2 Political Junkies

• The Washington Post Is A Joke

  From WAPO:
  
  
  For those who don't remember the song which criticized emergency response units for taking longer to arrive at emergencies in the black community than those in the white community:
  
  
  P.S. The original WAPO article was actually about' [...]
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  Posted: December 05, 2009, 1:35pm EST
  

• Quick Shot

  From today's Trib Thursday Wrap:Records released this week show House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spent nearly $3,000 in taxpayer dollars on flowers between June and October. Flowers sure are nice and purty. But should taxpayers be picking up the tab? We think not. Perhaps, but let's look at some real [...]
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  Posted: December 03, 2009, 7:00am EST
  

• The Trib Editorial Board Just Can't Get It Right

  From today's Midweek Briefing:Accuracy in Media's Cliff Kincaid reminds that there was another interesting guest at President Obama's first state dinner on Nov. 24. Robert W. Creamer, a friend of White House adviser David Axelrod, was released from federal prison in 2006 after serving a five-month sentence for financial [...]
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  Posted: December 02, 2009, 6:36am EST
  

• Excerpts of the President’s Address to the Nation

  “The 30,000 additional troops that I am announcing tonight will deploy in the first part of 2010 – the fastest pace possible – so that they can target the insurgency and secure key population centers. They will increase our ability to train competent Afghan Security Forces, and to partner with [...]
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  Posted: December 01, 2009, 7:30pm EST
  

• Going Galt (Bang, Bang Edition)

  
  (Click for larger image)
  Looks like I should have started that magazine. From Bloomberg.com:
  Dec. 1 (Bloomberg) -- “I just wrote my first reference for a gun permit,” said a friend, who told me of swearing to the good character of a Goldman [...]
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  Posted: December 01, 2009, 10:43am EST
  

• The Trib Ed-Board Never Learns

  From today's Tuesday Takes:Available data call into "serious question" the claim by Official Pittsburgh that the region enjoyed a $35 million economic boost from September's Group of 20 economic summit. That's according to the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. In fact, data show RAD tax numbers for September 2009 [...]
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  Posted: December 01, 2009, 6:47am EST
  

• Last day to get the Early Bird Rate for the PA Progressive Summit

  
  Today's the last day you can get a 25% discount on registration to the PA Progressive Summit that will be held in January 2010.
  
  From the web site:
  The Pennsylvania Progressive Summit is the largest gathering of progressive activists and leaders in Pennsylvania. We’re [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 1:01pm EST
  

• File this under: Things We Already Knew

  A new report says that the Bush Administration let Osama bin Laden slip from our grasp in Tora Bora.
  
  
  How Bush escaped criticism for so long is explained here.
  . [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 6:32am EST
  

• "Flesh-colored"

  Sociological Images notes the problem with describing objects -- such as this dress in an Associated Press article -- as being "flesh-colored":
  
  
  See the problem now?
  
  
  Pssst, white skin is not the default. (Although as many [...]
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  Posted: November 29, 2009, 2:38pm EST
  

• KDKA's Story on #ravenstahlrumors on Twitter

  KDKA's Jon Delano interviews Bram Reichbaum of The Pittsburgh Comet, Chris Potter of the Pittsburgh City Paper and me about the online reaction to Lil Mayor Luke's hiring of a Philly attorney to handle speculation about his marital woes:
  
  [kdka.com]
  . [...]
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  Posted: November 27, 2009, 7:22pm EST
  

• Post-Gazette Article on #ravenstahlrumors on Twitter

  
  Raise your hands if you think Pittsburgh's Lil Mayor Luke and his Philly attorney went overboard threatening to sue anyone and everyone who engage in any rumors/speculation about his separation from his wife.
  
  The P-G interviews Gene Grabowski (a former reporter with The [...]
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  Posted: November 27, 2009, 7:34am EST
  

• Braddock Hospital Closure Protest at UPMC Headquarters - Today!

