Buck Naked Politics

Jon Stewart Ponders 30 GOP Votes Against Franken's Anti-Rape Amendment

HuffPost:

In 2005, Jamie Leigh Jones was gang-raped by her Halliburton/KBR co-workers while working in Iraq and locked in a shipping container for over a day to prevent her from reporting her attack. The rape occurred outside of U.S. criminal jurisdiction, but to add serious insult to serious injury she was not allowed to sue KBR because her employment contract said that sexual assault allegations would only be heard in private arbitration--a process that overwhelmingly favors corporations.

This year, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) proposed an amendment that would deny defense contracts to companies that ask employees to sign away the right to sue.

Jon Stewart seems surprised.  I'm not.  Between protecting KBR/Halliburton's protection of rapists and protecting women from rape was a no-brainer -- fortunately for KBR/Halliburton.

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Obama's Inspirational Rhetoric Deploring "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"... Meanwhile, White House Alleged to View Gays (& Bloggers! & Gay Bloggers!) as Part of Non-crucial "Internet Left Fringe"

by Damozel |  From the Human Rights Campaign's October 10 banquet:

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Oh, that's nice.  That's really nice.  So it is a bit jarring -- in more ways than one -- to read allegations that the White House apparently considers concerned gays part of the "internet left fringe" (as if that were a bad thing).  From John Aravosis:

Bill Maher: New Rule -- "Everyone Deserves Equal Rights"

by Damozel |  Deb asked yesterday whether Obama's "support" for gay rights will prove to be nothing but more of the president's inspirational rhetoric.  Via HuffPost, Bill Maher speaks out for gays and for the end of "Don't Ask; Don't Tell."  The following's an excerpt:

"Tomorrow night President Obama will speak before a gay rights group, and on Sunday there will be a massive gay rally in Washington, or as I call it, the Million Mo March. Which makes this weekend the perfect time for Obama to announce he's repealing "don't ask, don't tell" and committing to a full-throated endorsement of gay marriage. One, because it's the right thing to do and two, because it will throw the conservative base into such a frenzied, pants-shitting panic that they'll drop all that BS about death panels and socialism and let us all get some actual work done.

"But of course that's not going to happen. I can tell you what the president is going to tell his audience tomorrow: How much he supports them. How much he agrees with them. And how he wishes he was President so he could help them out.

Health Care Reform Warrior Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY) Debates Betsy McCaughey

October 5, 2009 Healthcare Reform Debate with Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) and Dr. Betsy McCaughey, Health Policy Expert, Patient Advocate and former Lieutenant Governor of New York (1995-1998)

Watch Weiner be unstoppably awesome.

Also!:

Grayson on the Ed Show: Republicans Wish There Was a Nobel Prize for Fear

Progressives Ponder Obama's Nobel Prize Win for Not Being George W. Bush; Others Enjoy Wingnut-Baiting Bonus

by Damozel | Neener neener! Ha ha ha! (as Big Tent Democrat is wont to say, speaking for me only). 

Many progressives are disturbed by the award.  Tas of Comments from Left Field calls it ridiculous.  .

If the “feeling” about Obama is the “game changer”, then why not award the Nobel Peace Prize to the entire American electorate?  After all, we’re the ones whose feelings have changed — as shown by us collectively doing as much as possible to remove Republicans from power in Washington and treat the world better....

This prize should only be awarded to those who, as can be shown empirically, brought more peace to the world.  To throw the prize at Obama — or anybody else — who simply causes the Nobel committee to “feel good” only cheapens the award.

Maria of Crooked Timber wrote the post to which Tas is reacting.

[T]his isn’t about domestic politics, or about what he’s done yet. President Obama has changed how the world feels about America. He’s lifted the planet’s mood. This guy is global Prozac.

Grayson and Ron Paul Send Letter to Senate Banking Committee Asking for Delay in Confirmation of Ben Bernanke Until He Gives Up Info on 2008 Secret Emergency Loans

by Damozel | Here's yer bipartisanship.

Alan Grayson Calls Out Fellow Dems for Obsession with Getting Support of Olympia Snowe (R-ME) for Health Care Plan; Tells GOP, "If you're against health care, just get out of the way"

by Damozel | Can I hear you say, "Amen"?  From Huff Post:

"We as a party have spent the last six months, the greatest minds in our party, dwelling on the question, the unbelievably consuming question of how to get Olympia Snowe to vote on health care reform," he said. "I want to remind us all that Olympia Snowe was not elected President last year. Olympia Snowe has no veto power in the Senate. Olympia Snowe represents a state with one half of one percent of America's population." "What America wants is health care reform," he continued. "America doesn't care if it gets 51 votes in the Senate or 60 votes in the Senate or 83 votes in the Senate. In fact, America doesn't even care about that, it doesn't care about that at all." 

Wonkette:

Stephen Colbert on the Tears and Sincerity of Glenn Beck

by Damozel | Members of the mainstream media are jealous "because he dominates the coveted demographic of 18-49 year old voices in his head."

