The Unsung (and Furry) Heroes from 9/11

by Distributorcap

In the wake of the tragedy at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Shanksville, PA - many groups of heroes went about their work to search, rescue and recover. For the Homo Sapien members at both sites - their incredible hard and emotional work was made that much simpler and that much more productive with their friends from the Canis Lupus Familiaris.

Dogs being just dogs already make life more pleasant and joyous for their human counterparts. However search and rescue dogs are a special group. Rescue dogs are some of the biggest heroes of all. These amazing creatures will go above and beyond the call of duty to save a human. They take risks when some men will not or just cannot. These dogs are completely focused at the job at hand and oblivious to the scents and sights that would overwhelm their human partners.  But most of all they are selfless in their tasks.  The dogs take their jobs seriously.

Handler Tony Zintsmaster and his search and rescue dog Kaiser work at Ground Zero hours

after the attack. Photo from Bob Kaufman

And as it is with their human partner, this is a job fraught with risk - many times in the course of saving the life of a victim in a tragedy - the dog will lose their own.

The vital nature of dog rescue in the collapse of the towers cannot be underestimated - they are every much the hero. Dozens were sent to both New York and Washington to search and recover - several did not survive and many became sick from the poisonous air.

The most common rescue dogs are Bloodhounds, Labrador Retrievers, Newfoundlands, German Shepherds, and Golden Retrievers. Many other from the hunting and sporting groups can also be trained as a rescue dog. Some of the attributes of these rescue dogs are their phenomenal physical strength, their mental toughness and stability and their incredible loyalty.

Last week the American Humane Association honored the dogs who were very much a part of the recovery of 9/11.  This Sunday, the Tails of Hope Foundation, a non-profit organization that works to advance veterinary medicine in the fight against cancer and other diseases, will honor the dogs and their partner in Liberty State Park, New Jersey.  While we should never forget the victims and all the people that went to the 3 sites of the attacks to search and help - we should all also honor the furry heroes of 9/11.

With tax deal, the Bush coalition is back

By Creature

A majority of Republicans ban together with just enough DINOs to pass crappy legislation. I've seen this play before and, if I remember correctly, the country ended up in a ditch. Insanity rules.

Pelosi to run for Minority Leader

By Creature

And I'm thrilled. First, because she kicks ass. Second, because it'll piss off what's left of those damn Blue Dogs.

Two anecdotes

By Greg Prince 

I've had so many things on my mind relating to cluster known as the 2010 midterms, but today two independent things, small and insignificant, really brought home to me what happened to the Democrats this year.

First off, coming home from work I had an envelope in the mail addressed to me. It lists "President Barack Obama" and "Democratic Headquarters" as the sender and has in big letters, "Deadline: October 29." Note, today is November 4, two days after the election.

Naturally it's asking me for money to help with the final days of the election.

"A day late and a dollar short" goes a long way toward how the Obama administration has governed, and particularly in how it is managing its relations with the base.

Next anecdote: I was sitting in the jacuzzi at the gym after working out the other evening and there were several elderly gentlemen speaking about the election and a couple of them were just droolingly upset about Obamacare, knowing their pensions and health care are being taken away from them, etc. I tried to engage them for a few minutes, but it really was futile. They have been fed a lot of nonsense by opportunists trying to scare them and sell them stuff. It didn't matter what the facts were, they were scared and livid and, by damn, they voted.

It's easy to talk about how the Democrats have squandered Howard Dean's work with the Fifty State Strategy. It's easy to talk about how independent thinkers and donors and doers have been discouraged in an attempt to centralize and micromanage. It's easy to talk about how the White House strategy is too timid, too aloof, and too willing to compromise. It's been done before, and how it's not speculation, we know the result.

A day late, a millions of dollars short, and the agenda up for grabs for the next two years. Why were the Republicans allowed to control terms of debate? A dispirited base has consequences. Letting the teabaggers lie through their teeth and outright make things up without challenge has consequences.

1. The 2008 electorate was 74% white, plus 13% black and 9% Latino. The 2010 numbers were 78, 10 and 8. So it was a considerably whiter electorate.
2. In 2008, 18-to-29-year-olds made up 18% and those 65-plus made up 16%. Young people actually outvoted old people. This year, the young cohort was down to 11%, and the seniors were up to a whopping 23% of the electorate. That’s a 24-point flip.
3. The liberal-moderate-conservative numbers in 2008 were 22%, 44%, and 34%. Those numbers for yesterday were 20%, 39%, and 41%. A big conservative jump, but in all likelihood because liberals didn't vote in big numbers.

The fall-off in young and minority voters can't be understated. Yes, Sharon Angle is a moron, but Harry Reid will remain a U.S. senator because he got 90% of the Latino vote. Nearly comparable numbers have been reported in California and Colorado which were also relative bright spots for Democrats.

