Rickrolling (4.00 / 4)

has got to be way older than 6 months.

I'm pretty sure my mother knows what a rickroll is.

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by: Jerry 101 @ Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 03:07:28 AM UTC

Rahm on 'Meet the Press' (4.00 / 7)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28...

What you see here--and the president has always said that we must have an approach to spending money differently and respect for the taxpayers' dollars, and do it in a more efficient way and in a different way.  And most importantly, we must deal with the long-term challenges that face this country.  So while he has talked about the need--and everybody I think from economists on the left to economists on the right realize that we must make critical investments at this time.  And yes, they'll add to our obligation. It has got to be coupled with a serious attack about putting our fiscal house in order.  And for too long that hasn't happened. Challenges that needed to be met, responsibilities that needed to be met have not.  

So from the era--from the area of, let's just say, in the defense area. ... On an annual basis we have about $300 billion in cost overruns. That must be addressed, and we will be addressing it.  Area of subsidies to corporate America, that must be addressed.  And then also, dealing with the bigger obligations of health care costs and their--and what they have done to the federal budget.  So all of that must be done.

So, Rahm talks about cutting costs in 3 areas: defense, corporate subsidies and health care. Sounds good.

And he doesn't mention Social Security. Sounds good too.

Any hope that that's the agenda? or part of the agenda?

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by: The Big Hurt @ Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 04:09:26 AM UTC

Great quotes Big thanks (4.00 / 2)

This goes a long way to relaxing my wariness, though I should probably not lose that. I'll just celebrate while watching carefully.

Yippee. And Hurrah.

I think I can feel history passing through me tonight, what a wonderful thing.

--

The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky

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by: HousesofProgress @ Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 05:00:08 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Pelosi tho, specifically put SS/Medicaid/Medicare cuts on the table -- (4.00 / 1)

...Pelosi and Obama appear to be on the same page when it comes to entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare. Obama announced last week that he would convene a "fiscal responsibility summit" in February to focus on long-term problems with the economy and the skyrocketing costs of benefit programs such as Social Security and Medicare.

"I support what he wants to do, to have a summit of that kind," Pelosi said Sunday. "We will have our own initiatives in the Congress to work with him on that."

Pelosi said everything should be on the table, including benefit cuts.

"The only thing we didn't want to put on the table is eliminating Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid," she said. ...

-- http://www.google.com/hostedne...

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by: amberglow @ Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 16:42:35 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Be careful folks... (4.00 / 4)

...I'm noticing around the net that the hardcore republicans are moving from stage 1--denial onto stage 2--anger... Denial lasted a longer time than expected, but they were all into that birth certificate supreme court thing...

Now that the inauguration is about to happen, it's starting to sink in...

So, careful out there... angry republicans have guns and like to use them!

REID: Voting against us was never part of our arrangement!
SPECTER: I am altering the deal! Pray I don't alter it any further!
REID: This deal keeps getting worse all the time!

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by: lord_mike @ Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 04:33:14 AM UTC

First the sorites (0.00 / 0)

now the snark about cultural studies grad students.  I like your intellectual style, Chris.

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by: MattD @ Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 04:58:20 AM UTC

details (4.00 / 1)

How'd the meeting with the cats go? And why did they request it in the first place?

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by: dave marley @ Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 06:03:28 AM UTC

Never before in America (4.00 / 1)

never before in America has the country been so estatic about the inauguation of a President. This is truly history in the making. whoever would have thought the nations first Afro American President would draw the largest inauguation crowd to witness such an event. Tomorrow people will be partying all across America, and I'll be one of them.

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by: jerrythejuggler @ Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 06:29:10 AM UTC

Creepy.... (0.00 / 0)

Yeah, it was kinda funny but also made me a tad uncomfortable.

Nonetheless, I think this moves things in the right direction. Remember what a royal pain in the ass it was just months ago to put a YouTube Video on a congresscritter's website. I'll take an the change I can get.

Damn I hope its a LONG eight years.

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by: methion @ Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 07:13:08 AM UTC

since when is nancy pelosi a serious figure? (0.00 / 0)

:)

happy inauguration. :)

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by: dr anonymous @ Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 07:59:27 AM UTC

Yep (4.00 / 2)

On a lighter note, this chart is one of the funniest things I saw during the election season.  I can't remember who it was (538, maybe?  not sure), but one of the big polling sites slipped this one out by saying it was the new Gallup poll but there was an issue with the embed so you'd have to use the direct link.

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by: L Boom @ Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 15:04:10 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

now (0.00 / 0)

that is funny, never saw that before

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by: jstrick @ Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 15:55:49 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

there's a meat loaf one too (0.00 / 0)

it's entertaining :)

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by: dr anonymous @ Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 21:17:17 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

What's with the crankiness of late? (0.00 / 0)

In response to Sirota's last diary, a commenter literally wrote, "Barack Obama is the enemy."  It blows my mind, but it seems to be the prevailing theme around her as of late...  and it seems to have come literally out of the blue starting last week...

I don't get it at all...  I really like this site as a whole and like the front pagers, but, lately, the place is totally bumming me out!  We should be friggin' happy as hell!  So, what gives?

REID: Voting against us was never part of our arrangement!
SPECTER: I am altering the deal! Pray I don't alter it any further!
REID: This deal keeps getting worse all the time!

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by: lord_mike @ Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 09:16:58 AM UTC

dunno probably winter darkness and massive global recession (0.00 / 0)

"I told Obama that when he wins - which I think he will - I will celebrate for one day. I'll break-dance in the morning and party in the afternoon. But the next day, I'll become one of his major critics..."

but in fairnenss, today's your day!  be happy! :)

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by: dr anonymous @ Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 21:21:11 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

internet time (0.00 / 0)

6 months = 2 quarters = 2 yrs of 'normal' time

They call me Clem, Clem Guttata. Come visit wild, wonderful West Virginia Blue

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by: WVaBlue @ Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 10:49:28 AM UTC

It's a "Friedman"! (4.00 / 1)

Hat tip to Atrios.
:D

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by: Gray @ Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 16:15:26 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Its hard to be happy (4.00 / 2)

even on a day like today when things are so in the crapper -- Gaza, economy, giant ash spills, new coal-fired power plants, Zimbabwe, more people at food banks, people in eastern Europe with no heat for weeks, and on and on.  Its like we had to wait until we were on the verge of global collapse before we could do one little good thing -- elect Obama. Its depressing to think that this is what it takes to actually get people to act for the common good.

How did GWB win in 2004?  Or in 2000 for that matter?  I just can't get over that.  How did the 2006 takeover of Congress result in so little?  How are we still waiting for someone to do something about global warming? How are we building NEW nukes?  

Its like one of those balancing scales -- in one pan is  Regan and Bush 1 and Clinton and Bush 2 and in the other pan is Obama.  Obama is great, but even he can't outweigh the sad legacy of these guys.  It's great seeing all the pro-Obama coverage, but I can't see it without remembering that these are the same people who, after Regan's death, gushed over how fabulous HE was. (And I don't mean I think Obama is like Regan, I mean that the news media is filled with gross human beings who are still there bloviating.)

I don't know if this makes any sense. I am going to an inauguration party later -- maybe I will be cheered up by then!

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by: yoda @ Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 11:18:02 AM UTC

Bush didn't win in 2000 (4.00 / 1)

he had the Supreme Court steal it for him. Al Gore prevailed in the popular vote and, had Florida been counted properly, would have won the electoral vote as well.

After an open coup was accepted by the people, the forces backing him knew that the people would accept other criminal acts. Unilateral, illegal war. Torture. The elimination of habeas corpus. Illicit spying.

The same gangsters are still in charge, immensely richer and more powerful after eight years of being allowed the run of the place. Obama is only president by their sufferance, and he knows it.

You were wondering why their media creatures were cheering him on? It's because he has signaled that he won't seriously get in the way of their agenda. If he does try to challenge them after his inauguration, they will turn on him and crush him. And he knows that too.

They have the will, they have the means. Once things fall apart to the extent that they can no longer hide the enormity of their crimes from the people by bribing congresspeople and having the media spin away their actions, and people start to wake up to how thoroughly they've been had, they'll use Blackwater mercenaries to keep the populace in line.

That's how things work in the corporate states of America.

What is about to happen will be considerably better under Obama than it would have been under McCain. But it will still be savage, horrendous, and thoroughly brutal.

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by: limpidglass @ Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 12:07:47 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

this sums the "historic" day up for me -- (4.00 / 1)

http://elizabitchez.blogspot.c... -- What can make a political junkie say "meh" --

...I'm used to having a president who couldn't give a rats ass about people like me. I do have 8 years of experience with that. The only difference is that I never expected a right wing Republican president to speak for me, but I do kinda expect the Democrats to. I mean, that is the reason for their existence after all.

I've yet to see any speaking -- or most importantly, acting -- for me and millions of others, and altogether too much speaking -- and acting -- for those who are against everything i believe -- and need, and whose agenda is totally approved of -- and already being enacted -- by our new Pres who is supposed to doing the opposite.

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by: amberglow @ Tue Jan 20, 2009 at 11:49:21 AM UTC