Biden: Spending Vote Gives GOP a Weapon Against Democrats

I’ll give Joe Biden this: he is making me seriously re-examine my pre-election statements that he was a terrible pick for Vice President. Did you know he went to the House Democratic retreat the other day, and warned them that their vote for the Obama-Reid-Pelosi debt bill would be used against them in 2010?

Democratic Members and staff were grumbling about the path that the House-passed stimulus measure had taken in the Senate, where a coalition of moderates from both parties worked to strip politically embarrassing spending items that House Democrats approved, several senior Democratic aides said.

Others were frustrated that Republicans appeared to be winning the messaging war over the package, having hijacked the debate by focusing on those items. That was a sentiment echoed by President Barack Obama on Thursday night in a campaign-style speech that sought to put the party back on offense by taking sharp aim at GOP critiques.

Still, some House Democrats were quietly wondering what took the president so long, since they have spent the past two weeks taking fire over the measure.

“Everyone is really unhappy on the messaging,” one senior Democratic aide said. “Members are apparently getting beaten up badly on the package at home and don’t think the president is doing enough to sell it…”

Vice President Joseph Biden, addressing Democrats earlier in the day, offered an assessment more in line with what several who support the package fear: that their votes could become a political liability.

“If it works, as I’m absolutely convinced it will … when we do, I’m sure you’re gonna be nailed in ads, ?Well they voted on that’ 30-second ads,” he said.

Well, Barack Obama picked him because he tells hard truths: Obama’s youth and inexperience will invite serious challenges from American enemies; Hillary Clinton would have been a better vice presidential pick; and, the Obama-Reid-Pelosi debt spending plan will be a political millstone for the Democrats who support it.

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But while Biden may sound like a wet blanket, I have good news for Congressional Democrats. If this vote turns out like Bill Clinton’s 1993 budget package (as plummeting poll numbers suggest), there is one thing Democrats can do to protect themselves against defeat in 2010. They can vote against it. When Bill Clinton’s unpopular budget package passed in August, 1993, 41 House Democrats voted against it. Of those 41, just 6 were defeated in the 1994 election.

So Congressional Democrats who want to stay in office past next year’s elections might want to take a lesson from history: if you vote against this package you have a chance; if you vote for it, you might join Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky in the history books.

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TV Talk Today: Thursday’s chat-show lineups

A selection of guests scheduled on today’s talk shows:

“The Oprah Winfrey Show” (9 a.m., Channel 7) Abduction victims Elizabeth Smart and Shawn Hornbeck. (R)

“Live With Regis And Kelly” (9 a.m., Channel 9): Actress Stockard Channing; musician Dierks Bentley.

“The View” (10 a.m., Channel 7) Actor Cuba Gooding Jr.; dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

“The Bonnie Hunt Show” (2 p.m., Channel 5): Actor Ricardo Antonio Chavira; bear attack victim Allena Hansen.

“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (3 p.m., Channel 5) Actress Drew Barrymore; actress Taraji P. Henson.

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“Larry King Live” (8 p.m., CNN) Financial advisor Suze Orman. “Late Show With David Letterman” (10:35 p.m., Channel 2) Actress Isla Fisher; extreme fisherman Matt Watson; musicians Mark Olson and Gary Louris; rapper Lil’ Wayne.

“The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (10:35 p.m., Channel 5) Actress Jennifer Aniston; Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes; musician Jamey Johnson.

“Charlie Rose” (11 p.m., Channel 20) Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang.

“Tavis Smiley” (midnight, Channel 11) Actor Danny Glover; rapper Q-Tip.

“Late Late Show download action movie With Craig Ferguson” (11:35 p.m., Channel 2) Comedian Garry Shandling; magician Ed Alonzo.

“Late Night With Conan O’Brien” (11:35 p.m., Channel 5) Journalist Brian Williams; actress Taraji P. Henson; comedian Nate Bargatze.

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“Jimmy Kimmel Live” (12:05 a.m., Channel 7) Actress Vanessa Minnillo; actor Anthony LaPaglia; musician Morrissey.

