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That's All Folks !
On This Day: President Obama makes Congressional calls from the Oval Office before the final Senate vote repealing the ban on gay men and women serving openly in the military, Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)
Today (all times Eastern):
12:30: Jay Carney briefs the press
2:05: President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama meet with moms to discuss health care, Oval Office
National Journal: Obamacare's Unlikely Winners
Sue Spanke of Missoula, Mont., was highly displeased this fall when she learned her health insurance had been canceled. "I got so mad that I went to my phone and started calling all the political people and giving them what for," Spanke told The Billings Gazette. That was before she learned she was eligible for a policy at a much lower cost.
After angrily calling her state auditor's office, Spanke, a self-employed artist in her 50s, found she was eligible for a federal subsidy. Her new insurance will cover her for a mere $30 to $40 a month with a deductible of only $500. She had been paying $350 a month for a Blue Cross policy with a $5,000 deductible. "I went from a horrible policy that didn't cover anything, that was breaking me, to the best policy at the best price I've had since I was in my 20s," she said.
With the website largely fixed, one of the last lines of attack against Obamacare is that the president lied when he said if people like their insurance plans, they can keep them. The White House is hoping stories like Spanke's will inoculate them against those arguments. And the positive stories abound.
More here
FL: Nancy Lewe says the ACA is "a dream come true." She'll be saving $600/mo for better cvg w/ a tiny deductible. http://t.co/iADjsm5GW3
— ACA Stories (@ACAstories) December 17, 2013
Journal Gazette: Getting an earful on Obamacare
…. Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-3rd, had asked for input on the Affordable Care Act during an open house Monday at his office in the E. Ross Adair Federal Building, and he got it…
…Lee Albright, owner of the south-side meat market carrying his last name, doesn't want the Affordable Care Act repealed, which Stutzman and the Republican-controlled House have voted to do numerous times. Albright told his congressman that his monthly payment for family health coverage will drop from $3,800 to $1,700 by enrolling in a plan offered through the much-maligned law.
Albright said most of his dozen employees also are enrolling in Affordable Care Act plans and will have coverage for the first time. "If the Republican Party thinks they're going to kill Obamacare, you guys need to realize that those nine people that I add on, are they going to vote Republican ever again if you take their health care from them?"
Stutzman responded: "No, probably not."
More here
#GetCovered because nobody should go broke just because they get sick → http://t.co/ekpz447xhS, pic.twitter.com/QP9BCroesn
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 18, 2013
WMGT: Congressman Scott Talks Healthcare, Farm Bill at Town Hall Meeting
Residents from all around middle Georgia met with U.S. Representative Austin Scott to talk about concerns they have in the nation's capitol during a town hall meeting on Monday.
Gridlock in Washington has left local business owners like Bob Schumacher, frustrated. He hasn't had health insurance for some time, and has tried multiple times to use the scrutinized healthcare.gov website and hasn't had any luck, until now.
"I was able to get an insurance plan and with the tax credit, it's going to be about half of the price that it was going to be two and a half years ago," Schumacher said.
…. "They've definitely got the website up and running now, and so you can get online and see if there is something out there that works for you."
More here
Americans across the country are talking about why they are proud of #Obamacare. Take a look at what they're saying: http://t.co/P58Zwz1DoQ
— OFA NC (@OFA_NC) December 18, 2013
CT Mirror: CT insurance exchange enrollment up more than 50% in two weeks
Connecticut's health insurance exchange is enrolling about 1,400 people a day and is on track to have 50,000 to 60,000 people signed up for health care coverage by the end of the year, an official said Tuesday.
Jason Madrak, chief marketing officer for Access Health CT, the state's exchange, said about 20,000 people have signed up for private insurance plans through the marketplace, about 70 percent of whom will get federal financial assistance to discount their premiums.
In addition, about 17,000 people have signed up for Medicaid coverage through the exchange, Madrak said.
The approximately 37,000 people signed up for coverage through the exchange marks a nearly 58 percent increase from enrollment as of Dec. 4, the previous figures Access Health reported.
More here
Dana Milbank: Auto bailout could be harbinger for Obamacare
When will the criticism of Obamacare finally end?
I've done some research on the question, and by my calculations, judging from current trends, this will happen approximately . . . never.
I base this on the criticism of the auto bailout of early 2009. Almost five years later, the industry is healthy again and large swaths of the Midwest have been spared what would have been certain economic devastation. All this was achieved for a relatively modest sum: … It would seem that the argument against the bailout has been settled. Yet opponents continue to argue their case — if anybody will listen.
More here
Paul Krugman: The Obamacare Worm Continues to Turn
Dana Milbank has an interesting piece today …. he compares Obamacare to the auto bailout, which at this point looks like a rousing success — but continues to be lambasted by the right, because it shouldn't have worked, and therefore can't have worked.
….. it's a strong signal that the press is catching up to the reality that December is not October, and that the news — while there are still many troubles — is increasingly positive. Actually, so is Darrel Issa's angry rebuke to a health care official: "You need to watch more Fox News."
More here
CA: Sarah Young says ACA is "a small miracle for us." She'll pay 60% less for much better coverage. http://t.co/KqPuCwq3YF
— ACA Stories (@ACAstories) December 17, 2013
National Memo: What If Every Voter Denied Medicaid Expansion By Republicans Voted Democratic?
A new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that 4.8 million Americans will be denied health insurance because Republican governors and legislatures have refused to expand Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act.
Another study, called Health Care for America Now (HCAN), was released last week and found that 4,831,590 people were being denied Medicaid in red states, nearly duplicating Kaiser's result. HCAN went a step further and estimated that the result of not expanding insurance to these eligible residents would result in the loss of 27,000 lives in 2014, while denying the states $42.6 billion a year in economic activity.
Most of these people who earn too much for Medicaid and too little to purchase insurance in the health care exchanges — 79 percent — live in southern states.