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Obama Wins the Nobel Peace Prize

by Damozel | Apparently the White House staff were as surprised as anyone.  

"Two key White House aides were both convinced they were being punked when they heard the news, reported ABC News' George Stephanopoulos .

""It's not April 1, is it?" one said.

"Upon being called by ABC News at 5:45 ET this morning, a White House aide said, "This better be good."

"When told by ABC News that the president had won the Nobel Peace Prize, the aide replied: "Oh, that is good.""(Huff Post)

Also:

"Initial White House reaction to Nobel Prize for Obama. Spokesman Robert Gibbs e-mails one word: "wow.""(Huff Post; much more)

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/09/obama-nobel-peace-prize-r_n_314996.html

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The consensus view-- which I share -- is that it's a bit damn previous.  On the other hand, anything that upsets the denizens of Greater Wingnuttia as much as this is going to do is pure bonus, so there's that.   In short:  Mwahahahahahahha!

Keith Olbermann's Eloquent Hour Long Special Comment on Health Care System Failures: A Personal Account

by Damozel |  This 4-part video --aptly summarized here -- is extremely worthwhile and definitely worth making time for, as he discusses his father's experiences.

Part One:

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Senate Passes (68-30) Franken-Proposed Amendment to Prevent KBR/Halliburton from Protecting Themselves Against Sexual Assault Claims

by Damozel | Via Howie Klein: Al Franken proposed an amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Bill passed by the House.

S. Amend. 2566 simply prohibits "the use of funds for any Federal contract with Halliburton Company, KBR, Inc., any of their subsidiaries or affiliates, or any other contracting party if such contractor or a subcontractor at any tier under such contract requires that employees or independent contractors sign mandatory arbitration clauses regarding certain claims." The "certain claims" have to do with sexual assault....

Franken offered the amendment because a KBR employee, Jamie Leigh Jones, age 19, was raped by a bunch of KBR workers in Iraq and then locked up in a crate when she tried reporting them. After she was rescued and returned to America she was informed that she couldn't take KBR to court because there was some fine print in her -- and everyone else's -- contracts that don't permit any such thing. [See the video below.]

Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama...of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was the key spokesperson for the GOP against the legislation which he called unfair to Halliburton, one of the biggest Republican Party contributors in history. (More at HuffPost)

Good going for Franken.  It needed to be done, and he did it.

Jon Stewart: GOP Opposes Even the Dems' Limp Cap-and-Trade Bill

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The Ed Show: Ed Schultz Explains for the Protocol-Challenged Why Grayson's Criticism of the GOP Differs from Wilson's Inappropriate Outburst; Anthony Weiner Call Lack of Health Care Plan "A Republican Tax"

by Damozel | Schultz explains the distinction between discourse on the House floor and an outburst during a Joint Session of Congress.  In case I haven't mentioned it lately, Anthony Weiner is my other favorite Democratic warrior. "Eric Cantor must think the bill fairy pays the hospital bills" for the uninsured.   Weiner says of Grayson, "Usually we don't let freshman speak, but we gotta get this guy out there more."

Full of Win: Grayson on MSNBC -- The GOP is a "lie factory"

by Damozel | This is how you do it.  When civility gets you nothing but FAIL, this is how you counter the untrue jeering and the lies that just won't die.. This is what we send people to Congress for. From The Hill:

"America is sick of you, Republican Party; you're a lie factory, that's all you do," he told MSNBC on Thursday. "Why don't you work together with the Democrats to solve America's problems instead of making stuff up?"

Grayson then called the party a bunch of "no-mongers."...

"The people who should be apologizing are the Republicans, they're the ones who should apologize for dragging us all through the mud here while we're just trying to improve healthcare in America," he said. "That's all we're trying to do."

Thank you, Alan Grayson, for standing up to the bullies. 

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Grayson & Tweety on Hardball: We Can't Run This Country Based on Republican Hissy Fits

by Damozel | I'm just so damn relieved that somebody is finally saying it and that the someone in question is Florida's Alan Grayson.  Watch Tweety call Grayson "a Martin Luther" and the GOP blowhards such as Limbaugh "clowns" and calls Glenn Beck "what's his name, Beck."  Grayson says that bullies always back down. 

Colbert: What Everyone Knows but No One Says About Congress & Lobbyists

by Damozel | Stephen wants Dems and Republicans to come out of the closet and march in pride parades with the lobbyists who are giving them money: 

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Alan Grayson: Response Has Been Overwhelmingly Positive

Grayson: Republicans -- "Knuckle-Dragging Neanderthals" -- Should Do the Apologizing

by Damozel | That's our guy.

After Republicans Demand an Apology, Grayson (D-Fl) Apologizes to the 44,000 People Who Die Every Year for Lack of Health Insurance

by Damozel | Here's yer apology, GOP. Here's the study he mentions.

On Countdown, Arianna Huffington had his back: