Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: ‘It’s a just and noble cause to make health care available to everyone.’
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: ‘It’s a just and noble cause to make health care available to everyone.’
Hall of Famer and basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar revealed this morning that he has been battling leukemia, a form of cancer that develops in blood tissue. Abdul-Jabbar appeared on CNN’s American Morning and fielded questions about his battle with the disease. During the conversation, CNN co-host Kiran Chetry asked Abdul-Jabbar if he was following the health care debate, prompting the basketball star to offer his endorsement for reform. He explained that he believes that it is a “just and noble cause” to guarantee access to health care to Americans:
CHETRY: I’m sure you’ve been paying attention to the ongoing debate about health care. Have you taken a stand on that? Do you have an opinion on what we need to do as a nation to ensure more people can have access to health care?
ABDUL-JABBAR: I’m all for that. We have the best technology in the world. We’re supposed to be the ‘can-do’ nation. And our health care system really fails so many people. Especially poor people, people who don’t have the means to go to private doctors. I think we should change that. I think it’s absolutely crucial. Certainly it’s a just and noble cause to make health care available to everyone.
Watch it:
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CNBC Reporter: Keflezighi’s Marathon Win Was ‘Empty’ Because He Was An Immigrant Rather Than U.S.-Born
CNBC Reporter: Keflezighi’s Marathon Win Was ‘Empty’ Because He Was An Immigrant Rather Than U.S.-Born
On Sunday, U.S. media outlets reported that for the first time in 27 years, an American had won the New York City Marathon. Meb Keflezighi was born in Eritrea, “growing up in a hut with no electricity.” He and his family moved to Italy when he was 10 years old, and came to the United States two years later. Keflezighi “began running in junior high in San Diego, then went on to star at UCLA.” He said he it was with “big honor and pride” that he wore the USA jersey while running in the marathon. Watch a post-marathon interview with Keflezighi here:
However, CNBC Sports Business Reporter Darren Rovell doesn’t think Keflezighi deserves all this praise because when his mother gave birth to him, she wasn’t in the U.S. Rovell wrote a column yesterday saying that Keflezighi’s victory wasn’t “as good as it sounds” because Keflezighi is an immigrant, and this fact “takes away from the magnitude of the achievement the headline implies”:
Given our disappointing results, embracing Keflezighi is understandable. But Keflezighi’s country of origin is Eritrea, a small country in Africa. He is an American citizen thanks to taking a test and living in our country.
Nothing against Keflezighi, but he’s like a ringer who you hire to work a couple hours at your office so that you can win the executive softball league.
Around noon today, Rovell posted a “convoluted sort-of apology” clarifying yesterday’s piece, writing, “Let me be clear: Meb Keflezighi is an American and any suggestion otherwise is wrong.” He now granted Keflezighi’s win legitimacy only because the runner was “brought up through the American system”:
I said that Keflezighi’s win, the first by an American since 1982, wasn’t as big as it was being made out to be because there was a difference between being an American-born product and being an American citizen. Frankly I didn’t account for the fact that virtually all of Keflezighi’s running experience came as a US citizen. I never said he didn’t deserve to be called American. [...]
It turns out, Keflezighi moved to the United States in time to develop at every level in America. So Meb is in fact an American trained athlete and an American citizen and he should be celebrated as the American winner of the NYC Marathon. That makes a difference and makes him different from the “ringer” I accused him of being. Meb didn’t deserve that comparison and I apologize for that.
How long does someone have to be in the U.S. and go through the American “system” to be counted as legitimate? In today’s New York Times, academics who study race and sports note that there are still “undercurrents of nationalism and racism that are not often voiced” in sports. “There is this notion about innate physiological gifts that certain races presumably possess. Quite frankly, I think it feeds into deep-seated stereotypes,” said David Wiggins, a professor at George Mason University.
Yesterday, Keflezighi responded to the criticisms, saying, “I’ve had to deal with it. But, hey, I’ve been here 22 years. And the U.S.A. is a land of immigrants. A lot of people have come from different places.”
(HT: bustacap at DailyKos)
During House hearing on concussions, Rep. King defends Limbaugh and demands Goodell apologize to him.