  They'll be a protest today at UPMC headquarters in downtown Pittsburgh to demand that Braddock Hospital stay open and a national health care protest in Squirrel Hill.
  WHAT: Braddock Hospital Protest at UPMC Headquarters, Black Friday
  WHEN: TODAY! 11:30 AM on Friday, November 27
  WHERE: Gather at the US Steel' [...]
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  Posted: November 27, 2009, 6:53am EST
  

• THE Definition of "Historical Revisionism"

  Via Thinkprogress.
  
  Former Bush Administration Spokesperson was speaking about the recent shootings at Ft Hood (calling them a terrorist attack) when she said:PERINO: And we had a terrorist attack on our country. And we should call it what it is. Because we need to face up to it [...]
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  Posted: November 26, 2009, 9:36am EST
  

• Happy Thanksgiving!

  
  
  Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at 2pj!
  . [...]
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  Posted: November 26, 2009, 12:30am EST
  

• A Thanksgiving Tradition!

  
  I'm originally from New England.
  And when I was a boy, every year about this time it was a tradition for the New York radio stations to play one particular 18 minute piece of music.
  This one.Lyrics are here.You can buy' [...]
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  Posted: November 26, 2009, 12:01am EST
  

• Rush Limbaugh Jokes About A Military Coup

  
  
  From Talkingpointsmemo:Rush Limbaugh may have crossed another line today in his anti-Obama rhetoric -- openly joking (at least, we hope he's joking) about a military coup.
  
  Limbaugh noted that President Obama will be delivering his upcoming speech on Afghanistan, from the United States Military Academy at [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 10:13pm EST
  

• Chris Matthews Nails Bishop Tobin On Hypocrisy On Abortion

  
  
  Note: Matthews mentions Tobin's Pittsburgh connection which Chris Potter elaborates on here.
  .
  [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 2:47am EST
  

• Looks like someone has their work cut out for them

  [twitter.com]
  
  (h/t to Joshua)
  . [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 1:13am EST
  

• They say timing is everything

  From the uncut version of the KDKA interview (about 9:33 in):
  Marty Griffin: Your political advisories, here's what they're going to say tomorrow. The mayor waited until after the election to do this. This thing's been falling apart for two years.
  
  Luke Ravenstahl: Well, it hasn't been falling [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 1:03am EST
  

• Fear Factor

  
  The Ravenstahls have hired Philadelphia attorney Richard Sprague to represent them in contacts with the media. According to Sprague, his job is "to prevent there being a whole bunch of smears, innuendoes, defamatory things being suggested. If that is so, I will bring appropriate" [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 8:54pm EST
  

• Mayor Luke Ravenstahl Moves Forward (from his family)

  Honestly, I'm not taking glee in this. Saturday when someone from the audience brought up Lil Mayor Luke at the end of the night, I took no real shots. I think I said something like, "I'm so tired of talking about him. What's the point? Folks love Pittsburgh's Favorite" [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 2:17pm EST
  

• Well, THAT Didn't Take Long

  On Saturday, we posted this.
  
  Today, the Richard Mellon Scaife's Brain Trust went with this. It's all there:

  The Daily Telegraph of London reports that some of the world's top climate scientists engaged in nothing less than fraud to perpetuate the theology that man is responsible for supposedly [...]

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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 6:32am EST
  

• Rep. Jason Altmire does not want to cover the uninsured

  
  You pay for my family's health insurance.
  Suckers!
  From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
  "The goal of this bill and the selling point for it when they were trying to round up the votes was, 'Isn't it wonderful that we're going to cover 30 million uninsured'" [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 8:10pm EST
  

• PALIN 2012

  
  . [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 11:50am EST
  

• Jack Kelly Sunday

  Now THIS is interesting.
  
  This week's column, by Jack Kelly, seems to be in two versions. There's the first published over at the Toledo Blade and a second edited version published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  
  Here's the opening in Toledo:WHAT were President Obama and Attorney [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 8:50am EST
  

• How Long Before We See This At The Trib?

