Insurance companies trying to ban kids with pre-existing conditions anyway, in violation of new law

We should have nailed these jerks last year from the git-go.

HHS is hitting back. Read More......

Tea Party founder denies Teabaggers called John Lewis a 'n-gger.' Too bad Tea Party founder used word last month on a protest sign.

Oops. Read More......

Religious right upset with RNC over lesbian sex voyeur bondage club, etc.

It seems the men at the Concerned Women for America have a problem with the RNC frequenting voyeur lesbian sex simulation bondage clubs. Read More......

Increased calls by Republicans for party chair Steele to resign after lesbian voyeur club snafu

Sam Stein at Huff Post:

While several GOP strategists are willing to grant Steele a pass -- under the rubric that one has to spend lavishly to raise lavish amounts of money -- several big donors and party officials are completely baffled.

"For those donors who truly believe in conservative values, this latest news about Steele has to be very disturbing," said Douglas MacKinnon, former press secretary to Majority Leader Robert Dole. "No matter which side of the aisle you find yourself, if you are giving a political party your hard-earned money, you should have no doubts that it is going to be spent as advertised and not to provide a spoiled, egocentric, out-of-touch chairman with frivolous luxuries which are out of reach of the vast majority of the American people. Michael Steele needs to resign and let the RNC vote in a man or woman who understands that his or her needs do not come before the needs of the nation or the party."

"I think it certainly suggest a certain tone deafness," confirmed Mark DeMoss, a longtime GOP donor who has decided to stop giving to committees. "I think it suggests either that you are out of touch or that you are more important than your constituents and your donors and either case is bad, whichever one you are guilty of."

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GOP chair Michael Steele and the 'bondage-themed club that features topless female dancers imitating lesbian sex'

They call this a full-service bar. I bet.



How often do I get to write a headline like that, huh?

You know, I go for an allergy shot, and all hell breaks loose on one of my favorite topics. No, not bondage, but Michael Steele. Though in this case, they're one in the same.

I'll let Greg Sargent summarize:

The Republican National Committee has undertaken an investigation in the wake of news that nearly $2,000 in party funds was spent at a bondage-themed club that features topless female dancers imitating lesbian sex, an RNC spokesperson confirms to me.

The spokesperson adamantly denies that Michael Steele was the party who spent the money at the club and says Steele strongly disavows such actions.

The Daily Caller reported today that FEC filings show that $1,946.25 in RNC funds was spent in February at Voyeur West Hollywood, which features scantily clad waitresses and writhing performers amid a decor of orgy chic.

The Daily Caller suggested that the cash outlay at the club suggests “Steele travels in style,” without saying outright that he’s the one responsible for the expenditure. But an RNC spokesman sends over a statement adamantly denying it was Steele.

Here's a review of club Voyeur:

Welcome to Voyeur, a lavish new nightspot suggesting that highbrow elegance and a bit of S&M; are not mutually exclusive. Gotta say, you couldn't agree more.

Behind dank casement windows salvaged from the original New York Times building, there awaits a dark lounge filled with corset-backed chairs and antique sofas made from bounced-against headboards. Lithe women fuss with their lingerie behind glass, maybe, or they really enjoy the sax from the stage. (You might also see a beauty doing stretches on the trapeze net above you—she must be hitting the gym later.)

And far in the back, past the photo booth, apothecary bar and walls plastered in contact sheets from an illicit Mexico photo shoot, there's a private VIP room with a separate entrance and a giant chaise that could comfortably hold you and 10 beauties who appreciate furniture with well-placed handles…

And anybody else who likes to watch.

And another review:

In Los Angeles, it takes a lot to shock and awe. When you walk into Voyeur on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, you might not be completely shocked at the almost naked women writhing on each other but you will undoubtedly be in awe.

Voyeur is an intimate space, provocative and sexy, sophisticated and interesting. Inspired by Eyes Wide Shut and London lounge, Annabelle’s of London, Voyeur transports you to a world of risqué sexuality and eroticism. In fact, even if you tried to escape looking at the naked women all around you, you would ultimately fail. But then again, why would you even try?

Of course the guests are sexy, but the walls are also lined with black and white pictures of beautiful naked girls from decades past while temptresses wearing nothing more than pasties and a black thong “stretch” on tables or in large glass boxes. Yes, the women don’t strip or show off their outdone go-go girl dance moves. Instead, they hold onto ropes on the walls and literally stretch, like yoga class but much sexier (and probably more naked).

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FIFA to highlight non-South African musical talent at South African World Cup

What a missed opportunity for the rest of the world to hear great music. The Guardian:

In the latest blow to South African pride in hosting a competition expected to be watched by billions of TV viewers, local artists are to stage protests over being sidelined by the likes of Keys, the Black Eyed Peas and Shakira.

To mark the disappointment of local musicians, Arthur Mafokate, a star of the local musical genre known as kwaito, has called on South African radio stations to play only African music for the duration of the tournament. "At least the tourists might hear us on the radio,'' he said.

Actor Mabutho "Kid" Sithole, a spokesman for the Creative Workers' Union, added: "It is not as though we want second-rate performers to replace the Americans. Performers such as Johnny Clegg, the Soweto Gospel Choir and Ladysmith Black Mambazo – can stand head and shoulders alongside them.''

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The right's wrong for America

From David Mixner:

The extreme right record of utter and total failure to stop the march to progress is the reason we should not have to bear their craziness anymore. The record is numbingly clear: They were wrong about Social Security. They were wrong on integrating the military forces under President Truman. They were wrong about McCarthyism in the early 1950's. They were wrong about passing civil rights legislation in the 1960's. They were wrong on Medicare. They were wrong about women rights. They were wrong about 'trickle down economics.' They were wrong about tax breaks for the rich. They were wrong about the war in Iraq. They were wrong about climate change. They were wrong about LGBT rights and they are wrong about healthcare reform.

Can you imagine our world if they had been successful in stopping any of the forces for change above? We would have a world with our seniors poor and unable to have healthcare. We would have African-Americans unable to vote. We would see women relegated to being housewives and not leading our nation. All homosexuals would still be in the closet with many having lobotomies, committing suicide and being arrested. The world has become and is still becoming a better place because of progressive legislation and ignoring the calls, shouts and anger to protect the narrow-minded status quo.

Fact is, they can't have their country back. Their country is moving forward into a greatness with a richly diverse and exciting population.

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White southern GOPer calls C-SPAN, says too many blacks are phoning in, should rename it Black-SPAN

And C-SPAN, rather than calling out the racist, kind of apologizes to him - tell him "we appreciate your input."

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Frank Rich on the Teabaggers and GOP extremism throughout history

Frank Rich in the NYT:

In fact, the current surge of anger — and the accompanying rise in right-wing extremism — predates the entire health care debate. The first signs were the shrieks of “traitor” and “off with his head” at Palin rallies as Obama’s election became more likely in October 2008. Those passions have spiraled ever since — from Gov. Rick Perry’s kowtowing to secessionists at a Tea Party rally in Texas to the gratuitous brandishing of assault weapons at Obama health care rallies last summer to “You lie!” piercing the president’s address to Congress last fall like an ominous shot.

If Obama’s first legislative priority had been immigration or financial reform or climate change, we would have seen the same trajectory. The conjunction of a black president and a female speaker of the House — topped off by a wise Latina on the Supreme Court and a powerful gay Congressional committee chairman — would sow fears of disenfranchisement among a dwindling and threatened minority in the country no matter what policies were in play. It’s not happenstance that Frank, Lewis and Cleaver — none of them major Democratic players in the health care push — received a major share of last weekend’s abuse. When you hear demonstrators chant the slogan “Take our country back!,” these are the people they want to take the country back from.

And they can’t pretend that we’re talking about “isolated incidents” or a “fringe” utterly divorced from the G.O.P. A Quinnipiac poll last week found that 74 percent of Tea Party members identify themselves as Republicans or Republican-leaning independents, while only 16 percent are aligned with Democrats.

After the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, some responsible leaders in both parties spoke out to try to put a lid on the resistance and violence. The arch-segregationist Russell of Georgia, concerned about what might happen in his own backyard, declared flatly that the law is “now on the books.” Yet no Republican or conservative leader of stature has taken on Palin, Perry, Boehner or any of the others who have been stoking these fires for a good 17 months now. Last week McCain even endorsed Palin’s “reload” rhetoric.

Are these politicians so frightened of offending anyone in the Tea Party-Glenn Beck base that they would rather fall silent than call out its extremist elements and their enablers? Seemingly so, and if G.O.P. leaders of all stripes, from Romney to Mitch McConnell to Olympia Snowe to Lindsey Graham, are afraid of these forces, that’s the strongest possible indicator that the rest of us have reason to fear them too.

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Air Steele: GOP chair Michael Steele wanted a private jet for the RNC

Hey, if the GOP's benefactors all have private jets, why shouldn't the GOP have one of its own? According to Jonathan Strong at the Daily Caller, that idea was actually under consideration at the Republican National Committee:

According to two knowledgeable sources, Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele once raised the possibility of using party money to buy a private jet for his travel.

“I know that … regular ongoing use of planes was something that was looked at,” says one person with direct knowledge. “I can’t speak to how serious those inquiries were.” Both sources say Steele considered purchasing a plane outright, or buying fractional ownership in one, through a company such as NetJets.

Steele’s spokesman, Doug Heye, did not deny that such discussions took place, responding that the RNC never had a “plan” to buy a plane. “I don’t know what somebody might have discussed or might not have discussed.”

While Steele has not purchased a plane, he continues to charter them. According to federal disclosure records, the RNC spent $17,514 on private aircraft in the month of February alone (as well as $12,691 on limousines during the same period). There are no readily identifiable private plane expenses for Democratic National Committee chairman Tim Kaine in the DNC’s last three months of filings.