More here
BREAKING: Housing starts in U.S. rose 22.7% in November, highest level since Feb. 2008
— Bloomberg News (@BloombergNews) December 18, 2013
Norbrook: Republicans Are Running Scared
After the government shutdown, Republicans took a big hit in the polls. A very, very large hit in the polls in fact. It turned out that while various people are willing to talk about what they don't like about "big government," there are even more things that the government provides that they do like. While Republicans thought they had a "winning strategy" by using the shutdown to attempt to repeal "Obamacare" (for the 40′th plus time), it turned out that the public thought it was really stupid, particularly when all those things like national parks had to close. Add in a lack of action on any substantive issues, the unpopularity of various Republican governors, and some losses in elections they thought were winnable, and things are starting to get tense for them.
More here
@Lawrence notes that the Snowden letter to Brazil is filled with grandiose statements demonstrably false. Gee, who else writes that way?
— roadkillrefugee (@rkref) December 18, 2013
THIRTY SIX YR OLD SLAVE OWNER JAMES MADISON quoted by NSA judge. .@Lawrence blows it out of the water. http://t.co/Ku1ECK23TC Aghast, pftttt
— KSK(africa) (@lawalazu) December 18, 2013
Had no intention of mentioning the race-baiting turd that is Ron Fournier, but Charles Pierce….. oh, Charles Pierce:
Ron Fournier Is Smarter Than You Are
Once again, former Karl Rove self-actualization guru Ron Fournier has taken to the pages of the National Journal – Motto: There's A Reader Out There Somewhere – to explain that the president misapprehended the results of the 2012 election, and that he has been operating under the illusion that, because he got the most votes, he got to be president again. To elucidate this for the dimmer people among us, Ron shows how brilliant he was in the immediate aftermath of said election, and employs the useful tool of Historical Parallelism, which he applies repeatedly and vigorously to his own forehead.
…. The IRS dumbassery was just that. The NSA surveillance started under Bush – with considerably more Democratic support in the Congress, Ron, than this president has gotten from Republicans on anything – and Benghazi, Benghazi!, BENGHAZI! remains a hoax. I'm afraid we are past the point where an intervention would help. Better just fire off the stun gun and pry the tool of Historical Parallels out of his hand.
Full post here
ThinkProgress: Why Obama Is Sending Openly Gay Athletes To Russia's Olympics
As controversy erupted over Russia's anti-gay law ahead of next year's Sochi Olympics, President Barack Obama said that he opposed boycotting the Games in favor of letting the United States delegation lead by example on the LGBT rights front.
"One thing I'm really looking forward to is maybe some gay and lesbian athletes bringing home the gold or silver or bronze, which i think would go a long way in rejecting the kind of attitudes were seeing there," Obama said. "And if Russia doesn't have gay or lesbian athletes, it'll probably make their team weaker."
Tuesday, Obama took a step forward in showing that example, selecting tennis legend and former U.S. Olympic coach Billie Jean King, a lesbian who has long been an LGBT equality advocate, to be a part of the delegation that will represent the White House at the opening ceremony on February 7. Hockey player Caitlin Cahow, who is also openly gay, will be a part of the delegation to the closing ceremonies on February 23.
More here
Honored to represent USA in Sochi and I hope these Olympics will be a watershed moment for the universal acceptance of all people.
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) December 18, 2013
Steve Benen: Obama sends Putin an Olympic message
Subtle, this wasn't.
…. note that the U.S. Olympic delegation is traditionally led by someone from the White House – current or former president, vice president, or member of the First Family. For Sochi, as Rachel noted on the show last night, Obama tapped former DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, which means no one from the White House or even from the president's cabinet will be on hand for the opening ceremony.
… this also strikes me as this latest in a series of elections-have-consequences moments. Conservatives have come to celebrate Vladimir Putin as something of an international hero, while religious right activists cheer on his culture war from afar. Obama has been highly ambitious and progressive when it comes to advancing LGBT civil rights, and his choice in Olympic delegation members sends a signal the world will notice…
Full post here
LA Times: Homeless men invited to help Pope Francis celebrate birthday
Pope Francis boosted his down-to-earth image by inviting a group of homeless men to his Vatican residence to help him celebrate his 77th birthday.
The group of men joined Francis on Tuesday as he gave his morning Mass and then ate breakfast with him …. the men, a Pole, a Slovak and a Czech, were sleeping under the portico outside the Vatican's press center when they were approached by Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, who distributes charitable contributions for the pope.
"Would you like to come to Pope Francis' birthday party?" Krajewski reportedly asked them. "After a moment of bewilderment and wonder, they started packing up their beds, pieces of cardboard and covers which were arranged to protect them from the bitter cold of the Roman night."
More here
On This Day:
President Obama walks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to their bilateral meeting at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, Dec. 18, 2009 (Photo by Pete Souza)
Pete Souza: "The President briefs European leaders following a multilateral meeting in which an agreement was tentatively reached at the United Nationals Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. Most conferences like this are very scripted; this one was just the opposite." Dec. 18, 2009
President Obama speaks during a multilateral meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Brazilian President Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Prime Manmohan Singh, and South African President Jacob Zuma during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, Dec. 18, 2009 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama shows military officials the White House Christmas Tree in the Blue Room following a meeting, Dec. 1, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)
On This Day: A Christmas tree frames President Obama as he talks on the phone in the Oval Office, Dec. 12, 2009 (Photo by Pete Souza)
Today (all times Eastern):
12:45: Jay Carney briefs the press
7:15: VP Biden delivers remarks at U.S. Global Leadership Coalition Annual Tribute Dinner
@WhiteHouse: Holiday lights in the Rose Garden
Steve Benen: Obamacare enrollment soars in November
About a month ago, the Obama administration released its enrollment totals for the Affordable Care Act, offering data that covered just the first month of the open-enrollment period. Given the systemic problems with healthcare.gov, the figures were expected to fall far short of projections, and they did – 106,185 consumers signed up for health insurance through an exchange in October, and only about a quarter of that total signed up by way of the federal marketplace.
