You know, I think Franken’s opponents had it right when they objected to a comedian running for office (implying that he would be more busy telling jokes than legislating). Because that was fucking hilarious.

More Franken smackdowns, please.

That clip is awesome. I like that Franken knows his stuff. Now if only Klobuchar would sign the public option petition and stop shilling for device manufacturers, Minnesotans would have themselves some good Senate representation.

Franken had a tough race last year, but I think that he’ll be untouchable next time around.

I wrote Klobuchar twice and she didn’t answer my second letter. She’s been a disappointing Senator.

Comedians seem to do a better job than the MSM too.

Zero medical bankruptcies in Swiss, France, Germany,. The GOP is cherry picking studies on cancer survival! Al is the Man he Owned the room!

Makes me ever so glad that Franken finally got thru the winger roadblock so his state can have a terrific representative in the Senate. And of course, TX has the winger solution of limits on tort awards, with absolutely no effect on costs.

Mornin’, BT, pups

I’ve seen that woman’s attitude before.

“My shit doesn’t stink.”

I’ve got news for ya, lady, your farts give you away.

Condescending b.

Oh, and this having to log in every time is getting old.

I’ll bet the lady behind Franken is a lot more fun to be around than
Diana Furchtgott-Roth.

ecahn was right. franken makes for great committee hearings.

on the topic of cost to families, this from digby:

Consider an illustrative family of three in which the father earns $35,000 from a small retailer and the mother earns $11,000 as a part-time sales clerk. Neither receives health care through his or her employer. The couple has a daughter in elementary school. The couple has avoided accruing credit card debt but has no life insurance or retirement savings. After paying basic expenses,[4] this family has about $650 a month to cover costs for clothes, car repairs and maintenance, various other household expenses, restaurant meals, and any hobbies or activities — as well as the family’s health care expenses. Under the Finance Committee bill, this family could pay $360 — 55 percent of the remaining monthly amount — to cover the cost of premiums. In comparison, under the Senate HELP bill, this family would pay $214, or 33 percent of its remaining monthly budget, for premiums. Under the House bill, the family would pay monthly premiums of about $305, or 47 percent of its remaining monthly income.

Even the more generous plans seem to be a recipe for backlash. And I don’t think the citizens have been adequately prepared for it.

and that’s just cost of premiums, not including out of pocket expenses (deductibles, copays, coinsurance) if someone should get sick.

What is the Hudson Institute? Just what kind of moron sends a hack against Al to debate stuff? Or is this lady the best they got? If so the Corporations should just stick to bribes buying Brains well it seems only second rate ones are on the market.

Great points I want a better bill!

Without single payer we’re screwed any way ya look at it.

Shorter Hudson Institute: “God wills it!”

No shit? Awww, man.

Saw your question to R downstairs. He has a doctorate degree.

Seems like the rethugs are willing to accept all the BS that groups like the Hudson Institute can throw at them.

Thomas Friedman? In what is his degree in?

The Hudson Institute is a right wing belief tank, you know they twist logic and statistics into pretzels to justify their right wing ideology. They obviously sent a defrosted patrician who must have been frozen in the 1950’s.

Furchtgott
Maybe it’s just ’cause I’m weird, but if you pronounce her name with a germanish accent, it kinda sounds like f**k it, doesn’t it?

Looking a her vacuous stare, she looks like her understanding is from her class, bankruptcy is a reorganization of the assets rather then being totally wiped out without the resources you worked your whole life for, after one illness because you weren’t born to the upper class.

These rich upper Class bastards , she represents, get it but just don’t care.

She does have that “Leave It To Beaver” look, doesn’t she? Prolly couldn’t boil water without burnin’ it, though.

Waste of money you know all the GOP groups just repeat what ever Karl says GOP think tanks are just welfare for small school bus kids who’s parents bought them degrees and have political connections.
Funny Social Darwinism is great for everyone but them but given the state of our political Elite its obvious that without money they would all be stacking shelves at Jewel.

Al is an exception.

No. Raven is the Doctor, I believe. But, I forget the field. Maybe Southern Dragon can help us out. Or the man himself if/when he gets back from walking the pups.

His doctorate is in education.

I had the same thought. Thought I saw the Beave in the audience.

so long as we waste so many hundreds of billions of dollars a year on unnecessary administrative costs, the numbers just don’t add up for me.

i don’t see any cost control of significance in any of the public options. the $110 billion over 10 years the house po is supposed to save (iirc, that’s the number), pales in contrast to the approximately $3-4 trillion over 10 years of useless administrative overhead we’re not addressing (but hr 676 would use towards providing first dollar coverage for everyone — no copays, no deductibles, no coinsurance).

if the cbo would do the cost scoring correctly (do it for household, employer, state and local gov costs as well as just the fed gov costs they are doing now), we would see how much obamacare is going to cost. i expect it will be a big increase in the approx $2.7 trillion/year we are spending now (total national healthcare expenditures).

Prolly couldn’t boil water without burnin’ it, though.

I could prolly help her with that….

mornin’ all.

Right wing belief tanks are the big leagues for home schoolers.

Ah ha, that’s right. Thanks. Things had commented below that Raven is more educated than he lets on sometimes. Perfect. The really smart ones don’t have to flaunt it, it seems. You too, btw.
Oh are you this morning? Other than having to log in alladatime.

Which part? Boiling or burning. *g* Mornin’.

patrician

Patricians used to worry about disgracing themselves in public and rousing the uneducated Plebe mob. Now the Plebes are better educated plus we have real world experience and the Patricians like George Will are uneducated (see his stance on global warming) and rousing the worse, hateful, uneducated elements of the Mob they used to fear.

Yea, what’s with having to log in every time one drops by the Lake?

Furchtgott is German: it means Fear God. Wow.

We be fine. Back into shorts and t-shirt. Froze my ass off this weekend. Must have gotten all the way down into the 50s. *g*

Sorry:) Thanks

burnin’.

(really it just takes some stick-to-it-ness) *g*

Code glitch from the makeover.

(Movie reference – and if you know the movie, it will tell you what happens when “God wills it!”)

SD, did you see my earlier comments on the last 20 days of protest for single payer? something very exciting is happening!

Just a few weeks ago the Mobilization for Health Care for All was announced (www.MobilizeForHealthCare.org). The Mobilization focuses on the denial of doctor-recommended care by the insurance industry. Sit-ins were planned at health insurance companies with demands that insurance corporations stop the denials. The Mobilization sought 100 people willing to sit-in at insurance corporations and risk arrest as people sat in at lunch counters two generations ago.

The response has been explosive, nearly 800 have signed up to risk arrest and thousands have signed up to join the protests. In the last 20 days 78 people have been arrested protesting the real death panels – the private insurance industry – who according to a California study deny doctor recommended care 20% of the time.

The Mobilization hoped to have “patients not profits sit-ins” in three cities last week, and instead it had them in nine cities. On the next Mobilization day, October 28th, there is likely to be twice as many cities protesting the insurance industry – just as Congress considers forcing Americans to buy insurance. This may be developing into the largest campaign of non-violent civil resistance since the Civil Rights era.

my bold. 78 people in 20 days and hundreds more signed up with thousands signed up in support!

http://www.counterpunch.org/zeese10202009.html

some fine video here of OB
http://mediamatters.org/blog/200910210003

this is a long video, but if you just want to see the amazing part of President Obama talking trash about goopers as the party of NO and shamelessly starting the no-to-the-olympics movement, and his riff on the socialist mop. it starts around 29 minutes.
this is in nyc at a rally to mark the virtual phone bank canvass yesterday where we got 300k people to call Congress about the public option.

Stupid is a condition.

Ignorance is a choice.

Methinks Will fits into the latter category.

True yet they do seem to prove that man or at least they are not evolving I think their very existence raises questions for Darwin.

Wow, indeed. I think the bible says fear god and obey the commandments. I don’t have a link, but it’s in my head somewhere that Fear can be interpretted as Honor. But, that’s probably from wacky lefty scholarly reading I did somewhere. Not fundy, home schooled, don’t think about anything, just believe tradition.

grab a mop!!!!

I didn’t see your coments but the Mobilize for Healthcare movement is catching everywhere. Haven’t checked it out yet but am going to later today. It is indeed very exciting. Some bozo here a few days ago said marchers were suckers. Got news for that clown, if you’ve been to jail for justice you’re a friend of mine. I was gettin’ bored over the last year anyhoo. Time to get back into action.

Thats what he wants you to think! If you are not smart enough to make an honest living and you have an education cash over pride is cold comfort unless your a Sociopath.
I will admit thats possible though.

I’m stumped, can’t think of the film.

Susan Page, “journalist”, just said on the Bill Press radio program that their will not be a public option. Said it with a chuckle. Says Olympia Snowe is the “queen” in D.C. these days. The Dems are desperate to keep her on their side. Susan Page is the D.C. bureau chief of U.S.A. Today. Susan Page, another villager that is an enemy of the people.

