Left-Centric

Photos: Nobel Peace Prize

 


Nobel Peace Prize laureate U.S. President Barack Obama poses with his diploma and medal after receiving the prize at the award ceremony in Oslo City Hall December 10, 2009




Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon Magnus hold hands, during the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony


Toby Keith




U.S. actor Will Smith and his daugther Willow, left, applauds President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, at the end of the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony






People watch a large TV screen in a park as U.S. President Barack Obama speaks after accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo December 10, 2009. The United States must uphold moral standards when waging wars that are necessary and justified, Obama said on Thursday as he accepted the Nobel Prize for Peace. In a speech at the award ceremony in Oslo, Obama said violent conflict would not be eradicated "in our lifetimes", there would be times when nations would need to fight just wars and he would not stand idle in the face of threats to the American people.








Protester Silke Tudor (L), 38, holds a cardboard coffin in Times Square as she and others protest against U.S. President Barack Obama's acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize and the war in Afghanistan, in New York City December 10, 2009.


US President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Barack Obama, centre right, and wife Michelle, wave to the crowd from a balcony on Grand Hotel after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize during a ceremony at City Hall in Oslo










Chinese pianist Lang Lang looks at his mobile device while attending the Nobel banquet in Oslo December 10, 2009. Lang Lang played earlier today at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony for U.S. President Barack Obama.

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TN Mayor Calls Obama A Muslim In Racist Facebook Rant | TPM LiveWire

Image by Truthout.org via Flickr

According to a rather unsettling report in The Commercial Appeal, Arlington Mayor Russell Wiseman posted a racist rant on his Facebook page about President Obama -- apparently triggered by President Obama's Afghanistan speech interfering with the annual broadcast of the "Peanut's" Christmas Special.

The second term mayor wrote, "Ok, so, this is total crap, we sit the kids down to watch 'The Charlie Brown Christmas Special' and our muslim president is there, what a load.....try to convince me that wasn't done on purpose. Ask the man if he believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and he will give you a 10 minute disertation (sic) about it....w...hen the answer should simply be 'yes'...."

via tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com

Obama Pushes Lobbyists Off Federal Advisory Boards

In a little-noticed blog post published on the White House website in September, President Obama's special counsel for ethics and government reform Norm Eisen announced that the administration no longer wanted federally-registered lobbyists appointed to agency advisory boards and commissions.

via www.huffingtonpost.com

Games at Center of Obama’s Digital Learning Initiative | GamePolitics

In a bid to improve science and math comprehension for U.S. school pupils, President Obama has launched an open competition designed to encourage the creation of digital media-based learning experiences....

via www.gamepolitics.com

Bow-gate returns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kyD_e0Y7FQ

I liked this take on it:

Quote:

Conservative bloggers keep up the assault on Obama’s willingness to show respect to foreign leaders in their own countries.

The bar for what triggers outrage on the right keeps dropping.

Lieberman is clearly relishing his role as douchebag in chief.

Looks like old Joe is at it again.

Quote:

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) made his position on health care reform even more clear Sunday morning, saying he would rather have "nothing" than a bill with a public option. "I want to have health care reform, I want to be able to say yes," Lieberman opined on CBS' "Face the Nation." But asked by host Bob Schieffer whether his position could mean ending up with nothing, Lieberman said that was fine. He pointed the finger at Democrats for making the public option part of their bill when there was "broad bipartisan support" for a bill without one. "But is what you're also saying is that nothing is better than a government health insurance, or a health insurance reform that includes a public option? Nothing is better than that?" Schieffer asked. "Well, the truth is that nothing is better than that, because I think we ought to follow, if I may, the doctor's oath in Congress as we deal with health care reform, do no harm," Lieberman responded, chuckling.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/1..._n_341456.html

Liz Cheney Suggests Obama Honored Fallen Soldiers For The Publicity

Quote:

Liz Cheney called out President Obama for his early-morning trip to honor fallen soldiers arriving at Dover Air Force Base yesterday, suggesting President Bush honored America's heroes with a bit more class than his successor. Cheney, on Fox News Radio's John Gibson Show yesterday: "I think that what President Bush used to do is do it without the cameras. And I don't understand sort of showing up with the White House Press Pool with photographers and asking family members if you can take pictures. That's really hard for me to get my head around...It was a surprising way for the president to choose to do this."It's not clear exactly what Cheney is referring to when she says, "Bush used to do it without the cameras." It's true that Bush's Pentagon continued a long-standing policy of banning cameras at Dover when the nation's fallen arrived in flag-draped caskets from foreign battlefields. (Upon taking office, Obama lifted the ban.) So that covers "without the cameras." But as CBS's Mark Knoller reported yesterday, Obama was the first president to visit arriving dead at Dover during the wars in Afghanistan or Iraq -- meaning that when it came to taking trips to Dover like Obama did yesterday morning, Bush never used to "do it" at all

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2...rs.php?ref=fpa

You have to be a horrible person to question someone's integrity like this. The Cheneys are just straight up horrible people.

In 2006, Lieberman campaigned for universal healthcare, so why has he changed his mind now in '09?

LOL Lieberman caught

Republicans Are Upset With Baucus Bill Vote

Republican "press conference" after the Baucus bill vote

love the woman with the sign in the background

Republicans: Pro Rape?

Quote:

In 2005, Jamie Leigh Jones was gang-raped by her co-workers while she was working for Halliburton/KBR in Baghdad. She was detained in a shipping container for at least 24 hours without food, water, or a bed, and “warned her that if she left Iraq for medical treatment, she’d be out of a job.” (Jones was not an isolated case.) Jones was prevented from bringing charges in court against KBR because her employment contract stipulated that sexual assault allegations would only be heard in private arbitration. Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) proposed an amendment to the 2010 Defense Appropriations bill that would withhold defense contracts from companies like KBR “if they restrict their employees from taking workplace sexual assault, battery and discrimination cases to court.” Speaking on the Senate floor yesterday, Franken said: The constitution gives everybody the right to due process of law ... And today, defense contractors are using fine print in their contracts do deny women like Jamie Leigh Jones their day in court. ... The victims of rape and discrimination deserve their day in court [and] Congress plainly has the constitutional power to make that happen. Easy call, right? Well, not if you're a Republican, eager to protect a right of corporations to rape its employees. Of the 40 Republicans in the Senate, only 10 voted for the Franken amendment, including all four women in the Senate GOP. Of the six Republican males who voted for the amendment, all of them represented states outside the deep South -- Bennett (UT), Hatch (UT), Grassley (IA), LeMieux (FL), Lugar (IN), and Voinovich (OH). The other 30 men, including luminaries like David Vitter, John Ensign, and John McCain, didn't think the amendment warranted passage. This is interesting. According to Republicans, a fake pimp and ho, reported to the police, was apparently so beyond the pale that they've worked to strip ACORN of all federal funding. But denying employees actual redress from gang rapes is no big deal? Will the GOP soon introduce a new Constitution Amendment that reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting the ability of corporations to gang rape their employees"? Is support for corporate gang rape already in the GOP platform, or does it need to be added at their next meeting? Is there a huge corporate gang rape lobby that is funneling millions into GOP pockets, or did they vote this way out of personal conviction? As predictably regressive as the modern GOP has become, it's shocking to see that they still have the ability to shock.

What the fucking fuck...

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/10/07/...ken-amendment/

Dylan Ratigan's Best Interview to Date!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Joe Scarborough: Thank You Mr. President

An excellent piece by Joe Scarborough from MSNBC's "Morning Joe" , where he cuts through the partisan b.s. and stands up for the President.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-scarborough/thank-you-mr-president_b_308022.html

Reid Cancels Columbus Day Recess to Focus on Health Care

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2....php?ref=fpblg

Be still my heart. Reid follows through on a threat.

Quote:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has made good on a threat to cancel a week-long October recess to continue work on health care. "I talked to the Republican leader about this last week," Reid said on the Senate floor this morning. "But the Columbus day is fast approaching. It's the week after next. And with all the things going on here, it just would not be right for us to take that week off. So what we're going to do, as I explained to the Republican leader last week, we'll be off that Monday, which is the holiday, Columbus day, and the following Friday." Once the Finance Committee finishes work on its health care legislation, Reid will merge it with a different bill, and then bring it to the Senate floor. The week of October 12 seems a bit early for the floor debate to have kicked off, but this could at least prevent any further delays

.

