Thursday Open Thread

65
  by: Colorado Pols Thu September 6, 2012 at 3:37 PM MDT

“The shallow consider liberty a release from all law, from every constraint. The wise man sees in it, on the contrary, the potent Law of Laws.”

–Walt Whitman


Full story: Thursday Open Thread

65 Community Comments, Facebook Comments

  1. parsingreality says:
    Thu September 6, 2012 at 3:43 PM MDT

    Coffee half gone, sausage on the stove, damned Muscovy ducks eying my swimming pool.

    Howz them Dems?  Go, Bubba!

    • Sir RobinSir Robin says:
      Thu September 6, 2012 at 3:46 PM MDT

      That Bubba! What an educator. Could anyone else cover so much policy (and Republican lies) and make it so understandable and entertaining?

      • parsingreality says:
        Thu September 6, 2012 at 3:59 PM MDT

        Ronald Reagan, not Rmoney-Ryan.

        Both Bill and Ronnie are/were great orators; some style differences, but very skilled.

        Was it just me, or did I hear the first signs of age creeping into Bubba’s voice? A touch of creakiness, a couple of squeaks.

        • BlueCat says:
          Thu September 6, 2012 at 8:53 PM MDT

          but he’s still got plenty of miles on him, thank God. I’m still smiling. They’re talking about sending Bill to Ohio, Virginia, Florida  and anywhere else they need to grab some more of the white middle income vote. I’ve never heard anyone explain so much, so clearly in a way so many can so easily understand. Just…wow! This convention just keeps getting better and better. Dems really are showing signs of growing that backbone and taking control of the message. Fingers crossed, of course.

          • parsingreality says:
            Thu September 6, 2012 at 9:38 PM MDT

            …..and I assure you I have no tremors and no squeaks!  Not that we all age at the same rate.  And I never had 5% of the memory that he does.

            I agree that he did the best job explaining reality of anyone yet.  And I think that there are a lot of people who haven’t been Clinton fans but do recall – with a bit of prompting – that those were eight damned good years.  Maybe he knows what he’s talking about.

            Monica who?

          • Diogenesdemar says:
            Thu September 6, 2012 at 10:08 PM MDT

            wants to shove that “incompetent execution” narrative right up someone’s sig line.

  2. Diogenesdemar says:
    Thu September 6, 2012 at 3:46 PM MDT

    Michael Phelps officially retires from the sport of swimming.  Says he’s concerned he might never win another race now that Paul Ryan has annonced plans to begin swim lessons.  

  3. Lurker19 says:
    Thu September 6, 2012 at 3:56 PM MDT

    a long cut and paste from their mostest, bestest, most favoritest website, Daily Chaos:

    • CO-06: Looks like GOP Rep. Mike Coffman’s come down with another bout of Coffman’s Disease, the affliction where a mouth-breathing movement conservative fails to remember that he’s running in a very moderate district and lets his lizard brain do the talking:

       Speaking at an event last month, Republican Rep. Mike Coffman said that he has a “fundamental concern” that President Barack Obama might conduct an October surprise of sorts that could help his bid for re-election. [...]

       In his comments, Coffman alluded to a Washington Post column by Jack Anderson that said there was going to be an “October Surprise,” by the Carter administration in the hopes it would help him gain re-election. Ultimately Carter ended up losing that November to Republican Ronald Reagan.

       ”So, would Barack Obama do something that Jimmy Carter maybe would have done? It would be superficial, that would not be substantive, but would be a rally around the flag for the American people to boast his presidency. I don’t know. I don’t know about that. But that was interesting in terms of my own experience,” is how Coffman ended his comments to the question at the August 15 event.

  4. dwyer says:
    Thu September 6, 2012 at 4:01 PM MDT

    You know how good it has been for the democrats when you hear the repubs struggle for talking points.  What are they?

    “The dems don’t believe in god,  The confusion over the voice vote to put god back in the platform is the take away.”

    boyles, true to form, was on it immediately this am.

    but, he also said that Romney’s father was head of General Motors and then JFK’s father stopped him for running for the VP spot on the ticket in 1956.  

    • Libertad says:
      Thu September 6, 2012 at 4:26 PM MDT

      Bubba was his old reliable self, twisted facts and all. But this mornings news was not about Bubba.

      CNN this morning started into the platform on regarding its Godless and anti Isreal positions. The questioning was so direct and lasting that Wasserman-Shartz was able to avoid any questions on why the DNC left the outdoor stadium, what those with tickets would do when they don’t have a seat indoors, how the 43rd month of 8+% unemployment can be addresses, where the stimulus money went, how she thought the 50 million food stamp recipients would vote …..

      The stammered rebuttals didnt leave a minute for Wasserman-Shultz to address what Obama and the platform would do if given another four years. This leaves a gapping hole in the Democratic story … What should we expect with 4 more years of Obama.

      But not to be missed was the roving reporter and elected democratic conventioneers position on banning corporate profits.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…

      These are your people, your elected Democratic representatives, those putting Obama into nomination for another 4 years.

      • ClubTwittyClubTwitty says:
        Thu September 6, 2012 at 5:03 PM MDT

        Urban Dictionary: shartz

        http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=shartz

        A shit packer (fag) who enjoys modern art, waltzing at the local gay stand (fag bar with no seats), also seemingly good chode whisperers.

      • SSG_Dan says:
        Thu September 6, 2012 at 5:19 PM MDT

        But, just an update – the Constitution of the United States is a “Godless”document – otherwise known as “Secular.”

        Only the Republican’t Hezbollah in Tampa are hooting and shrieking about establishing a state religion in their position papers….

        • Libertad says:
          Thu September 6, 2012 at 5:58 PM MDT

          Still haven’t googled ‘wow’… I’m guessing it’s dungeon and dragons like gaming for elite suburban teens and shut ins … Am I close?

          • SSG_Dan says:
            Thu September 6, 2012 at 6:11 PM MDT

            But you got one thing right in your post.

            For the rest, not so much (All from that Commie-Pinko Business & Finance website Reuters.com):

            Service sector growth rises in August

            http://www.reuters.com/article…



            Private sector hiring quickens in August

            http://www.reuters.com/article…

            S&P 500 climbs to highest level since May 2008

            http://www.reuters.com/article…

            And, looks like the taxpayer is getting even more money back from TARP:



            AIG launches AIA share sale to fund $5 billion buyback

            http://www.reuters.com/article…

            So cheer up ‘tad….looks like you’ll have 4 more years of mindless, pointless rants you can post bashing President Obama!

            • Libertad says:
              Thu September 6, 2012 at 7:38 PM MDT

              Nice attempted cover-up Danno. It will be interesting to see if the American voters allow and approve of this cover-up and the policies proposed to mask the reality of the fiscal crisis Obama-Pelosi-Reid have led us all into.

              You saw my post the other day – Fact Checking Obama … http://www.coloradopols.com/sh…

              President Barack Obama repeatedly stresses that he will avoid raising taxes on the middle class, while Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will do the opposite.

              But that’s not the way it would pan out, according to a Wall Street Journal editorial. The paper’s editors rebut the president’s claim that boosting taxes for the wealthy is enough to curb the budget deficit.

              “The rich aren’t nearly rich enough to finance Mr. Obama’s spending ambitions,” The Journal’s editors write. “Sooner rather than later, Washington will come for the middle class, because that’s where the real money is.”

              As for the budget plan of Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan, Obama is disingenuous in his criticism, the editorial argues. “Mr. Obama likes to say that Messrs. Romney and Ryan ‘know their economic plan is not popular.’ Perhaps he can read minds, but at least they have a plan they’re willing to put before voters. The president knows that voters won’t like his, which is why he isn’t honest about it.”