The totals were vastly improved in November …. Note that the enrollment totals do not include 1.9 million Americans who have not yet selected a plan, but who've gone through the eligibility process. Also note, these totals include the period before the darn website got fixed.
….Whether the right wants to admit it or not, I can think of about 1.2 million reasons – and growing – why the Affordable Care Act isn't going away.
Full post here
FACT: The demand for health insurance in the new marketplace is still growing. pic.twitter.com/vdWt243tS1
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 11, 2013
but….selfie! RT @JuddLegum BREAKING: Embattled HealthCare website sees dramatic enrollment surge in November http://t.co/3Qzx0Bl6Nc
— Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) December 11, 2013
Obamacare enrollments have risen to 1.2 million and surge suggests we are making up for lost time in October. But those are just facts.
— Jon Lovett (@jonlovett) December 11, 2013
Jim Stuart's New Blog: Deep Currents, Surface Storms – Healthcare (2) http://t.co/REm7pUNKUn
— Jim Stuart (@jstuart902) December 11, 2013
Brian Beutler: How to tell which Republicans care about their constituents' health
A new moral dilemma: Now that Healthcare.gov is working, some Republicans have a moral quandary to consider
…. Healthcare.gov is now working well enough to sign up tens of thousands of people a day. The improvement is both anecdotal and rooted in data. The administration, its allies, and insurance companies are now stepping up enrollment campaigns that were put on ice in October and November. Thousands of people whose insurers canceled their coverage, or who got stuck on Healthcare.gov last month, are now relieved to find reasonable options available on the federal exchange ahead of the Dec. 23 deadline to sign up for coverage that begins Jan. 1.
…. But if the big story is the turning tide of Healthcare.gov, the corollary is that committee Democrats don't have to sit around playing defense against GOP attacks. They can attempt to reorient the debate around Republican efforts to discourage enrollment — particularly now that their constituents can, for the most part, actually access the law's benefits.
Full post here
Analysts predict surge in health care enrollment http://t.co/7eGQZ08foR via @USATODAY
— BWD (@theonlyadult) December 12, 2013
#Obamacare: The Number Of Women Who Aren't Charged Co-Pays For Birth Control Has Jumped 25%. http://t.co/VR4CLblSBn pic.twitter.com/n2HYhPZ8eN
— Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) December 12, 2013
Since October, 1.2 million have gained Obamacare coverage "Not a good idea to bet against the American people " CF http://t.co/zbYm5i0NGm
— Chaka Fattah (@chakafattah) December 11, 2013
Please read this: Special Investigation: How Insurers Are Hiding Obamacare Benefits From Customers http://t.co/jLCgbzoFWb
— Dr. Vicki Hayes (@WonderfulwomanK) December 12, 2013
David Ignatius: Obama's relentlessly pragmatic diplomacy
This has been a year when America re-embraced diplomacy after a frustrating decade of war, displaying a relentlessly pragmatic approach that recalls the days of such deal-making secretaries of state as Henry Kissinger and James A. Baker III.
The secret diplomatic machinations have been dizzying, and sometimes disorienting. President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have opened doors and created opportunities for settling intractable conflicts…..
The Iran nuclear agreement was the most striking example of the willingness to engage former adversaries…..
Israelis I talked to afterward were impressed (if not always convinced) by the dry, precise clarity of Obama's argument for testing the Iranians
More here
The People's View: As Usual, Liberals Attacking Budget Deal Miss the Long Game
Yesterday, Paul Ryan and Patty Murray announced a budget deal that eases up on the dumb sequestration, meets the House and Senate budget numbers in the middle, raises minimal revenue and avoids another government shutdown. And right on cue, ideologues on the Right and Left have begun to pounce at any hint of compromise.
John Boehner is taking flack from – and lashing out at – the right wing of activists who are incensed at the fact that House Republicans would strike any deal at all that could win President Obama's blessing, even a qualified one. Groups like Heritage Action and Americans for Prosperity (hmm… they seem to have a funding source in common) are lobbying Republicans to scuttle the deal, crying foul at the GOP's agreement of $45 billion in higher spending than their previous position.
But if the Right wing fanatics are good at whipping up the Republican party into a frenzy, our own ideologues have also been honing their skills of whining and short-sightedness. Yesterday, it started with Ezra Klein….
More here
ThinkProgress: What You Need To Know About The Budget Deal
Late Tuesday night, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) announced that they had come to an agreement on a budget deal, ending negotiations begun as part of the agreement to re-open the government in October. The deal still has to be passed by the House and Senate and then implemented by appropriations committees by January 15. Here's what you need to know about what's in the Murray-Ryan agreement….
More here
USA Today: Obama to hold moment of silence for Newtown victims
President Obama will lead a moment of silence Saturday to mark the one-year anniversary of the deadly school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
The president and first lady Michelle Obama will honor the lives of the 26 people — including 20 children — who died in the attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
More here
TPM: Biden Says His Ancestors 'Didn't All Come Here Legally'
Before you decry "illegal immigrants," Joe Biden thinks you ought to check your own familial history. That's what the vice president said Wednesday during an online forum in response to a questioner who claimed her family immigrated to the United States legally from Ireland in the 19th century.
"My great-great grandparents came escaping the famine and they didn't all come here legally," Biden said, as quoted by Politico. "They didn't all come legally. And the existence of the system isn't all truncated like it is now. I'd check your ancestry to make sure that they did come legally if that's a concern to you."
More here
This might just be the greatest toon in the history of tooniness:
Thanks to the penetrating coverage of the Mandela memorial, I learned what a "Selfie" is. Where have I been?
