Fitz!

Hey, two zero Fitzes in one day. Apparently that’s kinda cool.

And, needless to say, Go Maxine!

Um, Bobo really thinks *we’re* the ones seeking to expel Joe from “modern liberalism”? He threw himself out that window years ago.

Maxine!

rootz!

What a courageous woman. I hope she’s ready for the swiftboats.

Oh, thank God. So lonely. Just me and Jane. The horror. The… horror.

It sounds like Brooks was going for that old “limousine liberal” schtick again. This ought to shut down that nonsense, at least.

Jane, if you haven’t already, you should check out scarecrow’s post two threads back.

http://www.firedoglake.com/200.....ent-180359

Looks like he caught Joe in a teensy little fib about $800 million in savings for electricity customers.

Move over, Eli. *g*

OMG.

Oh Jane, This is awsome news.

Once again, BoBo becomes, among other things, Driftglass fodder…
And the “Out of Iraq” caucus stands up - no surprise there. Look out!
Go Maxine!

BONUS JANE!
God Bless Maxine Waters!
OfT, Jane apologies, I am almost sure you have already seen this, but I thought it was too relevant to even take a chance.
” scarecrow says:
July 8th, 2006 at 8:46 pm

Jane — thanks for linking to the transcript of the debate. Remember the $800 million claim? Well, it’s false. This is what Lieberman said:

But I’ll tell you why I voted for the bill. There were other parts of it, including one that I worked very hard on and lead the way, that resulted in a change in something called Lycap (ph) that the Consumer Council of Connecticut, Mary Healey says, was historic and will save Connecticut electricity customers $800 million. Would you have voted against that?

LICAP stands for Locational installed capacity, but is shorthand for a method to pay electric power plant investors payments in addition to the money they receive from selling electricity in New England. The extra payments are needed because energy prices are artificially capped below the levels that would sustain investments in new plants and investments to keep existing plants operational. Without investments, new plants don’t get built, and older plants break down and must be retired. That creates shortages and possible blackouts, if not corrected. This was particularly a problem in SW Connecticut, where there hadn’t been enough investment in either new plants or transmission lines that could bring power from surplus areas, like Maine.

Connecticut is part of the New England electricity market. An original LICAP proposal from the regional grid operator (ISO-NE) was controversion and had to be approved by federal regulators (FERC). Almost all of New England’s officials opposed the original proposal because it could have raised rates to pay for the new investment. They wrote letters to FERC, and the New England Congressional delegation inserted language in the Energy Bill asking FERC to “carefully consider” the concerns of New England officials wrt to the LICAP payments proposal. As part of its normal procedures, FERC called for negotiations to reach a settlement. The energy bill had almost no effect because it’s language was advisory and only asked FERC to do what it is required to do anyway.

The Settlement, reached a few months ago and now approved by FERC claims that it is less expensive (hence, the claim that it saved $800 million) than the original propoal, but noone honestly believes that is true, when all the costs are taken into account. The costs are simply reallocated to other parts and consumers will still pay. It was a face-saving compromise. Consumers will still pay in the end, and the total cost they will have to pay over time is probably not different from what they would have had to pay over time under the original proposal.

But Lieberman implies that the LICAP settlement/compromise that supposedly saved the illusory $800 million was in the energy bill, or caused by the energy bill that he voted for. It wasn’t. The settlement was worked out between the parties in negotiations under a FERC administrative judge. The Settlement would have occurred under FERC procedures with or without the energy bill. It was reached during the winter of 2005-06. The energy bill was passed well before that.

One more thing: Some Connecticut officials simply wanted to use the energy bill to kill LICAP altogether, not substitute a presumably lower cost alternative. Early energy bill language would have directed FERC to vote againt LICAP, period. If they had gotten their way, there might have been no solution to the investment problem and New England, and Connecticut in particular would have been well on their way to serious shortages — just like California in 2000-01.

So if I knew nothing else about Lieberman, I would vote against him for being irresponsible in handling electricity policy, never mind his bragging about a vote that did little or nothing except fool Connecticut consumers.”

