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Comments Posted By nellie

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START YOUR TALKING POINTS! “SUMMIT” IS HERE!

C-SPAN breaking, too, for a House vote.

C-SPAN commentator from Politico. Good Grief.

Last night I was pleased to hear Rachel say, “So you can feel free to ignore Politico on this story. Or any other story.” I forget what story she was discussing, but it could have been anything out of that newspaper.

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 10:00 am

What did I miss? I was in transit.

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 9:58 am

Also on C-SPAN 3.

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 9:58 am

Where’s that newspaper?

I’ve got to get going — maybe I’ll pick one up on the way to work.

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 8:41 am

Here come the lies….

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 8:32 am

Seriously.

I mean, Expedia? Really?

I guess that’s an okay analogy. But wow — when these people try to relate to the “regular folks” they sound so ridiculous.

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 8:31 am

But this is brilliant — the president has forced the GOP to state their case without the help of the pandering media. They’re on a level playing field here. And the dems have a chance to come back at them with the truth.

So no matter what their goals may be, the GOP is going to be seen for what they are.

And that can only help the health care effort. I mean, what are they going to say when they vote against something that has been shown to include all their priorities — and has been shown to help the country? People who aren’t watching this might get the wrong story from the news — but anyone who sees this will know exactly what the GOP is up to.

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 8:29 am

Steny is an old style rep. I miss that kind of legislator.

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 8:16 am

LOL e’cat!

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 8:14 am

We create diabetes through the food stamp program and the school lunch program?

WHA???????

So this is how it’s going to go today, I guess. The GOP spewing outrageous attacks against social programs while lying about health care provisions.

Why am I surprised.

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 8:11 am

Love that about him. He stays respectful, and he stays in charge.

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 8:06 am

He probably wakes up with it there already.

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 8:05 am

It means a Joe Wilson!

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 8:04 am

If the Republicans were hoping to make Mr. Obama look unpresidential with all their whining about the room set up, they failed.

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 8:03 am

If Lamar interrupts the president one more time, a page should run out w a newspaper and whack him across the back of the head.

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 7:59 am

President reining them in. Love it.

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 7:52 am

No — he didn’t say that.

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 7:49 am

How can a newborn have a pre-existing condition?

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 7:46 am

Love Pelosi.

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 7:43 am

That was fun. I wish I were home today so I could hang on the thread like I did before — when it was a Saturday.

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 7:20 am

Great idea, bito! Thanks.

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 7:14 am

Join MoveOn’s Virtual March for Health Care Reform Today!

That was fun.

» Posted By nellie On February 24, 2010 @ 3:09 pm

Democrats: Are We the Knee-Jerk Party or Just Jerks?

Thank you, e! I’m going to email this to anyone who says the congress hasn’t done anything. I’m just sick of hearing people say that simply because health care is taking a long time.

It’s going in Troll Busters! where it can be easily found.

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 5:12 pm

Does anyone recall where we posted the accomplishments of the congress and the Obama Administration over the past year?

» Posted By nellie On February 25, 2010 @ 4:58 pm

A very thought provoking piece, Marion.

I think you’re perhaps a bit rough on the Dems. I’m not a Democrat — I’m an independent — but I think the party has very specific problems that are very hard to deal with.

First, the media is not Dem friendly. Studies show that Republicans appear as guests on the talking heads programs 3 times as often as Dems. If you watch the way the GOP is treated, it’s always with kid gloves and deference — except on MSNBC where the hosts treat both sides the way journalists are supposed to treat politicians.

News coverage is no better. Dems routinely get slammed for the same actions that are painted as reasonable or even laudable when at the hands of the GOP. I think most Dems are oblivious to this — which is another problem.

Second, there are a lot of wolves in sheep’s clothing in the party. And I have to say, Bayh is one of those people. Look at the WAY he left — waiting until there was no time for the PEOPLE of Indiana to have a say in who their Democratic nominee would be. That is not the action of someone who cares about the public. That is the action of a royalist — someone who thinks the people are too stupid to govern themselves.

There’s nothing about being a Democrat that prevents people from being paid off by lobbyists. As long as there’s so much money allowed to flow into politics — and thanks SCOTUS for making this problem even worse — we’re always going to have to wonder whose side these folks are really on.

Third, the Dems are, for the most part, serious about governance. These are serious people. And when they talk about government, they sound serious. That comes off as elite, boring, intellectual, distant, aloof — but this is the way serious people sound. We’ve been so dumbed down by television hacks, we have forgotten how people are supposed to sound when they talk about serious topics.

I’m always struck by the level of intelligence and decorum when I look at old news clips of political discussions from the 50s and 60s. The difference is stunning. I don’t know when we became a country that only pays attention to people who act like cartoons. (Sarah Palin being the latest best example of this.)

My complaints with the Dems relate mostly to the fact that it takes them too long to believe what people tell them. The back and forth with the public option is a perfect illustration. The voters expressed themselves pretty clearly in 2006 and 2008, but the Dems still don’t believe what’s right in front of their eyes. They’re stuck in the D.C. bubble of pollsters and consultants. They’re paying too much attention to media hacks. And they’re not using the common sense they were born with.

Perhaps democratic voters are too reactive, as you say. But I think all voters are reactive. And in our current environment of bad money and bad media, when you have two parties — one interested in governance and the other only interested in politics — the party genuinely trying to govern is going to be at a disadvantage. And always will be until the voters get a whole lot more interested in policy and how their government works.

» Posted By nellie On February 24, 2010 @ 9:58 am

WHY SO AGGRESSIVELY PASSIVE?

And I think people of color were not the only ones who felt deeply about civil rights and peace. But for African Americans, Natives, and others — the world was different before and after civil rights. And most importantly, different for children. Parents had such deep commitment to these principles so their children would not have to undergo the grotesque treatment that they did.

» Posted By nellie On February 22, 2010 @ 8:02 pm

I think there was a real difference of feeling re purpose and commitment among people of color. It’s so true that we all live in very different realities.

» Posted By nellie On February 22, 2010 @ 7:46 pm

Real Time Real Good … for Now: A Review of Season 8 Episode 1 of Real Time with Bill Maher

This puts him into the category so many of us who are deeply progressive have wrestled with: what do we do with self-styled progressives who in fact hate people?

I have to agree, CL, that this is a big problem with progressive celebrities. They confirm all the right wing’s mythos about elitism and snobbishness. And I, too, feel that Maher falls into this category.

I also love Randi Rhodes (although I have to mention that Randi loves Bill Maher), Stewart, and — a little less — Franken, although I think Al is really making himself into a first class senator.

Liking people (a biggie, thank you for putting that so well), criticizing opponents based on policy rather than personality, knowing the facts (something I find woefully lacking in progressive circles), and understanding the working of politics — these are skills that too many progressive celebrities lack. And they do little to help build the kind of base that is energized, engaged, and armed to make things happen.

» Posted By nellie On February 22, 2010 @ 12:09 pm

Final Vote – Select a Name for Activist Group

😆

At least we have some really good choices up for a vote.

» Posted By nellie On February 22, 2010 @ 10:32 am

We talked about Americans United — which was my favorite — and it seems people thought that because it was already being used, we should come up with something new.

It’s still my favorite!

Can we do a run off?

» Posted By nellie On February 22, 2010 @ 9:56 am