Pundit Country

Quote of the Day: The Closer

mardod — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 05:52:00 +0000

The columnist Andrew Sullivan posted a letter from one of his readers about their reaction to the President’s March 8 address on health care reform in Pennsylvania and made an astute observation that I confess I had never considered before; the President as closer:

…what people seem to fail to grasp, and what Obama does, is that the President is not a legislator. He is, to borrow a baseball term, “The Closer.” I think people are having trouble figuring this out because, for the first time in decades, we have a career legislator as the executive.

Since Nixon, it’s been governors or vice presidents, people ingrained with the authoritative executive. Obama is bringing back the separation of powers, letting legislators legislate, and for most people, they’ve never been alive to see a President act with this sort of deference and constitutional understanding (it probably doesn’t hurt that he was a Constitutional Law professor either). What he’s doing now is what a President should do. He let the legislative process largely play out, now’s the time for the President to advocate and make sure it gets done. It’s the bottom of the 9th, and the Closer is coming in.

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Can we expect violence if #hcr passes?

mardod — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 05:41:50 +0000

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine yesterday about the health insurance reform legislation vote tomorrow in the House of Representatives and he was concerned there would be violence if it passes. I said that I thought a lot of it was just the barking madness of a few ignorant people. After today’s random acts of violence and protests, I may have to admit that I was a bit shortsighted. This sign doesn’t ease those concerns at all.

From Think Progress:

Tea Party activists have gathered on Capitol Hill today for a “Code Red” rally against health care reform. Speakers at the event included Republican Reps. Steve King (IA), Michele Bachmann (MN), and Mike Pence (IN). The gathering was organized by Tea Party Profiteer organizations like FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity. ThinkProgress attended today’s rally and spotted a sign threatening violence if health care passes. The sign reads: “Warning: If Brown can’t stop it, a Browning can,” referring to Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) and a Browning firearm:

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New Doctor Who S5 Trailer

mardod — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 21:22:02 +0000

God, this looks good. I can’t wait for April 17 (it’s premiere on BBC America).

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Worst team name. Ever.

mardod — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 07:51:07 +0000

Seriously, what the hell were you people thinking???

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Limbaugh attack Marcelas Owens

mardod — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:53:02 +0000

“Desperate Dems cling to human kiddie shield” – Michele Malkin
Marcelas Owens is “… a spokesman for a liberal lobby, the Washington Community Action Network” – NewsBusters
“I would have said this to Marsela Owens: Well, your mom would have still died because Obama care doesn’t kick in until 2014…” – Rush Limbuagh

The media watchdog group, Media Matters for America, published a story yesterday afternoon about the right-wing reaction to the account of Seattle’s own Marcelas Owens. Owens was there just one day after his 11th birthday, to tell his story of losing his mother, Tiffany, to pulmonary hypertension at the age of 27. He was flanked by members of the Senate leadership (including Washington’s own Patty Murray, who brought Marcelas’ story to the country) and by his grandmother, Gina.

His story, posted on YouTube, has received over 20,000 hits and raised the ire of the leading figures in the right wing media, who are opposed to the concept of reforming health care. In the days since his appearance on March 11, either his motives, the politics of he and his family, or the group his mother was involved in have been viciously attacked.

Marcelas said in a statement for the group Health Care for America Now that, “I wanted to finish her fight for health care.” Fortunately, Marcelas isn’t alone in this fight to bring change to a system that has failed so many for so long. He doesn’t have to stand alone against those who would obfuscate and obstruct the help that so many Americans need. He has people like you and me who have been working the phone banks and fighting the smears and misinformation that is out there about health care reform.

As the President said in his speech in Pennsylvania last week,

It’s time to make a decision. The time for talk is over. We need to see where people stand. And we need all of you to help us win that vote. So I need you to knock on doors. Talk to your neighbors. Pick up the phone. When you hear an argument by the water cooler and somebody is saying this or that about it, say, no, no, no, no, hold on a second. And we need you to make your voices heard…I ask you to help us get us over the finish line…The need is great. The opportunity is here. Let’s seize reform. It’s within our grasp.

As we near the end of the march for reform, let’s remember that it isn’t about some abstract concept. It’s about people like Natoma Canfield, or Laura Klitzka. It’s about Marcelas Owens.

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