Political Quotes of the Day

[Dardedar]

Grayson on the republicans complaining about Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize:

"I think I understand their disappointment. They're not going to be winning the Nobel Peace Prize themselves anytime soon. They probably wish there were a Nobel Prize for fear, a Nobel Prize for hatred, a Nobel prize for racism. You know, then they'd be in the running, but I don't think they're going to be winning a Nobel Peace Prize soon." --Rep. Alan Grayson

[Dardedar]

Obama:

"But I know this is a Democratic event. And I want to talk to all of you just for a second. You know, there are going to be some fierce arguments over the next couple of weeks about health care. There should be. This is big. But understand that the bill you least like of the five bills that got passed would all provide [m]illions of people who don’t have coverage, coverage. (Applause.) Would all prevent insurance companies from barring you from getting health insurance because of a pre-existing condition. (Applause.) Would all set up an exchange so that small businesses could compete and get the same deal that big businesses do for their employees. (Applause.) Would all provide subsidies to people who don’t have health insurance and give them a measure of security. All of them. (Applause.)

So as we’re going at it -- and we’re going to be going at it –- (laughter) -– I just want all of you to understand: We are going to get this done. (Applause.) We are going to get this done.

Now, to the non-Democrats who may be watching today -– (laughter) -– I want everybody to know we believe in a strong and loyal opposition. I believe in a two-party system where ideas are tested and assumptions are challenged -- because that’s how we can move this country forward. But what I reject is when some folks decide to sit on the sidelines and root for failure on health care or on energy or on our economy. (Applause.) What I reject is when some folks say we should go back to the past policies when it was those very same policies that got us into this mess in the first place. (Applause.)

Another way of putting it is when, you know, I'm busy and Nancy [is] busy with our mop cleaning up somebody else’s mess –- we don’t want somebody sitting back saying, you're not holding the mop the right way. (Applause.) Why don’t you grab a mop, why don’t you help clean up. (Applause.) You're not mopping fast enough. (Laughter.) That's a socialist mop. (Laughter and applause.) Grab a mop –- let’s get to work."

President Obama, Oct 15, 2009

Andrew Sullivan, over at the Daily Dish, knows gold when he sees it:
"It's an inspired three-word challenge to the GOP. Devastating, actually - because it both reminds people of the damage the GOP did while not seeming to dwell on the past or to score partisan points (while actually doing both)."

[Doug]

Today, National Security Network Senior Adviser Gen. Paul Eaton (Ret.), who served more than 30 years in the United States Army and from 2003-2004 oversaw the training of the Iraqi military, responded to Dick Cheney's accusations on Afghanistan from last night:

"The record is clear: Dick Cheney and the Bush administration were incompetent war fighters. They ignored Afghanistan for 7 years with a crude approach to counter-insurgency warfare best illustrated by: 1. Deny it. 2. Ignore it. 3. Bomb it. While our intelligence agencies called the region the greatest threat to America, the Bush White House under-resourced our military efforts, shifted attention to Iraq, and failed to bring to justice the masterminds of September 11.

"The only time Cheney and his cabal of foreign policy 'experts' have anything to say is when they feel compelled to protect this failed legacy. While President Obama is tasked with cleaning up the considerable mess they left behind, they continue to defend torture or rewrite a legacy of indifference on Afghanistan. Simply put, Mr. Cheney sees history throughout extremely myopic and partisan eyes.

See here.

[Dardedar]

Republican ID Lowest in Decades

"And the number of Americans calling themselves Republicans has fallen to 20 percent -- 20, the lowest since 1983. A closer look shows that number has fallen from 25 percent just since mid-August. That's not a five percent loss for Republicans. Dropping from 25 percent to 20 percent is a loss of a fifth. Meaning since the height of town hall, Palin, Beck, death panel palooza, one out of five Republicans has stopped being Republican."

Keith Olbermann

UPDATE:

"That changing complexion is part of why the McCain-Palin ticket lost every demographic group by large margins in 2008 except white senior citizens and the dwindling fifth of America that’s still rural. It’s also why the G.O.P. has been in a nosedive since the inauguration, whatever Obama’s ups and downs. In the latest Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll, only 17 percent of Americans identify themselves as Republicans (as opposed to 30 percent for the Democrats, and 44 for independents." Frank Rich New York Times

[Dardedar]

Tamara had this letter printed in the Free Weekly and one of the other papers.

***
Letters

Posted on 22 October 2009

The health care debate in this country is insane. Every other wealthy nation on our planet realizes that it is unjust for even one of its citizens to go bankrupt due to illness. Those other countries agree that it is morally wrong to deny people treatment that could save their lives because they cannot afford it, particularly when many of those same people cannot get insurance due to their condition.

