ThinkFast: October 28, 2009
ThinkFast: October 28, 2009
A USA Today analysis finds that the stimulus is working and is having “a significant impact on the economy.” A survey of 33 states and Puerto Rico found that 338,000 jobs have been created or saved so far this year.
$1.25 million: Amount former Alaska governor Sarah Palin received as a retainer for her book “Going Rogue,” which will be out on Nov. 17.
“The deaths today of eight more American troops in Afghanistan have made October the deadliest month ever for U.S. forces in what is already the deadliest year for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the war started in 2001,” reports ABC News. Fifty-five U.S. servicemembers have died this month, bringing the 2009 total to 280.
President Obama’s top advisers “are focusing on a strategy for Afghanistan aimed at protecting about 10 top population centers.” The strategy will “would stop short of an all-out assault on the Taliban while still seeking to nurture long-term stability.” But now, “the debate is no longer over whether to send more troops, but how many more will be needed.”
Ahmed Wali Karzai, the brother of the Afghan president and a suspected player in the country’s illegal drug trade, gets regular payments from the CIA, “and has for much of the past eight years.” The ties to Karzai have “have created deep divisions within the Obama administration” and complicate relations with President Hamid Karzai who has long been portrayed as an American puppet.
The Washington Times reports that President Obama has “quietly rewarded scores of top Democratic donors with VIP access to the White House, private briefings with administration advisers and invitations to important speeches and town-hall meetings.” “This administration has across the board set the toughest ethics standards in history,” White House spokesman Dan Pfeiffer said in response.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly has less than 200 votes for a robust public option. “An internal count circulated by members and aides on Tuesday showed 47 Democrats were prepared to vote against a plan that would reimburse doctors at a rate five percent higher than Medicare.”
President Obama will sign new legislation today that will add gays to the list of groups covered by federal hate crimes law. The new provision, named after slain gay student Matthew Shepard, will cover people who were attacked because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender.
In a blow to President Obama’s environmental agenda, Great Lakes shippers and livestock interests won a major fight in the climate change battle yesterday. The House voted to effectively bar the EPA from mandating the reporting of greenhouse gas emissions generated by cattle and hog producers; 13 Great Lakes steamships also won exemptions from a rule to require lower-sulfur fuel.
And finally: Apparently, if you dress like Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Col. Sanders, you can get in anywhere. An actor wearing “the fast food icon’s familiar white suit and black bow tie” was able to “gain access to the restricted areas ” of the U.N. headquarters in New York and even met Ali Treki, president of the U.N. General Assembly. KFC is “lobbying” the U.N. for “the fictional Grilled Nation to be accepted as a member state” as part of its campaign promoting its new menu. Officials attributed the fake Sanders gaining so much access to a “lapse in security.”
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Chalk up another murder victim to Glenda, Drugbaugh, O’Racist, and Insean Vannity.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:01 amAhmed Wali Karzai, the brother of the Afghan president and a suspected player in the country’s illegal drug trade, gets regular payments from the CIA, “and has for much of the past eight years.”
October 28th, 2009 at 9:02 amOne more reason we should pull out and let this play on it’s own. We can’t even keep our hands of a government that was supposedly elected.
Wow — I wonder what you can get access to if you dress up like Mayor McCheese?
October 28th, 2009 at 9:08 am$1.25 million: Amount former Alaska governor Sarah Palin received as a retainer for her book “Going Rogue,” which will be out on Nov. 17.
And that right there is just bad taste in and of itself, who’s buying that crap?
October 28th, 2009 at 9:08 amWe will probably find out later that ‘Going Rogue’ was written by a ghost writer.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:19 amThe stimulus is working. Not as well or as quick as it probably should be (blame the tax cuts inserted as a “gift” to the GOP), but it’s working. We’ll see unemployment hit over 10% by the year’s end, but it’ll begin trending downward. By the time the midterms roll around, it’ll be around 7-8%. I’m not TOO worried.
Karzai’s brother a CIA stooge. This comes as no surprise. We just can’t keep our fingers out of that area, can we? All indication is that the President will push for a “modest” increase in troops relating to a shift in strategy. Winning hearts and minds (i.e., rebuilding infrastructure) and training the Afghan army and police forces is the only way to achieve any sort of “victory” (in this case, getting the country’s defenses strong enough so that the Taliban and other destabilizing forces become an annoyance, rather than an all consuming threat)
So-called moderates really are trying to kill any lasting reform, aren’t they. Without a robust public option available to those who want it and without a mandate for employers to provide health insurance, there is NOTHING keeping the insurance industry from unraveling the other elements of the reform package within years of its passage. We’ll keep spiraling downward until our life expectancy drops below 70yrs, easily preventful deaths (from obesity and lung disease) skyrocket, and the level of uninsured reaches 50%.
We need single payer.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:20 amThe Washington Times reports that President Obama has “quietly rewarded scores of top Democratic donors with VIP access to the White House, private briefings with administration advisers and invitations to important speeches and town-hall meetings.”
__________________________________________________________
Yes, I understand some even got to use the White House bowling alley and got to watch a movie in the White House theater.
BFD.
This is like the flap about Bill Clinton allowing his donors to stay overnight in the Lincoln Bedroom.
I’ll say now what I said then. A donor staying overnight in the Lincoln Bedroom or bowling at the White House doesn’t affect me directly. I find this is a far better way to reward donors than the time-honored way the Republicans do it — allowing donors to craft actual legislation.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:21 amIm betting Palin backers will buy tens of thousands of Palins book and stuff them in some warehouse so it makes it the best seller list.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:21 amBasically nobody.
When a new right-wing book is published, well-monied conservative organizations buy whole pallets of the books, to create the illusion people really are reading this stuff. Like everything else the right does, it’s a complete fraud.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:21 am… the deadliest year for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since
the war started in 2001…
could it be that -
a. there was little done by usa forces for 8 years… and
b. there was 8 years to build the resistance against usa forces…
?
wondering…
October 28th, 2009 at 9:28 amPerry logan says:
October 28th, 2009 at 9:28 amIt’s still reprehensible. Let the damn thing fail, just because she failed as a VP candidate is no reason to bolster the illusion she knows how to write a fcuking book, let alone read one.
Xis@8, Yeah. What a scam. They do the same with Coulter and Malkin too. That way Consevatives can say, “Wow, people like our ideas because we have Best Selling books!” But the jig is up. Many Americans know the Relgious groups buy in balk and GIVE them away.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:29 amXisithrus says:
“Im betting Palin backers will buy tens of thousands of Palins book and stuff them in some warehouse so it makes it the best seller list.”
By January they’ll be putting 3 or 4 in the wood stove before going to bed.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:34 am#8 They already have, there are several right wing websites that are giving Sarah Palin’s book away for free if you suscribe to their page. Apparently that is a common practice to make folks think a book is selling like hotcakes.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:34 amXisithrus says:
We will probably find out later that ‘Going Rogue’ was written by a ghost writer.
Already known and discussed. I’m not going to go back and dig it all up, but IIRC, the author works for a fundamentalist website/magazine and has a couple other books to her credit, extreme wingnuttery at its best.
Not in any defense of Sarah, but not many politicians or celebrities actual write their autobiographies, and it’s difficult to imagine a publisher who would sign a contract for something like that without a known writer who has proven s/he can deliver a manuscript on time.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:35 am“Wow, people like our ideas because we have Best Selling books!”
Yeh, lol, I see those books piled up in stores such as Walmart and have yet to see anyone actually buy them.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:36 am1.25 million. Proves that you can be dumb as a rock and still make big bucks as long as you’re loud, pushy and very driven.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:37 amYou know that when the only one making sense is the ghost of Peter Tosh, you’re either really high or the world is completed fckd up
Why does Jon Stewart ever take a week off?
October 28th, 2009 at 9:39 am$1.25 million
Is that in actual dollars, or the teabagger exchange rate of “70,000 = 2,000,000″ applied?
October 28th, 2009 at 9:41 amTawdry says:
“1.25 million…”
Which was in the bank before she quit as Alaska’s governor.
She is not, never has been, and never will be, a public servant.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:41 amPalin’s Book Already A Loss Leader
Wal-Mart and Amazon are pre-selling Palin’s book for $9 a copy.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:43 amAlready known and discussed. I’m not going to go back and dig it all up, but IIRC, the author works for a fundamentalist website/magazine and has a couple other books to her credit, extreme wingnuttery at its best.
You betcha!
October 28th, 2009 at 9:43 am“…the stimulus is working and is having “a significant impact on the economy…”
October 28th, 2009 at 9:43 amI have work for a full year as a direct result of AARA.
She is not, never has been, and never will be, a public servant.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:44 amAt least not until that far-off day when she maybe figures out that public service means she serves
the public and not the other way around. Of course, you could say that about the Republican party in general I guess.
Sarah is just another example how pathetic our celebrity driven culture is. When Sarah and Tom Delay get so much MSM attention, my faith in my fellow Americans AND MSM sinks to a new low.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:45 amWal-Mart and Amazon are pre-selling Palin’s book for $9 a copy.
I was thinking, just now, about when they used to make a round oil filters cartridges that held a roll of toilet paper. Im going to patent one that holds books!
October 28th, 2009 at 9:46 amGeez Friggin’ Louise, who are the 3 in 10 that think Palin IS qualified???
Even my right leaning friends think she is a joke, and significantly hurt the party when she was “chosen” to run as VP
October 28th, 2009 at 9:47 amAt least not until that far-off day when she maybe figures out that public service means she serves
the public
Perhaps her quitting was a public service?
October 28th, 2009 at 9:47 amBarbie’s book, Going Rouge will be a best seller by bulk buyouts from her fan club,
She is currently working on a sequel, Pigs Wearing Lipstick.
midweek snark
October 28th, 2009 at 9:48 amIm wondering if snow macheen dood will sniff some green and file for divorce…
October 28th, 2009 at 9:49 amXisithrus says:
——————————————————————————–
Wal-Mart and Amazon are pre-selling Palin’s book for $9 a copy.
I was thinking, just now, about when they used to make a round oil filters cartridges that held a roll of toilet paper. Im going to patent one that holds books!
October 28th, 2009 at 9:49 amMan, that takes me back and shows your age. LOL.
Palin who?
October 28th, 2009 at 9:50 amRogue:
October 28th, 2009 at 9:50 am1 vagrant, tramp
2 a dishonest or worthless person : scoundrel
3 a mischievous person : scamp
4 a horse inclined to shirk or misbehave
5 an individual exhibiting a chance and usually inferior biological variation
Xisithrus says:
October 28th, 2009 at 9:51 amPerhaps her quitting was a public service?
As long as she stays quit, I agree. Just wish a few others would follow her fine example and just sit on their laurels so we can fix things a bit before they try again.
You can’t really blame Sarah can you? She is doing what washed up Politicians always do. Cash in on her 5 minutes of dubious fame.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:53 amMan, that takes me back and shows your age. LOL
Dont step in front of my electric chair! =)
October 28th, 2009 at 9:54 amYeah, seriously. Though, what are the odds Boehner will quit “for the good of his district”, only to wind up on an amateur PGA tour?
Or McConnel to quite “for the good of Kentucky” only to…I don’t know…replace one of the turtles in a zoo in Lousiville?
October 28th, 2009 at 9:55 am#33
Heh
October 28th, 2009 at 9:55 am“for the good of his district”, only to wind up on an amateur PGA tour?
I was so looking forward to seeing him doing tanning bed commercials
October 28th, 2009 at 9:57 amThis comment has been voted down. Click to read.
