Vox Populi – 3-28-2014

AdLib : Well, looks like it’s about that time, to close up the Vox Pop bar for the night. Thanks to all for a rousing and fun discussion! Have a great weekend all and see you here next Friday!

AdLib : Will do!

choicelady : thanks, AdLib – you have a great weekend, too!

AdLib : Feel better CL! Thanks for the good news on HOPE…and HOPE you have a restful weekend, staying cozy in your home as the rain falls!

choicelady : Well everyone, with the sneezing and snuffling, I also think I’m packing it in. I cannot find the antihistamines, so I’m worse than useless. Good night – may everyone get the rain they want and end the snow they don’t. May your dreams come true! Good night!

AdLib : Night Murph!

AdLib : Sorry I was gone for a bit, I’m back!

choicelady : good night, Murph!

choicelady : Murph – thank you for hanging in for all these months getting people enrolled. You ARE changing lives. Thank you!

choicelady : Murph – my heroine of the hour is Diane Ravich who was Bush’s appointee to promote the destruction of public ed, teachers/ unions, etc. and wound up their champion. She purely ROCKS does Diane! Since our mayor is married to the horrific Michelle Rhee who hates public ed, loves privatization, despises public employees esp. teachers, I follow Ravich faithfully for her great, good sense. Rhee is despicable.

pinkpantheroz : Sleep wll, Murph

MurphTheSurf3 : Well I need to pack it up. Early morning at the call center awaits.

MurphTheSurf3 : CL..my experience as well. I worked in the urban center in Chicago at a similar place= only for HS kids.

choicelady : Murph – I worked at Flanner House, the oldest Black settlement house in America in Indianapolis. We had preschool for inner city kids with an eye to preparing them to do well. It was an amazing place to be – until the GOP killed OEO and all the programs. Those families wanted their kids to succeed, no matter how poor or uneducated the parents were. They were no different from white blue collar people. The pressure to dumb down came from scared white elites who did not want that at all. Not for minority kids, not for blue collar kids. And we let it happen through the 70s until now.

MurphTheSurf3 : CL…there are many forces at work in the dumbing down.

choicelady : Murph and PPO – allow me to observe that the pressure for dumbing down is NOT coming from minorities but from white suburbanites. It is why my mother retired in the 1970s! She could no longer tolerate the demands from parents that their little precious not be troubled to learn any damn thing. I believer slackers were born in that movement.

MurphTheSurf3 : Pink…I have a friend who is a curriculum coordinator in a large high school in Indiana who says that the dumbing down of the curriculum is now so blatant that it is spoken of openly. She says we have reached the tipping point and it is now easy to blame the students and their parent which makes even more “accommodation ” necessary.

choicelady : PPO – we will always have that class battle. The one thing working against it is the observation from fairly conservative (not GOP necessarily) forces that the loss of skill and reasoning is destroying American capacity that cannot be replaced overseas. Suddenly I see people waking up to that – and I think it’s a tipping point for good.

choicelady : Murph – well Akins showed it doesn’t always work, so let’s keep on keeping on.

pinkpantheroz : Choice, you’re quite right on the education front. It has always been the goal of the 1% to ensure they have enough poorly educated minions to do the grunt work, either here or overseas. A well educated workforce is anathema to most of them, because labor costs would cut into their indecent profits. BUT, maybe the new up-and coming tech wizzes will change that. The sooner the old farts die out, maybe the better. Saying that, though, Wall St. is a great incubator for the young greedy, isn’t it. Wow, talking against myself, here!

MurphTheSurf3 : Sorry Sab….

MurphTheSurf3 : Choice….it is a good question and it is a great tactic on their part…lying for fun….and profit.

choicelady : Sabreen – I fear Murph may have named you Submareen forever!

choicelady : I figured, Sabreen, but it was very funny!

Sabreen60 : CL, I’m not really, but I always liked that little ditty. Good night again.

MurphTheSurf3 : Gud Knight Submareen sweap wells

choicelady : Murph – what the HELL can we do about that?? How can people be that stupid?

choicelady : LOL!! Goodnight, Sabreen – sleep well and sleep it off! Hugs!

MurphTheSurf3 : CL…not only do they not get furious, the blame the Dems..the GOP is skilled at doing the dirty deed and then blaming it on the Dems

Sabreen60 : I am not under the afluence of inkelhol altho some thinkle peep I am. And with that good people I will say good night. Take care everyone.

choicelady : Sabreen – we have had a systematic decline in reasoning skill education since the 1970s. Yes – it IS deliberate because no one wanted the student and Black and Brown radicals of those times. Stress obedience, knee-jerk reactions, and feed them pablum. Ryan was right in his observations about the poor – AND TOTALLY WRONG ABOUT WHY. The culture of poverty is a CONSEQUENCE NOT A CAUSE.

MurphTheSurf3 : CL The temp crowd…here in Mo. there has been so little outreach that I am not sure if that group was even touched. We think we will end up with 100K signed up but THE greatest need here is the working poor.

choicelady : Murph – WHY DO THEY NOT GET FURIOUS THEN???

Sabreen60 : The sad thing is people won’t even go the ACA web site to find out for themselves. Have we always been led around by our noses?

choicelady : Murph – OK the temp crowd is one we were supposed to target (not my organization) via the small biz group. Do not know if we made any dent.