And, there's this little tidbit about Steele's travels:

Once on the ground, FEC filings suggest, Steele travels in style. A February RNC trip to California, for example, included a $9,099 stop at the Beverly Hills Hotel, $6,596 dropped at the nearby Four Seasons, and $1,620.71 spent [update: the amount is actually $1,946.25] at Voyeur West Hollywood, a bondage-themed nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex.

Voyeur West Hollywood? Read More......

To be clear: GOPers are trying to block real financial reform to abet Wall Street and the Big Banks

Paul Krugman explains how the GOPers are going to fight financial reform, despite what the financial services industry did to our nation's economy. They're going to lie about the legislation, which is, of course, a key component of any GOP strategy these days:

Back in January, Frank Luntz, the G.O.P. strategist, circulated a memo on how to oppose financial reform. His key idea was that Republicans should claim that up is down — that reform legislation is a “big bank bailout bill,” rather than a set of restrictions on the banks.

Sure enough, a few days ago Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama, in a letter attacking the Dodd bill, claimed that an essential part of reform — tougher oversight of large, systemically important financial companies — is actually a bailout, because “The market will view these firms as being ‘too big to fail’ and implicitly backed by the government.” Um, senator, the market already views those firms as having implicit government backing, because they do: whatever people like Mr. Shelby may say now, in any future crisis those firms will be rescued, whichever party is in power.

The only question is whether we’re going to regulate bankers so that they don’t abuse the privilege of government backing. And it’s that regulation — not future bailouts — that reform opponents are trying to block.

So it’s the punks versus the plutocrats — those who want to rein in runaway banks, and bankers who want the freedom to put the economy at risk, freedom enhanced by the knowledge that taxpayers will bail them out in a crisis. Whatever they say, the fact is that people like Mr. Shelby are on the side of the plutocrats; the American people should be on the side of the punks, who are trying to protect their interests.

Proving Krugman's point, a couple weeks ago, at a gathering of bankers, that same Mr. Shelby told those bankers how to defeat financial reform -- elect more GOPers, starting with Roy Blunt:

Asked what bankers could do to change the agenda, Shelby said, "What you can do is elect more Republicans to the U.S. Senate, that would help immensely." He asked each of the attendees to send $10,000 to Roy Blunt, a former House leader who is now running for Senate as a Republican in Missouri.

Couldn't be more clear than that. Read More......

Monday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

So, by now everyone knows Obama didn't go to Camp David for the weekend. He went to Afghanistan and gets back this morning at 9:00 AM Eastern. Sounds like one purpose of that trip was to push Karzhai to clean up his government. A friend who worked in Afghanistan for years told me that government corruption is one of the biggest obstacles to success. Obama's visit comes as the military gears up for the next battle is Kandahar.

Congress is in recess until April 12th. Members are going to be getting feedback from the people who actually elect them. I've always thought lobbying back home is way more effective. When members of Congress are in DC, they get extra special treatment from their staffs, lobbyists and the traditional media. They're put on pedestals here. Back home, they're all just retail politicians who need your vote.

Chris has a great post about the Pope's message at the Palm Sunday mass yesterday. In his mind, Benedict is the victim, not the real victims of child rape. New York's Archbishop compared the criticism of Benedict to the suffering of Jesus Christ:

The charges being hurled at Pope Benedict XVI are the "the same unjust accusations, shouts of the mob and scourging at the pillar" suffered by Christ, Dolan said in his first Palm Sunday Mass as New York archbishop.

I don't remember hearing anything about Jesus Christ covering up for criminals who raped children. Admittedly, I was a public school kid who only went to CCD, but that comparison sounds pretty pathetic and bizarre.

Let's this week started...it's raining here in DC, which means Petey will not want to go out. He can be very stubborn about it. Read More......

Female suicide bombers kill dozens in Moscow subway

It's not common to have one, let alone two female suicide bombers. MSNBC.com:

At least 37 people were killed Monday when suicide bombers detonated explosives on two packed Moscow metro trains during rush hour, the worst attack in the Russian capital for six years, officials said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blasts but suspicion was likely to fall on groups from Russia's North Caucasus, where the Kremlin is fighting a growing Islamist insurgency.

"Two female terrorist suicide bombers carried out these bombings," Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov told reporters.

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Pope's Palm Sunday service: poor me, I'm the victim

Oh please. This guy is too stupid to know when to stop focusing on himself and start focusing on the problem that is obvious to everyone else. This problem is not about victimizing the Pope, but about the consistent hiding of the truth and skirting the law by the Catholic church. It's about the real victims, as in the kids who were raped by priests and then shuffled around to new jobs. Someone is being dishonest here and it's not the media.

The 82-year-old pontiff led tens of thousands of people in a sunny St. Peter’s Square in a Palm Sunday service at the start of Holy Week events commemorating the last days in the life of Jesus.

While he did not directly mention the scandal involving sexual abuse of children by priests, parts of his sermon could be applicable to the crisis.

The pontiff said faith in God helps lead one “towards the courage of not allowing oneself to be intimidated by the petty gossip of dominant opinion.”

He also spoke of how man can sometimes “fall to the lowest, vulgar levels” and “sink into the swamp of sin and dishonesty.”

Read More......