The New York Times provides a mostly positive review of Kathleen Sebelius’ record, noting only the bad reception that greeted her response to the State of the Union speech. Take a look.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden plays some golf and plays with everyone’s heads.
Tim Kaine is certainly acting like he is still in the running.
What are you hearing?
You know, Booman… I am SO sick of this whole “Veepstakes” that we put ourselves through. I vote for President, not Vice President and I could really care less who they choose. I sure hope our guy Obama doesn’t pick a Dan Qwayle (Evan Bayh) but for the most part I just don’t care.
Please just get the selection process over with! None of this matters, except for how much media attention can be generated right now.
True, and it would have been nice to have the whole week of coverage this week, to turn the issue away from that god confab over the weekend, and the tightening of the polls. As it is, Obama gets exactly one week before McCain’s announcement next Friday.
I’m still hoping that Feingold is pulled out of the hat.
Short of that, Wesley Clark.
I’m on Reed, at 55-1.
Anybody?
Weirdly enough, I had a dream that seemed real enough to me that it was Wesley Clark. I think I need to get more sleep.
Kaine was acting like someone who just got some really good news and is about to burst. He seemed flushed with excitement. Does anyone else feel that from the clip? Another clue: Link
There was a separate story re in Virginia, Kaine had summoned other state workers for a meeting – speculation was that it was about a chain of succession if he’s suddenly not Governor.
And I had that same reaction too. That, or he’s enjoying his ten minutes of fame….
He always looks like that, maybe it’s the eyebrows.
Kaine’s a pretty excitable guy. I wouldn’t read too much into it. He has this look of childlike wonder all the time, kind of like Tweety without the misogyny and generally moronic behavior, as though he can’t properly express how cool it is that he’s a governor and a possible veep choice.
Last night in NC, Obama “slipped” and referred to the Veep as “he” on a couple of occasions. Take that as you will.
Kaine:
Obviously there are no guarantees, but I have a hard time believing that this isn’t the guy that Obama wants to pick.
I believe that Obama has tried to emulate Clinton’s 1992 campaign. And picking Kaine would, like Clinton’s selection of Gore, create a young, dynamic political team…or at least the visual of one.
Obama doesn’t want to look like he needs a Cheney. That rules out the Bidens and the Clarks (sadly, as I think Clark would be the best choice, both for the election and to govern).
I also think that the liberal blogs have tended to underappreciate the extent to which Obama is hammering “faith” in this campaign and Kaine fits into that nicely.
I have not missed how much he is hammering faith. And it doesn’t make me one bit happy. What about the real issues like the economy, foreign policy and loss of manufacturing jobs? Since he secured the nomination, he’s managed to muddy his overall position to the point where it’s hard to know what he stands for, if anything. During the Indiana primary, the vast majority of people supported his refusal to pander on gas prices. Now, he’s pandering on gas prices. What gives?
The campaign has lost its brilliance and confidence and is looking more and more like Kerry/Gore redux. Did they take on all of Hillary’s DLCers and start listening to them? I am getting anxious.
I’ve got several problems with Kaine, while he’s anti-death penalty, he’s a war hawk and economically he’s a Chamber of Commerce DINO.
Being pro-life probably isn’t helping the guy’s popularity either.
The more I read about Tim Kaine, the more he looks like the worst possible Veep choice right now.
It’s not pandering if that is what you believe.
A lot of people on the left think faith is important. Don’t knock it.
There’s a guy who greets us as we enter the building each morning. He has the biggest smile I’ve ever seen, and tries to greet everyone individually any time you enter or leave the building. I finally stopped yesterday, and asked him, why was he always so happy.
He told me a tale about being a heroin addict, being in jail, having had a completely horrible life, and turning that around in large part because of his conversion to Christianity.
Seriously. Please don’t knock faith. It really saves lives. I don’t have that faith. But those who do really gain strength from it. To put it down only shows a poverty of spirit on our part. Don’t do that to others.
I know it is important to many people. And I am not knocking it. But it should remain part of people’s private lives, not become part of the presidential election discussion or assume the role of a qualification for office, which happens to be unconstitutional.
I’m reading McCain, McCain, McCain. The media is focused on McCain. The McCain “celeb Ads” are working as he offers more wars.
And there’s a Zogby asshat poll out McCain is now in the lead by 5-points and Americans see him as best for the economy. This is a guy who admits to knowing sqat about the economy! Are we that dumb?
Obama has been focused on building the party’s infrastructure – voter registration – as he’s perceived to be back-peddling while McCain takes the lights.
Don’t be surprised if McCain is greased up by Big Oil and Big Pharma (Harry and Louise) and backed into the White House. We need more wars to hide the economic collapse.
