HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!

The View from Karl Rove's Glass House...

Apparently  the master of the  "whisper campaign"  now  wants  his own  privacy  respected...

Interesting....


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The Last Word on Christmas..

As always...   goes  to  Linus.

Lights please....

Why President Obama is failing.. and failing badly.

Drew Weston  has  brilliant  piece in today's  Huffington Post, where  he  presents  the clearest,  most concise and  sadly,  most  accurate assessment  of  exactly what is  wrong with the  Obama Presidency.

I wont  reprint it all here,  you can follow the link here Leadership, Obama Style, and the Looming Losses in 2010

But  one  passage is worth  reposting  here:

What's costing the president are three things: a laissez faire style of leadership that appears weak and removed to everyday Americans, a failure to articulate and defend any coherent ideological position on virtually anything, and a widespread perception that he cares more about special interests like bank, credit card, oil and coal, and health and pharmaceutical companies than he does about the people they are shafting.

The problem is not that his record is being distorted. It's that all three have more than a grain of truth. And I say this not as one of those pesky "leftists." I say this as someone who has spent much of the last three years studying what moves voters in the middle, the Undecideds who will hear whichever side speaks to them with moral clarity.

The whole  article is a long read, but well worth it.   If you  voted  for  Barack Obama  you will  probably  get  angry (as I did) , if you didn't vote for  him,  Weston's  insight  will  most likely  give you a great deal   hope  for  2010 and  2012...  unfortunately.

Tonight's Brilliant 'Special Comment' on Health Care Reform...

I could not  possibly  have said it better...  Just watch this ,  please...

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Cool Poltical Geek Video from The White House..

As we head into the Holidays...

We pause the blog for one of my all time favorite holiday TV moments..  
Thanks John and Rolf...

Stephen Colbert Examines the Republican "Purge"... Brilliant!

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - Grand Old Purity
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor U.S. Speedskating

President Obama Accepts the Nobel Peace Prize

Earlier  today in Oslo, Norway...

Rachel Maddow Destroys a Snake Oil Salesman...

MSNBC's  Rachel Maddow  interviews  the  "Being Gay is because you never really loved your Parents..etc.."  nutjob  and  takes him  apart....   Brilliant!

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New York State Senator Diane Savino's speech on Marriage Equality

Quite simply the most  eloquent, concise  and  logical  argument  for  the equal treatment  of  ALL couples  under the LAW  I have ever heard.   America needs more  elected officials  like  Senator Savino.

The ELVES ARE BACK!

Starring - Daniel, Kyle, Marc, Eric and  Dave - Enjoy!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

The Obama Adminstration - Year One.

As 2009 comes to it's plodding, economically gloomy end, it is a good time look back at year one of the Obama Administration. As the more mainstream media was transfixed with the heath care debate, there was indeed much more on the "President's Plate".


I have made no secret that I am very disappointed with President Obama's first year in office. Candidate Obama  promised sweeping change, his speeches overflowed with plans to remake our nation through the 'audacity of hope.'   President Obama.... not so much.

His first year in office, has left many of the President's supporters scratching their heads wondering where the guy they voted for went. Now this has created an interesting debate between the political left and left of center. With the Left thinking they have been conned, convinced they were voting for a Liberal, but instead got a centrist. The more center left of the political spectrum calling such criticism unfair. Saying the President came into office with so many problems to address, the Left is being unrealistic and too impatient.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Mark Morford recently took the Administration's liberal critics to task. Linking to a recent post on the liberal DailyKos blog he lays out the90 Accomplishments of President Obama Which The Media Fails to Report. The line of thought being, President Obama really is the same agent of sweeping change he claimed be during the campaign.

I read the list, and yeah...ok, there are some pretty good things on there. And yes, at the end of the day Barack Obama's greatest year one achievement may well be the fact that he isn't George W. Bush.