  The Competitive Enterprise Institute has a story on its website and I am wondering how long it'll take for our friends on the Pittsburgh Tribune-Reviews editorial board (aka Scaife's Brain Trust) to write about it.
  
  Let's all take a moment to remember that the CEI is funded' [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 8:50am EST
  

• Fickle!

  Nothing uglier than a gaggle of pissed-off groupies.
  
  Seriously, Sarah Palin does seem to attract folks who are angry -- angry at the government, angry at their perceived lot in life -- angry at, well, everything.
  
  It doesn't take much for their anger to turn towards Palin herself' [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 7:55pm EST
  

• Help Lois Herr Against Joe Pitts (Stupak-Pitts Amendment)

  We've referred many times on this blog to the Stupak Amendment, but actually it's the Stupak-Pitts Amendment and the "Pitts" is one Joe Pitts: a Republican in PA's 16th Congressional District.
  
  Pitts has a challenger:
  
  
  Lois Herr is no Blue Dog and' [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 7:21pm EST
  

• Dangerously Live Comedy Talk Show - Tomorrow Night

  The John McIntire Dangerously Live Comedy Talk Show is tomorrow night and features 1/2 of 2pj:
  
  
  . [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 7:13pm EST
  

• A Follow Up On The God-Crazie

  Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

  
  You can find the transcript here.
  
  Here's how things began:MADDOW: “Let his days be few; and let another take his office,” “Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.” This is [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 10:16pm EST
  

• Fox "News" Does It Again

  And what, pray tell, did they do again?
  
  They faked some crowd video. First it was a Michele ("She got teh crazie") Bachman rally:
  
  The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10cSean Hannity Uses Glenn Beck's Protest Footagewww.thedailyshow.comDaily Show
  Full Episodes[...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 6:44am EST
  

• Religious Wingnuts Strike Again

  From The Christian Science Monitor:

  There’s a new slogan making its way onto car bumpers and across the Internet. It reads simply: “Pray for Obama: Psalm 109:8”

  A nice sentiment?

  Maybe not.

  The psalm reads, “Let his days be few; and let another take his office.”

  Presidential criticism through witty [...]

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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 8:48pm EST
  

• In case you were wondering...

  Yes, it was sexist of Newsweek to use this out-of-context photo and headline (there's worse inside) for their Sarah Palin cover:
  
  
  And yes, this is a totally awesome photo of Hillary Clinton by Annie Leibovitz for Vogue:
  
  [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 3:26pm EST
  

• Hill District Will Have To Start All Over Again Looking For A Grocery Store

  
  Pittsburgh's predominately African American Hill District neighborhood has been without a grocery store for 30 plus years. A year ago, it looked like they'd finally found an operator in Kuhn's Market but the deal has fallen through.
  
  Kuhn's Market says that it's due to' [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 1:39pm EST
  

• Announcement

  From The Macyapper:The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Presents:
  
  The John McIntire Dangerously Live Comedy/Talk Show – Thanksgiving Edition!
  
  THANKS BUT NO THANKS – THE PEOPLE WHO RUIN IT FOR THE REST OF US
  
  We all can’t stand the rest of us. So let’s focus like a laser [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 6:57am EST
  

• The Brain Trust Errs With NOAA Climate Data

  But then again, how surprising is that?
  
  Here's what Richard Mellon Scaife's Editorial Board had to say today about October's weather:Another month, another set of data that counters global-warming orthodoxy -- and another reason why the climate debate must stop generating more heat than light if it's to [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 6:37am EST
  

• Rarely is the question asked, is our children mayor learning?

  Well now, that didn't take long.
  
  The good press garnered by the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh -- especially the "Eds and Meds" meme -- is being countered with this headline in today's USA Today:
  
  
  The article notes that the Pittsburgh Council on' [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 2:20pm EST
  

• This Weekend

  This weekend was Aaron Copland's birthday. He's one of my favorite composers. He's the guy who wrote "Appalachian Spring" and "Fanfare for The Common Man."
  
