Wow. What a night. I woke up at 2am to hear Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow gleeful on how the night went. I had a hard time falling back to sleep because I wanted to absorb what I always thought was true over the last year and a half: AMERICANS ARE NOT STUPID. THE TEABAGGERS JUST THINK WE ARE. THE DEMS WILL DO WELL IN NOVEMBER DESPITE THE CLAIMS FROM THE UNEDUCATED BUFFOONS OF THE TEA PARTY NITWITS!

Nate Silver of Fivethirtyeight.com has a great summation on how it went down last night across the nation. (CLICK HERE)

The most poignant race last night I think was between Democratic candidate Mark Critz and republic Tim Burns in Pennsylvania. Spitz won by a large margin! But I thought the right wingers were the “force” and the “answer to our nation’s problems”? Huh. Guess not. Nate Silver explains…

Pennsylvania 12th Congressional District — Special election

The results: Mark Critz (D) defeats Tim Burns (R), 53-45.

The conventional wisdom: A big, clutch win for Democrats.

The reality: Neither outcome would have been surprising here. The polling showed a toss-up, and the district (with a PVI of R+1) is close to the national median. There’s a lot of variance in open-seat elections for the House; even in an environment like 2008, Democrats would have had about a 30 percent chance of losing this seat, and even in one as relatively poor for them as 2004, they would have had about a 40 percent chance of winning it.

Still, the 8-point margin of victory was surprising. As I wrote yesterday morning: “It’s really only if one of the candidates wins by middle-to-high single digits … that [PA-12] might tell us something”, and Critz met that threshold.

Republicans have some decent excuses; they may have been harmed by the fact that there was a contentious Democratic Senate primary occurring at the same time, for instance, and the DCCC seems to have a peculiar knack for winning special elections. The Democratic candidate ran against his party’s health care bill! But make no mistake: there are garbage cans being kicked, and consultants being sworn at, at NRCC headquarters right now. And the Republicans may need to engage in some self-reflection about whether nationalizing the race will be the optimal strategy in each of 50 distinct states and 435 distinct Congressional Districts.

I woke up at 2am to Arlen Specter’s concession speech, but at first hearing his voice, I didn’t know if he had won or not. He sounded tired (of course), but when I finally realized he was conceding the race I was so friggin happy! Specter has been a republican his whole life. He even was the spinner in the grassy-knoll conspiracy when JFK was murdered by right wingers. He truly is a republican at heart despite changing to a Democrat last year. The voters were not stupid when they kicked Specter to the curb and hoisted Joe Sestak to victory yesterday! Way to go Dems and Progressives in Pennsylvania! Wow. Wonderful news! Specter did make the comment that he would support his opponent if his opponent won. Let’s hope he does while in the Senate over the next few months! Voters will know they made the right choice if Specter decides to start acting and voting again like a republican.

Teabagger Rand Paul won in Kentucky. So what. He will lose in November once the voters realize their choice: RATIONAL DEMOCRAT v. IRRATIONAL RETARD WHO USES IRRATIONAL FEAR TO GET VOTES!

So far, we’ve witnessed….

• Right winger Rep. Neugebauer yell, “Baby killer!” on the floor of the House while Rep. Stupak was speaking.

• Right winger Rep. Cao saying health care reform is no different than ’slavery’.

• Right wingers using 9/11-fear tactics and lies.

• Right wingers, Bachmann & King, want to repeal the health care reform bill (King said it’s ‘an affront to g-d‘)

• The right wingers are saying the health care reform bill is an ‘abortion bill’ knowing full well it’s not!

• Right winger Rep. Davis hung the ‘Don’t Tread On Me’ flag from the 2nd floor balcony of the Capitol.

Seriously, what lengths will these pro-insurance-company hacks go to? What a disgrace they all are. At least we have Nancy Pelosi on our side and if you think she cares that she only has an 11% approval rating, think again. Nancy Pelosi oversaw and orchestrated health care reform. If she’s kicked out of office this November, she won’t care. Being the strong woman she is, she will know her time in office was well worth it. And we thank her! Bravo Nancy!!!! You deserve tons of credit for health care reform and if you do lose your job (I highly doubt she will!) this November, we hope your time in the private sector makes the right winger’s heads explode! See? She doesn’t have to be in office to do that.