PHOTOS: The opening reception of the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh

Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi


Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero


South Africa's President Jacob Zuma and his wife Nompumelelo Ntuli


Sweden's Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and his wife Filippa


European Commission President Manuel Barroso and his wife Maria Margarita Barroso




Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and wife Laureen




British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and wife Sarah


India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur


South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and his wife Kim Yoon-ok


Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his wife Therese


Argentina President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner


Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva






France's President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy




Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his wife Svetlana


Chinese President China Hu Jintao


Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva


Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine




Japan's Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and his wife Miyuki


Mexico's President Felipe Calderon and his wife Margarita Zavala

Earlier in the day...

Political Cartoon: Bipartisanship Not All As Cracked Up To Be

Republican Chicken Hawk Says...

This is a doozie! hahaHAHAHAHAhahahahahahahahaaahahahahahah

more fun from the WSJ oped pages - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...887160470.html

Quote:

Cheney for President Is the war on terror really over? If not, he may be the best man to lead it.

seriously, it gets better, MUCH better.

Senate bought and paid for by Health Insurance Companies

---

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/8...lthcare-Debate

Democrats on a House committee are seeking detailed financial records from dozens of large insurance companies, officials disclosed Tuesday, part of an investigation into ''executive compensation and other business practices'' in an industry opposed to President Barack Obama's plan to overhaul health care.

The request included records relating to compensation of highly paid employees, documents relating to companies' premium income and claims payments, and information on expenses stemming from any event held outside company facilities in the past 2 1/2 years.


This will shine more light on this

Notice some familiar names?



The senate is bought and paid for and the house is about to call them on their bullshit. The public option is far from dead. Thanks to Waxmnan and our progressive caucus in the house.

Republican Chicken Hawk Says...

Top Five Health Care Reform Lies—and How to Fight Back

Lie #1: President Obama wants to euthanize your grandma!!!

The truth: These accusations—of "death panels" and forced euthanasia—are, of course, flatly untrue. As an article from the Associated Press puts it: "No 'death panel' in health care bill."⁴ What's the real deal? Reform legislation includes a provision, supported by the AARP, to offer senior citizens access to a professional medical counselor who will provide them with information on preparing a living will and other issues facing older Americans.⁵

Lie #2: Democrats are going to outlaw private insurance and force you into a government plan!!!

The truth: With reform, choices will increase, not decrease. Obama's reform plans will create a health insurance exchange, a one-stop shopping marketplace for affordable, high-quality insurance options.⁶ Included in the exchange is the public health insurance option—a nationwide plan with a broad network of providers—that will operate alongside private insurance companies, injecting competition into the market to drive quality up and costs down.⁷

If you're happy with your coverage and doctors, you can keep them.⁸ But the new public plan will expand choices to millions of businesses or individuals who choose to opt into it, including many who simply can't afford health care now.

Lie #3: President Obama wants to implement Soviet-style rationing!!!

The truth: Health care reform will expand access to high-quality health insurance, and give individuals, families, and businesses more choices for coverage. Right now, big corporations decide whether to give you coverage, what doctors you get to see, and whether a particular procedure or medicine is covered—that is rationed care. And a big part of reform is to stop that.

Health care reform will do away with some of the most nefarious aspects of this rationing: discrimination for pre-existing conditions, insurers that cancel coverage when you get sick, gender discrimination, and lifetime and yearly limits on coverage.⁹ And outside of that, as noted above, reform will increase insurance options, not force anyone into a rationed situation. 

Lie #4: Obama is secretly plotting to cut senior citizens' Medicare benefits!!!

The truth: Health care reform plans will not reduce Medicare benefits.¹⁰ Reform includes savings from Medicare that are unrelated to patient care—in fact, the savings comes from cutting billions of dollars in overpayments to insurance companies and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse.¹¹

Lie #5: Obama's health care plan will bankrupt America!!!

The truth: We need health care reform now in order to prevent bankruptcy—to control spiraling costs that affect individuals, families, small businesses, and the American economy.

Right now, we spend more than $2 trillion dollars a year on health care.¹² The average family premium is projected to rise to over $22,000 in the next decade¹³—and each year, nearly a million people face bankruptcy because of medical expenses.¹⁴ Reform, with an affordable, high-quality public option that can spur competition, is necessary to bring down skyrocketing costs. Also, President Obama's reform plans would be fully paid for over 10 years and not add a penny to the deficit.¹⁵

We're closer to real health care reform than we've ever been—and the next few weeks will decide whether it happens. We need to make sure the truth about health care reform is spread far and wide to combat right wing lies.

P.S. Want more? Check out this great new White House "Reality Check" website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/ or this excellent piece from Health Care for America Now on some of the most outrageous lies: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51729&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=1

Sources:

1. "More 'Town Halls Gone Wild': Angry Far Right Protesters Disrupt Events With 'Incomprehensible' Yelling," Think Progress, August 4, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51733&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=2

2. "Fight the smears," Health Care for America NOW, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51729&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=3

3. "Palin Paints Picture of 'Obama Death Panel' Giving Thumbs Down to Trig," ABC News, August 7, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51728&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=4

4. "No 'death panel' in health care bill," The Associated Press, August 10, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51747&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=5

5. "Stop Distorting the Truth about End of Life Care," The Huffington Post, July 24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51730&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=6

6. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 11, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#i1

7. "Why We Need a Public Health-Care Plan," The Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51737&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=7

8. "Obama: 'If You Like Your Doctor, You Can Keep Your Doctor,'" The Wall Street Journal, 15, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51736&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=8

9. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#r1

10. "Obama: No reduced Medicare benefits in health care reform," CNN, July 28, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51748&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=9

11. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#s1

12. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#c1

13. "Premiums Run Amok," Center for American Progress, July 24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51667&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=10

14. "Medical bills prompt more than 60 percent of U.S. bankruptcies," CNN, June 5, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51735&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=11

15. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#c1

Sources for the Five Lies:

#1: "A euthanasia mandate," The Washington Times, July 29, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51732&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=12

#2: "It's Not An Option," Investor's Business Daily, July 15, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51743&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=13

#3: "Rationing Health Care," The Washington Times, April 21, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51742&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=14

#4: "60 Plus Ad Is Chock Full Of Misinformation," Media Matters for America, August 8, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51734&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=15

#5: "Obama's 'Public' Health Plan Will Bankrupt the Nation," The National Review, May 13, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51744&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=16

Introducing the Republican Chicken Hawk!!!!!

Republican Chicken Hawk Says...

Them People at the Town Halls Are "Real Americans" Y'all!!!!

Yeah, I mean how would people get the idea that these acts of holliganism, I mean protest are anything less than truthful?

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2...al.php?ref=fpa

where would they get such an absurd idea?

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/he...public-option/


where? I wonder..
http://vodpod.com/watch/2006575-cabl...-hall-meetings

How dare they assume these are anything less than honest redneck concern.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/op...gman.html?_r=1

someone stop the injustice!!

Obama's Favoriablity Numbers Ticking Back Up.

Quote:

Obama Job Approval Rating (Gallup) August 4-6 Approve 58% Disapprove 36%

http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/Ga...-Approval.aspx

So when is the media going to talk about Obama's numbers getting better?

Hillary's laugh sums up Bolton. He's a joke.

Old White People Want "Their America" back.

What happened to my America!!!
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/20...America-Back.-

Breaking News On Fox News!!!!

Breaking News Everybody!! It's Shark Week!!!

Today in 100 Seconds (Aug. 3)

From TPM.com,

McCain Votes No(of course), Ben Nelson Votes Yes? hmmm.....

In non-shocking news, John McCain is voting against Sotomayor.

 

In actual, kinda shocking news, Ben Nelson is voting for her.

Love the pre-scrpited reasons.

Originally Posted by McCain:

Though she attempted to walk back from her long public record of judicial activism during her confirmation hearings, Judge Sotomayor cannot change her record.

Originally Posted by Nelson:

"The record shows she is not an activist," said Nelson, adding that Sotomayor has "a great respect for the
law."

 

OH NOES!!! The National Debt is Too BIg!!! We're All Gonna Die!!!!! :(

Even though the National Debt is a concern, it's not like it's at the highest it's ever been:

Notice how it only goes up during the Bush and Reagan Eras.

Race in Today's America.

Frank Rich wrote an excellent Op-Ed (Aug.1) about the real story of race today and the fear many have of the changing face of America.