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) December 11, 2013
Exclusive – TIME Magazine "Grifter of the Year" Glenn Greenwald. December 23, 2013 pic.twitter.com/ZnVyLnqXZy
— Gus (@Gus_802) December 12, 2013
On This Day:
President Obama smiles while talking with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on the phone in the Oval Office, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009 (Photo by Pete Souza)
The First Family at "Christmas in Washington" at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., Dec. 12, 2010
First Lady Michelle Obama and Bo, the Obama family dog, greet audience members at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Dec. 12, 2011.
President Obama walks along the Colonnade of the White House, Dec. 12, 2012 (Photo by Pete Souza)
The President has no scheduled public events, but…..
12:30 EDT: Jay Carney briefs the press
Steve Benen: As debt deadline nears, now what?
In an unexpected twist, the political world starts today with circumstances that look eerily similar to those from 24 hours ago: a bipartisan Senate deal is taking shape and a fractured House remains unpredictable. The point of yesterday, apparently, was to waste a day, humiliate House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), and bring the nation just a little closer to default.
After House Republicans rejected a series of desperate attempts by Boehner to make them happy, attention turned back to the Senate, which waited until after the lower chamber imploded to renew its talks. By all appearances, the basic framework of an agreement is in place.
More here
Michael Tomasky: Senate Debt Ceiling Deal Won't Mean This Chaos Is Over. Far From It.
Tuesday might have ended with the Senate on the cusp of a deal to avert a default, but it also featured Boehner bowing and scraping to his House crazies to come up with a competing plan that failed.
This is a sad and sickening spectacle, like nothing I've ever seen in my life. Not as bad as Watergate, you say? I beg to differ. However this turns out this has been in its way worse than Watergate. Watergate ultimately vindicated our system against the machinations of one sociopath. It took time, because he was a president. But even he ultimately observed democratic norms and, when cornered, did the honorable thing.
Today, we have a clavern of sociopaths who know nothing of honor, and we have no easy way to stop them. Except at the ballot box. Except that they've rigged that, too, with their House districts. They've rigged the whole game so that they light the match and then point at President Obama and shout: "Look! Fire!" And overseeing it all is House Speaker John Boehner, as of Tuesday officially the worst high-ranking elected officer in the history of the United States.
More here
President Obama tried to warn us over and over and over again. http://t.co/zKqKjSyu0G #GOPshutdown
— meta (@metaquest) October 16, 2013
Dana Milbank: Republicans are at a dead end
Here's how grave the House Republicans' condition has become: They're now in the care of a mortician.
In the early minutes of a marathon meeting of House Republicans on Tuesday morning, Rep. Steve Southerland, a funeral director from Florida, rose to suggest the lawmakers sing "Amazing Grace" — and his colleagues joined him in a rendition of the burial hymn.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
It was an appropriate choice, for the House GOP is practicing its own form of mortuary science: It is burying both the Republican brand and America's standing in the world.
More here
i'm repeating myself, but if U don't understand House birthers are driving shutdown, U can't understand shutdown; http://t.co/wsh3sMVQDY
— Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) October 16, 2013
Charles Pierce: Reign Of Morons: Apotheosis
…. A great portion of the courtier press that now expresses horror at what is going on now went gleefully along for the ride as it became inevitable. Any members of that courtier press who relished the pursuit of Bill Clinton's penis, or conducted the absurd campaign of untruth that was waged against Al Gore between 1999 and 2000 lost the right years ago credibly to denounce conservative extremism and Republican vandalism.
That means you, Roger Simon of Politico, who was so shocked the other day to discover that racism may have afflicted the process of government since the president's election, but who once claimed to right to make candidates like Gore "jump through hoops" for the pure hella-fun of it.
That means you, Chris Matthews, who chased the presidential dick for two years, all the way through an impeachment process that was a constitutional absurdity, but who now discovers that the campaign of destruction never truly stopped.
That means you, Andrew Sullivan, with your current existential torment over How It Came To This….
…… This means all of you who went along for the ride on torture, and on Iraq, and who hid under the bed after 9/11. This is how the power came to rest with Ted Yoho, who is a fool and a know-nothing. This is how historical inevitability is created. This is how its momentum becomes unstoppable. This is how the wreckage piles up.
Full post here
Retweet if you agree it's time to #EndThisNow before our country faces an economic shutdown.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 16, 2013
Bob Cesca: Why Isn't the GOP Complaining About the Deficit? Because It's Dropping — Fast.
As we careen headlong toward the debt ceiling deadline, with the House Republicans and Speaker John Boehner in full Three-Stooges-Trying-To-Fix-The-Plumbing mode, the issue area that's been overshadowed by the grandstanding, political props and brinksmanship is government spending itself.
The budget deficit is really the 4,000 pound gorilla in the room and the Republicans refuse to discuss anything other than the fact that employer mandate for the dreaded Affordable Care Act begins a year after the individual mandate. Yes, we're in the middle of a showdown over the debt because of Obamacare rather than, you know, spending and fiscal responsibility.
Why aren't they talking about the deficit? That's easy: they can't say anything bad about it because the Obama administration's record on the deficit is kind of stellar.
More here
This needs to be posted everyday until election day, 2014 pic.twitter.com/Rb4YUJ9G0j
— Cynthia (@cynthia4877) October 16, 2013
TPM: McCain: 'Republicans Have To Understand We Have Lost This Battle'
With the government shutdown in its third week and the United States dangerously close to the debt limit, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) urged members of his party on Tuesday to stop digging.
"It's very, very serious," McCain said, as quoted by the New York Times. "Republicans have to understand we have lost this battle, as I predicted weeks ago, that we would not be able to win because we were demanding something that was not achievable."
More here
Fixed your front page for you, New York Post: pic.twitter.com/QkZw4J46Wa
— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) October 16, 2013
David Cay Johnston (Al Jazeera): Tea party Republicans put dollar's reputation at risk
Barring an accident of political brinksmanship, the United States will not default on its debts and other obligations.
Economic conditions provide exactly zero reasons to worry that the U.S. cannot service its debts. The danger in the current crisis, therefore, is not catastrophic economic collapse.
Rather, the danger is that the House's tea party Republicans, in their zeal to block President Barack Obama's policies, especially on health care, have damaged investors' long-term trust in the U.S. government. And by thwarting the principle of majority rule, they have demonstrated a disrupting power that they may wield into the next decade, causing further erosion in confidence.
More here
'Ranchers Who Supported #GOPShutdown Wonder Where Their Government Assistance Went' pic.twitter.com/1xJB7YOugq
— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) October 15, 2013
ThinkProgress: Houston Chronicle Yanks Ted Cruz Endorsement
As the federal government enters its sixteenth day of shutdown and stands just hours away from defaulting on the national debt, the largest newspaper in Texas has pulled its endorsement of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). The conservative lawmaker delivered a 21-hour speech on Sep. 24, urging Senate and House Republicans to vote against any government funding measure that includes appropriations for President Obama's Affordable Care Act, and is viewed as at least partially responsible for the current impasse.
More here
Screw them for endorsing him in the first place – they helped get the ****er elected.
African proverb: if you want to run fast, run alone. If you want to run far, run together. New video: http://t.co/oxJSYem5q0 #NJsen
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) October 15, 2013
A Year Ago Today:
Glenn Greenwald has left Guardian to join new media venture funded by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar. As ever: available to the highest bidder.
— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) October 16, 2013
On This Day:
President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden link arms and sing "We Shall Overcome" during the dedication ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C., Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011 Joining them, from left, are: Harry Johnson, Sr.; Interior Secretary Ken Salazar; and Herman "Skip" Mason (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama says goodbye to former President George H. W. Bush and former Secretary of State James A. Baker, prior to departure from Easterwood Field landing zone, in College Station, Texas, Oct. 16, 2009 (Photo by Pete Souza)
Neighbors in West Newton, Mass., react as the President headed their way after speaking at an event next door, Oct. 16, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)
Morning everyone, looks like it'll be a long day.
The President has no public events scheduled
1:30 EDT: Jay Carney briefs the press
ThinkProgress: Oklahoma Woman Tells GOP Lawmakers: Without Obamacare, 'I Will Be Dead Before My 27th Birthday'
As the deadline approached for Congress to pass a continuing resolution to keep the government funded, Republicans refused to strike a deal unless it defunded or delayed Obamacare. Now, a week later, GOP lawmakers still seem unwilling to compromise unless they are able to dismantle some of the health reform law. One Oklahoma resident wants them to understand the human impact of that political position.
On the eve of the looming government shutdown, 26-year-old Kendall Brown published an open letter to the lawmakers who wanted to delay Obamacare for one year before agreeing to pass a funding bill. Brown didn't mince words. "I am dying, because of the political games you are playing right now," her op-ed began.
More here
An excerpt from the letter:
Open Letter to Lawmakers: The Human Cost
Dear lawmakers currently attempting to shut down Obamacare,
My name is Kendall Brown. I am a 26-year-old, college graduate with a full-time job…
And I am dying, because of the political games you are playing right now.
You see, I was born with Crohn's Disease. This didn't happen because I ate unhealthy food, or because I smoked, or because of any of the other reasons we use to victim blame sick people and justify not giving our countrymen adequate health care. I became severely ill beginning in the third grade because I won a genetic lottery that left me with a disease that would quickly drop me to 87 pounds, render me unable to walk at times, and nearly kill me twice…..
…. I don't tell you this to make you feel sorry for me, Mr or Mrs lawmaker. I tell you this because I am tired of being reduced to a number, a statistic or, even worse, being described as a freeloader that wants to live off of the government health care teat. I tell you this because if you defund Obamacare, or delay it even for one year, as you are debating today, then this will be my last letter to you. I will be dead before my 27th birthday.
If you think that my life, and the lives of thousands of other people like me have no value, then by all means, delay the ACA. But before you do so, I'd like to invite you to hear stories from others like me, or, if you find yourself in the great state of Oklahoma, come meet me. I'd love to show you around and buy you a cup of coffee — and to introduce you to the woman you are killing.
Kendall Brown
See the full letter at OKC.net
Eugene Robinson: Obamacare is here. Get used to it.
While Republicans were throwing their silly tantrum, Obamacare became a fact. There is no turning back.
The point of no return was reached when millions of people crashed the Web sites of the new Affordable Care Act exchanges while trying to buy health insurance. Republicans can fight rear-guard battles if they want, but last Tuesday they lost the war. All they can do at this point is harm the nation — and their political prospects.
Medicare guaranteed health care for the elderly, Medicaid for the poor. Obamacare begins to fill the remaining gaps. It will get better over time, but already — crashing Web sites and all — it's a beautiful thing.
Full post here
TPM: Carl Bernstein Slams Media's '50/50′ Shutdown Coverage: 'This Is About The Republican Party'
Longtime journalist Carl Bernstein on Tuesday called on the press to abandon the false equivalence that's colored much of the coverage of the government shutdown.
Appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," the man who helped break the Watergate scandal said that the current budget impasse is not a two-sided matter.
"This is about the Republican Party and what it's going to be," Bernstein said. "Is it going to conduct a fact-based, philosophical argument in our political system or is it going to be a nihilistic, hateful, asymmetrical in terms of facts and the truth part of the party, as in Joe McCarthy?"
More here
Viral FB post details a man's claim that he was fined $4k on first day of Obamacare marketplace. Pants on Fire http://t.co/ypihW0gaTJ
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) October 4, 2013
TPM: Harry Reid: GOP Obsession With Defunding Obamacare Is 'Insanity'
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said Saturday that Republicans' preoccupation with defunding Obamacare amounts to "insanity."
The Nevada Democrat explained in an interview with Esquire magazine why he recently said the Tea Party caucus is losing their minds.
"The reason I said that is that Einstein said the sign of insanity is when you do something over and over again and expect a different result," he said. "They've voted forty-four times to defund Obamacare. Is that insanity? I think so."
More here
Missed this video the other day:
ThinkProgress: Seven Big Companies Working To Help Americans Sign Up For Obamacare
Now that Obamacare's new insurance marketplaces are open to the public, some uninsured Americans are eager to sign up. However, many others likely remain confused about their options under health reform, particularly as Obamacare continues to get caught in the political crossfire. In order to bridge the education gap about the health law, advocates are ramping up their enrollment efforts in creative ways. For instance, you can now text ENROLL to Planned Parenthood to receive information about health reform.
But nonprofit and government groups can't do it all on their own. Here are seven large companies that are currently joining in on the effort and helping to spread the word about the new insurance options available under Obamacare:
See here
Washington Post Editorial: The House GOP has nothing to show for its government shutdown
What have House Republicans managed to accomplish in a week of government shutdown?
Damage the livelihood of millions of Americans? Check. Government secretaries, food-truck operators, cleaners who work in motels near national parks: They're all hurting.
Waste billions of taxpayer dollars? Check….
Interfere with key government operations? Check….
Rattle the markets, slow an economy in recovery, interrupt potentially lifesaving research at the National Institutes of Health? Check, check and check.
Derail the hated Obamacare? Ch . . . — oh, no, wait a minute…..
Full editorial here
Link to Lawrence O'Donnell last night on the GOP's attempts to 'shut down the Presidency': See here
Liberal Librarian: The party of fear and the politics of Armageddon
I was looking through my personal library this past weekend, lost in my thoughts as to how we've come to this present pass in American politics, and came across a book I haven't read in 20 years, but have clung to. The Party of Fear: The American Far Right from Nativism to the Militia Movement by David H. Bennett, was published in 1988 and revised in 1995. It makes for grim reading.
It's a sad truism of the United States that we as a people are ahistorical. We have no memory of what happened last week, much less in the last century. If we were to remember our history, we might be better prepared for when it invariably rears its head again, the passions and bigotries of the past roaring out of the dark id of the American psyche. We fight the same battles over, because the causes of those battles are never fully addressed.
More here
A claim that #Obama used the #shutdown to scuttle the Amber Alert system reveals an ignorance about Amber Alerts. http://t.co/Y0KDRHC0wy
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) October 7, 2013
ThinkProgress: The Complete Guide To The Rise Of The Debt Ceiling Truthers
With just days to go until the nation hits the debt ceiling on October 17th, a growing chorus of Republican lawmakers have begun dismissing the dangers of national default, insisting that the government can continue paying interest on its debt and fund the most critical programs.
Economists have dismissed this prioritization scheme as chaotic and unworkable, warning that the United States would be "unable to pay between 40 to 45 percent of the 80 million payments it makes every month." If the debt ceiling is not increased, the credit markets would freeze, the value of the dollar would plummet, interest rates would skyrocket, and a global recession would ensue.
But the so-called debt ceiling truthers, who swept into power after the 2010 midterm elections and, to the surprise of GOP leaders, took over the debt ceiling debate, continue to deny this reality. Below is a brief timeline showing how they rose to power and prominence within the Republican party…..
More here
Charles Pierce: Where Are The Gutsy Republicans?
You'll forgive me if, at the moment, I decline to believe that we will be saved from the Reign Of The Morons by unicorns, the Easter Bunny, or reasonable Republicans in either house of Congress who would gladly vote with the Democrats, if only evil castrato Speaker John Boehner would allow them to do it. You will also forgive me if, at the moment, I decline to believe in mermaids, the Pooka McPhillimey, or fed-up plutocrats who can find a sucker to primary Tea Party congresscritters from what passes for The Left in the Republican party these days.
… The Reign Of The Morons is many things, but one of its most obvious causes is a complete failure of political courage within the Republican party. It isn't simply a matter of the party's having created a monster that it can no longer control – although that's undeniable part of it – it also is the fact that the party lacks a substantial center of power that even is willing to risk trying. Say what you will about Victor Frankenstein. He chased his creation to the ends of the earth. Where are the Republicans who are willing to ride the ice floe?
Full post here
Boehner: We'll crash the economy if the president doesn't negotiate and by negotiate we mean give us what we want with nothing in return.
— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) October 8, 2013
Steve Benen: Shutdown takes its toll on congressional GOP
As the deadline neared for the nation's first-ever war-time government shutdown, the consensus was that congressional Republicans, already unpopular, would feel the brunt of the public backlash. So far, those expectations were correct.
A Washington Post/ABC News poll released yesterday found widespread dissatisfaction across the board, but Americans' attitudes towards Republicans are especially brutal.
While approval for President Obama and congressional Democrats ticked higher in the wake of the government shutdown, approval for congressional Republicans dropped to a woeful 24%. Just as important, GOP lawmakers, who shut down the government exactly one week ago, have seen their disapproval ratings soar to 70%. A majority of Americans, 51%, now say they "strongly" disapprove of the nation's far-right party.
More here
Bob Cesca: The GOP Debt Ceiling Strategy: Lies, Grabassery and Default Denialism
The Republican Party's geyser-like misinformation campaign regarding the government shutdown, accompanied by continued misinformation about the Affordable Care Act and the debt ceiling, has been almost too powerful to follow as it whizzes by.
The latest line, which appears to have convinced a majority of Republican voters, is that nothing will happen if the debt limit isn't raised, least of all a default. As I pointed out yesterday, this is complete nonsense. We've heard this before in the form of denying the climate crisis in the face of almost unanimous scientific consensus. In this case, dozens of experts are forecasting the worst possible consequences if the House GOP doesn't perform what was formerly a very customary task, devoid of melodrama or hostage-taking.