According to a study by the National Academy of Sciences, approximately 20,000 people die in the U.S. each year because they can’t get the health care they need. Since 9/11, we’ve spent billions to avenge the death of around 3,000 Americans, in that same time period over 100,000 of us have died because of our broken medical system. And here we stand today arguing over costs? We should be ashamed.
***

[Dardedar]

Keith Olbermann on the Obama White House and their comments about FOX:

***
I‘m a little tired of the sanctimonious, amnesic crap from people like Tucker Carlson. The previous White House planted questions in its own news conference, secretly paid conservative columnists, staged massage briefing sessions for radio hosts, sent out a list of questions they hoped I would use to discredit Joe Wilson, publicly attacked NBC, publicly attacked MSNBC, by the admission of the press secretary, just the other day, cut MSNBC out of access to administration officials, and its party leadership tried to blackmail NBC News into removing me from election coverage by threatening to boycott a presidential debate.

This White House finally called out a group of amoral political operatives posing as journalists. That was it. They didn't deny them credentials. They didn't try to silence them. They didn't take them off the air. They didn't try to take them off the air. They called them what they are, the media propaganda wing of the Republican party." --Keith Olbermann

via Crooksandliars

[L.Wood]

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.........

[Dardedar]

“It is so bogus that society is sending a message right now and has been for probably the last 40 years that a woman isn’t strong enough or smart enough to be able to pursue an education, a career and her rights and still let her baby live.”

--Sarah Palin, Palin sees conspiracy in new dollar coins

[Dardedar]

From an interview with Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Michael Steele:

MARTIN: But your candidates got to talk to them. One of the criticisms I've always had is Republicans -- white Republicans -- have been scared of black folks.

STEELE: You're absolutely right. I mean I've been in the room and they've been scared of me. I'm like, "I'm on your side" and so I can imagine going out there and talking to someone like you, you know, [say] "I'll listen." And they're like "Well."

C & L

[L.Wood]

This the right place and did we miss this one?

.........

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[Dardedar]

"Listen, if you like going to the DMV and you think they do a great job, or if you like going to the post office and think it's the most efficient thing you have run into, then you will love the government-run healthcare system, because that's basically what you're going to have." --GOP House leader John Boehner who, has a driver, franks his letters and gets free healthcare -- all paid for by Uncle Sam.

And regarding the post office, note: "Independently measured customer satisfaction scores show that 94% of residential customers rated their experience with the Postal Service as excellent, very good, or good." LINK

[Dardedar]

“A large number of people in this country including many, many doctors wanted Medicare for all,” he said. “That didn’t happen. Then we wanted a strong public option tied to Medicare rates. Then we wanted a public option building the Medicare network. That didn’t happen. Now we are saying public option coming out of the HELP Committee. And now we’re saying public option with the state opt-out. Where was the compromise coming from their side?”
--Senator Sherrod Brown, Brown, member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee

[Dardedar]

A headline, which should be from The Onion, but isn't:

"A week after abruptly quitting his longtime job as a CNN television news host and commentator, Lou Dobbs said on Thursday he is considering career options including possible runs for the White House or U.S. Senate." --Reuters"

[Dardedar]

[Dardedar]

O'Reilly: Let me be bold and fresh again. Do you believe you are smart enough, and incisive enough, intellectual enough, to handle the most powerful job in the world?

Palin: I believe that I am because I have common sense, and I have, I believe, the values that are reflective of so many American values. And I believe that what Americans are seeking is not the elitism, the, um, the, ah -- kind of spineless -- a spinelessness that perhaps is made up for that with elite Ivy League education and -- fact resume that's based on anything but hard work and private-sector, free-enterprise principles. Americans could be seeking something like that in positive change in their leadership. I'm not saying that that has to be me.

Crooks & Liars

[kwlyon]

O'Reilly: Let me be bold and fresh again. Do you believe you are smart enough, and incisive enough, intellectual enough, to handle the most powerful job in the world?

Palin: I believe that I am because I have common sense, and I have, I believe, the values that are reflective of so many American values. And I believe that what Americans are seeking is not the elitism, the, um, the, ah -- kind of spineless -- a spinelessness that perhaps is made up for that with elite Ivy League education and -- fact resume that's based on anything but hard work and private-sector, free-enterprise principles. Americans could be seeking something like that in positive change in their leadership. I'm not saying that that has to be me.

Crooks & Liars

Okay...is it just the sudafed...because I quite literally can't read this.

--Kevin

[Dardedar]

Sarah Palin = the republican successful quest to find someone who is so poorly spoken that they make GW Bush sound good.

[kwlyon]

Sarah Palin = the republican successful quest to find someone who is so poorly spoken that they make GW Bush sound good.

Now now...Bush is actually pretty well spoken. Sure there are the occasional bushisms however he could get his point across when need be. Bush's only problem stinted from the fact that, though he came in one of those excessively large packages, the little plastic sharpener in the back was quite broken thus bush and everyone he surrounded himself with inevitably became quite dull and malformed. Ultimately it became quite difficult for them to stay inside the lines. Ultimately the picture of his legacy looked a bit like that of a three year old.

[Dardedar]

Now now...Bush is actually pretty well spoken.

DAR
Can you name a prominent political person who is less well spoken than GW Bush? (other than Palin).

[Dardedar]

A sign in Missouri:



Colorado: