Zed!

1?

That’s a trick question, right?

Um, why the hell would it have to be pointed out to that Sen. Kennedy doesn’t hate America?

Because it’s been a key republican talking point for decades that Ted Kennedy is a drunken lecherous America-hating Democrat. McCain is getting beaten up as badly over co-sponsoring legislation with Kennedy as he is for not supporting their beloved Tax Cuts for the Rich for a little while anyhow.

Is this a rhetorical question?

I would like ‘Infinitely” for a thousand and the win, Alex.

I’d like to answer the question, but I haven’t found an IQ test that measures ethical corrosion.

Just the thought of Kathleen Parker pisses me off.

On the eve of the Iraq war, I saw Ted on the chris matthews. He was visibly distraught, after doing, apparently, everything he could to prevent the coming ship wreck and failing. He took it personally, unlike any other senator, that his country was being trashed.

Watching him made it really sink in what was coming down.

Poor Pegster.

George Dubya singlehandedly destroyed the Republican Party (her words).

Even Edward Moore Kennedy looks good now.

why the hell would it have to be pointed out to that Sen. Kennedy doesn’t hate America?

somebody hasn’t been listening to their daily dose of wingnut radio. it’s because Limbaugh/O’Reilly ad fucking nauseam has been telling them that Sen. Kennedy DOES hate America.

somehow…SOMEHOW…we have to ensure that these asshats get booted off the public airwaves, and back onto the stool at the end of the bar, which is where a saner nation kept them for years, ranting their fool heads off in between shots of cheap whiskey.

Good post, BT!

Did anyone see her on “A Daily Show” the other day? What an arrogant bitch!

Heh. That’s like asking, “How hypocritical are the actions of the GOP?”

There are not units that measure that high – infinite doesn’t begin to come close.

somebody hasn’t been listening to their daily dose of wingnut radio. it’s because Limbaugh/O’Reilly ad fucking nauseam has been telling them that Sen. Kennedy DOES hate America.

Yeah, I’m well aware of the wingnut meme that The Left Hates America. I’m merely pointing out that Nooner is apparently unaware how batshit insane the meme is, because to her its apparently taken for granted.

Usually the Canadian Diplomats can get their messages through to the American politicians but for the Iraq invasion, most of the American politicians were only too willing to ignore facts and walk lockstep with BushCo.

LOL !!!

((((( jacqrat )))))

Here’s another question:

What are the odds the Labor Dept held release until today their “new report that ended a 52-month streak of national job growth.”

so that Bush’s SOTU earlier this week could include the quote:

“America has added jobs for a record 52 straight months.”

That’s another trick question, right? Is “infinite” acceptable odds?

Zero.

Employment report is always released on the first Friday of the following month unless the collection week (containing the second Tuesday) of the month in question is too close to the end of the month to get the processing done, as sometimes happens for the February report. In that case, the employment report would be released the second Friday of March.

One issue you don’t need a tinfoil hat for.

Poor Pegster.

George Dubya singlehandedly destroyed the Republican Party (her words).

Yeah, the media just reported that guy being installed, and then they were hawks…/s

That’s not so much a tinfoil hat issue as a “you’ve lied to me 958 times in a row, what are the odds you’re telling me the truth this time” question. Lord knows I have a collection of EXTREMELY stylish tinfoil chapeaux, but I wasn’t wearing one this time!

My favorite memory if Teddy Kennedy was on a CSpan show where he read his book – My Senator and Me: A Dog’s Eye View of Washington to a group of children. It was amazing to see a senior senator and his gentle ways with the kids and his dog. He was clearly in Grandpa mode and it was very entertaining.

Geez, without the blogs no one outside of 15 miles of Seattle would have even known who March Burner was. I went to a rally in South Pugent Sound and the only reason people knew of her was because of the internet. If she wants to beat Reichart, she better not burn her DEM blogger bridges because people up there vote for him because he was police chief more than for his GOP politics. The uniformed morons equate being police chief with being an honorable straight shooter, as if that had anything to do with politics.

Okey dokey.