              Obama’s 2013 budget document acknowledges that the plan would cause the government’s fiscal position to “gradually deteriorate” after 2022. The budget deficit would rise for the next 75 years and the debt-to-GDP ratio would ascend to record levels, the document says. “In other words, Mr. Obama’s budget does not change the spending and debt trajectory,” the editorial states.

              Ryan has brought these unpleasant facts into the open, Journal editors write.

              Now I think the WSJ arrticle errored … and errored big. Obamacare has put a massive tax burden on America’s middle class already, not to mention the healthcare rationing that has begun.

              Read more on Newsmax.com: WSJ: Obama Budget Plan Entails Tax Hike for Middle Class

              Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama’s Re-Election? Vote Here Now!

              Desperately Seeking Middle-Class Taxes. – http://professional.wsj.com/ar…

              There is a great graph in this article showing you the future under Obama … and its devastating to the American citizen.

            • VanDammerVanDammer says:
              Thu September 6, 2012 at 7:48 PM MDT

              best showing in 5 yrs.  ADP (payroll processor) reporting employment & hiring is up — though this isn’t the official gov’t report.  Euro is finding some stability with new agreement on fiscal fix and its pushing all boats up — Mario Drogge (sp?) seems to be pulling it together.

              How about a good jobs report to ice up Obama’s nom party cake — wouldn’t that be sweet.

  5. Libertad says:
    Thu September 6, 2012 at 4:13 PM MDT

    Last night the DCSB provided for Brenda Smith to oversee one of Americas most accountable unions. In doing so it avoided a costly ballot measure strongly opposed by Smith’s union the DCFT and it’s national the AFT.

    The district, teachers, unions, students and tax payers have moved forward to create an accountable and member focused government union.

    Although FDR would oppose this union, they’ve found middle groud with this solution.

    So what did the DCSB decide …. well they decided to act and save millions in tax payer and forced union dues from a brutal campaign. DCFT opposed these ballot measures and the school board agreed to keep them off the ballot.

    1. Should the district be prohibited from engaging in collective bargaining with the union?

    2. Should the district be prohibited from using public funding for the compensation of union leaders?

    3. Should the district be prohibited from collecting union dues from employee paychecks on the union’s behalf?

    Read more: Dougco schools pass on ballot issue – The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/brea…

  6. SSG_Dan says:
    Thu September 6, 2012 at 5:28 PM MDT

    This time from General Eric Shinseki, the disabled veteran who runs the Department of Veterans Affairs:

    Money quote:

    No president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt has done more for veterans. We could not ask for a stronger advocate. We’ve made tremendous progress under this president’s leadership. But there is much more to be done for the men and women who guarantee our way of life. They have served selflessly-with unmatched valor, sacrifice, and distinction. And President Obama is determined that we will repay the debt we owe them.

    Contrast this to the utter contempt the RomneyBot has in not even mentioning the troops deployed overseas, or the Ryan budget that slashes and burns Veteran health care and calls veteran disability pay an “entitlement.”

    • SSG_Dan says:
      Thu September 6, 2012 at 7:59 PM MDT

      The answer –          .

      Meanwhile, in Charlotte (From Page 48 of the Democratic Platform):

      Supporting Troops, Military Families, and Veterans.

      President Obama and the Democratic Party are committed to keeping the sacred trust we have with our troops, military families, and veterans. These brave men and women and their families have borne the burden of war and have always made our military the best in the world. We will not only continue to support them in the field, but we will also continue to prioritize support for wounded warriors, mental health, and the well being of our military families and veterans.

      We will keep working to give our veterans the health care, benefits, education, and job opportunities that they have earned.

      That’s why the President and the Democratic Party supported the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill to provide opportunities for military personnel, veterans, and their families to get a better education.

      That’s why the President is working to ensure returning veterans are able to get good jobs and put their skills to good use at home.

      That’s why the President has launched partnerships with the private sector to help veterans transfer their experience into skilled manufacturing jobs, and why the President has proposed a new Veterans Jobs Corps to put veterans to work as first responders.

