Liberal Forum

Limbaugh: “This is tough trying to figure which one of these women is lying. One of ‘em has to be.
So the lieutenant governor is blonde, and the mayor is brunette. Is that relevant in determining which one of ‘em’s telling the truth? I don’t know. Just asking.
The lieutenant governor seems a little bit more at home with makeup than the mayor. Is there anything to learn from that? I’m just asking.”

Misty » 24 Jan 2014 3:39 pm » wrote:

The Democrats don't want Uncle 'Sugar' to write a prescription for birth control each month, they just want it included as a
routine part of women's health care coverage.

While serving as governor of Arkansas Huckabee signed state legislation that required all health insurance plans providing prescription drug coverage to cover contraceptive drugs and devices as well.
According to the Arkansas Times, Huckabee's exemption for religious organizations was actually narrower than the exemption in the Affordable Care Act.

http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/ ... ct2217.pdf

Brattle Street » 24 Jan 2014 3:50 pm » wrote: i think you might enjoy this:
https://www.facebook.com/topic/11164856 ... urce=whfrt

Christie Officials Fire Hurricane Sandy Contractor In The Dark: Editorial

Star-Ledger Editorial Board 1/23/2014

First, the good news: The Christie administration has fired the contractor that's been bungling the distribution of federal Hurricane Sandy relief money.

This Louisiana firm, called Hammerman and Gainer (HGI), got lambasted by Sandy victims at several legislative hearings. It was accused of losing applications, of giving people the runaround when they called with basic questions or tried to find out where they stood on the waiting list.

It's been faulted for unreturned phone calls and delays in getting people back into their homes -- not just in New Jersey but in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

So we're not sorry to see HGI go. But now here's the bad news: The administration fired HGI last month, and we are all just finding out about this now.

State officials apparently saw it fit to quietly terminate their contract with the firm, posting a notice of the settlement reached Dec. 6 on a Treasury Department website, without advising the public. HGI officially ended its $68 million contract Jan. 6.

Just two days later, Richard Constable, who oversees the state's rebuilding programs, testified for the first time before the state Assembly. He's in charge of these grant programs that HGI was screwing up. Did he not think it necessary to mention this firing when he defended the administration against its critics?

Constable didn't disclose it last week, either, when he cited new signs of progress in the state's relief efforts, including more grants finally being doled out, and letters sent to applicants on the waiting list to let them know where they stand. Could this be because the state is now trying to remedy HGI's mistakes?

Marc Ferzan, the so-called Sandy czar, also didn't bother to share the news in his phone conversation with reporters just three days ago. He had briefly poked his head out of his hole to defend his boss, Gov. Chris Christie, against accusations of political threats in Hoboken.

It was Ferzan's first public appearance since taking charge of the state's Sandy recovery process more than a year ago, aside from one semi-public event in April. Like Constable, he had refused to attend a series of legislative hearings to respond to complaints from Hurricane Sandy victims.

So mark this down as yet another crucial topic avoided. First Christie's officials publicly deny that HGI is mishandling their grant programs. Then they silently fire the contractor?

Ferzan promised us more transparency in the Sandy relief effort. When will we get it?

House Republicans Pass Sweeping Anti-Abortion Bill

The House of Representatives passed a bundle of abortion restrictions Tuesday that would dramatically reduce the number of health insurance plans that cover the procedure. The vote was 227 to 188, with one lawmaker voting present

The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (H.R. 7), sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), would prohibit insurance plans sold in the new health care exchanges from covering abortion, and it would eliminate tax benefits for small businesses that purchase insurance plans covering abortion. The bill would also prevent the District of Columbia from using its own locally raised funds to subsidize abortion care for low-income women.

Currently, more than 80 percent of private health insurance plans include abortion coverage, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research group.

The bill would not actually prevent federal taxpayer dollars from funding abortion because the Hyde Amendment has already done that for more than three decades.

Earlier this month, Democratic women lawmakers protested the bill in the hallway outside its House Judiciary Committee hearing. They pointed out that it would raise health care costs for women, drive insurance companies to drop a previously noncontroversial medical benefit and financially penalize small businesses. They also took issue with the fact that an all-male group of Republicans was pushing the bill through the legislative process with very little input from women.

“H.R. 7 is a reflection of a majority that is out of touch with the American people and struggling to understand fundamental truths about reproductive health -- and we really mean struggle,” Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) said on the floor of the House. “This extreme legislation was originally sponsored by a man, originated from a subcommittee composed of 13 men, and was passed out of the Judiciary Committee with the votes of 21 Republican men. This has been the problem for a long time -- men in blue suits and red ties determining what women can and should do when it comes to their own health.”