John N. Dalton, January 14, 1978, January 16, 1982, Republican, (Jimmy Carter had won the white house)

Chuck Robb, January 16, 1982, January 18, 1986, Democratic (Ronald Reagan had won the white house)

Gerald L. Baliles, January 18, 1986, January 14, 1990< , Democratic (Ronald Reagan had won the white house)

Douglas Wilder, January 14, 1990, January 15, 1994, Democratic, (George H W Bush had won the white house)

George Allen , January 15, 1994, January 17, 1998, Republican, (Bill Clinton had won the white house)

Jim Gilmore, January 17, 1998, January 12, 2002, Republican, (Bill Clinton had won the white house)

Mark Warner, January 12, 2002, January 14, 2006, Democratic, (George W Bush had won the white house)

Tim Kaine, January 14, 2006, Incumbent, Democratic, (George W Bush had won the white house)

Bob McDonnell, January 2010, Governor-Elect, Republican, (Barack Obama had won the white house)

and Deeds sucked as a campaigner.

In New Jersey, Corzine forgot he wasn’t still the head of Goldman Sachs. So you had a rich Democrat who thought he could buy what he wanted and a corrupt Republican, and the voters (who turned out) went with corruption over greed this time. BTW New Jersey has had a Republican Governor for 16 of the past 28 years, and has a similar trend to Virginia, picking an opposite party to the white house for their governor (Va nine election cycles, NJ six election cycles).. Wanna bet the GOPer corrupt crook don’t get reelected?

End of GOPer victory dance, plain and simple. PS both the GOPers, in Va and NJ didn’t want the fat drug addicted bloviater nor the wasilla hill billy campaignin’ fur them ….. (they both tried to MODERATE their positions to win votes)

The place the idiots brigade did stick their ignorant noses in?

In the 23rd congressional race, the democratic candidate won for the first time since 1871,

YES, I said 1871 … (138 years).

Way to go teabaggers, dumb Alaskan quitters, astroturf clowns ……..

Good try at retaking congress by handing a seat safe for well over a century to the democratic party.

Keep up the good work people, maybe you’ll eventually elect enough democrats with your brain dead screeching and lying, the democrats will finally realize the country in rejecting you time and time again.

In California, a progressive democrat won. A seat that used to be middle of the road, trading from centrist republican to centrist democrat, went to a openly progressive individual, so the blue dogs lost another one in the house, let alone the teabaggers wet dreams slippin’ away.

As for the ballot initiative #1 in Maine hard loss, but things weren’t all bad everywhere.

In Chapel Hill, North Carolina the people elected an openly gay mayor,

Yes, I said Chapel Hill, NORTH CAROLINA, in the heart of the supposed bible belt ……. doesn’t portent well for the hate mongers beating on their bibles does it?

As Grant has informed us, Houston, Texas saw an openly gay women come in first in their mayoral election (there will be a runoff).

In Canton, Ohio, a gay activist Eric Resnick won a seat on the Board of Education. (Oh my god, the fundies will go apeshit won’t they?)

Kalamazoo, Michigan passed an anti-discrimination measure that protects people from discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The biggest news, is Washington State voters approved their referendum 71, basically the opposite of the Maine decision. The fundie attempt to block the civil rights of American citizens lost in Washington.

So while the GOPers will be very shrill claiming they have turned things around their victories are hollow, and fleeting.

The governors races they are touting historically they should have won, (especially in VA) the congressional races in NY and CA are real loses for them. And openly gay candidates winning in North Carolina and Texas says the voters don’t always accept the hate filled fundies screeching ……

Because in referendums about taxes, w-e-l-l-l-l, the teabaggers got their asses handed to them;

In Maine they lost ;

Question 2 (Citizen Initiative): “Do you want to cut the rate of the municipal excise tax by an average of 55% on motor vehicles less than six years old and exempt hybrid and other alternative-energy and highly fuel-efficient motor vehicles from sales tax and three years of excise tax?” FAILED

Question 4 (Citizen Initiative): “Do you want to change the existing formulas that limit state and local government spending and require voter approval by referendum for spending over those limits and for increases in state taxes?” FAILED

Question 5 (Citizen Initiative): “Do you want to change the medical marijuana laws to allow treatment of more medical conditions and to create a regulated system of distribution?” PASSED

Question 6 (Bond Issue): “Do you favor a $71,250,000 bond issue for improvements to highways and bridges, airports, public transit facilities, ferry and port facilities, including port and harbor structures, as well as funds for the LifeFlight Foundation that will make the State eligible for over $148,000,000 in federal and other matching funds?” PASSED

No so good fur the tea baggers was it?