McWars on the menu super-sized…because chef Mac knows how to make them.
All I’m reading is a newsfest by the media. The suspense and punditry alone is enough to keep the media going. Whatelse is there? The Yanks are not only not about to win the Eastern division in MLB, but for the first time in 16 years, they will not even be in the playoffs. But what does the media talk about? Obama and McCain, Obama and McCain. No wonder the public is tired.
By tradition, August is the month of lousy football. October is all baseball. But nooooo. We have to hear about politics over and over. Errrrrrh!
I’d rather hear about Obama and McCain. As I despise baseball in general (the only sport that might make golf look somewhat exciting), and the Yankees in particular (for being allowed to basically buy their way to the top or near-top every year), you’ll get no sympathy from me on that, I’m afraid.
Now if the Red Sox could go back to sucking, I’d be satisfied.
i’m hearing this rumor..are you
http://www.tribbleagency.com/?p=1747
I don’t know how you can bring yourself to give a shit about it anymore. Honestly.
I’m not going to blogwhore, but as I wrote earlier today politics has become something totally frivolous, and world events has become a never ending cycle of “no doy, shithead.” A friend of mine was wondering if there’s even going to BE an election (lord knows what Dick Cheney has up his sleeve), and my response was “who fucking cares? It’s not like the people we elect actually follow through on any of their promises”. I submit to you that we don’t even have representatives anymore, but rulers.
I was thinking about this at the bar last night. No, not the tangier where we natter on self-importantly about “liberal” “politics”, but the dive a few blocks from my house. I was looking at my buddy John across the room, who dropped out of med school and is now carpenter trying to pay child support; two or three guys I know who deal drugs to make ends meet; a couple of prostitutes; middle-aged and older blacks and whites drinking cheap beer. I began to wonder if people like Bob Casey or Arlen Specter or Harry Reid or Joe Biden or Barack Obama or really anyone in Congress could even come close to making ends meet with real people wages, and I chuckled mirthlessly as I realized that they couldn’t, and chuckled again as I reminded myself “that’s why they went into politics to begin with.”
These people come out of the woodwork every 2-4 years to ask for money and votes. What the fuck have they done for anyone in the interim, other than prolong a war that’s killing other people’s kids, legalizing their own lawbreaking, and giving themselves raises. I asked you months ago if you could list ANYTHING good this congress has done, and you never got back to me. I think you mentioned “raised the minimum wage” at DL, but you know that was attached to an Iraq bill, so the tradeoff was more dead soldiers.
it’s joke, and the joke is on us.
Sorry to be debbie downer, but I just can’t get excited about who the VP might be. If you could tell me how I’m going to pay for the new gas furnace I have to install since the price of heating oil is out of reach, that would be a different story.
I don’t respond well to doing homework, which is what you keep asking me to do when you ask me about the accomplishments of this Congress.
It takes time to track down the bills that have passed (and those that haven’t) and explain why they are important. I don’t feel like giving you a half-ass answer and I don’t feel like doing research just to shut you up.
Chris Bowers did a piece about 4 months ago that listed every good bill that passed in the new Congress and why it was important. I tried finding it once through Google and the OpenLeft search feature, but I ran out of patience. It was a good demonstration of what we gained by taking over Congress.
A more important list would be the one that lists all the law that would have been created under continued Republican dominance.
I’ll email bowers. My bet is “not much”.
I realize my comments are downers and sometimes challenging, but I honestly don’t see any reason to believe in the system anymore. And no one has been able to prove me wrong.
Significant legislation that passed in the 110th Congress so far, with links so you can learn more about the good and bad parts of each bill.
Do your own homework. If you want to know what the real difference is between the parties, the details is where you will find it. Of course, this list and these bills are passed in the context of a republican veto and filibuster.
I take exception to “do your own homework”. Strong exception, sir.
I’m not the one advising people on how to vote, who to vote for, and making the case that the party that broke all of its 2006 promises is somehow going to do better when we hand them an even bigger majority in 2008 (as expected). That’s YOU. If you’re going to make the case that they’ll be better, it’s incumbent upon you to back that argument up, not me. My argument is “they suck” and I backed it up with examples.
Not to be tendentious, but you were the one who asked your readers to rate the president, the senate, the house, and the blogosphere. I gave them a rating of zero, and gave several examples. You told me I was wrong: all I have asked you to do is back it up. for you to tell me to “do my own homework” is to ask me to prove your point for you.
