Bless You, Teddy

And Fuck You, all you DINOs and DLCers and Blue Dogs who think you're real Democrats.

THIS is a Real Democrat.



Cross-posted at Blue in the Bluegrass.

There's more: "Bless You, Teddy" >>

Ted Kennedy's Hospitalization Prompts Laughter In Right-Wing Blogosphere

"At least he got a stroke in, which is more than the girl he drowned could manage. He should be rotting in jail, not making law. Disgusting."
----Geoff, a commenter at RightWingNews.com

For normal, sane Americans, the news that Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was hospitalized on Saturday after suffering a seizure was a cause for prayers and concern.

But if you browsed many of the right-wing blogs on Saturday, you'd find that they were full of jokes, insults and sarcastic remarks about Kennedy's hospitalization. (This, despite the fact that many of the big right-wing blogs had warnings against posting offensive comments about Kennedy).

Despite such warnings, the comments on right-wing blogs were full of vile posts that featured sick humor.

For example, an anonymous poster at the right-wing blog Gateway Pundit wrote, "One Liberal down! Looks like he (TED) may have to answer for his drunk driving accident in the 60's. Maybe the SUBJECTS of MA will get there (sic) SECOND Ammendment (sic) rights BACK."

The sentiments were similar, over at RightWingNews.com. There, "guest blogger" Kathy Shaidle (of the blog "Five Feet of Fury") expressed annoyance over the media's "eulogies" for Kennedy. In a post under the headline, "Oh pu-leeeeeeze," she wrote, "In the midst of this embarrassing, wrongheaded preemptive media eulogizing of Edward Kennedy, at least spare a thought for the woman he killed."

Meanwhile, Geoff, a commenter on RightWingNews.com wrote, "At least he got a stroke in, which is more than the girl he drowned could manage. He should be rotting in jail, not making law. Disgusting."

Another RightWingNews.com commenter named Lord Locksley chimed in with the remark, "They don't call him 'Nazi Joe's last big mistake' for nothing."

The hatefest continued over at the right-wing Sister Toldjah blog. There, commenter Severian wrote a hate-filled post that seemed to take issue with another poster's remark that he didn't "wish a fellow human being any ill."

Severian responded:
"Just a philosophical question here, at what point is it justifiable to wish a fellow human being ill? What you say is a nice platitude, but it also reeks of more than a touch of holier than though attitude. Would it have been OK to wish Hitler ill? Yes, no? How about Ted Bundy? Saddam Hussein? Osama Bin Laden? How many reprehensible traits and acts does one have to commit before it is OK to wish them ill? Ted Kennedy, while said to be a charmer and nice guy in person, has been personally responsible for creating some of the most toxic political environments on Capitol Hill, lynching Bork among others, and is responsible for much of the ill will and problems we see coming out of the liberal Dem side of the aisle. While perhaps not rising to the level of actively wishing him ill or trying to harm him, I’ll be honest enough to admit that when his day comes, as Mark Twain said, his will be an obituary I’ll read with approval."

Actually, none of the above hate-mongering should be surprising in the least, as anyone who has ever listened to the filth spewed out daily by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Glenn Beck, and the rest of the Right-Wing Noise Machine.

Nor should we be surprised by the glee the right-wing expresses when Democrats have misfortunes. We've seen this happen again and again.

Recall the hostage crisis episode in November, when a distraught man wearing what appeared to be a bomb walked into the campaign office of Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire. Then, as now, the right-wing blogosphere was full of laughter and sick jokes about the incident.

I have to admit, I never really understood the right-wing sense of humor.

Like when Ronald Reagan joked in 1964 about the 17 million people who then went to bed hungry every night in America, saying that "they were all on a diet."

Or when Rush Limbaugh called 13-year-old Chelsea Clinton a "dog."

Or when George W. Bush yucked it up over the issue of the non-existent WMDs in Iraq during a "comedy" skit in the Oval Office.

There's more: "Ted Kennedy's Hospitalization Prompts Laughter In Right-Wing Blogosphere" >>

S.2544, Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008

S.2544 Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008 was introduced by Sen. Ted Kennedy on January 22, 2008. According to OpenCongress' summary

This bill would provide for 20 more weeks of unemployment insurance benefits to those who exhausted their benefits within the past year and are still unemployed. In states with exceptionally high unemployment, it would provide for an additional 13 weeks of benefits. It would also increased all benefits by $50 per week. If the economy continues towards a recession, it is likely that Congress will attempt to enact this bill.

Republicans put up a bitter fight and kept this unemployment extension out of the stimulus package, H.R.5140 Recovery Rebates and Economic Stimulus for the American People Act of 2008, that became law on February 13, 2008.

GovTrack.us reports that the bill has been referred to the Committee on Finance. Nothing further has been scheduled. GovTrack notes

This bill is in the first step in the legislative process. Introduced bills go first to committees that deliberate, investigate, and revise them before they go to general debate. The majority of bills never make it out of committee. Keep in mind that sometimes the text of one bill is incorporated into another bill, and in those cases the original bill, as it would appear here, would seem to be abandoned.