OT
I am a huge proponent of “the debt” paying, (or at least owning up to it), the descendents of the slaves the present value of what their ancestors never received.
Politically it would be suicide for Democrats to embrace that in 2006, but imo it is a moral priority. International courts forced German and Swiss banks to repay the descendents of Jewish, Polish, and Russian slaves who Hitler enslaved, so there is precedent.

Seriously, I guess if she were at all fainthearted, she wouldn’t be heading up the Out of Iraq caucus. If Lieberman smears her too badly, maybe Murtha can come in and help out.

I won’t hurt you, Eli. I promise.

Well maybe just a little bit ;)

Maxine Waters status as a politician from a minority group should help Lamont. I also notice that his TV commercials feature a good number of black and latino citizens, not just a token few.

Oh my. This is *way* different from Eschaton…

neurophius - Good idea and Fiengold.

If Lieberman smears her too badly, maybe Murtha can come in and help out.

Don’t tease me.

Russ!

Murtha and Lieberman. One on one. Steel cage death match.

Murtha!

…wasn’t Maxine one of the few who stood up and demanded an investigation when Gore’s election got stolen? She ’s got guts that’s for sure…people around here have a lot of respect for her…

Feingold is good, but Murtha is probably the closest thing we have to McCain right now in terms of No-Bullshit, Standup-Guy mythology (not necessarily maverickness, although he is well to the right of most Dems, as I understand - which would make opposition to Joe even more significant).

Sorry, “mythology” was a poor choice of words. I was fishing for something conveying “Official Media Image”, whether true or not (in McCain’s case, “Not”).

“As a first-term representative, she gained fame by walking into the Oval Office and telling then-President George H.W. Bush, ‘Your time is up.’ Waters co-chaired the 1992 presidential campaign of Bill Clinton.”

Wikipedia.

spiderpaws - That was Maxine. Murtha would eat Joe for lunch imo. House members in a Senate fight hmm.

Dang, neuro. She has big brass ones.

Eli –

Remember my EPU prayer a while back?

Here’s the deal: Atrios is a great blogger, a true iron man of our cause.

However, his threads have a signal to noise ratio approaching zero. Meaning, they are all snarky banter, and serious discussions are drowned out by the noise.

Not that there is anything wrong with snarky banter — but at FDL, it is only one part of what happens in threads. Sometimes a large part, but rarely the whole enchilada.

capiche?

Neurophius 6 — Maxine Waters gets smeared every day, and Malkin is at the head of that line. It may not be the most satisfying aspect of this story that it will chap anchor baby’s ass when Waters shows up, but then again, it just may.

I’m not worried about Maxine. She can handle herself. Holy Joe can preen about his civil rights marches in the 60s, but David Horowitz can brag that he used to be a liberal, too. Let’s see Lieberman try to peddle his anti-affirmative action (recent) past to Connecticut voters now.

God, BoBo is really asking for it:

“What’s happening to Lieberman can only be described as a liberal inquisition,” writes Brooks. “Whether you agree with him or not, he is transparently the most kind-hearted and well-intentioned of men. But over the past few years he has been subjected to a vituperation campaign that only experts in moral manias and mob psychology are really fit to explain.”

“I can’t reproduce the typical assaults that have been directed at him over the Internet, because they are so laced with profanity and ugliness, but they are ginned up by ideological masseurs who salve their followers’ psychic wounds by arousing their rage at objects of mutual hate,” Brooks adds.

Wow, he’s all lathered up.

I was just going to ask, is there a way to say that without sounding sexist?

Spiderpaws @ 22,

You are correct. I was wondering where all the other patriots were at the time, Democrat, Republican, or otherwise. She was one of the few who spoke out when our country was stolen.

IMO, scarecrow’s find could be a cornerstone to the remainder of the campaign. It gives Ned the chance to mention HoJo in the same breadth with Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling, and Enron. scarecrow’s find is a commercial featuring a clip of HoJo uttering those words and then explaining in lay terms why he is wrong.

Ned’s campaign might want to pay scarecrow as a consultant to help them craft the first drafts of their message. The sooner Ned can get this out, the better.

Perhaps best of all it gives the New England Press something else to hammer HoJo about. That might lead to another meltdown.

scarecrow ROCKS!!!!!!!!

Tick. Tock.

ck, I’m aware of all that, believe me.

Although, ironically, I was referring to the host’s bantering with her commenters, which is very rare at Eschaton.

I can just imagine that the way Joenertia sees it, he marched for her civil rights in the 60s so now she owes him big time and should stay the hell out. Um, that was 40 years ago, Joe. What have you done for her lately?

meta 30 — yeah I think Bobo sounds just a wee bit overly dramatic, don’t you? His self-righteous indignation against bloggers might have more do with the salvos launched against him in the past and not so much Holy Joe.

WATB.

(and before anyone asks, 1) “Whiny-Ass Titty Baby” or 2) “Whining About the Blogosphere,” take your pick.)

Bobo:

“a viscious–venomous–vituperation campaign!”

I was wondering why I hadn’t heard of the “Out of Iraq Caucus” before. Did a google search of that phrase, and found only one mention in the MSM, which was an editorial by Peter Beinart of TNR. You can pretty well guess what that said. It seems to be hard to get the MSM’s attention.

John Casper - I will settle for a permanent removal of the single issue war bs.

Brooks is clearly losing it. FUCK YOU, DAVID. Vitupetate that, you jackass.

Cujo 39 — It seems to be hard to get the MSM’s attention.

I think they may get it now.

He he.

John Casper:

“The sooner Ned can get this out, the better.”

ATTAAAAAACK!!!

We should send BoBo some pearls to clutch, fucking bedwetter.

I’m still hung up on “moral manias”…….???????

meta:

Throwing pearls before whines?

Punaise! We need you!

It’s astonishing that someone pays Brooks to type and opine. His non-talent is on display week after week in prime real estate, while anything that Digby (and Tristero) or Billmon puts out is enjoyed only by those of us in the blogosphere …

And of course, the volume and diversity of quality digital ink commentary at FDL goes without saying … (okay, well, I just said it.)

The top spot at C&L right now is Brooks saying:
“Because in my conversations –we’re talking about the netsroots [sic], who are the real problems for Lieberman, people generated by the Daily Kos and other web sites– I find privately most of the Democrats despise those people because of the way they practice politics so viciously that they don’t want to get in the crosshairs.”

Sounds like the content of his column, which is tucked away behind the NYT firewall.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/.....-netroots/

neurophius 45 — Pearls before whines?

I’m using that one.

Ah Jane - news of Maxine heading for Connecticut is too cool for words. Except to say ole Joe will rue the day he provoked such a fearless and articulate California Democratic Congresswoman.

has turned liberalism from a philosophy into a secular religion

As an omniscient evil parallel universe I get a lot of props, and awards, for my, well, omniscience, if not my charming personality.

But here I am lost. I realize THAT statement is SUPPOSED to make the speaker SOUND erudite, even witty.

What the fuck is the SUPPOSED DIFFERENCE between a philosophy and a secular religion?

If you remove the godhead from any non-secular religion* (and yes I was biting my tongue as I typed “non-secular religion”) it becomes, by definition, secular and therefor a “philosophy.”

Will someone please ask the moron what exactly is the difference? And, assuming that he has an answer, which is the biggest assumption here, why a secular religion is somehow bad?

And while you’re at it, ask him why he hates religion so much to try to use it to defame, secular or no.

_____________________________________
The oxymoronic possibilities of secular religion are boundless, but I’m lettin’ it pass for now.

re·li·gion
n.

Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.

sec·u·lar
adj.
Worldly rather than spiritual.
Not specifically relating to religion or to a religious body: secular music.
Relating to or advocating secularism.

Eli, don’t get us started on crazy ass McCain.

Respectful Dissent @ 10:48 pm (#46) - Sounds like Brooks’ brain fart from The NewsHour Friday.

Umm, yes, it’s both.

Sending encouraging e-mail to Maxine.
Here is her e-mail page
http://www.house.gov/waters/IMA/issue.htm

Eli, don’t get us started on crazy ass McCain.

Okay, we’ll save it for ‘08. Or maybe ‘07.

neo, you are cracking me up.

Maxine is not a poseur. She has the huevos and she will not back down.

ck - you pray for EPU and I appear, although I have said before that I do NOT have a god complex - it would be hypocritical for a non-believing universe such as myself to have one.

I googled Ned Lamont on the evening of the debate and received these hits:

EVENING OF THE LAMONT DEBATE:
WEB HITS Results 1 - 10 of about 2,110,000 for Ned Lamont
NEWS HITS Results 1 - 10 of about 1,310 for Ned Lamont.

TONIGHT
WEB HITS Results 1 - 10 of about 2,370,000 for ned lamont
NEWS HITS Results 1 - 10 of about 1,610 for ned lamont

Oh this is good. Waters’ credentials as both a campaign street fighter and as a left-liberal are impeccable.

Some people go to the hockey game and cheer for Team A. Some cheer for Team B. I cheer for blood on the ice. Just wish I were in CT in a way, since down here in MD the races are not as vicious at least yet, i.e. who gets a chance to wallop Michael Steele’s ass, which of the two brawlers out of Ehrlich and O’Malley will throw the last punch.

ck - you pray for EPU and I appear, although I have said before that I do NOT have a god complex - it would be hypocritical for a non-believing universe such as myself to have one.

So… does this mean that praying to you would constitute a secular religion?

Evil Parallel Universe @ 10:51 pm (#49) - When was liberalism ever not a secular philosophy that many people believed in deeply? Does this mean that conservatism is just something people do because they’re not in church, or the supermarket, for that matter?

Yep. That’s our Bobo.

Anne Holliday 10:50 p.m.

“such a fearless and articulate California Democratic Congresswoman.”

I wonder what the Waters/Boxer dynamics are?

I find privately most of the Democrats despise those people because of the way they practice politics so viciously that they don’t want to get in the crosshairs.”

Get out of the way asshole.It isn’t swiftboating because it’s the truth.Sounds to me like someone doesn’t enjoy taking the same shit we’ve been dished out.

Jane –

Are you ready to give the lil’ Debbie treatment to lil’ BoBo?

I mean, it’s like a hanging curveball for Barry Bonds . . .

There’s a quote, maybe from a year ago, from someone who encountered Bobo in Aspen. Brooksie is short, and was wearing a yellow shirt — they said he looked like an Easter Egg.

Mr McBoBo — tom tomorrow

http://www.workingforchange.co.....emid=18470

goodnite all.

Eli - I’m cool with it so long as you consider EPUism a philosophy - sorta like Buddhism accept with more violence and a louder soundtrack.

EPU –

Yeah, but you’ve never answered the question, as to which universe is evil — this one, or the parallel.

Yeah, but you’ve never answered the question, as to which universe is evil — this one, or the parallel.

Which one has the mustache?

ck - That is the point grasshopper - it is for you to answer for yourself - and yeah, it is a trick question.

OT: Hey, Bustedknuckles, I found this article this morning about the Cantwell/McGavick race. Looks like Maria’s been screwing up right on schedule.

Her lead’s down to 4%, 16% undecided. The only saving grace is that most folks don’t know anything about McGavick yet.

Someone please tell me why they call him Bobo?

When I was about 3, I had an inflatable clown doll taller than I was, in the shape of a bowling pin, with a round red nose that squeaked when you punched it…

…and I seem to have a clear picture of Maxine standing up trying to say something about the election and Gore himself had to gavel her down…it was very sad… I turned it off and had a good cry…seems like a hundred years ago when we were young and innocent and had a budget surplus…

And his name was Bobo

Bustedknucks, exactly. These guys are total enablers with the swiftboating crew but wilt under the white hot glare of the leftosphere. We haven’t even suited up!

So, can Maxine… mmmm…. talk to Barbara Boxer and set her straight?

Someone please tell me why they call him Bobo?

I believe his signature book was called “Bobos In Paradise”. I think it was short for “Bohemian Bourgeousie” or some such nonsense.

EPU, you can turn up the sound anytime you want.

-ck- @ 10:57 pm (#62) - it’s like a hanging curveball for Barry Bonds

Thanks to his prequel on The NewsHour, it’s like a hanging curveball where the pitcher says “Hey, Barry - watch this hanging curve”.

Cujo,
I wonder if , maybe, her Alito vote might be coming back to bite her.Jeez. I even fragged her for that one. Lovely form letter reply for my trouble. WTF ya gonna do? McGavick is poison.