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Let it snow Let it snow Let it snow!

click on the images for a larger tableau. this snowman is still not finished…but enjoy what you help so far! please click on this constituent to create your very own snowflake - interactively! this is incomparable fun for kids! the link will expansive in a unexplored window.       

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Go Home Already: Let it Floe

photo by pianoman75

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DineLA 2009: Asia de Cuba

Asia de Cuba in the Mondrian is one swank spot. The table wasn’t ready, as we were being squeezed in, so we hung out in the bar. My nephew said, “I don’t know if I’ve ever felt quite this cool before.” After trying to seat us in a cramped spot between a hilariously large potted plant and the bussing station outside, we were given a table by the window with a stunning view of the city. The room is light and clean with an open feel. The stark white interior is offset by warm accents like earthtone pillows and throws.

The food is served family-style. Even for the DineLA menu, you have limited choices that are served for two and must be shared. We just couldn’t decide between two appetizers, one large main and one large dessert, even after rock/paper/scissors. Finally we decided that since three people could order 2 appetizers, 2 mains and 2 desserts, that we would just pretend there was another person with us and would split the cost for invisible Uncle Henry. The menu varies slightly from the online menu, with a few changes in appetizers and the addition of a tofu dish.

The waitress kept asking if we would like to add a side, like lobster mashed potatoes. Lobster mashed potatoes sounds really good to an empty belly. Finally she said lobster mashed potatoes enough times that we ordered them. For Uncle Henry.

Many of the dishes are extremely sweet, even those lobster mashed potatoes. If you are going to order the pork ribs, for God’s sake, don’t order the short ribs. Balance your meal. All in all, the food is of the highest quality and well-prepared. But order very carefully or you will end up feeling like a queasy child the day after trick-or-treating.

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More DineLA 2009 on LAist: The First Bite, SimonLA, Campanile, Locanda del Lago., Thousand Cranes.

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Relinquish Your Power On The Things That Don’t Matter

photo by wayne dulcet i don’t share many parenting tips here, mostly because i don’t have a lot. i’ll venture into pantry organization or budgeting - but raising up the next generation? now that’s purlieu in which i feel rather unqualified to write. that said - i do have a few tricks up my sleeve. and this … related posts:

Food Recall Hurting Food Banks

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a guild who feeds thousands of families is getting behind thanks to the salmonella outbreak. more
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Football Manager 2009 Skins Review

Probably you know that I like standard Footbal Manager 2009 skin

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. but i be aware multifarious guys who don’t like it. that is the vindication why i solid to devote this list inform to extraordinary skins, non-standard ones. additionally, it will be some kind of review with my rates set up for each pelt. i’m going to rate them by 2 parameters: usability and beauty. total rate is counted as (usability + beauty / 2). maximal mark per each parameter is 10.

And don’t forget my rates don’t pretend at being absolute rates

.

cl2009

The skin is based on Champions League theme. It will good for dark theme lovers. On the first screen we can see one bug: news are overlaid on row icons. The second screen shows pretty good colouring of attributes.

Usability: 7        Beauty: 8       Total: 7.5

Dark Horizon

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Another dark themed skin. It has a bit curved unpretty fonts in few places. But viagra ohne rezept I like their red colour for values of attributes higher than 15

.

Usability: 8        Beauty: 7       Total: 7.5

Flex

Having turned on this skin we have a good old-styled Football Manager. This is the oldest Football Manager skin as far as I know.

Usability: 8       Beauty: 8      Total: 8

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What’s On Today: Springsteen, Lampanelli & Martin

Bruce Springsteen’s halftime performance in Super Bowl XLIII Sunday is all about trying to promote his new album, of course. It’s tough to hear his new stuff on the radio, and music videos, if they are shown at all, are seen fleetingly during the credits of reality shows on MTV and its sister channels.

So when they make a film on how an album was made, they not only stick the DVD into the deluxue edition of the CD package, they find time for it on TV as well.

So the special “Bruce Springsteen: The Making of Working on a Dream” (VH1, 11 p.m.) is exactly the same one you’ll find in the special CD packages, where it works charms in stripping down his new songs to melody and guitar, before they are layered by his band in a manner that suggests a latter day Brian Wilson in parts.

Like Bret Michaels, Springsteen wears a bandana during some of this footage, but that’s where comparisons to the Poison frontman end. The Boss is about music and melody and sound and meaning and if you don’t pick up the new “Working on a Dream” after this showcase, you may be immune to musical charm.

“My Lucky Day,” “Queen of the Supermarket,” “Kingdom of Days,” “Life Itself” and the title song are all featured. And “The Last Carnival” is a fitting tribute to late keyboardist Denny Federici.

She’s a Trumbull native and tried out most of this material in New Haven. But even the local angles can’t save the self-styled “Queen of Mean” in her first premium cable standup special, “Lisa Lampanelli: Long Live the Queen” (HBO, Saturday, 10 p.m.). Looking like William Bendix in a wig, she is equally vile and racist in her screeds, which get laughs from some solely because it’s the kind of stuff nobody else says out loud (with good reason). Making fun of all races doesn’t make you an equal opportunity bigot; and she hasn’t got much up her sleeve beyond namecalling. Don Rickles by contrast had a little finesse and understanding of the human condition. Her typical line is something like: “What is it with you white bitches with the chink kids? Leave them for the faggots who really need them” which is empty beyond the shock value and bereft of ideas.

Before you get a load of this year’s crop, check out past highlights on “Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials” (CBS, 8 p.m.)

A compendium of sports skits make up the annual pre-Bowl “Saturday Night Live Sports Extra” (NBC, 9 p.m.). But the episode to watch of “Saturday Night Live” (NBC, 11:30 p.m.) is the new one with Steve Martin hosting for the 15th time, with Jason Mraz performing.

It’s the finale for “Crusoe” (NBC, 8 p.m.), and its ratings make it look like it’ll be shipwrecked.

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Nick Lowe sings his “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” as he plays a new “Austin City Limits” (WGBY, Channel 57, 11 p.m.), in a set with the Swell Season. That’s the band name for the Oscar winning duo from “Once,” Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.

Movies on network TV includes “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” (ABC, 8 p.m.), “Napoleon Dynamite” (MyNetwork TV, 8 p.m.) and James Earl Jones in “The Reading Room” (ION, 9 p.m.).

Ted McGinley and Gene Francis star in the new TV movie “The Note II: Taking a Chance on Love” (Hallmark Channel, Saturday, 9 p.m.), a sequel to the last romantic movie.

The thing I hate most about “The Pumpkin Karver” (TMC, 9 p.m.)? The willful misspellings

Both Huskies teams are in action, with UConn men (WCTX, Channel 59, 4 p.m.) hosting Providence and UConn women (CPTV, 3 p.m.) at Georgetown.

Other men’s college hoops action includes West Viginia at Louisville (WCTX, Channel 59, noon), Virginia Commonwealth at Hofstra (CSN, noon), Notre Dame at Pittsburgh (ESPN, noon), Toledo at Buffalo (ESPN2, noon), Michigan at Purdue (CBS, 1 p.m.), Oklahoma at Iowa (YES, 1:30 p.m.), Oklahoma State at Texas A&M (ESPN, 2 p.m.),Mississippi Valley at Jackson State (ESPN2, 2 p.m.), Drexel at Towson (CSN, 4 p.m.), Ohio State at Indiana (ESPN2, 4 p.m.), Kansas State at Texas (YES, 4 p.m.), San Diego at Gonzaga (ESPN2, 6 p.m.), Pennsylvania at Dartmouth (CSN, 7 p.m.), Florida at Tennessee (ESPN, 9 p.m.).

In college hockey, it’s Quinnipiac at Yale (NESN, 7 p.m.).

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Rose Flack closes down American Idol Salt Lake City — Next up: New York City

Rose Flack, who’s had a tough life, living with her best friend’s family; dad died when she was 13. Wow, then her mom died when she was 15. Seems like a good girl, a lot riding on this for her she says.

