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From the blogs

Did We Expect Too Much From Obama?

by Adele Stan, AlterNet

Max Blumenthal asks if the left created its own salvation narrative during the presidential campaign. I think we did.

Mr. Equality Goes to Washington: D.C. Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage

by Amanda Terkel, Think Progress

D.C. is now the sixth state or region in the country where same-sex marriage is legal.

Krugman Says Don't Kill Senate Health Bill ... Is He Right?

by Jill C., Brilliant at Breakfast

I respect the Shrill One, but ...

Climate Talks on Verge of Collapse in Final Hours

by Nick Berning, Open Left

A leaked UN documents is among a number of news items as the climate talks reach the home-stretch.

Year in Review: 2009 Right-Wing Lie Machine Amped Up the Obama Madness (VIDEO)

by Joshua Holland, AlterNet

Obama Derangement Syndrome comes from the top-down.

Rightwing Fringe Welcome at Conservative Confab, Gay Republicans Not So Much

by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly

The bizarre John Birch Society has slowly been welcomed into the fold as conservatives have become more extreme.

Sanders Pulls Single-Payer Amendment, Paves Way For Liebercare

by Daniela Perdomo, AlterNet

Sen. Bernie Sanders has pulled his single-payer amendment from the floor due to lack of support.

TIME Names Bernanke (Wall Street's) Person of the Year

by Daniela Perdomo, AlterNet

The Fed chairman is Wall Street's Government Official of the Year! OK, OK -- one of many.

Video: Dick Armey Lashes Out at Rachel Maddow After National Press Club Speech Canceled For Lack of Interest

by Adele Stan, AlterNet

As chairman of the astroturfing group FreedomWorks, National Press Club staff thought former House Majority Leader Dick Armey would be a draw. Turns out, not so much.

Can 'Whole Foods Conservatives' Make the GOP "Safe for Smarties Again"?

by Joshua Holland, AlterNet

The Grand Old Party Appears to be caught between a rock and a very dumb place.

And They'll Call This Health-Care Reform: How Three Senators Are Extorting You For Their Big-Time Buddies

Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog. December 18, 2009.
Harry Reid will do anything to get sixty votes -- which means Lieberman, Nelson, and Snowe can use extortion on behalf of Big Insurance, Big Pharma, the AMA, and abortion foes.

Joe Lieberman's Former College Roommate on the Senator's Journey 'to the Dark Side'

Meg White, BuzzFlash. December 17, 2009.
"He has become shameless," former Yale roommate David Wyles says of Lieberman.

Howard Dean: I Won’t "Vigorously" Support Obama's Re-election

Sahil Kapur, Raw Story. December 17, 2009.
Escalating his opposition to what remains of the health care legislation, former Gov. Howard Dean has taken more swipes at President Obama.

Why Shouldn't Paris Hilton Pay Her Fair Share?

Brian Miller, AlterNet. December 17, 2009.
If Congress doesn't act, the richest among us will get a huge windfall next year.

Howard Dean Locks Horns with White House and Dem Senators After Call to 'Kill' Health Compromise

David Edwards, Daniel Tencer, Raw Story. December 17, 2009.
Dean's call to start from scratch and craft a new health care bill is a cause for frustration for Obama's press secretary and Sen. Rockefeller.

135,000 Will Die Due to Lack of Insurance Before Health Reform Takes Effect, Study Finds

Brad Jacobson, Raw Story. December 16, 2009.
Death toll estimate exceeds the total number of Americans who died in the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the attacks of 9/11 combined.

Game On for Immigration Reform

Seth Hoy, Immigration Impact. December 16, 2009.
A new comprehensive immigration reform bill hit the House this week.

Right-Wingers' Big Day on Capitol Hill Proves to Be a Bust

Adele M. Stan, AlterNet. December 16, 2009.
A promised protest on Capitol Hill by right-wingers opposed to health-care reform doesn't happen; Dick Armey's speech at National Press Club canceled.

The Brutal Dark Side of Obama's "Softer" Immigration Enforcement

David Bacon, The Progressive. December 16, 2009.
'Sanctions pretend to punish employers but in reality, they punish workers.'

Health-Care Bill After Compromise with Lieberman: Worse Than Nothing

Darcy Burner, AlterNet. December 16, 2009.
Thanks to Joe Lieberman, the Senate health-care bill -- now with no public option or Medicare buy-in -- leaves progressives no choice but to kill it.

Congress's Attempt at Financial Reform Is Very Weak Broth

Zach Carter, Media Consortium. December 16, 2009.
The latest efforts to reform Wall Street don't away with too-big-to-fail banks, and that's a big problem -- here's what progressives are saying about it.