MurphTheSurf3 : Sab…I meet folks everyday who are having their futures stolen from them by government policy….in this state GOP policy and they are faithful republicans.

choicelady : Sabreen – brava! We have to keep on keeping on with every single person we meet.

choicelady : AdLib – people really ARE brainwashed. They think it will cost thousands because the idiots even on NPR do not talk about what it is with SUBSIDIES. That’s the part I hate about Jimmy Carter – he says it’s “too complicated” which is BS. It’s not – it’s quite simple. But people get scared at what they THINK it will cost not realizing it depends on their income.

MurphTheSurf3 : CL…she works for a temp agency specializing in medical staffing…and they do not insure….insane

AdLib : CL – Very cool! That all sounds great! Thanks for moving HOPE forward with Sarah! Onto Kathay!

Sabreen60 : Unreal Murph. How do we get these young people to inform themselves. The young lady who is my hair stylist didn’t even know there is an election in November. She doesn’t watch the news; read the newspaper or read blogs. She is totally obvious to current events. I asked her how can she not be concerned about the rights being taken away from women. She’s in her 30’s. I told her you don’t have to know everything that’s going on (if that’s to much for you), but at least know the issues that will directly impact your personal life. I know they all do, but I was trying to start somewhere with her.

MurphTheSurf3 : Ad and she is a lab tech in a hospital

choicelady : Murph – that her medical environment would not GIVE insurance is despicable, and not TELL her is outrageous! I do hope she acts on it – she will be pleased!

AdLib : Murph – It is amazing that so many people are so lacking in curiosity and responsibility. 29 years old is well old enough to care about not having health insurance and at least checking out what they could get under the ACA.

choicelady : AdLib – the meeting this week with Sarah was excellent. Talk a bit with Kathay (who is headed to see her family in Asia this coming week) and will lean on Helen. I WILL move this. Much, much easier without Phil. I think he was a serious impediment. Sarah laughed when I told her why he didn’t like HOPE. That was a good sign!

MurphTheSurf3 : CL great explanation….t hanks.

choicelady : Murph – it’s the compliation of hardcore uninsured and sometimes uninsured. I think it’s the latter we still can work with. One of them could be funksands. He will have current insurance terminate in July he told us – so he IS moving to enroll via the Exchange. Many won’t think of it unless we keep up the educational outreach. So we still have an uphill battle. Part of our problem nationally is the hidden figure – the undocumented. I don’t even know how that figures in.

AdLib : True CL…it would be great to get HOPE on track before 2016!

MurphTheSurf3 : By KT

AdLib : Night KT! Sleep well, pal!

MurphTheSurf3 : CL where does Kaiser get its 47 million number from

choicelady : Murph – that said, the overall uninsured – meaning at some point any given year – is about 45 million, so we get only a third IF the NEWLY uninsured in July (for example) fail to enroll. And we will never have the 5 million dumped out in Red states for lack of Medicaid.

MurphTheSurf3 : CL…hysterical!

MurphTheSurf3 : Sabreen, Choice, and Ad Lib…here is a story for you. Had blood taken on Wednesday. The tech was a temp not covered by health insurance who know nothing about ACA. 29 years old. I filled her in and hope she acts. She works in hospitals, and clinics.

Sabreen60 : Good night KT.

choicelady : Murph – we started with 30 million hard core uninsured including students. We will, with all the figures, be at about 15 million by April. The rest live in Missouri.

AdLib : CL – Okay, now those are numbers I would love to know. Can you help on this? The total of kids under 26 now on their parents’ insurance, those added to Medicaid and those added through exchanges. That total is going to be impressive!

choicelady : KT – Have a good weekend. Sorry we don’t have you as long, but 7 am wake up calls are important, so you have to get your sleep to keep your mission. Good night and sweet dreams!

choicelady : AdLib – lying is protected free speech. What can I say. EXCEPT if we get HOPE passed. Then there might be consequences in voting issues, but there are no interventions in the private sector. Of course minority people who exaggerated stories for WaPo and NYT got fired – but not Judity Miller who lied along with Bush about Iraq. So it’s hit or miss, and lying sacks of poo rarely get busted.

Sabreen60 : Murph, Considering the 100’s of millions that have been spent to demonize ACA, it’s a wonder anyone has signed up. You’re doing a yeoman’s job. It’s so sad when you think about the people who could possibly die because they don’t have health insurance.

MurphTheSurf3 : Choice….how do you get Half of the uninsured are going to be insured? What is your starting number…?

KillgoreTrout : Just wanted to drop in and say Hi. Time for me to hit the hay. I hope you guys have a great weekend.

AdLib : Murph – As long as the ACA keeps growing, it will amass more gravity and eventually attract even those most brainwashed against it. Instead of focusing on the brainwashed, we can be helping the non-brainwashed to join up and help build that mass that will be inescapable in its gravity.

choicelady : Murph – I am so sorry Missouri is screwing its own people with lies. Thank you for doing all you can for your folks – you KNOW you’ve changed lives for the better!

choicelady : Sabreen – those who signed up without the Exchange also don’t get the subsidies! We have one of the Outreach and Ed contracts, and we suddenly got flooded with calls from insurance agents who wanted us to promote them. NONE of them was trained or authorized to provide the ACA Exchange policies. I tried to turn them in – no luck. It’s very worrisome because they were predators. Then the Republican Caucus set up a phony web site to turn people away from ACA – looking as if it WERE Covered CA. I turned THEM in for sure!!! So too many people are paying market rates when they don’t have to. It’s now over 6 million (6.2 million LAST week before the rush) with millions more on Medicaid (Medi-Cal here) plus over 6 million on their parents’ policies. The final score is not yet clear, but we have probably insured over half of the uninsured one way or the other. Congressional Budget Office says it’s all good AND totally sustainable. And the House actually voted to prevent the doc cuts for Medicare so reimbursements will NOT be cut there – all good!

AdLib : And what about all the crazed pundits and hosts declaring that the Malasian flight’s disappearance was a terrorist act and the jet is being held by terrorists to use at a later date? Shouldn’t they pay a price and be fired?

MurphTheSurf3 : Ad Lib and Sabreen…we have been running interference as bosses hand out flyers that warn their employees about the dangers of ACA. Don’t be scammed by ObamaCare. We had one guy who runs a call center nearly lose his job because he passed on an on line packet of info about ACA. I have been doing calls – four hours a day. Amazed at how effective the GOP propaganda has been.

Sabreen60 : CL, I think I may have to give up night shade veggies. I don’t know if I can. Oh and also the absolute worst – chocolate.

AdLib : OT but how about the news networks STILL using “Breaking News” on all their empty Malaysian flight stories? Has the news profession ever looked more hollow?

choicelady : Sabreen – already gluten and egg free, and it’s GREAT but not for this. I will read the link, thanks!

Sabreen60 : Murph, I read that there may be millions of people who signed for ACA without going through the exchange. We won’t have those numbers for a while. So we’re seeing 6 million from the exchange – could be a whole lot more.

AdLib : Not sure what you mean Murph. Anything about ACA worth discussing? Absolutely, the 6 million registered now only validates and anchors the ACA. The GOP may run against it in Nov but between now and then, all their terroristic hype will continue to look like BS. Their core may be manipulated by their hate of the ACA (even though many of them now have insurance thanks to it!) but if Dems are smart and push the min wage hike and other economic equality issues, they can energize their base a bit too.

Sabreen60 : CL, You can try home remedies. I have started a gluten free; no eggs diet to see if I can relief from a couple of health issues. It’ll take a month. But check out this link. Also you may need to boost your immune system. «link»

MurphTheSurf3 : A QUESTION…any thing in our group related to ACA worth sharing tonight???

AdLib : CL – Sorry, no suggestions here. Hope it subsides soon!

AdLib : CL – That is my concern but I promise you, if Hillary betrays Progressives and bows to corporations if elected President, she will lose the core support she’ll need to have any power i office. The Repubs will oppose her, Progressives will oppose her, she will have a disastrous Presidency. It may take some shots across her bow but I can’t imagine her trashing the core of her base.

choicelady : PPO – By all means do coffee break! See ya!

pinkpantheroz : coffee break – back in 5 BTW, its 14.30 Sat. here in Melbourne

choicelady : OMG – does ANYONE have a remedy for allergies that doesn’t put you to sleep? I can’t stop sneezing and have taken an OTC antihistamine. Help!

choicelady : AdLib – worse, will she pretend left then dodge right as Bill did? I can’t see her, anymore than he, standing up to the corporate bigwigs.

AdLib : Sabreen – Bill was a very anti-Progressive President and Hillary is right with him philosophically. The real question is, will she be forced to the Left to win the primary and keep Dems enthusiastic in the GE or will she revert to her hawkish, pro-corporate mindset?

choicelady : PPO -YIKES – we have to have different initials!!!!!

KillgoreTrout : I don’t really think any republican has much of a chance. They keep alienating minorities, every week. Their racism is there for all to see. They just don’t get it. They can change the wording of their message all they want, but their policies always give them away.

choicelady : AdLib – I am so praying you are correct! I used to like her, but no more. And Bill is a cheap phony. His ‘compassion’ is all hype, no substance.

pinkpantheroz : NO, choice, I meant Joe Biden!!!!!!!!

choicelady : PPO – I seriously think Jeb cannot make much inroad. He has huge baggage of his own, and he’s still a BUSH.

AdLib : Sabreen – It may seem like a longshot now but I wouldn’t discount a bit of Hillary burnout for Dem voters as the primary goes on. One reason Hillary has so much support from most Dems right now is that they haven’t heard her pro-corporate, pro-war mentality for a long time. If that side of her comes out…I think all bets are off.

pinkpantheroz : No, Ad, I totally agree with you. HRC may not even run, and we’re not hearing about or seeing anyone apart from the great JB stepping up to be considered. It’s early enough, I know, but we need to start seeing faces. Just being anti-GOPTP will not be enough.

choicelady : Sabreen – I am a committed feminist, but I am equally an anti-corporatist , and I see HRC’s view one of keep the safety net, but don’t rock the corporate boat. That preserves dependence among especially women. She need to find an economic strategy that revives unions, increases employee ownership of businesses, gives working people real power over their lives, and I think she will not do that. She is very in favor of “Lean In” – getting success for white women in the corporate world rather than in rejection of that model. I do not believe in that kind of elite, white feministm. I say that as an elite (kinda) white feminist.

MurphTheSurf3 : Sorry..phone call…I am going into St. Louis in the morning to help manage a phone bank for ACA in the last days…we have so many people to contact and there is such a sense of urgency right now…..

Sabreen60 : AdLib, I really don’t mean this to sound sexist, but I just feel if Hillary wins, it’s a 3rd term for Bill. The two of them together scare me.

AdLib : PPO – I like to be a little contrary and I’ll say that Hillary doesn’t have a lock on the nom. In any case, Hillary won’t do herself any favors by running as a conservative and a hawk in the primary. In fact, Biden will probably run and so might other legit Progressives which will force Hillary to the Left if she wants to retain a lead. No matter what, I can see an enormous amount of enthusiasm for a new Dem President and little for a Repub representing the Bagger philosophies…w hich is unavoidable for whoever will be the nom. Repubs have turned off women and minorities and the Latino vote will be be bigger than ever in 2016…and it won’t go for the anti-immigration , racist Repubs.

Sabreen60 : CL, I meant I “got” an email…

Sabreen60 : CL, I an email from the actress Sally Field about supporting HRC. Really?!?

choicelady : Sabreen – LOL!! It’s mostly sports on ours, and we don’t watch ANY of that!

pinkpantheroz : Yup, KT, my read as well, BUT, they’ll both be bringing more baggage than Obama did, which is a bit of a worry.

KillgoreTrout : Ah yes, sports. Maybe cable’s only saving grace, and TCM.

choicelady : KT – I’m rooting for Biden!

choicelady : PPO – I would agree, and the arrogance of HRC might mean she’d reject his amazing team and excellent ground game. I think she is not all that bright.

Sabreen60 : KT, hubby is watching a Netflix movie right now. I don’t give a hoot about cable, but he’ll miss the sports, so he keeps holding on.

KillgoreTrout : PPO, it’s either going to be Biden or Hillary. That’s my guess.

pinkpantheroz : Mee too, Sabreen, hiya!

pinkpantheroz : Choice, I, for one am a bit concerned about who will get the Democratic nod. Whoever it may be will beed the incredible support teams that Pres. Obama put together. That could be a problem.

Sabreen60 : Hey PPO. I missed saying hello.

KillgoreTrout : Sabreen, Netflix is the way to go. No nagging commercials.

AdLib : PPO – I don’t know, money can only do so much, it didn’t prove effective in 2012. Here in Cali, we had wealthy candidates lose despite all their spending. I’d propose that money can only overpower in elections where the candidates and issues aren’t well established. In many races, people know exactly who stands for what and watching a million commercials doesn’t change what people “know” about their feelings towards candidates.

choicelady : Sabreen – I agree. We got it only because we got a huge deal on the package, but it’s “more than I want and less than I need.” Stupid – there’s no ‘there there’.

Sabreen60 : CL, It’s unbelievable how there is nothing worth watching on cable. Every once in a while there’s documentary, but they are few and far between.

choicelady : PPO – Remember that no matter what the Adelsons, Kochs, etc, threw at PBO, he prevailed. I think any Dem can out-advertise any GOP candidate because the latter are all batshit crazy.

pinkpantheroz : KT, same here!!

KillgoreTrout : Lower every year PPO! LOL!

choicelady : AdLib and all – Sue does say “hi” to everyone. She just gets very tired and is indeed getting better, but she will be back when winter ends. Even our dry winter is not good for her. I am rooting for rain – I have the WORST allergy problems I’ve had since 1978,and I can’t wait for cleaner air tomorrow!

pinkpantheroz : How dey hangin’, KT?

AdLib : CL – I am really looking forward to the 2016 Repub primary. Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Chris Christie…wow, what fun!

pinkpantheroz : Ad, I agree, but they do have MONEY, Dammit! And that goes a long way in the brainwashing, spin cycle and cowering of the sheeples department.

AdLib : CL – Thanks for the update on Sue!

choicelady : AdLib – I am laughing out loud at the GOP presidential line up. Whatta buncha losers!

KillgoreTrout : Hey PPO! What’s shakin?

choicelady : PPO – we have cable, some 5000 channels, and NOTHING TO SEE. Pretty much not worth it, IMHO.

AdLib : CL – We may need to endure several more years of a Repub mess in Congress, until the next census and a reversing of gerrymandering in FL, PA, MI, OH and other swing states. But despite all the machinations of the Repubs, they can’t present a viable candidate for President nor do they have the demographics on their side in a Presidential election year.

pinkpantheroz : Same here, choice. I don’t have cable at all!

choicelady : Murph – I dislike Maher, don’t have HBO, so I remain serene.

KillgoreTrout : Thanks Ad. She’s a tough old bird!

choicelady : Murph – Sue is pretty OK but also has had health issues. I talk to her a lot, and she is getting better all the time. But she still gets worn out easily. She has chronic bronchitis, and winter is just not her friend.

MurphTheSurf3 : Choice…I am no defender of Carter for many reasons, some of them are yours, but I found his appearance on Maher interesting.

choicelady : AdLib – I know, but it’s no longer enough. We have to have better than that, and the sneering disregard for 2014 state races by Hillary’s campaign group is disgusting to me.

AdLib : KT – Glad you and Mom are well!

MurphTheSurf3 : Ad Lib, where has Sue been of late. And where is our Atlanta connection.

AdLib : CL – Even if the Repubs were to take over the Senate, and I don’t believe they will, they will never have the 60 votes to overcome a Dem filibuster against any legislation intended to kill the ACA. And both Obama and the next Dem President will veto it, then the Senate would need 67 votes to pass it. No way!

pinkpantheroz : one drawback from living in OZ, we don’t get to see things like the Carter speech and Rummies f@#$ups.

choicelady : Murph – Jimmy was a Trilateral commission member, brought a number of his allies into the White House, and he sold out to globalization and corporatism. It was HE, not Reagan, who started deregulation. Much of what Reagan did was built on Carter’s stupidly disingenuous belief that it would be just ducky for America to be connected globally never thinking about the threat to working people, domestic production, etc. He capitulated time and again to corporate interests, and I simply cannot forgive him for that.

Sabreen60 : CL, I saw part of an interview Carter gave on Aljazeera. I was not impressed.

KillgoreTrout : Very cool Murph. I’ll check it out in the morning.

choicelady : AdLib – I know if we keep the WH PBO will veto bills that kill ACA, but that’s just not enough. We have to move forward, not just hold the line.

MurphTheSurf3 : CL…yes, Carter bugs me as well…unlike Obama when he found himself opposed by Congress he pretty much gave up.

KillgoreTrout : We’re both doing really well Cl. Thanks for asking.

choicelady : Murph – I have really mixed feelings about Carter. I’m sick of his pessimism about Obama since he was not exactly the leader of the ages himself. Obama has run rings around Carter. I do agree that ACA is always in jeopardy as are Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid – anything the RW wishes to privatize.

MurphTheSurf3 : KT…greetings to you….Pat (aka Bourne) was with us early via phone with me doing transcription. She asked me to send you her best. There is a progress report on her near the start of the thread.

AdLib : Murph, watching it later but as long as we keep the WH in the next election, we’ll be way too far down the road for Repubs to kill it.

KillgoreTrout : hey Ad, CL and Sabreen! I hope all is well.

choicelady : Hi KT – how are you and how is your Mom?

Sabreen60 : KT is in the house!

AdLib : Hey KT!

MurphTheSurf3 : Did anyone see Jimmy Carter on Real Time Tonight. The audience stood and really applauded him. Nice. His interview was one of the best I have heard from him…his prediction regarding ACA if the government falls to the GOP was worrisome.

KillgoreTrout : What’s up Planeteers?

AdLib : Night Kes!!!

AdLib : Here’s a link to a trailer for Errol Morris’ “The Unknown Known” about Rumsfeld: «link»

choicelady : Murph – That is good to know. Maybe Yulia’s mob ties will bring her low. Who knows anymore?

Sabreen60 : See you later kes. Take care.

choicelady : kes – bye and great weekend!

MurphTheSurf3 : So long Kes….

choicelady : AdLib – I’m with you. PBO is the smartest president of my lifetime.

kesmarn : Sorry to have to leave so abruptly, kids. Getting a message from the son in Madison. Have a great weekend, all!

choicelady : Murph – we saw clips last night on the Rummie film. I will see it for sure!

AdLib : CL – Dictators and fascists are typically racists. Hitler is the prime example, they have to believe that their race is the “master race”, their people are superior to the inferiors of other nations, race and religions. But in a battle of strategy and wits, my money is on Obama.

choicelady : Sabreen – LOL!! I work with the Seventh Day Adventists who run the Church-State center up here and usually are on the good side of issues. I happen to know they are VERY pro birth control. But many of them can be very conservative, too. Mixed bag. But allow me to commend you on your discretion and self control! Not sure I’d have been able to do the same!

MurphTheSurf3 : CL I like Tuchynov for the reasons you lay out. He has risen through the Parliament but I do not think he is enough of a populist to win.

MurphTheSurf3 : Several people mentioned DONALD RUMSFELD – here is film to see. Donald Rumsfeld Unknown Unknowns. I have seen excerpts of the film. An indictment of him as a politician, a leader and a person. Catch it.

Sabreen60 : CL, This is OT, but you just made me remember that when I went Potomac Book and Bible (a 7 day Adventist) store to buy a few healthy food items they had a huge display of Ben Carson’s book. I wanted to kick the display over. But I didn’t

choicelady : Murph – what do you know about Turchynov? I was actually impressed w the Ukrainian parliament’s vote to protect the demonstrators some weeks back. But I know nothing of him.

choicelady : Murph – this really is ‘hold your nose and vote’ isn’t it?

MurphTheSurf3 : CL…I think she is a mover and a conniver, but that may be what is needed. Frankly, I suspect the Russian Mafia is none too happy with Vlad the Invader right now.

choicelady : Murph – Wow. She’s running? I worry because I read she has ties to the Russian mafia, and we have problems with them here. Well, we have problems w Ukrainians here, too. All are Pentecostal thugs – the convergence of mob and Bible is not a good one.

MurphTheSurf3 : CL The Current acting President of the Ukraine is the current Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament Oleksandr Turchynov

Sabreen60 : Yes kes. PBO is throwing plenty of shade. The RWNJs have been a little less talkative in the last week or so.

choicelady : AdLib – THAT is whom I heard last night, thanks. Could not remember his name.

choicelady : kes – YES! I loved that, too!

