It is now 2:30 PM ... And is this Still Working?
QUACK! QUACK!I'm living in the belly of the TPMCafe Reader Blog Monster that refuses to die.
~OGD~
QUACK! QUACK!I'm living in the belly of the TPMCafe Reader Blog Monster that refuses to die.
~OGD~
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Medicare Head Berwick: better care for individuals; better care for groups of people; and reducing per capita costs by eliminating waste and duplication.
Also . . .Dr. Berwick also clearly stated . . .
"I want lower costs without harming a hair on any patient's head..."
You can read the coverage at Boston.com...
Berwick, new head of Medicare and Medicaid
does not advocate rationing health care...
I'll post the video of his presentation when I find it.
Paddlin' on . . .
~OGD~
Whoa ... Did Bonehead Boehner Say He'd Vote For Continuing The Bush Tax Cuts For The Middle Class?
And . . . Also . . .Did he also say that he'd vote for that even if the tax cuts were removed on the higher income brackets if that's the way the bill came to a vote?
I think that's what I heard him say on Face the Nation when pressed on the issue by Bob Schieffer.
But to be realistic this how I feel about trusting Boehner.
I wouldn't trust him to work my dog. And neither would my dog.
With that nose, she can smell bullshit a mile away . . .
~OGD~
Josh Marshall Sees the Democratic Boat Sinking Before It's Hit The Iceberg
Off to the races after Labor Day...If you haven't seen it, over on the front page Josh has been ruminating over the coming elections and... using a most "well... duh..." headline he writes :
Events Create New Realities
At this point, if you follow the available evidence, it seems likely that the Democrats will get a severe beating on election day. Absent some rebound, it seems highly likely that the Dems will lose control of the House of Representatives. And it even seems possible now that they could lose control of the Senate.
--snip--
And remember, November won't be one senate race in Massachusetts. How well will Democrats stand up to the headline that says Republicans win 50 House seats?And remember, it won't be "Republicans win 50 House Seats."
The headline will read "Angry Country Repudiates Obama Agenda, Embraces Small Government Conservative Values." And that will be the Times. Believe me, it won't be pretty.
As of the current date, I'll stick with Nate Silver's work long before I'll put faith in Josh's predictions and the next to worthless TPM generic polling prognostications...
Here's what Nate is saying...
Republicans Have One-in-Four Chance to Claim Senate Majority, Model Shows
--snip--
Also, although it has become easier -- perhaps more so than ever -- to envision a Republican path toward taking over the Senate, they still remain underdogs and have, in essence, two significant hurdles to clear. The first hurdle is purely statistical: polls are relatively fuzzy instruments prior to the Labor Day holiday, before many voters have engaged with the campaigns. And in the weeks immediately leading up to Labor Day -- when many Americans are on vacation -- they can be especially erratic. If, in two or three weeks' time, the polls continue to show clear signs of Republican momentum, their prospects for a Senate takeover will be more robust.
FiveThirtyEight @ NYTimes - September 7, 2010
But the important point in all of this that is going unsaid is, what's all this say about the President being the leader of his party? The only answer I have to that is another question. Which party are you talking about?
And we'll only know that when and if President Obama rolls up the sleeves and really comes out swinging for the Democrats that really need his support to help get them over the hump.
~OGD~
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A List For Posterity ... In the Event the Archives are Kept
for posterity . . .And of course I have them saved in my private duck nest . . .
