Unconcerned about very poor? Then expanding Medicaid is "very radical"

by: Jason Salzman

Mon Feb 06, 2012 at 10:08:17 AM MST

That's the tenor of the debate about cutting Medicaid in Colorado. It's not like the Republicans want to do it, we read in the media, because they know that cutting money for poor people can cause hardship, sickness, and even death.

But there's a budget problem (assuming we don't want to raise taxes on the vulnerable 1 percent) and, besides, skin should be inserted in the game.

When Mitt Romney changes the tone of the conversation about poverty, and says brazenly, "I'm not concerned about the very poor," that's news.

And rightly so, because in America, we're supposed to care about each other, and our country is supposed to provide basic opportunity for everyone, right? And, as the debate about Medicaid shows, no one's saying, let the poor get sick and die.

But what about proposals to expand Medicaid? These proposals save lives, yet politicians go around trashing the Medicaid-expansion aspects of Obamacare day in and day out, with near media immunity, as if saving poverty-stricken Americans from sickness and death is so outrageous.

Bradley Manning Court Martial "could be imprisoned for life"

by: wade norris

Sat Feb 04, 2012 at 11:22:07 AM MST

It's not the extended school day -- it the extend use of the lies

by: JAFO

Fri Feb 03, 2012 at 16:44:29 PM MST

However, this plan has the usual trapping of most of DPS' plans, a failure to coordinate with important stakeholders and a bunch of lies.  

Cut A Fair Deal For Every American

by: Jack Van Ens

Thu Feb 02, 2012 at 18:33:16 PM MST

President Obama returned to Osawatomie last year. He echoed Republican Roosevelt's convictions that the U.S. economy must be built on sturdy American values of fair play and shared responsibility. Enlarging this fair deal perspective in his recent State of the Union address. Obama sided with 79% of independent voters who, in a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, said the U.S. is "out-of-balance and favors a small proportion of the rich over the rest of the country."

President Obama pinpointed concerns of this disgruntled 79%. "We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well while a growing number of Americans barely get by, or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot...."
 

House Republicans arrest journalist at fracking hearing

by: wade norris

Wed Feb 01, 2012 at 14:07:23 PM MST

In a stunning break with First Amendment policy on Capitol Hill, House Republicans directed Capitol Hill police to detain a highly regarded documentary crew that was attempting to film a Wednesday hearing on a controversial natural gas procurement practice. Republicans also denied the entrance of a credentialed ABC News news team that was attempting to film the event....
Approximately 16 officers entered the hearing room and handcuffed Fox amid audible discussions of "disorderly conduct" charges, according to Democratic sources present at the arrest.

Star Birther Witness Running for CO Legislature

by: Jason Salzman

Tue Jan 31, 2012 at 11:50:48 AM MST

A Georgia law requires all candidates to prove they're eligible for office, and this means presidential candidates must prove they're U.S. citizens.

Such laws, now on the books in a handful of states, are the cutting edge tactic of the dregs of the birther movement, which will not accept that Obama is a U.S. citizen.

The case has a local connection in the name of John Sampson, a former immigration officer who retired in 2008 and also a candidate for Colorado Senate District 25, facing Sen. Mary Hodge.

Sampson told his story to an adoring audience on KLZ's Grassroots Radio Colorado on Friday.

OMFG! Politico writes Bipartisanship's Obit

by: Zappatero

Mon Jan 30, 2012 at 17:56:51 PM MST

On the front of Politico is an article about how the big bipartisan deals that used to be relatively common in Congress now appear to be a thing of the past. From Politico:

 Call it the Split the Difference Scenario - a dream of Washington at its civic-minded best that has flourished for decades, even as the reality of Washington became ever more snarling and contentious.

Sometimes, the dream even came true, in iconic closed-door moments: a bipartisan bargain over Social Security in 1983, a high-drama budget summit at Andrews Air Force Base in 1990, a landmark spending accord between Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich in 1997.

The striking fact about Washington at the start of 2012 is how many people, in public and private, say they have concluded that the capital is no longer a city of splittable differences.

UPDATE: If you have the time, Digby explicates beautifully.

Graph of the Day: Global Temps 2011

by: Gypsy Chief

Sun Jan 29, 2012 at 17:27:38 PM MST

NASA:

   Nine of the top ten warmest years in the modern meteorological record have occurred since the year 2000. Last year was another one of them, coming in at 9th warmest since 1880.

   The map above shows temperature anomalies, or changes, by region in 2011; it does not depict absolute temperature. Essentially, the map shows how much warmer or cooler each region was in 2011 compared with an averaged "base period" from 1951-1980. The line plot shows yearly temperature variations (from the base period average) for every year from 1880 to now. (For more explanation of how the analysis works, read World of Change: Global Temperatures.)

   On January 19, 2012, researchers at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) released their annual analysis of global temperatures, noting that Earth's land and ocean surfaces continue to experience higher temperatures than several decades ago. The global average temperature for 2011 was 0.92 degrees Fahrenheit (0.51 Celsius) higher than the mid-20th century baseline.

   "We know the planet is absorbing more energy than it is emitting," said GISS director James Hansen. "So we are continuing to see a trend toward higher temperatures. Even with the cooling effects of a strong La Niña influence and low solar activity for the past several years, 2011 was one of the ten warmest years on record."

Balance of article: here

Why is this tagged "Kevin Lundberg"? Because he claims to be considering a run for Congress in the Second District which now includes Fort Collins. Lundberg is a well-known climate denier. I hope he does run. He would lose badly.

Related: Why Climate Change Is So Threatening To Right-Wing Ideologues

Representative Joe Miklosi: Best Match for CD-6

by: peacemonger

Sun Jan 29, 2012 at 00:32:44 AM MST

I respect and admire Brandon Shaffer; he is literally one of my political heroes. Not just that - I am indebted to him. I've even made calls for his race in CD4 very recently.

Loyal readers on Colorado Pols may remember Senator Shaffer's unwavering support of Michael Bennet in the 2010 Senate Race. Not only was Senator Shaffer one of just a few legislators who believed in Michael Bennet from the beginning (add State Representatives Karen Middleton and Daniel Kagan, as well as Congressman Jared Polis to that list), but he also took a lot of grief for Bennet at the Boulder Convention and Assembly. I stood by Senator Shaffer then, and always will.  

Senator Shaffer courageously sponsored a controversial anti-human trafficking bill written by my friend Beth Klein, as well. Always a diplomat and a statesman, Senator Shaffer had to answer to opponents on both sides of the aisle to defend the bill. I am grateful to him for his courage and strong sense of justice; he acted to protect young street girls and boys who would otherwise have no political voice, and who certainly were in no position to benefit his office financially or politically.  

Republican Voters of South Carolina

by: tjwalker

Wed Jan 25, 2012 at 13:26:32 PM MST

"Thank you, thank you, and thank you.  We couldn't have done it better ourselves! You have just voted for a candidate who is viewed unfavorably by 60% of American voters according to the non-partisan Public Policy Polling organization! If there is less popular American politician not currently serving time in prison, we are not aware of one. We are hoping and praying that other Republican Primary voters follow your example and vote for Newt "open marriage" "grandiose" "dump your wives as soon as they get sick" Gingrich in future primaries.

We believe voters selected Newt for Two Reasons: 1. By calling Obama the "Food stamp President" Gingrich let voters know that he shares their belief that a black man should not be allowed to be in the White House unless he is a butler. 2. When Newt showers liberals and the media with contempt, he's damn good at it. You really get the idea that Newt hates and resents liberals. Whereas voters get the feeling that Romney personally likes liberals and the media and gets along with them most of the time.

If the GOP does nominate Gingrich, Obama's re-election is virtually guaranteed. Obama could appoint Willie Horton as Secretary of Defense and turn Camp David into a crack house and still easily beat the cartoonishly detestable Newt Gingrich in a general election."

The Do-Nothing, Hate-Everything Republican Congress

by: Zappatero

Wed Jan 25, 2012 at 11:30:22 AM MST

• Ministry of Truth at Kos:

  My friend told me after the State Of The Union that the Republicans looked like a bunch of "miserable old sourpusses."

  "How so?" I asked.

  "He is talking about uplifting stuff and they look miserable."

  I wasn't even planning to watch, but happened upon it as it was just starting. The terminal, chronic negativity of the GOP was on full display. They were not moved by any rhetoric and were not inspired by any of The President's ideas. If the DNC wants some ideas for TV spots, they should just take the closeups of Republican leaders during that speech and run them in an infinite loop.
• Colorado's sublimely daft Doug Lamborn decided he had to stand up for something besides killing the EPA and Big Bird, so he played the ignorance card and skipped the address. Let's imagine the reaction to a Democrat doing that to President Bush. Unfortunately, the voters in CD-5 will never look back on their decision to choose Lamborn over Jay Fawcett in '06. (Hi, Jay!)
• Despite Mark Udall's continuing, lame attempts to foster bipartisanship (God Damn it, Mark, it's Dead, and you're the Last to know! (Even the Supes couldn't contain their pettiness and only a quorom of them showed up. ) If Udall has put this much effort into condemning the automatic filibuster used by Senate Republicans on almost every vote they take, no one would ever know it.
• And despite his late, and most likely futile, efforts to retake the debate on the budget and taxes, Obama's invitation to the speech of Warren Buffet's secretary (who pays a higher tax rate than her Billionaire Boss), showed that Republicans couldn't manage just 1% Solution of Sympathy for that tax dilemma. The result was heapings of scorn and derision for the hard-working woman.

Anything less, and they are all frowns - exactly like last night.

(* - Apologies if I was a little harsh. - Z)

2011: 9th Warmest Calendar Year On Record, Even With A La Niña

by: WeatherDem

Wed Jan 25, 2012 at 08:32:28 AM MST

Just as importantly, this situation occurred in the midst of a continuing La Niña event that is of moderate strength.  La Niña is characterized by a general cooling of the tropical Pacific waters near the surface; it is frequently referred to as being the opposite of El Niño.  As La Niñas progress, global temperatures tend to cool from their normal state.  This of course has implications as scientists work to differentiate the effects of natural climate processes and those brought about by humans.  If one year's temperatures are cooler than the preceding year's (or are warmer), does that mean that global warming has stopped (as skeptics like to say) or does that mean that there are competing forcings that affect the temperatures recorded?