The Moose Boogers worshipers are going to be sooooooo disappointed when they open the book and see nuthin’ but words and no art pikchurs of her wrapped in the flag.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:58 amUncle Ho says:
Barbie’s book, Going Rouge will be a best seller by bulk buyouts from her fan club,
She is currently working on a sequel, Pigs Wearing Lipstick.
Should that be, “Pigs Going Rouge” ?
October 28th, 2009 at 10:00 amWouldn’t surprise if he starts doing that as a side-gig. You know, sort of like how Beck sells gold.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:01 am13 Great Lakes steamships also won exemptions from a rule to require lower-sulfur fuel.
Huh, high sulfur content can be corrosive and increase maintenance costs so is it really worth it?
October 28th, 2009 at 10:03 amAlejandro, bush was a crook and a liar.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:04 amObama has played as much golf in 10 months as Bush did in almost three years.
Well, he has a long way to go to beat the presidential record vacation holder GWB
October 28th, 2009 at 10:05 ammissmolly says:
Wow — I wonder what you can get access to if you dress up like Mayor McCheese?
I heard the Hamburglar couldn’t even get access to the cafeteria.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:05 amRogue, rouge. There’s a difference.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:06 amBTW Alex, how much rounds of golf has Boehner played since the beginning of the Iraq ‘freedom operation’
October 28th, 2009 at 10:06 amXisithrus says:
“13 Great Lakes steamships also won exemptions from a rule to require lower-sulfur fuel.”
These vessels burn what is known as “bunker fuel”, it is thick as molasses, and very dirty.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:07 amYou know, sort of like how Beck sells gold.
I have a feeling he is just selling paper. I read recently where each ounce of silver has been sold over 100 times and I doubt gold is any different
October 28th, 2009 at 10:08 amAnd I doubt that Boehner’s tanning beds would be of greater quality.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:11 amHouse of Roberts says:
Palin’s Book Already A Loss Leader
Wal-Mart and Amazon are pre-selling Palin’s book for $9 a copy.
Funny, but I have to wonder what motivated Amazon to bottom out their price like that; at this rate, they can sell a bazillion copies and not make a penny.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:14 amAnd I doubt that Boehner’s tanning beds would be of greater quality.
Mfg by Halliburton no doubt
October 28th, 2009 at 10:15 amHow can anyone compare golf between President Obama and bush…Jeebos thats a stretch. First off Obama is a sane deliberate person who can count, second he is sober most of the time, third bet he can find the fairway…Hell, bullshitbush is so drugged up he can’t even find his ball’s…..Happy hump day all….Blessings
October 28th, 2009 at 10:17 amThe House voted to effectively bar the EPA from mandating the reporting of greenhouse gas emissions generated by cattle and hog producers
I wonder what would happen if they were given BEANO
October 28th, 2009 at 10:20 amNow I am going to have to read up on bunker fuel
October 28th, 2009 at 10:21 amOkay, but how much brush has Obama cleared?
October 28th, 2009 at 10:26 am$1.25 million: Amount former Alaska governor Sarah Palin received as a retainer for her book “Going Rogue,” which will be out on Nov. 17.
Gotta ask, somebody’s gotta know.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:26 amIs a retainer like an advance?
Or is it just a payment. If the book falls flat on its face, does she have to return, like 1.19 million?
The Washington Times reports that President Obama has “quietly rewarded scores of top Democratic donors with VIP access to the White House, private briefings with administration advisers and invitations to important speeches and town-hall meetings.”
Public Election Campaign Financing, anyone?
October 28th, 2009 at 10:27 amRUCerious says:
$1.25 million: Amount former Alaska governor Sarah Palin received as a retainer for her book “Going Rogue,” which will be out on Nov. 17.
Gotta ask, somebody’s gotta know.
Is a retainer like an advance?
Or is it just a payment. If the book falls flat on its face, does she have to return, like 1.19 million?
