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U. Of Houston Prof. Richard Murray Makes Dumb
Comment

post from Texas Liberal on 04 November 2009 09:51:01 PM. © Texas Liberal

Dr. Richard Murray is a University of Houston political science professor who doubles as a blogger on local politics.Below is the link to his blog at the web home of Channel 13 in Houston. http://prof13.abc13.com/Dr. Murray knows a lot about local politics. However, he has won the award for the dumbest comment about the 2009 [...]

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es-dumb-comment/

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Landrieu Still Needs Some Help with the Public
Option

post from Daily Kos on 04 November 2009 09:46:09 PM. © Daily Kos

In an otherwise good news article about how yesterday's election doesn't change anything in ConservaDems' Ben Nelson and Mary Landrieu's attitude toward the need to enact healthcare reform, there's this:

Though she's not ready to support the public option in the Senate bill, Landrieu says that, thanks to moderates, it's much improved.

"The public option, because of the moderates, and because of what I've been helping to do and other moderates, has been shaped, in our view, 100 percent better than when it started out," she said, adding,"it's already shaped to be a public option that is supported by premiums," before being whisked away into a vote.

This is the third time Landrieu has displayed a stunning misunderstanding of healthcare reform and the public option. The public option has always been supported by premiums. Just like it's never been intended to be a "free lunch" as she described it just a few weeks ago. Nor would it cause the government to go bankrupt, as she also said.

Roll Call reports this as "Landrieu Warming to the Public Option," which it may very well be, and I suppose if she wants say that it's because of the work of moderates who created something in the bill that's been in the bill all along, well then so be it. But perhaps Sen. Brown or Sen. Dodd or another supporter of the public option could sit down with their colleague from Louisiana and provide a tiny bit of education on this plan. Who knows, when Sen. Landrieu finally understands what the bill really does, she'll become full-fledged supporter.

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Some-Help-with-the-Public-Option

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As Inhofes Climate Bill Boycott Continues, Kerry,
Graham, Lieberman Try End-Around

post from Firedoglake on 04 November 2009 09:35:27 PM. © Firedoglake

James Inhofe (R-OK) appeared briefly today at a climate bill markup in the Senate Environment and Public Works committee, simply to drop off a letter with a series of Republican demands on how to move forward on the bill. The letter basically asks the[...]

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http://news.firedoglake.com/2009/11/04/as-inhofes-climate-bill-boycott-continues-
kerry-graham-and-lieberman-try-an-end-around/

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Support a strong voice against the war in
Afghanistan

post from Crooks and Liars on 04 November 2009 09:30:32 PM. © Crooks and Liars

I'd like to thank John for letting me spread the word about this cause, and I'd like to thank everyone here at Crooks and Liars for helping pitch in. It's important that we work to end the war in Afghanistan, and it's important that we support progressive voices who work to do so.

Six months ago, President Obama had ordered in tens of thousands of new troops to Afghanistan while admitting that there was no strategy. Support for the war in Afghanistan was at 50%. Today, 58% oppose the war in Afghanistan. And President Obama right now is engaged in the process of "rethinking Afghanistan."

For the last few months, too, progressive blogger Derrick Crowe has been writing on the Afghanistan war. And his posts have made a difference.

Derrick has brought to bear facts, video testimony, statistics, political insight, and thoughtful arguments to drive home the point that escalating the war in Afghanistan is the wrong policy. Derrick has been writing and researching so prolifically because he's been on a three month fellowship, using funds provided out-of-pocket by the good folks over at Brave New Foundation and the editors at The Seminal.

Yesterday, Derrick's three month fellowship came to an end. Now I'm asking for your help to keep it going, and to support a strong voice against the war in Afghanistan.

Can you pitch in $10 or $20 to help extend Derrick Crowe's blogging fellowship against the war in Afghanistan? Your contribution will go directly to Derrick, and if we can raise $5,000, we can keep the fellowship going for an entire year.

Click here to donate.

Over the course of his fellowship, Derrick has appeared on the front page of Firedoglake, Open Left, and the Huffington Post numerous times. He's been on Al Jezeera television, and he's been cited by the New York Times, and Crooks and Liars of course. He's helped push this debate.

The Seminal and Brave New Foundation funded Derrick's fellowship because we believe strong voices against the war in Afghanistan can change the debate in Washington. We funded the fellowship because we believe bloggers should be compensated for their work whenever possible. Now, I'm asking you to help.

In starting this fellowship, we've put our money where our mouth is, evidence of how seriously we take the fight over the future of the war in Afghanistan. I'm hoping you can do the same.

Can you pitch in a few dollars to help support quality blogging and a strong anti-war voice? I've just donated $50 to keep Derrick's fellowship going. Click here to donate.

Thank you for your generous contribution, and let's hope we can raise the $5,000 needed to keep Derrick's writing going for another year, and to take us one step closer to ending this war.

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DC Sniper Seeks to Halt Execution

post from TalkLeft on 04 November 2009 09:28:00 PM. © TalkLeft

DC sniper John Allen Muhammad is scheduled to be executed Nov. 10. His lawyers are asking the Supreme Court to halt the execution, because he is delusional.

