Wednesday Open Thread

Posted by Barry Miles on November 11th, 2009

Hey Everybody–this is Barry sitting in for SouthernGirl2 whose computer is sick. Get Well Soon!

Since I played Goodie Mob yesterday, here’s a more “girly” cut…Today’s song is dedicated to SG2, Virgos, and all of our Texans (within a two-hour radius of Houston) from your hometown superstar…
Beyoncé – Check Up On It…just a lil’something to get us over the Wednesday Hump.

Beyonce-Check On It

From Wikipedia:

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981), often referred to mononymously as Beyoncé (pronounced /biˈjɒn.seɪ/), is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and model. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny’s Child. According to Sony, Knowles record sales, when combined with the group, have surpassed 100 million.^[2]

Categories: Encouragement, Entertainment, Music

Tags: Beyoncé, Check Up On It, Open Thread, Wednesday

Val

Obama's Pledge: America Will Fulfill Obligations to Veterans
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Va., Nov. 11, 2009 – America will fulfill its obligation to take care of and value those who have sacrificed for the country, President Barack Obama said here today.

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.asp...

Val

Pictures of the President at Fort Hood

awesome pics

http://www.defenselink.mil/

SouthernGirl2

Greats pictures, Val! I've already saved them to the computer. Thanks!

Shanti2

Official: Obama won't take any current war options
By BEN FELLER and ANNE GEARAN (AP) – 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama does not plan to accept any of the Afghanistan war options presented by his national security team, pushing instead for revisions to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government, a senior administration official said Wednesday.

Obama is still close to announcing his revamped war strategy — most likely shortly after he returns from a trip to Asia that ends on Nov. 19.

But the president raised questions at a war council meeting Wednesday that could alter the dynamic of both how many additional troops are sent to Afghanistan and what the timeline would be for their presence in the war zone, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss Obama's thinking.

The president is considering options that include adding 30,000 or more U.S. forces to take on the Taliban in key areas of Afghanistan, and to buy time for the Afghan government's small and ill-equipped fighting forces to take over. The other three options on the table are ranges of troop increases, from a relatively small addition of forces to the roughly 40,000 that the top U.S. general in Afghanistan prefers, according to military and other officials.

The key sticking points appear to be timelines and mounting questions about the credibility of the Afghan government.

Administration officials said Wednesday that Obama wants to make it clear that the U.S. commitment in Afghanistan is not open-ended. The war is now in its ninth year and is claiming U.S. lives at a record pace as military leaders say the Taliban has the upper hand in many parts of the country.

The options presented to Obama by his war council are now likely to be amended.

Military officials say one approach is a compromise battle plan that would add 30,000 or more U.S. forces atop a record 68,000 in the country now. They described it as "half and half," meaning half fighting and half training and holding ground so the Afghans can regroup.

The White House says Obama has not made a final choice, though military and other officials have said he appears near to approving a slightly smaller increase than war commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal wants at the outset.

Among the options for Obama would be ways to phase in additional troops, perhaps eventually equaling McChrystal's full request, based on security or other conditions in Afghanistan and in response to pending decisions on troops levels by some U.S. allies fighting in Afghanistan.

The White House has chafed under criticism from Republicans and some outside critics that Obama is dragging his feet to make a decision.

Obama's top military advisers have said they are comfortable with the pace of the process, and senior military officials have pointed out that the president still has time since no additional forces could begin flowing into Afghanistan until early next year.

Under the scenario featuring about 30,000 more troops, that number most likely would be assembled from three Army brigades and a Marine Corps contingent, plus a new headquarters operation that would be manned by another 7,000 or more troops, a senior military official said. There would be a heavy emphasis on the training of Afghan forces, and the reinforcements Obama sends could include thousands of U.S. military trainers.

Another official stressed that Obama is considering a range of possibilities for the military expansion, and that his eventual decision will cover changes in U.S. approach beyond the addition of troops. The stepped-up training and partnership operation with Afghan forces would be part of that effort, the official said, although expansion of a better-trained Afghan force long has been part of the U.S objective and the key to an eventual U.S. and allied exit from the country.

With the Taliban-led insurgency expanding in size and ability, U.S. military strategy already has shifted to focus on heading off the fighters and protecting Afghan civilians. The evolving U.S. policy, already remapped early in Obama's tenure, increasingly acknowledges that the insurgency can be blunted but not defeated outright by force.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday he expects Obama to announce his decision on sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan within days.

Brown told lawmakers in the House of Commons on Wednesday that he had recently spoken to Obama, "and I expect him to announce in a few days what his numbers for Afghanistan will be."

Asked about Brown's comment, the White House referred to press secretary Robert Gibbs' statement Tuesday that Obama's decision was still weeks away.

The head of the U.S. Central Command also said a decision is near.

Gen. David Petraeus spoke to CNN on Wednesday shortly before heading into the White House war council session, where troop numbers were under discussion.

"I think we are indeed nearing a decision on this very important topic," Petraeus said.

PBomb

Here is apparently when DADT was going to get tackled. Barney Frank stated that this is the way it was going to be all along.

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily...

Keep on boycotting the President though. Idiots.

Val

hey PBomb - didn't the President allude to that at his speech to the lgbt community a few weeks ago?

At least I think that is what he said . . . would have to go search for the speech to confirm but I'm pretty sure he did.

Did you read the comments on the Advocate's website? http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/11...
I just have to shake my head.

Sepia

Which makes the boycott all the more evident that it's not about gay rights, but about seeking attention.

Val

It's all about the attention.

Sepia

The War on Facts
By Joe Conason

Excerpt:

...For a preview of coming attractions, simply turn on the Fox News Channel or any right-wing radio talker, where the falsehoods of the 2010 midterm campaign are being field-tested today.

You can watch Dick Morris blather about the “death panels” that will terminate your mother and father while illegal immigrants are provided lavish care, and about how you will be put in jail for failing to purchase health insurance. You can hear Karl Rove complain that we will “beggar ourselves” by adding more than $1.4 trillion to the federal debt. You can listen to Frank Luntz claim that voters disdain reform because of “the cost to the deficit.”

These gentlemen have little expertise in health or economics, but much experience in distracting, misinforming and sometimes frightening the public. Aside from talking on television, that is their job. How little do they know—and how much do they simply fabricate?

READ MORE: http://www.observer.com/2009/politics/war-facts

Val

WSY - all the more reason for you to consider adding the widgets for the truth-o-meter and the obamameter to your site. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/widget/

Webb

Hey Val,

Thanks for the recommendation! The design committee is completing a site review to see about integrating all of our widgets into the design scheme.

Sepia

To the Bitter End With Paterson, Proudly
By Jimmy Vielkind

November 10, 2009 | 3:22 p.m

ALBANY—Next Thursday, Sally Minard will commit an act of political courage.

Ms. Minard, a strong presence on the Democratic donor circuit in New York and a supporter of Hillary Clinton and the DNC, will host a breakfast at her Upper East Side house in honor of David Paterson. It shouldn’t be courageous for a Democratic donor to fete the incumbent Democratic governor. But given Mr. Paterson’s current political standing—his job approval is less than 25 percent, and he faces a $3.2 billion midyear budget deficit—few are willing to stand by him. Those who do will likely be there until what some of them publicly acknowledge is likely to be a suboptimal end.

~snip~

D-Day for Mr. Paterson, the latest one, at least, is now recognized to be Jan. 15—the day the State Board of Elections findings for the last six month fund-raising period are due. Mr. Paterson’s tacit rival for the governorship, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, has four fund-raisers on staff and is raising money at a steady clip, sources familiar with his efforts say.

~snip~

Hence, on Nov. 9, when Mr. Paterson called a rare joint session of the Legislature to lecture lawmakers on just how pressing the state’s fiscal problems were, he was very palpably alone.

He arrived late for the address, and walked to the rostrum without shaking hands with Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson or Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch. (Mr. Cuomo declined an invitation to the speech, citing what an aide described as a “scheduling conflict” that was neither readily apparent nor elaborated upon.)

“Frankly, we are running out of money,” Mr. Paterson said. “At this moment, all of us assembled in this chamber stand as the last defense between our state gong into a downward economic spiral that threatens to engulf generations of future New Yorkers. We cannot, we must not risk the future of our children and our children’s children to borrow money we don’t have.”

The legislators sat stoically, and Mr. Paterson’s coterie of aides lingered out of sight behind the podium.

“I realize that I will not be able to do it alone,” Mr. Paterson continued. “I will endure the heat of the special interests. I have mortgaged my political career on this plan, but I will not mortgage the fate of the State of New York.”

Most legislators did not linger afterwards.

READ MORE: http://www.observer.com/2009/politics/bitter-en...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If Guiliani becomes governor of NY, Paterson's ego will be to blame.

Val

I was looking at the Pants on Fire truth-o-meter results and FELL out laughing.

You gotta read: Statements we say are Pants on Fire!
(I especially love the comments under the flaming pants on fire icon)
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/rulings...

Did you all know that the picture used to show the size of the Tea Party Protest on Sept 12 was a fake? Remember they were estimating crowd size of up to 2 million?
It turns out the photo is more than 10 years old, apparently taken during a 1997 Promise Keepers rally.

Apparently the photograph so widely posted showed the crowd sprawling all the way to the Washington Monument, which is bordered by 15th and and 17th Streets.

But the problem with the photograph: It doesn’t include the National Museum of the American Indian, a building located at the corner of Fourth Street and Independence Avenue that opened on Sept. 14, 2004. (Looking at the photograph, the building should be in the upper right hand corner of the National Mall, next to the Air and Space Museum.) That means the picture was taken before the museum opened exactly five years ago. So clearly the photo doesn’t show the “tea party” crowd from the Sept. 12 protest.

Also worth noting are the cranes in front of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. According to Randall Kremer, the museum’s director of public affairs, “The last time cranes were in front was in the 1990s when the IMAX theater was being built.”

It appears that the photo was actually taken in 1997 at a rally for Promise Keepers, a group for Christian men. According to the group’s Web site, nearly 1 million people attended the event. Photos of the Oct. 4, 1997, event that were posted on various Web sites in 2003, 2008 and earlier this year show either the same picture or a similar photo that has identical tents and what appear to be TV screens in the same locations.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/stateme...

Sepia

From Rush Limpballs: "President Obama . . . wants to mandate circumcision."

*faints*

From Joe Biden: "When one person sneezes, it goes all the way through the aircraft."

LMBAO!

SouthernGirl2

LMAO @ *faints*

Val

lololololol Sepia that was my favorite. raotflmao

whoooohoooo too funny!

Val

Hey All - will you consider embedding the Politifact Truthometer and the Obameter Promise Keeper widget on your site?

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/widget/

Val

Lindsey Graham Censured By SC County GOP For Working With Democrats On Climate Bill

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Republican leaders in a South Carolina county have censured their own U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham for working with Democrats on a climate bill and other legislation.

The Republican has often worked with Democrats in Congress, but Charleston County Chairwoman Lin Bennett says his work on climate legislation is the last straw.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/11/lindse...

SouthernGirl2

http://www.happynappyhead.com/2009/11/sex-in-el...

Sex In Elementary School Library!

Val

thanks for the post. I guess it is time for me to have that refresher conversation with my kids.

SouthernGirl2

Pray tell, what 8 or 9 year old know about sexual acts! Children live what they've learned. I believe that little girl is suffering from sexual abuse.

Val

or watching programs (Rated R etc) on tv. My nieces have children and I constantly get on them to not allow the kids to watch the same programming they watch.

Also, maybe the girl had older siblings and saw things she shouldn't have. . . .

We need to take better care of our kids and protect them more. Especially when they are so young.

SouthernGirl2

"or watching programs (Rated R etc) on tv".

You do have a point there, Val.

SouthernGirl2

Breaking News:

The husband of Former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor died!

Much sympathy!

Sepia

My sympathy and prayers go out to Justice O'Connor and her family.

Miranda

Poll: Southerners want federal help, fear for jobs

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- A new poll shows Southerners are fretting about job loss and the economy and don't think the federal government is doing enough to address either.

The Winthrop Poll of 866 respondents in 11 Southern states found the economy was the top concern of four in 10 - the same share of people who said they were concerned about losing their jobs.

Overall, the economy was the biggest worry for 39 percent of the Southerners, followed by health care and unemployment at 12 percent each. Meanwhile, 38 percent said they were somewhat concerned or very concerned about possibly losing their jobs during the next year.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/stor...

hmmmm......buh-but....I thought the red states of which most southern states are, did NOT want big gubment intervention??
so confusing.

SDG

They don't want it when it benefits others. However, when it benefits them its effective/good gov't. Didntcha know?

Miranda

hmmmmmmm......now what have we here??

Is Rupert Murdoch "Lovin' It?" McDonald's Corp. Responds to Rumors of a Corporate Policy to Exclusively Air FOX News
Excerpt:
Rumors began circulating around several news Web sites and blogs yesterday that McDonald's has a policy to exclusively play FOX News on its in-restaurant televisions. Apparently, someone who called in to a program on C-SPAN said he had gone to a McDonald's in Missouri and asked them to change the channel from FOX to something else. Workers there refused, saying they weren't allowed to change the channel due to corporate policy. The caller said he then spoke with a regional director. An e-mail written by a C-SPAN watcher who goes by "Libby" said that the caller said that the regional director told him the policy was due to "bad things on other channels."

http://blog.buzzflash.com/analysis/346

Val

ACES Museum Honoring Black and Minority Veterans of WWII

Wall of Rememberance
http://acesmuseum.org/main.html?src=%2Findex2.html

Val

Happy Veterans Day - I appreciate you

A step back into history -
Over 2.5 million African-American men registered for the draft, and black women also volunteered in large numbers. While serving in the Army, Army Air Forces, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, they experienced discrimination and segregation but met the challenge and persevered. They served their country with distinction, made valuable contributions to the war effort, and earned high praises and commendations for their struggles and sacrifices.

http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/aframe...

Sepia

Mornin' Errbody!

MsKitty

Mornin' Fam

SouthernGirl2

Morning Sepia!

I'm here but I am so tired. I went to bed around 5:30. Geez..

carolinagirl

Hey SG2!!! Glad to see you back. Hope your computer doesn't get sick again.

SouthernGirl2

Hey CG,

I mistakenly downloaded a fake antivirus. I won't make that mistake again. It wouldn't uninstall with just deleting it. It was one of those new mean ones.

PBomb

Glad you are back and running!

SouthernGirl2

Thanks PBomb!

Val

good morning Sepia :-)

Val

Top Republican says White House hiding info on Ft. Hood
By Eric Zimmermann - 11/11/09 10:13 AM ET
The ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee accused the White House last night of withholding information on the Fort Hood attack.

Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) said administration officials delayed briefing members of Congress about the alleged gunman, raising "red flags" about what the White House was hiding.

"When they withhold information, you always start asking questions," Hoekstra told Fox News. "That's what raises red flags. What do they know that they don't want us to know?"
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/new...

MsKitty

Trying to score political points while the victims are barely in the ground. You stay classy, Pete.

Miranda

Man please....go to hell with that hysteria bull.

SouthernGirl2

I appreciate everything, Barry!

Thank You!

Barry Miles

I really, really appreciate YOU SG2! W.E.E. missed U. So glad you're Up and RUNNin'! Let's KEEP on Runnin!

SouthernGirl2

Aw

That's mighty sweet of you, Barry! Thank You!

Will do!

Sepia

Welcome back!

SouthernGirl2

Thanks everyone. I had a nightmare of a situation. By mistake I downloaded a fake antivirus to my computer and it was a mean one too. Just evil.

I had one computer repair to quote me a price of $ 185 just to drive to my house and then by the hour after that. I said...No way!

So guys, it took me to 4:30 this morning and I did it myself! I had to rack my brain and figure it out b/c it was so slick and mean but I did it.

Girl Power!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Pu0Fn1oRN4

Webb

Gone with your Bad-Self!

Shanti2

Girl Power, indeed. Way to GO! When I grow up I wanna be like you, SG2. LOL!!! :-))

SouthernGirl2

lol

You're too cute!

MsKitty

Yay for you gettin' it done and showing that virus who's boss.

SouthernGirl2

Thanks MsKitty and Miranda!

Miranda

Good for you!

Val

good to see you back online.

Val

Republicans concerned with ascent of young Florida candidate

A brash, young political newcomer is causing a fuss in GOP circles in the race against Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.).

And what else would you expect in a district that has produced the most colorful member of Congress?

Armando Gutierrez has made a name for himself as a 28-year-old with a supremely ambitious campaign that features an aggressive endorsement-seeking effort.

The businessman has used his family ties and connections to garner an impressive list of endorsements from elected and party officials, including Reps. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.), Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) and Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.). And, so far, he is the only major candidate to challenge the top-targeted Grayson.

But GOP operatives in Washington and the district say he is running a destructive primary campaign, and national and local leaders are doing just about anything they can to avoid having him as their nominee.

“He’s offending a lot of people,” said attorney Will McBride, who opted out of the race last week. “He’s rubbing people the wrong way. He needs to be a little more professional in his approach to reaching out to local leaders in our party.”