  He also wrote this:
  
  
  Which continues here:
  
  
  The amazing thing about his story, of course, is that Copland was [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 6:56am EST
  

• Jack Kelly Sunday

  I never thought Jack Kelly would be so anti-US Military. But check out this week's column.
  
  After a gratuitous slap at "America's self-anointed elite" Jack heads straight towards the US Army (Note: Jack thinks that The Army is "America's self-anointed elite"??)
  
  The column starts out about Maj. [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 6:40am EST
  

• A Perfect Fit For The GOP

  Former (because she quit) Governor Sarah Palin, one of the major players in God's Own Party has an autobiography out. And Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times has a review. In that review we find this telling passage:Elsewhere in this volume, she talks about creationism, saying she “didn’t' [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 2:34pm EST
  

• A priest, the chairman of Pittsburgh's GOP and a pro choice blogger walk into a bar...

  Actually we -- Bob Hillen, Rev. Frank Almade and I -- walked onto PCNC's NightTalk set last night along with the show's host P.J. Maloney. Abortion, LGBT issues ,and the role of women in the Catholic Church were discussed (along with some local issues).
  
  I [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2009, 11:18am EST
  

• Now, WHO Would've Guessed This?

  The hypocrisy of the RNC is hardly surprising:The Republican National Committee’s health insurance plan covers elective abortion – a procedure the party’s own platform calls “a fundamental assault on innocent human life.”And it's been the case for a generation:Informed of the coverage, RNC spokeswoman Gail Gitcho told POLITICO that' [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 11:00pm EST
  

• I'll be on PCNC’s "NightTalk: Get to the Point" tomorrow night

  I'll be a panelist again on tomorrow's PCNC's "NightTalk: Get to the Point."
  
  The show airs Friday, November 13, 2009 from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM (with repeats at 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM).
  
  The program commonly features conversation on a wide range of topics local' [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 12:56pm EST
  

• Why?

  .
  .
  why?
  .
  . [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 11:25am EST
  

• The World We Live In

  From The St. Petersburg Times:Marine reservist Jasen Bruce was getting clothes out of the trunk of his car Monday evening when a bearded man in a robe approached him.
  
  That man, a Greek Orthodox priest named Father Alexios Marakis, speaks little English and was lost, police said. He [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 7:16am EST
  

• November 11

  Happy Birthday, Stanley Tucci, Lee Haney, Demi Moore, and Calista Flockhart.
  
  And of course, a Happy Birthday to Kurt Vonnegut who wrote this:
  I will come to a time in my backwards trip when November eleventh, accidentally my birthday, was a sacred day called Armistice Day. When I was [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 7:03am EST
  

• Bye-Bye, Google AdSense

  We've removed the Google Ads from this blog because despite jumping through every hoop, we haven't received any payment (and yes, we reached the payment threshold many months ago and yes, there are no holds on the account).
  
  Moreover, when trying to contact Google AdSense about payment we've discovered' [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 7:56am EST
  

• More On Stupak's Amendment

  From Talkingpointsmemo:The letter of the amendment itself suggests that women who want to buy an insurance plan that covers abortion must not also be receiving government subsidies, provided for in the bill, to help cover their premiums. However, the overwhelming majority of women in the health insurance exchanges will [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 7:04am EST
  

• Congressman Altmire Responds

  From his website:As I said following the initial committee vote in July, I voted against the House’s health care reform bill in the Education and Labor Committee because it failed to effectively rein in rising health care costs; it was punitive toward small businesses; and it paid for reform by [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 9:52pm EST
  

• Y'all gon' make me lose my mind...

  ...Up in here, up in here
  
  
  I expect when I watch Morning Joe for their zoo crew to mischaracterize the Stupak Amendment as merely barring federal funding for abortion and that the Stupak opponents are seeking a "new entitlement."
  
  I expect our resident Right Wing commenter [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 1:35pm EST
  

• Watching the Mayor

  I mean, like, right now. He's giving his 2010 Budget Address at Pittsburgh City Council Chambers. You can watch too on the City Channel.
  
