Christopher Hitchens: Glenn Beck Rally Was 'Waterworld Of White Self-Pity'
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It’s Witch-Hunt Season
In a repeat from the 1990s, the Republicans appear bent on ugliness and paralysis.
by Paul Krugman
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Pierre Tristam:Neo-Supremacy Chic: Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin’s Tea-Scalding of MLK
They don’t call it white supremacy for nothing.
One of the ways this country’s reactionaries have made racism and neo-segregation chic is by co-opting the language of emancipation, equality and civil rights.
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Frank Rich: The Billionaires Bankrolling the Tea Party
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Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin's unholy alliance
Abramoff ally Rabbi Daniel Lapin and bigot John Hagee help "restore honor" at the Lincoln Memorial
by Joan Walsh
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Even Beck can't mar King's legacy
By Eugene Robinson
The majestic grounds of the Lincoln Memorial belong to all Americans -- even to egomaniacal talk-show hosts who profit handsomely from stoking fear, resentment and anger. So let me state clearly that Glenn Beck has every right to hold his absurdly titled "Restoring Honor" rally on Saturday.
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CBO Warns Republicans That Repealing Health Law Would Increase Deficit By $455 Billion

The Congressional Budget Office is out with a new letter saying that while the health care law could reduce the projected budget deficit by $30 billion in 2020, repealing it would increase the deficit by an estimated $455 billion:

On balance, the two laws’ health care and revenue provisions are estimated to reduce the projected deficit in 2020 by $28 billion, and the education provisions of the Reconciliation Act are estimated to reduce the projected deficit in 2020 by $2 billion. [...]

Finally, you asked what the net deficit impact would be if certain provisions of PPACA and the Reconciliation Act that were estimated to generate net savings were eliminated—specifically, those which were originally estimated to generate a net reduction in mandatory outlays of $455 billion over the 2010–2019 period. The estimate of $455 billion mentioned in your letter represents the net effects of many provisions. Some of those provisions generated savings for Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and some generated costs. If those provisions were repealed, CBO estimates that there would be an increase in deficits similar to its original estimate of $455 billion in net savings over that period.

If they were to repeal the law, Republicans would have replace it with something that makes up for the deficit increases (assuming, of course that they will still care about the deficits) and helps slow the growth rate in the Medicare program. The GOP’s old leadership backed plan and its reliance on medical malpractice reform as a money saver won’t be enough.

Separately, the CBO also estimated that preventing payment reductions to the physician fee schedule would cost some $330 billion over the 2011–2020 period.
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The Terrorists Win
Nine years after 9/11, hatred of Islam has infected many Americans. How else can we explain the opposition to an Islamic community center two blocks away from where the attacks took place?
by Eric Alterman
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Building a Nation of Know-Nothings - NYTimes.com If the lies about the president continue to gain traction, we're all going to pay a price.

War Room: How the "ground zero mosque" fear mongering began
A viciously anti-Muslim blogger, the New York Post and the right-wing media machine: How it all went down.
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Frank Rich: How Fox Betrayed Petraeus

Nicholas D. Kristof: Taking Bin Laden’s Side
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Robert Creamer: Republican Strategy for Victory: Stall Economic Recovery
For the last twenty months, Democrats have been pushing to get the economy out of the ditch. Not only have Republicans refused to lend a hand, they have been actively throwing rocks under the wheels.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Extremist Makeover - Homeland Edition
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Change Accomplished
By Eugene Robinson —
This is a radical break from journalistic convention, I realize, but today I’d like to give credit where it’s due—specifically, to President Obama. Quiet as it’s kept, he’s on a genuine winning streak.
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Why are we so willing to repeat history's mistakes?
By David Sirota
Ideology and money interests trump lessons of the past in debates over war, economics and taxes.
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To All President Obama Haters

You didn’t get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.

You didn’t get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate energy policy.

You didn’t get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.

You didn’t get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.

You didn’t get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.

You didn’t get mad when we spent over 600 billion(and counting) on said illegal war.

You didn’t get mad when over 10 billion dollars just disappeared in Iraq.

You didn’t get mad when you found out we were torturing people.

You didn’t get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.

You didn’t get mad when we didn’t catch Bin Laden.

You didn’t get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.

You didn’t get mad when we let a major US city drown.

You didn’t get mad when we gave a 900 billion tax break to the rich.

You didn’t get mad when, using reconciliation; a trillion dollars of our tax dollars were redirected to insurance companies for Medicare Advantage which cost over 20 percent more for basically the same services that Medicare provides.

You didn’t get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark, and our debt hit the thirteen trillion dollar mark.

(The above is a copy/paste of a nice rant about some of the many errors of the Bush admin. This rant has been making the rounds for awhile now and I don’t know where it originated. What follows is my addition.)

Yet you get mad at President Obama for what exactly?

Expanding health care coverage to over 30 million more Americans while making the worst health insurance industry abuses illegal and reducing the deficit? (source)

Credit card reform which protects consumers from credit card company abuses? (source)

Lowering taxes for 95% of working families?

Being on target to cut Bush’s huge deficit in half within four years?

The DOW going from 6500 to over 11000 during his Presidency?

Is it because he signed expanded gun rights into law while not making any moves towards gun control?

The recession reversing with job losses turning into job gains?

Working to reform Wall Street Reform so we don’t experience another economic meltdown like what happened under Bush’s “leadership” in September 2008?

Working to reduce loose nukes in order to decrease the chances of a nuclear attack on the US by terrorists?

—

Notice those last two are “works in progress.” These are things Obama is trying to do but the Republicans are doing everything they can stop him from being successful on these fronts (similar to how they pulled out every trick in the book to try to stop health care reform.) They don’t seem to care that stopping Obama from getting “political victories” (their biggest concern it seems) may lead to a terrorist nuking a major US city or another economic meltdown.

Think about that. “Country First”? Hardly. The Republican Party of today seems to exist only to further it’s own existence. They will stop at nothing to defeat Obama politically. They don’t care how many lies they have to tell or what the long term consequences are for average Americans.

It’s because of this that I think it’s of very much importance for the future of the United States that the “Republican Tea Party” be defeated this November. Do your part. Make sure you are registered to vote and get to the polls to vote against all Republican Tea Party candidates.
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The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Mosque-Erade
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Ground Zero for Tolerance By Robert Scheer — The irrational attack on Muslims everywhere by the GOP's leadership is not only deeply subversive with regard to the American ideal of religious tolerance but also poses a profound threat to our national security.

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

OpEdNews - Diary: The Anti-Mosque Movement is Politically Correct Nonsense
Diary: How the tables have turned! Conservatives who want Muslims to be 'sensitive' to others' needs weren't too sensitive to the needs of others back in the PC era, now were they? How about we all just suck it up and deal?
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Happy 75th Birthday, Social Security
by Katrina vanden Heuvel
On the 75th anniversary of Social Security, those who would axe benefits are spreading myths designed to make you think there's a looming crisis. It's simply just not true.
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Obama defends "ground zero mosque"
By Glenn Greenwald
The president takes a politically unpopular position and deserves praise for doing so.
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The Racists Return

By Joe Conason — Expressions of racial hatred on the right are troubling, but not nearly as troubling as the behavior of conservatives who excuse, embolden or simply pretend to ignore the bigots surrounding them.

Daly: Poor Rudy's privacy cry is laughable
Former city mayor Rudy Giuliani is quite the hypocrite with cry for privacy after daughter's theft.
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Fareed Zakaria to return ADL award over ground-zero mosque
In response to Fareed Zakaria returning an award that was presented to him in 2005, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said it was “saddened, stunned and somewhat speechless” by his decision.
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Also confirmed: Marshall’s legacy
Elena Kagan’s confirmation to the Supreme Court is not only a victory for her, but also a confirmation of Justice Thurgood Marshall’s enduring legacy.
By Martha Minow

Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich Need a History Lesson
By Joe Conason
No recent controversy has so plainly revealed the hollow values of the American right than the effort to prevent the construction of a community center in Lower Manhattan because it will include a mosque. It is a senseless attack on one of America’s most sacred traditions.
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We're still haunted by Angry White Males
There's something about a Democratic White House and Congress that brings out this ugliness
by Steve Kornacki
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How the GOP Destroyed the US Economy
by Barry Ritholtz
I can sum it up thusly: Whereas the Democrats have no economic policy, the Republicans have a very bad one.
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