House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cali.) said last Friday that she fully expects to hold on to her gavel even as Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) finishes every campaign-related speech by predicting he will be the next Speaker.

"Of course that’s what he says," said Pelosi, in an exclusive interview with the Huffington Post. "Of course he does. But we are very confident we will [remain in power] because we don’t take anything for granted. We run every race one race at a time, and I make it really clear to my colleagues that my responsibility is to reelect our incumbents, to win our Democratic open seats and then to go after some of their seats."

In a quick detour into the world of electoral politics, Pelosi predicted with gusto that Democrats will retain control of the House even during the likely tumultuous midterm elections. Part of the reason, she said, is that the slate of House Democrats in close races has already "fought the fight" with respect to health care reform, and has the time and confidence to win over their constituents before the election. The main factor, however, is that the GOP has yet to present itself as a threat.

Asked, for instance, about remarks from Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.) apologizing to BP for the pressure it received from the White House to set up a $20 billion escrow fund, Pelosi offered a tongue-in-cheek lament.

"[Gen. Stanley] McChrystal came right in and took him [off the front page]," she said, in reference to the former commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan who was relieved of his post after making disparaging comments about civilian leadership.

"But it’s a gift that keeps on giving because you know what, they’re saying that it’s a gaffe," she added. "No, it’s a clear indication of who they are and that’s what you’re going to see. We were fighting against the health insurance industry, Republicans said no. We’re fighting against Big Oil, the Republicans said no. Democrats are fighting the big banks and financial institutions; Republicans said no. Not one of them voted for the regulatory reform. And on Big Oil, what more did we need than them apologizing? When people are desperate in the Gulf and they’re apologizing."

These are, of course, the same broad themes that all Democrats, not just Pelosi, have pitched to voters as Election Day nears — from the "party of no" label applied to the GOP during the early months of 2009, to the president’s speech before a Wisconsin crowd this Wednesday.

Pelosi To Boehner: You’re Not Taking My Gavel

Both Maureen Dawd and Kathleen Parker with those editorials as opposed to showing liberated women display their "ageness" by wanting a man who just bullies his way because he is a man. It seems that they would be just fine with that. The whole idea behind the women liberation movement is that women and men were just as… equal, just as competent.The premise behind a real democracy is that one gets better results if one can first attempt at consensus (even though this failed with GOP but the effort was necessarily made).

These journalists cannot be that dense. They write these inflammatory statements so that others will read their dying columns. If this is not the case, then one can only wonder about whether they in fact feel equal to men. I am happy my daughter does and has not quite made me a sissy.

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Columnists Call Obama A ‘Female’ With A ‘Humanoid’ Problem

The Huffington Post   |  Erin Booth First Posted: 06-30-10

Two Pulitzer Prize winning columnists took aim at President Barack Obama on Wednesday. The Washington Post’s Kathleen Parker called him the "first female president" and The New York Times’s Maureen Dowd declared that Obama has a "humanoid" problem.

Parker posted a controversial column on Wednesday entitled "Obama: Our first female president" in which she argues that the President "displays many tropes of femaleness."

Parker explains that when it comes to dealing with crises, Obama maybe be suffering from a "rhetorical-testosterone deficit" and his reaction to the BP oil crisis is "a textbook case of how Obama’s rhetorical style has impeded his effectiveness." Parker argues that his style is female in nature because like women, Obama tends to act more passively and form circles to talk out problems instead of taking immediate action.

The president’s actions in the wake of the BP disaster has been a case-in-point, according to Parker.

When asked about Parker’s column in an appearance on"Good Morning America" Dowd told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that Obama is more of a "humanoid" than a woman. She agrees with Parker that the president has a tendency to wait and look before acting, but she says it is not really male or female trait, "it’s a problem."

In the past, Hillary and Sarah Palin were criticized for their "male management traits" which take the form of a "my way or the highway" approach, Dowd said, whereas Obama turns to "consensus and compromise." Dowd said this characteristic may be a result of the way he was raised, because unlike Presidents George W. Bush and John F. Kennedy, Obama did not grow up with a "rich daddy" to provide him with the confidence to make bold decisions.

CONTINUED

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Columnists Call Obama A ‘Female’ With A ‘Humanoid’ Problem

Rick Perry claims he represents Texas values. But Perry’s Texas is different than our Texas.

In Rick Perry’s Texas, state boards and agencies are pressured from the top to serve those who help the governor’s re-election. In our Texas, government will be the servant, not the master, and our customers will be ordinary Texans.

In Rick Perry’s Texas, the governor threatens to leave the world’s greatest country. He is content to allow our state to compete with Mississippi for lack of social progress. In our Texas, other states will follow Texas because we will be the leader.

In Rick Perry’s Texas, our best days may be behind us. In our Texas, our best days are ahead of us.

For the next four years, do you want Rick Perry’s Texas or our Texas?

Contribute $5 to help us reach 5,000 6,000 donations before tonight’s midnight deadline — and tell Rick Perry it’s time we had a governor that’s in it for Texas!

In Rick Perry’s Texas, it’s business as usual to cut spending on higher education while spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on the governor’s luxurious rental mansion with Neiman Marcus curtains, a heated swimming pool, and chefs.

In Rick Perry’s Texas, it’s not a problem to spend $816,000 from your campaign fund on food, beverages, alcohol, cable television, and other expenses for your mansion — while refusing to itemize those expenses as state law requires.

In our Texas, the governor sets an example of hard work for state employees and works to get value from our taxpayer dollars. He works more than seven hours a week on state business.

If you make a contribution to our campaign, we’ll put it to work for our state’s future. It will make an even bigger difference if we receive it before midnight tonight.

Contribute $5 TODAY to help us send a message to all Texans and post 5,000 6,000 new donations in our latest fundraising report.

I have been overwhelmed by your support leading up to this deadline, which allowed us to increase our initial donation goal fivefold. Now, based on support from Texans of all backgrounds, we’re boosting our goal again: 6,000 donations by midnight tonight.

But I’m counting on your contribution to hit this ambitious new goal tonight — and show the pundits and the press that mainstream Texas families have had enough of Rick Perry’s Texas.

Thank you for everything you’ve done and are doing to bring new leadership to Austin.
Sincerely,

Bill White

P.S. Please take a moment to forward this to your friends and family before tonight’s deadline, and encourage them to invest in our campaign for Texas’ future.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 29, 2010

NEW VIDEO: What do Rick Perry’s friends do for him?
Anything to keep him in power, that’s fine by him

HOUSTON — The Bill White for Texas campaign today released a web video highlighting the history of Rick Perry and Mike Toomey. Toomey, Perry’s close friend and former chief of staff, was implicated on Thursday in an illegal ballot scam involving $532,000 in corporate money funneled by GOP operatives into the Green Party.
In 2007, Toomey, a hired lobbyist for Merck, helped the drug company secure an executive order from Perry that mandated vaccines for middle school girls across Texas. The order created a public firestorm and was later reversed by the Texas Legislature.

The video is available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzQMXcKtKK0.
"We already know that career politician Rick Perry takes care of his friends, and they take care of him. Now Perry’s inner circle goes as far as executing an illegal scam to try to sway this election, and Perry doesn’t say a word?" said Katy Bacon, campaign spokesperson. "He’s responsible for setting the standards of what’s acceptable and what’s not. Which of his staff and consultants knew about the scam? Why didn’t Perry do anything to stop it? Because Rick Perry is only in it for himself."

A University of Texas student testified that Toomey paid him $12,000 to organize a petition drive to get the Green Party on the November ballot.

A second Perry staffer, former communications director Eric Bearse, was implicated when one of his employees recruited the student for the Green Party effort.

The student was instructed not to reveal the sources backing his effort.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 29, 2010

NEW VIDEO: What do Rick Perry’s friends do for him?
Anything to keep him in power, that’s fine by him

HOUSTON — The Bill White for Texas campaign today released a web video highlighting the history of Rick Perry and Mike Toomey. Toomey, Perry’s close friend and former chief of staff, was implicated on Thursday in an illegal ballot scam involving $532,000 in corporate money funneled by GOP operatives into the Green Party.
In 2007, Toomey, a hired lobbyist for Merck, helped the drug company secure an executive order from Perry that mandated vaccines for middle school girls across Texas. The order created a public firestorm and was later reversed by the Texas Legislature.

The video is available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzQMXcKtKK0.
"We already know that career politician Rick Perry takes care of his friends, and they take care of him. Now Perry’s inner circle goes as far as executing an illegal scam to try to sway this election, and Perry doesn’t say a word?" said Katy Bacon, campaign spokesperson. "He’s responsible for setting the standards of what’s acceptable and what’s not. Which of his staff and consultants knew about the scam? Why didn’t Perry do anything to stop it? Because Rick Perry is only in it for himself."

A University of Texas student testified that Toomey paid him $12,000 to organize a petition drive to get the Green Party on the November ballot.

A second Perry staffer, former communications director Eric Bearse, was implicated when one of his employees recruited the student for the Green Party effort.

The student was instructed not to reveal the sources backing his effort.

Twisting arms, trading votes — unless 60 Senators vote YES this week, the first overhaul of our outdated financial laws since the Great Depression could go down in defeat.

We didn’t get everything we wanted in the final negotiations – we lost the auto dealer loophole by just one vote. But we got a lot: No more taxpayer bailouts. A new consumer watchdog for mortgage lenders, banks, credit cards and more. Auto-dealer loans more strictly overseen by the FTC.  Ending the banks’ big bets in hedge funds. Derivatives regulated.

But unless 60 Senators agree, all the hard work could be for naught! Dial 1-800-944-6762 right now. Tell your Senators to vote FOR the financial reform bill.

Don’t eat that!
Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser knows what’s wrong with our food supply. And he’s asking you to tell your Senators to pass the long-delayed food safety bill. Watch Eric’s message, and join him in getting this bill passed!

July 4th without Wimbledon?
It wouldn’t be a July 4th weekend without Wimbledon tennis on NBC. But now that cable giant Comcast is trying to takeover the network, free sports and other popular NBC programs could become bumped to more-costly cable channels. Tell Congress to REJECT this merger!

New credit card rights
Thousands of you emailed the Fed to get tough on credit card issuers, and it paid off. Reasonable penalty fees after paying late, and the right to have interest rate hikes reviewed. Find out your new rights now.

Take back our energy future!
Last week the cap came off, and for hours the underwater geyser spewed oil. The cap is back on, but BP still hasn’t been able to stop the leak. We need to change how we do business. Turn this tragedy into the catalyst for a better energy future.

Having just finishing Jonathan Alter’s "The Promise", these comments from Clinton almost knocked me of the chair. 

If i had to bet today, i’m not sure i would put a lot of money on president Obama having another term – either because he’ll just say ‘the hell with it’ (Or Michelle will…, or simply because he won’t be re-elected. If someone like Scott Brown can be more popular in Massachusetts than both Barack Obama and John Kerry, nothing can surprise me.

Needless to say, it will be very very sad in my eyes. I honestly believe that given 8 years, president Obama will leave behind America that is great again, and that history will judge him as one of the greatest presidents in history.

But the atmosphere may just be too toxic and crazy, and the forces against him may just be too much, even for a rare talent like this man. And i fear it’s just going to get worse. I can only hope that enough people would stick with him. That’s one reason why this warmed my heart today:

Former President Bill Clinton said Sunday that Barack Obama is doing a "better job than he’s given credit for."

Speaking in Cape Town, South Africa as part of the Fortune/Time/CNN Global Forum, Clinton said said that public perception of the president has lagged behind what he has done to benefit the country.
"He’s done a better job than he’s given credit for," Clinton said. "I feel very strongly about this."  The former president, who, like Obama, saw his polling numbers dip dramatically during his second year in office, said that Obama is not fully "responsible" for how he is perceived, adding that a dip in approval is "not avoidable" in an economic downturn.
"Until people feel good about their own lives, they’re not going to feel good about their president," Clinton said. "And there’s nothing you can do about that."
"He is a brilliant, articulate and, I think, an exceedingly empathetic person," the former president said of Obama.

Daily Kos: (Updated w/ video) Bill Clinton: Obama is brilliant, exceedingly empathetic and not getting his due

Senator McCain true to form does what Republicans have been doing for years, if there is no data to back your assertion simply create the data and assert it. Unfortunately the average American listening to a Senator would justifiably assume a renowned Senator would not outright lie.

It is for this reason that lies like Sarah Palin claiming Health Care Reform Bill has death panels and Reagan in the 60′s equating Medicare with Socialism/Communism (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FzNTB1qtFA) get traction. It is simply bewildering the lies that the Right must tell to sustain a failed ideology that is solely in place to support the interest of the top 1%.

On this past Sunday’s "Meet The Press", Senator John McCain, in the midst of discussing comprehensive immigration reform, said something rather startling about Phoenix, Arizona:

DAVID GREGORY: Is immigration reform in a comprehensive way possible this year or in this term?

SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: Not until we get the border secure. By the way, on that issue, why is it that Phoenix, Arizona is the number two kidnapping capital of the world? Does that mean our border is safe? Of course not.

Now, I was at a loss to explain why Phoenix, Arizona was the "number two kidnapping capital of the world." Turns out I didn’t have to, because it isn’t true. A Sunday show watcher named Jeff emailed me with the straight dope from the good people at Politifact, who don’t hedge: despite the fact that this story has traveled far and wide, it’s false.

Neither the FBI nor the U.S. National Central Bureau of Interpol, an arm of the U.S. Department of Justice that serves as the United States’ representative to Interpol, could confirm that Phoenix has the second-highest frequency of kidnapping cases worldwide. LaTonya Miller, an Interpol spokeswoman, said the agency doesn’t track local kidnapping rates. An FBI spokeswoman, Denise Ballew, suggested we call city police departments to compile a kidnapping count since unlike local authorities, the bureau tracks kidnappings that result in someone being taken from one jurisdiction to another, such as across state lines.

Short of the time we’d need to call authorities in every medium- to big-size city in the world, we contacted Daniel Johnson, an overseas kidnapping operations consultant at ASI Global, a Houston-based company that coaches clients through kidnappings. You read that right: Say an insured family travels to Bulgaria and the father is kidnapped for ransom; ASI Global will deploy to Bulgaria to help the family negotiate with the abductor.

Johnson said: "From our internal experience in the last year, Mexico by far has been the biggest location for kidnappings" followed by Honduras, Venezuela, Nigeria and the Philippines. The company has handled domestic cases but Thompson said they don’t compare in volume to overseas incidents. Thompson said the company annually dispatches a consultant to handle about 50 to 100 cases a year. Mexico City, Caracas, Venezuela, and Tegucigalpa, Honduras are the three cities where they work on the most kidnapping cases, he said.

Scott Stewart, vice president of tactical intelligence for Stratfor, an Austin-based global intelligence company, separately chimed in: "According to our analysts, there is no way that Phoenix is the No. 2 city in the world for kidnapping and there are significantly more kidnappings in many other cities throughout Latin America," he said. "San Salvador, Guatemala City, Bogota as well as several cities in Mexico certainly have higher kidnapping rates than Phoenix."

Nevertheless, the pros from the kidnapping biz have been quick to point out that kidnappings are underreported, and that law enforcement abroad isn’t as reliable on the matter as anyone would like them to be. So Politifact went to the source and discovered that yes, a lot of people are getting kidnapped in Phoenix, but such cases are on the wane.

CONTINUED

McCain Falsely Claims Phoenix Is ‘Number-Two Kidnapping Capital of The World’