The job numbers for the previous month come out at the beginning of the following month. The number is an estimate and usually has to be revised a month or two later when more detailed data is available.

That said, one of the biggest lies of the Bush Administration is the one about job growth. Here is an item on this issue from my scandals list. The take home message is this. In 7 years, Bush created 6 million jobs. In 8 years, Clinton created nearly 23 million.

298. Bush job creation. Looking at Bureau of Labor Statistics seasonally adjusted numbers for nonfarm jobs (defined as those not involving farm work, general government, private households, or nonprofit organizations serving individuals), in its first 7 years (from January 2001 to December 2007), the Bush Administration created 6,024,000 jobs or ~72,000/month. 150,000 to 200,000 per month would be expected to accompany an economic expansion. During this same period, the economy lost 3,186,000 manufacturing jobs. These are the jobs that traditionally have had good wages and benefits and now account for only about 13.9 million of the nation’s 138.5 million nonfarm jobs (or about 10% of them).
By contrast in the 8 years of the Clinton Administration (from January 1993 to December 2000), 22,759,000 nonfarm jobs were created or ~237,000/month (more than 3 times the Bush rate). At the same time, manufacturing jobs showed a modest increase of 391,000. Despite his protestations to the contrary, these numbers paint a dismal picture of job growth during the Bush years.

Good to know, thanks.

Seems maybe there was a quick peak at that 52 month number ?? Otherwise, how would Bushie know?

Slightly OT, but has anyone heard if Richardson or Edwards are going to endorse befor Tuesday? I see where the union endorsements are going to Obama.

if union endorsements go to oboma I think we can say hillary has to look for either next election or a vice president spot on the ticket

Oh the economy was weakening & W’s econ staff had to know that worse was ahead.I don’t remember his statement but even if there had been a job decline in the last month or so before the SOTU, he could have cited the increase over the prior year.

Actually, i don’t think Peggy Noonan is stupid. She is deeply disingenuous and dishonest, and she is every bit as calculating as any politician could ever hope to be. she probably has little or no respect for Ted Kennedy. she saw an opportunity to use Kennedy’s endorsement of Obama to stick the knife in Hillary’s back and polish Reagan’s knob with Teddy’s words (she’s a necrophilliac if there ever was one). not stupid, that Peggy. Nasty, with tailored clothes, a pleasant voice and parlor manners, she is.

Thanks for that Hugh.

I’m merely pointing out that Nooner is apparently unaware how batshit insane the meme is, because to her its apparently taken for granted.

sorry, BT, if my comment seemed hostile. it’s the usual “snark not translating correctly” thing.

I guess what I’m saying is that most of the batshit insane memes that wind up in Noonan’s mouth (and much of the other “respectable” right–the Corner, et al…) start with Rush/Bill.

most of my friends chastise me for listening to wingnut radio, but even though, yes, it DOES make my ears and brain bleed, it’s also proven to be an accurate barometer of GOP talking points to come. it was them who started the “illegal alien” fear meme, well before the rest of the GOP fell in line.

Ha…name one conservative/republican that you could say this about with a straight face:

“holds a deep love for his country, that he feels a reverence for the presidency and a desire that America be represented with grace abroad and stature at home.”

I know I can’t say that about any conservatives, but could name a slew of conservatives (most) that are undermining America, American values, and the American people.
.

Can’t believe you have the fortitude to listen to wingnut radio. More power to ya. What are they saying after the D debate?

if union endorsements go to oboma I think we can say hillary has to look for either next election or a vice president spot on the ticket

could we at least have Super Duper Tuesday first?

Ha…name one conservative/republican that you could say this about with a straight face

I cannot imagine anyone saying that about any member of the Bush family.

Peggy Noonan is so dumb,we are speechless

How Stupid Is Peggy Noonan?

Is that a trick question?

patriot or traitor?

Let’s see — in wingnut land, all Democrats are traitors. Ergo . . .

Does this mean the Pegster is about to be sent to a wingnut craptastic re-edjumacation camp? The one where you’re forced to watch the greatest speechifyin’ of Commander Codpiece 24/7 — until you see the one true finger and love GOP Big Brother.

The difference ? Kathleen Parker isn’t a totally brainwashed member of the cult . Occasionally stops drinking the Kool-Aid and is repulsed by W &Co.’s antics. The Pegster? As I’ve asked before ( and not found an answer), how do I get my own Stepford pundit ? Wouldn’t it be cool ( for short while, anyway) to have somebody telling evryone that you’re just wonderful, and everything you do and say is brilliant …..and have at least half the listeners actually believe it? ;D

As to the main topic, I’ve tried, and mostly failed, to explain to the TRUE BELIEVERS that everyone can be assumed to be patriotic and love the country, unless they explicitly say otherwise . (Only heard the contrary once, ever) . They just can’t seem to understand that loud , often bombastic and jingoistic , histrionics aren’t necessary . It might be that a sizeable number come from the evangelical tradition of “witnessing” . If you aren’t willing to do that (about religion) , then yoour commitment to your faith is in doubt . *shrug* Don’t know .

But maybe Peggy does have a valid point when she writes:

…need men and women who will come forward ….to name tendencies within that are abusive or destructive, to throw off the low and grubby.

Whodathunk that Peggy was so insightful about her brand of swill. Long past time to “throw off the low and grubby“.

That’s the best description I have ever heard of the Repubs and done by a Repub, too. That’s pretty special. I will remember to use it often.

I find this paragraph somewhat troubling to say the least:

“As much attention as the decision of the stars of the Kennedy family to endorse Sen. Obama received this week, it has still not been given its due. This was a break with the establishment and from the expected, and it may carry a price. The Clintons are deeply wired into their party, they run many money lines and power lines, and Hillary Clinton is still, in the Super Tuesday states, in the lead. Will the lives of those who rebelled against her be made more pleasant if she wins? The Clintons have never had the wit to be forgiving.”

So I guess Peggy’s point was that Ted stepped into the breach to prevent the Whitehouse from being turned into a trailor park. I don’t think that was it. That’s reminsiscent of the Whig fears about Andrew Jackson’s crowd and, a little bit, the fear of the entrenched wealthy about letting anyone of Irish descent into the Whitehouse.

glenn greenwald at his usual perspicacious best let’s us know that Harry Cave-in Reid is at it again on FISA and the PAA.
60-vote threshhold so goopers dont have to filibuster on some amendments and 50-vote threshhold on ones that wont get a majority.
meanwhile, the goopers get to push even more draconian eavesdropping through if they get 50 votes.
read it and weep.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/
(you have to wait 10 seconds to be able to click through free to the piece.)

OT..Maybe a slight ray of hope on FISA..From Feingold:

If the final bill produced by the Senate doesn’t protect the privacy of law abiding Americans or if it includes immunity for telecom companies, I will strongly oppose it and will vote against cutting off debate on it.”

TPM

I guess blocking cloture is still possible..certainly more likely than a majority vote to strip amnesty.

interesting follow-up downstairs re Sandeep

Polling shows Clinton with a slight lead goin into super tuesday- but fading- Obama on the rise. McCain seems on the verge of locking it up despite Willards millions.
“
I’m OK with either dem and willing to fight hard to keep either gooper out of the White House. They’re both bought and paid for by Richard Mellon Scaife INC. Both want more justices like Thomas, Scalia, et al.

That was my read..with voting history, the Thugs win.

This is one of those speaker-illustrative comments akin to Bill O’Reilly’s observation that visiting a black-owned-and-operated cafe was “just like” visiting a white cafe. The ideas can only be assembled if the speaker starts from a basis of bigotry.

In this case Noonan simply assumes that every wingnut hates Kennedy and then pats herself on the back for considering otherwise.

Looks as if the goops are about to nominate a 70 year old dinosaur who’s about five feet tall, totally classless and with a tumor the size of a grapefruit on his cheek…who conservatives hate….

Nice job goops- pleasure doin business with ya.

I guess what I’m saying is that most of the batshit insane memes that wind up in Noonan’s mouth (and much of the other “respectable” right–the Corner, et al…) start with Rush/Bill.

*Raises hand sheepishly*

I may have to take responsibility for one of the latest, re Hillary & the “Immigration Contest” Not sure , but somebody may have pinched my lines , twisted them , and passed ‘em around . In the last few months , just to poke some of the wingy-est immigration nuts , occasionally post the following, re illegal immigrants :”Think of it as a test . If they’re smart enough, good enough, or lucky enough to not get caught for 5+ years , shouldn’t we want them on Team USA , ASAP? ” &/or “If we can’t find ‘em, how much trouble are they actually causing?”( got banned @ RedState, possibly for that. ;D) Now I’m seeing and hearing that Hillary thinks ~ that , and if they win the “contest” they should win the prize of becoming legal . Don’t know if I contributed , but the thought of THEM borrowing from ME , the “enemy”, for talking points is hilarious.

rwcole, mccain is their only hope to win the office, that hope will be facilitated by hillary or oboma or both on our ticket

do not underestimate mccain, if anyone in his party has a chance it’s this man

Don’t usually learn much from noonan ceptin she’s a good bellweather of gooper thinking. When she declared GW Bush dogmeat- that made it official.

Yeah, but what does it say about the Democrats that there’s a significant risk he could win… if not on the merits, but because of a failure to challenge uniformly fixed voting results.

Someone is scrambling as we type, bet on it.

I agree and am fascinated that he even wants the job. He is 2 years younger than I am and I can say without a doubt that he does not have the energy that he is trying to show. I know that and can’t imagine why he is not content to spend the rest of his life in the Senate. It’s a puzzle to me but then, I never lusted for power either.

This is one of those speaker-illustrative comments akin to Bill O’Reilly’s observation that visiting a black-owned-and-operated cafe was “just like” visiting a white cafe. The ideas can only be assembled if the speaker starts from a basis of bigotry.

Exactly. Noonan, like her fellow wingnuts, was ignorant of Kennedy’s patriotism, wisdom, and stature. She begins by blaming the left for not pointing this out, and she has the insane notion that her insight will be given credence by the other side. What a fool!

Once the dems hang GW Clusterfuck around McCain’s bloated neck- he’ll be history. I don’t think a gooper can win this time around. If he defends Clusterfuck he loses. If he attacks him- he loses.

Funny thing is , a lot of the RWers think McCain is their only chance to lose, and that should Romney beat the “Enemy of the Republic” etc, he’s almost a sure thing.

Goopers still cling to the belief that the only way to win is to go further right- there is a parallel move in the dem party.

low battery

later

the base cannot possibly want the mutt to be their candidate, The Mormon religion is even more removed from Christianity then the Muslim religion

they will mobilize to defear hillary but not for a mormon

ianam

(I am not a mormon)

I have an 83 year old friend who still runs the business he owns, manufacturing ceramic insulators for hi-tech applications, travels about 100 days/year, skis, etc. It can be done. Depends on the genes.

My Q is when will McCain’s temper blow up?

Liz Cheney, who just joined Romney’s campaign, was on the teevee merrily defending “harsh interrogation techniques”, because using them has saved so many Americans. Oh, really…they have…pray tell?

his temper might be an asset, it depends on how it’s represented in the media

and we both know the media will do all they can to shed the very best light on it if it rears it’s head, he is a republican after all

It can be done, of course, but McCain’s body has taken a lot of punishment and his temper has to put terrible stress on his blood pressure. With the weight of the presidency on his shoulders he might not live out one term – that is, if he made it through a campaign. He moves sorta like I do when I get out of bed – slowly.

Fair ‘nuf.

I also expected Rudy to blow up and he didn’t. So perhaps I should stop holding my breath.

I won’t read the article — it’s pointless — but I’ll wager she had to praise Kennedy to praise the Obama endorsement to get at Clinton. At this point, the GOP establishment, Kristol, etc., are praising Obama’s “destruction of the Clinton dynasty,” or something like that. Which kind of begs the question: do Republicans really want to have Hillary as the nominee? If so, why are they rejoicing to see Hillary’s campaign so shaky?