Yes, Congresswoman Maxine Waters’s constituents — and those who might influence her elsewise — should ask her to … um… speak with Senator Boxer.

Hurray for Maxine Waters !

-ck- Are you suggesting Jane is on steroids?

spiderpaws 72 — yep I was right there cryin’ with ya.

-ck- Are you suggesting Jane is on steroids?

JANE SMASH!!!

This is excellent news about Maxine campaigning for Ned. Wanna bet she finds a venue larger than a bar in Stamford?

Given how fast the threads move at FDL, I thought it worth noting that Kevin Cate, Rick Penberthy’s campaign manager, returned to Howie’s earlier thread to thank all who participated. He wrote his comment at 1:15am Florida time….just another sleepless night in the life of a congressional campaign manager.

If you missed the thread, or just won the lottery, please read it at http://www.firedoglake.com/200.....#comments.

Howie’s ActBlue page is http://www.actblue.com/page/downwithtyranny#9045.

FWIW, just $159 will put us over $2,000 raised for another Fighting Dem.

“Wanna bet she finds a venue larger than a bar in Stamford?”

She should show up at that bar in Stamford just to smack down Sen. PearlyWhites.

Eli @ 11:03 pm (#66) - Which one has the mustache?

I think that’s a goatee. Spock?

Okay, you can find Brooks’ latest column in toto at The Peking Duck (another fine blog, I might add!):

http://www.pekingduck.org/archives/003882.php

Upon reading it, my reaction is that it’s also a “genial”, “reasonable” attack on Ned. Naturally, Left Blogostan will focus on Brooks’ hackery, his defense of Lieberman, his awful attempts to turn a phrase, but note what he’s really doing: he’s trying to set the conventional wisdom for all the affluent Democratic voters in CT who don’t read the blogosphere but get the NYT Sunday Edition home-delivered:

“Lieberman’s opponent, Ned Lamont, has neither expertise in foreign affairs nor any specific knowledge of Iraq, and he has struggled to come up with a plan for what we should now do there. “

“Ned Lamont is a strange vessel for all this passion. Based on the candidate debate Thursday night, he seems a genial if under-prepared politician who would be an innocuous presence in the Senate if he were elected to it.”

So besides his paean to bipartisan Joe, Brooks is also taking all the passion Ned’s inspired, and turn him into milquetoast. Hmmm.

I think that’s a goatee. Spock?

I think you’re right. I was just thinking facial hair, and it’s getting kinda late…

To Joe Biden, “ROOTZ!” has an entirely different meaning…

spiderpaws @ 70
I disliked Bush, Cheney, et al intensely. Then, that spectacle in the House Chamber - Gore officiating his own demise with the CBC protesting that not one Senator would step up. I imagined the bastards drinking champagne and smoking Romeo & Juliets, and imagining the $$$. Dislike turned to something more… profound. What a slap to our Republic!

“Lieberman’s opponent, Ned Lamont, has neither expertise in foreign affairs nor any specific knowledge of Iraq, and he has struggled to come up with a plan for what we should now do there. “

Had Enough?

“So besides his paean to bipartisan Joe, Brooks is also taking all the passion Ned’s inspired, and turn him into milquetoast.”

So is Brooks the New York Times equivilent of a “concern troll”?

OT: Bustednuckles @ 11:08 pm (#77) - Not much you can do, I suppose. It’s a train wreck. It’s in slow motion, but if you get in the middle of it you just get squashed anyway. With all that work she did at Real, you’d think she’d understand about product differentiation. When people don’t see much of a difference between the two main products, they look for something else.

Respectful Dissent, from Bobo: “Lieberman’s opponent, Ned Lamont, has neither expertise in foreign affairs nor any specific knowledge of Iraq, and he has struggled to come up with a plan for what we should now do there. “

That never stopped him from singing the praises of W.

Maxine the vaccine

So is Brooks the New York Times equivilent of a “concern troll”?

Maybe more like Ann Althouse. He pretends to be oh-so-objective, just regretfully laying out the facts, and pointing out how in so many ways the Republicans and Democrats are mirror images of each other, but always in ways in which the Democrats are the ones who suck. I can’t stand that smarmy little creep. “Transparently the most kind-hearted and well-intentioned of men”, my ass.

Cujo.
I don’t want to hijack the thread but, Can’t well is the next Lieberman.

Eli @ 11:12 pm (#66) - Of course, it could be the one where Carter has the really frightful hair, but that wasn’t facial hair.

…whoa… Maxine in lily white Connecticut…this I gotta see…

I don’t want to hijack the thread but, Can’t well is the next Lieberman.

Bob Casey Jr.

“Lieberman’s opponent, Ned Lamont, has neither expertise in foreign affairs nor any specific knowledge of Iraq”

Yes, but Ned has never sold his soul to the Devil, so he can look at the situation with a clear head and steady vision, unlike Joenertia, who is all tangled up in knots of self-justification.

in French, a “bobo” is an owie

“maman, j’ai au petit bobo sur le genou. ca fait maaaaaaal…”

(Mommy, I have a little owie on my knee. it huuuuuuurts…)

Eli @ 11:12 pm (#66) - Of course, it could be the one where Carter has the really frightful hair, but that wasn’t facial hair.

Carter? I’m blanking, and picturing Jimmy in something like a Carrot Top wig…

“maman, j’ai au petit bobo sur le genou. ca fait maaaaaaal…”

Especially if you get just the right part of Bobo on your knee…

channeling Dylan, Joe is “tangled up in boo”-hoo

OT:Bustednuckles @ 11:17 pm (#95) Can’t well is the next Lieberman.

Could be, but I kinda hope her commupence is in the election after this one.

Could be, but I kinda hope her commupence is in the election after this one.

…in the primary.

Ah, Punaise. Did you hear me calling you at 10:47 p.m.?

…not that long ago I heard someone there (Connecticut) call african americans “negroes”…she’ll do well tho, she’s got the stuff

spiderpaws

Uncle Remus in Connecticut?

(does anybody get that besides me?)

I like the idea of Maxine going to Connecticut.
Maybe show some folks Boxer and crew don’t have an exclusive.And to have some actual talking points? Whoo Hoo!

Eli @ 11:19 pm (#101) - Sorry, different show. Carter’s the cute blonde one.

Now I wonder if that’s too many links for so little text…

neuro - no, wasn’t lurking, just ducking in briefly.

And Maxine Waters isn’t alone. The populist Democrat running against Louisiana kook Bobby Jindhal (LA-01) put out a powerfully-worded warning to the fake Democrats who have announced they will support Lieberman even if he loses August 8. Stacey Tallitsch calls out Schumer and Obama. Wow! I hope this guy wins a seat!

typo alert: “maman, j’ai un petit bobo”

And the Mad Rabbi (and once more I ask for my graphic - you know who you are - and yeah, for my birthday I am asking for omnipotence) has expertise in foriegn affairs and knowledge of Iraq? And that “expertise” has proved so valuable because the war is going so peachy?

Whoever said that needs to be called on it: Prove the Mad Rabbi is an foreign affairs expert with “knowledge” (whatever that is) of Iraq - and I’m demanding pictures for proof - no testimonials from TEAM LOSER.

Eli @ 11:21 pm (#105) - That would be OK, except neither Democratic challenger seems to have what it takes to run a successful campaign. Like I said, this things lookin’ like a train wreck.

Pretty good Punaise after last night. I think maybe two late nights in a row might be a little much for my old self.BTW, How’s Nonpuss this evening? Still non plussed?

Carter’s the cute blonde one.

Ah, Stargate. I’ve barely watched that at all since the first season.

That would be OK, except neither Democratic challenger seems to have what it takes to run a successful campaign. Like I said, this things lookin’ like a train wreck.

Well, you were talking about next election - maybe someone with a clue will emerge for that one. Hopefully the roots will be much, much stronger and influentialer in 2012.

The prize for the best new word of the day goes to Eli

for “influentialer”

Maybe that is the next title Bush will give himself:

“The Influentialer”

Maybe that is the next title Bush will give himself:

“The Influentialer”

If the Dems retake Congress, he can call himself “The Lamer”.

Infleuentialrin’ is hard work.