Krugman To Democrats: Do The Right Thing

Paul Krugman tells Democrats what the right thing to do is.  That would be, take the Senate bill and get it passed in the House. While a compromise between both chambers would be best, that’s not going to happen. Watering the bill down further only weakens it, and who knows if even that will get Republican support.  You can’t break the bill into pieces and try to pass it one element at a time. Here’s why:

Think of health care reform as being like a three-legged stool. You would, rightly, ridicule anyone who proposed saving money by leaving off …

How To Get Health Care Reform: Balls

Via Kos

…

Look Who’s Helping Out In Haiti

Because he cares.

…

Jennifer Lopez Calls Sarah Palin “La Cabrona”

During a monologue on George Lopez’s show, Jennifer Lopez (no relation) referred to Sarah Palin as “La Cabrona” which, translated from Spanish, is “a bitch.” (via Scott Baio)

…

Oklahoma James Inhofe: “All Terrorists Are Muslims Or Middle Easterners…By And Large”

If this is the kind of rhetoric Republicans think will help them, they’ve got another thing coming. During a Senate Armed Forces Committee hearing looking into the Fort Hood shooting, Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe advocated racial and ethnic profiling by smearing an entire ethnicity and religion.

INHOFE: I’m, for one — I know it’s not politically correct to say it — I believe in racial and ethnic profiling. I think if you’re looking at people getting on an airplane and you have X amount of resources to get into it, you get at the targets, and not my wife. …

Arlen Specter To Michele Bachmann: “I’m Going To Treat You Like A Lady. Now, Act Like One.”

Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter appeared on Philly’s WPHT radio’s Dom Giordano show with Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, and Specter challenged Bachmann to state what she stands for.

Bachmann first laid out her agenda — cutting taxes and killing President Obama’s health reform bill — at considerable length.

When Specter tried to counter, Bachmann, darling of the Tea Party movement, kept on talking, which didn’t sit well with the one-time Philadelphia DA, who is a stickler for politeness and protocol.

“I’m going to treat you like a lady,” Mr. Specter shot back. “Now act like one.”

Ms. Bachmann replied, “I think …

RIP Air America

Air America performed a great service to both liberal broadcasters in particular and to the talk radio industry as a whole.  Its demise is, sadly, not a shock, but will certainly be misinterpreted and overstated by conservatives who love to pontificate about how liberals can’t make it in broadcasting and who will dance on Air America’s grave.

I look at radio as a broadcaster, not as a liberal. At its inception, Air America had a mission, and the mission sometimes superseded programming decisions.  Their business model in larger markets was pay-for-play, an expensive proposition often without financial return. Because conservatives …

FOX News Poll: Obama Would Beat GOP, Tea Party Rivals By Landslide In 2012

Much is being made about Obama’s troubles these days, but a FOX News poll shows some encouraging news.

Buried inside the new Fox News poll are some trial heats for the 2012 presidential election that look awfully good for President Barack Obama. Three candidates are tested against Obama: Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich. Obama smashes them all. He leads Romney by a 47-35 margin, Palin by a 55-31 margin, and Gingrich by 53-29 margin. Each margin includes a healthy lead among independent voters.

…

On Thursday’s Radio Show…

• Air America shuts down: TALKERS magazine Publisher Michael Harrison tells Alan why the network failed and how the bankruptcy will impact talk radio.

• Earlier today, Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans descended on Capitol Hill to urge Congress to close the Guantanamo Bay Prison. VoteVets.org Chairman Jon Soltz explains why closing Gitmo is essential to the success of America’s counter-insurgency strategy.

• Is health care reform dead? Alan analyzes the latest developments.…

Paul Krugman: “About To Give Up On Obama”

Liberal economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman scathingly writes, “He Wasn’t The One We’ve Been Waiting For.” (via Mediaite)

Health care reform — which is crucial for millions of Americans — hangs in the balance. Progressives are desperately in need of leadership; more specifically, House Democrats need to be told to pass the Senate bill, which isn’t what they wanted but is vastly better than nothing.

…

Maybe House Democrats can pull this out, even with a gaping hole in White House leadership. Barney Frank seems to have thought better of his initial defeatism. But I …

Conservative Supreme Court Helps Corporate Takeover Of America

SCOTUS made a landmark decision that will result in a flood of corporate cash being injected into political campaigns.

By a 5-4 vote, the court ruled that corporations may spend freely to support or oppose candidates for president and Congress, overturning a 20-year-old decision that barred such contributions.

“We find no basis for the proposition that, in the context of political speech, the government may impose restrictions on certain disfavored speakers,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority. “The court has recognized that First Amendment protection extends to corporations.”

The new ruling blurs the lines between corporate and individual contributions …