).” Previously, the loans would have been considered usurious. But, as I said earlier, the 2002 bill not only “regulated” the loans, it permitted them in the first place. In 2002 the legislature performed either the unthinkable or the good, depending upon whom you believe. Here’s the bill. The wording amended the state’s previous anti-usury laws. And here’s a summary of the law (along with other laws passed that year) From the Virginia Legislative Service back then here.

The payday lending bill was an exploitative mess. Yet since then incrementalists have taken baby steps to fix it. Rather than 1) never voted it into law in the first place, or 2) repealing it altogether, our General Assembly took the easy path, Dems and Republicans. They were so loathe to cut short a fledgling “industry” they would not do what was necessary. On April 3rd Terry McAuliffe called for an end to payday loans. Said the Richmond Times Dispatch at on April 3rd:

McAuliffe's two foes in the June 9 primary echoed his proposal, though both Sen. R. Creigh Deeds of Bath County and former Del. Brian J. Moran of Alexandria voted in 2002 to open Virginia to payday lenders.

So Deeds got “religion” on the subject echoing McAuliffe. Bandwagons are nice, but they don’t count for being the courageous first one to openly take on the wrath of the payday lending “industry.” Then on May 8th, the Deeds campaign included the the chronology in a press release:

2002: In the initial legislation, Creigh voted for the original language to regulate payday lending in 2002. [HB940]
2003: Creigh voted to support “truth in advertising” legislation for the payday lending industry in 2003. [HB1769]
2004: Creigh voted for stricter regulations on payday loan paperwork. [HB688]
2005: Creigh voted to prohibit payday lenders from lending to military personnel or their spouses if a base commander has declared a location restricted. [HB1156]
2007: Creigh voted to create an internet database of loan holders to ensure that a payday lender could not hand out anymore loans to individuals with multiple outstanding loans. [SB1014]
2008: Creigh supported legislation to cap interest loans for payday loans at 36% and to put strict regulations on the payday lending industry. [SB588, HB12]
2009: Earlier this year, Creigh co-patroned legislation to crackdown on payday lenders, which was signed into law by Governor Kaine. [SB1470]
CREIGH DEEDS ON APRIL 8, 2009: Creigh Deeds joined Governor Kaine in supporting a major crackdown on payday lenders in Virginia. [SB 1470, 4/8/09]

The upshot is that Deeds was right about one thing: There was a factual error in McAuliffe’s ad. Terry’s ad should have stated that he (McAuliffe) was the first to call for an end to payday lending. He wasn’t the only one opposing it. Yet the error hardly justified what has come next. Then, instead of just requesting a correction, the Deeds campaign tried to contrast Deeds new complete opposition to payday lending with McAuliffe's raising money (while Deeds was taking on payday lenders McAuliffe was raising money). This erroneously implied that McAuliffe supports payday lending and that Deeds was “to the rescue,” while McAuliffe was not. Then, Deeds campaign upped the ante even more, falsely claiming in both a press release and an ad that McAuliffe attacked Tim Kaine and Mark Warner. It’s possibly an act of desperation. And the Deeds campaign doesn’t need to stoop to this stuff.

This blog has been cross-posted from BlueCommonwealth.com

Are 51% of Texas Republicans are Traitors?

George Allen Can't Help Himself: Starts Anti-New Energy Org to Mislead and Obstruct Real Energy Change


George Allen wouldn't know sound energy policy if it bit him in the butt. But that hasn't' stopped him from starting a company to (mis) educate folks about energy. Here's the video with the Virginia Gubernator's smirking announcement.

McDonnell's Campaign Director (Bushie Gillespie) Shoots Himself in the Foot (But Doesn't Even Know It).

Sad Spectacle of Republican "Leadership"



Video from NLS blog.

Short Takes
I'm still blogging. But many days, it's over at Blue Commonwealth. In addition to BC, soon I'll also continue to writing here. Meanwhile, here are some articles:

Peggy Frank to Challenge Dave Nutter
Peggy Frank announced her candidacy for Delegate (7th House District). Read more here.

More About the Frank race here.

Democrats Gained a Senator Today
Arlen Specter joined forces with the Dems today.

Also from KathyinBlacksburg
--Here's an article here.

--And another.

--And another.

This Week in Health: Health Care Hypocrisy (Time to Call Your Favorite Blue Dogs)

(Cross-posted at Blue Commonwealth).

Congress is at “work” on the budget for FY beginning in October. At least some members in Congress are at work trying to bring Americans the health care insurance they want and deserve. Some have dug their ideological heels in. Meanwhile, as do many economists, President Barack Obama sees health care reform as critical to our economy, and as essential to the budget this year. With health care costs skyrocketing along with the ranks of the uninsured, we have no choice.

Yet, on cue, the whiners and obstructionists are out in force, trying to prevent anything from being done. Ourfuture.org today presented a number of quotes from Whiners, Inc. You know the guys who have health insurance but don’t want you to. You’ll want to take a look at the absurdity of many of them.

You’ll want to take a look at the absurdity of many of them. As OurFuture.org notes:

Whiner-in-chief Sen. Judd Gregg R-NH copmplained “that would be the Chicago approach to governing: Strong-arm it through….You’re talking about the exact opposite of bipartisan. You’re talking about running over the minority, putting them in cement and throwing them into the Chicago River.”

[ROTFL]

But, really. it’s not a laughing matter. I think we should ask the Repubs --and the Blue Dogs too--what’s wrong with Americans having the a choice of selecting the same plan Congress has? We pay for theirs, but they wont return the favor. If they won’t get off their duffs and give Americans universal health care insurance (including a public option), I think we should try to figure out how to take their insurance away (and maybe their pensions too--since they don’t care if we have those either). I’ll write more on pension reform tomorrow. The votes are there in the House. But in the Senate, as we all know, obstructionists have made new meaning of the 60 votes to end cloture. That leaves the reconciliation process as perhaps the only avenue. And as I have written before, any protest by Republicans about using reconciliation never includes an honest reflection on the times they used it themselves.

The Republicans (and some Dems) are the folks who want to hand you a small check and send you out on your own to buy health insurance in the “marketplace,” where many a family pays between $1600 and 2,000 or more a month. They voucher program they propose won't come close to doing what it needs to. But if everyone were in the system and risk was spread out among the entire population, premiums could be a lot less. But a voucher system is unsustainable because:

• Currently, the uninsured can cost the system more than the insured, especially when they use the ER for routine health issues.
• The already sick won’t be able to buy insurance at an affordable price.
• Those with pre-existing conditions would still have problems getting coverage.
• Over-zealous insurance claim denial (which sometimes amounts to fraud against those who have paid for coverage (would continue). This guarantees that the sick, and even the dying, must spend their time fighting with insurance to get the coverage they paid for.
• The GOP proposals offer no group-negotiated price.
• Negotiating for group pricing for either services or medication in Republican plan.
• The GOP and Blue Dog versions strip away a nationalized option.
• The Republicans don’t want to stop over-subsidizing Medicare “Advantage” plans; and neither the Blue Dogs nor the Republicans want there to be a public option (such as buying into the plan Congress has, or into Medicare.
• Worse, for those under 55, Republicans want to end admittance to Medicare (when they are 65) and put everyone into on-your-ownership

When you hear Republicans using mythic talking points, such as, “We can’t afford Cadillac coverage,” you know you are being snowed. Only the elite and execs have “Cadillac or concierge medical care. And they don’t want us to intrude into their hospital luxury suites. Yes, there is such a thing. We just don’t get to use them. It’s not that I am asking that we can, mind you. But the availability of such a two-tiered system renders the suite-sters unfit to lecture us about health care costs. No worry, their employers pick up the tab, but these same coddled elites don't want our employers to supply coverage.

Meanwhile Blue Dogs still threaten to undo everything. I’m too miffed with Evan Bayh to even get started on “that one.” The Nay-saying Republicans won’t ante up and give the American people what they want. And the whole thing threatens to make this an ugly week. That's where you come in. You can keep things from going south on health care. It’s really time to head to Washington. But until you do, please:

• Call Sen. Mark Warner: (202) 224-2023

• Or write: http://warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact

I am not sure we should label Jim Webb a “Blue Dog.” Surely, he’s more of a populist than most in Congress. But for good measure, please call or write him too.

