LiveBlog for Wednesday, July 29, 2009

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION FOR SENS. SCHUMER, LEAHY, AND DURBIN!  CITIZENS FOR A PUBLIC OPTION!

yarmuthRep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform.

solisSecretary of Labor Hilda Solis calls in at 7:05am to give us the White House perspective on health care reform.

frischKarl Frisch, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 8:05am Pacific to talk about the “Birther” phenomenon.

• After more than six hours of negotiations among White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, talks between House Democratic leaders and key Blue Dog Democrats broke up last night without a deal on health care reform. The talks are expected to continue today.

The Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday approved the nomination of federal Judge Sonia Sotomayor to become the nation’s first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, setting up a final confirmation vote by the Senate. At least 5 GOP senators have announced their intention to support Sotomayor, making a confirmation by the Dem-controlled Senate a virtual certainty.

• The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan is expected to ask the Obama administration for additional troops and equipment, according to a senior U.S. military official familiar with Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s thinking.

• Hawaiian officials this week said they have once again checked and confirmed that President Obama was born in Hawaii and is a natural-born citizen.

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@ Ron "McLovin" Luce: Thanks.

I'm glad the Gates 9-1-1 caller didn't do her news conference until the show was over.

El Cid,

You made some really fantastic points today.

I want to vomit on "Blue Dogs" who say "My conservative district is against health care reform, so I must be too."

Did the "Blue Dog" even _TRY_ to sell healthcare reform to their constituency?

Or did they LIE about it?

Oops...ALMOST no Gategate.

Glenn Beck desperately needs to have the crap kicked out of him..

Well, Mookinators! It's been real.

Don't you ever change a thing! See ya manana.

oh thank you all for being there

hope your afternoon goes well

drown a fever, pickle a cold Danielle

Great show. No Gatesgate. See you tomorrow!

Great show and blog. Have an wonderful rest-of!

.... and there it was: Our daily Gategate mention. Courtesy of Glenn Beck and his Ten Flavors of Crazy. Knew it would happen.

bye all... have a good one!

How does sarah catch fish? By pailing them.

Good show folks! See you tomorrow.

421 I think Steph should have called the caller Dick. or just toole.
jerk, moron... something. don't call with yer rethug talkin' points
any more

Can Glenn Beck get crazier? Is it a day ending in Y?

We need a new catagory of Democrat...

The Mad-as-hell-Dog Democrats...

#449, where did I contradict Obama?

#446 YES! My discussion on Montana Sen. John Tester (up blog) is an example of electing more progressive Dems, even in traditionally Republican states.

Not all Blue Dogs are from red districts/states. Quite a few of them are from very solid blue areas, and even more from purple ones.

"Incendiary" speech!

The only incendiary thing about Sotomayor's speech is that it pisses us white guys off that a wise Latina woman is, indeed, more fit to judge than the average white guy.

These blue dogs should think about what can happen at election time.

#443 Annoying teddy bears can be very lethal. Suffocation (either under the bear or within a bear hug) can kill.

The YouTube moment didn't last long - it had to be removed when NBC/Universal claimed copyright.

Peter...Obama is correct. He won't raise taxes on those making less than $250K because Bush's tax cuts, which will expire soon, were for those with over $250K in taxable income.

Love that Shat beat poem - classic!

417 Jack Nicolson's advise to Stephanie re the cold sourdough
from "Five Easy Pieces"... 'I want you to hold it between your knees'
[skates...]

That is the dumbest analysis ever -- Blue Dogs come from pre-assumed "conservative districts" so there's nothing Democrats can do?

What a lame bunch of bullshit.

The only moment you have to choose between a conservative Democrat and a Republican is at the voting booth on election day.

Every moment and day before that, you are free to work toward the recruitment and finding of a superior Democrat to represent this so-called 'conservative district'.

Anything else is an idiot declaration of surrender before even looking at what can be done.

Oh Jeff, you make my head hurt. So stupid...

Do to to the blue-dogs what Grover Norquist threatens to do to any repug that votes to increase taxes...

go after them in the Primary

437... LOL... about as lethal as an annoying teddy bear... since the day I got him he's been the sweetest cat I've ever had... just very sure that I should be paying attention to him rather than basically anything else... and when I don't he follows me around the house "talking" to me all about it...

Jeff "The Angry Elf" Sessions needs a big steaming cup of STFU!

#439, and that's $250k taxable, not $250 gross.

look, didn't mean to make it personal... it just saddens me when "because other people are making a big deal out of it" is a reason for something to be credible. They've pulled such ridiculous nonsense out about Obama, that if we all used this thought process we'd all look at him as a socialist, communist, muslim, terrorist, etc, etc...

Ooops -- I meant less than $250K.

#436, "it was passed" should be "Bush's tax cuts were passed"

#375: Do you mean the Hemingway cats from Key West? Those cats are lethal - don't let them play with your hunting rifle while it's loaded.

(or they're loaded ... whatever)

Caller has some small point - Obama's backtreaded on transparency. But on the income taxes, Obama's plan is to do nothing: that tax increase was going to happen on its own, because it was passed through reconciliation and expires after 10 years. So far, keeping his promise. He wasn't talking about "any taxes", he was talking specifically about income taxes.

395: Hell if full of Republicans, by logical construct...

When I die, if I am in the same place as Newt, Rush, or any of them, then I will be in HELL.

Who's giving you trouble coyne? you want me to kick their butts for ya?

I say who gives a crap about how things go over? It isn't going to matter.

If Obama calls people in and does an LBJ style chat with people, and they get bent out of shape and go public, then Obama should go on the offensive.

First, he should say it was supposed to be a private talk and off the record, and the fact that so and so disclosed information about it means he can't be trusted.

Then he should say that yes, he did tell those people that he would hold it against them if they didn't help him get health care done. But that's because it was something important, and if they did get int he way, then they'd be betraying the American public. So, yes, he did say it, and he means it.

i'm not the lemming here. i didnt attack anyone. i just stated that i was going to look honestly at information. so ... don't forget to strap on a parachute. one more thing... have you read russ bakers book?

Obama did not pledge to raise no taxes.

Obama pledged not to raise federal income taxes on people making more than $250K.

He did not pledge not to raise cigarette taxes.

THE CALLER IS READING THE SAME MONTHS OLD REPUBLICAN TALKING POINTS.

I want to dope-slap any politician who says, "My district is conservative and they are against affordable, universal health care."

When this debate started, the majority of REPUBLICANS wanted health care reform.

The conservatives turned against reform as their conservative leadership LIED RELENTLESSLY ABOUT IT.

At conservatives told the truth about healthcare reform, conservatives would be supporting it today.

Cut this guy off. I'm suddenly preferring "Touchy Rob".

you should smoke, tool, maybe your brain would wake up.

I trust politicians as much as if not more than private health care companies.

Be sure to be a part of the Romer Health Care Live Chat Today at Noon PT You can download the new report on how health care reform would impact small business http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/sbolinkedin...

#421 But that's TOTALLY different. Bob isn't a euphemism for Penis.

Caller is reading talking points. He is a talking point Republican.

He's reading talking points

Oh geez. The liberal media myth again.