Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Arch-conservative Patrick J. Buchanan was one of the architects and chief purveyors of Richard Nixon's polarizing Southern Strategy to exploit racial animosity among white voters towards "uppity" minorities. Buchanan was an advisor and speech writer to Richard Nixon. Advertisement As a candidate for political office (he ran for president twice), and as … Read more

Posted by AzblueMeanie: Bipartisanship is healthy to create broad public support for policy decisions. But bipartisanship requires the "loyal opposition" to work in good faith with the majority party to produce such bipartisan policy. The United States has a long and storied history of such bipartisan cooperation. But in this era of hyper-partisanship made possible … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: From The White House – Blog Post – Nurses Join the Call for Health Care Reform: On Wednesday, the President was joined by members of the American Nurses Association in the Rose Garden, where he spoke strongly on the urgent need for health care reform. He explained that the status quo is not … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: President Obama's campaign arm, Organizing for America, has begun running television ads stressing the need for a health care system overhaul across the country, just as the reform debate on Capitol Hill reaches a crucial turning point. The ads will run on national cable channels, and locally in Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Now that the dust has settled and bills have been posted, let's take a look at which bills passed, and which did not. You can view a list of the final summary of all legislative bills acted upon by the Accidental Governor at http://www.azgovernor.gov/dms/upload/PR_071309_Final%20Summary%20of%20Enactments_v2.pdf (pdf) Scorecard: 190 bills signed, one transmitted without … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is concerned that Judge Sonia Sotomayor has a judicial "temperament" problem. Are you friggin' kidding me!

Sen. Graham is the BFF of Senator John McCain (aka McNasty) who is legendary for his lack of temperament, and with his desperate selection of the unqualified Sarah Palin as his running mate, his complete lack of judgment. This is the kind of guy that Sen. Graham pals around with and he thought would make a good president. This speaks to his complete lack of judgment.

Sen. Graham was given kudos by some of the media villagers for his opening day comment that Judge Sotomayor would be confirmed unless she had a complete meltdown. Well, to quote Keith Olbermann, "he must have had a big ol' plate of crazy for lunch" before his turn to question Judge Sotomayor on Tuesday. It was an over-the-top performance by a patronizing, condescending sexist.

Versha Sharma at Talking Points Memo has posted an excellent summary Sen. Lindsey Graham Bullies Sotomayor – While Accusing Her Of Being Bully:

In the most aggressive questioning of Judge Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearing thus far, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) read out a laundry list of complaints about the nominee this afternoon. Graham went through insult after insult from anonymous reviews about Sotomayor's temperament, including ones that called her "nasty," "a terror," "a bit of a bull," and one that said she lacks any "judicial temperament." Graham then asked her directly: "Do you think you have a temperament problem?"

In response to that last question, Sotomayor said, "No, sir, I can only talk about what I know about my relationships…when I ask lawyers tough questions, it's to give them an opportunity to explain their positions on both sides and to persuade me that they're right."

Graham later said, "I never liked appearing in court before a judge I thought was a bully."

What a pussy. Graham thinks he is being bullied when judges ask tough questions that he probably cannot answer because his case is an unjustified load of crap? (see Note below the fold) And how cowardly is he to use anonymous statements from lawyers who probably lost their case before the Second Circuit and used the review as an opportunity to vent their frustrations? So much for the right to confront one's accusers. And has Sen. Graham ever been questioned by Justice Antonin Scalia? Now there's a judge lacking in judicial temperament, let me tell you.

Sen. Graham's most offensive comment followed shortly after this line of insults when he suggested that "maybe these hearings are a time for self-reflection." A little time out in the corner for you to think about your behavior, missy. This patronizing, condescending sexist remark no doubt immediately caught the attention of every woman in the room and in the television audience. "He said what? You ___ (choose your own invective)!"

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: On Tuesday, the Chairmen of the three Committees with jurisdiction over health policy in the House (Energy & Commerce, Education & Labor, and Ways & Means) introduced America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 to curb out-of-control costs, encourage competition among insurance plans to improve choices for patients, and expand access to … Read more