      That’s why the President signed an executive order making it harder for for-profit colleges to prey on veterans.

      That’s why we enacted the Returning Heroes Tax Credit and the Wounded Warrior Tax Credit to give companies incentives to hire vets.

      That’s why we have committed to ending veterans’ homelessness by 2015, and have launched new partnerships with the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development and with veterans’ organizations to do just that.

      That’s why, because the traumas of war don’t always end when our loved ones return home, this administration is continuing to work to meet the mental health needs of our veterans.

      That’s why we will continue to partner with the nation’s Veterans Service Organizations and veterans advocacy groups to ensure that every veteran of every generation receives the care and benefits they’ve earned.

      That’s why we have made it easier for veterans in rural communities to get the care they need.

      And it is why we have substantially increased funding for the VA, and directed it to eliminate its backlog of claims, hire additional claims processors, and deploy new systems to improve claims processing times.

      http://veteransforcommonsense….

  7. Sir RobinSir Robin says:
    Thu September 6, 2012 at 5:44 PM MDT

    Stocks rallying today, with the Dow adding more than 180 points, as on the domestic front, a handful of better-than-expected employment reports looked encouraging ahead of Friday’s monthly jobs report.

    Perhap’s it was Bubba’s speech? Just saying.

  8. Gadfly says:
    Thu September 6, 2012 at 6:04 PM MDT

    http://blogs.denverpost.com/th…

    Brother Joe Miklosi better get up on the air

  9. NeonNurseNeonNurse says:
    Thu September 6, 2012 at 6:52 PM MDT

    …or evidence of an actual alternate universe.

  10. VoyageurVoyageur says:
    Thu September 6, 2012 at 7:20 PM MDT

    Is like having a feast at Daddy Bruce’s barbecue vs. watching a Preparation H commercial.

  11. caroman says:
    Thu September 6, 2012 at 7:44 PM MDT

    From Politicalwire.com:

    Mitt Romney’s tax returns “are reportedly in the hands of a team of hackers who plan on releasing them publicly at the end of the month unless a ransom is paid,” Mashable reports.

    “The group allegedly obtained the files from PricewaterhouseCooper’s Tennessee office on Aug. 25, in what was described… as a Mission Impossible-like caper:”

    Now, as a CPA and an American, I can’t condone this type of behavior.  But, I can’t unring a bell either if these returns are released.

  12. Libertad says:
    Thu September 6, 2012 at 8:04 PM MDT

    1. Gays serving peacefully and without threat in the military, check

    2. No work requirement for welfare queens (psst, think white trailer trash), check

    3. New $1 Trillion healthcare tax on middle class, check

    4. 8.3% “official” unemployment, check

    5. All Americans forced to buy health insurance and have an ID to prove it, check

    6. Most Americans free to vote without ID, check

    7. Most Americans required to have an ID for public library “checkout” privileges, check

    8. High double digit “official” unemployment for women, blacks and Hispanics, check

    9. More nuke negotiation room promised to Vladimir, check

    10. Personally gave the order to take down Osama, he watched it live, and took the credit, check

    11. Joe Biden still making an ass of the Presidential Office, check

    12. $1 Trillion in unaccounted for “stimulus”

