Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

Consistently wrong since 2002

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

I was promised a recession.

“I never thought they’d lock HIM up,” sobbed a distraught member of the Lock Her Up Party.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Republicans do not pay their debts.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

After roe, women are no longer free.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

Come on, man.

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50Comments

  1. 1.

    phillygirl

    Man, I’m sick of this. I’ve spent my whole life in districts that re-elect their liberal Dems with 80-plus percent of the vote. Obama got 90% in my CD. Calling my rep is downright silly. He doesn’t need a pep talk. Soooo … what do y’all advise about calling outside your own district? In most places in PA, that 215 area code on the called ID is probably poisonous; it’s kinda like somebody from Brooklyn calling the rep from Bumfuck, New York. What to do?

  2. 2.

    The Grand Panjandrum

    Both Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter of NH are on record as a yes. Jeanne Shaheen is solidly on board with the reconciliation bill and I’m going to call Judd Gregg just to fuck with the interns or whoever it is that answers the phone. I just want to say good riddance, and to gloat that it looks like his handpicked successor may well get knocked off by the teabaggers. Of course, I will also point out that once this bill becomes law of the land several thousand children in NH will immediately become insurable.

  4. 4.

    Brick Oven Bill

    Obama’s life experience has been giving away other people’s wealth to grievance groups. This is all he knows. But there is only so much wealth.

    True wealth is created through work. The divorce of the currency from gold has allowed the government to create wealth for itself in the form of inflation at the expense of those who create wealth through work. This is how they propose to pay for their false promises to deliver resources to those who do not create wealth.

    This is economically impossible, as much as we all love kitties.

    So we again look to Greece.

  6. 6.

    Tenzil Kem

    I’ve been trying to figure out Stupak’s best move. Best outcome for him is for HCR to pass with his amendment: He becomes a kingmaker. Next is for it to fail because he and his withhold their support: He’s a dragonslayer. Worst outcome is for it to pass WITHOUT his support, because then he’s an ineffectual whinger. My guess is that if HCR gets to 216 without him, he and his bloc will declare that it’s anti-abortion enough after all and support it so they don’t look ineffectual.

  7. 7.

    FormerSwingVoter

    Lynch in MA is “leaning no”, which I guess is an improvement. I left my name and address and left a message “strongly encouraging” him to reconsider. It’s worth noting that it took about ten tries to get through.

    Also, RedState is going nuts because Fox News(???) is saying that Dems have the votes.

  10. 10.

    marcopolo

    I am curious–is anyone trying the argument that better, more accessible health care that adds 30+ million folks will lead to fewer abortions? I read an article (this isn’t it but the closest I could find) last week that made the argument that compared to every other developed country with national healthcare our abortion rate is by far the highest because: 1) if you have affordable health care you use you are more likely to acquire and use birth control; 2) and perhaps more importantly, having a baby runs about $25K in medical costs and having affordable coverage & healthcare takes a lot of the financial consideration for having an abortion out of the mix. If anyone is using this argument would love to hear how it went.

  11. 11.

    Karen

    Called Congressman Chris Van Hollen and he’s voting YES.

    Tried calling Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski but I got an automated message saying that both their voice mailboxes are full.

    Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing but I can bet dollars to donuts that Senator Mikulski is a YES and Senator Cardin too because on his website they have information about the HCR, links to HCR online and a link to contact him with any questions about this bill.

  12. 12.

    NobodySpecial

    Repeating again from the thread below – Bill Foster’s mailbox is full and responses are getting dumped to an automated service.

    If you want to talk to a real live person, try his main office in Batavia: (630) 406-1114 .

  13. 13.