During House hearing on concussions, Rep. King defends Limbaugh and demands Goodell apologize to him.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell testified to the House Judiciary Committee today about “legal issues related to football head injuries.” However, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) decided to use the hearing as an opportunity to defend Rush Limbaugh and quiz Goodell on why the hate radio host couldn’t become an owner of a team, even while “offensive” musicians like Fergie and J-Lo (who have “alleged that the CIA are terrorists and liars” and “used…verbal pornography”) can. “In fact I don’t think that anything Rush Limbaugh said was offensive,” added King. Although he requested that Goodell apologize to Limbaugh, the NFL commissioner never did so, repeating his belief that Limbaugh’s comments about Donovan McNabb were offensive and inappropriate. Watch it:
LeBron James wants to ‘dunk on’ President Bush’s ‘ass.’
LeBron James wants to ‘dunk on’ President Bush’s ‘ass.’
Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James is widely considered to be one of the best professional basketball players of all time, but in an interview in next month’s Maxim magazine, he says his ideal opponent would be someone better known for clearing brush than shooting hoops. If given the opportunity to dunk on anyone in the world, LeBron says it would be George W. Bush’s “ass”:
[INTERVIEWER]: If there was one guy on the planet you could dunk on, who would it be? That teacher?
[JAMES]: If it doesn’t have to be a basketball player, George W. Bush. I would dunk on his ass, break the rim, and shatter the glass.
Getting dunked on is considered an embarrassing insult in basketball terminology.
(HT: Huffington Post)
Limbaugh whines that NFL is an outpost of ‘racism and liberalism.’
Limbaugh whines that NFL is an outpost of ‘racism and liberalism.’
Hate radio show host Rush Limbaugh’s bid to purchase a minority stake in the St. Louis Rams failed yesterday, after players, a team owner, the head of the players union, and the commissioner publicly expressed concern about his joining the league based on racist comments he had made in the past. Today, Limbaugh addressed the controversy on his show, saying it was all a ploy by Democrats to villainize him and calling the NFL “outpost of racism and liberalism”:
LIMBAUGH: They [Democrats] have to have a villain to advance everything, because they cannot sell their ideas. They had to demonize me with false, fake, made up quotes. To protect their precious little — National Football League as an outpost of racism and liberalism, which is what it is.
Listen here:
But as Media Matters points out, NFL teams, owners, players and personnel gave overwhelmingly to GOP since 1989. Limbaugh fans are rallying behind him, with some proposing a boycott of the NFL. A RedState blogger strongly supported the hate radio host in a post titled “Tonight… We Are All Rush Limbaugh.”
Limbaugh dropped from bid to purchase St. Louis Rams.
Limbaugh dropped from bid to purchase St. Louis Rams.
After nearly a week of controversy surrounding Rush Limbaugh’s involvement in a bid to purchase the NFL’s St. Louis Rams franchise, ESPN reports today that that the hate radio host has suffered a major defeat. Dave Checketts, chairman of the National Hockey League’s St. Louis Blues and “point man in the Limbaugh group attempting to buy the Rams,” will drop Limbaugh from the bid:
[Checketts] realizes he must remove the controversial conservative radio host from his potential role as a minority member in the group in order to get approval from other NFL owners, the sources said.
Three-quarters of the league’s 32 owners would have to approve any sale to Limbaugh and his group. Earlier this week, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay predicted that Limbaugh’s potential bid would be met by significant opposition. Several players have also voiced their displeasure with Limbaugh’s potential ownership position, and NFL Players Association head DeMaurice Smith, who is black, urged players to speak out against Limbaugh’s bid.
Limbaugh would not comment on Checkett’s reported move. However, on his radio show today, he remained defiant and defensive, saying criticism of his bid is “all about smearing mainstream, traditional conservatism” and accusing his critics of “spread[ing] lies.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suggests that Limbaugh would not be welcome in the league.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suggests that Limbaugh would not be welcome in the league.
Today, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell essentially came out against Rush Limbaugh’s bid for the St. Louis Rams, saying that based on the hate radio host’s past rhetoric, Limbaugh didn’t live up to the “standard” of the League:
“I’ve said many times before, we’re all held to a high standard here,” Goodell said. Then he continued: “I would not want to see those comments coming from people who are in a responsible position in the NFL –- absolutely not.” [...]
