On Harry Reid's Comments

I am not about to go into a long ass post about Harry Reid's comments describing President Obama as a "light skinned" black person who doesn't speak with a "negro dialect" unless he wants to. For one, what he said is true. For two its all been said before, just with "nicer" words. Every time a political pundit last year said President Obama was "non threatening" because of his background and demeanor or anything close, they were saying the exact same thing that Harry Reid said in 2006. Want to take issue with "negro dialect"? Ok then explain to me what the hell ebonics is. I know some of us black folks don't like to admit that many of our people don't speak the King's English well, but its true and trying to act like it isn't is pretty damned disengenuous.

Was it racist? I guess the question I would have in response is who would it have been racist against? Every racist term or sentence or phrase that I know of is meant to demean a person based on their race. Harry Reid was actually speaking favorably of President Obama and talking about why he had a chance to be our first black President. And what do you know, he was right. I guess MAYBE you could try to make the case that it was racist against all black folks not named Barack Obama, bu then of course you would still have to show how its demeaning. As I pointed out before, just the existence of the word "ebonics" in our culture speaks to the fact that many people belive black folks and other minorities speak a different language. Is that a negative? Most of the time it is, especially if you are applying for a job. And wasn't there a story not too long ago about business not bringing people who "sounded black" over the phone in for interviews? But hey why let facts like that get in the way of a hysterical over reaction right?

In closing I will say this, if you ever have had the occasion to praise and or promote Rush Limbaugh or Pat Buchannan, you shouldn't have a got damn thing to say about any of this. And if the mainstream media types were doing their job they would point this out at every turn.

P.S. One more thing, was I the only one who read Reid's comments and immediately thought, "Damn, I guess that means Michael Steele could never be President" lmaooooo

P.S. 2: This still doesn't change my position that Harry Reid is doing a shitty job as Majority Leader. Thanks, that is all.

Bob Barr Destroys All Of Bill O'Reilly's Fear Mongering Arguments

Facts really are pesky little things.

Deep Thought

On the one hand Republicans and NeoCons knock President Obama for trying diplomacy instead of war with our enemies because they claim you can't keep them from attacking us with just words.


On the other hand Republicans and NeoCons think the solution to keeping us safe from terrorism is President Obama saying the words "War On Terror" over and over again.

Memory Relapse

Rachel Maddow is simply the best TV pundit in the game right now and she made sure last night to tear Rudy Giuliani to shreds over his idiotic comments about there having been no terrorist attacks under Bush's watch. I and others have long not only pointed to the anthrax attacks but also the DC sniper attacks as at least two terrorist attacks that happened after 9-11 under Bush but until now you hardly if ever saw a TV journalist include the DC snipers in that context. Congressional Democrats as well as the White House should grab this bit of video and distribute i far and wide to discredit not just Giuliani, but the rest of the GOP/NeoCon fools who keep trying to have their own selective memory lapses about what really happened under President Bush with respect to terrorism.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

RIP

Vice President Joe Biden's mother, Catherine Eugenia 'Jean' Finnegan Biden, has passed.
My condolences to him and his family.

Dude, Please STFU

Michael Steele just keeps on digging.

Please Give Me Some Of Whatever Giuliani Is Smoking!

Lets, for a moment, leave aside the fact that 9/11 happened under Bush. If Giuliani's point is that we had a terrorist attack under President Obama because of he underpants bomber, doesn't that mean we also had a terrorist attack under Bush with the shoe bomber? I mean, c'mon man, how fucking idiotic can you get?

But worse than that, why isn't the guy interviewing him pouncing all over his dumbass when he spouts this bullshit? I don't think anybody bought it, but got dammit why do we even HAVE a media anymore if they are unwilling or unable to call bullshit on such a blatant ass lie?

Keeping It Steele, Son

Elon James roasts Michael Steele

President Obama's Remarks About The Report On The Failed Terrorist Attack On Christmas

Update: For whatever reason the MSNBC code isn't producing the correct video when embeded so I had to grab TPM's youtube instead.