    13. National debt at $16 Trillion and no plan to tamp it back, check

    14. Lowest house sales and mortgage interest rates in 40 years, check

    15. Lowest business starts per capita – ever, check

    16. Nearly 50 million Americans on food stamps, check

    17. Business-individuals-non profits forced to offer health plans that counter their religion, check

    18. 25,000 potential Keystone pipeline jobs frozen, check

    19. Solyndra-Vestis-Abound workers promised gov’t driven sunshine now unemployed, check

    20. $Trillions in new FICA tax receipts promised, check

    21. More government spending, higher taxes & less local control of government promised, check

    22. El Rushbo hammering out top ratings, check

    23. Air America still DOA, check

    24. Keith Oberman still wondering why Maddow made it and he couldn’t, check

    25. 50%+ DPS dropout rate yet charters succeeding, check

    26. Social Security as we know it on course to collapse with no rational plan to fix it, check

    27. Medicare/caid as we know it on course to collapse with no plan to fix, check

    28. Fast & Furious … exporting weapons for terrorists and attempting to cover it up, check

    29. Firm plans to hike income and capital gains taxes, check

    30. Firm plans to divert even more private capital for government spending, check

    30. 23 million Americans out of work, check

    31. Obama budget pushes USA to fiscal cliff by 2022, check

    32. 50 million Amicans on food stamps, check

    33. Obama promise to cut deficit by 50%, national debt hiked from $10T to $16T, check

    34. Obama promised unemployment under 8%, now 43 months above 8%, check

    Dividing America vs Uniting and Leading America, check

    • SSG_Dan says:
      Thu September 6, 2012 at 8:13 PM MDT

      What up ‘tad? Running out of frogwash to spew?

      Oh well, let me put my virtual foot up your ass again…

      A LONG List of President Obama’s Accomplishments – With Citations



      If you’re one of those folks who thinks President Obama is a “disappointment,” you haven’t been paying attention the last few years. And those of you who try to draw comparisons with the Bush Administration should put away the hallucinogens and have your memory checked.  If you were in a coma for the eight Bush Years, I apologize and forgive you. But please join the real world. So far, this president has done most of what he said he would do if elected; imagine what he could have done by now if progressives had supported him and not given him a Congress that doesn’t look at him as if he’s the demon seed.

      Not only is he NOT a “disappointment,” he’s pretty much the opposite. And no, I don’t just say that because he took out Osama bin Laden, helped Libya determine their own destiny for the first time in a while, and because he seems able to handle international incidents without starting a new war. The guy does nearly everything we elect a president to do, and he doesn’t brag about it constantly.

      Is he perfect? No, he’s human. Does he deserve some criticism? I suppose, but I must admit I haven’t seen any complaints that were of based on anything having to do with the real world. One I can’t forgive him for is pulling Janet Napolitano out of Arizona. But the thing is, on balance, he’s mostly stellar. Besides, criticism about certain specific problems is one thing; taking on an overall “Obama sucks” meme not only has the potential to put Willard Romney into power, it’s also a lie. Just because you wanted a president who would give you a glitter-farting unicorn and didn’t quite get that doesn’t mean he’s not doing well at the job we hired him for.

      What follows is a PARTIAL list of Obama’s accomplishments so far. Unlike many such lists, there is a link to a citation supporting every single one.

      http://www.addictinginfo.org/2…

      • BlueCat says:
        Thu September 6, 2012 at 9:03 PM MDT

        exactly why the no work requirement meme is not only a lie but how the plan actually encourages stronger work requirements. But then  Rs are proud to brag about having no intention of letting facts get in their way. The ones in control of the GOP these days are lyin’ liars who create their own reality and then sell it because the truth would kill them. And so proud of it they don’t even pretend to be honest anymore.

    • raymond1 says:
      Fri September 7, 2012 at 12:49 AM MDT

      … but, hey, not as bad form as your racial slurs, so yay for progress.

  13. Libertad says:
    Thu September 6, 2012 at 10:41 PM MDT

    Great humorous video that puts sunlight on the disturbing implications of Obamacare.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…  

  14. parsingreality says:
    Fri September 7, 2012 at 12:04 AM MDT

    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09…

    Yeah, the economy is in the skids, isn’t it, Libby?

    Is it where we want it to be, as The Big Dog asked last night?  Of course not. But considering how much shit was in the Boosh-Republican sandwich, it’s amazing that we are just in a tough time, not soup kitchens.

  15. Sir RobinSir Robin says:
    Fri September 7, 2012 at 12:52 AM MDT

    The woman in this ad is a Romney staffer.

    h/t http://2012.talkingpointsmemo….

    Do we want pathological liars in the White House?

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