Why Serious Immigration Reform Is Inevitable

Mary Giovagnoli, Immigration Impact. December 15, 2009.
Hot-button issues like health reform and economic recovery will come and go. That U.S. immigration policy is fundamentally broken guarantees its eventual place in the conversation.

How a Few Private Health Insurers Are on the Way to Controlling Health Care

Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog. December 12, 2009.
If you think an expanded Medicare makes up for the lack of a public option in the Senate bill, you're smoking medical marijuana.

Afghanistan: How the War Hawks Caged Obama

Robert Parry, Consortium News. December 12, 2009.
How a desire for bipartisanship and peace within his own party led Obama to appoint a hawkish cabal that pushed him to a renewed war in Afghanistan.

The Religious Right's Potty Paranoia

Stephanie Mencimer, Mother Jones Online. December 12, 2009.
Public restrooms: The final frontier of the right's war on queer folk?

Are Americans a Broken People? Why We've Stopped Fighting Back Against the Forces of Oppression

Bruce E. Levine, AlterNet. December 11, 2009.
A psychologist asks: Have consumerism, suburbanization and a malevolent corporate-government partnership so beaten us down that we no longer have the will to save ourselves?

Bill Moyers: We Have a Nobel Peace President Who Won't Ban Land Mines

Bill Moyers, Michael Winship, Bill Moyers Journal. December 11, 2009.
The Nobel Committee said Obama won the prize for his respect of international law and his efforts at disarmament, yet he won't even sign on to end a barbaric weapon.

High Unemployment Rates Frame the Immigration Debate

Marcelo Balive, New America Media. December 11, 2009.
Will a treacherous economic landscape ruin the Obama administration's chances of delivering on immigration reform?

Supreme Court's Ruling Would Allow Bin Laden to Donate to Sarah Palin's Presidential Campaign

Greg Palast, AlterNet. December 11, 2009.
I'm biting my nails waiting for the Supreme Court's ruling in 'Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission' -- here's why you should be too.

New Arizona Law Might Sweep Up Undocumented Immigrants Applying for a Legal Child's Benefits

Valeria Fernández, New America Media. December 10, 2009.
Religious and community leaders are trying to quell panic in Arizona’s immigrant community, fighting fear with information.

Does Obama's Road to Re-Election Run Through Kabul?

Christian Parenti, The Nation. December 10, 2009.
The real purpose of sending 30,000 soldiers to Afghanistan is to make Obama look tough as he heads toward his next election.

Dear Barack, Spare Me Your E-Mails

Robert Scheer, Truthdig. December 10, 2009.
Obama’s faux populism is beginning to grate, and I finally came unglued when one of his "we the people" e-mails from him landed on my screen.

Far-Right Anti-Immigrant Groups Are Polluting the Health Care Debate

Jill Garvey, Imagine 2050. December 9, 2009.
Many nativist advocacy groups are twisting the facts about immigrants' access to health care.

To the Hope and Change Crowd -- How's It Working Out for You?

Joe Bageant, JoeBageant.com. December 9, 2009.
Obama promised change -- and sure enough, things are changing for the worse.

Meet the Billionaire Brothers Funding the Right-Wing War on Obama

Think Progress. December 9, 2009.
They're the 9th richest people in America and they're pushing hard to upend President Obama's progressive agenda.

The Public Option That Isn't Public At All

James Ridgeway, Mother Jones Online. December 8, 2009.
As the Senate negotiates its health-care reform bill, liberals appear ready to throw in the towel on a real public option.

Has the GOP Collapse Begun? Hypothetical "Tea Party" Outpolls Republicans

Adele M. Stan, AlterNet. December 8, 2009.
Something is afoot among the conservative base -- voting Republican doesn't seem to cut it anymore, and incumbents are getting nervous.

How Hyper-Capitalism May Hobble the Copenhagen Summit

Walden Bello, Foreign Policy in Focus. December 8, 2009.
Unless we re-think the export-oriented capitalism that's causing all of our climate problems, the Copenhagen conference will be nothing more than a Band-Aid.

Are Liberals Pathetic?

Chris Hedges, Truthdig. December 7, 2009.
Sterile posturing and cowardice have hollowed out the liberal cause.

We're Doing a Heckuva Job Helping Those Devastated by the Economic Meltdown

Karen Dolan, Diana Pearce, AlterNet. December 7, 2009.
Like the levees in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, the safety net is failing Americans battered by the 'Great Recession' of 2008-2009.

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