  Lil Mayor Luke apparently plans to balance the budget with a 1% college privilege tax on college kids.
  .' [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 10:21am EST
  

• "Stupak" makes it in to the Urban Dictionary

  Does "stupak" mean:
  "A medical condition (subset of sepsis) resulting from unsafe - unnecessarily so - back alley abortions as a result of the "Stupak Amendment" to the 2009 Health Care Reform Bill."Or is it:
  adj: imposing religious beliefs of one group on another, especially through legislation or financial pressure.How [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 9:44am EST
  

• Jack Kelly Sunday

  Not much fact-checking in this week's column by Jack Kelly.
  
  There IS this:But if you're one of the 84 Democrats who represent districts carried either by George W. Bush in 2004 or John McCain last year, the time to ponder this is before casting a potential career-terminating vote [...]
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  Posted: November 08, 2009, 11:58am EST
  

• HA!

  I just got a fundraising call from the DSCC -- I think -- they were asking for money to elect more Democratic Senators.
  
  I made sure the telefundraiser knew that I would not give any money to elect any Blue Dogs. No money unless I know it would go [...]
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  Posted: November 08, 2009, 11:00am EST
  

• Sunday Morning Music Post, Jason Altmire Edition

  
  . [...]
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  Posted: November 08, 2009, 9:23am EST
  

• Sunday Not So Funnies, Altmire Edition

  

  
  Former Health Care Industry Lobbyist and Congressman Jason Altmire continues to bite the hand that feeds him.

  UPDATE: From the Comments section (Hope it was worth it, Jason because I'm guessing there's a lot of folks like GeneW):
  At 10:43 AM, [...]

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  Posted: November 08, 2009, 8:23am EST
  

• Who's going to run against Jason Altmire? (In the primary I mean)

  Someone, please!
  
  Not only did he vote yes on the Stupak Amendment, he voted no on the Health Care Reform bill.
  
  Why exactly did anyone bother to vote out Hart?
  . [...]
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  Posted: November 08, 2009, 1:05am EST
  

• Health Care Reform Bill Passes in the House -- Blue Dogs, Republicans and Spineless Dems Throw Women Under the Bus

  The Stupak Amendment to the Health Care Reform bill in the House of Representatives passed with 240 yeas, 194 nays and 1 present vote.
  
  What does that mean?
  
  It means that women have been singled out to be the only class of people to actually lose coverage under [...]
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  Posted: November 07, 2009, 11:42pm EST
  

• Markos gets Tancredo to storm off MSNBC set

  You see, while former congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) has "talked to vets" about their health care, he may not have realized that Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitas actually is a veteran. A fact that Markos pointed out to Tancredo while reminding Tancredo that he had sought and received a [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 8:16pm EST
  

• Just when you thought they couldn't go any lower...

  There's this sign from yesterday's GOP anti-health care rally:
  
  
  If you can't tell, it reads: "National Socialist Health Care: Dachau, Germany – 1945."
  
  Because trying to expand health care coverage for millions of uninsured Americans is exactly like the mass murder of' [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 6:49am EST
  

• The Trib. Again.

  Yawn.
  
  Aw, geez. We gotta do this again?
  
  From one of today's Pittsburgh Tribune-Review editorials:By destroying the myth that state control of alcohol sales ameliorates societal harm, a new Commonwealth Foundation report bolsters the case for ending Pennsylvania's archaic status quo.
  
  "Government-Run Liquor Stores: The Social Impact" [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 6:47am EST
  

• Now That Hoffman Lost...

  From Mediamatters:Right-wing media figures enthusiastically endorsed and boosted the failed Conservative Party candidacy of Doug Hoffman in the race to fill a vacant seat in New York's 23rd Congressional District, with several of them hosting Hoffman on their radio or television shows. Media figures who boosted Hoffman include Glenn' [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 6:47am EST
  

• Another Day, Another Jerk In The Circle

  From one of today's editorials at the Tribune Review:

  It's bad enough that striking Philadelphia transit workers rejected what Gov. Ed Rendell called a "sensational" deal. What's really horrific is that the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority offered such a deal in the first place.

