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Grace Ross, who ran in 2006 as the Green Party's candidate for governor of Massachusetts, is now running in the Democratic primary for the same office, against incumbent governor Deval Patrick. "I wasn't planning to run again," stated Ross, "but things got worse. Things got worse for regular people."
There are many people who lament the end of the '60s and complain about today's self-absorbed, materialistic youth. Now, I'm a teenager, and I can tell you that there's a grain of truth (maybe a boulder...) to those complaints, but there's also a vibrant political culture among those of us whippersnappers who do care.
Well, we all know Dylan, Lennon, and Young. But what about Francis, Folds, and Morello? If you take a look at the music scene today, it's apparent that there are a lot of young people who care. There's currently a lot of music in the same spirit, if not the same style, as the classics of protest music.
Good afternoon, Progressive Electorate readers. This is your afternoon open thread to discuss all things Hill-related. Use this thread to praise or bash Congresscritters, share a juicy tip, ask questions, offer critiques and suggestions, or post manifestos. We'll be here all weekend.
Some of the Hill news that's fit to blog is over the fold...
Here's an interesting take from the other side of the pond about America's prison industrial complex.
Why are we not discussing this on our TV programs? I remember fifteen years ago Americans were furious that our Nikes were made with slave labor. But now because it's incarcerated Americans with drug habits that's OK? Some of those jobs sound pretty good too, assembling military equipment? Do we really have to cheap out on wage costs for that? We spend $700B a year on military and we're cutting corners by hiring inmates rather than providing working wage jobs? WTF?
Good afternoon, Progressive Electorate readers. This is your afternoon open thread to discuss all things Hill-related. Use this thread to praise or bash Congresscritters, share a juicy tip, ask questions, offer critiques and suggestions, or post manifestos. We'll be here all snowy weekend.
All the Hill news that fit to blog is over the fold...
Good afternoon evening, Progressive Electorate readers. This is your afternoon open thread to discuss all things Hill-related. Use this thread to praise or bash Congresscritters, share a juicy tip, ask questions, offer critiques and suggestions, or post manifestos.
It is a serious scroll. Decided to table this before I heard about Sen. Shelby's R-AL little announcement. Always a few kinks to work out. But no hurry, #snowpocalypse is about to hit DC again.
Some of the Hill news that's fit to blog is over the fold...
(great diary - well written with needed information - promoted by admin)
You can throw a dart at the left-ideological blogosphere and if you aim it roughly for health care reform, chances are you are going to hit a post about how the Democratic party is violating its own platform with the Senate bill. Horror! Of course, you can look at the right wing lunatic blogosphere and they are screaming about Socialist Communist Kenyan (TM) takeover of health care reform. But I'm planning on examining the claims of this serious violation of the Democratic platform today. After all, Democrats are in power in the White House, the House and the Senate.
First let me introduce you to the 2008 Democratic National Platform. It divides each policy area into subsections. I am going to list them and assign points based on a rather simple idea: I wasn't at the platform discussions. I don't know what was given the most weight and what was given the least. So each goal under the main health care umbrella will get the same amount of points assigned, and each sub-goal within it will divide up those points equally. Sound fair? Ok. We'll find out how the Senate health care bill stacks up against those goals.
A close second to college football as a pastime in Alabama is college football recruiting. The battle for players culminates on national signing day which was today.
How did your school fare?
Florida seems to be the consensus number 1 with Texas as 2nd in any rankings. Alabama finished 3rd, 4th or 5th depending on whose rankings you hold in highest regard. Auburn was a surprising 4th or 5th.
Speaking of Auburn
My wife's best friends son, Chad Slade an offensive lineman, signed with Auburn. Unfortunately we missed the festivities but want to share the video
Good afternoon, Progressive Electorate readers. This is your afternoon open thread to discuss all things Hill-related. Use this thread to praise or bash Congresscritters, share a juicy tip, ask questions, offer critiques and suggestions, or post your manifestos.
I'm back from a self-imposed Internet exile. Thanks to CA Berkley WV for covering for me in my absence.
From today's meeting between President Obama and Senate Democrats today comes this gem . . . .
"If the price of certainty is essentially for us to adopt the exact same proposals that were in place for eight years leading up to the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression -- we don't tinker with health care, let the insurance companies do what they want, we don't put in place any insurance reforms, we don't mess with the banks, let them keep on doing what they're doing now because we don't want to stir up Wall Street -- the result is going to be the same," he said. "I don't know why we would expect a different outcome pursuing the exact same policy that got us into this fix in the first place."
Middle class Americans, Obama said, "are more and more vulnerable, and they have been for the last decade, treading water. And if our response ends up being, you know, because we don't want to -- we don't want to stir things up here, we're just going to do the same thing that was being done before, then I don't know what differentiates us from the other guys. And I don't know why people would say, boy, we really want to make sure that those Democrats are in Washington fighting for us."
Good afternoon, Progressive Electorate readers. This is your afternoon open thread to discuss all things Hill-related. Use this thread to praise or bash Congresscritters, share a juicy tip, ask questions, offer critiques and suggestions, or post manifestos.
Some of the Hill news that's fit to blog is over the fold...
From what I've seen a lot of money being poured into the Alabama Gubernatorial Race - the first reports filed in the race which has been in effect nearly a year.
(Thanks for the diary. Good stuff - promoted by admin)
That's what Ezra Klein said Saturday at a forum sponsored by Families USA. He was referring to the fact that for Democrats, there is no way to move backwards on this. There is no going back on this. There is no smaller piecemeal legislation. Democrats can run on this bill and the success of it having passed, or they can run on a caricature of this bill and the failure of it. Either way, Democrats are tied to it. If we let health reform fail now - if we don't pass it quickly now - the failure will doom the Democratic party. It's this bill, or everybody dies. Not having health care reform will spell political and policy disaster for the Democratic party. Not to mention, Ezra reminded the audience, this bill will save real lives. Failing on this means more real people will continue to die.
(Thanks Always enjoy your thoughts - promoted by admin)
It has been a while since I have done anything productive, ripped, bitched, moaned, made fun of anything in more then just a Facebook status, so here we go. A week or so of pent up shenanigans, got a little time on my hands, so I might as well let shit fly. For those of ya reading over at Progressive Electorate.com, I am Jeff, a simple guy, can't write worth a lick (dropped out of Journalism school) and can't keep a straight thought to save my life, but if you will manage to hang with me, I will try to make it worth your while. To Facebookers, thanks for letting me be me.
On Scott Brown and Massachusetts. - Seems this whole Scott Brown thing was spun as America somehow rejecting President Obama and the Democrats initiatives. Of course, us realists would see this as the people of Massachusetts rejecting a candidate that was so out of touch with the people of her state, that Ted Kennedy or not, they wanted nothing to do with her. I don't blame them. We on the Left got to complacent. We just figured we could waltz our ways into any public office we wanted and spin the same 2008 crap and it would win with the people. It will not win. This is our watch now, the people want results from us for them. If you put out a crap candidate that in no way wants to interact with the people and can not even remember state heroes that played right there in your own backyard, then you do not deserve to win. Its a pretty simple view, I know, but really, we in Missouri would not vote for a candidate that says Stan Musial was a fantastic Cub. Seriously. I would throw a 5 year old, pissy pants temper tantrum. Fact of the matter is, Scott Brown and his campaign out worked the Coakley campaign. While Martha Coakley was on vacation, Scott Brown was shaking hands in McDonald's drive throughs as people passed through to get they're morning coffee. A voter wants to see that. A connection was made and it made an impression. I would have a hard time not voting for a person, standing in freezing temperatures, in a Carhartt jacket, shaking hands, drinking a hot cup of Joe with folks as they head off to work. We all want the same thing, a politician, a person in Washington that you can relate to. Scott Brown did that, Martha Coakley did not. Now whether Scott Brown continues that or not is yet to be seen. Yes, I fully believe that he is another Republican ass wad that will vote in favor of the corporations, the health insurance companies, and will think that the key to prosperity will come with less regulation in any industry and providing tax cuts to wealthy individuals and big corporations that will send countless jobs overseas to save a few bucks. But as of now, he out worked, out campaigned, just flat out got with it, made a connection and won. Now we on the Left need to realize the errors in our ways, get out, shake a few hands, stop typing so damn much and start reconnecting like we did in 2008. Scott Brown is a pebble in the Atlantic, lets not let them become mountains.
Good afternoon, Progressive Electorate readers. This is your afternoon open thread to discuss all things Hill-related. Use this thread to praise or bash Congresscritters, share a juicy tip, ask questions, offer critiques and suggestions, or post manifestos.
Some of the Hill news that's fit to blog is over the fold...
Just days after being inaugaurated as America's 45th President, Sarah Palin has announced that her administration will renew the enhanced interrogation programs that began after 9/11.
"We take very, very seriously the threat that potential terrorists expose upon our freedoms, so I decided that we shouldn't take any options off the table. Now every police station in the country will be equipped to interrogate the thousands and thousands of terrorists that are hiding in our country. Until we know how many terrorists there really are in America my baby Trig and the rest of America can never be really safe, doncha know. And we can never really know until we start interrogating random Americans, who should have nothing to fear if they aren't involved with the terrorists. Also, just think of all the new jobs this will create, since we are gonna need a lot of new police officers to deal with all the new terrorists we have to find. Today is a great day for freedom." President Palin said with a wink towards the cameras.
Watch the Senate, Gubernatorial and IL-10 primaries.
In the Senate Dem side we should expet State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and FOO (friend of Obama) to win although he's been beaten up lately which could mean trouble in the fall
IL-10 is the seat where Dan Seals failed to beat Mark Kirk (who is running for Sen) twice and is going for the third times a charm appeal. Usually not a very successful motto in electoral politics.
One week until the Super Bowl. However, I've heard more talk and controversy about the ads than I have about the Colts and the Saints or can we say Who Dat nation.
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