But I live in San Francisco, and back during the campaign,  there was great interest in where the various candidates stood on the issue of equal rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Americans. There was a fairly big split in late 2007 and early 2008 between folks who were supporting then Senator Obama, and then Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The turning point for many came in August 2007, when all the democratic candidates participated in a forum sponsored by the Human Right Campaign. It was there that Barack Obama began what would be a series of very clear targeted statements to the LGBT community. Statements where he spoke about how he would champion equal rights for LGBT Americans.

Now, one year into his Presidency, Barack Obama has hardly been the "fierce advocate" he promised to be. Earlier this fall, Seattle columnist Dan Savage looked back...

There is a clear disconnect between the Democratic Party organizationally, the Obama Adminstration and the actual issues on the ground. President Barack Obama waged a truly inspiring campaign. I was a blogger for, and supporter of Senator John Edwards, it was Barack Obama's words in the HRC Forum that pulled me as well as many of my friends, who were supporting Senator Clinton, over to his campaign.

The sad reality a year after his election is, "Hope and Change" were very easy to talk about in a campaign, but there is little courage to act on those words now when governing.

It seems like 1993 all over again. Nobody can pulll defeat out of the jaws of victory better than the Democrats. We are feisty and full of energy when we lose and are in the Minority. But when we win, and actaully get to govern we become frozen with fear of losing the NEXT election. Consequently all the GOP has to do, is run a very simple; "See, the Democrats couldn't deliver!" campaign and they win.

I fear that is what we are in for in 2010 AND 2012 unless President Obama shows he can lead on an issue that matters to a constituency he made very strong and very public promises to.

Right now Barack Obama is NOT a leader on civil rights, he is a speaker. He says wonderful things but so far has very little to show for it in terms of actual accomplishments.

His one major stated achievement, the Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes Prevention Act, was far more the result of years of work by members of Congress, like the late Senator Ted Kennedy. President Obama's big effort in passing it was to sign it after all was said and done. An important role, to be sure, but to give his administration credit for the law, is stretching credibility a bit..

As a result his Administration, being leaderless on a major civil rights issue, stumbles around like a headless chicken. Bumping into things, tripping over its own feet, and (when it can get its hands on the firepower) shooting itself in the foot. As they did with the Justice Dept, brief defending DOMA. Where White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs tried valiantly to claim the Administration HAD to vigorously defend a law they really hated... really.

The sad reality is the homophobia on the LEFT does as much if not more damage than the homophobia on the Right. For the Democratic Party, the LGBT community is seen mostly as a source of campaign money that outside of election years, they wish would sit quietly and not cause any trouble. Even more unfortunate is how large national Gay Rights groups like the HRC have enabled that treatment.

The fact is, unless the Obama Adminstration is able to; 1) Overturn the military policy of expelling Lesbian and Gay personnel under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", or 2) Repeal the federal "Defense of Marriage Act", is this term, they will lose the support of the LGBT community and those who support their fight for equality. Millions of LGBT Americans and their progressive allies will close their wallets and stay home in 2010 and possibly even 2012.

Many people who are frustrated with the LGBT Community’s impatience with President Obama keep saying the Administration has so much “on their plate” that it is unfair and impractical to expect progress on these issues his first year, or even in a first term. Given that fact they ask, what will make “the gays” quit expecting the President to actually keep promises that were made during the campaign.

If the President can’t keep his word, then at least show some leadership on the issues. I remember a wonderful scene from the first season of NBC’s “The West Wing”. President Bartlett is speaking to a gathering of Talk Radio hosts, Including one who is well known for her views on LGBT rights.

Most Americans, gay or straight understand that the President came into office inheriting a complete disaster left behind by the worst President of the twentieth Century. But we still expect the President of the United States, to lead.

Unless the Democratic Party and the Obama Administration find the courage of their STATED convictions, I see this Administration going down in History as a "One Term Gutless Wonder.

Last Night's 'Special Comment' on Afghanistan

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Help PROTECT Traditional Marriage!!

Think of the Children....