The Hollywood Liberal

Whither Obamacare?; Pelosi Says No on Afghanistan; 9/11 Remembered
It was a big week in political news, what with the kerfuffle about Obama’s education speech and then the hubbub over … Obama’s health care speech. Anyone see a pattern?  “Left, Right & Center” regulars Robert Scheer, Arianna Huffington and Tony Blankley just might. READ THE WHOLE ITEM

It was a big week in political news, what with the kerfuffle about Obama’s education speech and then the hubbub over … Obama’s health care speech. Anyone see a pattern?? “Left, Right & Center” regulars Robert Scheer, Arianna Huffington and Tony Blankley just might.

READ THE WHOLE ITEM

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Dave Lindorff: In Praise of ‘Joe’ Wilson: What’s Wrong with Calling Out Lies in Congress?
Obama said that “nothing else even comes close” to health care expenditures in terms of causing the federal deficit. In fact, something does — the military budget — but that topic is off limits for some reason.

Nick Jefferson: The Kennedy and Leadership: A Reappraisal
Having been denied the Presidency — the Kennedy family’s baby brother had no chance but to carve out a different type of leadership: and a much more realistic one.

Dan Manatt: Fun With Teabaggers: If They Can Protest, Tell Them to Thank Big Government
Everytime I see a Teabagger on the sidewalk with a “No Big Government” sign, I’ve been walking up to them and saying, “Get off the sidewalk — it was paid for big government and taxpayer money!”

Jim David: The September 12 March Against Sanity
Isn’t it ironic the September 12 protesters stayed quietly at home while the Republicans were in power, doing the very things they accuse Obama of, with much less finesse?

Rachel Farris: Dare Devils: Governor Rick Perry and the Texas Death Panel
I’ve chosen to ignore most of the health care rhetoric. I know what I believe–the health care industry is so clearly broken that a thousand…

No Perjury Charges For Schlozman — Schumer Calls Decision “Disappointing”
The Justice Department won’t challenge a decision by the Bush administration not to bring perjury charges against Bradley Schlozman. A DOJ report had found that Schlozman, while a Justice official, violated department rules against politicized hiring, then lied about it to Congress. Chuck Schumer expresses disappointment.

Duvall: I Thought It Was A Private Conversation
Mike Duvall apologizes for bragging about his sex life in a conversation picked up by a hot mike. The married California GOP state lawmaker has been removed from two legislative committees.

Bonner: We’re “Being Unjustly Blamed” — We Didn’t Forge 14 Letters! It Was Only 13!
Washington lobby firm Bonner and Associates argues that the fourteenth letter that it’s being blamed for forging and sending to a lawmaker is in fact legitimate. But the man whose signature is on it says he never signed it.

GOP Playing with Teabag Racists Fire

OpedNews Journalist and Six Protesters Arrested at "Army Experience Center" in Philadelphia

Protest organized to shut down $13 million military recruiting center at a Philadelphia mall.

Insurance Companies: By the Numbers
A major reason why a sensible health system has been throttled for decades: insurance companies, which thrive best when they deny care; insurance companies, which unlike hospitals, doctors, nurses, and other health workers, contribute nothing of value to national health;…






Sponsored Topics: Insurance – Business – United States – Financial Services – Medicare

The Final Sprint for Health Care Has Now Begun, and Where the White House is Placing Its Bets
The real political race for health care has just begun. The significance of the President’s speech to Washington insiders was its signal about where the White House is placing its bets and its support. More on this in a moment….






Sponsored Topics: White House – Health care – Washington – Health – Medicare

Why Is Norman Podhoretz a Conservative? He’s not.
Norman Podhoretz is essentially the founder of neoconservatism and he just doesn’t understand why a movement he started to lead the Jews out of the bankrupt desert of liberalism has essentially no Jewish followers. In fact he has just written…


Sponsored Topics: Norman Podhoretz – Conservative – Middle East – Iraq – Jew

Beck fan and 9/12 protest attendee explains why Obama will oppress ?white America.?
Despite the tea parties’ ostensible purpose of opposing taxation, many of the signs today at the 9/12 march attacked President Obama using explicit racial and ethnic smears. Glenn Beck, who helped initiated the idea for the rally, has come under fire for similarly stating Obama has a “deep-seated hatred for white people.” ThinkProgress documented some […]

Despite the tea parties’ ostensible purpose of opposing taxation, many of the signs today at the 9/12 march attacked President Obama using explicit racial and ethnic smears. Glenn Beck, who helped initiated the idea for the rally, has come under fire for similarly stating Obama has a “deep-seated hatred for white people.” ThinkProgress documented some of the hate at the protest, and also spoke to one attendee who shared Beck’s views. The attendee, like Beck, thought Obama hates whites, but also believed he will oppress the white race with communism. We asked him about the sign he was holding up, which showed Obama riding a white baby:

ATTENDEE: Barack was the name of the horse that Mohammed rode to heaven, alright a white horse.

Q: What does the white baby represent?

ATTENDEE: White America, because I do believe our President is a racist […] But I think it’s mainly communism that he’s going to want to tell us what to wear, what to do, have his little red book like Mao because he really is a communist.