The bill is unlikely to go anywhere in the Democrat-controlled Senate, and the White House said Monday that President Barack Obama would veto it if it ever came to his desk.

Misty » 28 Jan 2014 4:48 pm » wrote:So this is what the House is wasting the precious little time they spend in session on?
This bill has not a shot in hell of going any further.
Waste of time and money.

RichClem » 28 Jan 2014 5:04 pm » wrote:Lots of bills have passed the House with bipartisan support, but are never even allowed to be voted on in Reid's Senate.
Including many job-creating bills.

Misty » 28 Jan 2014 5:13 pm » wrote: Can you name any of those job creating bills?

RichClem » 28 Jan 2014 5:14 pm » wrote: I've cited some of them in previous posts.

GOP Rep. Michael Grimm Gets In Reporter's Face: 'I Will Break You In Half'

Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) got in a reporter's face and threatened him after President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night.
During an interview with NY1 after Obama's speech, Grimm refused to answer questions about allegations concerning his campaign finances.
Grimm can be seen in the video walking away from the reporter, but returning and getting in the reporter's face after he went off air.

Bob Hardt, NY1's Political Director, tweeted that Grimm threatened the reporter:

Rich CEO Tells 'Daily Show' The 'Mentally Retarded' Are Maaaybe Worth $2 An Hour

There's a lot of good, funny stuff in the "Daily Show" segment above about the recent fast food protests, McDonald's as a welfare queen and more.

But what we'd really like you to focus on is the following exchange (at around 4:15) between correspondent Samantha Bee and Peter Schiff, the extremely conservative CEO of Euro Pacific Capital, who FREAKING HATES the minimum wage:

Schiff: "If we eliminated the minimum wage law then individuals would be free to accept jobs at whatever pay they're able to get."

Bee: "Paint me a picture of a person whose work would be worth $2 an hour."

Schiff: "You know somebody who might be? Maybe somebody who is, uh, you know, what's the politically correct word? Uh, you know, uh, for, uh, you know, mentally retarded?"

Bee: [...]

Schiff, later on: "I'm not going to say that we're all created equal... you're worth what you're worth."

Rep. Tim Huelskamp Attacks Rachel Maddow As 'Cheerleader' For Obama Administration

So, what is a Congressman to do after he sends out these Tweets during President Obama's state of the union address?

Call the reporter trying to ask you about it a "cheerleader" for the Obama administration of course! MSNBC's Rachel Maddow was gobsmacked by Huelskamp's remarks and pretty well got nowhere with him other than more ad hominem attacks when trying to get any specifics from him about what he said in his Tweets.

Do yourself a favor Rachel. Don't give this flame throwing clown any more air time. This man embodies everything that's wrong with the Republicans in our House of Representatives right now.

Misty » 29 Jan 2014 2:13 pm » wrote:This guy made a total jackass of himself, both in his tweets during the SOTU address and in an interview with Rachel Maddow.

Misty » 29 Jan 2014 2:03 pm » wrote: The arrogance of the rich seems to be on full display lately.

RichClem » 30 Jan 2014 1:34 am » wrote: What's "arrogant" about being accurate? If you think the retarded are worth more, open your own business and find out.
When it goes bankrupt, you'll have learned a lesson in reality.

RichClem » 30 Jan 2014 1:30 am » wrote:

She was effectively censoring the failure of Obamacare.

Brattle Street » 05 Feb 2014 1:08 pm » wrote: means that he has NO intention of supporting his assertion

Misty » 05 Feb 2014 12:53 pm » wrote: Can I start by hiring you and paying you $2 an hour?
Could you live on that?

Most mentally retarded adults can work and are able to hold steady jobs if properly trained and placed in the right job, Jackhole.

Misty » 05 Feb 2014 3:16 pm » wrote:Clem has a habit of using weasel words like 'effectively' or 'arguably'.

From Wikipedia: A weasel word is an informal term for equivocating words and phrases aimed at creating an impression that something specific and meaningful has been said, when in fact only a vague or ambiguous claim has been communicated.
Additionally, the definition of the word 'weasel' includes: n. a sneaky, untrustworthy, or insincere person; v. to manipulate shiftily.

A weasel word (or phrase) can quite likely be understood to come from a position of intending to manipulate the communication, in a sneaky or underhanded manner.