• Call Sen. Jim Webb: (202) 224-4024

• Or write: http://webb.senate.gov/contact/

GOP Gasbags Run Out of Gas

Listen to the foolishness of the usual suspects when they condemn the Obama administration's dealing with the hostage crisis (kidnapping by pirates). PST, guys, he was successful!!!!! And I love the send-in-the-marines alternative measure. The marines do a great job, but, seriously, was this a job for a massive invasion? Talk about overkill! One would think that these talking heads only have one way of reacting --going to war when it isn't necessary. Why do I think they'll be calling for Blackwater (oops, I mean Xe) to set up an even bigger presence there than they already have?

>

A Spring Regenerative Gift for Us All: Their Time, and Even a Slice of Their Lives


[Cross-posted at BlueCommonwealth.com]

Shades of gray pencil window-shade upon ceiling, lines almost beckoning us out into the afternoon's light. This beautiful spring week, some among us celebrate rebirth and others gather in traditional Seder. In churches, synagogues, meeting halls, and homes we gather. In faith, renewal and forgiveness, we bring various faith-gifts to each other, and to our communities. And then we reflect the newness of the earth, red bud brand new, billowy decorative pear, and the slightly arching daffodils.

In this most earnest opening of spiritual spring, it is not sacrilegious, I think, to write of the challenge of transforming our yearning for renewal into a living testament, the stuff of more, or mere, mortal concern. How best do we of so many faiths transform a state and national agenda into something meaningful for all? How do we go about honoring the many, but not losing the few? Life and death issues surround us, seeming surreal some times, real-life dilemmas, such as unemployment, bridging health insurance, feeding more of our hungry-even saving lives. In many ways, it is spiritual work. But it is done in the secular world. And questions arise. Is it the spiritual thing, the stuff that religious mores are built upon, for example, to decline Virginia's share of the "stimulus bill" just to make a statement (or at least mostly to). Is that justifiable in any faith? Surely in the out years, after all, solutions could be found to cover the need when federal funding stops, or, hopefully, the recession's need does at the same time.

We are lucky here in Virginia to have three men (no women this time) who, in their run for governor, think Virginia can do much better than that --that being the way the House of Delegates, or rather its partisan leaders, managed to put the needs of the poor and unemployed squarely last. No hint of rebirth or renewal there. More than one faith celebrates this week the importance of forgiveness. How to forgive such willful neglect?

Can we build it by seeing misguided people for the humans that they are? We can do this while not excusing such neglect. Is that enough? Or is more, much more demanded of us? Those who spend time in political action see it as the most earnest translation of their ideals. And in such action, we have a way. Again, I mean no sacrilege to say that government sunlight, open votes, transparency (instead of no roll call when it's convenient) would bring renewal to our Capitol. It would be a perfect gift for such a season.

As I said, on our side of the aisle, there are three very different men with their earnest and passionate supporters. I've been thinking about the fact that each of them brings to the public arena such a profound gift. And so I have to ask: Is it fitting that we quibble with or challenge their earnestness? Would we wish ourselves to be so challenged? Most of us probably know whom we will vote for. And yet I think we'll all be well served if we focus on all the candidates' collective gifts to each of us. In addition to the obvious (time, money, sacrifice), they also have their unique voices, experiences, and even positions (some of those may not always seem like gifts :-). But they are usually formed by a lot of individual wrestling with pros and cons, and with the views of constituents not far behind. We may become unhappy with one or the other of them in coming weeks or months. I hope we can forgive their differences of opinion or even their human failings. There are people to be served, helped, and restored, after all. Our mission of reaching outside ourselves to build a more caring commonwealth is more important than any personal disappointment.

I plan to honor the gifts of each of these men (as well as those by the men and woman among the AG and LG candidates) to us, not by asking no questions. Failing to determine where they stand isn't the answer. Indeed, we owe our fellow citizens as much. Rather, I'd like to thank each of them for:

• running;
• their sacrifice;
• their energy;
• their intellects;
• their resumes of public service;
• their unique experiences and perspectives;
• discussing the role of governor of our great Commonwealth,
• for challenging a misguided, regressive notion of government that must be challenged;
• and for advancing progressive ideals.

The citizens of Virginia are depending on them--and us. And the clear light of spring invites us all to begin.

Rescue At Sea

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Countdown Takes On Obama/Holder Dubious Claim of Sovereign Immunity, Even When the US Acts Illegally by Spying against Americans.


Yesterday Countdown took on Obama/Holder dubious claim of sovereign immunity, even when the US acts illegally by spying against Americans without cause. Take a look.

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Eric Holder announced that the Obama administration not only supported Bush on state secrets in US v Jewell, but advanced a more expansive argument that the US has sovereign immunity. In other words, no one can sue the US government even when the US government acts illegally. The Electronic Frontier Foundation ‘s Kevin Bankston, litigator on behalf of the EFF in the case, discusses the case with Keith Olbermann. Take a look [here http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#30116228].

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#30116228

Bill Moyers, Glenn Greenwald and Amy Goodman Discuss Celebrity Journalism

During the aftermath of the outing of Valerie Plame, Tim Russert admitted that he presumptively considered all of his conversations with insiders confidential. It is astounding that Russert was considered the model of tough journalism, when in fact he was was essentially embedded within the highest reaches of power and acting every day to protect it.

GOP Gives Zero-based Budgeting New Meaning! (More on the GOP Non-Budget)


AS I indicated in a previous post, from the GOP, here's it's economic plan for American--the number zero, as in zero details and zero numbers (except the numbers 10% and 25% (more on that in a moment). Now that's budgeting! Every Harry and Harriet-the-Homeowner in America knows better than that. And if the GOP cannot come up with a true, meaningful alternative for the budget, then it should just pack it in, as in take a hike. In particular, the economically challenged John Boehner (R-CA) really should find another line of work. Don't get me started on Eric Cantor. Let me parse the between-the-lines of his and the GOP's "budget proposal." (Satire)

Here's what the hapless GOP stalwarts really mean:
Their Revenue Stream --Tax rates:
--Corporations: Take a tax holiday. You are all such responsible entities, "people" before our right-wing courts, and doers of good.
--Everyday folks: 10% tax rate (doesn't count "user's" fees).
--Those making over $100,000 25% (for the rich, that's three-three-three times the tax cut of Bush, and it would be the biggest tax cut for the rich in history, but never mind).

[No estimates of total revenue available--sorry. GOP doesn't want to admit this is a shut-down-the government budget.]

GOP Budget Expenditures:javascript:void(0)
--Defense and Offense: 80% of every dime it (the GOP) takes in--only to GOP supporting contractors.
--Faith Based Initiatives (Republican people of faith only need apply--"librul" religion is an oxymoron. Wait. Boehner doesn't know what oxymoron is.): 10%
--Corporate giveaways (because there isn't enough government favoritism toward corporations): 10% (and every thing else we can scrape up for 'em).

BTW, Their Idea of Oversight: GOP message to Corporations: "Have it it. Use every opportunity to install gotcha capitalism onto borrowers, telecom customers, medical consumers, and just about anyone buying anything. Have fun. Think of new ways ("products") to work over people with new and more interesting "contracts" and TOS. You don't have to worry about delivering good service or evening keeping up your end of a "contract." We don't care. PS There's no budget for oversight."

The GOP Needs Your Help: Seriously, GOP Leaders Have Lost It

Today, the GOP House leaders fronted by US Rep John Boehner produced the magic potion which will cure all of America's budget woes. But it had no numbers. Read about it here.
And here's the video.

Here's Politico's report of what happened.

House Republicans unveiled their budget plan today — just two days after President Barack Obama called them out on national TV for not having one.

But at a news conference unveiling the plan, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner was peppered with questions about why he was offering only what he called a “blueprint” and not specific details. In fact, there were few specific numbers or line items — mostly just broad outlines.

“This is a blueprint,” Boehner responded, noting that House Republicans will bring their specific budget figures to the floor next week. “Wait till next week.”

One "word" is apt: bwahahahahhahaahah!

On Eric Cantor's trip to Mars

A Caller to C-SPAN accused the Obama administration of fascism. This she says when the admin she apparently supported, was as close to a fascist state as we have ever had. She even falsely claimed the new Democratic administration was a "belligerent takeover." Cantor said nothing, apparently letting the outrageous statements pass for truth. Here's the story...

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Here's Howard Dean's take on the Cantor trip into outer space.

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