Streams Of Consciousness

Does this sound to you that recently reelected Lisa Murkowski will actually vote in favor of repealing DADT? It sounds like someone told her there are no more foxholes in the wars we fight and therefore she's ok with getting rid of it... or something like that:



Joe Miller, the crackpot Palin put up to run against her vows to never surrender. He's threatening to sue and has asked a judge to prevent Alaska election officials from certifying the results.

The House Ethics Committee voted 9-1 in favor of recommending that the full House censure Charlie Rangel for 11 ethics violations, none of which rose to the level of corruption. But he is corrupt and everyone knows it. Of course most members of Congress are corrupt, so it gets a little sticky when it comes to "everyone knows."

The Republicans tried to defund NPR first thing this morning. They failed 239-171, every Republican voted for their parliamentary maneuver and only three horrid ConservaDems going along with them, Gabby Giffords (Blue Dog-AZ), who squeaked by a tough reelection bid, and two losers, John Adler (NJ) and Gene Taylor (Blue Dog-MS).

Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, Boehner has his hands full trying to persuade the teabaggers who have infected his caucus that the GOP is now part of the government and that demonizing the government means they're demonizing themselves. And that they can't not raise the debt ceiling and let the whole house collapse because they have to start acting like grownups now. He's going to be hitting the bottle again real hard, real soon.

“We’re going to have to deal with it as adults,” he said, in what apparently are his most explicit comments to date. “Whether we like it or not, the federal government has obligations and we have obligations on our part.”

...The challenge for Republicans is that many of their highest-profile newcomers are on the record strongly opposing a debt limit increase. Tea party protestors and activists will likely watch the vote as an indication of whether the new lawmakers are sticking by their principles or, as they see it, caving in to Washington ways.

The campaign of Rep.-elect Kristi Noem (R., S.D.) attacked Democratic Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin for voting to raise the debt limit. Rep.-elect Tim Scott (R., S.C.), who like Ms. Noem is joining the House Republican leadership, reiterated Friday that he wouldn’t vote to raise the ceiling.

In February, Republican Reid Ribble blasted Rep. Steve Kagen (D., Wis.), whom he defeated, for voting to increase the debt limit, calling it “unconscionable” and “insane.” He added, “Congressman Kagen is on notice that the people of northeastern Wisconsin are watching and we are outraged.”

Similarly, Rep.-elect Steve Stivers (R., Ohio) blasted Democratic Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy for voting to raise the debt ceiling. “That shows a reckless desire to spend money we don’t have, and borrow money we can’t afford to pay back,” he said.

Rep.-elect Lou Barletta (R., Pa.) cited the raising of the debt limit during the campaign in saying that “Congress and the president are spending our country into servitude.”

Yeah, slow day today, other than the House Democrats' announcement that they'll be calling for a vote on the middle class tax cuts alone after the Thanksgiving break, but here's a great radio ad some of our friends did. You know the story, right?



Oh, and in preparation of family get-togethers around the holidays, I can't forget this: