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In votes earlier today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid secured the 60 votes needed to advance a bill that would send $26 billion to states to help with Medicaid and education funding.
Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe joined with all members of the Democratic caucus to push to vote total to 61.
Assuming the Senate passes the bill later this week, it would still have to be passed by the House -- which is already in its summer recess -- before it goes to the president for his signature.
We still don't know when the Senate will take the final vote on Kagan. The working assumption is that it will be sometime Thursday afternoon/evening.
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With all this legislation being passed, still the fear and smear campaign from the Republicans and TEA baggers are louder.
Democrats need to remove the kid gloves and show these guys it's the Democrats operating table they are working from... no pun intended.
And the surgeon is a Harvard attorney with no experience that is too narcissistic to realize he's killing the patient......no pun intended.
Still better than a drunken coke addict who did not have a steady/regular job until he was 40.
If the Republicans were running the White House and Congress the patient would have flat lined.
Union Baby, Tennessee
Still better than a drunken coke addict who did not have a steady/regular job until he was 40.
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Touche'! lol
I would have a surgeon that is cool and calm under pressure with a clean scalpel than a clumsy intern that uses a bloodied bayonet and a nurse named Palin anyday.
How many years have Pelosi and Reid been in charge of their respective chambers? How many years has Obama been in Washington?
Obama campaigned as a senator that he understood all the problems, all the mistakes made by the predecessor and that he could do a better job. The debt, the deficit, unemployment, etc., etc., etc., are all worse than they were under the predecessor. He can't even out perform the "drunken coke addict".
Obama campained as a centrist that would change the partisanship in Washington.
Yet, it is Obama that is the most divisive and polarizing president in Gallup history.
Americans get it. They also know what year it is.
Time to put the big boy pants on and hand mom the Bush meme.
Bull! Wake up and pay attention, pal.
Louis,
You didn't get it. The point is Obama is not a surgeon, he is a Harvard attorney that thinks he can do surgery and is too narcissistic to know the damage he's doing.
Take the recent gulf disaster as an example. Obama the Harvard attorney with no executive experience placed a Harvard attorney (Birnbaum) with no executive experience to be the executive of MMS. That blew up (pun intended) and the Harvard attorney (Obama)replaced the Harvard attorney (Birnbaum) with no executive experience with another Harvard attorney (Bromwich) with no executive experience. To oversee the BP engineering of the cap efforts, Obama placed UC Berkeley scientist as head of the committee. Steven Chu is brilliant, but he is a physicist not an engineer and has no experience in such matters. Obama assembles a committee to study the cause of the Deepwater Horizon explosion. The committee is comprised of a former Democrat senator, a former head of the EPA, a biologist/environmentalist, a vice president of the National Geographic Society, a Harvard dean and another environmentalist. Not one member is a petroleum engineer, or has even a working understanding of deep water drilling.
Obama's economic team? Not one person from business! The first in US history to do so.
Obama is a liberal elite that has chosen liberal members of academia and bureaucratic technocrats with no real life applications, or experiences to help him execute his liberal agenda. Guess what? It is not working.
I could go on, but even a drunken coke addict would understand the incompetence of this by now.
Bob,
Why does it matter you who he put on the committee? I thought you didn't want the government involved in Capitalism? BP is responsible for the mess and it is obvious that they were negligent. So, why should the President be responsible for anything? Deregulation is what your team is about.
Bob I really can't even begin to take your post seriously at all. Were you really paying attention the appointments the last administration tried to make? Do you understand that because of those appointments we have to deal with so many messes today? or is this just your opportunity to throw out your anti-obama garbage?
Like I said, monumental legislation is being passed to benefit even you Bob. You can heckle the help all you want, but at the end of the day, the country is turning the long curve slowly. If we did anything quickly, you'd still have something to gripe about. Face it, we are for the better and you can argue otherwise all day long, you'll still fail.
I like the president. Hell, I even liked Bush when he spoke, he made me laugh. Come on Bob, you can at least say there is something positive about 'our' current president.
Union Baby:
Bush may have had steady job, but he never had what you could call a "regular" job unless he had a job as a paper boy or burger flipper in his younger days that I don't know about. In his adult life, his first jobs were executive positions he got because his daddy was a VIP. He ran every company into the ground he had any control over. Then he got elected to be governor of Texas because Karl Rove smeared Gov. Richards as a lesbian (that shouldn't be a smear, of course but we're talking about Texas, here). Then Bush got selected by the Supreme Court to be President of the United States, a country he ran into the ground. There wasn't much regular about Bush's employment at all.
Bob:
But it was OK for wingnuts to blame Clinton for all the disasters that marked Bush's misadministration. They kept on blaming Clinton for most of Bush's eight miserable years in office, right up until Obama won the election, after which point the stock market crash of 2008 was blamed on Obama, even before he took the oath of office. Everyone knows you have different rules for yourself than the ones you demand that others live by.
Good afternoon everyone,
First and foremost, I'd like to wish our amazing President a very blessed, Happy Birthday, filled with joy, peace, serenity and lots and lots of love.
I wrote a long post this morning to introduce myself to everyone as a new poster, although not a new reader of the FR blog by any means. I've been coming here on a daily basis long before the election of our wonderful President but for some reason I couldn't figure out the settings or how to post. I am hoping to have an opportunity to be welcomed into the fold and hopefully add my voice to the debate/discussions as often as time permits.
A heartfelt thanks to the wonderful posters who've kept me going at times when I would get so depressed about the vitriol and open racism directed towards our President and others in this very charged atmosphere in our politics today. A very special thank you to all the intelligent and knowledgeable posters such as Nashville; Ron; Pat; Clara; Fiesty; IR; CA; Pietro; Beverley; US Navy Vet; Dennis; Gingerbread; Anna Molly; Eric; NewDay; Chris, Dorr; Steeler Fan; Mo; Houston; Rick, Ky and so many others I've forgotten who've taught me so much........you inspire me daily! Thank you for your factual, thoughtful, cogent and well written posts that are sincerely appreciated and needed.
Regarding this topic, I would like to see a real debate happen regarding the pros and cons for the legalization of marijuana as I think that would be helpful towards making the right decision for our country.
cheers, and a wonderful evening to all!
Dan Austin, Tx
BP is responsible? I thought Obama said he was responsible in a national address. And the fact is that the Oil Protection Act of 1990, Section 4201 gives Obama full authority to 1) Monitor BP; 2) Direct BP; 3) Remove BP. Why is it Obama left a company in charge that 1) had 760 safety violations over the last 5 years; 2) caused the death of 11 Americans and the greatest spill in US history; 3) Obama sent his AG down to personally start criminal investigation of; 4) Obama said has lied; 5) that everything they tried for months either did not work, or did not work the way they said it would; 6) a company that Obama did not even have enough confidence in to talk to!
Obama is responsible for everything BP has done and everything BP has failed to do. Argue the law and Obama's Constitutional responsibilities.
Frankly Dan, I'm disappointed. Austin is the heart of liberalism in Texas and an Austin lib finds no more security in their argument than the common, ubiquitous Bush blankie? Oh well - Hook'em blankies.
LouisJ,
The country is turning the long curve, 180 degrees from the founding fathers model and heading straight for Athens. We will see.
I deeply respect our president for not blaming the Air Force One fiasco on Bush (Is there something else that he has not blamed Bush for that I'm missing?). Stem cell is great. Letting the three Seal snipers send a few down range on the Somali pirates was a Martha Stewart "good thing". Bo the dog seems qualified and a good pick, although he is a pure breed and not the politically correct shelter mutt Obama suggested would serve in that appointment.
And in all seriousness, Obama is an incredibly talented politician - one to be adored by himself/his followers and one to be greatly respected by his detractors for the damage to the Constitution he is capable of if allowed to.
Houston,
I'm not sure, but maybe you should not watch Fox. I don't. Is that what you are talking about?
lioness50,
Nice emotional suck up - the flock loves that and I assure you, you are now in the fold. Just to remember to vote irregardless of content or relevance and most important - everything is Bush's fault except when it's Fox's fault and Palin is an idiot. If a conservative asks what time it is, just answer with one of those and call them a Beckerhead.
And in all seriousness, welcome and have fun.
Lioness50, Ty & Welcome from rural, Ky.
Bob has all the Basics down(THE TRUTH HURTS, HUH BOB) except for the Emotional Suckup part. He's the kind that the GOP still has Braiwashed, nuttin new to add, still fighting for Corparations, & Religous Idiots, while Careing nothing for thier fellow Man.
No doubt lioness,there are many more like you who come to read, but choose Not to participate(i myself was the same as you). Your idea's MATTER.
The GOP does'nt want You & the Many other's here reading, because we're learning& they can't have that.
Lioness I do hope that you have a chance to get back here this morning. I couldn't get back on yesterday afternoon( apparently we had a tube machine problem) but from the Blue Ridge back porch welcome. Your openion and efforts are important and I look forward to seeing them as often as you have a chance. Until then keep well.
Louis,
I agree. For way too long our democratic elected officials have shown a weakness in fighting the fight. They rather dilute a bill to get republican votes (that more often than not, never develop) instead of sticking to their guns and pushing.
Now the handwriting is on the wall and they better step up to the plate and take their cuts (swings) or they will pay for it come election time. The American people are feed up with all the crap from both sides of the aisle. We the people elected them to help us, the American people. I did not vote for Wall Street, Big Business, Increasing tax cuts for those that need it the least, deregulation etc.
Good post LouisJ.
Thanks Vet. And thanks for your service.
I guess that answers Angle's ad of "What have you done for us lately". Go Harry.
BTW: Regarding the tax cuts.......... I think the dems should just let them expire and then bring a new bill to the table, which has tax cuts for everyone but the rich.......... then we can watch repugs fight over that.
Great idea and have the tax cuts for the middle class retroactive to the first of the year.
Force the GOP to vote against a tax cut.
Actually that is the only direction the Dems can go.
If they let them expire they will be accused (unjustly) for the largest tax increase in history. If they extend all of them they will be accused of the huge deficit and debt they will create. It is a no win !
From Politico:
Ending the war in Iraq was Obama’s central campaign promise two years ago, so the announcement should have been a huge deal. But by mid-Monday, the story drooped like a limp flag on news websites, sliding below obituaries of bandleader Mitch Miller.
That’s how it’s been going lately for Obama as he tries to thread the narrowest of political needles: Reminding voters of what he’s done right, with the vast majority of them angry about what’s going wrong.
Obama’s first-term accomplishments are piling up, capped by the healthcare overhaul and the recent passage of a sweeping financial reform bill. Yet, at the same time, his approval ratings have fallen to fresh lows, prompting one prominent ally of the president’s to quip, “Worst-case scenario? You’re looking at the best one-term president in the history of the United States” before quickly adding, “Kidding!”
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"Or, maybe not."
Joe, Albany:
I once heard a basketball coach tell his players that if you do not have three fouls on you by the end of the game you are not putting forth your best efforts to win the game. Likewise, if Obama had come into the Presdidency and sat on his hands his poll numbers would most likely be higher than they are. But what Obama has done is put forth his best efforts and has accomplished a great deal in his first term. And when a person is pro-active as Obama has been they are to make some folks happy and some folks mad. Yet in the end Obama's chances of winning the game are better than if he just sat on his hands. Why are some polls showing a decline in Obama's numbers? It is because he is doing something. He is being proactive as he promised. And if the majority of the people in the end don't like what was done then Obama will be benched. So be it. But give me a player or President who is active any day over one that sits on their butts or lacks intelligence or lacks the will to be pro-active. For even if those who put forth effort just may foul out of the game, they just might come away the biggest of winners with a few fouls on them.
Sorry if this is a bit off topic, but why is MSNBC making it so hard to find First Read on the website?
I keep asking myself why Collins and Snowe don't just switch parties, and the answer keeps coming up that they must love the attention. Fifty-eight other votes were needed here, but who cares?
Snowe and Collins are what Republicans used to be. They are cooperative and sensible. Unfortunately the once grand old party has fallen into tha abyss of radical extremist right wing control. Extremism of any kind is not good. Move toward the center and everyone will be better off.
President Obama used to be a very liberal Senator and now he has moved toward the center, is more pragmatic than he was because he is smart enought to know that the center is where we need to be.
Anna Molly,
Wishfull thinking.
Adler,
Mushfull thinking.
Anna Molly, I wonder the same thing everytime a vote comes about, on moving America forward.
Breaking News on CNN!
House may be coming back to Vote on this Important peice of legislation!
The GOP being Forced to comeback & Vote NO again.
Better Pop somemore Popcorn, Fiesty, this is gonna get Interesting.
You Betcha!
Yes call them all back. Their job is not done yet.
Every now and then a republican breaks away from the just say NO mantra, to do the right thing. Moving to the center seems to be the way forward for our country, the repubs need to realize that making Obama fail is not good for the country. Country first should't be just a campaign slogan!
Good for Harry Reid--now if he could just muster those same votes for the 9/11 victims and responders. Here's a terrific article by Rep. Anthony Weiner explaining why he got angry. Of course for those of us who understand his anger and frustration no further explanation is necessary.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/opinion/04weiner.html