More here
On This Day:
Oct 8, 2009: VP Biden and Jacqueline's new best friend, Valerie Jarrett, leave the Economic Daily Briefing in the Oval Office (Pete Souza)
Oct 8, 2009: President Obama, along with members of Congress and Cabinet secretaries, jockeys for a rebound during a basketball game on the White House court (Pete Souza)
Oct 8, 2012: President Obama views a portrait of César Chávez before the César E. Chávez National Monument dedication ceremony in Keene, Calif. (Pete Souza)


text:
Latest Willacy County, Texas Stories
The Clean Beaches Coalition today released its annual list of beaches which have been officially certified as clean, healthy and environmentally well managed. This year beaches in twenty states and U.S.
By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN Padre Island National Seashore in Texas, the world's longest undeveloped barrier island, now looks as if people have been living - and dumping - on it for decades.
Hurricane Dolly made such a mess of the Rio Grande Valley of Texas that officials estimated Monday it will take at least another week to recover.
By Fernando Del Valle, Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, Texas Apr.
A 9 1/2-mile-wide bay separates rural Willacy County from what surely must be paradise: Padre Island's isolated beaches, a nature retreat for bird watchers and what's considered some of the best sport-fishing in the country.
- One who brings meat to the table; hence, in some countries, the official title of the grand master or steward of the king's or a nobleman's household.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Items where Author is "Ravenscroft, Neil"
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Chapter in book
Church, Andrew, Gilchrist, Paul and Ravenscroft, Neil (2014) Coast and the creative class: relocation and regeneration at the edge In: Gilchrist, Paul, Carter, T. and Burdsey, D., eds. Coastal cultures: liminality and leisure. Leisure Studies Association, Eastbourne, pp. 95-115. ISBN 9781905369454
Ravenscroft, Neil and Gilchrist, Paul (2010) Outdoor recreation and the environment In: Bramham, P. and Wagg, S., eds. The new politics of leisure and pleasure. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, UK, pp. 45-62. ISBN 9780230216839
Church, Andrew and Ravenscroft, Neil (2007) Power, resource, mobilization and leisure conflict on inland rivers in England In: Church, Andrew and Coles, Tim, eds. Tourism, power and space. Routledge, London, UK, pp. 171-196. ISBN 0415329523
Gilchrist, Paul and Ravenscroft, Neil (2006) Festivals of transgression: governance, discipline and reworking the carnivalesque In: Fleming, S. and Jordan, F., eds. Events and Festivals: Education, Impacts and Experiences. Leisure Studies Association, Eastbourne, pp. 147-166. ISBN 1905369042
Ravenscroft, Neil, Church, Andrew and Gilchrist, Paul (2005) The ontology of exclusion: a European perspective on leisure constraints research In: Jackson, Edgar L., ed. Constraints to Leisure. Venture Publishing, Inc., New York, US, pp. 363-377. ISBN 1892132540
Tomlinson, Alan and Ravenscroft, Neil (2003) Developing the cultural agenda: The socio-spatial dimensions of the regional cultural strategies in England In: Snape, R, Thwaites, E and Williams, C, eds. Access and inclusion in leisure and tourism. LSA (81). Leisure Studies Association, Eastbourne, pp. 3-21. ISBN 0906337925
Journal article
Church, Andrew, Mitchell, Richard, Ravenscroft, Neil and Stapleton, Lee (2015) 'Growing your own': a multi-level modelling approach to understanding personal food growing trends and motivations in Europe Ecological Economics, 110. pp. 71-80. ISSN 0921-8009
Church, Andrew, Gabb, Jacqui, Holmes, Claire, Moore, Niamh, Lee, Amelia and Ravenscroft, Neil (2014) Growing intimate privatepublics: everyday utopia in the naturecultures of a young lesbian and bisexual women's allotment Feminist Theory, 15 (3). pp. 327-343. ISSN 1464-7001
Stapleton, Lee, Hanna, Paul, Ravenscroft, Neil and Church, Andrew (2014) A flexible ecosystem services proto-typology based on public opinion Ecological Economics, 106. pp. 83-90. ISSN 0921-8009
Ravenscroft, Neil, Church, Andrew, Gilchrist, Paul and Heys, B. (2013) Property ownership, resource use, and the 'gift of nature' Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 31 (3). pp. 451-466. ISSN 0263-7758
Sanders, A., Heys, B., Ravenscroft, Neil and Burdsey, Daniel (2012) Making a difference: the power of football in the community Soccer and Society. ISSN 1466-0970
Gilchrist, Paul and Ravenscroft, Neil (2012) Space hijacking and the anarcho-politics of leisure Leisure Studies, 32 (1). pp. 49-68. ISSN 1466-4496
Church, Andrew and Ravenscroft, Neil (2011) The attitudes of recreational user representatives to pollution reduction and the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive Land Use Policy, 28 (1). pp. 167-174. ISSN 0264-8377
Madgwick, Della and Ravenscroft, Neil (2011) What's local? Access to fresh food for older people Local Economy, 26. pp. 122-133. ISSN 0269-0942
Ravenscroft, Neil and Gilchrist, Paul (2009) Spaces of transgression: governance, discipline and reworking the carnivalesque Leisure Studies, 28 (1). pp. 35-49. ISSN 1466-4496
Ravenscroft, Neil and Gilchrist, Paul (2009) The emergent working society of leisure Journal of Leisure Research, 41 (1). pp. 23-39. ISSN 0022-2216
Gilchrist, Paul and Ravenscroft, Neil (2008) Power to the paddlers? The internet, governance and discipline Leisure Studies, 27 (2). pp. 129-148. ISSN 1466-4496
Church, Andrew and Ravenscroft, Neil (2008) Landowner responses to financial incentive schemes for recreational access to woodlands in South East England Land Use Policy, 25 (1). pp. 1-16. ISSN 0264-8377
Church, Andrew, Gilchrist, Paul and Ravenscroft, Neil (2007) Negotiating recreational access under asymmetrical power relations: the case of inland waters in England Society and Natural Resources, 20 (3). pp. 213-227. ISSN 1521-0723
Ravenscroft, Neil and Gilchrist, Paul (2005) Delimiting leisure and culture: towards a new definition of leisure property Journal of Retail & Leisure Property, 4 (4). pp. 123-133. ISSN 1750-2098
Ravenscroft, Neil and Gilchrist, Paul (2005) Post-Fordist restructuring and vocational training in sport in the UK Managing Leisure, 10 (3). pp. 166-183. ISSN 1466-450X
Ravenscroft, Neil and Speller, Gerda (2005) Facilitating and evaluating public participation in urban parks management Local Environment, 10 (1). pp. 41-56. ISSN 1469-6711
Ravenscroft, Neil, Gilchrist, Paul, Church, Andrew, Hickey, R. and Hammond, B. (2004) Improving access for canoeing on inland waterways in England Countryside Recreation, 12 (2). pp. 15-18. ISSN 1464-1194
Ravenscroft, Neil (2004) Tales from the tracks: discourses of constraint in the use of mixed cycle and walking routes International review for the sociology of sport, 39 (1). pp. 27-44. ISSN 1461-7218
Ravenscroft, Neil and Matteucci, X. (2003) The festival as carnivalesque: social governance and control at Pamplona's San Fermin fiesta Tourism Culture & Communication, 4 (1). pp. 1-15. ISSN 1098-304X
Ravenscroft, Neil, Curry, Nigel and Markwell, Susan (2002) Outdoor recreation and participative democracy in England and Wales Journal of environmental planning and management, 45 (5). pp. 715-734. ISSN 1360-0559
Parker, G. and Ravenscroft, Neil (2001) Land, rights and the gift: the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and the negotiation of citizenship Sociologia Ruralis, 41 (4). pp. 381-398. ISSN 0038-0199
Curry, N. and Ravenscroft, Neil (2001) Countryside recreation provision in England: exploring a demand-led approach Land Use Policy, 18 (3). pp. 281-291.
Report (for external body)
Church, Andrew, Burgess, J. and Ravenscroft, Neil (2011) Cultural services [Report (for external body)]
Church, Andrew, Gilchrist, Paul, Heys, B., Palmer, C.A., Ravenscroft, Neil, Rogers, G., Sharp, G. and Watson, J. (2007) Tourism, Culture and Creativity: preparing Hastings for economic regeneration through education and workforce development in the creative and cultural sectors of the local economy [Report (for external body)]
Tomlinson, Alan, Ravenscroft, Neil, Wheaton, Belinda and Gilchrist, Paul (2005) Lifestyle Sports and National Sport Policy: An Agenda for Research [Report (for external body)]
Ravenscroft, Neil and Gilchrist, Paul (2004) Developing the learning agenda for the cultural industries in the south east of England [Report (for external body)]
Ravenscroft, Neil, Church, Andrew, Burnside, Niall, Gilchrist, Paul, Rogers, G., Hickey, R., Markwell, S., Scott, A., Reeves, J. and Hammond, B. (2004) Improving Access for Canoeing on Inland Waters: A Study of the Feasibility of Access Agreements [Report (for external body)]
Other form of assessable output
Ravenscroft, Neil, Church, Andrew, Taylor, B., Curry, N. and Young, J. (2009) Enjoying water: a strategy for water based recreation in the South West, 2009-2014 Environment Agency, Bristol, UK.
Church, Andrew, Gilchrist, Paul, Ravenscroft, Neil and Taylor, B. (2008) Water Framework Directive: valuation of recreational benefits of improvements in water quality - potential benefits and data requirements Collaborative Research Programme on River Basin Management Planning Economics, Project 4f, DEFRA, London, UK.
Ravenscroft, Neil, Church, Andrew, Taylor, B., Hughes, G., Young, J. and Curry, N. (2008) A strategic plan for water related recreation in Wales Environment Agency, Bristol, UK.
Ravenscroft, Neil, Church, Andrew and Rogers, G. (2005) Woodland owners' attitudes to public access provision in South-East England Forestry Commission, Edinburgh.
Church, Andrew, Ravenscroft, Neil, Curry, N., Burnside, Niall, Fish, P., Joyce, Christopher, Hill, D., Smith, T., Scott, P., Markwell, S., Mobbs, B. and Grover, S. (2001) Water-based sport and recreation: the facts DEFRA, London.


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Originally written on Reading Between The Seams | Last updated 11/18/14
According to reports, Russell Martin is on the verge of signing a 2-year, $17M deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, clearing the path for Texas Rangers free agent slugger Mike Napoli to sign with the Bronx Bombers (appropriate given his power). As if the Yankees need more pop, he's be yet another middle of the lineup threat to go deep in the hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium. Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports @BiertempfelTrib Very trusted source tells me: #Pirates have agreement in place w/Russell Martin. He'll be in Pittsburgh on Friday for physical. The Yankees have been flirting with Napoli as have the Boston Red Sox, so this might be a preemptive strike to assure that one of the best FA catcher bats don't go to the Yankees rival. This may hasten the aggressiveness on both sides, forcing the hand of someone to make Mike Napoli one of the highest paid catchers in the league. -Dave (@lhd_on_sports) The post Russell Martin to sign with Pirates, Napoli to Yankees? appeared first on Reading Between The Seams.
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WDAV at Eastern Music Festival 2009
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Awadagin Pratt gives a masterclass at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, NC.+ More details
There is 1 video in this album. Albums make it easy to organize a collection of videos. They can be used to display videos together, or sent to friends as a playlist. You can even arrange the order of videos in each album.
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