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Here in Berkeley its just that the air is a bit smoky. Thirty to fifty miles north of here are scenes of complete devastation with thousands of homes destroyed. And it’s by … Read More
It's October and we are still getting this periodic story – via Politico, sourced by 10 WH sources – about how the staff scrambles frantically to delay and distract Trump … Read More
I don’t know if anybody has spoken truth to in the Trump era in the way Jemele Hill has. For a second time this woman has risked everything in order to … Read More
The situation in Spain isn’t exactly getting better. And now it looks like the first real deadlines may have been set in the escalation of the Catalan push for independence. … Read More
Enough with the credit where credit is due stuff. Enough with, well he’s got a great platform. Dana Milbank is an a**hole. He always was an a**hole. He always will … Read More
Yesterday, I posted a diary with a long (but still staggeringly incomplete) history of Kurdistan. Which brings us to more recent events… When 2017 began, Iraqi Kurdistan was maybe the … Read More
While I’ve spent the last couple days writing about events in Spain, it’s important to remember the other major separatist/independence news story: Kurdistan. So, while Catalonia engages in am organized … Read More
Obviously, our collective attention has been focused on tragic events that are, for Americans, much closer to home. But the situation in Spain continues to bear watching. And it isn’t … Read More
Donald Trump lost the 2016 presidential popular vote to Hillary Clinton by almost 3 million ballots. But by another seemingly meaningless measure, Trump got clobbered 38 to 0. That lopsided score represents … Read More
If nothing else, Spain now has a publicity nightmare on its hands. But its violent attempts to suppress an vote — illegal as they claim or not — seem like they can only … Read More
x For context, my dad is helping with rebuilding right now, and has friends in the govt, elected and appointed, on the island. 2/— Nelson M. Rosario (@NelsonMRosario) September 30, … Read More
Things are… not going well in Spain right now. How to breed an infertile, mentally disabled king, who soils himself regularly, and sparks a regional war with his death. First, a … Read More
UPDATE: The Hill seems to have been premature in its reporting, and/or didn’t fact check. While it is true that people evacuated from foreign soil by the US State Department … Read More
Just out: Senator Graham (R-South Carolina Cruelistan) concedes the death of the latest effort to repeal Obamacare. It looks like it is, for real, officially, dead and not just pining for … Read More
Game. x .@SenSanders opening statement #HealthCareDebate #MedicareForAll pic.twitter.com/XQjPDnVqC7— People For Bernie (@People4Bernie) September 26, 2017 “Every major health organization in this country… thinks that their proposal is a disaster.” Set. x … Read More
“Foreclosure King” and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had some deeply dumb — but lap-dog loyal — things to say about President Trump’s NFL comments on This Week with George Stephanopoulos. His brief … Read More
Next week, Congressional Republicans will vote on the Graham-Cassidy bill supposedly designed to “repeal and replace” Obamacare. Shockingly, they will do so without a score from Capitol Hill’s nonpartisan scorekeeper, … Read More
Andy Slavitt “Ran Medicare, Medicaid & ACA for President Obama.” He’s been tweeting up a storm about Graham Cassidy et al. I believe too many took too much comfort on … Read More
While there is still time, I hope an enterprising reporter (or, God forbid, a Democratic leader) will ask Republicans where Congress will get its health insurance if Graham-Cassidy passes, and … Read More
A good opening to a Paul Waldman column today: A quarter-century ago, a certain New York real estate investor took an interest in negotiations between the United States and the … Read More
Okay, the story. A man goes into a restaurant and orders soup. The waiter brings it over but trips over something and spills it on the man. The man jumps … Read More
Even as the U.S. Census reported that the percentage of Americans lacking health insurance dropped to a new record low of 8.8 percent, the past week was nevertheless a big … Read More
It’s something you periodically hear whenever the topics of “electric cars” and “natural disasters” meet: fear. There comes an image of electric cars stranded across the roads, endless impractical lines … Read More
So I think we need to make clear the things where you have to know exactly how to pay for something and things where — hey, we’ll find the money — Chill … Read More
Lucy Siale, a 16 year old Bay Area resident, called for, organized and MC'ed Oakland's 1000+ strong DACA rally yesterday, Saturday, Sept 9th at Oscar Grant Plaza. x Lucy Siale, … Read More