Polls showed before and after the vote that people like Republicans less than Democrats. They voted for them anyway. The election was the Democrats' to lose, and lose they did.

But there are some bright spots. Yes, we had help from the Tea Party, but the Senate held. Many of the worst of the worst Tea Party candidates lost. Sarah Palin's endorsements turned out to be less than golden.

Better still, the remaining House Democrats are, in fact, better Democrats overall. And Senate Democrats, being further from the "magical" sixty, are less dependent on individual senators to allow things to get done, perhaps making it more difficult for individual troublemakers to hold legislation hostage. Time will tell, but there is cause to be cautiously optimistic for the next couple years.

Of course, there's the down side... Election 2012 is now underway.

Quote of the Day

By Creature

"The big lesson of 2010 for Democrats will be that if you govern like a Blue Dog and put corporate contributors ahead of your constituents, you lose. If you listen to what progressives have been telling you all along and stand up to corporations on issues like the public option and Wall Street reform, you win -- especially among Independent voters." -- Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) reacting to Charlie Cook downgrading the re-election chances for eight Blue Dogs.

Good riddance.

Quote of the Day

By Creature

"If a congressperson finds him or herself voting against extending unemployment insurance during a severe economic crisis then I think they have hit a wall and should ask themselves (and their constituents should ask them) on what basis can they possibly define themselves as Democrats. In fact, I can't see on what basis they even call themselves human beings." -- Digby

Defense spending

By Creature

The Hill reports there's a slight shift towards considering cuts in defense spending. I'm with Cole here, I'll believe it when I see it. But what really gets me is that a guy like Jason Altmire dares to have a "D" next to his name:

“No,” Blue Dog Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.) responded when asked if he agreed with Hoyer’s stance on the defense budget.

“A lot of the things he said I was not in agreement with,” Altmire said. “The first thing we need to look at are cuts to social programs.”

Yes, my hate for Blue Dogs runs deep.

Can Blue Dogs read?

By Creature

If they can they should read Harold Meyerson in today's WaPo discussing their collective cluelessness when in comes to jobs and the deficit. More likely, however, they will piss on their WaPo copy. Which is no different than what they are doing to the American economy.

Blue Dog runs for liberal cover

By Creature

Sorry, Rep. Lynch, feel free to oppose HCR for any conservative, Blue Dog reason you like (which there are none, at this point), but do not do so while hiding behind progressive cover. If Dennis Kucinich can back this bill, then there is no room on his left to hide.

CBO scores, America wins

By Creature

Great numbers all around. Serious deficit reduction. Donut hole closure. Medicare solvency. Bunches of people covered. And, it's all paid for. It's time for Blue Dogs to get off the damn fence and every other Dem to get out and sell this thing.

Time to step up

By Creature

If eight of these last fifteen conservative Democrats can't be brought on board to support a conservative health-care reform package what's the point of them being Democrats? As I've said before, this bill is tailor made for them. Let's go, people, this shouldn't be that hard.

Fighting with themselves

By Creature

If the left of the Dem party is expected to swallow hard on HCR, why isn't the right? They are the only group left standing in opposition to a bill that is tailor made for them. They need to swallow, but not nearly as hard. Passing this moderate, Republican-light bill should not be this difficult.

Blanche Lincoln's new primary opponent rakes in the cash

By Creature

Money talks, especially base money, but will those damn conservative Democrats listen?

Spending freeze

By Creature

Sure I'm disappointed, but really I'm too tired to fight on this one. This surgical freeze seems more like politics than anything else. Why they had to play politics to the right is beyond me. I'm guessing this bone was to give Evan Bayh and the Blue Dogs something to run on and maybe bring some independents back into the fold. I only wish the president would throw a bone to the left once and a while. DADT, anyone?

So much for robust

By Creature

The watering down of the public option continues and good policy, once again, takes a back seat to politics. By the time this bill gets out of conference it will be soup. I hope the Blue Dogs are happy with their cushy, corporate-sponsored congressional seats. Our government is broken.

Are the Blue Dogs coming around?

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Well... maybe:

Blocking a public health insurance option is a relatively low priority for conservative Blue Dog Democrats, according to an ongoing survey of its members. The fading House opposition could clear the way for the public option to move through the chamber.

Although this is a positive sign that Democrats are finally coming together -- which is what many of us wanted coming out of Obama's speech a couple of weeks ago -- it's not the House that's the problem, it's the Senate. And, there, there are still the likes of Nelson, Lincoln, Landrieu, and Lieberman to contend with, centrists of a sort who object to the very idea of a public option, and whose votes are needed if Democrats are to defeat a Republican filibuster (and if reconciliation is off the table, as it may very well be).

Still, let's allow ourselves some optimism here. With the Blue Dogs as a whole softening on the public option, there may very well be a real move towards party unity among Democrats. And if the Blue Dogs are coming around, maybe those Senate centrists will, too.

Maybe.