So, in the spirit of doing homework:
I could care less about the page revision act, since my kid’s not a page nor would I allow him to associate with politicians (a depraved and psychopathic group of people, with rare exceptions), so I’ll give that a neutral;
I’m not impressed with raising the minimum wage by attaching it to a bill that prolongs the war-fought-with-other-people’s-kids: that’s a minus;
the Preserving United States Attorney Independence Act, S. 214, essentially fixes something that the Democrats and Republicans alike chose to fuck up when they didn’t actually READ the PATRIOT ACT before signing it, and in my family you don’t get credit for gluing your little sister’s dolly’s head back on after you tore it off on purpose, so i give a neutral;
I’ll grant that Foreign Investment and National Security Act of 2007 and the Implementing the Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission smack of common sense (although neither are truly “great accomplishments”), so let’s be nice and give them a plus for each;
the Protect America Act is a piece of shit, I give 2 minuses for that one;
the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 seems like a good thing, so let’s give them a plus;
from wiki: “The Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (WRDA 2007), Pub.L. 110-114, is a United States law that reauthorized the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), and authorized flood control, navigation, and environmental projects and studies by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.[1] However, it does not appropriate funds for those projects and programs.” So they passed a law, but not the funds to actually enact it, correct? if so, a neutral;
as for the energy independence and security act of 2007, “The bill originally sought to cut subsidies to the petroleum industry in order to promote petroleum independence and different forms of alternative energy. These tax changes were ultimately dropped after opposition in the Senate, and the final bill focused on automobile fuel economy, development of biofuels, and energy efficiency in public buildings and lighting.” so not too many points there, but enough for two pluses (they would’ve gotten more, but protecting the petro-profits is a steaming pile);
the economic stimulus act? don’t make me laugh: two minuses for pissing on my head and pretending it’s raining;
I can get behind Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), two pluses;
the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 is still under consideration, so that doesn’t count: neutral;
the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008 gives $162 billion to continue the-war-fought-with-other-people’s-kids, and less than half that amount to provide education to veterans, and not even a tenth of that to extend unemployment benefits. O happy day! and a minus;
don’t get me started on the FISA amendments act, 3 minuses;
I’m glad for the Burmese people that the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE (Junta’s Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act of 2008 affects the junta. But I don’t live in Burma, I think jewelry is tacky anyway, and so it really means very little to me. Punish China instead for propping them up (oops, we can’t, they own us). so a neutral;
finally, isn’t the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 essentially a taxpayer funded bailout of Fannie and Freddie? Minus.
OK, so score time. there are 5 neutrals; 10 minuses, and 7 pluses.
thanks for the list of what this congress has done. As I expected, it’s largely disappointing. but I will change my scores:
The Bush administration 0
House Democrats 2
House Republicans 0
Senate Democrats 2
Senate Republicans 0
The Progressive Blogosphere 7
So basically, I’m handing out D-minuses instead of straight out Fs to the democrats (the GOP always gets Fs). And that’s because I’m feeling light-hearted today.
However, that’s only legislation: if you add in inconsequential hearings, the refusal to enforce subpoenas, refusal to enforce inherent contempt, refusing to impeach, granting unconditional immunity to people like Goodling et al, confirming Mukasey (for just a few examples) to that list, that score goes down.
Calling it as I see it. Your mileage may vary.
Ya know, one of these days I’d like to be able to raise my glass and say “Yay! My Senator or Congressperson really did well today!” I’d really like to do that. When Bob casey was standing up against FISA, I was giving out the complimentary phone calls like I had unlimited minutes. When FISA was blocked in the House, I actually called Steny Hoyer to congratulate him, and you KNOW how much I hate him.
I’m not cynical like you say, but there is only so much shit a man can take before he walks away and says “fuck it.” Who knows, maybe the 111th Congress will be teh awesome. I’d sure like them to be, but given the record I’m not holding my breath.
There is also this to consider:
my ratings are based on what passed, and what actually accomplishes something.
Cspan: SENSE OF THE SENATE is legislative language which offers the opinion of the Senate, but does not make law.
As far as I’m concerned, a sense of the senate/sense of the congress bill doesn’t really do anything, so I don’t count that as an accomplishment. that’s not to say I’m not pleased that the democrats in the house and senate are “disapproving of the troop escalation in Iraq (again)”, but until they are bringing the troops home and ending the war as they campaigned on, that’s about as important as my objections to the escalation.
As for the filibusters, I have a question: how many of the GOP filibusters were actual real filibusters where they talked and talked until everyone gave up and went home, and how many were those silent filibusters? My feeling (correct me if I’m wrong) is that a lot of these (most?) went down without the majority leader actually compelling the GOP to read the phone book. Alternet says one of the last real filibusters was D’Amato in 1992.
My expectations are low as well, but I’ll settle for a guy who won’t take us into another needless war. Broken promises and all, that’s a basic difference worth showing up for at the voting booth.