“The comments Rush made specifically about Donovan, I disagree with very strongly,” Goodell said. “It’s a polarizing comment that we don’t think reflect accurately on the N.F.L. or our players. I obviously do not believe those comments are positive and they are divisive. That’s a negative thing for us, obviously.”
In 2003, ESPN fired Limbaugh for arguing that Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was overrated within the sports press because the “media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well.” In recent days, NFL players and the head of the union have also spoken out against the bid, and today, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said he would vote against Limbaugh, calling his past comments “inappropriate, incendiary and insensitive.”
Head of NFL players union opposes Limbaugh’s bid: Sports are meant to reject ‘discrimination and hatred.’
Head of NFL players union opposes Limbaugh’s bid: Sports are meant to reject ‘discrimination and hatred.’
Since Rush Limbaugh came out and expressed interest in buying the St. Louis Rams, black NFL players have let it be known that they would never play for a team owned by the hate radio host. “He’s a jerk. … He could offer me whatever he wanted, I wouldn’t play for him,” said New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott. Now, NFL Players executive director DeMaurice Smith is also opposing Limbaugh’s bid. In an e-mail to the union’s executive committee yesterday, Smith wrote:
I’ve spoken to the Commissioner [Roger Goodell] and I understand that this ownership consideration is in the early stages. But sport in America is at its best when it unifies, gives all of us reason to cheer, and when it transcends. Our sport does exactly that when it overcomes division and rejects discrimination and hatred. [...]
I have asked our players to embrace their roles not only in the game of football but also as players and partners in the business of the NFL,” said Smith in the e-mail. “They risk everything to play this game, they understand that risk and they live with that risk and its consequences for the rest of their life. We also know that there is an ugly part of history and we will not risk going backwards, giving up, giving in or lying down to it.
Our men are strong and proud sons, fathers, spouses and I am proud when they stand up, understand this is their profession and speak with candor and blunt honesty about how they feel.
In 2003, ESPN fired Limbaugh from Sunday NFL Countdown for saying that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was overrated because the “media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well.”
Black NFL Players ‘Wouldn’t Play’ For Limbaugh’s Team: ‘He’s A Jerk’
Black NFL Players ‘Wouldn’t Play’ For Limbaugh’s Team: ‘He’s A Jerk’
Earlier this week, the media reported that hate radio host Rush Limbaugh is involved in a bid to purchase the National Football League’s St. Louis Rams franchise. Many sports media figures lambasted the idea of Limbaugh owning an NFL team, with one writer saying it “would definitely hurt” the Rams while another said his “head exploded after hearing this Limbaugh news” because he is “a pungent bowl of stark raving bigoted lunacy.”
Now, the players themselves are piling on. Specifically, many African-American players have explicitly stated that they would never play for a team that Rush Limbaugh owns. “All I know is from the last comment I heard, he said in (President) Obama’s America, white kids are getting beat up on the bus while black kids are chanting ‘right on,’” New York Giants defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka told the New York Daily News, adding, “I don’t want anything to do with a team that he has any part of.” Other black players expressed similar sentiments:
[New York Jets linebacker Bart] Scott says players remember what Limbaugh said [about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donavan McNabb], and adds that the NFL would be wise not to allow the nationally syndicated host into the league.
“It’s an oxymoron that he criticized Donovan McNabb,” Scott said. “A lot of us took it as more of a racial-type thing. I can only imagine how his players would feel. I know I wouldn’t want to play for him. He’s a jerk. He’s an —. What he said (about McNabb) was inappropriate and insensitive, totally off-base. He could offer me whatever he wanted, I wouldn’t play for him. … I wouldn’t play for Rush Limbaugh. My principles are greater and I can’t be bought.”
Indeed, as CNN reported at the time, ESPN fired Limbaugh from Sunday NFL Countdown for “his statement that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was overrated because the media wanted to see a black quarterback succeed.” But, of course, Limbaugh has a long sordid history with making racist remarks. Some of his more recent lowlights:
– “Look, let me put it to you this way: The NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it.”
– “We need segregated buses. … This is Obama’s America.”