AdLib : CL and Beatlex – Errol Morris has been promoting his new documentary about Rummy and it exposes what a deluded liar he is. I’m looking forward to seeing it.

choicelady : AdLib – the man w the Napoleon complex is discovering he may have met his match with the tall, smart, cool Man of Color whom I suspect he cannot abide. Russians were always merely pretenders at racial equality. They are abidingly bigoted I have learned from many emigres.

kesmarn : I love the way the Prez has said a couple of times (paraphrase) “WE seem to be able to have good working relationships with neighboring countries WITHOUT having to invade them.” ZINNNG!

Beatlex : Yes CL.He is not man enough to admit having made even ONE mistake.Just like his Dumbazz boss GWB

MurphTheSurf3 : CL Have you seen that the until recently imprisoned actvist Yulia V. Tymoshenko, the former president in the Ukraine is running for the office.

choicelady : Sabreen – Oh thanks – I did not know TOD had the transcript or that there WAS a transcript. I’ll check it ou.

AdLib : Sabreen – I do think Obama is employing a bit of Psych-Ops about Russia and Putin. They have a lot of influence globally and though they’re a fraction of the size of the USSR now, they do have a reach farther than their borders (as our dealings in Syria and Iran reflect). But Obama is dissing them and backhanding Putin’s attempt to appear like a global threat. Smart move, shatter his image and Putin is weakened.

Sabreen60 : The Obama Diary has the transcript of the phone call between PBO and Putin – also posted some pretty great tweets.

choicelady : Murph – that is always the problem with nationalistic fervor. Eventually you have to take alliances. But frankly better the EU than today’s Russia. I say that as if there’s ever been a better one…

choicelady : Beatlex- I think you’re too kind.

MurphTheSurf3 : CL…from what I read he is a Ukrainian activist and was wary of control from the West (and from the East). It looks like he has turned West.

Beatlex : Yes CL,the man is deluded at best.

choicelady : Sorry – Farrow. Who can keep these people sorted out?

choicelady : AdLib – I’d blame Woody for Farrell, but I think this one’s on mama.

choicelady : AdLib – I will huff and will puff and try to blow the clouds down your way!

choicelady : Murph – I thought the interim guy WAS pro EU. I also wish to caution the progs and neo cons that yes there is a HUGELY dangerous fascist presence in the Ukraine and has been for generations, but it is NOT the direction of that nation.

MurphTheSurf3 : Ad Lib My assessment of Mia’s kid to.

AdLib : CL – Please, send some our way! We need the rain and water!!!

AdLib : Murph – MSNBC is trying to grab the youth demographic and they thought a silver-spooned elitist nerd like Farrow would appeal to them but he is so artificial and distant from any “real” 20-somethings out there, no one relates to him. Not older or younger people. He has no soul, he’s just a wind up doll.

MurphTheSurf3 : I am reading a lot of Eastern European info right now and it seems clear Ukrainian Nationalism is rising IN THE EAST UKRAINE! AND, the new interim President who has been very much opposed to the EU and NATO connection is now embracing both. Not what Putin had in mind.

choicelady : Beatlex – last night someone played a couple of minutes of an interview in which Rummie contradicted himself three times and never even NOTICED. The commentator noted his persona is the slick, smart-ass retort, no substance but lies.

Beatlex : Donald Rumsfeld should crawl back in his spidey hole and shut the F up about foreign policy.He should be in a jail cell the bastard.The man is a mental case

choicelady : Murph – that may explain why I watch so little TV news?

Sabreen60 : Murph, I can’t stand Farrow. Just another know-it-all who isn’t even dry behind the ears.

choicelady : PPO – biggest problem with a non democracy is who would stop Putin BEFORE he did anything horrid? I leave it to the oligarchs he’s created who do not want their fiefdoms undermined as we now are systematically doing to them. We may see a coup from the Russian mafia!

AdLib : PPO – I agree, Putin is trying to embolden the traitors to the Ukraine in the east but his style of brute force has blowback he is too deluded to recognize. Turning the west against Russia economically will bring him down in a way he can’t even conceive of.

MurphTheSurf3 : Choice…Charlie is as close to those guys as we get now.

pinkpantheroz : yes, Choice, but I don’t for one second think that the Russian Army or people would permit Putin to play the nuke card. That’d be one step too far, and don’t think for one second that PBO wouldn’t retaliate in full meaure, because that man is onoe tough dude!

choicelady : kes – Yikes! Were I the vortex I’d turn and head north again! Christieeeeeeeee eee!

choicelady : Murph – Luke is a jerk. But I am one who never thought his father was all that hot either. I’ve not been the same since Cronkite and before him Murrow.

kesmarn : You bet, CL! I’ll make a Christie-shaped snowman. That’ll scare away the polar vortex.

Sabreen60 : AdLib, I don’t think Putin will invade. When PBO was questioned at the press conference by the idiot Jon Karl (I think) about Romney’s assertion that Russia is our #1 geo-political enemy, PBO through a lot of shade on Putin. He said Russia is one country who is threatening countries around him. However, he does not lord over many countries as did the USSR. In other words, he’s a small fish, in a small pond.

choicelady : AdLib – we have rain predicted almost every day this week, esp. tomorrow. Heavy, potentially dangerous here. We will try to ship water to you!