  Transport Workers Union Local 234 --' [...]

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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 6:25am EST
  

• A Couple of P-G Notes

  I got a chance to see Dennis Roddy's latest music video posted at PG+. If you have a chance to see it, please do. Dennis is a very funny guy and the video is a very funny video.
  
  ALSO I learned from my brief sojourn at PG+ that Jack' [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 7:13pm EST
  

• The Trib Does It Again. With A Twist

  This week's Midweek Briefing:Newsmax.com's Chris Ruddy says what a growing number of War on Terror watchers are saying -- it's time to reduce our troop presence in Afghanistan. And he favors a plan put forth by Vice President Joe Biden "that involves keeping a smaller force (there) and focusing" [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 7:03am EST
  

• Late Night Music Post, Election Edition

  Same-sex marriage loses in Maine, Corzine loses in NJ, Lukey wins in Pittsburgh and Orie Melvin wins in PA.
  
  NOT WORK SAFE
  
  .
  [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 2:01am EST
  

• Just a reminder

  Just a reminder that I have been told countless times on this and other blogs that abortion is just not an issue in mayoral politics.
  
  However, today we have both re-elected an anti-choice mayor and found out that our city will have to now revise (lessen) its policy regarding [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 10:23pm EST
  

• Lil Mayor Luke will continue to be Lil Mayor Luke

  Lukey wins.
  . [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 10:01pm EST
  

• With 50% of votes in, Ravenstahl far ahead and Acklin conceding

  From Early Returns:
  At 49.5% of the city votes counted, the mayoral percentages are holding steady:
  
  56% for Ravenstahl, 24% for Harris and 20% for Acklin.and
  
  

  With around half of all votes counted, Independent challenger Kevin Acklin has conceded to Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, his campaign spokesman [...]

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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 9:41pm EST
  

• Another Hot Race in PA: Llanview Mayoral Election

  
  Vicki Davidson....
  Dr. Dorian Cramer Lord
  This race pits two progressive women against each other. Both have complicated histories with Davidson having suffered with multiple personalities and being the owner of one of the town's two newspapers and Lord having been [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 3:06pm EST
  

• Planned Parenthood PAC's Slate Card

  In light of the recent Bubble/Buffer Zone opinion, here's Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania PAC's handy voter guide for today:
  
  [pppavotes.org]
  .
  [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 11:51am EST
  

• Tribune Review. Again

  From today's "Tuesday Takes" we find:The Allegheny Institute's Jake Haulk reminds that because Pittsburgh largely was bypassed by the national employment growth of the last decade, it did not have the private-sector housing and commercial building booms that went bust in other parts of the country. "But that does" [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 6:42am EST
  

• Pittsburgh's Bubble Zone Gets Pricked

  The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the City will have to choose whether Pittsburghers seeking medical attention will be harassed at the doors of medical facilities or be stalked on the way to medical facilities. Apparently allowing Pittsburghers to seek medical care sans some sort of [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 2:08am EST
  

• Priorities and Framing

  At one of the NetRoots Nation 09 sessions a panelist, speaking about spin, noted that while you always hear from the right that Medicare/Medicaid/SSI is about to run out of money as a reason for why the program needs to be massively reformed/ended, you never hear, say, that the Defense [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 10:12am EST
  

• Pittsburgh Mayoral Debate at Noon on WPXI

  A reminder that the third and final Pittsburgh Mayoral Debate will be broadcast at Noon today on WPXI.
  
  And, Lil Mayor Luke has lost one of his biggest boosters.
  .
  [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2009, 11:41am EST
  

• I'll be on Sister ShOUT today

  
  Sue Kerr and Laura Dunhoff have been making 'history with Pittsburgh's first "lesbian" video broadcast/podcast.' Today's show will be their ninth weekly broadcast.
  
  With the election this Tuesday, I've been invited to guest on a 90 minute edition focusing on various candidates. Expect call-ins' [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2009, 10:23am EST
  

• The Pittsburgh Tribune Review Editorial Board. Again.

