Wasatch Watcher

• Senate Health Care Debate (To Have a Debate)

  Several ways to keep tabs on the Senate debate on having a debate over the health care bill today (if you're just reading this, you've already missed Franken, Lincoln and Landrieu -- a last minute hold out, but now on board supporting a floor debate -- but there's a [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 12:30pm EST
  

• Displaced Journalists

  Editors and Publishers: NEW YORK A Web site for citizen journalists is extending a helping hand to professional ones. Allvoices.com has announced a program for displaced journalists who want to continue their craft and get paid for it. The San Francisco-based Web site is building a professional network [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 8:15pm EST
  

• Where Were the Tea Parties?

  Something the 'Baggers can never explain is the odd timing of their "movement."
  
  Ahem: (via Oliver Willis)
  ____________________________________________________

  ' [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 4:10pm EST
  

• NY-23: Tea Baggers' Norm Coleman?

  Failed wingnut candidate Doug Hoffman revokes his election night concession after a visit with Glenn Beck. The election was now "stolen," he writes on his website. And you won't even be surprised who's ruining democracy for everyone:
  As evidence surfaces, we find out that reported results from election night' [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 10:03am EST
  

• Making "Matheson Angst" Productive (Avoiding the Tea Bagger Trap)

  It's exciting to hear a little energy in the voices behind the primary Matheson talk. I love primary challenges. And no one is as disappointed in Jim's health care vote, and small minded strategy since the '08 election. But I have another idea for all those experiencing a little conserva-Dem' [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 4:11pm EST
  

• Fruits of Wingnuttia

  Sure there are crazies on all sides. Take 9/11 Truthers and Cindy Sheehan (please). But sometimes, the crazy concentrates in one particular faction a little too quickly and a little too completely to be circumstance. And oh is it concentrated...
  

  "A 60-year-old Port Huron woman threatened to take a" [...]

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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 2:19pm EST
  

• Adopt a Swing State

  SEIU:
  

  Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Ben Nelson (D-NE) have each been targeted by the opposition to join a Republican filibuster. If that happens, health insurance reform will not move forward.
  

  We can't sit on the sidelines while this political drama unfolds. And right' [...]

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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 11:39am EST
  

• The Taxes on the Hat Were Too High

  David Waldman, channeling Rep. Jason Chaffetz and his "Prejean would make a great GOP candidate" meme does a flawless breakdown of GOP recruiting standards:
  

  They'll just take any famous person. Issues and message never mattered. Not since GOPAC developed the campaign in a box.

  Balloon Boy. Octomom. The FreeCreditReport.com' [...]

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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 7:05pm EST
  

• The Taxes on the Hat Were Too High

  David Waldman, channeling Rep. Jason Chaffetz and his "Prejean would make a great GOP candidate" meme does a flawless breakdown of GOP recruiting standards:
  

  They'll just take any famous person. Issues and message never mattered. Not since GOPAC developed the campaign in a box.

  Balloon Boy. Octomom. The FreeCreditReport.com' [...]

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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 7:05pm EST
  

• Bennetts TARP Gambit

  Hey look, the Tea Party influence. From unintelligent message to unintelligent legislation in less than a year. SLTrib:
  

  A group of Republican senators, including Utah's Bob Bennett, filed a bill Tuesday to stop the Treasury Department from extending the Troubled Asset Relief Program for another 10 months.

  [...]

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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 3:13pm EST
  

• Huntsman Quote of the Day

  Via Political Wire:
  "It's a good time to be in Beijing."
  
  -- Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R), the current ambassador to China, when asked about the current ideological fight in the Republican party. ____________________________________________________

  [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 10:30am EST
  

• Tea Baggin' Bennett vs. Putting Pressure on Matheson

  Personally, I'm a fan of primary challenges. Sometimes even the threat of a primary challenge is enough to get an elected official -- especially a congressional representative, always more responsive to public opinion and pressure -- to rethink their positions. We should never assume a representative is casting votes' [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 12:16pm EST
  

• The Cancer in the GOP

  Tea baggers, or Sarah Palin. Or is there a difference?
  Her political celebrity is so powerful that it has reduced a large part of the Republican Party to irrationality and civic incoherence. According to Gallup, Republicans are more likely to say they would seriously consider voting for Palin for [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2009, 6:58pm EST
  

• Rep. Chris Herrod vs. Science

  The representative loses.
  
  This is one of the most irritating aspects of the climate debate. So many willing to speak empirically when there is no clear consensus (at most you could say there is a consensus that leans toward man-made influence over the climate, it most definitely doesn't' [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2009, 3:48pm EST
  

• News flash to Democrats who voted against the health bill...

  TDS Contributor Robert Creamer (via HuffPo) presents a list of 10 blunders behind the choice of those Democrats who cast a "nay" vote in last Saturday's health care bill circus.
  
  All of them are great points, and many of them are nuggets of thought Rep. Jim Matheson should' [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2009, 1:14pm EST
  

• Health Care Subsidies vs. a Public Option

  Another no brainer.
  The fight for the public option is inseparable from the fight for better subsidies and affordability. The weaker public option selected by the House saves the government $25 billion. If the House had been able to pass the public option tied to Medicare rates it [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2009, 1:11pm EST
  

• No Brainer

  From the inbox:
  Where Are the Real Deficit Hawks?
  
  By David Sirota
  Creators Syndicate, 11/13/09
  
  Let's say you're a congressperson or tea party leader looking to champion deficit reduction -- a cause 38 percent of Americans tell pollsters they support. And let's say you're deciding whether to back [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 11:15am EST
  

• Perry Challenges Bachmann for Crown

  
  The bat-shit crown, that is.
  

  “This is an administration hell-bent toward taking American towards a socialist country," Perry remarked. "And we all don’t need to be afraid to say that because that’s what it is.”

  Perry praised tea party activists, who have challenged [...]

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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 12:15pm EST
  

• Big Dawg on Health Care Reform Bills

  Political Wire:
  "We need to put a bill on the president's desk and he needs to sign it, so at the State of the Union he's not explaining why we haven't done health care."
  
  -- Bill Clinton, quoted by the Wilmington News Journal, to Democrats at' [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 12:30pm EST
  

• Journalism in 10

  The Nation magazine has been posting weekly videos from their "Journalism in 10" (years) series, with thoughts from media insiders on what the field of journalism will look like in 5 to 10 years. From the description of the series at The Nation dot com.
  It's no secret that American' [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 12:14pm EST
  

• Tough GOP Choices: When Lying, Foot-Stomping No Longer Works

  Tim F. @ Balloon Juice on the GOP's antics during Saturday's health care debate:
  If it was not the most embarrassing display of bad behavior in recent government history, it is only because of everything else Republicans did lately. When lying didn’t work (they want to euthanize granny!) they [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 9:47am EST
  

• OFA's Utah County Listening Tour, Saturday

  (h/t UtahDemocrats via Twitter)
  
  Organizing for America:
  Organizing for America, the grassroots effort that grew out of the Obama campaign will be holding a listening tour in Provo to hear from members of the community about what issues are of most concern to them and develop a strategy [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 1:56pm EST
  

• Health Care Bills and Getting Democrats to the Polls for Matheson in 2010

  Tom Jensen @ Public Policy Polling offers some takeaways from polling in NJ and VA regarding final passage of a health care bill and the effects it would have on Republican and Democratic voters.
  
  In short, the damage is done with Republicans. The debate so far has them [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 10:43am EST
  

• Thank Those Who Supported Health Care Reform

  AFL-CIO has a tool online for sending a quick message of thanks, or disappointment, depending on where you're reading this from:
  On Saturday, 220 members of the U.S. House of Representatives showed they are on the side of working families, not big insurance companies, when they voted for' [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 10:21am EST
  

• Melodramatic Conservatives, and their "Convenient Constitution"

  Last night, as results of the House health care vote came through, I was treated to a tweet from a fellow Utah blogger, a conservative, in response. Before opining, I want to apologize for singling Holly out this way (don't take it personally, Holly) to make my argument, and recommend' [...]
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  Posted: November 08, 2009, 12:09pm EST
  

• The GOP Health Care "Debate"

  Nice (freedom killing job killing illegal immigrant protecting! Grrrr!) "mash-up" video that illustrates the hissy-fit GOPers invoked to cover for their intellectual bankruptcy so far in the health care debate.
  
  ____________________________________________________

  [...]
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  Posted: November 07, 2009, 4:05pm EST
  

• House Vote on Health Care Reform

  I'm trying to follow the goings on in the House as closely as possible.
  
  You can follow along via The SideTrack on Twitter.
  
  Many more are doing the same via hashtag #hcr.____________________________________________________

  ' [...]
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  Posted: November 07, 2009, 10:32am EST
  

• Walk the Plank

  Friday night comedy. New ad from the ever-so-in touch American Future Fund.
  
  ____________________________________________________

  [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 5:39pm EST
  

• Astro-turfers Targeting Matheson, Add Your Voice

  Matheson seems to be listening to them too. Utah Health Policy Project in the inbox:
  Congressman Matheson and his colleagues will be called to the House floor for a rare Saturday vote on the most far-reaching health care reforms in more than 40 years!
  
  Call Congressman Matheson TODAY [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 1:28pm EST
  

• Overestimating the GOP

  
  PPP: Just got an e-mail from the party that they're bringing in Doug Hoffman to speak at their Hall of Fame dinner in a couple weeks. The same Doug Hoffman of course who managed to blow a Congressional seat the party had held for' [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 9:37am EST
  

• The Unexcited Youth Vote

  Charles Lemos: The importance of getting the young to turn out cannot be overstated. In New Jersey, 66 percent of those under 30 voted for Governor Corzine. Just 25 percent voted for the Republican Chris Christie. In Virginia given 11 point drop-off and the lack of excitement for the [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 1:00pm EST
  

• More Election Tea-leaves: Anti-Tax (TABOR) Initiatives Lose Big

  More "under the radar" results from Tuesday's election: Out of all of the election results from yesterday, the anti-tax ballot measures in Maine and Washington (known as TABOR) provide a better political tea leaf into voter attitudes going into the 2010 election cycle than anything else. The good news' [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 11:08am EST
  

• Turnout will Decide 2010

  Much of the discussion over the Democratic win in NY-23 and the GOP taking the NJ and VA governors races has centered around Barack Obama, and a "repudiation" or "endorsement" of his policies. If anything, the turnout of all three big attention getting races tells us that Barack Obama's 2008' [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 2:06pm EST
  

• Like a Lead Filled Tea Bag (NY-23)

  Heh. NYT breaking news update, in the inbox:A staunch conservative conceded defeat to a moderate Democrat early Wednesday morning in a hard-fought contest for New York State's northernmost Congressional seat, a race that exposed divisions among Republicans over how far outside the party's base they should reach as they look [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 12:05am EST
  

• Vote

  
  If you don't, you can't complain later.
  
  Find out where to go.
  
  Then go.
  
  Now.
  
  Go!____________________________________________________

  [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 11:03am EST