Numerous others confirmed the widespread bristling at Gutierrez’s early maneuvers.

“He’s pissing people off a lot,” said a leading local GOP operative. “He’s very pushy and is an unknown commodity, and people are jealously guarding their prerogatives.”

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/67279-gop-...

Shanti2

Pray tell exactly what prefjoratives are the people guarding?

Val

you know the prerogatives Shanti2. Like the 19 prerogatives disposed on the lawn of womens homes.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story... <snark>

SouthernGirl2

Nasty, Nasty, Nasty! Eww!

Val

lol

Shanti2

Lawdy! I'm speechless... SMGDFH

Sepia

TRANSLATION: "That Spic won't stay in his place!"

Val

did you get that? That is how I interpreted it.

Sepia

Looking at the article, these complainers didn't give specifics on how Guitterez is running a destructive campaign. The only examples they site are things ALL candidates do: seek endorsements, raise money and reach out to voters.

Miranda

I was just about to make the same comment. Exactly what is it that he did to get the "pushy" description? Sounds like the usual haterade from the GOP for anyone that doesn't fit their "real Amurikkkan" profile.

Shanti2

Amurikklan= white, male, and PRETEND Christians.

laRapierWit

Ominous clouds forming amongst the rightwingbatcrazy GOP:

"Last Thursday there was a rally outside the U.S. Capitol to protest pending health care legislation, featuring the kinds of things we’ve grown accustomed to, including large signs showing piles of bodies at Dachau with the caption “National Socialist Healthcare.” It was grotesque — and it was also ominous. For what we may be seeing is America starting to be Californiafied.

The key thing to understand about that rally is that it wasn’t a fringe event. It was sponsored by the House Republican leadership — in fact, it was officially billed as a G.O.P. press conference. Senior lawmakers were in attendance, and apparently had no problem with the tone of the proceedings.

True, Eric Cantor, the second-ranking House Republican, offered some mild criticism after the fact. But the operative word is “mild.” The signs were “inappropriate,” said his spokesman, and the use of Hitler comparisons by such people as Rush Limbaugh, said Mr. Cantor, “conjures up images that frankly are not, I think, very helpful.”

What all this shows is that the G.O.P. has been taken over by the people it used to exploit...snip

But while the paranoid style isn’t new, its role within the G.O.P. is.
snip

Until recently, however, that catering mostly took the form of empty symbolism. Once elections were won, the issues that fired up the base almost always took a back seat to the economic concerns of the elite. Thus in 2004 George W. Bush ran on antiterrorism and “values,” only to announce, as soon as the election was behind him, that his first priority was changing Social Security.

But something snapped last year. Conservatives had long believed that history was on their side, so the G.O.P. establishment could, in effect, urge hard-right activists to wait just a little longer: once the party consolidated its hold on power, they’d get what they wanted. After the Democratic sweep, however, extremists could no longer be fobbed off with promises of future glory."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/opinion/09kru...

laRapierWit

LMAO!!! @

"the Obama Campaign was the source of the John Edwards $400 haircut scoop. "

who would've thunk

That's MY President...playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers, lol

SouthernGirl2

I heard about the John Edward's $400 haircut on MSNBC this morning. Ha!

Shanti2

Not to mention the thousands of dollars for the love child he has with Rielle Hunter.

Sepia

Word? Where did you read this?

ETA: Nevermind. I found it. Ben Stein writes:

I was always interested in candidate Obama's relationship with the dark(er) political arts and asked him at his first campaign press conference why he'd hired opposition researchers; he responded that they were to check out the candidate himself and to examine high-minded policy questions.

That was not, exactly, the whole truth. Indeed, Obama's campaign had a particularly capable opposition research shop, a source of tips to many reporters, not all of them on policy. And Plouffe, in passing, outs the campaign as the source of a brief item I did in April 2007 off an Edwards campaign expenditure — probably driving as much traffic, chatter and grief as anything that short I've ever written.

"We did much less of this [opposition research] than other campaigns did," Plouffe writes a bit self-servingly, "but there were times we indulged — it was our researchers who found John Edwards's infamous $400 hair cut expenditures."

laRapierWit

he biggest players in the health care reform debate often blur together into a swirl of acronyms and policy jargon. But they're also key to understanding how health care reform has been shaped, and how it's come as far as it has.

At this point in the health care debate, pro-reform groups have spent more money on health care ads than have well-heeled health care opponents. That's a testament to just how important the issue is to the liberal base, but it's also the precise effect President Obama was seeking when he partnered with the health care industry's most powerful stakeholders.

What sets the following six players apart is how they've defied the usual expectations and taken positions that don't easily fit into the usual left vs. right or corporate vs. consumer paradigm.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/11/the-...

laRapierWit

A new CNN poll finds that only 40% of Americans favor the war in Afghanistan, with 58% opposing it. American also do not support sending more troops to Afghanistan, by a 42%-56% margin. The public is split on President Obama's decision-making process with 49% saying he is taking too long, and 50% who disagree.

While the public is divided right down the middle over whether Obama is taking too long to make the decision on troops, the poll suggests that there is widespread agreement that Afghanistan will never have a stable democratic government.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/11/11...

Val

Well everyone is entitled to their opinion but guess what . . . we all have to sit down and wait until our President is good and ready to make a decision. and that is what is eating them up inside.

PO isn't working on anyone's schedule except his own because he isn't sending anyone's children into harms way all willy nilly. He needs to think this through, ask the questions, revisit the scenario as many times as is prudent, make the decision and then own it.

Shanti2

PBO operates with all DELIBERATE speed. Got that, BITHCES!!!

Val

Fiscally Responsible Health Reform Redux
Posted by OMB Director Peter Orszag on November 10, 2009 at 02:00 PM EST
Every two weeks or so, there seems to be a story ringing the alarm bells over the fiscal dimension of health reform.

As I've said time and again, the President is committed to signing a health reform bill that is deficit neutral in the first decade – and deficit reducing thereafter. The legislation under consideration in the Senate and the bill passed Saturday by the House both meet these tests.

But health reform effort must go beyond simply being deficit neutral over the first decade and deficit reducing thereafter; it must also begin the process of transforming the health care system so that it delivers better care, not just more care. Building the health care system of the future requires information technology; cutting-edge research into what works and what doesn’t; incentives for doctors and hospitals to focus on the quality of care; prevention and wellness; and a process that allows policy to adapt flexibly to changes in the health care marketplace over time.

The House and Senate versions of reform share a variety of measures that will help create this health care system of the future, which will help to contain health care cost growth while also providing Americans with higher quality care. In addition to historic investments in health information technology, research into what works and what doesn't, and prevention and wellness investments that were included in the Recovery Act, some of the key provisions under consideration in the health reform bills include:

Changing the way we pay hospitals, to discourage mistakes and unnecessary readmissions.
Creating incentives in the payment system to reward quality of care rather than just the quantity of procedures.
Giving physicians incentives to collaborate in the coordination of patient care.
Investing in research into what works and what doesn’t in health care.
Reducing hospital-acquired infections and other avoidable health-center acquired conditions through rigorous reporting and transparency.
Imposing a fee on insurance companies offering high-premium plans — which would create a strong incentive for more efficient plans that would help reduce the growth of premiums.
Establishing a Medicare commission — which would develop and submit proposals to Congress aimed at extending the solvency of Medicare, slowing Medicare cost growth, and improving the quality of care delivered to Medicare beneficiaries.
As we approach the final stages of this health reform process, we have on the table a robust set of options that represent some of the most auspicious reforms we can take to transform our health care system and rein in health care cost growth. But don’t take my word for it. A bipartisan group of experts recently wrote that health reform legislation under discussion "offers many promising ideas to improve the overall performance of the U.S. health care system. In addition to steps that would reduce the number of Americans without insurance coverage, the plan includes ways to slow long-term spending growth while building the high-value health care system our nation urgently needs." Or read what a group of some of the most prominent health care and budget experts wrote in an open letter (pdf) released last week.

As we go through the rest of the process, the Administration will remain focused on ensuring that reform is fiscally responsible and helps to build the health care system of the future.

Peter Orszag Is Director of the Office of Management and Budget

laRapierWit

There are those in the blogosphere who GET it...like John Cole....who writes:

"no matter how bad all their ideas are, no matter how disastrous their governance has been, no matter how many horrible things they have done to the economy and this country, what really is killing the Republican party is that deep down, they are just complete assholes."

http://www.balloon-juice.com/?p=29573

Any additional thoughts?

Shanti2

" what really is killing the Republican party is that deep down, they are just complete assholes."

Any additional thoughts?

Ummm... NO!

PBomb

Good Morning Wee Family.

Interesting news about Obama's Poll Numbers. Majority of Americans still approve of him. This is from the AP of all places. I know we like to give them the side eye, but they just couldn't really twist the information very much.

AP-GfK Poll: A grouchy public sticking with Obama
By LIZ SIDOTI, AP National Political Writer Liz Sidoti, Ap National Political Writer
1 hr 11 mins ago

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama still has the approval of a majority of Americans, but it's an increasingly pessimistic nation.

The public grew slightly more dispirited on a range of matters over the past month, including war and the economy, continuing the slippage that has occurred since Obama took office, the latest Associated Press-GfK poll shows.

This comes at a time when he is trying to revive the struggling economy, considering sending more troops to the 8-year-old Afghanistan war, muscling a health care reform overhaul through Congress and hoping to push through other ambitious measures like legislation focused on climate change.

People were gloomier about the direction of the country than in October. They disapproved of Obama's handling of the economy a bit more than before. And, perhaps most striking for the commander in chief, more people have lost confidence in Obama on Iraq and Afghanistan over the last month. Overall, there's a malaise about the state of the nation.

"It's in pretty bad shape," said truck driver Floyd Hacker of Granby, Mo., a Democrat who voted for Obama. "He sounded like somebody who could make things happen. I still think he can."

Still, Hacker said, he questions the president's approach to the economy, what the U.S. is trying to accomplish in Afghanistan and Obama's focus on health care, adding, "He can't handle everything at one time."

Public attitudes like that are troubling for a president trying to accomplish an ambitious agenda at home while fighting wars abroad, as well as for a Democratic Party heading into a critical election year. It will have to stave off losses that a new president typically experiences in his first midterm elections. A third of the Senate, all of the House and most governors' offices will be on the ballot.

The findings underscore just how quickly the political environment can change, a lesson for out-of-power Republicans who are buzzing with energy after booting Democrats from rule in Virginia and New Jersey governors' races last week.

It was just over a year ago that Obama won the White House in an electoral landslide and Democrats padded their congressional majorities. The country was riding high with optimism by just about all measures when Obama took office in January.

Hope and change were in vogue back then. But change didn't happen overnight, as the rhetoric of campaigning crashed headlong into the realities of governing. And hope slipped in a country that always has clung to it.

Now, Obama's approval rating stands at 54 percent, roughly the same as in October but very different from the enthusiastic 74 percent in January just before he took office. And some 56 percent of people say the country is heading in the wrong direction, an uptick from 51 percent last month and 49 percent in Obama's first month as president.

The economy is by far the most important issue on Americans' minds. Unemployment hit 10.2 percent last month even though the administration has promoted glimmers of improvement and many economists say the recession is over.

Those jobless figures help explain why as many people said the economy got worse in the past month as said it got better — and it's not many people who thought it got better, just 22 percent. Most say the economy stayed the same, and just 46 percent approve of how Obama is handling the economy, compared with 50 percent last month.

"He did good on getting Wall Street up and running. But I'm not going," said independent Jay Huffaker, 33, of Knoxville, Tenn., a construction worker who has been unemployed for a year and a half. The country is in terrible shape, he said, adding, "It seems like it's getting worse and worse and worse and worse."

The nation also has grown more lukewarm on Obama and the wars as he tries to wind down the one in Iraq and considers ramping up the one in Afghanistan.

Compared with October, 45 percent of people now disapprove of Obama's handling of Iraq, up from 37 percent; while 48 percent now disapprove of his handling of Afghanistan, up from 41 percent. A majority of Americans oppose both wars. And more than half — 54 percent — now oppose sending more troops to Afghanistan, an increase from 50 percent last month.

"We either need to do something to win the wars, or just come home," said Republican Heather Johannessen, a stay-at-home mom in the suburbs of Minnesota's Twin Cities, who thinks the U.S. is in a holding pattern in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

On health care, about half of the country approves of how Obama is doing on his signature domestic issue — virtually unchanged from October. In a major victory for Obama, the House passed a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. medical system over the weekend. But the fate of the measure is uncertain in the Senate, where moderate Democrats who are necessary for passage are balking at the cost and various provisions.

Only a third of the country approves of how Congress is doing.

The AP-GfK Poll was conducted Nov. 5-9 by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Media. It involved landline and cell phone interviews with 1,006 adults nationwide and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091111/ap_on_go_pr...

Val

And there in lies the problem for the MSM. No matter how they try to manufacture drama and influence citizens to hate the administration or minimize the President's accomplishments. . . no matter how some bloggers try to divide citizens into subgroups because they want their issue handled first, no matter how committed progressives and some liberals are to shoot themselves in the foot by tearing down their own party and preventing any substantial change from happening just to prove they were right and the sky was in fact falling . . .

They still approve of PO.

Once the President comes to the people and talks to them about his decision in Afghanistan his poll numbers will go up again at least for a few days to week or so until his fair weather supporters begin once again to undermine and rip apart strategy as if they are privvy to everything that is happening in the discussions.
Not sure why but it seems like most of America needs the President to stop every once in a while and give them a pat on the head . . .otherwise they feel left out.

SDG

That's because we are a nation of children who whine, cry and throw tantrums when our needs aren't met immediately. We are so 5 minutes ago, it's ridiculous.

Shanti2

You got it, SDG. Our "microwave" society's brains have been nuked!

Shanti2

Good Morning WSY Family, happy hump day!

Here's a Shout out to SG, as she operates on her computer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Pu0Fn1oRN4

Git-her done, SG2, Git-her done!

SouthernGirl2

Morning Shanti, & Wee Team Family!

Thanks guys for the love. I needed it!

Shanti2

Alright now! SG2's back in the house..... Yeah! Welcome back!

Love is a mighty force, baby. Let's rock!

SouthernGirl2

Love is an action word & a mighty force indeed!

laRapierWit

Good Morning Shanti...and WEE Family!!
I have tried to fill in a little for SG (can't nobody fill her shoes)..with her computer being down and all..hope the posts help.

Webb

You.Did.That - Great Looking-Out LRW!

SouthernGirl2

You're such a doll, Ms LaRapierWit! Thank you for the love!

Val

In just ten short months, President Obama has:

Requested $15 billion in increased funding for the Veterans Administration over 30 years -- the largest increase in history

Signed into law the "VA Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act" which will provide the VA with advance funding-the #1 legislative priority of almost every Veterans Service Organization

Provided $1.4 billion in additional funding to the VA under the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act" that is going directly to improving VA hospitals and clinics around the nation

Expanded VA-healthcare enrollment opportunities for more than 250,000 previously excluded Veterans, and continue to raise this number towards a goal of 500,000.

Launched a major Veterans Employment Initiative that is designed to make the federal government into the model employer of America's veterans.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/r...

SDG

He's working hard. Probably the hardest workin' man in America right now. Just because we can't see it, doesn't mean it ain't happenin'.

SouthernGirl2

Keep dropping the knowledge, SDG!

Shanti2

Way to GO, PBO! He's the hardest working man in D.C.

laRapierWit

Everyone wants a piece of Obama on NOT controlling costs with the HCR bill:

"As health care legislation moves toward a crucial airing in the Senate, the White House is facing a growing revolt from some Democrats and analysts who say the bills Congress is considering do not fulfill President Obama’s promise to slow the runaway rise in health care spending.
Mr. Obama has made cost containment a centerpiece of his health reform agenda, and in May he stood up at the White House with industry groups who pledged voluntary efforts to trim the growth of health care spending by 1.5 percent, or $2 trillion, over the next decade.

But health economists say it is impossible to know whether the bills, including one passed by the House on Saturday night, would meet that goal, and many are skeptical that they even come close."

Notice the pattern? It is his own damn party!! The Democrats in congress too friggin weak to stand up against the insurers that bought their votes, so what do they do instead BLAME Obama...as IF he wrote the legislation they are proposing.

Weak spineless DEms, get on my LAST nerve!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/health/policy...

Peter Orszag responds:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/11/10/fisca...

Val

Friend --

Today, on Veteran's Day, my message to you is simple: Thank you. Thank you for your selfless service, for your valor, and your strength of purpose that make all of us proud to be Americans.

Today, Americans will pause amidst a great conversation about the future of our nation to take a moment and recognize your service to our democracy -- a service that guarantees us all the liberty to engage freely in that conversation, no matter what our views may be.

We know that we owe you a debt which cannot be repaid. But we can and will fulfill our nation's promise to stand by you and your loved ones. That is why we've worked hard for better care for our veterans, and why we provided the largest increase in Veterans Administration funding in history.

Today, we honor those Americans past and present who've served on battlefields from Lexington to Antietam, Normandy to Manila, Inchon to Khe Sanh, Ramadi to Kandahar. You have defended our freedom on land, and at sea, and in the air.

You reflect the diversity that makes this America. You share a patriotism beyond question. And you share the same unflinching courage, selfless compassion, and uncommon camaraderie that -- when faced with the tragedy of a despicable and heartbreaking attack last Thursday -- the soldiers and civilians of Ft. Hood humbly revealed to the world.

You and your loved ones are the patriotic men and women we honor today, Veterans Day. And you are the men and women we shall honor every day, in times of war and times of peace, so long as our nation endures.

Thank you.

President Barack Obama

Val

US and Israeli leaders hold talks
President Barack Obama has met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House as the US struggles to revive the Middle East peace process.

The talks in Washington came amid heightened tension over Mr Netanyahu's refusal to freeze settlement building in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

The BBC's Kim Ghattas in Washington says the meeting was unusual.

There were no photos, no press calls, and none of the public warmth Israeli leaders usually get from US presidents.

It was only Mr Netanayahu's second visit to the White House since President Obama took office nine months ago.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8350724.stm

laRapierWit

Morning Joe up to their old tricks, misconstruing Obama's message on HCR. They had on guy from FT who claimed Obama did not focus on cost controls. Now most of us know otherwise here at WEESEEYOU...but this will be the meme that they run with today on HCR...as it piggybacks on what Warner said yesterday, so here's what was said, along with a rebuttal:

"Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) told the far-right Washington Times, "I wish the president would have started the debate by explaining to the American people that our current health care system is not financially sustainable, for even another decade. Driving down health care costs should have been the focus of the debate."

Rebut:

The FIRST argument that the White House turned to about health care was about the cost of doing nothing. (It was Tom Daschle's formulation, actually, that Obama adopted during the campaign and the transition and the early part of this year.)

From December 22: ""Some may ask how at this moment of economic challenge we can afford to invest in reforming our health-care system. And I ask a different question. I ask how can we afford not to."

PROGRESSIVE ACTIVISTS DIDn't LIKE the OBSESSIVE focus ON COST. And they believed that POTUS hemmed himself in by imposing a seemingly arbitrary $900 billion cap on costs over ten years.

The argument THEY wanted him to make--the liberal argument, if you will -- is a moral argument. People are getting sick and dying because they can't afford health care in a country of plenty. But Obama subordinated that argument to focus on cost.

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/11/really_...

See how Obama's 'progressive' base is all up in the mix EFFing shyt up as usual?

Contolling costs was a fundamental focus POTUS made from the beginning.

In his first weekly address devoted exclusively to talking about health care, President Obama referenced the word "cost" 10 times, including the unambiguous line: "[T]he soaring costs of health care make our current course unsustainable." A week later, he delivered another weekly address, focused on nothing but health care costs: "The President has long noted that skyrocketing health care costs will be disastrous in terms of our long term national debt unless we pass real reform."

Val

News from the UK
Freed child rapist, 16, detained

A teenager who kidnapped and raped a five-year-old boy, eight days after avoiding custody for another rape, has been detained for at least three years.

The 16-year-old pleaded guilty to charges including rape and child abduction against the boy.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manc...

Val

Chris Dodd on bank regs: ‘Not time for timidity’

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd unveiled a sweeping financial reform bill totaling 1,136 pages, the culmination of nearly a year of labor by the White House, Dodd and members of his committee.

Now comes the hard part.

Dodd not only wants to sell Republicans on the overhaul, but he also has to address the concerns of the moderate Democrats, many of whom aren’t wild about creation of a consumer watchdog for shoddy financial products. And he may have to win over a skeptical White House, too, if the administration balks at stripping the Federal Reserve of as much power as Dodd’s bill proposes.

And then there’s the opposition from the financial industry, particularly the community bankers who’ve shown their lobbying prowess on the House side by winning several major concessions in financial reform legislation there.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29367...

laRapierWit

Details on what WJC said to the Senate Democratic Caucus at lunch yesterday:

"Former President Bill Clinton on Tuesday used his hourlong lunch with Senate Democrats to push for a healthcare bill this year instead of punting the issue to 2010.

Democrats say Clinton explained his missteps during the 1993 debate, avoided specifics such as urging a public option plan and zeroed in on the need for quick action.

"He focused on the importance of this year," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). "There is a sense that the clock is ticking."

Another Democrat who spoke on condition of anonymity said Clinton stressed quick action and that "the perfect is the enemy of the good.

snip

One key difference Clinton told Democrats between 1993 and 2009, senators said: Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus wants a bill, while former Chairman Daniel Patrick Moynihan did not.

At the time, Moynihan expressed concern with Clinton's proposal because of its cost, and he strongly objected to the former president's plan to fix employers' healthcare contributions to the size of their balance sheets and payrolls. All told, Moynihan argued in 1994, Democrats' proposal would have adversely impacted businesses and workers, much less the federal government and the national economy.

Clinton related that story -- and a series of lessons he also shared with Democrats"

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/new...

Val

High School 'Miss Irresistible' Accused of Killing Friends
Christine Paolilla Charmed Her Classmates. Then Came Murder Charges.

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/miss-irresistible-hi...

laRapierWit

GOP ready to blast Obama if he sends less than 40K troops.

"Republican Senate leaders blasted reports from both CBS News and The Associated Press that Obama is leaning toward recommending slightly fewer than the 40,000 troops said to be requested by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan.
snip
If you have a military strategy, it seems to me you need a military force compatible with attaining that strategy,” said GOP Policy Chairman and Armed Services Committee member John Thune (S.D.). “If you have military commanders in the field and you undercut what they need, you have the possibility to put success at risk.”

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/67285-wh-den...

laRapierWit

Obama security team divided over how many troops to send to Afghan.

"Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton are coalescing around a proposal to send 30,000 or more additional American troops to Afghanistan, but President Obama remains unsatisfied with answers he has gotten about how vigorously the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan would help execute a new strategy, administration officials said Tuesday. "

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/world/asia/11...

laRapierWit

"Health reform, as currently envisioned, wouldn’t merely bring coverage to the uninsured. It would also fill in the “donut hole” in Medicare Part D--the gap in coverage that leaves beneficiaries with serious health problems paying for hundred if not thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket prescription costs.

In addition, because it will take several years to close the donut hole, reform relies on voluntary discounts from the pharmaceutical industry to make drugs more affordable in the intervening years. But those discounts would apply only to name-brand drugs, not generics.

Put it all together, and you have more demand for name-brand drugs. As a result, IMS believes, pharmaceutical companies would be able to raise their prices--enough to boost revenue significantly: "If this bill is implemented," the report concludes on page 138, "an increase in prices on new drugs can be expected."

Exactly what this would mean in actual dollar terms isn't clear. But from some back-of-the-envelope calculations, it appears that IMS thinks revenues for the makers of name-brand drugs could grow by hundreds of billions of dollars over the next ten years. (To be clear, this is a very rough guess, based on extrapolations from the report's tables--and I have not run it by experts.)

That brings us back to the deal that the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America, which represents those companies, made with the White House and Senate Finance Committee.

The deal--details of which came to light in reports by the New York Times --was pretty straightforward. The industry agreed to embrace health care reform and, later on, launched a massive advertising campaign to promote the cause. In exchange, the White House and Senate Finance--which had been asking various industries to pledge concessions that would help pay for the cost of coverage expansions--promised not to seek more than $80 in reduced payments to drug makers."

http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-treatment/new-evide...

Val

Popular Teen Shot in Face by First Love
High School Romance Goes Awry When Relationship Turns Abusive

She seemed to have it all. Then one day Orozco's luck changed in a way she could never have imagined, when Ruiz -- once the love of her life -- fired a shotgun at her face, sending her through a medical marathon of reconstructive surgery and recovery.

Before their relationship took its dark turn, the attractive and popular couple was the envy of their classmates at Lincoln West High School.

"They were gorgeous...gorgeous and they looked good on each other's arms. They were the ideal couple," said drama teacher Catherine Zak. "Everyone wanted to be like Johanna and Juan. They were outgoing, personable and She seemed to have it all. Then one day Orozco's luck changed in a way she could never have imagined, when Ruiz -- once the love of her life -- fired a shotgun at her face, sending her through a medical marathon of reconstructive surgery and recovery.

Before their relationship took its dark turn, the attractive and popular couple was the envy of their classmates at Lincoln West High School.

"They were gorgeous...gorgeous and they looked good on each other's arms. They were the ideal couple," said drama teacher Catherine Zak. "Everyone wanted to be like Johanna and Juan. They were outgoing, personable and She seemed to have it all. Then one day Orozco's luck changed in a way she could never have imagined, when Ruiz -- once the love of her life -- fired a shotgun at her face, sending her through a medical marathon of reconstructive surgery and recovery.

Before their relationship took its dark turn, the attractive and popular couple was the envy of their classmates at Lincoln West High School.

"They were gorgeous...gorgeous and they looked good on each other's arms. They were the ideal couple," said drama teacher Catherine Zak. "Everyone wanted to be like Johanna and Juan. They were outgoing, personable and very much in love.

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/ElizabethVargas/popu...

SouthernGirl2

OMG!

laRapierWit

"Nidal Hassan (sic) is a hero. He is a man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people," Awlaki wrote. Awlaki has voiced his support for suicide bombing in writings, as well as for groups believe to be affiliated with al Qaeda.

It's not clear what, if any, relationship Awlaki had with Nasan, but as a former FBI agent put it : "Awlaki is known as a senior recruiter for al Qaeda. He would be the spiritual motivator. Almost like someone you would go to and say, 'this is what I'm thinking about doing.' And they join in and encourage you and basically help you rationalize your behavior."

Before moving to Yemen, Awlaki was an imam at a mosque in Falls Church, Virginia. As the AP previously reported, Hasan attended the mosque while Awlaki was there.

Val

Local Community College Beats Yale
Elgin Community College takes down Ivy League school in mock trial competition

They might object to a David and Goliath comparison but, then again, as their twitter message said yesterday ...

"WE BEAT YALE!!!!"

Elgin Community College’s Mock Trial team didn’t win the Harvard Crimson Classic this year, but they did trounce a practiced Ivy League competitor -- no mean feat, considering Elgin completed its first full mock trial season just last year.

"What allowed the students to [beat Yale] was dedication," said coach Ron Kowalczyk. " That's the bottom line. Hard work."
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/Elgin...

Val

Morning funny

Jon Stewart Catches Sean Hannity Falsifying Footage To Make GOP Protest Appear Bigger (VIDEO)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/11/jon-st...

Val

Organizing for America requests that we write a letter to the editor.

Last weekend, the House of Representatives passed legislation that would bring truly comprehensive health reform to America.

After this major decision, representatives will be watching their district very closely to see how constituents react. So we must publicly show that voters thank those who worked hard for reform and are counting on representatives who voted “no” to deliver in the future.

Will you help make the case for reform by writing a quick letter to the editor of your local paper?
http://my.barackobama.com/page/speakout/posthou...

laRapierWit

"There are two great health-care crises in America—one in-volving coverage and the other cost. The Obama plan appears likely to tackle the first but not the second. This is bad economics but also bad politics: the crisis of cost affects 85 percent of Americans, while the crisis of coverage affects about 15 percent. Obama's message to the country appears to be "We have a dysfunctional health-care system with out-of-control costs, and let's add 45 million people to it."