"Mental health professionals should avoid telling clients that they can change their sexual orientation"

Yeah, no surprise for thinking people, but the American Psychological Association (APA) says that "ex-gay therapy" thing doesn't work. A lot of LGBT people have tortured themselves -- and been tortured by the ex-gay advocates:

The American Psychological Association adopted a resolution Wednesday stating that mental health professionals should avoid telling clients that they can change their sexual orientation through therapy or other treatments.

The "Resolution on Appropriate Affirmative Responses to Sexual Orientation Distress and Change Efforts" also advises that parents, guardians, young people and their families avoid sexual orientation treatments that portray homosexuality as a mental illness or developmental disorder and instead seek psychotherapy, social support and educational services "that provide accurate information on sexual orientation and sexuality, increase family and school support and reduce rejection of sexual minority youth."

Now, there's no excuse for all those ex-gay "ministries." It's quackery. Read the rest of this post...

It's now out on DVD: Townhalls Gone Wild!!!

And, you can get "Teabaggers Gone Wild", too!


This is one of Jed's finest works. Read the rest of this post...

While Dems. still seek bipartisanship, Republicans play for more time on health insurance reform. (And, they're playing the Democrats)

Okay. Let's review how things unfolded today on health insurance reform in the Senate.

First, Obama is further enabling the Senate "gang of six," (the Baucus and Grassley crew) by meeting with them at the White House tomorrow. Apparently, Obama "will encourage the three Republicans and three Democrats to come to terms on a consensus approach, aides said."

Why?

We already know one of the three Republicans in the "gang", Republican Mike Enzi, won't agree to any deal unless Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi all agree to his demands. Today, we learned that another one of the Republican "gang" was trashing talking Democrats on MSNBC:

"[We're] doing what should have been done at the outset of this year, rather than trying to railroad a procses in an unrealistic timeframe," Snowe told MSNBC's Morning Joe.

Snowe added that the emphasis on deadlines has placed an unnecessary burden on the process.

"Let's get [off] timetables and timeframes, because they cretainly (sic) don't work and they haven't worked," Snowe said, adding that deadlines have "contributed to the problems and to the escalation" of the political battle surrounding healthcare.

Of course, Snowe doesn't want timetables. Senator Jay Rockefeller explained why:

Changes to the bill have been frustrating, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.) told reporters at a press conference, particularly given that the Republicans -- Mike Enzi of Wyoming, Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Olympia Snowe of Maine -- are, in his opinion, just stalling for time.

"You just watch as the bill diminishes in its scope, in its coverage, in its ferocity to try to attack the problem. I don't know where it will come out," Rockefeller said. "My own personal view is that those three Republicans won't be there to vote it out of committee when it comes right down to it, so that this all will have been a three-or-four-month delay game, which is exactly what the Republicans want."

Rockefeller is right. As is Senator Lamar Alexander who spoke the truth when he said:

"I think it's possible. I mean, [Obama] could pass a bill today," Lamar told Fox News' Trace Gallagher. The host asked Alexander if Congress could ratify the health bill by the end of the year.

There are 60 Democratic Senators. If it weren't for the bizarre quest for bipartisanship (from both the White House and some Senators), this could be done already. It should have been done already. Read the rest of this post...

Former Congressman William Jefferson found guilty of corruption

William Jefferson, the former Congressman from New Orleans, who gained infamy for having $90,000 in his freezer, was found guilty today on 11 of the 16 counts against him:

The verdict comes four years after the Aug. 3, 2005 raids of Jefferson's homes in New Orleans and Washington, D.C., in which the FBI found $90,000 in cash hidden in the freezer of his D.C. home, money the government said Jefferson was going to deliver as a bribe to Atiku Abubakar, then vice president of Nigeria, to gain his help with a telecommunications deal in Nigeria being pursued by Lori Mody, a Northern Virginia businesswoman.