    Texas Dem

    A scene from the West Wing:

    Josh: Forgive my bluntness, and I say this with all due respect, Congressman, but vote yes, or you’re not even going to be on the ballot two years from now.
    Katzenmoyer: How do you figure?
    Josh: You’re going to lose in the primary.
    Katzenmoyer: There’s no Democrat running against me.
    Josh: Sure there is.
    Katzenmoyer: Who?
    Josh: Whomever we pick.
    Katzenmoyer: You’re bluffing.
    Josh: Okay.
    Katzenmoyer: I’m in your own party!
    Josh: Doesn’t seem to be doing us much good now, does it?
    Katzenmoyer: Against an incumbent Democrat. You’ll go to the press and endorse a challenger?
    Josh: No sir. We’re going to do it in person. See, you won with fifty-two percent, but the President took your district with fifty-nine. And I think it’s high time we come back and say thanks. Do you have any idea how much noise Air Force One makes when it lands in Eau Claire, Wisconsin? We’re going to have a party, Congressman. You should come, it’s gonna be great. And when the watermelon’s done, right in town square, right in the band gazebo… You guys got a band gazebo?
    Katzenmoyer: Josh…
    Josh: Doesn’t matter, we’ll build one. Right in the band gazebo, that’s where the President is going to drape his arm around the shoulder of some assistant DA we like. And you should have your camera with you. You should get a picture of that. ‘Cause that’s gonna be the moment you’re finished in Democratic politics. President Bartlet’s a good man. He’s got a good heart. He doesn’t hold a grudge. That’s what he pays me for.

  14. 14.

    gbear

    Here we go…

    The Buffalo News reports that early Friday morning someone threw a brick through the window of Rep. Louise Slaughter’s (D-NY) district office. Slaughter is chairwoman of the House Rules Committee and Republicans have dubbed the tactic that Democrats will use to pass health care reform legislation the scary-sounding “Slaughter Solution,” also known as “deem and pass.” She’s been a target on the right for several weeks. City police reported that the brick “put a hole in the outer-most window at the office at 1910 Pine Ave., but did not damage a second interior window,” according to the Buffalo News. Broken brick was found there, and damage was estimated at $350.

    Story also from TPM.

  15. 15.

    Blue Raven

    Despite the fact Rep. Speier’s clearly in the bag on this one, I tried calling her office yesterday for an hour and could not get through. This pleased me.

  16. 16.

    Texas Dem

    Fox News reporting (yeah, I know, consider the source) that House Democratic leaders have decided against including tighter restrictions on abortion funding in the final health care bill. That’s a strong indication that they believe they have enough votes to pass the health care bill without the support of Stupak and his remaining followers (probably why Stupak canceled his press conference, no?). I hope to God the Whip counters are on target, because they’re sort of betting the farm (and all of the surrounding farms as well as the nearby town square) on this one.

  18. 18.

    Texas Dem

    Another thought: add to the Fox News report a note on Roll Call that Boehner admitted early this morning that the GOP may not be able to stop the health care bill. Maybe Pelosi was negotiating with Stupak in order to give more vulnerable Dems a pass. That makes sense–unless you lose 40 or 50 pro choice votes in the process.

  19. 19.

    Omnes Omnibus

    There has to be a point where Pelosi talks to some of the holdouts and tells them that she will name them as the reason HCR failed. She lets them know that she, and the Democratic establishment, will regard them as persona non grata and will screw them right, left, and center every chance she can get. Or they can be heroes who overcame personal concerns to help the country and their party in a time of need. Their choice.

  20. 20.

    Xecklothxayyquou Gilchrist

    Called Matheson UT-2 yet again. Seven tries to get through – wow; for him that’s insane. Politely requested support, wished harried staffer a good day. She says he’s still “reviewing legislation.”

  21. 21.

    russell

    True wealth is created through work.

    You know, I couldn’t agree with this more.

    That being so, let’s tax labor income above a certain cutoff at a flat 15%, and tax capital gains on a progressive scale from 10 – 35%.

    That way the folks who actually create the wealth will be encouraged to continue doing so, and those whose income comes from the labor of others will carry more of the overall tax burden.

    Glad to find a point on which BOB and I can agree.

    Also: John Tierney, MA 6, is a solid “yes”.

  23. 23.

    Texas Dem

    There has to be a point where Pelosi talks to some of the holdouts and tells them that she will name them as the reason HCR failed. She lets them know that she, and the Democratic establishment, will regard them as persona non grata and will screw them right, left, and center every chance she can get. Or they can be heroes who overcame personal concerns to help the country and their party in a time of need. Their choice.