It is the assessment of an overwhelming majority of climate scientists that global warming has not stopped.  Instead, the 2nd half of 2010 and all of 2011 were dominated by La Niña events.  What does this mean?  It means that if the La Niña events had not occurred (and if there were no El Niños either), in other words purely "normal" conditions, 2011 likely would have been warmer than was recorded.  This should become obvious in the next 6 months to 3 years as this La Niña dissipates and conditions across the globe respond accordingly.  It takes ~6 months for downstream effects to show up in observations after ENSO phases start and after they go away.

Why We Lose... (and Why We won't Make that Mistake Again in CD6)

by: tom_joade

Tue Jan 24, 2012 at 00:48:42 AM MST

Based on that understanding, we try to make everything as fair as possible.  This thing separates us from the other Party.  The effect of this though, while noble in principal; is that we destroy each other,(ourselves), at almost any given opportunity.

The Republicans may be more than a little crazy on policy, and lot sanctimonious on politics: but they get one fundamental thing right. When it comes to the best option to win a district they unite around the best candidate... (the current Presidential primary excepted).  This is how they took the House from us in 2010.

As Democratic constituents of Colorado's Sixth Congressional District we find ourselves with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn something from our opponents.  

The Role of Super PACs in 2012

by: tjwalker

Mon Jan 23, 2012 at 13:07:35 PM MST

I wish KOA had continued to allow Caldara to waste his time on the radio

by: Jason Salzman

Mon Jan 23, 2012 at 09:07:37 AM MST

You'd think he could find a better way to advance evil for three hours every do, wouldn't you?

Now Caldara, who's the President of the libertarian Independence Institute, will have those three hours back, since KOA terminated his radio talk show, in favor of a faceless national feed.

State of the Poles - Jan 2012: Arctic Ice Near Historic Lows; Antarctic Ice Above Average

by: WeatherDem

Sun Jan 22, 2012 at 11:04:34 AM MST

We don't need no stinkin' EPA?

by: Zappatero

Sat Jan 21, 2012 at 17:16:28 PM MST

And if the free market is so virtuous, he could also explain why SUNCOR Energy shouldn't use any of its enormous profits to contain the toxic fluids still leaking into Denver's waterways.

Suncor Energy Inc., Canada's largest energy company, said second-quarter profit rose 4.1% as higher oil prices countered a decline in output.

Net income climbed to $562 million, or 36 cents a share, from $540 million, or 35 cents, a year earlier, Calgary-based Suncor said Thursday in a statement.

The Free Market, as defined by Republicans, let's you extract energy at low cost with minimal safety requirements. It gives free license to take the profits of your efforts without taxation and with no further responsibilities to anyone but your shareholders and Board, nevermind the Benzene at 48 times its normal accumulation in you and your family's drinking water.

Did Japanese reactors hold up "Reasonably Well" or Horribly

by: Jason Salzman

Thu Jan 19, 2012 at 09:25:19 AM MST

So they could have been flattened, yes. But did they really hold up reasonably well?

It's widely agreed now that the disaster caused a meltdown in three Fukushima reactors. Over ten thousand people were evacuated, and the fate of dozens of plant workers who experienced serious radiation exposure is unknown but of serious concern (at least three died). Elevated levels of radiation have been found in rice, beef, milk, spinach, and tea. Leaks of radioactive material to the ocean and land still threaten fish and wildlife. The reactors remain vulnerable to earthquakes, and cleanup is estimated to take 40 years.

In his Jan. 12 KVNF interview, Tipton wasn't asked how bad the Fukushima disaster needed to be in order for the reactors to move, in his view, from the "held-up-reasonably-well" category to the "collapsed-horribly-badly" category.

I called Tipton's office to find out, but I didn't get a call back.

Tipton made his comments about the world's second-worst nuclear accident in a discussion of a proposed uranium mill for western Colorado. Tipton supports the mill.

He argued that nuclear power shouldn't be held back due to the "big fear factor" caused by the Japanese disaster, which, he said, could be avoided if proper attention were paid to geography and safety.

"You know, as you go over into Europe, France is an example, there's an abundance of nuclear power plants that are providing reliable energy," Tipton told the KVNF audience. "The big fear factor, which we all understand, was after the tsunami in Japan. Those plants, for the most part, given multiple tragedies, earthquakes and Tsunami coming in, held up reasonably well. We can't afford to have any sort of uranium leak, obviously. But we can design those plants with due consideration to where they're going to be put, in terms of the geography that's there, and to be able to provide reliable energy. I signed the letter in the State Legislature being supportive of the development of the [uranium] mill. When you get on the west end of Montrose County, these are good jobs. And again, we're taking advantage of new technology, new protective measures, that are able to be put in place to be able to do it in a proper fashion to be able protect all of our varied interests. So it's something I will be supportive of."

French Speaking Mitt Romney Attack Ad Targets SC Voters

by: tjwalker

Tue Jan 17, 2012 at 14:28:25 PM MST

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...