Washington State also roundly rejected I-1033 (This measure would limit growth in state revenues deposited in funds subject to the state expenditure limit, and limit growth in county and city revenues deposited into the county and city current expense funds. The limit would be adjusted based on annual growth in inflation and population. The limit also would apply to revenues transferred out of these funds. The limit would exclude voter-approved revenue increases. Revenues above the limit would reduce property tax levies. Should this measure be enacted into law?)

All in all not the defeat the corporate owned MSM or dumb as dirt teabaggers claim it is.

Here’s hopin’ the stupid reich wing teabaggers and their astroturf greedy manipulators keep rippin’ the republiscum party apart trying to get Real Republiscum, not RINO’s elected, it worked real good this time. (IE New York State has two republican members of congress, New England has NO members of Congress from the party of NO, and according to the clowns running the show fur the teabaggers, just two RINOs in the senate. Hope they keep a drivin’ the RINO’s out helps the rest of the country cause they keep losing when they do.

Bah hahahahahahahahaha! Gutted like a fish by election day. Now why is that? I thought the republicans have been telling us that the Democrats have faltered and the “only way to fix things now” would be to vote for a republican (yeah, yeah, vote for the people whose party effed up America!)? Oh wait! The republicans didn’t count on a guy like liberal progressive Rep. Alan Grayson who calls out their lies at a drop of a hat and means every word of it!

From Politico:

Grayson’s team is quick to warn prospective GOP opponents that the controversial first-term incumbent plans to run a punishing campaign.

“The people who decided not to run obviously do not have the stomach for the difficult race,” Grayson’s senior campaign adviser, Julie Tagen, told POLITICO. “As for the people who have already entered the race, they are a veritable ‘Who’s that?’ of Central Florida. Whoever wins the nomination will end up gutted like a fish by Election Day.”

Grayson himself has openly gloated about his lack of Republican opposition, releasing a Top 10 list to his supporters last week explaining why no one wants to run against him. In it, he joked that candidates are passing on the race because their wives will cheat on them back home, and launched a thinly veiled barb at Crotty, whom he accused of “shaking down vendors in Orange County.”

Several Florida Republican operatives acknowledged that some prospective candidates were reluctant to sign on for what they expected to be a scorched-earth campaign that, even in the event of victory, would come at the cost of having their reputations dragged through the mud.

Love Grayson!

One thing I learned about Grayson as I read down through the Politico article is Grayson is one of the richest guys in the House of Representatives. He is? He acts like you and I do though! Precisely. This is what makes Grayson the same as Sen. Ted Kennedy: they have a lot of money but they refuse to back down when it comes to helping the poor and middle class of our country. Selfless human beings which is a far cry from every member of the republic party scumbags. Grayson has made the point on the floor of the House that it’s a little hypocritical for anyone in the House to talk against the public option and other plans that would help Americans when most of them are wealthy and have great insurance. Hell, Grayson pointed out that the republican’s plan for Americans is for them to ‘die quickly’ because dying quickly is cheaper for the health insurance companies! Anyway…

Here’s what Rep. Alan Grayson wrote on his DailyKos page:

My speech has been replayed on CNN, Redstate, Huffington Post, etc, and mainstream media pundits are saying that I’m the Democratic Joe Wilson. Of course, unlike Joe Wilson, I wasn’t rude to the President. Unlike Joe Wilson, I didn’t break a rule of the House. And unlike Joe Wilson, I actually told the truth. Every single year, over forty-four thousand people in America die because they don’t have health insurance. Read this Harvard study. That is the plain truth.

And now the Republicans claim they are going to introduce a resolution “disapproving” of my behavior.

What is this, junior high school? Do they think my feelings are hurt? Just what do these people think health care means? It’s not some abstract “issue”, we’re talking about life and death! And the Republicans, who ran the government in full or in part from 2001-2009, chose to let those 44,000 people die, every single year when they were in power. And George W. Bush, whom the Republicans somehow pretend was not President for the last eight years, just let them die. He even vetoed health care for poor children.

So apologize? I don’t think so.

YOU ROCK, GRAYSON! Keep up the great work and keep those republicans scared of ya! We applaud you each time you do.

I love the part when he says he can’t stand watching Dick Cheney speak because of the blood dripping from Cheney’s teeth! LMAO

.

HYSTERICAL!

Republicans don’t like the truth. They’re like Mother Nature in this respect and will most likely cause a tornado to appear wherever Grayson goes now, but that’s okay! The truth shall continue to set Grayson free! And the poor republicans of America will have to face the music at some point. Poor babies.

Rep. Grayson appeared on Wolf Blitzer’s show on CNN yesterday. Grayson did not apologize to the republican party as Wolfie wanted him to. Notice the look on Wolfie’s face. You can tell he’s seething mad that this progressive liberal Democrat is not cowering to his demands! Beautiful…

Poor Wolfie and the republicans! They can’t stand to hear anyone say that the republicans don’t have a plan for health care reform, that their plan consists of duct tape, plastic, bootstraps, and die quickly, nor do they like seeing a Democrat of all people laugh in their faces when they can’t handle the truth!

Rep. Grayson is right: REPUBLICANS ARE FOOT-DRAGGING, KNUCKLE-DRAGGING, NEANDERTHALS.

Van Jones is right: REPUBLICANS ARE ASSHOLES.

Adolph Hitler allowed the Jews to die without any kind of intervention from him. The republicans are doing the same thing to middle class Americans by refusing to come to the plate and work together with Democrats to give “Medicare for all” (the public option) for all Americans who are uninsured, who can’t afford the prices of the private health insurance plans (whether instate or out), who are working 3 part-time jobs and don’t qualify for medical insurance, and who have preexisting conditions that do not allow them to get insurance (or it’s too expensive to purchase!). By refusing to work towards the greater good of humanity and by turning your backs on the sick, the republicans are proving still that they align themselves more with Hitler’s health care plan than they do with rational thinking Americans who know our health care system is broken and needs to be fixed. By bringing in a government health care option for Americans to purchase will put more money in their pockets, will help small businesses in staying afloat, and will benefit those who worry each and every day in losing their livelihoods all because they got sick or had to have an unexpected surgery.

REPUBLICANS ARE SHAMEFUL.

No one questioned Bush’s birth, or religion, or patriotism, attacked his family, called for his impeachment in 2000, or attacked his children; especially democratic congress critters .. or most mainstream progressive commentators.

When President Bush was in office, there were calls for his impeachment. It was discussed, debated, reported by the MSM, and even polled about. Books were written about it like, The Case for Impeachment: The Legal Argument for Removing President George W. Bush from Office, Warrior-king: the case for impeaching George W. Bush and Impeach the president: the case against Bush and Cheney

Some calls came as early as 2003 when he was planning his invasion of Iraq, for an illegal war.

2003 BTW, not Nov 2000 (see below).

People protested the War, that is to be expected. No national supposed news organization was the central moving agent for those protests (unlike the astroturf teabagging movement).

Nor did progressive protesters refuse to permit citizens from expressing their concerns to their elected representatives like the tea baggers did in Aug 2009.

Other calls came during the revelations of illegal wiretapping after 2005.

No one suggested a coup, because Bush was ignoring the US Constitution.(like a newsmax about president Obama column has done recently)

Some state actions actually did result;

On March 21, 2006 the New Mexico Democratic Party, at a convention in Albuquerque, adopted a plank to their platform saying “the Democratic Party of New Mexico supports the impeachment of George Bush and his lawful removal from office.”

On March 24, 2007, the Vermont Democratic State Committee voted to support JRH 15, a state legislative resolution supporting impeachment, calling for its passage as “appropriate action.”

On April 28, 2007, the California Democratic Convention passed a resolution for impeachment.

At the federal level action was also taken

On June 16, 2005 Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) assembled an unofficial meeting to discuss the Downing Street memo and to consider grounds for impeachment. Conyers filed a resolution on December 18, 2005 to create an investigative committee to consider impeachment. His resolution gained 38 co-sponsors before it expired at the end of the 109th Congress.

On June 9, 2008, Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), introduced a resolution, H.Res. 1258, to impeach president George W. Bush, which included 35 counts in the articles of impeachment. At the end of the evening on June 10, Kucinich offered a motion to refer HRes 1258 to the House Judiciary Committee. On June 11, the House voted 251-166 to send the resolution to the Committee.

Each of these actions were totally with in the law,

That is how the progressive part of our political structure tried to deal with what they foresaw as illegal activity by the President. They wanted Bush impeached, legally, by the rules of the US Constitution.

In contrast here is what we see from the reich wing in this country after Obama wins an election with out the hijinks in Florida circa 2000.

They call for his impeachment even before he is sworn in.

Impeach Obama’ groups pop up on Facebook

Headlines you can see daily now about the hate for Obama and calls for harm to him;

Even before he was elected Four people have been arrested after plotting to assassinate Barack Obama in Denver.

Before the election investigators in Tennessee thwarted a plot to assassinate Senator Barack Obama and kill 102 other black Americans.

In 2007 Ted Nugent Threatens to Kill Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton During Vicious Onstage Rant

Then Hannity Defends Ted Nugent’s Death Threats on Obama.

In 2009 Facebook Has “Kill Obama Poll”, which the secret service feels the need to investigate.

A man is being held in Florida by federal authorities on charges of threatening to assassinate Barack Obama.

US President Barack Obama is the target of more than 30 potential death threats a day and is being protected by an increasingly over-stretched and under-resourced Secret Service, according to a new book.

A CNN source with very close to the U.S. Secret Service confirmed to me today that threats on the life of the president of the United States have now risen by as much as 400 percent since his inauguration.

A new Newsmax column advocates a military coup to unseat Obama or usher in a period of “shared responsibility” between military government and a ceremonial Obama presidency. “A coup is not an ideal option, but Obama’s radical ideal is not acceptable or reversible.”

A posting on Fox Nation’s is a death threat to Obama reported to Secret Service

Phoenix Pastor Draws Protests After Telling Church He Prays for Obama’s Death

Funny the hate and viciousness of the reich wing seems to stand out quite well here. They have seemingly come out of the woodwork, screeching, fomenting, advocating for sedition, coups, impeachment and even murder, just because somebody named Barack Hussein Obama, a black man, won the White House.

That is not to mention the vicious lies by the birfers, teabaggers, faux noise, republican’t congresscritters, electorial losers, quitters, loudmouths like Limbaugh, O’rielly, Beck, Hannity, coulter, malkin ET Al about his birth, religion, education, family, healthcare … etc.

No democratic politician ever shouted out “YOU LIE” during a Bush speech before congress (even though Bush did lie about WMD’s, unlike Obama who didn’t lie about the health care bill.)

For some reason the reich wing hate and vitriol seems hyped up as if on steroids, but Obama hasn’t violated international law, started an illegal war, broke the Geneva Convention, illegally wiretapped US citizens, ignored intell about an attack on the US, used his office to further reich wing illegally thru subordinates, allowed his VP unconstitutional powers, and prevented investigations into his illegal actions, ignored congressional investigations, thrown away a surplus, destroyed the economy (he did however inherit a wrecked one)…..

It is very interesting the batshit crazy loonies in the reich wing act like he already has done everything Bush got away with.

They do things like this;

On July 27, 2008, a politically motivated[1][2] fatal shooting took place at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Motivated by a desire to kill liberals and Democrats, gunman Jim David Adkisson fired a shotgun at members of the congregation during a youth performance of a musical, killing two people and wounding seven others.