    Or you tell them the votes are already there to pass health care reform, i.e., the train is leaving the station and all of that. It’s going to happen either with or without them. Then you ask them whether they want to be on the wrong side of history. Do they want to be on record as having voted against the biggest piece of social legislation since the days of the Great Society?

  24. 24.

    nancydarling

    BoB.

    Why do we need the federal reserve?

    The Federal Reserve controls the money supply, regulates national banks, acts as a clearing house between banks, regulates consumer credit, and acts as the lender of last resort to member banks. Until the Federal Reserve system was created a 100 years ago, the US banking system was plagued with financial panics. It is not automatic that they will do a good job. It is generally agreed that the Fed increase in the money supply in the 1920s led to the stock market bubble and the crash of 1929. The Fed made it worse by failing to lend to the banks or buy the federal debt that they held. This caused the banks to fail because they ran out of cash to pay panicked depositors. I believe that the loose money under Greenspan is partially responsible for our current situation. The lack of regulation, greed, and stupidity are the other culprits. Wikipedia has a good article on the subject.

    What would happen if we went back on the gold standard?

    Miners would control the money supply. If they found and mined a lot of gold the supply of money would go up. If they did not the money supply would stagnate. In the first case inflation would result. In the second a recession or depression. The money supply needs to grow to meet the needs of an expanding economy. It needs to decrease or hold steady to fight inflation.

  25. 25.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Texas Dem: That too. I am a both/and sort of person. Basically, I hope Pelosi is busting balls, cracking heads, and otherwise channeling LBJ at his peak. I also believe she is and that she will prevail.

    Now give me my pony.

  26. 26.

    vheidi

    @FormerSwingVoter: I just got he’s definitely a no, from polite but curt Boston staffer. Pretended I’m my grandmother from Dedham to write a “contact my rep” welcoming him to his primary, etc.

  27. 27.

    Brian J

    Via Econbrowser, the WSJ Real Time Economics Blog posts a list of the petitions each side sent to the president and congress. I can’t claim to know who all of these people are, and there have been many similar petitions about these topics.

    On a side note, since economists who used to work for Bush, like Katherine Baicker and Mark McClellan have signed petitions expressing support for the ideas in the (past) Senate bill, I wonder why they didn’t sign this one. My guess is, it’s probably for the same reason people like Dean Baker and Brad DeLong, not exactly right wingers, didn’t sign this one–they weren’t asked, or never got around to it. But really, have there been that many changes so that those on the right who liked the Senate bill wouldn’t like what we are going to end up with? I doubt that’s the case.

    Anyway, take a look at the people who have signed it. If you’ve ever seen these things before, which usually pop up around election time about taxes, you’ll recognize some similar names. But in the end, I don’t think there’s any comparison. It seems like pretty much every respected expert on the topic signed the letter for the Democrats–people like Kenneth Thorpe and Jon Gruber, for instance. There are several Nobel winners there. And the list for the Republicans? Well, I don’t want to sound like a dick, since I don’t have a PhD in econ, and perhaps these people are more respected than I realize, but it looks like a bottom-of-the-barrel group of names. The name of the school certainly isn’t everything, but in the end, Harvard, MIT, Princeton and so on carry far more weight than the no name schools on the Republican list.

    Maybe that should tell us something.

  28. 28.

    Brick Oven Bill

    nancydarling;

    Perhaps, when this phase of humanity has run its course, we will be left with farmers, herders, blacksmiths, tailors, gunsmiths, and roving bands of mercenaries. Maybe Jimmy Buffet will get his chance to be a pirate yet.

    Benjamin Franklin argued against the gold standard and in favor of a land-based currency. This was because Europe was undergoing very bad inflation in the 1700s as the Spaniards and others fleeced the precious metals of the New World and flooded that market.

    Franklin, 1729: A Modest Inquiry into the Nature and Necessity of a Paper Currency

    But, for the most part, metal deposits have been stabilized. I am pretty sure the plan is a land currency. This conclusion is based on Fannie-Freddie taking ownership of large sections of housing, and 90% of shale oil being located on federal lands.

    Unfortunately for Goldman Sachs, these deposits are located in the Mountain West, where people can be ornery.

  30. 30.

    Frank

    I was also told that Stephen Lynch is a “no”. I let the staffer know of my intention to work hard at electing a real Democrat to that office.

  32. 32.

    Max

    Called Barbara Lee – finally they are saying she’s a yes. I knew she was, but its nice to hear.

    I told the staffer to thank her for her “yes” vote. She’s doing the people’s work.

  35. 35.

    Brick Oven Bill

    Better Link:

    There is no Science, the Study of which is more useful and commendable than the Knowledge of the true Interest of one’s Country; and perhaps there is no Kind of Learning more abstruse and intricate, more difficult to acquire in any Degree of Perfection than This, and there fore none more generally neglected. Hence it is, that we every Day find Men in Conversation contending warmly on some Point in Politicks, which, altho’ it may nearly concern them both, neither of them understand any more than they do each other.

    Thus much by way of Apology for this present Enquiry into the Nature and Necessity o/ a Paper Currency. And if any Thing I shall say, may be a Means of fixing a Subject that is now the chief Concern of my Countrymen, in a clearer Light, I shall have the Satisfaction of thinking my Time and Pains well employed.

    Benjamin Franklin is smarter than Nancy Pelosi.

  36. 36.

    Houstonian

    Phoned my Rep., Sheila Jackson Lee’s office again this morning. Staffer was thrilled to hear from someone for the bill and said they were being swamped with calls from people screaming at them against the bill. Reiterated that they really appreciated the call.

    Phoned Solomon Ortiz’s office. He’s not my Rep, but I’ve got connections in his district, so I didn’t feel completely unreasonable calling. Told the staffer I was for the bill and the staffer was completely taken aback and said, “Wait, you’re for the bill?” I laughed and said, yes, and I asked if there was a decision from Congressman Ortiz on his vote. Staffer said Ortiz was in a meeting and nothing was certain yet (I’ve read he’s leaning Yes). I asked if they’d been getting swamped with “No” callers and staffer said yes and it was really, really nice to get a call supporting the bill, and not to be yelled at. We had a very pleasant chat.

    What I took from all that is that the “Vote No” types are burning up the phone lines. Staffers are tired of being yelled at. Please call and offer support for the “Vote Yes” side. The staffers are so appreciative of it and it’s important the Yes constituents make themselves heard.

  37. 37.

    Seething Mom

    My husband and I have been religious in our duty to call and email our Arizona Representative, Harry Mitchell. And I am happy to report that he has officially gone from being an undecided to a yes. I give him credit for this, his district is very conservative. (J.D. Hayworth preceded him). And not to put too fine a point on it, but when both my husband and I made our calls, the young man who answered had to continually apologize for asking us to repeat ourselves because their office was jammed with angry teabaggers who were “screaming” (his words) at him and the other staffers.

  38. 38.

    South of I-10

    @TooManyJens: Good idea! I hate feeling useless. Calling Rep. “tort reform” Boustany is a big fat waste of time. I’m going to try your plan.

  41. 41.

    NobodySpecial

    @TooManyJens:

    I’m not even bothering with that. I’m telling them who I am and where I’m from, and that I need their vote because my rep won’t help and I can’t get insurance. Fortunately, all of it is true. I’m sticking in my state, though.

  42. 42.

    cincyanon

    Every time I call the switchboard it’s been busy the last few days. Every time. I’ve emailed instead but I’ll keep trying.

  44. 44.

    Texas Dem

    Per TPM, no separate vote on abortion language.

    They’re saying that they have the votes without Stupak. Could it be true? I can’t imaging telling Stupak to take a hike unless they already have the votes. If they don’t have them, it’s one hell of a bluff. Hope it works.

  47. 47.

    justinb

    Just got through to Matheson’s office. They’re not even asking if people live in the district.

  48. 48.

    NobodySpecial

    Same thing at Costello’s office. The lady there has a nice voice. Ya’ll should say hi.

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