Rush Limbaugh: I Don't Even Want To Be Alive Anymore

The Onion pens an op ed by Rush Limbaugh. It's pretty vicious. Read the rest of this post...

Obama to propose spending freeze in State of the Union

Hmmm, this feels like a gimmick to me. It's a gimmick that won't please key constituencies or the base. It sure won't endear Obama to Republicans. I guess Evan Bayh and Ben Nelson will think it's a good idea. It just seems dangerous right now from an economic sense (cutting spending when the economy is still in trouble), but I'll wait to hear what Krugman and Stiglitz have to say. It just doesn't sound all that well thought out:

President Obama will call for a three-year freeze in spending on many domestic programs, and for increases no greater than inflation after that, an initiative intended to signal his seriousness about cutting the budget deficit, administration officials said Monday.

The officials said the proposal would be a major component both of Mr. Obama’s State of the Union address on Wednesday and of the budget he will send to Congress on Monday for the fiscal year that begins in October.

The freeze would cover the agencies and programs for which Congress allocates specific budgets each year, from air traffic control and farm subsidies to education, nutrition and national parks.

But it would exempt the budgets for the Pentagon, foreign aid, the Veterans Administration and homeland security, as well as the entitlement programs that make up the biggest and fastest-growing part of the federal budget: Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

Of course the Pentagon is exempt. How much are those wars in Iraq and Afghanistan costing?

Nate Silver isn't impressed:

First reactions aren't always the best ones, but my first reaction to tonight's news is that it's a mistake on par with John McCain's "suspending my campaign" gaffe.

Read the rest of this post...

Study: Traffic pollution linked to child pneumonia

But remember, it's better to be much more concerned with the impact on business. Somehow, that's the argument that wins the day too often. The Guardian:

Children who live near a main road are in greater danger of catching pneumonia because pollution from passing traffic damages their lungs. A leading expert in childhood breathing difficulties has made the link between exposure to particles from vehicle exhausts and a child's susceptibility to the chest infection, which can be fatal.

Professor Jonathan Grigg, an honorary consultant at the Royal London Hospital and academic paediatrician at Queen Mary, University of London, made the breakthrough after studying the effect of airborne pollutants on human lung cells. Children whose home is within 100 metres of a main road could be as much as 65% more likely than others to develop pneumonia, he said.

Read the rest of this post...

The Hill: Obama will mention DADT repeal in SOTU address

UPDATE: The Hill newspaper is now reporting that Obama will mention DADT in his State of the Union adress.

That'd be great news, if it's true, and if it happens. Like Joe, I'm not a big fan of speeches taking the place of actually working to make something happen, but the State of the Union is a big deal. It's not just another speech. It's a clear indicator of what the President wants to see happen this year, and if he were to include a full repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, that would be a big deal. (As an aside, look to see whether he mentions "repealing" DADT, or simply "changing it.") Now, having said all that, we never did go to Mars, and last time I checked the world was still safe for chimera. So just because something is included in the SOTU does not mean it will happen. Read the rest of this post...

Beau Biden won't run for Delaware Senate seat

Lots of political news today.

From Delaware comes the news that Beau Biden, who was seen as the best prospect to secure a Democratic win in the seat vacate by his father isn't running after all:

"My first responsibilities are here in Delaware. I have a duty to fulfill as Attorney General -- and the immediate need to focus on a case of great consequence. And that is what I must do. Therefore I cannot and will not run for the United States Senate in 2010. I will run for reelection as Attorney General," Biden wrote in an email to supporters Monday morning.

The decision is a blow to Dems who hoped to mount a competitive race for the First State seat. Biden's decision makes Rep. Mike Castle (D) the overwhelming favorite to win the final 4 years of the senior Biden's term, replacing Sen. Ted Kaufman (D) after the Nov. elections.

Without the younger Biden in the race, Dems will likely turn to New Castle Co. exec. Chris Coons (D). Polls show Castle beating Coons by a wide margin.

Okay, when Biden vacated his seat, his appointed replacement was Ted Kauffman, a former Biden staffer. He was widely viewed as a caretaker to hold the seat til Beau could run in the next election. So, instead of appointing a strong candidate who could have built up a record, the Bidens played the system. Now, it looks like Democrats could lose the seat. Great strategy. Read the rest of this post...

Three out of four think stimulus money was wasted

People are gullible, and Republicans lie.

But what do you expect people to believe when one party fights and the other runs?

I wrote early last year that the administration was not fighting hard enough to pass the stimulus package, and wasn't fighting hard enough afterwards to define it as necessary and a success. And this is what happens as a result. It's why Joe and I, and many others, complain when we see the White House and the congressional leadership not standing up to the Republicans, and the conservative sell-outs in our own party. We don't do it because it's fun to complain. And it's not because we're bed-wetters. But rather because we've been around long enough to know that there are consequences to shows of political weakness.

To not get credit for passing the stimulus, which CBO says saved or created from 600,000 to 1.6 million jobs, is insane. And it's a prescription for being blamed for any other good legislation we pass in the future. Democrats need to learn how to fight, or their good work will get them thrown out of office. And the one proven tool we have for fighting back, the Netroots, is treated with disdain by the White House and ignored by the party.

And they wonder why we lose. Read the rest of this post...

Dear Media, don't just let people like Bill Nelson spout off about Obama's 'liberal agenda' without asking them for examples

Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) joins Lieberman and Bayh in claiming today that Obama's problems arise from him being beholden to the far left of the Democratic party.

“I think the President is going to have to scale back his agenda after we pass health care reform," Nelson said during an appearance on "Good Morning America."

"I think he’s allowed the left wing pull him too much in that direction," Nelson said. "But he always comes back into the center.”

Okay, I'm game - give us some examples of Obama's death-kiss with the liberal left of the Democratic party? Name one issue on which President Obama has gone further to the left than what he promised during the campaign, a campaign he won resoundingly? I can give you lots of examples of Obama moving to the right on promises and issue he highlighted during the campaign - health care, gay rights, civil liberties (FISA and Gitmo), Afghanistan, Wall Street reform, global warming, immigration. The list goes on.

If people like Bill Nelson, Evan Bayh and Joe Lieberman are going to talk to the national media and outright lie about what we've all been through the past year, then reporters can at least ask them to detail examples of how President Obama has succumbed to the left wing pull.

Of course, Joe Lieberman's idea of being a centrist is endorsing the other party. Read the rest of this post...

RNC sends fake fundraising 'census' to voters

Ben Smith explains, and I have the actual fake "census" that a reader sent me:

Fake RNC fundraising Census 2010 Read the rest of this post...

Next week's IL Senate primary important for progressive Dems

We need to get far more progressives, with backbone, in the Congress. Giannoulias is a good start. You can donate to his campaign here.

It's not enough to elect a Democrat to the U.S. Senate. We need to make sure that the type of Democrat we pick can beat the Republican in November and be a Senator who will work for middle-class families.

Alexi is the only candidate who can do both.

Alexi Giannoulias is the Illinois State Treasurer. He's a progressive Democrat who is endorsed by Planned Parenthood, SEIU, AFL-CIO, the Sierra Club, progressive stalwarts like Rep. Jan Schakowsky and reformers like Rep. Mike Quigley. Alexi himself was here last week highlighting his progressive policy positions.

David Hoffman is the former Inspector General of the City of Chicago. After law school, he worked for conservative Senator David Boren (D-OK)(one of only two Democrats to vote for the Bork SCOTUS nomination). He then chose to work for Judge Dennis Jacobs on the 2nd Circuit, a Bush appointee and Federalist society judge who's been described as one of the most ultra-conservative judges on the federal bench. After helping Jacobs write his opinions, Hoffman chose to clerk for Supreme Court Justice Rehnquist. He's described Justice Rehnquist as "the smartest guy I know." When he first started running in this primary, his campaign deleted Hoffman's clerking for Rehnquist and Jacobs from his resume but was then called out on it.

Please consider donating to Alexi's campaign here. Read the rest of this post...

DADT hearing, supposed to happen this week, is now 'not scheduled'

Joe just called the Senate Armed Services Committee to find out when the Don't Ask Don't Tell hearing is going to be, the one that we were promised would happen this week. They told him the hearing hasn't been scheduled.

