Salut! Senator Franken

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Gosh darn it, that feels good to say. Somewhere out there, Senators Paul Wellstone, "Clean Gene" McCarthy and the original Happy Warrior, Hubert Humphrey, are smiling. Excellence has returned to the Minnesota Senate team in full.

This temporary Minnesotan joins the celebration to say Congratulations, Senator Franken.
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Panda and Panda and Panda, Oh My....

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Live at the Red River Valley Zoo—which surely must now be red panda universe—the first look at the red panda triplets. Yes, triplets. Born June 11. To be on public view starting in August. Start planning your vacation now....
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because it can't be all about politics and floods'n'stuff all the time.
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Close Encounters of the Health Care Kind

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Nothing like a medical emergency to focus the mind and the attention. Once the dust settles and the hours drag on, and you view life through a hospital window and the limited television selection [no MSNBC!] of a hospital room, you learn to appreciate the blessings and ignore the rest for a while.

But there's no ignoring the health care system these days, and we're hearing snatches of real life about it everywhere. From the caller to NPR describing how her insurance will go from some $800 a month to over $1400 if she renews. To the couple in the ER worrying in whispers whether there'll be coverage. To...well, you and I know the examples are legion.

And it's almost inconceivable that the insiders in Washington could be so oblivious or deliberately disregarding of what's going on for their fellow citizens, their constituents, their voters every single day.

Maybe you Senators and former Senators and lobbyists and industry corporatists aren't talking to us...but we're talking to each other, and we're mad as hell that we're being ignored.

You remember us...We, the people?

Or as my dear friend Kathy shared with me from the letter she sent the White House [and the

New Stealth Attack on Judge Sotomayor?

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The elite white male national attack on Judge Sotomayor was a major fail...are they now going local with white females instead?
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Under the headline "Don't Rush high court decision," a new organization in North Dakota purports to have the noble purpose of "educating" we, the great unwashed ignorati who still read dead-tree papers from time to time, fronted by a well-coiffed Republican Representative who just feels so warm and fuzzy in her heart at the opportunity to reach out to her fellow North Dakotans and invite them to join her on Facebook and Twitter and learn all about that—oooooooh, that oh-so-questionable Sotomayor.

Break out the violins.

Their purpose is as transparent and honest as Lou Dobbs protesting he's got the best interests of immigrants at heart.

I commented at my local paper's website:

Rep. Hawken and her party of "No!" and stall at any cost as long as possible [see: Norm Coleman] has zero credibility on the subject of stall, stall, stall Sotomayor now that the racist campaign by the elite Washington white males has failed.

Guess the Rep. has done too much talking to the likes of Newt and Rush instead of George H.W. Bush, who originally appointed Sotomayor...and Laura Bush, who has endorsed her. And then there's all those Republican Senators who voted for her confirmation back in the day.

Sorry, Kathy, your too-obvious launch of a new partisan assault on Judge Sotomayor isn't going to play among fair-minded and reasonable people.

Just on the off-chance that this North Dakota campaign is part of a new national "beta-testing" effort by, oh, say, former North Dakotan Dick Armey's bunch a la the recent teabagging campaign, I thought I'd share this article link and ask if you're seeing anything like the North Dakota Judicial Confirmation Network in your home state.

[Just googled and for the record it's ND JCN--yep, with a space. And lookie here whose name turned up in one of their Facebook comments: Wendy Long.]

We wouldn't want these folks to think nobody's paying attention....
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crossposted at firedoglake's Oxdown Gazette

Frank Rich Carries the Baton forward from Krugman

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Friday I steered you to Krugman. Tonight, add Frank Rich to the mix. Finally, we are seeing the opinion writers of trad med take a long overdue stand against the media which not only enable, they egg-on their rightwing followers into violent acts.

The examples are legion of how the establishment media have played along with the hatemongering tactics, giving the cover of their brand [MSNBC-Buchanan, anyone?] to the vilest of hate speech.

Oh, and as long as we're doing examples, Frank Rich ably takes on Fox, Limbaugh and the rest of the Usual Suspects, but how about stuff like NBC and Matt Lauer? I thought Letterman's joke was a stupid joke, too. But I also spoke out about Limbaugh's jokes about Chelsea Clinton back in the day. But in their $$$$-focused eyes, giving Sarah Palin a platform to shovel her insinuations against Letterman was probably some convoluted way to tear down Conan's competition at a critical time. Never mind that it tears down public discourse.

Meanwhile, you have hatemongers like Jon Voight with the seal of approval of Mitch McConnell and the rest of the Confederacy of ReTHUGS making not so subtle comparisons to assassinated historic leaders.

Frank Rich applauds Shep Smith, but the rest of the Fox screeders continue

Prairie Recommends: Krugman on the Big Hate

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We talk about it all the time here in the progressive blogosphere. But today, Krugman brings it out front and center in the New York Times. The rightwing hatemongering media machine, folks like Murdoch Media, The Washington Times, the AEI, the Heritage Foundation, the Limbaugh-O'Reilly-Hannity-Beck alliance that screeds and distorts and twists and eggs-on until we see a dead doctor, a dead security guard, family men both.

What do these purveyors of hate and division tell these victims' families? Not our fault? Politics ain't beanbag? What do they tell their own families, once the front door closes and it's just them theirownselves and their mirrors. Do they like the look of what they see? Really, Mary?

The tactics of hate. It's just words. Ask Frank Luntz, he'll tell you. Wordwhoring is the be-all-end-all, the policy doesn't matter, the truth doesn't matter, just who gets their side "out there" first and loudest. Right, Cokie?

The thing about the Big Hate is, once it gets the blessing of Teh Village, the Establishment, the "mainstream" then those folks are just as culpable. Turning a blind eye, a deaf ear, an oh, pish-posh, let's just keep it mysterious doesn't distinguish you from the vilest of the hate culture. Does it, Peggy?

Or maybe just ask the folks at Buchenwald...those who lived right next door.

Salute to Krugman for standing up to hate today...here's just a bit of what he has to say:

one important thing that the D.H.S. report didn’t say: Today, as in the early years of the Clinton administration but to an even greater extent, right-wing extremism is being systematically fed by the conservative media and political establishment.

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supposedly respectable news organizations and political figures are giving aid and comfort to dangerous extremism.

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Yes, the worst terrorist attack in our history was perpetrated by a foreign conspiracy. But the second worst, the Oklahoma City bombing, was perpetrated by an all-American lunatic.

crossposted at firedoglake's Oxdown Gazette

UPDATE: A Letterwriter in the Minneapolis Tribune notes a darker side--the RNC itself is part of incendiary speech tactics, given the cynical use of Jon Voight and his inflammatory words at their GOP dinner. Some Confederacy you're pallin' around with these days, Sister Sarah.

Healthcare--Just Imagine

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Yes, just imagine. A way to cut through all the clutter and chaff of the healthcare legislation. To focus the minds of the Congress and build a new healthcare system that serves the best interests of...the patients.

Not Big Pharma. Not the AMA. Not the medical venture capitalistic hedgefunderific pillagers. Not the hypersalaried and bonused health insurance companies. Not Mr. Lunkhead's talking points.

The Patients.

Here's how to get there.

First, the Senate and House and White House immediately suspend all their health care plans and go COBRA. And when they come up with the new health care plan, it's not just our health care plan, it's theirs, too.

Kinda like making Cornyn and Schumer fly coach, I suppose.

The President made a start at building public support today with the town hall in Green Bay Wisconsin [and if anybody wants to start smacking around the "S" word, watch out for those Packer fans. They may not take kindly to aspersions on their ownership of the team that made the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field a sports legend].

So the groundwork's been laid. But Congress putting their own healthcare where their policies...and mouths...are. Now that'll focus their attention.

Just imagine how quickly and how well they'd be inspired to move.

h/t CF via Mr. Sunshine
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crossposted at firedoglake's Oxdown Gazette