At the very least, it now looks better than ever that a meaningful reform package will be passed, one far more liberal than many of us thought possible back during the dark days of August, when Republican lies seemed to have the upper hand.

Blue Dogs bite

By Creature

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) has drawn her line against the public option. I guess she prefers we mandate a windfall of premiums to insurance companies for overpriced, crappy plans instead. Sure, this makes perfect sense. That is, if you value corporate profits over constituent pain.

Looking for an outlet

By Creature

So, if this healthcare reform bill turns out as shitty as the Blue Dogs and Baucus (and maybe even Obama) want it to be, you think the Teabaggers would accept me? I may need to vent too.

The future of health care reform

By Carol Gee

Who knows what will happen to the biggest item on the Obama agenda for change, health care? No one can tell for certain but a few are willing to hazard guesses. This is the last week Congress will be in session before the summer recess. CQ Quarterly predicts that the Senate Finance Committee will not report out a health care reform package Due to the inability to reach a bipartisan agreement, as well as the press of much other business, work will resume in September. Prediction: A decent bill will be ready for the President to sign before the end of the year. And President Obama will weigh in with his final requirements only late in the game.

Republicans remain uncooperative -- Taegan Goddard points out that we are still waiting for the Republicans' Health Care Plan. It is a safe bet, in my opinion, that there will be none forthcoming. Prediction: What will be forthcoming from Republicans is fear mongering about raising your taxes, plus everything else they can think of to "throw against the wall."

Progressive Dems vs. Blue Dogs is a continual pull and tug between special interests and voter constituents. Prediction: Progressives will not get a pure public option, but a public plan that is nonprofit "co-op" based. The following piece illustrates that the key swing Blue Dog Democrats could play the largest role in how reform legislation emerges from Congress. To quote Politico.com:

President Barack Obama’s signature proposal, a public plan option to introduce more competition in private markets, would be significantly weakened, reflecting pressure from Blue Cross-Blue Shield plans that dominate many rural states and that were a source of millions of dollars in campaign contributions last year. The small-business lobby, itself a political powerhouse, carved out a larger exemption for operations earning up to $500,000 annually. At the same time, families are asked to dig deeper to afford the promised coverage to be bought through public exchanges.

House Democrats have proposed a sliding scale of subsidies so that new health insurance mandates don’t impose a disproportionate — and ultimately unaffordable — burden on working- and middle-class families. Without that feature, Democrats would risk a serious backlash if costs become too great and households rebel against the health care mandate. And the House maneuvering is important as a preview of the larger battle ahead in the Senate, where the Finance Committee is proposing far less generous subsidies.

The other chamber's conservative Democrats, such as Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.), are being heavily lobbied via huge donations from health insurance companies and stand to cast votes this year that will reelect them to the Senate in 2010. Progressive Democrats are already using targeted ads to try to force the adoption of a public option by wavering Democrats from conservative districts. To be sure the debate will get noisier as Congress heads home to hear what the folks in their districts have to say. Prediction: The major ad campaign, featuring things of which you should be afraid will encourage timid constituents to seriously pressure lawmakers to either stop entirely or compromise severely.

Senators will speak from experience -- Senator Chris Dodd, who spearheaded the H.E.L.P. Committee's health care reform bill has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. He sat in for Senator Ted Kennedy, himself ill with brain cancer. Lobbyists have paid tribute to Senator Kennedy's heroic fight by donating generously to causes that he supports. Prediction: Using their own health care challenges as either spoken or unspoken backdrops to their reform leadership, several key senators, including Senator Specter, will be articulate and passionate spokesmen for significant reform.

Reference: CQ Politics launched the CQ Election Map for 2010 House races.

(Cross-posted at South by Southwest.)

Progressives get loud over conservative compromise on healthcare reform

By Creature

The Hill:

A House leadership deal with Blue Dogs and an aggressive marketing push by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) shifted the healthcare debate sharply toward centrist positions Wednesday, sparking threats of rebellion from the left.

The day’s events left the Senate Finance Committee’s emergent bill as the most viable vehicle on Capitol Hill, but also made clear that House Democrats are still riven by bitter disagreements. Democrats postponed a floor vote until after the August recess, meeting a top demand of centrist Blue Dogs.

The Blue Dogs’ deal, which cut $100 billion from the healthcare reform price tag, was instantly denounced by Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), co-chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, who said, “It’s unacceptable. We’re not going to vote for anything that doesn’t have a robust public plan.”

And they shouldn't. It's bad enough that single-payer never saw the light of day, the least Congress can do is include a "robust public plan." It's how you insure everyone and it's how you bring the price of health insurance down to reasonable levels.

Today, I have good health insurance. A few years back, I had none. During that time all I ever wanted was a solid plan, at a reasonable price. As an individual buyer that was impossible (and, I'm sure it's even harder today). I understand the need. If only the Blue Dogs understood it too.