  I think they're just playing with my head this time. This is just too easy.
  
  Take a look at today's "Sunday Pops." It ends with this:Rocco Landesman, president of the taxpayer teat-suckling National Endowment for the Arts, says "Barack Obama is the most powerful writer since Julius Caesar."' [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2009, 8:49am EST
  

• Why Don't Facts Matter To The Wingnut Right?

  Case in point. Liz Cheney, Reality and Dover Air Force Base:
  
  

  Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

  Crooks and Liars has a transcript.
  
  Here's the gist of the latest GOP lie-fest. Liz Cheney (Dick's daughter) complained about President Obama's' [...]
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  Posted: October 31, 2009, 2:58pm EDT
  

• Happy Halloween!

  
  
  (h/t to Gloria)
  . [...]
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  Posted: October 31, 2009, 7:53am EDT
  

• A wise article on foolishness (local edition)

  here
  . [...]
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  Posted: October 30, 2009, 5:18pm EDT
  

• Why I'm voting for Franco Dok Harris

  
  It ain't just a vote against Lil Mayor Luke.
  
  A few months ago I had the opportunity to sit down and talk to Franco Dok Harris. His campaign had invited a group of progressive, activist women to have a conversation with the candidate. Can' [...]
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  Posted: October 30, 2009, 10:16am EDT
  

• Now This Is Surprising (Not).

  From the Pew Center:Nearly half of Americans (47%) say they think of Fox News as “mostly conservative,” 14% say it is “mostly liberal,” and 24% say it is “neither in particular.” Opinion about the ideological orientation of other TV news outlets is more mixed: while many view CNN and [...]
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  Posted: October 30, 2009, 6:54am EDT
  

• It's About Frickin Time!

  From the P-G: Mary Beth Buchanan, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, announced today that she plans to step down, effective Nov. 16.
  
  Ms. Buchanan has served in the post since September 2001, when she was appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2009, 8:33pm EDT
  

• Just in time for Halloween!

  More family values: ex-S.C. GOP official caught with stripper in cemetery
  
  (h/t to Spork)
  . [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2009, 3:15pm EDT
  

• Onorato promises to veto any opt-out of Public Option if he's Governor

  From an email from Dan Onorato, Allegheny County Executive and PA gubernatorial candidate:
  Dear friends:
  
  On Monday, the U.S. Senate announced that its most recent healthcare bill includes a provision that allows states to choose whether or not to offer a "public option." Basically, states will be able to [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2009, 2:31pm EDT
  

• Scaife's Brain Trust. Again.

  AND they're really scraping the bottom of the barrel, news source wise. Take a look. In this week's "Midweek briefing" we read:Writing in The Bulletin of Philadelphia, Herb Denenberg throws the F-bomb. Yes, Mr. Denenberg says the stench of fascism is growing stronger from the Obama administration. That's based' [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2009, 6:47am EDT
  

• I just cleaned my cat's litter box.

  Please send me a check for $100,000 for that inspirational and motivational anectdote.
  
  Thanks!
  . [...]
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  Posted: October 27, 2009, 3:43pm EDT
  

• Interesting Spin From The P-G

  Take a look. Headline reads:Supreme Court candidate hits rival over contributions And the first paragraph reads:Superior Court Judge Joan Orie Melvin has launched a sharp attack on Judge Jack Panella, her Democratic opponent for a state Supreme Court seat next Tuesday, claiming it was unethical for him to take [...]
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  Posted: October 27, 2009, 6:55am EDT
  

• Harry Reid: Public Option (with state opt-out) will be in Senate Bill

  You can read his prepared remarks here.
  
  UPDATE: FDL explains the opt-out here.
  . [...]
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  Posted: October 26, 2009, 3:36pm EDT
  

• A "local politician, a political blogger and a political expert"...

  ...walk into a bar "question importance of Web presence in Valley elections" at the Valley News Dispatch.
  
  Local politician = David Regoli, an attorney and Lower Burrell councilman
  
  Political blogger = Me
  
  Political expert = G. Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public [...]
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  Posted: October 26, 2009, 8:53am EDT
  

• Ignore the Post-Gazette and vote for Jack Panella for PA Supreme Court!

  
  I'm being as charitable as possible when I say to the editorial board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
  
  Please! Put down the crack pipe!
  (Or rename the paper. Oh, I don't know, something like "Trib Lite.")
  Last week the P-G endorsed Lil Mayor Luke [...]
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  Posted: October 26, 2009, 1:33am EDT
  

• Jack Kelly Sunday

  Jack really shouldn't have begun his column this week with the lines from Marmion:
  Oh what a tangled web we weave,
  when first we practice to deceive.Makes my job just too dang easy.
  
  Here's what Jack wrote:
  Democrats have been tying themselves into knots in their efforts to' [...]
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  Posted: October 25, 2009, 12:00pm EDT
  

• More On Daryl Metcalfe.

  Not only is Daryl Metcalfe a crazie birther but he's a tenther as well!
  
  Geez, this guy fires on all the wingnut cylinders, don't he?
  
  First some of you may be asking, "What's a tenther?" According to this blogpost at the Wall Street Journal: It describes' [...]
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  Posted: October 24, 2009, 8:40am EDT
  

• More On Mike Pintek and Climate Change: Milloy Edition

  Short blog post today.
  
  I caught a few minutes of Pintek on KDKA last night. The section I caught dealt with a new poll out by the Pew Research Center (read about it here) and as an "expert" the ever-ernest Pintek had on Steven Milloy, who runs a [...]
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  Posted: October 23, 2009, 6:46am EDT
  

• VoteVets.org runs radio ad telling PA Rep. Daryl Metcalfe to resign over traitor remarks

  Veterans group VoteVets.org is paying for a locally broadcast radio ad, in conjunction with Operation Free, calling on PA Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) to resign over remarks he made that veterans who are fighting for energy security are “traitors.”
  
  You can listen to it at:
  
  [...]
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  Posted: October 22, 2009, 12:03pm EDT
  

• "Where's Luke?" Harris hits Ravenstahl hard in new TV ad

  Just WOW.
  
  After watching the commerical below I thought that maybe it was just one of those Internet-only ads, but a press release tells me that it is running on Comcast.
  
  
  ([www.youtube.com])
  I do have one quibble: Lil Mayor Luke also was a no show when [...]
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  Posted: October 22, 2009, 10:56am EDT
  

• Pittsburgh Mayoral Debates, Round 2

  
  Regarding last week's debate, I noted the following exchange:
  The candidates are allowed to ask each other questions and Acklin asks Lukey, "Who are John Verbanac and Ed Grattan and what role do they play in your administration?" Lukey answers with "John Verbanac and'" [...]
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  Posted: October 22, 2009, 10:35am EDT
  

• Hey, folks! Someone is going to run against Daryl Metcalfe!

  He's announcing his candidacy a little earlier than he originally planned.
  
  Just got this in an email from Zack Byrnes:
  

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
  October 21, 2009
  

  Zack Byrnes to Announce Candidacy for 12th District State Representative Seat
  
  CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, PA – Democrat Zack Byrnes will announce his candidacy [...]

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  Posted: October 21, 2009, 3:41pm EDT
  

• Rape as a pre-existing condition to denying health insurance

  If it wasn't bad enough that many insurance companies consider pregnancy and being a victim of domestic violence a pre-existing condition, we can now add being raped to that list.
  
  From HuffPo:
  A Florida woman, who is a victim of sexual abuse, claims that rape was called' [...]
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  Posted: October 21, 2009, 3:12pm EDT
  

• 2nd Pittsburgh Mayoral Debate Tonight

  WHAT: Pittsburgh Mayoral Debate
  WHEN: Tonight, Wednesday, October 21, 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
  WHERE: On your teevee (WTAE)
  . [...]
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  Posted: October 21, 2009, 9:07am EDT