– “President Obama is black. And I think he’s got a chip on his shoulder.”
– Democrats are interested in Darfur to secure black “voting bloc.”
– “Minorities never do anything for which they have to apologize.”
– Obama’s nomination for president “goes back to the fact that nobody had the guts to stand up and say no to a black guy.”
– Obama is a “halfrican-American.”
Advising the NFL to block Limbaugh’s pursuit of an NFL franchise, St. Louis Dispatch sports columnist Bryan Burwell wrote recently, “Dancing with Limbaugh is like dancing with a snake. Eventually, the snake will bite you. That’s his nature.”
Kristol Compares Obama’s Olympics Pitch To ‘George W. Bush-Like’ Bullying
Kristol Compares Obama’s Olympics Pitch To ‘George W. Bush-Like’ Bullying
Conservatives have been bashing President Obama for the past week over his decision to personally go to Copenhagen to boost America’s pitch for the 2016 Olympics. When the International Olympics Committee eliminated Chicago in the first round, those same conservatives were euphoric. Today on Fox News Sunday, Bill Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard — whose headquarters erupted in “cheers” when America lost — said that Obama’s decision to go to Copenhagen was an example of George W. Bush-like bullying:
KRISTOL: Our economy doesn’t need the boost of the Olympics. And then an American president in sort of a George W. Bush-like way goes and tries to bully the International Olympic Committee. [...]
Come walk with us. I’m here for America. Can you imagine if some Republican — if Bush had done this and we hadn’t gotten it? Typical Bush heavy-handedness, cowboy unilateralist, hegemonic imperialist action. Obama falls into that trap and they went for it. I must say you couldn’t help be amused by it.
Watch it:
First of all, Kristol was a big fan of the Bush administration’s policies, so it’s not clear why he wouldn’t like Obama going to Copenhagen. But more importantly, Obama’s trip was not a “hegemonic imperialist action.” Brazil, Spain, and Japan — the other three 2016 finalists — all sent their country’s leaders to Copenhagen, as MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow pointed out on NBC’s Meet the Press today. Conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks said that he was proud Obama had “put his country ahead of his own personal prestige”:
MADDOW: In 2012, London got the Olympics after Blair tried for them. In 2014, Russia got them after Putin tried for them, and in 2016, all four finalists sent their head of government or head of state to make the argument. Obama did nothing unreasonable, and it would have been a shock if Chicago won. For them to be cheering America’s loss here on the right, I think is sort of disgusting. [...]
BROOKS: Nonetheless, I have to say, I’m with Obama on this. He took a risk, he comes away somewhat humiliated, but he took a risk for his town, he took a risk for his country, he put his country ahead of his own personal prestige, and he lost one. I actually don’t mind it. I think he was all right on this.
E.J. Dionne added that Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) presidential slogan was “Country First,” but “in this case, it was Obama-hatred first on the right, not the country.” Watch it:
Conservative conference attendees erupt in cheers when the U.S. is eliminated as Olympics site.
Conservative conference attendees erupt in cheers when the U.S. is eliminated as Olympics site.
Conservatives are currently gathered in Virginia for the American for Prosperity’s Defending the American Dream Summit, which features speakers such as radio host Hugh Hewitt and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Today when the IOC announced that the United States was eliminated from the running to host the 2016 Olympics, a room of conference attendees immediately laughed and applauded. Watch it:
The Weekly Standard “world headquarters” also erupted in cheers today at the announcement, although blogger John McCormack later changed his blog post and deleted the reference.
Bush Administration’s Tourist Visa Policy May Have Cost America The 2016 Olympics
Bush Administration’s Tourist Visa Policy May Have Cost America The 2016 Olympics
In spite of President Obama’s lobbying efforts, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) may have chosen to reject hosting the 2016 summer olympic games in Chicago due to the post-9/11 visa tourist policies established by his predecessor, George W. Bush. Michael Froomkin, Professor at the University of Miami School of Law, is convinced that “the same stupid anti-visitor policy that is destroying American higher education” also sunk Chicago’s Olympic bid. Chicago was eliminated during the first round and received the fewest votes. A New York Times article points out:
In the official question-and-answer session following the Chicago presentation, Syed Shahid Ali, an I.O.C. member from Pakistan, asked the toughest question. He wondered how smooth it would be for foreigners to enter the United States for the Games because doing so can sometimes, he said, be “a rather harrowing experience.”