In response to Simon’s question, she tells us something about herself–that she’s charming. Oh oh, she can’t sing, does ‘I Feel the Earth Move.’ It’s too bad; judges are nice, let her know it wasn’t a great singing performances; Randy puts her through, Kara, Paula, and Simon too!

Wow, one of those definitely disregard the singing auditions; oh well, it’s boring just to have a bunch of great singers in Holllywood, right?

Here’s who I liked out of Salt Lake City, out of the dozen others Ryan says made it out of SLC (only a few of whom we saw):

Taylor Vaifanua, the tall one: She has it, sings so easily and genuinely seems to love performing for its own sake, not to win fame and fortune.

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Megan Corkery, tatooed: Not so much her voice, which is good; but her personality, which makes you want to root for her.

Austin Cisneros, David Archuleta-wanna-be: He could very easily get annoying, but so far I like how he wants it, and how he sung his odd song choices well. Bit like Brooke White.

Tomorrow night, in a Thursday night special, New York City, baby! Well, the Meadowlands, actually.

And San Juan, Puerto Rico. This is gonna be good!

Throw in your thoughts and rankings in the comments below.

Click here to see photos from “American Idol’s audition rounds

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David Horton: Before Lincoln

I picture one of Obama’s staff as a kind of ye olde town crier, with one of those ancient rolled up scrolls, a huge one, which is slowly unrolling across the floor as he reads out item after item from a list headed “Bad things done by the Bush administration that must be reversed, and good things not done by the Bush administration that must be done urgently”, and after he reads out each item Barack Obama scribbles a note viagra online and hands it to another aide who rushes out of the Oval Office to take action.

Jan 25 2009

Look I know it is a very big scroll, and there are so many urgent things on it that I bet Mr Obama already thinks he should legislate to double the number of hours in a day. And I bet he is getting constant buzzes on his Blackberry from people wanting their own pet item moved up to the top of the list. So I hesitate to make a special plea for mine, and anyway, for some unaccountable reason, I don’t appear to be on the list of people who get issued with his Blackberry number.

But, just in case he is dropping in to check out my posts from time to time after hearing I had compared his gang to the gang from Wind in the Willows, here goes. I’d like him to sign an Executive Order forbidding the teaching of creationism (aka “Intelligent Design”) in any American educational institutions. Look I know the people who have been teaching this ancient mythology are slow thinkers and have needed time to adjust. But the President could point out that this year marks the end of a changeover period of 150 years since the publication of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection, and 150 years is enough of a phase in time for even the slowest of thinkers among our fundamentalist brethren. He could also point out, as an admirer of Lincoln, that it has not been possible for an intelligent person to believe in creationism since a year and a half before Lincoln’s inauguration. So enough is enough, time to move on.

Does it matter? Of course it matters. As a result of both shilly shallying, and active encouragement, from the conservatives, the number of Americans who don’t understand evolution is growing in the 21st century. The fundamental basis of all the biological sciences is not accepted by large chunks of the population. Children are being taught that ancient middle eastern mythology has equal, if not greater weight, than the scientific studies of the last 150 years. Their understanding of the world around them, at a time of growing devastation of the biosphere, is hopelessly corrupted. No chance of encouraging conservation, or of fighting global warming, if large parts of the population think that god created the world in 6 days 6000 years ago.

And finally, I’m sure you are a man of your word, and when you said “We will restore science to its rightful place”, you meant it. Hard to think of an action both symbolic and practical that would more clearly confirm your intention than of clearing out the ancient rubbish of creationism from American education. And would be another way of leading the world, since under Mr Bush’s watch the insidious mental disease of creationism has been creeping into schools around the world.

Oh, and if you want some background reading Mr President, you will find plenty more on The Watermelon Blog to justify this bold and enlightened and courageous move. But (spoiler alert) you will find I am occasionally rude about creationists. You could be more gentle if you want to keep reaching out to these people even more than you have done by having Rick Warren at your party.

Oh, almost forgot, good job so far Mr President, an A+ I reckon on your first week’s assignments Cialis. Keep up the good work.

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