In May, 2008, Muhammad wrote a rambling letter to his lawyers in which he proclaimed his innocence.

No one should be executed, but if Muhammed is mentally ill, clearly he should not be put to death. Will the Supreme Court agree?

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TalkleftThePoliticsOfCrime/~3/7_xhYoTVydU/027

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Mums-the-Word

post from Talking Points Memo on 04 November 2009 09:19:00 PM. © Talking Points Memo

Rep. Bachmann (R-MN) no-comments questions about resignation of Chief of Staff. [...]

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hp

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Cleveland serial killer ( Anthony Sowell )
update. 1 victim identified.

post from Let's Talk Honestly on 04 November 2009 09:17:53 PM. © Let's Talk Honestly

Update of serial killings in Cleveland. 1 body identified and 11th body found.http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/missingblackwomen.html

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ate-1-victim-identified/

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Note to White House Social Secretary: Where Was
My Invitation

post from The Washington Note on 04 November 2009 09:06:00 PM. © The Washington Note

Tonight there is a classical music evening at the White House with Alisa Weilerstein (picture to left) and others -- and some of my close friends are there. I'm just wondering why I haven't yet made the cut for either the gay community events or culture nights like tonight! (One of these days I'll wiggle in.)

For those interested, the White House has a Facebook discussion set up for folks to chat about the performance which many watched live online. (sorry for late alert)

marlene carp 2.jpg My buddy who runs special events at the Center for American Progress, Marlene Cooper Vasilic, is there. You may remember my featuring her on The Washington Note last year for winning the regional carp fishing contest. Seriously, she did.

And presidential tracker and Washington Times "Potus Notes" blogger Jon Ward just sent a note that David Axelrod is sitting in the front row, a few seats down from the first family, and he's awake.

Jon Ward is doing the pool report tonight -- and it's somewhat different than most reports sent our way. . .so for the record books:

I have a spelling for the 8-year old cellist who joined Alisa Weilerstein onstage to perform with her. It is Sujari Britt. The boy who played after that with Weilerstein was Jason Yoder, 16, on xylophone. Jason is from Pittsburgh Capa school and has performed for the White House before, joining Yo Yo Ma at Flotus' G20 spousal event last month.
By the way, we have a travel photo lid but not a paper lid yet.
One other note. I thought the program said Weilerstein was playing only one song, but she played what I thought was three. So I'm going to include here the entire list from the program. I had omitted some of this stuff before because, being the classical music expert that I am, I wasn't sure if it denoted a song or not. From the top.
Sharon Isbin - "Asturias" by Isaac Albeniz, and "Waltz Op. 8, No. 4" by Agustin Barrios Mangore.
Awadagin Pratt - "Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor," and "BWV 582" by Bach.
Alisa Weilerstein - "Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8," and "III. Alegro molto vivace," by Zoltan Kodaly.
Joshua Bell & Pratt - "Tzigane" by Maurice Ravel.
Bell & Isbin - "Cantabile" by Niccolo Paganini.
Bell, Pratt & Weilerstein - "Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49," and "Finale: Allegro assai appassionato," by Felix Mendelssohn.
Jon Ward, Washington Times

More later.

I'll get to one of these things one of these days. I think it will take them deciding whether they want me as a political blogger or a more circumspect think tank policy guy -- or better yet, perhaps just a friend of insiders.

Tomorrow I will be hanging out with media traveling from Europe with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle in the morning and then listening in on meeting with Vice President Joe Biden on what to do to bolster the American middle class co-hosted by the Center for American Progress and Economic Policy Institute.

-- Steve Clemons

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http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/2009/11/note_to_white_h_1/

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Some Good News from Washington State to Our
Friends in Maine

As archerhouse diairies, while it's not official yet, affirmation of Washington's "everything but marriage" law seems assured. The disproportionate number of outstanding ballots in the election are from the Seattle area. (Washington's vote by mail system means election day is extended to election week, sometimes month, while we wait for the U.S. mail.)

Seattle P-I columnist Joel Connelly provides additional context:

By affirming rights for same-sex couples, Washington made history for the second time in the long struggle for gay legal equality. In 1978, Seattle became the first city in America to reject a bid to roll back ordinances prohibiting housing and job discrimination against gays and lesbians.

R-71 affirms the expanded protections for domestic partners granted by Washington State lawmakers last year. It's not full-fledged marriage, but it does mark Washington as the first state in America to approve a gay-equality measure by the will of the people. I know it's small comfort to everyone who worked so tirelessly to defeat hate in Maine, but hopefully knowing that there's a corner of the country where hate couldn't prevail with Americans will provide some comfort, and some hope.

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http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/tPf1sTifXQ0/-Some-Good-News-from-W
ashington-State-to-Our-Friends-in-Maine

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Obama came to town today. Free Speech took a hit.

President Obama was in my City this afternoon, for a speech on education at Wright Middle School.Since the location had been announced too late for the normal permit process, the Madison Peace Action Coalition contacted the Police Department, and were[...]

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speech-took-a-hit

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