The President's Big Speech on the Economy from July 24th, 2013 in Galesburg, IL

Michelle Obama's Speech on Gun Violence - April 10, 2013

@SenatorDurbin calls bull@#$% on Wayne LaPierre (VIDEO)

"The member will suspend..." (VIDEO)

Here's Bobby Rush (aka the only man to have ever beaten President Obama in an election) getting thrown off the House Floor for wearing a Hoodie in support of Trayvon Martin.



Typical GOP House.

The Daily Show's Extended Interview with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) (VIDEO)

Part 1:

The Daily Show - Exclusive - Dick Durbin Extended Interview Pt. 1
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Part 2:

The Daily Show - Exclusive - Dick Durbin Extended Interview Pt. 2
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Part 3:

The Daily Show - Exclusive - Dick Durbin Extended Interview Pt. 3
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Dick Durbin: "The president negotiated with [Boenher] in good faith. [Boenher] walked away from it. Twice.”

...you own it.

The second most powerful Democrat in the Senate warned Republicans Sunday that they are toying with a fragile economy and would take the blame for any fallout from a debt default.

On Sunday, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said he had six words of warning for House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio): “If you break it, you own it.”

Republicans and the White House have argued the case that the president “owns” the economy, along with its recovery.

Durbin slammed Boehner for calling off debt-ceiling negotiations with the White House on Friday.

“The president negotiated with you in good faith,” Durbin said he would tell Boehner. “You walked away from it. Twice.”

Uhhhh, Joe Walsh's Letter has got 90 GOP Signatures now...

Yeah, just about lights out for the McConnell-Reid Plan B.  Plan C, anyone?  (Maybe the clean debt ceiling bill Obama wanted in the first place?)

You should read Greg's piece: What happens when House Republicans stare into the abyss? It features Jed Lewison's excellent break down of the head count for Debt Ceiling passage.

This SOB (by which I mean Boehner) is taking us right to the edge.

Remember how Joe Walsh's Letter might determine if a Debt Ceiling Measure can pass the House?

Remember?  Remember what, it was a blogpost from yesterday.  C'mon we're not that old.  (Okay, maybe Rupert is).

But here's what Greg said on Tuesday:

Senate Republican aides are hoping that the letter doesn’t amass more than 50 signatures, since presumably most GOPers who do sign it are likely to vote No on the McConnell proposal. Walsh’s goal is to get more than 100 signatures on the letter, which would be a major statement of opposition to the McConnell plan in the House and would raise doubts about whether it can pass.

Well, Rep. Walsh apparently has got 80 signatures...and counting.

Greg does the math here:

If the letter does get around 100 signatories, that would mean there are around 140 remaining Republicans. Even if all of them voted for the plan, that would mean you’d need roughly another 80 House Dems. That is probably gettable, though it may be difficult, given all the noise Dems are suddenly making against the proposal. One Dem aide tells me the question of how many Dems will support it turns heavily on the complexion of the $1.5 trillion in cuts that would be packaged with the McConnell proposal.

That all sounds pretty ominous. But it’s also possible, as Senate GOP and Dem aides are hoping, that there will be a drop dead moment of terror next week that will, shall we say, persuade people to rethink their positions a bit.

This would be the same Joe Walsh who...ahem...distinguished himself on Hardball yesterday:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Hell, even I don't know how big the U.S. Economy is...

...oh, that's right. I'm not an elected Congressman, trying to scold the rest of the country into ending entitlement programs, while keeping all the tax cuts for my true constituency, rich folks and corporations.

Greg Sargent: How Joe Walsh's Letter will determine if a Debt Ceiling Measure can pass the House

Y'see? This is reporting.

Late yesterday GOP Rep. Joe Walsh, who is backed by the Tea Party, began circulating a letter among GOP colleagues that urges GOP leaders John Boehner and Eric Cantor to publicly oppose the McConnell plan and even to oppose it coming to the floor for a vote.

A Senate Republican aide tells me that GOP aides will be closely watching the number of signatures it amasses in order to gauge whether the McConnell proposal can get through the House.

“On behalf of the millions of Americans we represent, we strongly urge you to both publicly oppose Senator McConnell’s plan to raise the debt ceiling and ensure it never comes to the House floor for a vote,” the letter reads.

“We understand Senator Mitch McConnell’s frustration with the debt ceiling debate, but his plan enables Congress to avoid making the hard decisions,” the letter continues. “This plan is nothing more than politics as usual: it passes the buck to President Obama and robs the American people of their voice in Congress.

Senate Republican aides are hoping that the letter doesn’t amass more than 50 signatures, since presumably most GOPers who do sign it are likely to vote No on the McConnell proposal. Walsh’s goal is to get more than 100 signatures on the letter, which would be a major statement of opposition to the McConnell plan in the House and would raise doubts about whether it can pass.

For the record, we're talking about Joe Walsh of Illinois, not Joe Walsh, who's famous and actually worth something.

Andrew Sullivan: Illinois state senator, Ricky Hendon kicks the crap out of professional politicians.

Wow. Absolute, fantastic, must-see catch from Andrew Sullivan.

Illinois state senator, Ricky Hendon kicks the crap out of professional politicians. He's really talking about Civil Unions in the clip (he's, like me, a charter member of the "I don't care" Democratic Caucus...as in I don't care if Adam and Steve get married)...

...but...(hee-hee) it applys to so many other things, especially today.

Loved it.

President Obama's complete Chicago "Moving America Forward" rally (VIDEO)

While you were at the Rally to Restore Sanity, the President was doing this:

Another positive ad featuring the President?? (VIDEO)

Again, like with Lincoln Chaffee, this isn't a total surprise. This is from Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias of Illinois.

Hmm. I'm not sure, but I think the President and First Lady use to work in Illinois...somewhere.

And now the New York Times is looking at who is buying this election (VIDEO)

From yesterday's New York Times:

Prudential Financial sent in a $2 million donation last year as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce kicked off a national advertising campaign to weaken the historic rewrite of the nation’s financial regulations.

Dow Chemical delivered $1.7 million to the chamber last year as the group took a leading role in aggressively fighting proposed rules that would impose tighter security requirements on chemical facilities.

And Goldman Sachs, Chevron Texaco, and Aegon, a multinational insurance company based in the Netherlands, donated more than $8 million in recent years to a chamber foundation that has been critical of growing federal regulation and spending. These large donations — none of which were publicly disclosed by the chamber, a tax-exempt group that keeps its donors secret, as it is allowed by law — offer a glimpse of the chamber’s money-raising efforts, which it has ramped up recently in an orchestrated campaign to become one of the most well-financed critics of the Obama administration and an influential player in this fall’s Congressional elections.

They suggest that the recent allegations from President Obama and others that foreign money has ended up in the chamber’s coffers miss a larger point: The chamber has had little trouble finding American companies eager to enlist it, anonymously, to fight their political battles and pay handsomely for its help.

And these contributions, some of which can be pieced together through tax filings of corporate foundations and other public records, also show how the chamber has increasingly relied on a relatively small collection of big corporate donors to finance much of its legislative and political agenda. The chamber makes no apologies for its policy of not identifying its donors. It has vigorously opposed legislation in Congress that would require groups like it to identify their biggest contributors when they spend money on campaign ads.

Our new Chief of Staff is the old (Senate) Chief of Staff...

...at least for now.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel will announce his resignation Friday, multiple administration officials said, continuing a series of key staffing changes ahead of the midterm elections.

Pete Rouse, a senior adviser who was President Obama's chief of staff in the Senate, is expected to fill the role at least on an interim basis, although several officials said he could wind up in the job permanently.

Obama will make two "personnel announcements" in the East Room at 11:05 a.m. Friday, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday. Obama is expected to announce the Emanuel and Rouse moves at the same time, to maintain as much continuity as possible.

Emanuel has been setting the stage for his departure for weeks, since the moment outgoing Chicago Mayor Richard Daley (D) said he would not run for reelection. The question of whether and when Emanuel would leave has been a sizable distraction, people who work with the White House said, as other senior officials try to assess what the vacancy will mean and what other moves will be set in motion.

Rouse, a longtime former Senate staffer, is a popular choice among the White House staff. Already intimately involved in most major internal decisions, he is seen as a problem-solver, often wrestling with the president's most difficult dilemmas.

He is so well known in the Senate - where for many years he was a senior aide to then-Majority Leader Thomas Daschle - that he was often referred to as the 101st senator. Yet he has a much lower public profile than Emanuel's.

Beyond anything else, this is not a bad thing. The White House needs a change every once in a while.  With the exception of the President, these folks can't be expected to stay in their jobs for the full eight years (Hilly possibly excepted.  She seems to be lovin' that job.)  With Daley declaring he's not going to run again for Chicago Mayor, Rahm had to jump at this opportunity.

I've always been a Rahmbo fan. I like his style. I have found of the criticism he gets from the "professional left" a bit mystifying. It's like someone blaming the Offensive Coordinator for telling the Coach that we can't run the ball because the Defensive is too tough. Rahm's job was to read the tea leaves, and report what he thought could get done to his boss (you may know him as the President). The President calls the play.

From what I'm hearing, don't be surprised if Tom Daschle comes back to the White House as the permanent Chief of Staff, but that's just idle speculation at this point.  Moving over Biden's Chief of Staff (played by Kevin Spacey in the HBO Movie "Recount") also makes a lot of sense.

Are you freaking kidding me?!?!?

This from the Progressive Change Campaign Committee:

Sign the pledge sending this message to Rahm Emanuel:

"I will not support Rahm Emanuel in any future election for Congress, Mayor of Chicago, Governor, or other office. He sold us out on the public option and is a weak Democrat who caves instead of fighting conservatives and corporate power. We won't forget the choices you've made, Rahm."

It's why I can't stand the PCCC and why Liberals keep losing.

Does the PCCC really expect me to believe that a Republican Mayor of Chicago is preferable to Rahmbo?

Political life is simple.

In the Primaries, you fall in love. PCCC can nominate who they want, and who they love.  I believe in primary challenges (except for President -- they never end well).  If they knock off Rahmbo in this stage.  Fine.  More power to 'em.

In the General, you fall in line. Vote for the Democrat, it beats the alternative!  Even if that means voting for Rahmbo.

Jon Stewart destroys Governor Rod Blagojevich

For my Father, who sooooo loves him some Blagojevich:

Part 1:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Rod Blagojevich Extended Interview Pt. 1
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Part 2:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Rod Blagojevich Extended Interview Pt. 2
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

The President talks Wall Street Reform back home in Quincy, IL (VIDEO)

The Daily Show: Everyone's guilty but Rod...

The best part is the audience laughter.

To paraphrase Jon, Rod comes off very good in his own book.

Part 1:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Rod Blagojevich Extended Interview Pt. 1
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

Part 2:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Rod Blagojevich Extended Interview Pt. 2
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

Part 3:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Rod Blagojevich Extended Interview Pt. 3
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

The Hill: Bobby Rush's Niece a possible domestic...

Just because in my last posting about it, I wanted to set the record straight that this may not be what it appeared to me at first (another example of someone threatening Congressmen and their families over Health Care). The Hill provided a few more details, but not much more past what we had this morning.

Rep. Rush's niece victim of alleged arson
By Christina Wilkie
Posted: 08/19/09 04:57 PM [ET]

A car belonging to Rep. Bobby Rush's (D-Ill.) niece was doused with an accelerant and set on fire in Lansing, Ill., on Tuesday.

According to NBC's Chicago affiliate, 28-year-old Kaneisha Leira, the daughter of Rush's brother Marlon Rush, had just gotten into her Lexus sedan when "a man with a match" approached the car and threw it at the vehicle.

The driver, unaware that accelerant had already been poured around the car, did not exit the vehicle quickly enough, and suffered minor burns.

Police arrived to discover a Lexus engulfed in flames. They also found aluminum cans of accelerant around the vehicle.

Leira refused to go to the hospital and was treated on site. A neighbor observed Leira leaving the scene in a police vehicle.

A source told The Hill that it appeared to be a "domestic" incident unrelated to the congressman, but police are still investigating.

NBC: Gee, should this count as a threat?

Of course, I am being sarcastic. This is getting deadly serious.

Car Belonging to Congressman's Niece Torched

Bobby Rush's niece treated for minor burns


A car belonging to the niece of Rep. Bobby Rush was torched Tuesday morning in Lansing, Ill.

Authorities said an accelerant was found around the Lexus, which was parked outside the Britany Lane home of the Democrat's brother, Marlan Rush.

"We get there (and) the owner of the vehicle was there. She had minor burns. She was treated on-scene and she refused to go to the hospital," said Sgt. Scott Bailey with the Lansing Police Department.

Investigators said they're still trying to piece together what happened and have not made any arrests.

A Rush spokesman said the congressman has yet to receive details from the family or investigators and had no further comment.