to First Draft
I'm sorry, it's been completely years, and I should be over him by now.
Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts has introduced federal legislation to expressly prohibit anti-LGBT discrimination in housing.
The bill, known as the Housing Opportunities Made Equal Act, or HOME Act, would amend the 1968 Fair Housing Act to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, as well as amend the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to prevent such discrimination in lending (the bill would also bar discrimination based on source of income and marital status). A House version of the bill will be introduced later today by Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York.
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I am attempting to imagine the lawyer that would WANT him on this jury:
WILMINGTON, Del. – Joe Biden may be the nation's vice president, but that doesn't mean he can avoid fulfilling his civic duty.
Aides say Biden reported Monday morning for jury duty along with 100 others at the New Castle County courthouse in Delaware after receiving a jury summons.
"I don't consider myself different than any other person," Biden told The News Journal of Wilmington, Del. "This is important ... It is an honor to be a part of the system."
Biden and several Secret Service agents waited with other prospective jurors in the jury assembly room. During a break, staffers and security poured in from a side door to consult with the vice president. Biden said he had to make several calls on a secure telephone during the break, including one to President Barack Obama.
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One of the things my distinguished colleague from the great state of Illinois and I have in common is a fondness for John Kerry. He's not my boyfriend and he wasn't always a great candidate but he's a good guy. He's gone back to the Senate, rolled up his sleeves and gone to work instead of petulantly pouting like Senator Walnuts.
Bruce Springsteen's No Surrender was Kerry's theme song in 2004. Best campaign song since Happy Days Are Here Again. Too bad the campaign didn't have a happy ending, no lewd jokes please. Hush Jude.
Here's a live peformance by the Boss and the E Street Band during the 2004 general election campaign. It not only rocks, it rules:
Austin Futch, 10, from Memphis, Tennessee, said he quizzed the first lady about a few things on his mind concerning life in the White House.
He wanted to know how it felt to be surrounded at all times by Secret Service agents -- not too bad because they are nice guys -- and if it was hard being married to the president.
"No, he's a pretty good guy," Michelle Obama told him, according to a transcript of the calls released by the White House.
"I mean, it's a tough job and sometimes you want to do everything you can to help him, but it's pretty easy being married to him. He's kind of funny -- fun to hang out with."
Even in the moments when I've wanted to chuck her husband, I hoped we could keep Michelle. What's it like being married to the president? "Eh, he doesn't suck."
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"This is the defining civil rights initiative of this decade," Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, said after the repeal passed on Saturday.
"Congress has taken an extraordinary step on behalf of men and women who've been denied their rightful integrity for too long."
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I thought last night, reading Kerry's Twitter feed, that he sounded kind of hammered:
harry reid!!!---
ever notice how repub tlkg heads spin company line while dems get all analytical? Me 2
---
more 2 come, but big message in MA tonight re real choices Glen
---
In CA with Barbara Boxer, she's a fighter, I love her.
But now I'm convinced he's on some kind of epic bender to deal with the fact that he's got to deal with these Republicans all over Capitol Hill, touching his things and flirting with his staffers and generally getting in his way:
“Politico was wrong, Huffington Post was wrong, hell, all the pundits were wrong. Harry Reid isn’t just Dracula, he isn’t just Lazarus, he’s our Leader and our whole caucus is thrilled that he’s unbreakable and unbeatable.”
Whoever is letting him write his own shit, please, don't ever make him stop.
Every picture of or story about Chelsea being grown-up, gorgeous, well-adjusted and happy is a slap in the face to the right wing that attacked her all those years in the White House, and that just warms my little black heart.
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“However illegally these documents came to light, they raise serious questions about the reality of America’s policy toward Pakistan and Afghanistan. Those policies are at a critical stage and these documents may very well underscore the stakes and make the calibrations needed to get the policy right more urgent.”
And to people whining who should know better:
"The United States strongly condemns the disclosure of classified information by individuals and organizations which could put the lives of Americans and our partners at risk, and threaten our national security," National Security Adviser Gen. Jim Jones said in a statement. "Wikileaks made no effort to contact us about these documents - the United States government learned from news organizations that these documents would be posted."
Oh, God Almighty, calm down. Your president got elected on the premise that the war was fucked up and he'd have to unfuck it. It's not like you didn't know this stuff. And to be all I do declare Miss Scarlett about the rest of the American public getting to know this stuff strains credulity and moves the focus from what could have been, "Yeah, this is why you elected us, to fix this shit" to "no no no no bad journalism!" is just amateurish. Anyone paying attention knows how this works.
Surprise us, wouldja, and for once deal with the substance instead of the bunting it's wrapped in?
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Oh, if only my boyfriend talked to the Box Turtle Bandit like this:
Cornyn: clean power ideas like nuclear power are great but better environmental policies would kill the American economy
Tapper: of course
Cornyn: let the Japanese hit home runs - America can bunt and hit singles or better still get hit by a Chinese pitch and draw a walk
Kerry: Babe Ruth didn’t call a motherfucking single! And by the way there are no fucking taxes in the bill shithead!
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Today in pictures:
U.S. President Barack Obama signs the healthcare legislation during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, March 23, 2010. Obama sealed a hard-fought victory on Tuesday by signing into law a landmark healthcare reform measure that will help shape his legacy and the Democrats' chances of holding power in the U.S. Congress.
House Republican Conference Chairman Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind, accompanied by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. , discusses health care legislation during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 23, 2010.
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Hey baby, hey baby, you so fine baby:
"You have a choice," she said. "You can choose to continue your opposition to reform."
Or, she said, there's the other option. "You can choose to take the millions of dollars you have stored away for your next round of ads to kill meaningful reform, and use them to start giving Americans some relief from their skyrocketing premiums," Sebelius said. "Instead of spending your energy attacking the parts of the President's proposal you don't like, you can use it to strengthen the parts you do."
Via Sebelius's stalker one-man fan club, joejoejoe.
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VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Well, I-- I-- I would hope I-- look, it's one thing to be outspoken. It's another thing to be outspoken in a way that misrepresents the facts. And I-- I guess-- again, I-- it's almost like Dick is trying to rewrite history. I can understand where the-- why that would be-- you know, an impulse. And maybe he isn't-- literally, I'm not being facetious. Maybe he's not fully informed of what's going on. I mean, the progress we have made. There has never been as much emphasis and resources brought against Al Qaeda. The success rate exceeds anything that occurred in the last Administration. And they did their best. I'm not-- I'm not impugning their effort. It's simply not true that the President of the United States is not prosecuting the war against Al Qaeda with a vigor that's never been seen before. It's real. It's deep. It's successful. (emphasis mine)
"Exceeds anything that occurred in the last Administration."
Context:
We've had Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in custody in Karachi since last week, Dick.
Seriously, I don't know if I'm overreacting or what, and obviously Dorgan's a bigger deal because it will be harder to hold that seat, but ... Dodd, man.
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In other words, the bill could plausibly defund the entire military-industrial complex. Whoops.
Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) picked up on the legislative overreach and asked the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) to sift through its database to find which contractors might be caught in the ACORN net.
Lockheed Martin and Northrop Gumman both popped up quickly, with 20 fraud cases between them, and the longer list is a Who's Who of weapons manufacturers and defense contractors.
The language was written by the GOP and filed as a "motion to recommit" in the House, where it passed 345-75.
POGO is reaching out to its members to identify other companies who have engaged in the type of misconduct that would make them ineligible for federal funds.
Grayson then intends to file that list in the legislative history that goes along with the bill so that judges can reference it when determining whether a company should be denied federal funds.
The Florida freshman is asking for direct assistance. He has set up a Google spreadsheet where people can suggest contractors who have been charged with violations and include a link to a media or government report documenting the alleged transgression.
Via the Crack Den.
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I could spend all day combing the wingnutsphere for the worst of what's being said, but I don't know, those aren't the people whose opinions I care about. Not today.
“I will always remember Teddy as the ultimate example for all of us who seek to serve, a hero for those Americans in the shadow of life who so desperately needed one.
“He worked tirelessly to lift Americans out of poverty, advance the cause of civil rights, and provide opportunity to all. He fought to the very end for the cause of his life – ensuring that all Americans have the health care they need.
“The commitment to build a stronger and fairer America, a more perfect union, was deeply ingrained in the fiber of who he was, and what he believed in, and why he served.
“That’s why he stands among the most respected Senators in history. But it was his sympathetic ear, his razor wit, and his booming, raucous laugh that made him among the most beloved."
No words can ever do justice to this irrepressible, larger than life presence who was simply the best -- the best Senator, the best advocate you could ever hope for, the best colleague, and the best person to stand by your side in the toughest of times. He faced the last challenge of his life with the same grace, courage, and determination with which he fought for the causes and principles he held so dear. He taught us how to fight, how to laugh, how to treat each other, and how to turn idealism into action, and in these last fourteen months he taught us much more about how to live life, sailing into the wind one last time. For almost 25 years, I was privileged to serve as his colleague and share his friendship for which I will always be grateful.
For five decades,
virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights,
health and economic well being of the American people bore his name and
resulted from his efforts. I valued his wise counsel in the Senate,
where, regardless of the swirl of events, he always had time for a new
colleague. I cherished his confidence and momentous support in my race
for the Presidency. And even as he waged a valiant struggle with a
mortal illness, I've profited as President from his encouragement and
wisdom.
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Because the people who bankroll Nixonite shitbag liars deserve to be socially shunned.
And yes, I know it's a Politico link, but for whatever reason they have the best John Kerry-related stories. I know, I feel funny about it too.
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Via leinie in the blogwhoring kitteh thread, get well soon, Senator:
First, I feel fine. As you have probably noticed, I’m working some long and hard hours lately. And that will continue.
Second, I’m going to be fine. We caught this early. The biopsies I had showed a minimal amount of cancer, and that it hasn’t spread. My prognosis is excellent.
Third, as a Member of Congress, I have good health insurance. I was able to seek the opinions of highly skilled doctors, consider all the available options, and choose the treatment that’s right for me.
When the Senate adjourns at the end of next week, I’m going to have surgery. After a brief recuperation at home, I’ll be back at work.
My hope is that we will pass the Health Care bill that we passed in the HELP Committee in the Senate so that every American will be able to get an annual physical and talk to their doctor about screening so that problems like this can be caught early and treated.”
Those of you what are n00bs, this is the reason I will always love him:
As Justice Robert Jackson said in his opening statement at Nuremberg: “That four great nations, flushed with victory and stung with injury, stay the hand of vengeance and voluntarily submit their captive enemies to the judgment of the law is one of the most significant tributes that Power has ever paid to Reason.”
Mr. President, what is the tribute that Power owes to Reason?
That America stands for a transcendent idea.
The idea that laws should rule, not men.
The idea that the Constitution does not get suspended for vengeance.
The idea that this nation should never tailor its eternal principles to the conflict of the moment, because if we did, we would be walking in the footsteps of the enemies we despised.
The tribute that Power owes to Reason is due today. I know that we can find the strength to pay it. And if we can’t? We will all have to answer for it.
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Though:
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Eric Massa, gentleman from New York:
Via Balloon Juice.
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The face we show to the world matters to the world:
People gathered in Ghana to watch for Obama as he toured the Cape Coast Slave Castle.
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You know, for all the times I think Biden can be and has been a tool:
Wolffe, who covered the presidential campaign for Newsweek and now works as a political analyst for MSNBC, doesn’t explain what the “trouble” was. But Ashley Biden was charged in 2002 with obstructing an officer during an incident outside a Chicago nightclub. The charge was dropped after she apologized.
Biden brushed aside his staff’s suggestion that he release a statement, according to Wolffe.
Instead, Biden said, “Hell, no. I’m going to call John myself,” Wolffe wrote in the book, which will be released today.
When McCain refused to take his call, Biden was even more annoyed. He tried again when the candidates were in New York on the anniversary of 9/11, preparing for a forum on public service.
“McCain’s aides said he could not be disturbed, but that did not inhibit Joe Biden,” Wolffe wrote. “He walked up to McCain’s door and thumped on it. ‘John McCain,’ he shouted. ‘It’s Joe Biden. The next time I phone you, take the damn call.’ ”
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G.K. Butterfield:
The Don't Let The Bedbugs Bite Act:
Mr. A and I had an infestation of these things a few years ago. At first I blamed them on this shithole we stayed at one night, but later the exterminator told me they were all through the building and it was possible a neighbor had brought them in. Whatever the case, all of a sudden I was waking up with what felt like mosquito bites and couldn't figure out how a mosquito got in. Bug spray didn't help, long sleeves didn't help, keeping the windows closed in August didn't help, and then one day I saw the little fuckers. Ugggghhh. I hate insects. I will handle snakes and pet lizards and coo at mice but a fly sends me screaming for a swatter. The idea of insects in the BED was nightmare-inducing.
It took monthly visits from an exterminator for a year and a half to eradicate the bastards, plus bagging the mattresses and pillows, laundering everything in the house, scouring the walls, floors, furniture and pets, and caulking every crack in which they might hide. And I'm still freaked out about them coming back. Anybody willing to push for more funding to drive them to extinction is my new political boyfriend.
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For no reason whatsoever.
From the maniacs at Biden_Daily, about which TJ was asking in the van last night.
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Geeky I know, but I love that the White House has a flickr account. It features the First 100 Days-Delivering on Change behind-the-scenes photos by Pete Souza, some of which were released earlier this week, also available now at whitehouse.gov. Available for download under Creative Commons license,too!
One of the first blog-based books, the anthology Special Plans examines Feith's role in misleading America into war. Buy from Amazon and William, James & Co.