In “Donald Trump is the First White President,” Ta-Nehisi Coates provides a tour de force take down of the always absurd argument that Trump’s presidential victory was attributable to economic … Read More
Democratic leaders have proposed limiting the debt ceiling increase to three months, countering the Republicans’ proposal to increase it for eighteen months. In a surprise move, Trump sided with the … Read More
In recent years, “red state socialism” has become the hallmark of American federalism. That is, even as supposed GOP budget hawks loudly (and wrongly) decry “out of control” spending by … Read More
Republican leaders in Congress may not be ready to abandon Donald Trump, but there’s little doubt about their growing discomfort with the president of the United States. Supposedly shocked by … Read More
The neo-Nazi violence in Charlottesville has spurred calls around the nation for the removal of public statues, monuments, and symbols venerating white supremacy and the “lost cause” of the Confederacy. Those … Read More
I watched Flimflam Man Paul Ryan’s CNN town hall last night, and realized that at this late date we still can’t honestly question, and thus confront, Republican leaders on the root … Read More
In the wake of the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, this week, Republicans were shocked—SHOCKED—to find that President Trump was providing air cover for neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Declaring “there can be … Read More
I’m the Chair of the Washtenaw County Democratic Party in Michigan. We’re a liberal bubble where the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University are. Yesterday, following Donald Trump’s egregious … Read More
Defending the indefensible on Tuesday, President Donald Trump traveled back in time to deploy the “both sides do it” talking point to explain the Civil War. Providing air cover for … Read More
Once upon a time, there was a website called disruptj20.org. It was created, back before the inauguration, as a way to organize political protests against Trump. You might note that … Read More
What if the South had won the Civil War? Hardly a new question, and it’s doubtless one of the most common counterfactual thought exercises in American history. It’s also already … Read More
< p class=”AlignCenter”>Timeline: car accident reported. To: dragnet2 When you pick at scabs, there’s going to be some bleeding. … To: wastoute The Southern Poverty Law Center is up to their beady … Read More
To say that the slogan “America First” has a checkered past in the United States is an understatement of epic proportions. Launched in the spring of 1940 on the eve … Read More
In his 2007 book The Assault on Reason, former Vice President Al Gore warned about what he saw as a dire threat to American democracy. “The 'well-informed citizenry,’” Gore fretted, ”is … Read More
I’ll keep this short and sweet, as I had to wake up really early for this and now need to go back to sleep 😉 Here’s the info unveiled … Read More
Republicans have now come up with their new option which they call a “skinny repeal” or the “skinny bill.” This bill option is not fully known yet, but seems certain … Read More
The Wall Street Journal, reporting on a study by Stanford University, debunks a favorite Republican talking point and reports that “Fears Obamacare Would Be A Job Killer Were Wrong.” As … Read More
During the Obama administration, I really wished that pollsters would break out policy and approval polls by regions so that I could at least factor in (and discount) the reflexive … Read More
As pictured above, a significant portion of the U.S. health insurance market has chosen to write a joint letter to Senators Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer, explaining that the current Republican health insurance … Read More
During the 2016 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump captured a staggering 80 percent of the white evangelical vote. But among Jewish Americans, Hillary Clinton expanded the Democratic advantage from four years … Read More
Democratic leaders Mark Penn and Andrew Stein today have published the most embarrassing, wrong-headed and ludicrous op-ed in the NYT, called “Back to the Center, Democrats.” If you don’t mind … Read More
In December 2003, Democrats in Congress overwhelmingly opposed President Bush’s Medicare Part D prescription drug program. With good reason. The new benefit included the infamous “donut hole,” a gap in … Read More
The title question is fairly straight-forward and of crucial importance. I am inspired to ask this question after reading the recent Politico article: “PRESENT AT THE DESTRUCTION: HOW REX TILLERSON … Read More
“The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States.” With that phrase, Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution of the United States … Read More
Are you ashamed to be seen with your healthcare bill? Do you fear facing your own constituents? Are you plagued by feelings of dread and mild nausea at the thought of disappointing … Read More
