Stephen Colbert just went over Glenn Beck's attempt to hijack the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech for his own extreme right - wing, megalomaniacal agenda.
I'll have more on this soon, but I saw last night's Oval Office address as a speech aimed primarily at more casual observers who need to know the White House is on top of the BP gusher disaster. I wasn't surprised or disappointed in that sense. At the same time, energy/climate specifics -- and clear leadership -- have got to materialize soon. If last night's speech is meant to stand alone, it's definitely not going to cut it, and the White House is missing a critical opportunity. On the other hand, if last night's speech was the first - step in an ambitious ramp - up, that's a different story. I haven't read anything definitive yet one way or the other, so all I can confidently say is that we've got our work cut out for us either way.
With that said, the backlash to Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow's reaction to the speech from some of the presidents staunchest defenders (on virtually everything) is childish and extremely short - sighted.
Threatening to stop watching Keith Olbermann's show is just silly. What are we, five?
Asserting that Rachel Maddow's criticism means that she may be joining the village is truly strange, and not in any way "reality - based."
Communicating honest differences with Olbermann and Maddow, or anyone else, is great. It's healthy. It's in our DNA as progressives. But it shouldn't be done in a way that goes after them for communicating their honest differences with the Obama Administration. Those who resort to this tactic are only going to intensify the gap in the grassroots/netroots between those who believe the president is falling short of what is necessary, at least in part because of his own decisions, and those who are more apt to claim that his approach isn't a significant part of the problem. And that doesn't help any of us.
It's wrong. It's highly counterproductive. Those who are pulling these stunts Are. Not. Helping.
UPDATE: "Fake President" Maddow's gave her own "Oval Office in my mind" address on tonight's show. It was really good.
It's time for me to close my book on Rand Paul, at least for now. But before I do, here's a quick overview of his general election vulnerabilities. He can be beaten. He must be beaten. Simply put, his views are nucking futs.
It's painfully apparent that the consequences of the BP offshore drilling disaster are going to be much more severe, both for the environment and the economy, than was initially thought.
Is it just me, or is Team Crazy really stepping it up?
In Virginia
Republican Governor Bob McDonnell is downplaying the role of slavery in Confederate History.
Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is just stone cold nuts. There's no way around it. If Wingnutia = Elvis fans, Cuccinelli's office = Graceland. If Cuccinelli were a king (maybe we shouldn't give him any ideas), he would sit on a kooky throne with a kooky crown on his head while holding a kooky scepter as kooky grapes were fed to him by kooky servants in a kooky castle surrounded by a kooky moat filled with kooky alligators.
I'm going to go ahead and start this by saying that this is just to help me feel better. This doesn't involve fixing the health care system or getting rid of the Stupak amendment or auditing the Fed, all things that are more important to the community at large. But I just need to get this out and tell everyone who cares to listen what a horrible company NRA Group, LLC is.
For the first time since a now six year old bill called H.R. 676 that was never meant to pass in the first place, someone was working to raise awareness on the issue Americans face from the merchants of death. So this seems like a good time to remember one the few loud voices in this nation that is not influenced by free market of death and praise a few others who are taking it to the streets. Some people who believe our good health is a priority.
There is still the problem of the U.S. Government that will not represent the will of the people and can not look at the devastation that Americans must face each day. The falsehood of the present healthcare debate prevents anything but false reform. In the transition from Bush to Obama will honest hardworking Americans see justice or just campaign donation based propaganda?
(some revisionist history... - promoted by poligirl)
Unless you've been living in an "undisclosed location" for the last several months, you've probably heard more than enough, from the Party of Losers. Funny, I don't remember the Dems, getting so much easy air time, as Cheney has, since being cast to the hinterlands, by the American Voters. Worse yet, the Media foils on stage with him, couldn't ask a challenging question, even if, say, there was a "ticking time bomb" on stage, so that they had to get to Truth ...
"Thankfully they Kept Safe for the last 7 years" ... Say What?!