Yep. I don’t have the log in glitch, but I get the database error message every time a submit a comment. And, each time I refresh, I have to do it twice. I’m the least among the techies, but it’s interesting how we each have a little bit different glitch symtoms.
We’re having typical fall weather here. Cold in the am. Hot by the afternoon. I’m sure you remember.

Just signed up.

it’s so inspiring! and there is plenty to do for folks who don’t want risk arrest (there was a great interview on democracy now! yesterday with one of the people who was arrested last week.

for anyone who doubts the power of social movements, i very strongly recommend reading doing democracy

Funny how we see so little on the blogs referencing USA Today, which is a really reich wing rag.

Honor works better I think, I honor my parents not to much else but Why because I like them. We disagree, fight, don’t talk, but still I like them not for what they have done but because I like them. I try and do good sometimes not for fear of Hell, Reward in Heaven but because I want to.
Respect for parents is like a first date? Even with all the Drama. You are careful because you like the person?
Is that Honor?

Kingdom of Heaven

Snowing here.

That guy was amazing. 4 days in the slammer because he wouldn’t tell them who he was (booked as a John Doe guarantees a stay until they find out who ya really are) and forced out because he was more effective in jail than out. It’s a good move if one can do it.

some fine video here of OB

FIXING MY BAD LINK!!!!!
here:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/oct20watch

I know this is a long video, but if you just want to see the amazing part of President Obama talking trash about goopers as the party of NO and shamelessly starting the no-to-the-olympics movement, and his riff on the socialist mop. it starts around 29 minutes.

I’ve been convinced for years that Gannett has purposefully dumbed down their local dailies so that it would make USA Today appear to be a paragon of journalism and integrity.

you rock! you’ve inspired me to make a donation – i really like that they are specifically raising money for training for civil disobedience, legal and bail support.

smart, principled and courageous. wow.

gotta run…. peace to all.

I believe, and I also think that heaven and hell are here right now. The eternal now is the goal. You are a good man, Things. When your heart is in the right place, it is known.
One synonym of respect is fear. I googled that.
Quic, someone cue Aretha Franklin.

One synonym of respect is fear

Fear first date yes but also like and want:)

Now, now, I wanna see yer mugshot right up there with mine. *g*

You make me think sometimes Demi I can think of no better compliment:)

Yikes. But, I’ve read you say your body adapts. Two nights last week it was cold enough that I had a fire in the FP. Next day it was near 100.

And they just blur over the notion that it’s an Old Testament god they have in mind.

that would be awesome! i so wish i could sign up for that, but right now it’s just not possible. will have to support in other ways, at least for now.

It does. But two days ago it was in the 80s and is snowing now. Currently my body is adapting by sneezing and a constantly running nose. *g*

That’s the part that drives me nuts about these people. It’s as if the New Testament is to be ignored cuz that long haired socialist jew wanted to do things for people.

See? I almost wrote that unfortunately this kind of weather ends up giving a lot of people colds.
Passing two tissues to Mike. And a cup of chicken soup I made yesterday.

I think Franken is cheating here. Obviously he has prepared for the committee meeting and knows about the subject to be discussed. If he were a real Senator he would go into the meeting with a sheet of paper handed to him at the last minute by an industry lobbyist with industry talking points. THEN we’d see if Mr. Franken can appear like a real Senator.

You know the tough job of being a Senator is reading those talking points almost as if you believe them. Now that’s being on top of your game!

I’ll know Mr. Franken is a real Senator when he says at a committee meeting “you know in Canada they have fourteen year waits to receive teeth cleaning, and the government gets to decide which teeth get cleaned and which get pulled. We don’t want that in America, do we?”

Yeah, but they cherry pick from the old testament too.

Nobel winner slams bible as handbook of bad morals
http://rawstory.com/2009/10/nobel-winner-slams-bible-handbook-bad-morals/

Her face certainly puts the Fear of God into me …

G’morning Friends.

Off to swim in the great capitalist cesspool.

US KIA Irak: 4351

US KIA Afghanistan: 882 – we’re up to 2-3 KIA a day now

US MBS 2009: 36,332 – to say nothing of health related bankruptcies, Dr Furchtgott-Roth

Be good to yourselves, and all other living things

Namaste

And yet, they call themselves Christians.

At least if they were practicing Jews, they’d learn to ask better questions, and then things might change for the better.

LOL !!!

Al is the Man. He is my senator, and he fucking rocks. Way to bring your A game, Al. You are my newest political crush, and you are near enough to me so I can stalk you.

There’s a lot of bs crap in Leviticus, but there’s also this:
Lev 19:33: ” ‘When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. 34 The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

What a great article!

I loved the part about feeling his remarks would not offend Catholics because they don’t really read the Bible. That is so, so true… at least it was when I was younger, and being raised to be a Catholic. Didn’t take.

I’ve been to Portugal a couple of times, and their is a quality to courtesy there that I can only describe as “compassionate.” It’s much deeper than our more superficial variety here. (The midwest excepted, of course.)

That might be an over generalization.

It might, but that’s why I wrote “practicing.” Those I know who are practicing Jews do ask better questions. They’re also pretty liberal.

Morning, Pups
Sorry to go OT, but…
Hello, moderators: the new front page post is from yesterday, and the comments are already CLOSED. Plus the comments that were there at NewsDesk seem to have gone missing.

A bit odd to have a brandy-new, front page post, but no opportunity for a discussion, no?

FunnyWheelieDiva

Wait until the reichwing nuts finish rewriting the bible to make it more conservative. The term Christian is a misnomer – they should be called biblists.

I remember Russell Baker’s quip that America Today was for people who didn’t have time for the deeper coverage of television.

It’s all in experience. Some practicing jews are more inquistive, but I know of some who are also conservative and judgemental. Just like practicing Christians. There are also some practicing Muslems who have a problem with compassion.
The key here is the word Fundamentalist. That’s what separates the distinctions, I believe.

On a brighter note, does anybody besides me have a sense that the ship of public opinion is slowly turning n our favor? I actually think we are going to see the day, and not to far from now, when Republicans are going to regret Saint Ronnie’s ‘there you go again.’ We are almost there.

Do you think I should write them and make sure they take my quoted scripture at #79 out. ‘Cause that one could kind of make their lives sticky if they leave it in. *g*

Thanks for the clip BT. A great piece.

Franken was on task.

Furchtgott-Roth just looked and sounded the part of greed. Her eye roll was not a surprise.

When one is asked before a congressional committee to discuss the impact of medical bankruptcy in this country, one should not show up wearing a soft aqua silk designer top with very NICE pearls. One goes professional and understated to reflect the seriousness of the subject.

She looked ready to go to a show and high end dinner and not prepared to discuss medical bankruptcy.

New post upstairs…

Point taken. I agree with you about fundamentalism.

I should also note that I work in an academic environment, and that does make a difference.

Some might consider it rumor but I feel confident that Senator Al Frankin eloquently shows the facts in a nice way. Senator Frankin is a very smart man who graduated from Harvard and was quite good in math. This ain’t Rocket Science People. I’m a Vietnam Veteran and a (P.O.A. – Pissed off American).

“Furchtgott-Roth just looked and sounded the part of greed. Her eye roll was not a surprise.

She looked ready to go to a show and high end dinner and not prepared to discuss medical bankruptcy”.klynn, Thank you

I think there’s a good reason that our comedians are carrying so much water these days.

Comedy is more difficult to do than drama, and you have to be pretty smart just to be consistently funny. Not so much for drama… just look at the GOP. (Well, maybe there is some absurdity there.)

What kind of academic environment?

Al was a math major at Harvard. Opponents would be smart not to pick a statistics based battle with him.

I don’t know what was hotter. . . Franken’s brilliant grasp of detail and his thorough smackdown of Ms. Furchtgott-Roth, or the staffer sitting behind him.

Such a suave bitch-slapping!

In the Hudson Institute’s defense, nobody is used to Congress asking actual questions.

a center in a school of medicine

I think what scares repugs about Franken most is that, because he’s not from the Villager school of politics, he actually looked at the popular description of what a Senator does and bent himself seriously to the task of doing so . . . reading bills before he talks about them, understanding and researching the issues, asking difficult questions . . . whereas a your typical wealthy speedbump-worthy Senator shows up with nothing but a smile and some vague notions about what’s supposed to happen, and a sense of entitlement so huge it can’t fit through the doors.

Senator Franken & Rep Grayson are both very intelligent, articulate, & genuinely funny. Many people still seem to assume that Franken will be a buffoon, but he knows his facts better than most. And I get a kick out of Grayson’s wardrobe. If anyone thinks only an idiot would go to Congress in pink shirts, loud ties, & cowboy boots, they’re mistaken. Always better to be underestimated…

Huh, I don’t have to do that. I had to the first time after the “changes” but now it works like a charm.

Now accessing The Seminal is a different matter altogether…..

LOL, we’re all having different hiccups. God I’m glad I’m not a techie. I can’t even imagine how impossible it must be to get all this stuff to work right on the gazillion different types of configurations and browsers and etc. etc. etc.

Being a techie must be a life long headache. Hope they have help with that. Drugs seem like a good choice. *g*

I like how he then drew a freehand map of the US on her forehead after he was done eviscerating her comments.