The money was the lion's share of $100,000 in FBI cash that the congressman was videotaped receiving packed in a briefcase days earlier in a suburban Virginia parking lot from Mody, who, beginning in March of 2005, had become a cooperating witness for the FBI, secretly taping her conversations with Jefferson.

The jury did not find him guilty on the Foreign Corruptions Practices Act, which was the count linked to the money in the freezer.

So, the frozen money got Jefferson a lot of negative attention, but not a criminal conviction. Sort of ironic.

Jefferson was defeated last December by Republican Joseph Cao. Read the rest of this post...

Dana Milbank's curtain call: "It's a brutal world out there in the blogosphere"

You'll all be sad to know that the Milbank/Cillizza videos have come to an end. The honchos at the Washington Post have pulled the plug. Milbank and Cillizza were interviewed by their employer for the article about the demise of their videos:

"It's a brutal world out there in the blogosphere," Milbank said. "I'm often surprised by the ferocity out there, but I probably shouldn't be."

Cillizza said that "people have every right to be offended. . . . I am a big believer in experimenting with journalism and finding different ways to convey information. This was a failed experiment in doing that."

Okay, the bottom line here: the videos weren't funny. They don't need to overanalyze this. And, don't blame the bloggers. Those guys weren't funny.

Note to the Washington Post: You can't mock "pompous pundits" with pompous pundits. Read the rest of this post...

Another Fox News FAIL

Jed monitors FOX News, so the rest of us don't have to. And, he caught a good one yesterday:
Read the rest of this post...

The RNC is dumping anyone who calls about the DNC ad

The Republican National Committee doesn't want to hear from people who are upset over its thuggish tactics at Town Hall meetings. The DNC launched an ad, Enough of the Mob, which asked people to call the RNC. Heard from readers, Tim Beauchamp and ShirleyGoodnessandMercy, that the RNC is dumping those who call about the ad. Tim writes:

If you call the number listed in the ad: 202-863-8500 the message suggests "Please press 1 if you are calling in response to DNC ad" and then you are eventually dismissed or hung up on. Callers need to call and press option "2" to keep from being dismissed.

So, if you're calling, press 2.

I've also heard the RNC is trying to send those call back to the DNC. Bottom line: No one from the RNC wants to explain their position. Can you blame them? They've chosen to side with the insurance companies over patients and doctors. And, their whole strategy seems to be one of intimidation. That's all they've got at the RNC. Read the rest of this post...

GOP Senate Campaign chief, John Cornyn, "pointedly refused" to support Ensign for reelection

Texas Senator John Cornyn chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). He's in charge of electing Republican Senators and reelecting incumbents. During the last election cycle, Nevada's John Ensign headed up the NRSC.

Today, via The Hill, we learn that the current chair of the NRSC won't commit to supporting the old chair's reelection:

The chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee pointedly refused to endorse the re-election prospects of embattled Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), who faces voters in 2012.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who succeeded Ensign atop the GOP's Senate campaign arm, told reporters Wednesday he would not comment on races next cycle. Cornyn said Republicans have been giving Ensign space since he admitted in June to having an affair with a close family friend who worked on his campaign.

"Sen. Ensign and his family and everybody involved have been through a very tough time, and I think all of us have tried to give him and his family and all involved the space to work through that," Cornyn said when asked whether he would support Ensign's bid for a third term.

This is a pretty big deal. The NRSC is charged, first and foremost, with reelecting sitting Senators. It's a sign that GOP leaders think Ensign is in big, big trouble. Ensign is in big, big trouble. It's just surprising that Cornyn is admitting it. Read the rest of this post...

Geithner unplugged

With all the craziness coming from the GOP/teabaggers/birthers yesterday, I didn't get to the report on an "expletive-laced tirade" from Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner. Chris is on vacation or he would have been all over this. The WSJ first reported it, but the article was in subscription section, so here's the LA Times take on it:

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner launched an "expletive-laced" tirade against top U.S. financial regulators in a meeting on Friday, demanding that they halt their turf battles over the administration’s proposed regulatory overhaul, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Frustration apparently has been building in the White House as individual regulators have publicly voiced objections to parts of the plan, including giving the Federal Reserve more oversight of the financial system and creating a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency to police lending products.

The regulators’ pushback could pose a threat to any overhaul by giving House and Senate leaders ammunition to challenge the plan.

Now, I have to admit, I didn't think Tim had it in him to curse and yell like that. I wish he'd launch into few "expletive-laced tirades" against some of the tycoons on Wall Street, too.

My take on Geithner is similar to this, which I got from a reader yesterday:

Geithner's worried me from the start. It's seemed to me that he's part of the problem, not part of the solution. He was, after all, the chairman of the New York Fed while the meltdown was taking place. And he's admitted that he tried to solve the problem from within, by taking a diplomatic approach with the member banks...I don't understand why Obama trusts him.

This has been worrisome. As chair of the New York Fed, Geithner did hang out with all those Wall Street tycoons who helped destroy the economy. That was his world and gave him his world view. Maybe this "expletive-laced tirade" is an indication that Geithner is finally getting that his new job isn't to protect his old pals on Wall Street. It's to protect the American economy for the rest of us. I hope so. Read the rest of this post...

Seven biggest rail transit systems need $50 billion

The nation's subway systems need help:

A study released by the Federal Transit Administration in April found that the country's seven largest rail transit operators have about $50 billion in unmet capital needs. One-third of the assets at those seven agencies, which include Metro, were deemed to be in either marginal or poor condition.

Metro, the only major transit agency without a source of dedicated funding, says it needs more than $7 billion for capital projects over the next 10 years to offer safe and reliable service

This issue combines the economy and the environment. Without effective transit, people can't get to work -- or they'll drive instead. It's one of those issues that doesn't get a lot of attention but is fundamental to the functioning of our the country's biggest cities. And, yeah, it's clearly a safety issue, too.

The headline in today's Washington Post captured the situation, "Metro Chief Begs Senate for More Money to Maintain Subway." Begging. It's come down to begging. Read the rest of this post...

DNC launches new ad "Enough of the Mob."

Sam Stein reported yesterday that Obama is still talking about the need for a bipartisan health insurance reform bill during his lunch with Senators.:

[Obama] also insisted, according to an administration aide, that he remained committed to working with the Republican Party to get reform passed.

Okay. If Obama is still committed to working with Republicans, he really needs to see this ad produced by the DNC. Because this is the GOP. The people in these mobs are the GOP base. They will not let the GOP leadership accept any of Obama's core principles for reform:

Bipartisan with this mob? Not going to happen. Stop worrying about the process and focus on the result. Read the rest of this post...

Wednesday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

This is not a slow news week.

That was quite a move by Bill Clinton in North Korea. Masterful. The former President has put himself front and center again -- in a very good way. I think many were expecting him to interfere with the work of his wife and Obama. Instead, he's made everyone look good.

Sotomayor "debate" continues today on the Senate floor. It's really just a lot of right-wing pontificating. The Republicans look bad on this vote, especially with Latino voters. Some of them actually know that, but they just can't help themselves.

And, I have to wish my mother, Rita, a Happy Birthday. She's 73 and still works out almost every day. A couple months ago, she left me a message saying, "I haven't talked to you for a couple days, but I've been reading the blog so I know you're okay." So, I know she'll get this birthday wish.

Let's start... Read the rest of this post...

Milbank and Cillizza do it again. And, it's not funny. It's just bad.

OMG. Milbank and Cillizza produced another bad video. Really, really bad. Or as Jason Linkins at Huffington Post put it:

Like always, it is NOT funny. Not funny in the least. It is the NULL SET of funny.

Jason posted the video, but I warn you, it's a complete waste of one minute and 41 seconds. That's one minute and 41 seconds you won't ever get back.

If you make the mistake of watching the Milbank/Cillizza video, there's only one antidote: immediately watch Andy Cobb's video mocking Milbank and Cillizza, which we first posted on Tuesday morning, again. Because this one is funny:
Read the rest of this post...