He Didn't Buy A One Way Ticket

TPM has compiled a report on what has been publicly reported about the attempted terrorist bombing on the Northwest flight Christmas day. There is at least one important correction to what has been reported and repeated erroneously all over the place since this attempted attack took place.

•The AP quoted a Nigerian official, Civil Aviation Authority chief Harold Demuren, saying that Abdulmutallab bought a round-trip ticket with cash at the KLM office in Accra, Ghana on Dec. 16. The $2,831 ticket was from Lagos, Nigeria, to Detroit via Amsterdam, he said. The return date was said to be Jan. 8, the Guardian quotes the same Nigerian agency as saying. A CBS report refers to a "scheduled two-week trip," which would be in keeping with the Jan. 8 return date. And a Dutch government report described by the International Herald Tribune (via Nexis) said that Abdulmutallab "had a round-trip ticket purchased in Ghana."

•However, multiple news outlets and commentators have asserted Abdulmutallab had a one-way ticket. That includes Time, former Attorney General Michael Mukasey in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, the Journal news pages, and Michael Gerson in the Washington Post. None of those outlets cite a source for the one-way ticket claim. The New York Times actually ran a Dec. 30 correction saying that an earlier piece "referred incorrectly to the plane ticket used by the suspect. It was a round-trip ticket, not a one-way ticket."

Now people on both sides of the political spectrum have used the notion that Abdulmutallab bought a one way ticket as a sign that the sytem didn't work because that should have been a red flag. And even further to assert that because Richard Reid, the shoe bomber, used a one way ticket, that its an even worse screw up for them to have not noticed Abdulmutallab because the situations seemed so similar.

But the truth is he bought a round trip ticket so that is one thing that was different from Reid. And when you take away the one way ticket meme then there isn't a whole lot that would make you think this was a mirror image of Reid.

There are other things that TPM dug up worth reading about as well. And as I was typing this post the official White House report was declassified. So feel free to click the links and get the truth about this incident. Obviously relying on our mainstream media hasn't worked out so well thus far.

Steele's Days Are Numbered

In the course of a regular daily conference call between senior Congressional communicators, House and Senate aides berated RNC staffers over Steele's comments that the GOP would not be able to take back the House, and that even if they did, the party would not be prepared to lead.

A senior Senate aide brought up Steele's comments, arguing that he was ruining what should be several days of glowing press for the GOP in the wake of retirement announcements from Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Chris Dodd (D-CT).

"Steele is setting us far back with his comments and it needs to stop," the aide said, according to 2 sources who were on the call.

RNC research director Jeff Berkowitz called the Senate aide out of line, but the Senate aide called Steele a "fool," sources said.

Hotlineoncall

If you think this information somehow got leaked accidentally you are crazy. Someone wants everybody to know that at least one Senate leadership aide not only thinks RNC Chairman Michael Steele is a fool but actually said so on a conference call with their peers. I don't think Steele will make it to April as head of the RNC, but after reading through this account several times I think I might be too generous with that estimate.

CNN Take Notes

I saw that CNN had Erick Erickson of Red State on in the last few weeks as their representative for a right wing point of view. But they never, not even once, brought up any of the over the top, racist and culturally insensitve things he said on his blog. You would have thought he was a perfectly average guy just having a difference of opinion on substantive issues. Thankfully he was stupid enough to go on the Colbert Report last night. Needless to say he was finally challenged over some of the things he has said. It continues to amaze me that we have to wait for late night comedy shows to actually ask the tough questions of political operators. But I guess something is better than nothing.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Erick Erickson
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Economy

Terror 2.0

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Terror 2.0 by Yemen
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

This Is Really Some Next Level Ish

Its been a long time since I saw a music video that actually drew my attention, but this Jay Z joint is game changing. Other cats better step their game up!

On To The Next One

Happy New Year!

Yeah, that's about right lol. Its been a long long year...