It’s part of a larger advance. She gets to keep all of it (minus the no-doubt enormous sum she gives to the real author), but the balance of the “advance” isn’t guaranteed. I’m pretty sure she has to consider this “income” for tax purposes, so there’s another chunk gone.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:32 amIf the stimulus package is seen to be working fantastically by the end of the year, look for the repiggies to lie their a&&es off and take total credit for that bill.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:34 amgummble-bee-itch at 10:14 am,
That’s why it’s a loss leader, they’re selling below cost. In the article, the independent booksellers are mad because they can’t even buy it for what Amazon and Wal-Mart are selling it for.
It’s like when cokes are on sale at the grocery store, it gets you in the door, then they get you on other items you buy while you are there.
Hi Witch1!
October 28th, 2009 at 10:34 amA “retainer”? It’s an advance. I’m an author and no author gets a retainer, we get advances on royalties. And if the book will primarily be sold for $9 at Walmart et al., her publisher will never earn the money back. More to the point, though, is why she deliberately mis-labels the money she’s receiving.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:35 amThis comment has been voted down. Click to read.
Xisithrus says:
“Now I am going to have to read up on bunker fuel”
All large cargo vessels, fresh and salt water, burn this stuff.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:44 amThanks gummble-bee-itch. It pisses me off that she gets to cash in on, basically her stupidity.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:46 amreally? i’m guessing 3/4 of comments above 55 (where i am)
October 28th, 2009 at 10:49 amare sarah mcQUITTER related… how did that happen?
storm, you couldn’t come up with any bad news for Obama yourself, you had to copy someone who already posted?
Pretty thin if you ask me. I think you should try harder. If you’re going to do something, you should put some effort into it.
People like you live off of the rest of us and we are tired of carrying your dead a$$.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:49 amGood Morning, House……Blessings
October 28th, 2009 at 10:50 amYes ’storm’ George W Bush is the Republican Party..George is your leader now and forever. Please let Jeb run. Jeb and Sarah, an American love affair. heh
October 28th, 2009 at 10:57 amFred, once again Alejandro and his buddy Stormfront show they got nothin’.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:59 amStorm says:
Hurry… Crank out those “Free Edward Wycoff. He’s a true American hero” tee shirts. He’s your kind of hero.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:03 amRalph, it’s pretty sad when they want to compare work ethics of bush with any democrat. You know they are running on empty.
The republican party is abandoning it’s own candidates in favor of third party candidates. I’m loving it.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/10/28/steele-referee/comment-page-1/#comment-5862760
October 28th, 2009 at 11:05 amJust think STORM… You could be bringing in a new fashion statement in the next teabagger protest.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:05 amAll large cargo vessels, fresh and salt water, burn this stuff.
I guess its cheap fuel, but I would think using a turbine [like those found on modern jets] and would be more economical in the long run.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:06 amSarah is about the $$ now. Sarah is begging money from the Team Sarah website members to the tune of $41,000 dollars so she can speak at an Iowa conservative engagement. She will pocket at least 75K and first class travel, Sarah don’t come cheap.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:07 amgummble-bee-itch says: @#53
at this rate, they can sell a bazillion copies and not make a penny.
They do it as a loss leader to cross sell.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:16 amYou’ve seen the ubiquitous: Idiots like you who bought this book also bought: Guverning for Dummies..etc.
Off the MSNBC business wire, from an article entitled
9 signs that America is in decline
Numbers 3 and 4 are telling:
3. Poverty. The nation’s poverty rate, about 17%, is third worst among the advanced nations tracked by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In that sample, only Turkey and Mexico are worse.
4. Education. American 15-year-olds score below the average for advanced nations on math and science literacy. But don’t worry: Our nation’s future leaders remain ahead of their peers in Mexico, Turkey and Greece.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:35 amXisithrus says:
“I guess its cheap fuel, but I would think using a turbine [like those found on modern jets] and would be more economical in the long run.”
