Barack Obama on The Late Show

One of the benefits of living on the West Coast is the ability to watch a show that doesn't air until 11:30pm much earlier. Such as this funny clip of President Barack Obama on The Late Show with David Letterman:


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Plus, David Letterman enumerated the top ten reasons Barack Obama agreed to do the show:

Debtors Revolt Victory!

Two weeks ago, Ann Minch posted this video on YouTube, declaring the beginning of a "Debtors Revolt:"



After Bank of America jacked up her interest rate for no apparent reason, Minch decided to revolt and stop paying her bill until they lowered her interest rate to its previous level.

Today, Minch posted another video, declaring victory:



Bank of America contacted her, and after some negotiations, agreed to lower her interset rate to 12.99%. The little guy wins one!

Joe Wilson Thinks It's Rude If You Attack Him.

Representative Joe Wilson, after his amazing "You lie!" performance on the floor of the Congress of the United States yesterday, has been blasted nearly continuously for the last 24 hours. He held a little presser this morning where he revealed that the Republican leadership told him to call the White House and apologize. He didn't look like he was holding up too well:



Now that his opponent in the upcoming election has earned $500,000 since Representative Wilson's shout-out, he's trying to strike back and even came out with his own cute little YouTube video where he whines about people attacking him much like he attacked the President.

Obama Talks to Students, GOP Throws Tantrum

Jim Greer has been on TV a lot the last week or so railing against Obama and his plans to "indoctrinate" American students into some kind of socialist cabal:



The good people over at The Orlando Sentinel did a little research and point out how exceptionally hypocritical it is for Greer of all people to be leading the freaking out among conservatives:

There once was a political operative who loved to tell crowds he had a simple way of explaining to children the difference between Republicans and Democrats.

"Republicans get up and go to work," he would tell his son. "Democrats get up and go down to the mailbox to get their checks."

This man not only talked to his son about Republican values, he went into public-school classrooms and talked about them as well.

That man is Jim Greer -- the same Jim Greer who, as chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, just threw a nationwide hissy fit, claiming that the classroom is no place for politics and Barack Obama's "indoctrination."

One Seminole County mother, Barbara Wells, remembers the day Greer spoke to her son's sixth-grade class. "My son said he made some sort of Hillary Clinton joke," she recalled.

But you know what? Wells didn't pitch a fit. She didn't call up the local TV station to scream about Republican indoctrination. Instead, she advised her son: "Whatever you are told in life, remember there are two sides to every story."

Of course, Greer thinks him talking to students about politics is entirely different than Obama addressing them because, and I quote, because he "wasn't using lesson plans."

Today, Greer is taking credit for the speech that Obama gave, and has proclaimed himself a hero. Without him, Greer suggests, Obama would have gone ahead with his speech filled with liberal propaganda, and instead rewrote the speech because he was "caught with his hand in the cookie jar."

Again, no evidence for his claim. And even Joe Scarborough called out this guy as being out of line.

If you haven't yet, I suggest you read the speech he gave today, complete with a shout out to Facebook and Twitter!

**Update** The White House has released video of the speech:

Labor day and Those Nasty Socialists

Ze Frank blasts socialists and their lack of hats on this Labor Day. Also: potlucks and health care.

Barack Obama Eulogizes Teddy

President Barack Obama spoke this morning at Ted Kennedy's funeral mass, and paid tribute to the Lion of the Senate.

Republicans Start Whitewashing Kennedy's Record

Before Ted Kennedy was even in the ground, the Republicans started whitewashing his record. Most ridiculous is there sadness that he died without being able to work on a health care bill. If Teddy was around, then all of this would be okay! It would have bipartisan support! Only Teddy could get us through this!

But he did offer a bill. And McCain, Gregg, and Hatch all voted no on it. Earlier this week, Rachel Maddow blasts all three of them for their phoniness:

In other words: "If only Ted Kennedy were still here." If only he had a health care bill those Republicans say they would have voted for that. You know, uh, Ted Kennedy DID have a health care bill. Senator Kennedy was chair of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which approved a health care reform package in July. It's called the Kennedy Bill. And Senator Kennedy helped write that bill. Senators Hatch, and McCain and Gregg all voted against it. But the revisionist history goes even deeper. They aren't just saying they would have voted for a Kennedy health care bill, even though they had the chance and they didn't.

They're saying they would have voted for a Kennedy health care bill because Ted Kennedy would have compromised with them, because Ted Kennedy was all about making concessions to Republicans.

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And Republicans are getting all up in arms over the politicization of his death, and they are warning Democrats not to make this another Paul Wellstone.

That's why conservatives are fools.

Remember back when Reagan died? The Bush campaign set up a page on their website dedicated to the greatness that was Ronald Reagan, complete with the little "Donate Here" button to help get Bush elected. Limbaugh, Kristol, and his ilk were encouraging Republicans to politicize his death and use it draw support for everything from the Iraq War to additional tax cuts.