I cast my vote for Edwards 2 days before he dropped and would still do that today. Since the debate last night when they both did so well, I can’t imagine the problem of trying to decide between them for next Tuesday and after. Tough choice.

Very.

Seems like he’s pretty good about keeping a lid on it in public.

Shamnesty!!!!! I won’t stand for it. It’s either a double fence – nothing less – or you don’t love America.

If I ever have a hard time explaining the meaning of the word unctuous, I try to find a Peggy Newnan clip.

The best abusers always are good at presenting another face in public.

Once the dems hang GW Clusterfuck around McCain’s bloated neck- he’ll be history.

The Democrats aren’t organized enough to do that.

OT… I received a classy letter from Chris Dodd thanking me for my support and friendship (and I did very little, only a $50 contribution and a letter when he withdrew congratulating him on his support of the Constitution) and his determnation to continue his fight.

Also, thanks for this thread and the previous one on the Dem debate. The tone of comments has changed dramatically (thank god, or somebody, whoever she might be). I was beginning to think we didn’t need Repug blogs since comments here were close to echoes.

Further, we should not let fear (of what the losers will throw at our nominee) deter us. Where are the strains of “any Democrat can beat any of their candidates”? We can do it; yes, we can!!

And thanks, Crosstimbers, for your persistent support for reason.

Kathleen Parker is a dimwit.

She had an article once abouyt how the Democrats were weak, naive, you know the rest. It was that Danish cartoon of Mohammed incident (or kerfuffle seems to be the preffered word here. I like it.) And some Democrats said things like we have to be careful when dealing with other cultures. Surrender monkeys!!!! says Parker. Spent a whole column on it. I send an e-mail ponting out that te State Department had issued a statement saying the exact same thing. She responded “You’re right, but that was after my column went to press.” So she corrected her mistake, right???????? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. If it happens after jher couln goes to press, I guess it didn’t happen (if it undercuts her dumb assed bablings.)

Some people use dirty words.

OT..I am shocked..GOP..fraud??

“As part of our ongoing efforts to institute and strengthen financial controls at the National Republican Congressional Committee, we learned earlier this week of irregularities in our financial audit process. Since these irregularities may include fraud, we have notified the appropriate law enforcement authorities.

TPM

Dear Beer, I’ve even begun to love you.

Peggy just likes to use words like “grace”"reverance” and “stature” and since she cannot use those words about Shrub (or any prominent republican these day), so she went for an american icon. Can you blame her?

david letterman, top ten overhead at dick cheney’s birthday party (perris’s note, he’s 6o something, he seems much older)

#5) hey look, lyn is making out with condoleca!

[biggest laugh on that one]

That’s the funniest thing I’ve read all day. The Rs committed fraud. My word.

OT..Unhappy thoughts from Chris Bowers:

Long-term, right now I think the most likely scenario for the nomination is that Clinton and Obama remain pretty close in pledged delegates, but through early voting in February 5th states, super delegates, and arguments over Florida and Michigan, Clinton eventually cobbles together enough support to seal the nomination sometime in March. The best analogy might end up being the way Mondale, despite losing almost all of the final primaries to Hart, eventually sealed the nomination via Super Delegates in 1984. The party will be divided, and the Republican nominee will be strong. And so, despite having the most favorable national electoral outlook Democrats have seen in over thirty years, we will actually be significant underdogs in the presidential campaign.

OL

Hillary should recognize the incredible momentum Obama is generating in all states, and from all kinds of people, and gracefully drop out (obviously need to see what happens Tues first). Can she not see that she is not having this same effect on people? She started out as “inevitable” and is barely holding on now that she’s had to actually go head-to-head with Obama.

If she really was more concerned about “getting a Democrat” in the White House, she’d drop out soon. If this drags on to the Convention, and there’s a super-delegate or Michigan/Florida issue, it would show it’s all only about a power grab for Hillary and her friends.

Does she respect the will of the people more, or political gamemanship?

How do they get waxed fruit to talk like that? I can understand the new car smell, they just squirt a sponge with toxic chemicals and you get the same rush you did the first week before it could air out and provide atmosphere that wouldn’t be condemned by FEMA, what the hell am I saying?
But how do you prop it up and get all that animate behavior? They are doing wonderful things with cyber technology. You would think they would try to present it in a way that was attractive to the potential buyer.
bring back commies so john birch can be resurrected as the anti cheese and he and l. ron rhubarb can have a death match to open the show for bill donahue and bill maher.
who volunteered to mechanize her? isn’t that a crime against bushneyism?

Steve in AZ

Nice catch. I wonder? All those rep Congressmen who just deicded not to run for re-election? Do they know something about what’s going on at hte RCCC? Couuld this fraud also implicate violation of campaign finance laws?

We should keep an eye on this story. It looks popcorn worhty

Ah! Exactly what I was thinking…

Oof…meant to reference this comment instead.

Don’t understand. Why should she drop out when only a tiny % of the people have even voted? I was supporting Edwards but she has a right to stay in.

I base that opinion on the incredible amount, and wide variety of endorsements Obama has been getting. Plus, the huge, massive shift in the polling across the country. Hillary is currently standing the way of this unprecedented outpouring of support for Obama.

Of course, if she dominates on Super Tues, she’ll probably ride that to the nomination, but I feel that’s mostly based the last 5+ years of the BigMedia telling us Hillary’s inevitable and her name-recognition. The gains by Obama in recent months in the polls are absolutely stunning, considering where he has come from.

-Blush-

Remember the earlier version when Hillary was inevitable? Didn’t pan out. Don’t make the same mistake with Obama. He is not inevitable either. Let the elections and the voters decide. Not a few endorsements giving the impression of a giant wave of momentum.

We are at a point where the voters should be considering only ONE thing. Who is the strongest candidate in the general election. With Hillary’s negatives, it seems to me it has to be Obama. At this point, it really doesn’t matter who you like best, it is who has the best chance of winning.

Yes, I agree. That’s why I kept saying wait until Super Tues. If Hillary wins, I don’t think it’ll be because there’s huge wave of support for her. It’ll be because people are used to her and her name, and she has run a fairly good campaign. Obama’s still a little unusual for people to wrap their heads around and get comfortable with. Even so, he still might be winning this thing, which is amazing.

Again, once people get to see Obama and Clinton together, it’s obvious Obama is creating a huge spark in the electorate. I’m not basing it on only endorsements. I’m basing my opinion on South Carolina, where he got OVER DOUBLE the amount of VOTERS to vote for him. That’s absolutely incredible! He dominated in Iowa, which is much different than S.C. He won the delegates in Nevada and nearly won them in NH (I think?). As John Edwards said, he wanted to step out of the path of history. Hillary should do the same IMHO.

Is it irresponsible to speculate that Kennedy is a drunk, commie-loving bastard who hates America?
It is irresponsible not to.

I read it.

My eyes! What have you done to my eyes?

And my brain too. I think I may have damaged it by reading that. If stupid were contagious, New York would have to be quarantined just because of her.

Let the voters decide this election. Clinton and Obama should stay in until one of them gets the votes necessary to get the nomination. It would be a real treat for me to actually get to cast a meaningful vote in a primary. It hasn’t happed yet in 36 years.

I think either of the Democrats will win big in November as long as we all do our part and work towards making it possible. I know I will.

Didn’t three Union Endorsements in California just go to Obama? Of course there’s the UFW, which has a very strong sentimental pull with many, even Urban, Chicanos…and they went to Hillary.

The race in Cali is going to be close…likely splitting the Electoral votes…but who will get the “I won” prestige is going to be interesting. Most opf those I know who supported Edwards, who didn’t submit an absentee ballot, seem to be leaning Obama.

Didn’t the NY Branch of NOW called Teddy a traitor for endorsing Obama?

I don’t recall he swore an oath on the NOW Biblke to “protect and defend the constitution of Hillary”, or even pledged allegiance to her red dress!

I find her voice and her style unctious. Not pleasant to my ears, content aside.