A “harrowing experience” may be an understatement. Immediately after 9/11, the Bush Administration began requiring fingerprints and photographs of tourists from all but 28 countries entering the US. President Bush required that all foreigners register online within three days of travel. Thirty-five (mostly European) countries now participate in the US Visa Waiver program, however tourists from the rest of the world still have to jump through the following hurdles:
- Pay hefty visa processing and issuance fees.
- Undergo an interview by a visa officer at the US Embassy.
- Provide evidence which shows the purpose of the trip, intent to depart the United States, and arrangements made to cover the costs of the trip may be provided.
- Present convincing evidence that an interested person will provide financial support if the applicant does not have sufficient funds to support him or herself.
The average wait for a US visa has risen to about three months. Brazil, which will host the 2016 Olympic summer games in Rio de Janeiro, has a reciprocal visa policy with all countries. US tourists are required to have a $130 advance visa before entry into the country and are fingerprinted and photographed upon arrival — matching US requirements for Brazilians.
VIDEO: Mission Accomplished For Conservatives Who Rooted Against America
VIDEO: Mission Accomplished For Conservatives Who Rooted Against America
Although the United States sent a high-powered delegation to make a last-ditch effort to bring the 2016 Olympics to Chicago, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled out the Windy City today. Of the final four cities — which also included Madrid, Toyko, and Rio — Chicago received the fewest votes. In his speech to the IOC in Copenhagen today, President Obama tied the American dream to the Olympic spirit in his pitch for the United States:
[Chicago is] a bustling metropolis with the warmth of a small town; where the world already comes together every day to live and work and reach for a dream — a dream that no matter who we are, where we come from; no matter what we look like or what hand life has dealt us; with hard work, and discipline, and dedication, we can make it if we try.
That’s not just the American Dream. That is the Olympic spirit. It’s the essence of the Olympic spirit. That’s why we see so much of ourselves in these Games. That’s why we want them in Chicago. That’s why we want them in America.
Always looking for a way to bring down Obama, conservatives not only criticized the President’s 15-hour trip, but also spent this week denegrating Chicago, downplaying the Olympics, and rooting against America. The criticisms have included mocking “fat people” in Chicago, gushing that Rio is just plain “awesome,” and saying that Chicago is too violent and doesn’t deserve the event. Watch a compilation:
So how will all these conservatives who have been rooting against the United States react now that their rhetoric has become reality? On Twitter, former Bush spokesman Scott Stanzel cautioned Republicans against gloating: “Note to GOP officials/consultants – resist the temptation to pile on about Chicago losing the Olympic bid just because Obama made the pitch.” His message didn’t reach RedState’s Erick Erickson, who immediately wrote:
Hahahahaha. I thought the world would love us more now that Bush was gone. I thought if we whored ourselves out to our enemies, great things would happen. Apparently not.
Bringing the Olympics wasn’t about cronyism. Besides U.S. pride, it was about an event that could have generated $22.5 billion in economic activity and the equivalent of 315,000 new full-time jobs in America.
Transcript: More »
Hannity Cites Single Chicago Gang Violence Incident To Wonder If The City Doesn’t Deserve The Olympics
Hannity Cites Single Chicago Gang Violence Incident To Wonder If The City Doesn’t Deserve The Olympics
Conservatives have been piling on President Obama this week for his decision to take a short trip to Cophenhagen, Denmark, to pitch Chicago as the site of the 2016 Olympics. Yesterday on an RNC conference call, for example, chairman Michael Steele said that “at a time of war,” Obama’s trip was “not necessary.”
Last night on Fox News, Sean Hannity devoted his top segment to hitting Obama over the Olympics. He brought up a tragic incident in Chicago where an innocent 16-year-old boy died after getting caught in gang violence crossfire. Hannity said the murder had turned “political” in light of Obama’s Copenhagen trip — even though the two are completely unrelated and no one else has tied them together:
HANNITY: This is absolutely chilling. Well, now the story has turned political. This Thursday President Obama will travel to Denmark to support Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. But in light of this tragedy and all of the pressing issues facing the country, is the president making the right move?
One of Hannity’s guests was former Bush White House press secretary Dana Perino, who agreed that the killing had become “part of a political issue.” She admitted that “this type of school violence, unfortunately, happens all over America,” but quickly added, “But as I read today that this is not the first child that’s been murdered this school year in Chicago.”
Hannity also tried to compare Obama’s Copenhagen trip to sending more troops to Afghanistan, saying that since the President was able to make the first decision so quickly, he should similarly make a snap decision about the war. Watch it:
CNN’s Lou Dobbs made a similar argument yesterday, saying, “The president is heading off to Denmark later this week to try to sell Olympic officials on Chicago, but many say the president’s focus on Chicago should have more to do with stopping the worsening violence in that city.”
Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs made a jab at Steele and the other Olympics critics, asking, “Who’s he rooting for? Is he hoping to hop a plane to Brazil and catch the Olympics in Rio? Maybe it’s Madrid.” Former Massachusetts governor and head 2002 Olympic Organizing Committee Mitt Romney also endorsed Obama’s decision to go to Copenhagen, saying “I think the people in the IOC want to understand the level of the commitment of the host country. … And nothing says that like having the presence of the leader of that country and, particularly, the case of Barack Obama.”
(HT: News Hounds)
Transcript: More »
Steele Hits Obama For Olympics Trip, But Squirms When Reporter Pointedly Asks Him If It’s A ‘Mistake’
Steele Hits Obama For Olympics Trip, But Squirms When Reporter Pointedly Asks Him If It’s A ‘Mistake’
Today in an RNC conference call, chairman Michael Steele criticized President Obama for going to Copenhagen, Denmark this week to pitch Chicago as the site of the 2016 Olympics. Steele said that “at a time of war, at a time of recession,” Obama’s short trip would distract him from focusing on pressing problems.
Steele basically tried to argue that the country couldn’t move forward with Obama in Copenhagen, saying that Obama should tell the public if he wants the country to make the Olympics “the priority” as his job-creation program:
STEELE: If the priority is the Olympics in seven years, okay, then tell the nation that’s the priority and that’s what we should be focused on because we’ll create jobs then and we won’t worry about it between now and 2016. But if the goal is to create jobs here in America today, then let’s do that.
After the RNC chairman bashed Obama over the Olympics for several minutes, Baltimore Sun reporter Paul West asked Steele, “So are you saying that it’s a mistake for him to go to Copenhagen?” Steele tried to dodge the question (eliciting an audible sigh from West), and eventually tersely cut off West when he tried to follow-up:
PAUL WEST, BALTIMORE SUN: Hi, I just wanted to follow-up on that last question: So are you saying that it’s a mistake for him to go to Copenhagen?
STEELE: You know, a mistake is in the eye of the beholder. I just don’t think it’s necessary. I mean, I don’t know the judgment behind the President going. [...]
WEST: Okay, but I’m still not clear. Is it a mistake in your eyes?
STEELE: My eyes don’t — What do you mean, my eyes?
WEST: Well, you said a mistake is in the eyes of the beholder. I’m wondering if you think it’s a mistake?
STEELE: I gave you my answer, Paul.
Listen here:
The whole trip will take approximately 18 hours. The New York Times reported:
Moreover, aides noted that it would be a relatively small time investment. Mr. Obama will leave Thursday evening and fly overnight, arriving in Copenhagen just in time to join Chicago’s final presentation Friday morning, when he and the first lady will address the committee. He returns to Washington on Friday afternoon.
So according to Steele, Obama spending 18 hours to promote an event that has the opportunity to increase U.S. prestige, generate $22.5 billion in economic activity, and the equivalent of 315,000 new full-time jobs must mean that he has completely abandoned his entire policy agenda and plans to now spend all his time on this issue. Does this mean that Obama is no longer overexposed?
Transcript: More »
Day 1 of Sotomayor hearings: ‘Balls and strikes.’
Day 1 of Sotomayor hearings: ‘Balls and strikes.’
During his confirmation hearings, John Roberts famously established what he viewed as the job qualifications for a Supreme Court Justice. “It’s my job to call balls and strikes and not to pitch or bat,” he said. (His record has proven contrary to that statement.) While discussing the candidacy of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, many Democratic Senators referenced — and refuted — Roberts’ “balls and strikes” analogy during today’s hearings. ThinkProgress’ Victor Zapanta compiled this entertaining video compilation. Watch it:
As David Waldman writes, the “balls and strikes” analogy is “a ridiculously restrictive comparison, of course, given that most cases that reach the Supreme Court (at their own choosing, by the way) aren’t about balls and strikes. If they are, they’re generally not granted review.”
TP’s Ian Millhiser live-blogged today’s hearings. Check out his coverage here.
Boehner’s PAC spent over $30,000 on a Florida golf outing with lobbyists.
Boehner’s PAC spent over $30,000 on a Florida golf outing with lobbyists.
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), an avid lover of golf, has repeatedly used the golf course for fundraising purposes. Unlike the imprisoned former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who famously used golf as “bait…to lure Republican politicians into his realm,” Boehner has repeatedly used golf as a means of giving lobbyists some face-time with him while raising money for House Republicans in the process. The Washington Post’s Mary Ann Akers reports today that Boehner’s PAC, Freedom Project, “spent a total of $31,474.11 on a golf fundraiser for friends, lobbyists and anyone else who wanted intimate tee time with the House’s top Republican” at the Ritz Carlton in Naples, FL last February, raising nearly a quarter million dollars for GOP candidates.
Jindal spares money for New Orleans Saints while slashing health care and education funding.
Jindal spares money for New Orleans Saints while slashing health care and education funding.
Recently, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) released his budget for next year, calling for cuts in higher education and health care for the uninsured and disabled in order to plug a $1.3 billion shortfall in revenue. Already, hospitals are laying off workers. Yet Jindal is managing to spare some funds for his favorite football team:
The Jindal administration wants to use $85 million of a state surplus as well as pay up to $6 million a year to keep the Saints football team in Louisiana, lawmakers said Wednesday. The deal, described by legislators briefed on the offer, would require the state to pay far less than the $23.5 million the team is receiving in annual cash inducements. … Several lawmakers were critical of the proposal, which coincides with a budget crunch threatening health care and higher education with substantial reduction.
Jindal claims that the team generates millions in revenue every year, but he has pledged to preserve budget-busting tax cuts for upper-income individuals and businesses. State Rep. Karen St. German asked, “Again, behind closed doors, we’re supplementing a multimillionaire. When do we stop the madness and worry about education and health care?”
Texas Rangers fans give Bush a rousing ovation as he throws out first pitch.
Texas Rangers fans give Bush a rousing ovation as he throws out first pitch.
When then-President Bush delivered the first pitch at the Washington Nationals home opener last year, he was met with a resounding chorus of boos. However, today a crowd of 40,000 Texas Rangers fans cheered wildly when the stadium’s public address announcer bellowed, “[W]elcome home the 43rd president.” Bush — a former partial owner of the team — then took the mound and received a standing ovation as he threw out the first pitch. “He threw a strike!” the announcer declared. Watch it:
Perhaps this in an indication of why Bush — one the most unpopular presidents of all time — chose to spend his post-presidency life in Dallas.
Wrestling fans ‘hate George W. Bush more than the sledgehammer molester.’
Wrestling fans ‘hate George W. Bush more than the sledgehammer molester.’
Peter Rugg, a blogger for The Pitch, a local Kansas City arts and entertainment newspaper, wrote yesterday about his experience the previous evening attending WWE’s Monday Night Raw. Rugg noted that during the show, “there were two touching tributes to the military men and women serving in the Middle East,” one of which came from former President Bush. And according to Rugg, once Bush appeared on the arena’s television screens, he received “thunderous boos“:
The mere sight of Bush elicited thunderous boos — even more jeering than the maniacal [WWE Wrestler] Randy Orton, who dropped Triple H’s wife, Stephanie, on her head and kissed her while a handcuffed Triple H could only watch. Then Orton hit him with a sledgehammer. I’m going to repeat that again, just to be clear: To wrestling fans, George W. Bush is worse than a sledgehammer molester.
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