They had no problems emphasizing how liberals hated many of Reagan's policies. But with Ted Kennedy? The man they used to personify and vilify the Democratic Party, they act like it was all hugs and kisses.

Kennedy was a proud liberal, and the Republicans hated him for it.

Baracky II!

Exercising Your 2nd Amendment Rights

Jon Stewart points out the hilariousness of folks getting arrested for wearing Anti-Bush T-Shirts going to jail, and the folks showing up at the rallies with assault rifles being a-ok. God bless Republican logic.

The Daily Show's Wyatt Cenac decides its a good idea to arbitrarily exercise his Fifteenth and Twenty-First Amendment Rights, too:

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Myths of Health Care Reform - Addressed by the AARP

The AARP came out with a friendly little video covering several of the myths that many Republicans are trying to pass off as fact...Before people freak out about any possible health care reform, I think it would be a good idea to at least have a cursory understanding of what's being proposed.

You can also look at their fact sheet here, which includes:

• Myth: Health care reform is socialized medicine.
• Myth: Health care reform means rationed care.
• Myth: Health care reform will hurt Medicare.
• Myth: Health care reform is too expensive - we can't afford it.
• Myth: Health care reform means the government can make life-and-death decisions for you.

Pelosi Sends Her Goons to Silence Dissent!

More naughty behavior from Democratic "thugs," apparently...This time, the thugs came straight from Democratic leadership itself! Super Commie/Nazi/Anarchist Nancy Pelosi was so infuriated with this "concerned dad" rant at a town hall, that she immediately dispatched her goons to this gentleman's house in the middle of the night to threaten his family. Pelosi is so frightened that this guy is going to bring down her empire that she couldn't do anything other than try to intimidate him into silence.

The only network unafraid of being beaten down by Pelosi and her miscreants? FOX News, of course. They're the only network with the courage to challenge these tyrannical Dems!

Or maybe the guy is just a paranoid freak. And perhaps other networks wouldn't give air time to a guy who is convinced that Obama is trying to "sentence our families to death."

Lying Republicans at Town Hall Meetings

Rachel Maddow was on fire this week! Below she highlights the story of one of the vocal opponents of health care reform at one of the town halls that are being held nationwide during the summer recess. The concerned citizen who claims she is "just a mom" and "not with any political party" forgot to mention that she was the Internet Marketing Strategist for the Republican candidate who was defeated by the congressman holding the town hall.

Journalism lives!!

GOP Riling Up the Crazies

Great segment on The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC last week with Frank Schaeffer about the tone of the Republican side of the health care debate, and how the right wing seems to be agitating their crazies just like they did during the 2008 presidential campaign...

Rick Sanchez Blasts Health Care Reform Opponent

CNN's Rick Sanchez tears into one of the leading voices against any health care reform, Rick Scott. This "concerned citizen" who "just wants people to read the bill" has been accused of buying up local hospitals and closing all but one. He denies that accusation in the report, but then defends the action as something that happens every day.

Most interestingly, Rick Scott's company was fined $1.2 billion dollars for taking advantage of Medicare and Medicaid. Sanchez said that "Some would argue, and it would be hard to say they're wrong, that you would be the poster child for everything that's wrong with the greed that has hurt our current health care system."

In order to defend himself, Scott pointed out that other companies also received fines. Sanchez's response?

"How much more wrong can you be than what you just said? Not only is your company screwd up, and you just admitted to it, but you said look at all the other companies, they did the same thing. It doesn't look like a sterling system we have here, does it?"

Exciting!

Jabba the Rush

Someone Saw This Economic Crisis Coming...

Rachel Maddow points out that contrary to claims from many politicians, the current state of the economy was actually predicted by those who have an appreciation of history:

Rachel Maddow and Meghan McCain

Rachel Maddow's interview this evening with Meghan McCain wasn't particularly exciting, but was definitely a change of pace from what you normally see from these discussion shows.  Both Maddow and McCaing were exceptionally sensible!  

I especially love that Meghan McCain admitted that she doesn't know anything about the economy, and that Maddow accepted that response without being at all condescending!  Nice change of pace.

I do, however, take issue with the fact that while McCain admitted on Maddow's show that she doesn't know anything about the economy, it doesn't stop her from saying "a second stimulus doesn't make sense." 

If she's just saying she doesn't know anything about the economy as an excuse to not justify her views, my respect for Meghan will dwindle.

Part 1:

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Part 2:

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Coen Brothers Cut New Ad Mocking Clean Coal

The Coen Brothers are responsible for the Reality Campgaign's latest ad against so-called "clean" coal...

On a related note, The Mother Nature Network is now hosting the animated "Captain Planet" series on their website...Go Heart!

Kenneth the Page Responds to Jindal...

Not particularly funny, but they do sound oddly similar...

Obama is Hitler! And the Anti-Christ!

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