Are You Democrat And Not Satisfied With Pathological Liar Hillary?? THERE IS ANOTHER CHOICE

Bernie Sanders.  At this Moment, Mid-May 2015, the best choice for U.S. President.  I urge anyone reading this to watch the 7 minute video, and ponder someone outside of the fascist power structure:

James Rustad Portraying Ted Cruz Sings "The Koch Brothers Are My Sugar Daddies"

OK, this isn't the most polished performance you'll ever see, but it's above average, and the lyrics are way more intelligent  and insightful than your average pop song.  Nice job Mr. Rustad!!! :

The Best Speech President Obama Has Given In A Long Time

Christiane Amanpour Talking With the New Leader of Iran Hassan Rouhani

I've always had great respect for Christiane Amanpour.  Here she is interviewing the new leader of Iran, Hassan Rouhani. From ABC Network News.You may notice the time of this video is long AFTER the date of this blog post, the reason being that an old video imbeds had been taken down from Youtube, so I replaced it with one from a much more recent date, as the main idea of this post was to show my admiration of Christiane Amanpour's journalism skills.

Six PEOPLE killed, Arizona Congresswoman shot

No one wants to see an unarmed woman shot.  Anyway people need to calm down.  Especially the more animalistic Pee Partiers
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gabrielle-giffords-20110109,0,961233.story

Here's a good song to relax to.

Democrats Need to Replicate This Behavior On a Regular Basis (Video)

This is swiped from The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC.  This is why America will miss men like Alan Grayson.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Dan Rostenkowski On C-Span

If you like and enjoy politics, this video is a must see.  If you don't like politics, you can pass on this.  From C-Span 3 and The Robert Dole Institute of Politics.

Barry Switzer Supports Jeri Askins for Oklahoma Governor!!!! Go TEAM!!!!

Barry Switzer is one of the greatest coaches in the history of college football and also proved he is a Champion on the professional level winning the Super Bowl.  Coach Switzer is a sincere individual who knows leadership when he sees it, and a Champion when he sees one.  Coach Switzer Supports Jeri Askins for Oklahoma Governor.  If you live in Oklahoma and want to see Oklahoma improve in education, laws against domestic abuse of women, and laws which protect families from random crimes,  How about getting out and voting for Jeri Askins!!! When you're finished voting you will feel like a real American, participating in the process of Democracy to make it better.  But don't take my word for it,  Listen to Coach Switzer talk about Jeri Askins!!!!

Barry Switzer for Jeri Askins!!!

Hey!!! Barry Switzer is supporting Jeri Askins for Governor of Oklahoma.  Barry Switzer knows what leadership is, Barry Switzer knows what a Champion is.  Jerry Askins is a Champion and we need her as Governor of Oklahoma.  If you are an Oklahoma voter I strongly encourage you to get out and vote for Jerry Askins on November 2.  Jeri wants to make Oklahoma a place where women are safe from domestic abuse, children can get a good education, and families are safe from crime. Go Jeri!!!

Norman Finkelstein On Israel And The Goldstone Report

From Youtube. Roughly 9 minute video of Teacher and Writer Norman Finkelstein's thoughts on the complicated issue of Israel, Gaza, and the Goldstone Report.



Professor Finkelstein, "Once a teacher, always a teacher". They can't take that way from you. And I 
know you remember your first class of students.

To "Rocky" Obama and Congressional Dems: Pass The DAMN Bill

One of the goals of this site is to explain some complicated things in a way everyone can understand, yet not have any reader felt I insulted their intelligence.  Well this isn't too complicated.  Play the music "video" youtube link below and as you listen to the music read President Obama's words.  Mr. President we've been waiting for this.

Remarks of President Barack Obama 
Weekly Address
February 20, 2010

The other week, men and women across California opened up their mailboxes to find a letter from Anthem Blue Cross. The news inside was jaw-dropping. Anthem was alerting almost a million of its customers that it would be raising premiums by an average of 25 percent, with about a quarter of folks likely to see their rates go up by anywhere from 35 to 39 percent.

Now, after their announcement stirred public outcry, Anthem agreed to delay their rate hike until May 1st while the situation is reviewed by the state of California. But it’s not just Californians who are being hit by rate hikes. In Kansas, one insurance company raised premiums by 10 to 20 percent only after asking to raise them by 20 to 30 percent. Last year, Michigan Blue Cross Blue Shield raised rates by 22 percent after asking to raise them by up to 56 percent. And in Maine, Anthem is asking to raise rates for some folks by about 23 percent.

The bottom line is that the status quo is good for the insurance industry and bad for America. Over the past year, as families and small business owners have struggled to pay soaring health care costs, and as millions of Americans lost their coverage, the five largest insurers made record profits of over $12 billion.

And as bad as things are today, they’ll only get worse if we fail to act. We’ll see more and more Americans go without the coverage they need. We’ll see exploding premiums and out-of-pocket costs burn through more and more family budgets. We’ll see more and more small businesses scale back benefits, drop coverage, or close down because they can’t keep up with rising rates. And in time, we’ll see these skyrocketing health care costs become the single largest driver of our federal deficits.

That’s what the future is on track to look like. But it’s not what the future has to look like. The question, then, is whether we will do what it takes, all of us – Democrats and Republicans – to build a better future for ourselves, our children, and our country.

That’s why, next week, I am inviting members of both parties to take part in a bipartisan health care meeting, and I hope they come in a spirit of good faith. I don’t want to see this meeting turn into political theater, with each side simply reciting talking points and trying to score political points. Instead, I ask members of both parties to seek common ground in an effort to solve a problem that’s been with us for generations.

It’s in that spirit that I have sought out and supported Republican ideas on reform from the very beginning. Some Republicans want to allow Americans to purchase insurance from a company in another state to give people more choices and bring down costs. Some Republicans have also suggested giving small businesses the power to pool together and offer health care at lower prices, just as big companies and labor unions do. I think both of these are good ideas – so long as we pursue them in a way that protects benefits, protects patients, and protects the American people. I hope Democrats and Republicans can come together next week around these and other ideas.

To members of Congress, I would simply say this. We know the American people want us to reform our health insurance system. We know where the broad areas of agreement are. And we know where the sources of disagreement lie. After debating this issue exhaustively for a year, let’s move forward together. Next week is our chance to finally reform our health insurance system so it works for families and small businesses. It’s our chance to finally give Americans the peace of mind of knowing that they’ll be able to have affordable coverage when they need it most.

What’s being tested here is not just our ability to solve this one problem, but our ability to solve any problem. Right now, Americans are understandably despairing about whether partisanship and the undue influence of special interests in Washington will make it impossible for us to deal with the big challenges that face our country. They want to see us focus not on scoring points, but on solving problems; not on the next election but on the next generation. That is what we can do, and that is what we must do when we come together for this bipartisan health care meeting next week. Thank you, and have a great weekend.

Will Sarah Palin Ask That Rush Limbaugh Be Fired!?!?!?!

For those of you who don't know, Sarah Palin recently demanded that President Obama fire Rahm Emanuel for saying "F#*^ing retards" to describe some cannibals in the Democratic party.  Now Rush Limbaugh has also dared to "unforgivably" say the "R word".  Listen to Rush's show in the clip shown below.  Will Palin now demand that Rush Limbaugh be fired????  I basically stole this lock, stock, and barrel from Andrew Sullivan. So hat tip to Andrew Sullivan.  The Clip was taken from Media Matters.

James Kwak on Lawrence Lessig's Proposed Constitutional Amendment

Recently the 5 "conservative" members of the Supreme Court hurled a horrid and dangerous spear into the heart of Democracy, basically allowing corporations unlimited amounts of campaign contributions corporations could give to dirty the political process, with the idea that the corporation is some kind of "person" and if not allowed unlimited amounts of political campaign contributions we would be stepping on its First Amendment rights.  One wonders with Samuel Alito's personification of corporations if we should read Miranda rights to corporate logos now???  Anyway,  James Kwak of Baselinescenario blog fame, and law student at Yale weighs in on Lawrence Lessig's proposed solution to the court's extreme stupidity and blatant disregard of decades of prior decisions on the matter.

Addendum: I am not sure if Yale Law student extraordinaire James Kwak would agree with Senator Patrick Leahy's remarks in this video from C-SPAN, but my guess would be he leans in that direction.  Anyway this speech given on the Senate floor by Senator Leahy is worthy of note.  This video from C-SPAN may be a little slow to start, but it should work if you give it a few seconds.

What To Make of Senator Dodd's Retirement??? If Blumenthal Wins, It's Good News!!

Many followers of the political scene have made much ado about the recent announcement of Chris Dodd's retirement from the Senate.  Some think it may mean Dodd is a "lame duck" and it's bad news for those who are pro-regulation on banks.  But looking deeper that may not be the case.  His possible replacement Richard Blumenthal may be less benevolent to banks than Dodd was in his career.

So who is Richard Blumenthal??  I found much insight from this Christian Science Monitor article by Tracey Samuelson.  He currently holds the post of Attorney General for the state of Connecticut.  A job he has held for the last roughly 18 years.  He has fought for consumer rights, environmental responsibility, personal privacy, and labor rights.  He helped stop advertising of tobacco products aimed at children. He was a volunteer attorney for the NAACP legal defense fund.  In the late 1970's he prosecuted drug traffickers, organized crime, and polluters.  He was an aide to former U.S. Senator Daniel P. Moynihan.  He served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. And last but not least he has a wife and four children in Greenwich.  If I left something out it's 'cause I'm getting an inferiority complex writing this man's dossier.

In March 2009 his approval ratings were at 81% in an AP poll, and he has told people that he has had an eye on the U.S. Senate for years.

So who is his competition on the Republican side??  Linda McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment fame (Yes THAT McMahon) and Robert Simmons, who had been ahead of Dodd in the polls.

I think Mr. Blumenthal will vote quite well on the issue of bank regulation, so I hope he wins.  That is of course, unless wrestler Randy "Macho Man" Savage joins Ms. McMahon on the campaign trail, then I will waver a little (haha).

What Are Americans' Priorities??

Many times people will ask in newspapers, on the internet, in daily conversation with friends and colleagues the same question:  "How did we ever end up with this group of bums we have in Congress now??"  I want you to read this Atlantic story by Chris Good I link to below, and simultaneously as you're reading it, remember there are brave people in China and other countries suffering in prison or dying,  just so they can have the right to vote.  Story here.  Then ask yourself that question again, after you read that.

Political Commentary Link

I found some political commentary over at The Atlantic magazine website which is a good read.  It is written by Mickey Edwards, former U.S. Congressman of the state of Oklahoma, and once voted most outstanding teacher at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, he also taught at Princeton for 5 years, and now teaches at George Washington University.  He is one of Atlantic magazine's Correspondents and you can find his latest Atlantic magazine commentary here.

When You Represent No One, You Don't Represent Anyone

A new political poll done, asking Connecticut people about Lieberman.
Sing it with me now people: na na na na, na na na na hey hey hey goodbye.
From Talking Points Memo