This bill is newsworthy because it is one of the most viewed bills on OpenCongress. Over 1745 people have looked at it this week alone. That should tell Congress something. It is also newsworthy because of the content and quantity of comments at OpenCongress. A few typical examples are found after the break. I am not sure anyone in Washington knows it yet, but a lot of people are hurting.

Comments from OpenCongress found after the break.



My unemployment runs out in 3 weeks, are there any talks that the unemployment will be extended in the near future, or is it a dead issue now? I live in an area where unemployment is high. Its been hard to find a job. If I loose my unemployment before I find a job, I may be out on the street.

I have been laid off of my job after 29 years of working for a company, and because of my age [57] it will take longer for me to find a job. I really hope that this bill gets passed so that I can have help supporting my family and paying the utility bills. I have been tracking it, and am frustrated that not more has been done with it. It also seems to me that it is taking at least a year for people 57 and older to find quality work. I think these are issues that politicians need to know.

**When you go gray, they want you to go away..... SO help us if that is the case, because we have famalies and children to support. I personally have been paying into the system since I was 15. REach back and extend my unemployment benefits.

This bill was blocked by the republicans with the help of Nancy Pelosi. I was thinking of voting republican if there was a good candidate for President. This has switched my position to straight democrat. I hope that eveyone out there whos benefits will end will find jobs. It's getting harder everyday. Good luck.

My benefits ended last week. Husband's job is tenuous at best. We have no health insurance and my son requires medication daily. I've been unemployed since Oct and am 47 years old without much hope of finding a job in the near future. I'm from Texas and I absolutely think Bush is the most ignorant president we've had in years. It's time this country stepped up and took care of it's own instead of sending billions of dollars to countries that don't appreciate it nor do they really want it. All they want to do is whine and ride out backs for aid. I'd vote for anyone but a republican at this point.

I wonder how president Bush feels when he sits down at the table at night eatting his steak dinner? knowing that theres thousands of people in the streets, hungrey and a lot more that will be joining them if things dont change,,,It just goes to prove, the rich are going to get richer , and the poor are going to get poorer, rember this when you pick what party you vote on in november.....Theres no one in that ___White House___ that gives a ---- about you or me as long as they get there money ,

What makes me sick is the fact that each year our unemployment rate goes up. Businesses are moving out of the country because they can produce cheaper in other countries. Why??? Because the comsumer does not want to pay the high prices. Fact is... If the companies in the United States were forced to purchase from other companies in the United States we wouldn't be in this situation. We need to concentrate more on OUR country and let the rest of the world take care of themselves. If the unemployment extension does not pass, there will be a lot more people left homeless with the economy the way it is.

It makes me sick...all this money for the stimulus package was borrowed from China. Then we have to pay them back with interest to boot and all the products we buy anymore are made in China, so who is making out here!! All our jobs are overseas, we have nothing, our government is deserting us, the rich get richer, we are losing our homes and going hungry. This coming election doesn't leave much to vote for...We need a PATRIOT in the white house to fight for us!

There's more: "S.2544, Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008" >>

Campaign Video of the Day -- January 29, 2008

Yesterday the President gave what his people said was "probably" his last State of the Union Speech. It was a very sad backward looking speech. The American people have moved far past him and the old politics of division. As Manifesto Joe said below: To The Very Last, Chimpy Has No Class.

The State of the Union Speech is not today's campaign video because it was not the most important speech of the day. Yesterday the Lion of the Senate roared his endorsement of Barack Obama. You will find that roar after the break. Watch it and marvel at Senator Ted Kennedy's strength, patriotism and forward vision. Kennedy sees this as a time like the early 1960s when a young candidate was impatient to inspire us to our better angels, to dream big dreams for America, and to call us all to the service our country.

If you find a campaign video in need of broader play, please email your nomination to proctoring.congress@gmail.com subject Campaign Video of the Day.

What might be a historic campaign video can be found after the break.

There's more: "Campaign Video of the Day -- January 29, 2008" >>

The Loss Of A Single Soldier

Recently I took Steve Clemons and Josh Marshall to task for essentially claiming that the loss of Andrew J. Bacevich Jr. is somehow more tragic than the loss of any other American child. I stand by that position, but it should never be forgotten that Lt. Bacevich's death was just as tragic as any other in the unnecessary Iraqi war. On this memorial day his life should be honored just as we should honor the lives of all the others who have fought and died in our service.

Yesterday the Washington Post published an op-ed by Lt. Bacevich's father entitled I Lost My Son to a War I Oppose. We Were Both Doing Our Duty. It is a remarkable answer to the cretins who have written the Bacevich family to tell them that his father's anti-war writings are directly responsible for their son's death. I recommend everyone concerned about Iraq read it, and read it carefully.

There is a passage in the op-ed that I would like everyone to consider. The Bacevich family lives in Massachusetts. Senators Kennedy and Kerry both called to express condolences. Their Congressman, Stephen F. Lynch, attended the wake. Kerry was present for the funeral Mass. Hopefully the families of all of America's lost children receive similar expressions of condolence from their elected representatives.

Bacevich says that he got a brushoff when he suggested to each of them the necessity of ending the war. "More accurately," wrote Bacevich, "after ever so briefly pretending to listen, each treated me to a convoluted explanation that said in essence: Don't blame me." Emphasis added.

To whom do Kennedy, Kerry and Lynch listen? We know the answer: to the same people who have the ear of George W. Bush and Karl Rove -- namely, wealthy individuals and institutions. Money buys access and influence. Money greases the process that will yield us a new president in 2008. When it comes to Iraq, money ensures that the concerns of big business, big oil, bellicose evangelicals and Middle East allies gain a hearing. By comparison, the lives of U.S. soldiers figure as an afterthought.

Memorial Day orators will say that a G.I.'s life is priceless. Don't believe it. I know what value the U.S. government assigns to a soldier's life: I've been handed the check. It's roughly what the Yankees will pay Roger Clemens per inning once he starts pitching next month.

Money maintains the Republican/Democratic duopoly of trivialized politics. It confines the debate over U.S. policy to well-hewn channels. It preserves intact the cliches of 1933-45 about isolationism, appeasement and the nation's call to "global leadership." It inhibits any serious accounting of exactly how much our misadventure in Iraq is costing. It ignores completely the question of who actually pays. It negates democracy, rendering free speech little more than a means of recording dissent.

This is not some great conspiracy. It's the way our system works.

Until the politicians stop listening exclusively to the rich and powerful the war will continue. Until we get their attention, our elected representatives, even liberal lions like Kennedy and Kerry, will continue to tell grieving families "don't blame me," as they eagerly take money from the rich and powerful in exchange for the priceless lives of our children.

The political pressure we need to apply to our representatives must be unrelenting. They must never forget that they are "our" representatives. Sorry Blue Girl, I am not willing to exchange a Summer of Death in the hope of a Republican collapse in the Fall. I don't want my government to have to send another Roger Clemens Inning Check to another family during the coming Friedman.

We have to continually work to peacefully end the Iraq war.

There's more: "The Loss Of A Single Soldier" >>

Just Us instead of Justice is Injustice

Both my paralegal and my associate tell me I have been grumpy today. I know they are right. Since lunch my encounters with them and with a couple of clients have been tense.

I have been wondering why I have been so grumpy. Nothing any of them have done. Then it struck me, just after lunch I read two very important articles on the net. The first is a Boston Globe article about a speech Ted Kennedy made yesterday in which he

accused President Bush of using the Department of Justice to further his administration's "right-wing ideology," saying that veteran prosecutors were replaced by political operatives in key states to ensure that "reliable partisans" are in place in time for the 2008 presidential election.

The second is an LA Times OP-Ed by Joseph Rich in which he points out that

At least two of the recently fired U.S. attorneys, John McKay in Seattle and David C. Iglesias in New Mexico, were targeted largely because they refused to prosecute voting fraud cases that implicated Democrats or voters likely to vote for Democrats.

So far none of this is news to me or readers of this blog. What Rich really drives home is what makes me so grumpy.

This pattern also extended to hiring. In March 2006, Bradley Schlozman was appointed interim U.S. attorney in Kansas City, Mo. Two weeks earlier, the administration was granted the authority to make such indefinite appointments without Senate confirmation. That was too bad: A Senate hearing might have uncovered Schlozman's central role in politicizing the civil rights division during his three-year tenure.

Schlozman, for instance, was part of the team of political appointees that approved then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's plan to redraw congressional districts in Texas, which in 2004 increased the number of Republicans elected to the House. Similarly, Schlozman was acting assistant attorney general in charge of the division when the Justice Department OKd a Georgia law requiring voters to show photo IDs at the polls. These decisions went against the recommendations of career staff, who asserted that such rulings discriminated against minority voters. The warnings were prescient: Both proposals were struck down by federal courts.

Schlozman continued to influence elections as an interim U.S. attorney. Missouri had one of the closest Senate races in the country last November, and a week before the election, Schlozman brought four voter fraud indictments against members of an organization representing poor and minority people. This blatantly contradicted the department's long-standing policy to wait until after an election to bring such indictments because a federal criminal investigation might affect the outcome of the vote. The timing of the Missouri indictments could not have made the administration's aims more transparent.

That is what has made me so grumpy. I can't be sure Democrats who might be charged in the Western District of Missouri are receiving justice or a Just Us from the local US Attorney. His background puts a whole new cast on the recent charge filed against well known Democrat Katherine Shields during her run for mayor of Kansas City. I will never be able to have much confidence in the winner, Blue Girl's candidate, closet Republican Mark Funkhouser. Sometimes reading an op-ed makes you grumpy.

There's more: "Just Us instead of Justice is Injustice" >>