The sheer mass of cargo vessels requires massive torque to propel them. They have diesel engines the size of houses that operate anywhere from 75 to 500 RPMs. High RPM turbines wouldn’t work. The simplest, and cheapest, solution is to install scrubbers to remove pollutants from the exhaust. Sadly, even that seems to be too much trouble.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:49 amFred says:
[...]
The republican party is abandoning it’s own candidates in favor of third party candidates. I’m loving it.
not sure how much of it you remember, but last year i was posting this phrase to keep the dems/progs from doing the same:
OVERWHELMING DEMOCRATIC VOTER TURNOUT.
followed by – THEY CAN’T STEAL IT IF IT’S NOT CLOSE.
these days, to get the cleanup and programs we need:
OVERWHELMING DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT.
let the regressives splinter… but, even they will benefit from the policies instituted despite their efforts to prevent them…
October 28th, 2009 at 11:56 amUSA today says the stimulus is working – 338,000 jobs – is a good start after several months, considering this is a two-year program.
But the MSM naysayers will say it’s not fast enough, and besides that, the market is in the red today.
When the market is in the green, the MSM naysayers say but the jobs aren’t there yet.
Finally, I have stopped counting or replying to comments from acquaintances and neighbors who complain about the traffic jams because of “construction.”
I guess at my age, I should know that people expect miracles and instant ones at that – with no disruption to their daily run to Starbucks.
October 28th, 2009 at 12:14 pmThe trolls just can’t stop themselves. They continually stumble into their own traps. “Obama has played more golf???!!!” Wow, that’s quite a scoop.
Maybe they’ve absentmindedly forgotten that GW Bush set the all-time historical record for vacations. No President has ever taken more vacation time than GW Bush, the laziest of all Presidents. Obama rises at 5:00 am for a workout before he gets to work. GW Bush took three hours out of the middle of every single work day for his personal workouts.
You trolls need to wake up and smell the coffee. Your guy was the lazy, no-good, coke-snorting, drunk-driving, abortion buying for his girlfriend, skip out on your military obligation rat and you know it. Stop pretending he wasn’t a complete disaster.
October 28th, 2009 at 12:30 pmHerr dubyah claimed to have given up golf to “honor” the soldiers he murdered. President Obama never promised to give up golf. He deserves any moment of relaxation he can find. He’s been more productive in 9 months and herr dubyah was in 8 years.
October 28th, 2009 at 1:10 pmHow exactly are farmers and ranchers supposed to measure cow and pig farts? Leave those poor guys alone and let them put steak and bacon on our tables.
October 28th, 2009 at 2:10 pm`
October 28th, 2009 at 3:19 pm85. Mr. Peepers,
What I would like is for the industry to develop suits that would collect the gas from the burps and farts and then collect it to deliver as a useable fuel.
On a more serious note, with the fall in the price of milk, dairy farmers are killing part of their herd to decrease supply and hopefully increase the price.
While Dairy cattle may not be the best grade of meat, I really wish there were some way to take the dead cows and make them available as food for the poor.
October 28th, 2009 at 3:21 pmA USA Today analysis finds that the stimulus is working and is having “a significant impact on the economy.” A survey of 33 states and Puerto Rico found that 338,000 jobs have been created or saved so far this year.
B.S.
October 28th, 2009 at 4:06 pmPresident Obama’s top advisers “are focusing on a strategy for Afghanistan aimed at protecting about 10 top population centers.” The strategy will “would stop short of an all-out assault on the Taliban while still seeking to nurture long-term stability.” But now, “the debate is no longer over whether to send more troops, but how many more will be needed.”
What a stupid plan. A half ass effort will give half ass results. Get out of Afghanistan, Obama, or should I say, LBJ.
October 28th, 2009 at 4:09 pmCNN Opinion Research poll shows 29% think Palin is qualified to be President. Poll taken Oct. 16-18.
October 28th, 2009 at 5:11 pmSame Poll, Republican’s choice for President in 2012.
Huckabee 32%
October 28th, 2009 at 5:15 pmPalin 25%
Romney 21%
Pawlenty 5%
Other 10%