Don Key / Don Key
zonk / zonk
weezie.jefferson / weezie.jefferson
girl from the bronx / girl from the bronx
acamus / acamus
carey_rowland / Carey Rowland
Sandwichman / Sandwichman
satyagraha / MBH
Joseph Chez / Joseph Chez
spiegelman / Eric Spiegelman
dikkday48@yahoo.com / dickday
MantisBot X / MantisBot X
azpaull / azpaull
zroth / Zachary Roth
BobFred2 / BobFred2
icetree / icetree
sweetmolly / sweetmolly
stratofrog / stratofrog
ashaw / Al Shaw
tomgnh / tomgnh
MaggieM / Maggie
PoliticalTruths / PoliticalTruths
wvbiker / wvbiker
Joe Mitchell / Indiana Oracle
Lulu Strauss / A Guy Called Lulu
observer2 / AnswerFrog
NolanT / Nolan
JoanieS / JoanieS
lostboy / redneck
jollyroger / jollyroger
Harper53 / Hud
jesselava / Jesse Lava
Star Mason / Kali Star
Ramona / Ramona
MrSmith1 / MrSmith1
Chuck Keller / Chuck Keller
Saladin / Saladin
rowanwolf / rowanwolf
Obey / Obey
gettex / FDRdog
acanuck / acanuck
ges / Glenn (ges)
Larry H / LarryH
miguelitoh2o / miguelitoh2o
eds / eds
justiceputnam / Justice Putnam
tpmgary / tpmgary
Viper 123 / Viper 123
rlh974 / Bob Higgins
GregorZap / GregorZap
JEP07 / JEP07
TMCPAC / O¿O in the crowd
wwstaebler / wwstaebler
Dave Adams / Dave Adams
Wattree / Wattree
coonsey / coonsey
Ken Bank / Ken Bank
stillidealistic / stillidealistic
Dan K / Dan K
DKC / DKC/Feral Cat
~flowerchild~ / ~flowerchild~
Tankard2 / Tankard2
putty / putty
doctoraaron / doctoraaron
Agjournalist / Agjournalist
pjohnson2k / stlfilmaker
barefoot / barefooted
TheraP / TheraP
Tamarat / Tamarat
Jonze / Walter Mitty
jpieterick / SleepinJeezus
astral66 / astral66
San Fernando Curt / San Fernando Curt
no one really / Bwakfat
thayden / Tom Hayden
SFCWallace / SFCWallace
ridenm / Father OKC
wood / wood
artappraiser / artappraiser
Mike7Woodson / Mike7Woodson
quinn esq / quinn esq
Mr Beebers / Lux Umbra Dei
bluebell / bluebell
thunderpigeon / thunderpigeon
JohnW1141 / JohnW1141
hoppycalif2 / hoppycalif2
tlees2 / tlees2
thequis / thequis
CVille Dem / CVille Dem
Tom Wright / Tom Wright
Aunt Sam / Aunt Sam
wfb812 / Bill Bowman
David Seaton / David Seaton
Libertine / Libertine
jonathanwerve / Global Integrity
amike / amike
destor23 / destor23
benhocking / BH
- izen
PseudoCyAnts / PseudoCyAnts
roo_P / Karl the Marxist
Devon / Devon
genghis / ☠enghis
elliottness / Elliottness
Orlando / Orlando
LisB / LisB
Ron Powell / RonP
rainkeep / DonDi
Dan Grant / Doomer252
Krugman Hates to Say He Told Us So ... But He Does Anyway...
Yes ... Hindsight IS 20/20 . . .But his foresight was pretty much right on the mark...
Next week, President Obama is scheduled to propose new measures to boost the economy. I hope they're bold and substantive, since the Republicans will oppose him regardless -- if he came out for motherhood, the G.O.P. would declare motherhood un-American. So he should put them on the spot for standing in the way of real action.
But let's put politics aside and talk about what we've actually learned about economic policy over the past 20 months.
The Real Story - NYT Opinion - Published: September 2, 2010
Since Krugman hasn't been here for quite awhile ... I have the feeling he won't be posting this in the left-hand column here at the Cafe ... so there it is.
Now the Cafe experts and all you armchair economists can have at it.
~OGD~
TPM Cafe Blogs ... Are the Lights Still On and the Coffee Pot Plugged In? [re-posted]
NOTE: This is a Re-Post from 8/31. . . So they lights are still on and the coffee is still warm ...Eh?
Paddlin' On ...
~OGD~
ps: Don't worry about this re-postin knocking anything off the recommended list. It won't go up in the list becuase the previous older recommends will not count on this re-post.
.
New Orleans ... Five Years Later and Still Counting . . .
Just for the memory . . .Tomorrow morning will mark 5 years to the day when I heard the following news and immediately posted the info on my TPM Cafe blog.
Lake Pontchartrain Levee Break - Orleans Parish
August 30, 2005, 1:49AM
Lake Pontchartrain Levee Break - Orleans Parish
It has been confirmed by the Louisiana State Police that there has been a two-block long breach of the 17th Street & Canal levee that holds back Lake Pontchartrain from entering Orleans Parish.
From a live report on CNN - According to the Information Director at Tulane University - Water is rising at 1-inch per minute at the Tulane Medical Center Hospital [MAP] which is located directly in the downtown business section.
Water can be observed rushing south on Canal Street with white-caps.
The Air National Guard is in the process of evacuating patients from the Medical Center by helicopter. They are also in the process of evacuating other hospitals in the area.
I don't even think I have to say this - but those residents who are not in a high ground position such as Class-A type structures and/or the Superdome are in serious peril, not to mention the the City Center of New Orleans as a whole.
Today: President Obama's remarks to the people of New Orleans and the Gulf states and the nation as whole relating to federal response for disaster recovery nationwide:
New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) -- Calling the federal response to Hurricane Katrina "a shameful breakdown in government," President Barack Obama said Sunday as rebuilding continues, officials are looking ahead to avoid a repeat when future disasters strike."I don't have to tell you that there are still too many vacant and overgrown lots," Obama said. "There are still too many students attending classes in trailers. There are still too many people unable to find work. And there's still too many New Orleans folks who haven't been able to come home."
---snip---
"So while an incredible amount of progress has been made, on this fifth anniversary, I wanted to come here and tell the people of this city directly: My administration is going to stand with you -- and fight alongside you -- until the job is done, until New Orleans is all the way back."
~OGD~
PseudoCyAnts ... Fair winds Sailing The Great Ellipse
It took me a while to find this . . .
I had recalled our dearly departed friend PseudoCyAnts posting the following that was so apt of his true nature...
"Bucking the trend? That would be a good description for much of my life. Elliptic could be my epitaph." June 23, 2006
Elliptic? PseudoCyAnts was and is of The Great Ellipse ...
A great ellipse is an ellipse passing through two points on a spheroid and having the same center as that of the spheroid.
As observed in the spectrum of the universe ...
youtube.com/v/9dRnDFR-QYI?fs=1&hl=en_US
The colored dots are clusters within one of four distance ranges, with redder colors indicating greater distance. Colored ellipses show the direction of bulk motion for the clusters of the corresponding color. Images of representative galaxy clusters in each distance slice are also shown. Credit: NASA/Goddard/A. Kashlinsky, et al.
Fairwinds my friend -- You have been and are forever sailing The Greatest Ellipse of all.
A duck in momentary mourning . . .
~OGD~
Robert Gibbs the Mouthpiece ... I'm on Drugs
Qvar ... and on occasion Flonase...Hey Gibbs ... Do either of those drugs count?
Kiss my liberal leaning asteroid-orifice--you smug Alabama jackass...
~OGD~
Single-Payer and/or the Public Option: Did Obama Once Back These or Not?
My headline is a simple question . . .
Did the President once back the idea of single-payer and/or the public option?
What brought all this to the present again.
People here at the Cafe being accused of being lonely, silly, selfish people.
Read the following statement. It can be found here in my other blog thread.
"I see much selfishness from people here, Ripper. You know, the type that says 'Since I need healthcare, I'm behind a healthcare program'..."
--snip-
"Here's my take on TPM recently: a bunch of lonely people who would like to take pot shots at rather like-minded people because they have such impotent rage."
--snip--
"It's because the silly people on the left like to beat each other up rather than band together."
Wow ... People are so selfish? A bunch of lonely people? And silly people on the left? What a load of crap. But it does not surprise me in the least taking it from that source.
What reasonable person would wish to "band together" with such a narrow-minded, judgmental individual such as that?
Now let's take a trip in the way-back machine.
2003 ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpAyan1fXCE&
And now the folks who supported the President's original "single payer" stance and held his feet to the fire should be "drug tested" as Robert Gibb's suggested?
Then came the Democratic debates:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnLFdVt9egA&
NOTE: In the first video from 2003 did anyone notice Obama say anything by adding the qualifier "...starting from scratch?"
Here's his exact words from PolitiFact.com:
"I happen to be a proponent of a single-payer universal health care program. I see no reason why the United States of America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, spending 14 percent of its gross national product on health care, cannot provide basic health insurance to everybody. And that's what Jim is talking about when he says everybody in, nobody out. A single-payer health care plan, a universal health care plan. That's what I'd like to see. But as all of you know, we may not get there immediately. Because first we've got to take back the White House, we've got to take back the Senate, and we've got to take back the House."
So ... After Obama was hard pressed to change his stance during the debates the majority of the true believers eventually bought into the "public option" idea and somehow that has now been conflated by Robert Gibb's to somehow be the "Canadian health care system"?
So ... why did Robert "Sink the Titanic" Gibbs conflate the public option with that of the Canadian health care system?
Here's an informative snippet from Brent Budowsky at The Hill - Pundit's Blog that lays it out much better than I can on how all this may play out come November.
Regarding Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, two points. First, he does not speak for himself, he speaks for the president and the White House chief of staff, who has a renowned contempt for the Democratic base. Second, obviously, an attack on the Democratic base during a midterm election that will be decided on turnout will go down in history as one of the dumbest acts since the Titanic stopped for ice.
It is interesting that Gibbs mocked and scorned the people he called professional liberals (an expected attack from the people I call professional hacks) over their alleged obsession with the Canadian health care system.
No, Robert, the concern of liberals, which in this case I fully share, was the surrender on the public option, not the Canadian system. Liberals are being scorned for supporting a public option the president claimed he supported. It was the public option that was the most popular piece of the far less popular health care bill.
What infuriates liberals is being scorned for backing what the president said he backed, and then being slandered over the Canadian health care system. But Gibbs does not speak for himself, he speaks for the president and the White House chief of staff. Calls for his firing ignore the truth of what is happening and miss the heart of a very big matter.
And don't overlook this: If you're too busy or simply too damn lazy to go to that link, the story is actually about Elizabeth Warren.
~OGD~
Did Anyone See the Gibbs Story Buried on the TPM Front Page?
It must have been lost . . .Somewhere between the fold of this hot story here...
Ummm...
Ben Quayle Admits Writing For Trashy Frat Boy Web Site
Quack Quack Quack Quack . . .
~OGD~
BP doesnt' stand for best practices ... What's the Cost to Drill the Two Relief Wells?
BP doesnt' stand for best practices . . .It's been 108 days since the April 20 blowout and explosion on the British Petroleum/Deepwater Horizon rig. They have been pumping mud into the relief well and getting ready to seal the entire well with concrete.
On May 2 Transocean's Development Driller III started drilling a first relief well.
On May 16 GSF Development Driller II started drilling a second relief well.
What's the total cost on the two relief wells they have drilled to attempt to seal the original well?
If these relief wells had been drilled in conjunction with the original well to start with would it have taken 108 days to cap this mess?
Another way of looking at this whole screwed up mess is...
The original estimated costs for drilling the original well was set at $96 million.
Wouldn't it have been cheaper in the long run to require BP to drill a relief well while drilling the main well?
Yes. That was a obvious rhetorical question. Knowing what we know now, no doubt the relief well would have been a much cheaper investment to begin with.
But like a drunken gambler seeing that bigger pot o' gold, the company rolled the dice and they came up snake eyes.
So, when you figure that BP made $66 million per day during the the first quarter of this year and the ballpark figures that have been thrown around show that the screw-up has been costing the company $100 million per day, what incentives are there to requires BP to operate with safe practices?
And ... what price can be placed on the following individuals who lost their lives in this screw-up?
Jason Anderson
Aaron Dale Burkeen
Donald Clark
Stephen Curtis
Roy Wyatt Kemp
Karl Kleppinger
Gordon Jones
Blair Manuel
Dewey Revette
Shane Roshto
Adam Weise
The human toll seems to have been totally lost in all the spin and spew.
Although, back to the point of this blog.
I have yet to find what the costs are that have been incurred to drill the relief wells.
If anyone finds this information, let me know.
~OGD~
Wormwood... Screwtape... Andrew... and the Gullibility of the American Public
Watch what you ask for Andrew . . .
Now a quick synopsis of The Screwtape Letters written by C. S. Lewis 1941.
But they sure don't have a hard time seeing an easy mark in the morally twisted and greedy Andrew to help them accomplish their dirty work...
But you know ... Ducks also have a twin nature ...
Although ... It all depends on which nature you choose to use.
~OGD~
- Happy Dandy Andy...
"I was like, 'Please God--and I'm not religious--please God, give me something that I'm passionate about. Because I cannot do something well that I'm not passionate about.' " (**)
- Screwtape . . .
Now a quick synopsis of The Screwtape Letters written by C. S. Lewis 1941.
Wormwood and Screwtape live in a peculiarly morally reversed world, where individual benefit and greed are seen as the greatest good, and neither demon is capable of comprehending or acknowledging true human virtue when he sees it.
But they sure don't have a hard time seeing an easy mark in the morally twisted and greedy Andrew to help them accomplish their dirty work...
But you know ... Ducks also have a twin nature ...
Although ... It all depends on which nature you choose to use.
~OGD~
