Late Late Night FDL: Firedog In The House

post from Firedoglake on 13 July 2009 01:00:07 AM. © Firedoglake

Firedog KellyCDenver takes control of the other keyboard and works over Led Zepplin's No Quarter.[...]

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Addressing the people directly

post from They gave us a republic... - Front Page on 13 July 2009 12:45:00 AM. © They gave us a republic... - Front Page

I am so sick of hearing wingnuts bitching and moaning that President Obama and his administration have failed because it has been six months already and he hasn't fixed the economy yet. Yes. You read that right. In the wingnut mind, or what passes for one anyway, six months is ample time to undo 30 years of Reaganomics.

We know that the ship of state turns slowly, and that is what is so refreshing about President Obama. He doesn't talk to us like we are idiots. He talks to us like he assumes that we can apply the thought process and speak in complete sentences. And that is the key to his success. He bypasses the media filter and speaks directly to us in an honest and forthright manner. In last night's roundup I told you how he is going to use this ability to talk to us about health care reform. Today, he had an 800-word op-ed in the Washington Post in which he explains where we are, how we got here, where we were and where we are going. No condescension. No dumbing down. No faux-lksy bullshit.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was not expected to restore the economy to full health on its own but to provide the boost necessary to stop the free fall. So far, it has done that. It was, from the start, a two-year program, and it will steadily save and create jobs as it ramps up over this summer and fall. We must let it work the way it's supposed to, with the understanding that in any recession, unemployment tends to recover more slowly than other measures of economic activity.
I am confident that the United States of America will weather this economic storm. But once we clear away the wreckage, the real question is what we will build in its place. Even as we rescue this economy from a full-blown crisis, I have insisted that we must rebuild it better than before. For if we do not seize this moment to confront the weaknesses that have plagued our economy for decades, we will consign ourselves and our children to future crises, sluggish growth, or both.
There are some who say we must wait to meet our greatest challenges. They favor an incremental approach or believe that doing nothing is somehow an answer. But that is exactly the thinking that led us to this predicament. Ignoring big challenges and deferring tough decisions is what Washington has done for decades, and it's exactly what I sought to change by running for president.
Now is the time to build a firmer, stronger foundation for growth that not only will withstand future economic storms but that helps us thrive and compete in a global economy. To build that foundation, we must lower the health-care costs that are driving us into debt, create the jobs of the future within our borders, give our workers the skills and training they need to compete for those jobs, and make the tough choices necessary to bring down our deficit in the long run.
Already, we're making progress on health-care reform that controls costs while ensuring choice and quality, as well as energy legislation that will make clean energy the profitable kind of energy, leading to whole new industries and jobs that cannot be outsourced.
And this week, I'll be talking about how we give our workers the skills they need to compete for these jobs of the future. In an economy where jobs requiring at least an associate's degree are projected to grow twice as fast as jobs requiring no college experience, it's never been more essential to continue education and training after high school. That's why we've set a goal of leading the world in college degrees by 2020. Part of this goal will be met by helping Americans better afford a college education. But part of it will also be strengthening our network of community colleges.

For thirty years we have neglected our infrastructure and our education system. We have a lot of work to do to undo the damage of thirty years of neglect, and the elves are not going to visit under cover of night and clean up all of our messes while we sleep. We understand this, and our president operates from that starting position and speaks to us accordingly.

I don't know about you, but I appreciate this immensely. Especially after eight years of incoherent babbling by a cocaine-addled abject moron who couldn't convey anything more complex than 'go shopping' because he didn't understand anything more complex than duct tape.

I am ready to get busy and do what needs to be done to right our ship of state. I know it isn't going to be easy and I know that it is going to require sacrifice and hard work and diligence on everyone's part. It is also going to require that we pay some freakin' taxes.

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ssing-the-people-directly

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Open Thread and Diary Rescue

post from Daily Kos on 13 July 2009 12:16:05 AM. © Daily Kos

Tonight's rescue brought to you by a synthetic cubist, mem from somerville, noddem, sunspark says, vcmvo2 and YatPundit, with srkp23 editing.

Might you be interested in Citizen Wealth? Hear intrepidliberal discuss it with The Ultimate Organizer: An Interview With ACORN's Founder Wade Rathke. (mem from somerville)

jtraynor wants you to meet the blue in Blue in A Progressive on the Force. (mem from somerville)

Rusty5329 writes about his first day as an abortion clinic escort in "I Meet the Anti's". (vcmvo2)

In a densely informative diary, FrankCornish compares The Lesson of Munich and the Lesson of Mossadegh. (a synthetic cubist)

dancewater focuses on those who are "missing" in Iraq, and how that came to be, in WWB: the disappeared. (vcmvo2)

Shocko from Seattle discusses the trials and tribulations of Japanese Beetles in Spray, baby, spray: an organic gardening thread. (YatPundit)

Take a stroll off the beaten path with a vintage dem and hear some vintage music in your head that does Not Fade Away...Quiet Reverence In a Bean Field In Northern Iowa. (mem from somerville)

Wayne A Schneider give us his best Don McLean impression with the song, Republicans Lie. (YatPundit)

In It's the Criminality, Stupid, arendt proposes a new political faction: "law-and-order Democrats." (a synthetic cubist)

sharistuff takes a down home and personal look at the effects of the recession in Laying Off Again, Too Small Not to Fail in America. (sunspark says)

In a Road Trip Photo Diary, john de herrera shares insights on sales and human nature. (a synthetic cubist)

DParker reminds us of a crucial and famous case in Great moments in criminal defense: Leopold and Loeb. (mem from somerville)

Two Roads shares another thorough presentation addressing the infinite possibilities that may exist out there in Saturday Night Uforia: Anatomy of an Explanation, Astronomical (Part 1) (noddem)

jotter serves up yesterday's High Impact Diaries: July 11, 2009 and last Week's High Impact Diaries: July 4-10, 2009.

virgomusic brings Top Comments - Gunk of Ages Edition.

If you enjoy Diary Rescue, please consider joining the Rescue Rangers. It's a great way to become more involved with the Daily Kos community. Did we mention it's rewarding and fun? To volunteer or learn more, please contact us (don't forget to tell us your screen name) at: dkos.rescuerangers@gmail.com

Enjoy and please promote your own favorite diaries in this open thread.