On May 31, 2009, Tiller was shot and killed, allegedly by anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder, as he served as an usher during the Sunday morning service at his church in Wichita. (Bill O seems to have gotten what he wanted here)

Jun 10, 2009 James von Brunn entered the building and shot security guard Stephen Tyrone Johns, who died from his injuries. Von Brunn is a white supremacist and Holocaust denier who had previously been arrested and convicted for entering a federal building with various weapons in 1981

May 30, 2009 Shawna Forde, a rising star in the xenophobic, anti-immigrant militia movement has been arrested for her role in a home invasion that left two dead, including a 9 year old girl.

Apr 4, 2009 3 Pittsburgh Police Officers Shot Dead; Alleged Gunman Arrested Richard Poplawski feared “the Obama gun ban that’s on the way” and “didn’t like our rights being infringed upon.”

It seems the reich wing is quite unhinged, and completely out of their minds with hate, rage and seemingly violent intentions since they lost an election, unlike the progressive movement in 2000 .

there is a difference ….

(cool photo found HERE)

Well, it’s not surprising Howie Carr feels this way. He also laughs his ass off at the mothers of our nation who call 911 after they find their child hanging by their neck in the shed! Yes, oh yes, Howie is one of those ‘family values conservatives’ who thinks he’s holier than everyone else and believes that no child should be ‘brainwashed’ to stay in school. Say wha?  The horrors!

The funniest part about the whole thing? The voice of reason on this issue is coming from the wingnut Joe Scarborough of Morning Joe on MSNBC! Good gawd the end is near!

From Think Progress:

Earlier today, ThinkProgress noted that conservatives are freaking out over President Obama’s upcoming speech to schoolchildren about “persisting and succeeding in school,” claiming that it is actually aimed at political indoctrination. On MSNBC’s Morning Joe today, host Joe Scarborough ripped into the hyperventilating conservatives. “Seriously, why don’t we want the president of the United States, any president of the United States, delivering the message to kids: work hard, stay in school, succeed,” said Scarborough, adding, “get your ratings if you want, you’re just screwing your political party.”

The wingnuts believe President Obama is going to brainwash our kids to kill neocons. Hey, not a bad idea but we’re talking about President Obama here! Not George Bush who would have loved the chance to brainwash America’s kids to kill liberals & Muslims. Hell, on the morning of 9/11/01, George Bush was reading the book, “My Pet Goat”, and if Glenn Beck is right when he says we must look at the patterns to figure out someone’s truth, well, “My Pet Goat” could be interpreted as how George views children! See? The real good brainwashing happened after that moment if we’re all remember correctly. *cough*

Can you imagine if George H.W. Bush went to the schools of America to talk about his 1,000 POINTS OF LIGHT? Man! Glenn Beck and Howie Carr would be livid! They would be calling Bush Sr. a ’scary Commie Socialist Pig’! Oh wait. George H.W. Bush was a republican. Nevermind. Beck & Carr were most likely fine with Bush Sr. trying to get Americans to contribute to society by volunteering and helping others out, you know, forming his own ‘national security army’ to pass the peace for the common good of society. When President Obama wants the same thing for America, he’s committing treason and is a traitor. See? Nevermind! I forgot. Spit.

The people of Massachusetts loved Ted Kennedy. He was their favorite Catholic, their favorite Senator, their favorite neighbor, and their favorite advocate & friend. Yesterday they paid their respects to him not caring one iota what Howie Carr or other vile pieces of shit had to say.

Here’s a beautiful tribute I found on YouTube that best captures the mood, the love, the day he took his last ride to Boston, and the respect for a man that deserved every ounce of affection he got by the people who loved him most, and who will get more over the next few days (the end of the video ends abruptly so don’t be surprised!):

The last time I saw this much outpouring of love for one person was when Princess Diana died. Remember the people standing along the route to her home as her casket passed by and they were crying and throwing flowers at the hearse? I remember bawling my eyes out! I loved her. I loved Ted Kennedy too and the people of Massachusetts today showed that they loved him way more! It was such a beautiful sight to see them standing on the side of the road waiting for their Senator just so they could applaud him one last time as he briefly passed by….

All walks of life waiting for their friend & Senator…

Beautiful tribute to a beautiful man.

Again, if you’re interested….YOU CAN CLICK HERE TO VIEW A LIVE FEED OF TED KENNEDY LYING IN REPOSE IN BOSTON.