The right has not given up on getting rid of Social Security (and Medicare)
Rep. Michelle Bachman wants Social Security and Medicare to go bye-bye.
In fact, the only thing that has changed in 80 years is that Republicans don’t hide it anymore. During the Bush II years, privatizing Social Security, which would funnel literally trillions of dollars into the open arms of Wall Street investment firms, was floated, and quickly killed, by the president and his allies in Congress. But those who thought the idea was dead have got another thing coming. Read more
Susan Collins is full of crap
What did Susan Collins know about the undiebomber, and when did she know it?
Greg Sargent strikes again:
Senator Susan Collins, who’s emerged as a leading critic of the decision to Mirandize the bomb plot suspect, raised no concerns about his handling while being briefed on Christmas Day about his capture on a private call with a top Homeland Security official, a source familiar with the conversation tells me.
The call was confirmed to me by Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Bobby Whithorne, who declined to confirm details.
The claim about Collins’ silence comes after Obama counterterror chief John Brennan madebig news yesterday by claiming that four other top GOP Congressional officials were similiarly told that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was being held in “FBI custody,” prompting no objections from the Republican leaders.
Why does it matter what Collins knew and when she knew it? Well … Read more
Congressman Jack Murtha dead at 77
Pennsylvania Rep. John "Jack" Murtha
‘The retired Marine, Vietnam veteran and Iraq war critic had been admitted to the hospital for gall bladder surgery a couple of weeks ago. You won’t have to go far to find plenty of right wing attacks on the dead (don’t read the comments under the Politico story if you don’t want your blood to boil.) Here’s the AP version, and a longer obit from the Washington Post. Deepest condolences to his family.
Winger exception: Allahpundit manages to stay classy.
Andrea Mitchell mocks Palin’s hand notes
And of course, Chuck Todd comes to Sarah’s rescue, to which Mitchell responds with the damned good point that if Mitt Romney (or God forbid, President Obama) were to give an interview with notes scribbled on their hands, the media would definitely take notice (and the right would have them for lunch.) Watch:
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Score one for Andrea. She also did the bit earlier on “Morning Joe.”
UPDATE: the crew at “Fox and Friends” try to explain Sarah’s hand prompter away …
Attack of the phony populists
In TDB, Peter Beinart explains how the teabag set differ from actual populists (or as I put it, how they’ve reversed the Bastille, to rally the mob on behalf of Marie Antoinette.) Also in the Beast, how the PUMAs birthed the “birthers.”
Can you believe!? Saints win the Super Bowl!
New Orleans Saints cornerback Tracy Porter (22) intercepts the ball for a 74-yard touchdown during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl XLIV football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Miami, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010. AP/Yahoo! News
Almost no one believed they could do it (well, except President Obama and one out of four of the CBS announcers … well, and my crew here at home …) although most of America wished they would, but by god, they sure did. Sorry Brownie, New Orleans takes home the Vince Lombardi trophy this year! What a fitting end to a dream season. (And sorry, but I just can’t help but smile at how miserable the wingnuts are gonna be about this one tomorrow. Just a little added bonus …)
Meanwhile, how cute is Drew Brees’ baby!
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees celebrates with his son Baylen after winning the NFL Super Bowl XLIV football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Miami, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010. The Saints won 31-17. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Congratulations to Drew Brees, Tracy Porter and the entire “Who Dat” nation. As a Broncos fan, I normally don’t root for NFC teams (except the Giants) but I have to say I enjoyed rooting for one this year. Defense and special teams were awesome (that on-side kick was the truth, and intercepting Manning? What???), as was Brother Brees (who just won MVP.) Great game, great job, and a well deserved boost for the city of New Orleans.
BTW: Ratings for the game were up 10 percent from last year, with about 100 million people watching. Wow.
What’s your favorite Super Bowl commercial?
Most of them pretty much sucked, IMHO, but here are a few good ones:
“Betty White Snickers spot (featuring Abe Vigoda):
Talk to the hand: Sarah Palin’s ‘Alaska teleprompter’
When my husband and I watched the Sarah Palin speech yesterday, we both could have sworn we saw her checking her hand for scribbled notes during the Q&A session, when she seemed to forget her talking points. Well damned if it isn’t totally true! Unbelievable — you think for $100,000 she could have at least memorized. Watch:
Here it is, closer up:
And after the jump, check out the hand, on which she wrote three concepts she apparently couldn’t remember without prompting: Read more
The Sarah Palin tea party speech: $100,000 for GOP boilerplate
The Palin speech (and the priceless Q and A session afterward) in 30 seconds: Obama sucks, absorb the tea party into the GOP, Todd’s not a Republican though too also (he’s a secessionist, and no, she didn’t say that…) the Palin foreign policy would be “they lose, we win!” … the “Palin plan” (ie the “Obama plan”) would be: something about the principles of our founding fathers, cut taxes, the tort reform there, drill and dig for coal until the earth literally screams, and lots of prayer. Lots and lots of prayer … Oh and too, giving thanks for all of God’s children who suffer from disabilities. And something about abortion. There’s always something about abortion … And what should a “conservative” Congress do, if the tea parties succeed in installing one in 2010? Stop lying about bipartisanship (meaning don’t do bipartisanship), and talk about God a lot. It was pretty much all platitudes and attitude, and no specifics, except that ths gal really, really dislikes Barack Obama.
Andrew Sullivan’s terrific liveblog of the event here and here, and Sullivan’s fears that this lady, for all her clear ignorace and absence of specific policy ideas, can still be elected president. Jeez… Meanwhile, TNR’s Damon Linker reads my mind.
Meanwhile, a couple of independents empaneled by CNN said the speech was too snarky, too “red meat” Republican, and not at all appealing to people outside her constituency. One guy called it “too much like talk radio” with “no substance.”
Obama to Dems: stop the bed wetting!
Okay, that’s not exactly what he said … but with all due respect, including to Al Franken, while I’ve been critical of President Obama for not reigning in the Senate on healthcare last year, enough is enough. Why is it, exactly, that Congressional Democrats at this point, still need the president to tell them what to do on healthcare, and tell them what to do on the jobs bill, and tell them what to do to get through the next 200 days until election time without crying and sucking their thumbs out of sheer terror over Scott Brown winning two whole years in the Senate? Read more
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