ThinkProgress’ Victor Zapanta produced a video from the rally today, and ThinkProgress reader Vikrum Aiyer submitted several photographs. Watch it:

There were several hate groups among the various corporate and Republican organizations paying FreedomWorks to help finance the rally. The National Association for Rural Landowners, a bronze sponsor, references the incidents at Waco and Ruby Ridge to call for attacks on “government entities” and liberals. In a YouTube video posted in July, the group makes the case for a secession, followed by a violent civil war. Another 9/12 cosponsor, FreeRepublic, is a forum for various radical right causes and as ThinkProgress reported, the shooter at the Holocaust museum found a welcome audience for his writings on the website.

Pressed On FreedomWorks? Connections To Tea Parties, Dick Armey Lashes Out At TP As ‘Juvenile Delinquents’
On Thursday, Dick Armey’s FreedomWorks partnered with an anti-health reform group pushing to privatize Medicare to host a Republican rally outside the Capitol. Alongside speakers such as Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Armey proclaimed, “Give me liberty or give me death. Well, Barack Obama is trying to make good on that.” […]

On Thursday, Dick Armey’s FreedomWorks partnered with an anti-health reform group pushing to privatize Medicare to host a Republican rally outside the Capitol. Alongside speakers such as Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Armey proclaimed, “Give me liberty or give me death. Well, Barack Obama is trying to make good on that.”

Speaking to reporters and ThinkProgress after the rally, Armey pretended that the upcoming 9/12 anti-Obama march on D.C. was entirely “grassroots,” and that his corporate-backed group only provided “consulting.” In fact, most of the groups paying for the rally are front groups and phony think tanks fully-funded by big business to create an image of public and academic support for their special interest agenda. One of the most visible organizations mobilizing the protest this Saturday is the Tea Party Patriots group. As Talking Points Memo has reported, the Tea Party Patriots’ listserv is managed by FreedomWorks staffer Tom Gaitens. Not only is the list managed by FreedomWorks, but Armey’s staffers have final say on decisions such as the logo for the event this Saturday. Tea Party Patriots does not even hide its close affiliation with corporate front groups, since it lists FreedomWorks as a coalition partner. The Tea Party Patriots listserv was used to distribute the infamous memo from a Tea Party Patriots volunteer detailing how town hall attendees should “rattle” Democrats by interrupting their events with coordinated yelling and shrieks.

When ThinkProgress asked Armey about this close relationship with the Tea Party Patriots, he erupted in rage. He also denied even knowing his own employee:

Q: Mr. Armey you said you have no affiliation with the Tea Party Patriots group that’s organizing this rally, but isn’t it true that your staff members manage the Tea Party Patriots list serv?

ARMEY: Absolutely not.

Q: So Tom Gaitens is not connected to your–

ARMEY: Who? First of all who is Tom Gaitens?

Watch it:

Armey proceeded to call the ThinkProgress reporter a “juvenile delinquent.” Armey has lashed out before at critical questions, attacking Joan Walsh, saying “I am so damn glad you can never be my wife ’cause I surely wouldn’t have to listen to that babble from you every day.”

Gaitens — who helped organize the very first pilot “tea party” protests in February and demanded that “folks … need to intimidate Congress” — is listed multiple times on the FreedomWorks’ website as the Florida Outreach Director for Armey. He has not only won awards from FreedomWorks, but he also helped organize a tea party this year where Armey was the main speaker.

Of course, Armey’s deception is the very basis on which FreedomWorks gins up support for its causes. FreedomWorks maintains several other domain addresses to promote tea party events. Last year, the Wall Street Journal exposed FreedomWorks for building “amateur-looking” websites to promote the lobbying interests of Armey.

State Department Has Rocky History of Managing Guard Contracts
In 2005, the State Department hired a Northern Virginia company to provide security for the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan. Diplomats quickly became concerned about whether the new guards, who barely spoke English, could protect such a sensitive site. “They had serious problems,” recalled Ronald E….

The Take: Obama Must Look Beyond His Party, Reclaim Independents
The most immediate task at hand for President Obama in his drive to win enactment of health-care legislation is to bring together members of his party behind a single piece of legislation. That is the first step toward a more important political objective, which is to rebuild his and the Democrats’…

In Climate Change Debate, McCain Largely Disengages as Kerry Goes Full Throttle
As climate change reemerges as an issue in the national policy debate, it may help define the legislative legacies of two men who once vied for the White House: Sens. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Va. Gubernatorial Race: Fact Checker
If you believe a new TV ad circulating in Roanoke and Bristol last week, Republican gubernatorial candidate Robert F. McDonnell supported $180 million in electric power rate increases when he was attorney general.

Spirited Obama Rallies Supporters to Regain Ground Lost in Health-Care Fight
MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 12 — Recapturing the energy of his brightest days on the campaign trail, President Obama attempted Saturday to pull his signature health-care initiative out of the summer doldrums with a plea for help from thousands of his most dedicated supporters.

Obama Needs to Fight Back Against Beck
Bill Maher, Huffington Post

Obama Makes a Strong Case For Health Reform

Tony Dungy: A Coach’s Faith
Matthew Kaminski, Wall Street Journal

Obama’s Policy Equivalent of the Middle Finger
Shikha Dalmia, Forbes