We predicted this a good seven months ago. Let me quote my article in Salon last June:

When, Mr. President, will be a good time to set my people free? When will the leader of the free world get a breather, a presidential timeout as it were? (And I thought this was the administration that could walk and chew gum at the same time.) Are we really to believe that 2010, a congressional election year, will be any more timely than today? Or 2011, the beginning of the presidential primaries? Or 2012, with a congressional and presidential election? There is quite literally no time like the present.

I go into this story more on AMERICAblog Gay. Read the rest of this post...

WH spokesman Gibbs: Ed Schultz lies to get more viewers

I think the public would be more impressed if the White House ever treated its enemies like it treats its friends. Read the rest of this post...

SOTU to address jobs, deficit, middle class, change and something on health care

The pre-State of the Union discussion has begun. Today, The New York Times got some scoop from an anonymous "senior official" on the big speech:

The address is still being written, but one senior official, describing it on the condition of anonymity, said its main themes would include “creating good jobs, addressing the deficit, helping the middle class and changing Washington.”

One big reason the speech "is still being written" is because there's no conclusion to the health care legislation:

How Mr. Obama will address health care in the State of the Union speech, though, remains an open question. Officials on Capitol Hill and at the White House said their talks on how to proceed with the legislation might not be resolved by Wednesday. This could put Mr. Obama in the awkward position of talking about a measure that is on shaky ground.

Not too long ago the White House was planning to make the State of the Union a victory speech on health care. Not anymore.

The content isn't the only thing that matters in this speech. We need to see a President with conviction.

I wonder if Republicans are planning their heckling strategy. It worked for them last time. Read the rest of this post...

McCain has a primary opponent from the angry right

The punditry was obsessed over what the Scott Brown victory meant to Democrats. But, there are implications from the angry electorate for incumbent Republicans, too -- even for Senators who endorsed Brown, like John McCain.

Former GOP congressman, J.D. Hayworth, a truly hard-core right winger, is running in the GOP primary against McCain. And, that's well-received by at least one of the other right-wingers in the House:

A GOP congresman on Sunday backed former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) who announced Saturday he will primary Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) became the first lawmaker to endorse the former radio host Hayworth's upstart bid.

In a Twitter post, Rohrabacher said:

McCain's wrong on too many big issues: #Immigration, #GlobalWarming, #Bailouts. @JDHayworth is better #AZ #tcot #Hayworth

Hayworth informed the Associated Press late Friday that he was stepping down as host of an Arizona talk radio program to run for Senate against the 2008 GOP presidential nominee.

A poll last week showed McCain with a 53% - 31% lead over Hayworth. Those are great numbers for a long-term incumbent, especially for a primary.

Not sure how Cindy McCain's support for same-sex marriage will help in the GOP primary.

The primary is August 24th, so Hayworth has some time. I can't imagine McCain appreciates this challenge. Read the rest of this post...

Partisan divide over approval ratings highest ever with Obama

Despite Obama's plans for bipartisanship, Republicans really don't like this President. From Gallup:

The 65 percentage-point gap between Democrats' (88%) and Republicans' (23%) average job approval ratings for Barack Obama is easily the largest for any president in his first year in office, greatly exceeding the prior high of 52 points for Bill Clinton.

Here's the history.

Obama isn't going to win over the GOP voters -- or those GOPers on Capitol Hill. He needs to keep his base secure and keep his promises to voters. That's how he won. Read the rest of this post...

Monday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

This is going to be a busy week. The President delivers the State of the Union on Wednesday night. For the next few days, we'll hear and read endless commentary about what he needs to say and how he needs to say it. Then, we'll hear and read endless discussion about what he said and how he said it. It's going to be annoying.

One week from today, the President delivers his budget to Congress. We're hoping the budget includes the language to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." If that law is going to be repealed this year, it will happen in the Defense Authorization so the budget is the right vehicle. Obama can and should take the lead by including the repeal language in his version of the Defense budget. Now, we'll hear a lot of bed-wetting about DADT and how hard it will be to pass it and how Democrats can't do anything "controversial" and worries about what the Pentagon thinks. But, the Pentagon leadership works for Obama and the repeal of DADT has broad support. So, this one is in Obama's court.

And, on the subject of Obama and DADT, read the op-ed from Richard Socarides. John posted it here. It's very powerful. Let's hope someone at the White House reads it -- and heeds it.

Start threading the news.... Read the rest of this post...