The president showed up on the “Late Show With David Letterman” on Monday (if you broadcast it, he will come) and responded to Jimmy Carter’s speculation that racism is to blame for some of the nasty behavior of his detractors.
Hey, you can really learn some interesting and revealing stuff at the Values Voter Summit! Take, for example, this startling declaration made Saturday by Michael Schwartz, Sen. Tom Coburn’s chief of staff, about how all pornography is gay and can make viewers gay ... or at least less attentive to their wives.
This just in from President Obama: Being rude is the easiest way to get airtime. Well, at least that’s his take on the lows to which public discourse has sunk of late, especially concerning the keenly contentious issue that is health care reform.
Truthdig editors Robert Scheer, Peter Scheer and Kasia Anderson give their takes on their picks from the week’s crop of news stories, including the rise of radical rhetoric on the right, Obama’s so-called socialism (for Wall Street) and how to shop for new planets to call our future home.
Russia might be pleased with President Obama’s decision to nix Bush’s missile shield plans, but how about Eastern Europe? Meanwhile, Sen. Max Baucus’ health care reform plan foundered, and Obama made a play to get through to the powers on Wall Street. All this—plus the Glenn Becking of American political discourse—is part of this week’s discussion on “Left, Right & Center.”
Although the Obama administration, in particular Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is maintaining a cautiously positive stance about the current state of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there doesn’t seem to be much progress on that front—which, as Al Jazeera English points out in this report, might have to do with all involved parties driving a hard-line approach.
Although Barack Obama himself apparently disagrees with Jimmy Carter’s assessment that some of the vitriol recently directed at the president is propelled by racism, Carter reiterated and expanded upon his claim during a town hall meeting Wednesday night at Atlanta’s Emory University.
Bill O’Reilly says of the very public option that makes his Foxy friends’ heads explode: “I want that. ... [I]f the government can cobble together a cheaper insurance policy that gives the same benefits, I see that as a plus for the folks.” Quick, look out your window to see the flying pigs.
If these anti-Obama marchers are to be believed, fascism and socialism are the same thing, abortion caused 9/11 and “Glenn Beck is such a logical thinker.” There’s a whole pile of crazy where that came from.
After an extended vacation, Jon Stewart returned to his “Daily Show” anchor’s desk Monday—and not a moment too soon, as the national epidemic of crazitude hasn’t calmed down since he left, especially when it comes to the subject of health care reform.
You may have caught rapper and megalomaniac Kanye West hijacking the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, but did you see him shout at the president during last Wednesday’s speech to Congress?
Muntadhar al-Zaidi’s simple but powerful gesture of lobbing his shoes at then-President George W. Bush brought him international notoriety, praise, scorn and nine months in prison. Now it looks like the Iraqi journalist is nearing the end of his jail time.
It was a big week in political news, what with the kerfuffle about Obama’s education speech and then the hubbub over ... Obama’s health care speech. Anyone see a pattern? “Left, Right & Center” regulars Robert Scheer, Arianna Huffington and Tony Blankley just might.
Two can play this game, Joe Wilson. While the South Carolina congressman’s heckle heard ’round the country triggered dismay from his opponents and enthusiasm from his supporters, Rep. Wilson’s “You lie!” war cry to Obama provided humor fodder for David Letterman’s Thursday night show.
So, Congressman Joe Wilson heckled President Obama during Wednesday’s speech on health care reform. On Thursday, Obama accepted Wilson’s apology, but that same day the South Carolina lawmaker leveraged the situation by posting this video calling for voters’ support and announcing he was “under attack by liberals for standing up against a government takeover of health care.”
Listening to the president’s speech Wednesday night was at times riveting, at times like listening to an insurance salesman. He gave a strong defense of the public option, but also indicated he would settle for whatever he could get.
Rep. Joe Wilson, Republican of South Carolina, is a real class act. To prove it, he heckled the president Wednesday, shouting “You lie!” after Obama promised that his plan would not cover illegal immigrants. Update
Some 100 passengers and several crew members made it safely off a hijacked AeroMexico 737 airliner upon landing in Mexico City on Wednesday. Meanwhile, at least five handcuffed men were escorted off the plane, which they had reportedly seized after takeoff from Cancun in an attempt to speak to Mexican President Felipe Calderon.
Sure, being POTUS is tough sometimes, and you’re bound to royally tick off a large percentage of your constituency no matter what you do. But in the case of health care reform, President Obama, you have one Lee Stranahan to help you break this one down.
Parents everywhere may feel as if they’re losing their kids to the Internet, or more specifically, to those mysterious “social networking” time-suck sites like Facebook and Twitter. However, take it from the chirpy hosts of “today NOW!”—The Onion’s eerily realistic spoof on morning-show blather—parents can also use these sites to their stalking advantage.
President Obama managed to deliver his contested speech at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va., on Tuesday, offering such highly controversial and clearly socialist messages as, “You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job,” and, “Listen to your parents.” This is the stuff of brainwashing, people!
With some parents still reluctant to send their children to school Tuesday for fear that President Obama will indoctrinate them with his scary socialist ideals, the White House has attempted to ease the hysteria by releasing the full text of his speech a day early. Now doubters can do a close textual analysis for objectionable content.
Fishermen and activists joined forces—and boats—on Sunday to draw attention to the rising acidity of the oceans. More than 100 vessels took part in the demonstration near Homer, Alaska, said the Alaska Marine Conservation Council.
President Obama’s got a lot of work to do to convince “Left, Right & Center” regulars Arianna Huffington, Tony Blankley and Robert Scheer that he’s going to make good on his promise of “change” when it comes to bettering Americans’ health care options, the economy, the job market and that whole war thing he’s got going on in Afghanistan.
A new documentary by Oliver Stone called “South of the Border” follows his earlier trajectory of “Salvador” (1984), “Comandante” (2003), and “Looking for Fidel” (2004) as he talks to several Latin American leaders to understand what is happening on the continent and how U.S. perceptions of our own backyard are skewed.
The Crushing Legacy of Bush and Cheney