MurphTheSurf3 : Ad Lib….what’s this MSNBC thing for kids like Farrow…remembe r when they loved to call Luke Russert, the sage of capitol hill?

choicelady : kes – ooooo yes, given your recent past, that would NOT be a fair thing to do to your neighbors! See? Snow gargoyles. That’s the ticket.

choicelady : PPO – any time you’re dealing with a megalomaniac, especially one with nukes, it’s indeed dangerous.

AdLib : Kes – Except out here in Cali where we’re not frozen, we’re bone dry!

kesmarn : I think my neighbors might call 911 if I tried that, AdLib. They would assume the worst if they saw me on the ground, flat on my back…

choicelady : Kes – if I were you I’d be making snow demons to scare away the flakes. So to speak.

pinkpantheroz : I agree, Choice. but it’s still a rather scary scanario for all that. I get the feeling, though, that President Obama is playing things very carefully and very smartly.

AdLib : Kes – So you making a snow angel tomorrow?

AdLib : Sabreen – I used to think Alex Wagner was a well spoken moron but compared to the babblers on The Cycle, she looks like a genius. I guess that’s the MSNBC strategy, keep adding hosts like Farrow who are clueless and the others seem smarter.

choicelady : AdLib and PPO – indeed. The Ukraine is also Russia’s Afghanistan. They screwed that up, too. Ahhhh – things have not gone well for them since Stalin. (That IS a joke.)

choicelady : AdLib – I thought from the beginning that the credit squeeze on that very corrupt and fragile economy was to be Putin’s undoing. HE called Obama, and the one to place the call is always the one who is weak. PBO knows how to play the long game and hardball!

kesmarn : I think when you wrote “Is Ukraine Putin’s Iraq” you nailed it!

pinkpantheroz : Ad, I feel that he’s hoping the ethnic Russians in Ukraine will ‘rise up’, demand he protect them and use that as an excuse to invade. BUT, Nato may have other ideas, and hitting Russia in it’s economic soft belly may be what wakes ordinary Russians to what Putin’s really like – useless at anything other than sabre-rattling and bullying.

AdLib : PPO – Which is why Putin and Russia are now far more vulnerable to economic sanctions as a result of their actions. And it ain’t cheap to pursue an invasion either, add that expense to their faltering economy and Putin may indeed have hastened his own demise through his aggression.

choicelady : kes – I have not seen “Frozen” but think of you when I see the ads!

kesmarn : Don’t know if you’ve seen the movie “Frozen” but the U.S. is living this year!

choicelady : Hey – Murph. Thank you for bringing greetings from Bourne. I am so glad she is finally getting better!

Sabreen60 : kes, I feel your pain. We got snow here in Maryland Tuesday. Geez. I thought we had it bad.

choicelady : kes – I really feel for you folks in OH – this weather is stupid!

MurphTheSurf3 : Ok…Pat is gone….she was tired from a long talk. So I am back in the mix.

choicelady : Sabreen – Alex ought to know damned better! Disgusting.

choicelady : AdLib – sorry, got sidetracked – but that is the faux prog rant yesterday, and anyone who thinks otherwise is merely a ‘cultist’.

kesmarn : Ohio, Sabreen. Our town was voted as having the worst winter weather in the nation this past year. And it won’t stop!

AdLib : So is Putin massing his 50k troops as a bargaining chip or does he really intend to invade eastern Ukraine?

Sabreen60 : Where are you kes? I forgot.

kesmarn : Hey, AdLib and Sabreen! Snow predicted here for tomorrow! Just thought you might want to know….

Sabreen60 : CL, the faux left is stuck on stupid. I turned on the TV (big mistake) and Alex Wagner was talking about how much the libertarians and the “liberals” like Rand Paul. I almost threw up. These people are nuts. I don’t know what their game is, but they do more harm than good. The only saving grace is that most people don’t watch these idiots on cable.

pinkpantheroz : The main difference between the Prez and Smallmanitis is that he CAN use force, but chooses not to. Putin has no other ability except force, because he’s your standard cowardly bully. He’s using Ukraine to divert from his abysmal economic performance, just like the Commies did during the Cold War. It may work at home in Russia, but we’re not fooled. The President isn’t weak, just smart.

AdLib : Hey Kes!

AdLib : CL – Huh??? How did Obama justify the invasion of Iraq? He ran against it, has pulled all combat troops out of Iraq…these are just haters no different from Baggers.

Sabreen60 : Hiya kes!

Beatlex : Hey everyone! Does Christie really think people are buying his crap report? Bridget Kelly should,and probably will take him down.I hope!

choicelady : Sabreen – we were saying PBO could hit him where it hurts: the pocketbook.

choicelady : AdLib – now the faux Left is saying PBO justified the invasion of Iraq. NO SUCH THING. And since HE, not Bush, is pulling out and NOT annexing Iraq, I’d think they’d be pleased, but noooo. This nation is very full of people with one liners, no sense.

Sabreen60 : CL, Moody is going to downgrade Russia on Monday. Putin is no different than our RWNJs. He understands money. Hit him in the wallet and he’ll squeal.

choicelady : hi kes – I agree. Define WEAK when it’s the iron fist in the velvet glove.

kesmarn : Hey, Murph! I just saw that. Hi to Bourne and best wishes for a speedy recovery!

AdLib : Hey Sabreen! I’m waiting to see what transpires but you know that if Obama succeeds in blunting Putin’s invasion, the Repubs will only find another reason for saying he’s weak. Screw them.

kesmarn : Good Friday evening, kids! I’ll take the Prez’s “weak” over Chris Crisco’s “strong” any day!

Sabreen60 : Oh wow, Murph. Tell Bourne I said hello and that she has truly been missed.

choicelady : Sabreen – one former Russian ambassador gave Putin the edge saying Putin was demanding negotiations on eastern Ukraine on PUTIN’s terms. That’s when PBO said put it in writing. But everyone knows – the one who calls is the one who’s on the edge…

MurphTheSurf3 : Hi Kes- just left a note for Sabreen re. Pat (aka Bourne). I am on the phone with her reading Planet comments…she sends her best. There is a longer update further down the screen.

AdLib : CL – My guess is that he’s always been a thug. I remember seeing that in his first campaign for political office, he used outright lies to slime the incumbent.

MurphTheSurf3 : Hi Sabreen, I am on the phone with Pat (i.e. Bourne) she says hello and you can find a longer update from her below, scroll down.

Sabreen60 : Hello Planeteers! Putin called PBO and pretty much said “UNCLE”. PBO said put your proposal in writing and we’ll talk. Yeah, PBO is weak [snark]

choicelady : AdLib – how the hell does he justify using tax money to buy his own personal attorneys to do a report that failed to interview a single key witness? I’d call that embezzlement.

AdLib : CL – Yep, $1 million of taxpayer money to pay for what is basically a dishonest press release intended solely to protect him and his political ambitions. Money well spent, right NJ residents? Oh, and he cut your education funding folks.

choicelady : AdLib – the reason some people like him is that when he’s not being a faux Tony Soprano, he can be kind of charming. Think where he might have gone if he’d actually stuck with THAT person and values. But he let the thug take over.

AdLib : CL – That is a very insightful quote.Christie no doubt is as able as any criminal to self-justify the awful things he does as worthy means to an end. But in his case, it’s one unsightly end.

choicelady : AdLib – did Christie actually use TAX MONEY to commission this graywash? I can’t even say whitewash because it is soiled from the git-go. REALLY used TAX dollars to buy this phony report????

AdLib : CL – Well, he can just use another million of NJ taxpayers’ money to push back against it.

choicelady : Adlib – I know and believe the adage “No man is a villain in his own life story”, but Christie goes even further and makes UP the story!

choicelady : AdLib – Like that title very much, but I’m thinking he won’t?

AdLib : CL – “Hell to the Sleaze”?

AdLib : Murph, so cool! Please tell Bourne we’re so happy to hear from her like this and that she’s healing! Please pass along to her that she is missed and that we’re hoping she’s feeling good, healthy and strong soon!

choicelady : HELLO TO BOURNE!!! SO GLAD YOU’RE ON THE MEND!!!

choicelady : AdLib – that’s as close as he’s EVER going to get to that tune.

MurphTheSurf3 : Hi there…GOT A SURPRISE…I am on the phone with Pat, i.e. Bourne. She says “Hi….and thank you for all of your concern. At long last I am on the mend. I have been in and out of the hospital/skilled rehab…back and forth…since mid December. I broke my hip and the care I got in rehab was uneven…which then set me back. Now, I am somewhere that seems to be getting me well. I hope to be home in mid April and ready to say ‘hello’ to friends by phone or in person. I will still need rehab when I get home and have a ways to go. Still, it was so uplifting to know that you all were asking after me. For now, all of my energy is going into getting well enough to be back home and I promise that I will be returning to the Planet. SO…argue away all of you I already know and greetings to those I have yet to meet. And yes, I can still hold my own in any argument, just ask my nurses…..”

AdLib : CL – Maybe the reality show could be called, “Hail to the Cheat”?

choicelady : AdLib – that’s a perfect fit with Christie then! Always like it when the career fits the crimin…candida te.

AdLib : CL – More like the producer of a reality show, considering most are not legit and real.

choicelady : AdLib – do you think all that was an audition for his next career as MC of a reality show?

AdLib : Hey PPO! Well…The Christie Show?

choicelady : PPO – I’ve not yet actually seen Murph, but AdLib is apparently here.

pinkpantheroz : checking local news for anything of interest

choicelady : PPO – we took that for a “hi”.

pinkpantheroz : oops, meant Hi!

choicelady : PPO! How are you, and I’m up for a righteous rant against EmoProgs. But then, for me that’s nothing new. I will leave it to you all.

choicelady : I’ll see a trillion and raise you a quadrillion.

pinkpantheroz : Him Ad, Murph, Choice, what bones can we chew over this evening? hehehe

AdLib : A trillion?

choicelady : Adlib – the same. Hell, if Christie can apparently clear his record, we, who have no taint of scandal, must feel like a BILLION, right?

AdLib : Hey CL! I feel like a million bucks! You?

choicelady : Hi – One MILL-ion dollars! Worth every penny, AdLib, just to show we are very cool indeed@! How are you tonight?

AdLib : Don’t forget to say “Hi!” or “One MILL-ion dollars!” when you arrive!

AdLib : We’ve paid our lawyers $1 million to do an independent investigation of Vox Populi and they have concluded that it is “cool”. Join us tonight right here at 7 pm PDT for our live chat about the week’s events. Hope to see you then!