This Wednesday, the President will hold a town-hall on Health Care  and the White House is asking for input.  To learn more about how to submit a question, read here.
This is it, boys and girls!  Time to put up or shut up!  Don't hold back!  Gather your thoughts, and give your ideas!

Seriously, folks, there is a real discussion going on in the Party of Family Values about what they need to do about all these pols among them who just can't behave.  Are they going to have prayer meetings to help their flocks realize the error of their ways?  No.   Are they going to get strict, and kick people out of office when they behave like randy school-boys?  No.  Are they going to do some soul-searching and try to be better?  No.  They are going to change the subject because all that "family values stuff" is coming back to bite them in their collective butts.
Some musings:

...by resorting to that kind of moral values rhetoric," said Mike Maslansky, CEO of Luntz Maslansky, a predominantly conservative communications firm. "I don't say rhetoric as a means of demeaning it. Talking in those terms is a way to appeal to the base. In an election season they find it is a significant advantage to talk in those terms. Maybe for the other three years out of their term they wish that they hadn't."

The GOP, to be certain, will never get to a point where it willfully cedes the moral high ground to Democrats. The social and religious conservatives who comprise a large and vocal portion of the base won't permit such a drift.
"Look, of course, we are the conservative party and we are going to have a conservative message," said Donatelli. "But I do think by talking a little bit more about economic opportunity that we as a party want to offer both at the national and state level, that is what we can do I think to broaden our ranks."
Could it be that they finally have reached the capacity to feel shame?  No.  I think it is just that they realize they might get called on it.

Come one, come all, and fear not!  

  Here is something that just might help to lift our spirits over here in TPM-Land:  Max Baucus sent his staff to hear his constituents, and they got an earful!

 

Five separate accounts of the meetings, published in four different local papers, show Montana voters were downright hostile to Baucus' reform proposal. Baucus has been a staunch opponent of single-payer health care, a system in which the government would provide universal coverage.

Baucus has kept single-payer advocates out of negotiations and has yet to endorse a compromise proposal by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) that would give Americans the option of buying into a publicly run plan that would compete with private insurers.

That stance put his staffers up against a wall, facing angry constituents fed up by what they viewed as a lack of courage in Washington.

"Majority wants single-payer health care," headlined an account in the Helena Independent Record. 

 

But read the whole article.  It will make you feel warm and fuzzy in this troubled time.

 

Dear President Barack Obama,

 

I worked for you and I put my money out there for you.   Although I paid for 3 tickets, I missed your speech in Charlottesville, because my son's football award ceremony was changed to the night you were here (his original ceremony was rained out).  I really regret that, but only the weather part!  I did manage to see Michelle when she came here with Lilly Ledbetter and Jill Biden, and I had a great time - it was so inspiring.

 

I heard your speech at Notre Dame, and regardless of all the other things that people might say, the main thing I heard was that you aren't afraid to discuss things that people disagree about - vehemently.  I was impressed with what you said, and am glad you said it.  The pundits predicted that you would avoid the subject, but you did not.  Good for you!

 

OK.  Now I am warming up to some things that matter a lot to me.  There are many of them, but I will limit myself to three, which I think our country's reputation and future depend on:

 

1. Don't Ask Don't Tell.  You know this is wrong, and yet under your watch as Commander In Chief, you have allowed at least two talented people get thrown away professionally.  This is a loss for them, which is beyond terrible, but is also a loss for our country.  Not only do we lose their talents and gifts, we also lose yet another "chip" in our stature as a country that holds that all people are equal.  You could fix this.  Who cares if 28% of the electorate hate homosexuals?  They have no business being in charge of our policies.  It is up to you.  Do the right thing.

 

2. Torture.  I know you don't want to go on a witch hunt, but the fact is, that our country has been damaged severely by this clearly approved policy.  Jonathan Turley said it best:  "We don't need a Truth Commission."  We know the truth.  We need to investigate and, if warranted, charge those who are guilty of crimes. If we "look forward" instead of doing what is right, how are we different from the sheriffs of the old South who let 'the good ole boys ' get away with cruelty and worse during the 60's?

 

Pictures?  If we do what is right, those pictures will only show that our country does the right thing.  You are a Constitutional Scholar.  Surely you don't believe that those who dismissed the rule of law of our country should just go on with their lives so that we can all "look forward, rather than back."  We survived Nixon.  It is up to you to decide if we will survive Bush/Cheney.

 

3. Universal, Single-Payer Health Care:  I know you did not run on this, but just realize that the only way we can truly reform our health care is to spend every health care dollar on health care!  Not on advertising, stockholders, paper, employees in every medical office who spend all day wading through the morass which is INSURANCE!   And not saving money by denying needed care, or refusing to cover those who are actually, um...sick!

 

If you pass UNIVERSAL SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH CARE,  it will guarantee a Democratic electorate for the next 50 years.  The republicans know this, because they see what happened in England.  Please, don't fall for their scare tactics, and please understand that whatever the insurance company and hospitals withhold from campaign contributions will be dwarfed by the grassroots who will support the Democrats who stood up for all of us. 

 

Please, Please don't let us down!

Well, he certainly got a rousing reception!  It will be interesting to see how the likes of David Gregory, Pat Buchanan et al, spin this.   Comments!

Huffpo is asking people to report on April 15th TeaParties.  I have volunteered, and was surprised to note the large number of speakers scheduled for Charlottesville this Wednesday (including my neighbor, Lawrence Eagleburger).  To find out what was scheduled, I just went to Google and after a few false starts, got the agenda for 3 - 6 pm this Wednesday.

I caught this over at Huffington Post.  I love the Sunday Liveblogging;  so I think you'll agree that Huffo is still good for something.

The financial crisis that is so obvious to all of us is no more important than the one we will soon face if the Supreme Court  continues on its current course.

What follows is a list of our current Justices with their birth dates.  Barack Obama has at least four years.  It is the duty of those who want to see our country progress, to resign, as soon as possible.    Forget cancer diagnoses - look at the BIRTH DATES of theses justices!  It is time for many of them to move on!   At their ages they wouldn't even be able to work at Barnes & Noble!

I hear all the time how hard it is to be a justice; how "packed" their schedule is.  Frankly, I find it hard to believe.   They have so many people helping them they don't even have to read any more.  How many people still work at GM, in hospitals, or even AIG with birth dates like these!  Hard?   I wonder if they even know what "hard" is.

What I do know is that  Barack Obama's time in office is limited, and  the justices who have progressive viewpoints  simply must realize that it is time for their sinecure to end.

These are the birthdays ( and some pretty eye-opening inventions and events that occured during the year of their births)  of the current Supreme Court Justices.  Do you think any of these people are past their due date?

John Roberts :  January 27,  1955  (Tetracycline, and optical fibers)

John Paul Stevens:  April 20, 1920  (the same year that BandAids were invented)*

Antonin Scalia:  March 11, 1936  (The Artificial Heart [sorry, antonin; there is no substitute for the real thing!])*

Anthony Kennedy:  July 23, 1936   (Bell labs invents voice recognition machine)*

David Souter:  September 17, 1939 (the electron microscope is invented)*

Clarence Thomas: June 23, 1948  (Believe it or not, VELCRO was invented, and the Wurlitzer Juke Box)***

Ruth Bader Ginsberg:  March  15,  1933   (FM Radio and stereo invented)*

Steven Breyer:  August  15, 1938  (Ladislo Boro invents the ball point pen)*

Samuel Alito:  April 1, 1950  (the first credit card!)

* All these people would have retired from any job that was 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year; these people need to leave.
***He needs to leave because he hates his job; he hates everyone, and has a major axe to grind; he never should have gotten in.  Why should he care?  He has free health care forever, and a great pension -- just let it go, Clarence!  Your life will be unaffected anyway.


Those justices who acknowledge that their decisions matter have the duty to resign.   Time has moved on, and they are flirting with disaster if they continue on and on and on.  They surely have a duty to see beyond their own narcissistic needs. 

OK.  I want to see the clause that promises a bonus.  I want to see if it looks ironclad to me.  If everyone is guaranteed a bonus, why not just increase their salaries?

I don't ask to see anyone's name, but it simply isn't asking too much to take a look at and example or two of the legally perfect contracts.  

I believe I own 80% of this company, and I want to see it.

Any objections?

 

 

 

This is the next TPM Challenge --

First, an introduction:  Quinn introduced me to a site that poses an annual question to erudite people.   Some examples are, "What do you think is true even though you can't prove it?," or "What is the most important innovation in the last 2,000 years?"  I won't go on, because I will give the website and you can check it out for yourself. 

Although I am not a big "rule" person, I will make one suggestion, which is not one that the original website uses:    I would suggest that you spend some time thinking about your answer before reading those of other people because it will increase the creativity quotient.  In fact, I will make an alteration in the way to handle this -- give your well-thought out answer to the question, and then add another based on responses from those that have made you rethink your answer.  Aren't we adaptable?

OK!  Here is the FIRST QUESTION:

What event of the last 100 years would you change?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is the website: 

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The next question:  DO NOT ANSWER THIS NOW!  THINK ABOUT IT, and if the response to this one is interesting I will propose it in due time:

What would our country be like today if our ancestors had repudiated the institution of slavery?

Quinn,  thanks again for this great, mind exercise!

The election took place on November 4th, 2008.  It was always close.  It remains close, with about 200 votes out of MANY still in Franken's favor.  Weekends passed with normal people checking out ballots.  Their conclusions were evaluated by a bipartisan group, which decided that Al Franken was still the winner.

But Norm Coleman, who obviously wants to put off his other legal problems (stealing money), is getting a ridiculous amount of respect from the Minnesota Courts.  Why?  Because I don't think they ever intended that their laws would delay their state from seating a senator for three months while a silly man and his lawyers fought silly battles.

But that is all beside the point.  Does anyone wonder what the republicans would be doing if the shoe were on the other foot?  Does anyone wonder what level of outrage would be leveled at the State of Minnesota if they were refusing to seat the rightfully elected REPUBLICAN?

So What Is Wrong With The Democratic Senate?  Why don't they act at least a little protective about Al Franken?  How should Al take this when he is finally seated?

So far, I am truly impressed.

Comments!!!

Thanks to all who went over to ThinkProgress.org yesterday and rec'd my question.  It was ranked as 3rd.  When Podesta answered it (about half-way into the first screen), the answer is clear.  The Health Care proposal coming out of this administration will be insurance-based.  To be fair, this is what Obama ran on.  But considering his conciliation to republicans on issues which actually go against our ideals, is it too much to ask for those of us who are on his side to even be heard and considered?

Ok, Am I the only person who cringes every time I click on anywhere here at TPM, and either see hideous abdominal flab staring back at me, or contrasting yellow next to amazingly white (but both unappealing) teeth?