GOP Refuses To See Impoving Economy

Little attention in the blogosphere was paid to the front page New York Times article this week stating that the fed believes the recession is near the end and they are reverting to normal policies.

Though the central bank stopped well short of declaring victory, policy makers issued their most upbeat assessment in more than a year by saying that the downturn appears to have hit bottom and that consumer spending, financial markets and inventory-building by corporations all continued to stabilize.

If Bush were still president and had enacted Obama’s policies this story would have been all over talk …

Friday Night’s Free-For-All

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Battle Of The Tweets

Senators Arlen Specter of PA and Chuck Grassley of IA were unable to connect on the phone, apparently, and so they battled it out on Twitter.  Specter began the battle by telling Grassley to stop talking about death panels.  Grassley said he never used that phrase, but he did talk about “pull[ing] the plug on Grandma” at a recent town hall.

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On Friday’s Radio Show…

• Alan takes a close look at today’s questions and answers at the president’s town hall.

• Blogger Lane Hudson, who confronted former President Clinton yesterday on gay rights issues, discusses Clinton’s response with Alan.

• It’s the Friday Night Free-For-All!…

Thank You From Laura And Euna

via TV Newser.

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Bill Clinton Challenged On DADT

At the Netroots Nation confab in Pittsburgh, blogger Lane Hudson (the guy who exposed Mark Foley’s emails) stood up to ask President Clinton if he would call for a repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” a policy fashioned during his administration.   Lane explains why he stood up and interrupted the former president:

…at the point that he said, “We need an honest, principled debate”, I knew I had to try to stimulate the discussion. So, I stood and said, “Mr. President, will you call for a repeal of DOMA and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell? Right now?”

Here’s …

Bachmann: “Don’t ‘Palinize’ Me”

Getting hip with the urban dictionary, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, in a fundraising letter, begs, “Don’t let them Palinize me.”

“With Gov. Palin taking a well-deserved step out of the spotlight, it appears that I may be absorbing even more of the liberals’ scorn,” Bachmann said.

But the Minnesota Republican also seems worried, as she warns that Democrats are raising “$30,000 a week” to defeat her.

Bachmann even drops in the urban dictionary definition of Palinize:

Palinize:

To smear or mock someone using falsehoods, baseless accusations or unsubstantiated character assassinations for the purpose …

Michael Vick Signs 2-Year Deal With Philadelphia Eagles

ESPN reports that Michael Vick has signed a two-year deal with the Eagles.

Vick arrived in Philadelphia Tuesday morning and remained there Wednesday evening. The Eagles will hold a news conference on Thursday morning to announce his signing.

Vick was the No. 1 draft pick in 2001, and once the highest-paid player in football. But he has not played since 2006 when his career came tumbling down. He was convicted in August 2007 of conspiracy and running a dogfighting operation, sentenced to 23 months in federal prison and suspended indefinitely by the NFL.

Fox Sports says it’s …

On Thursday’s Radio Show…

• Do they have no shame? Alan weighs in on the extremist opposition to health care reform.

• Are fears of the Obama administration leading to a resurgence of the militia movement? Alan speaks with “Oath Keepers” founder Stewart Rhodes.

• Think you can survive the cut? It’s Sudden Death Radio!…

Palin Was For (What She Mislabels As) “Death Panels” Before She Was Against Them

As the former Alaska governor doubles down on her claim that health care reform will lead to “death panels,” ThinkProgress points out that “on April 16th 2008, then Gov. Sarah Palin endorsed some of the same end of life counseling she now decries as a form of euthanasia.”

In a proclamation announcing “Healthcare Decisions Day,” Palin urged public facilities to provide better information about advance directives, and made it clear that it is critical for seniors to be informed of such options:

WHEREAS, Healthcare Decisions Day is designed to raise public awareness of the need to plan …

“Death To Obama” Sign Holder Detained

It wasn’t the Nazi sign or the one showing Obama with a Hitler mustache that got someone on trouble. It was when a guy held one that said “Death to Obama” that the Secret Service sprung into action. It happend outside a town hall meeting in Hagerstown, Maryland conducted by Congressman Ben Cardin.

Washington County Sheriff’s Capt. Peter Lazich said the sign also read, “Death to Michelle and her two stupid kids.”

Lazich said U.S. Secret Service agents took the unidentified 51-year-old man into custody Wednesday afternoon after deputies detained him near the entrance to Hagerstown Community College.…