House Passes Historic Health Care Reform Bill

November 7, 2009
Jim Lehrer NewsHour
In a rare late-night Saturday vote, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a historic health care reform bill that would reshape many aspects of the U.S. health insurance system.

The bill passed 220 to 215, as Democrats counted down the seconds and broke into applause and cheers as the total was announced. One Republican, Rep. Joseph Cao of Lousiana, joined 219 Democrats in voting for the bill.
Click here to read more of the healthcare story.

Today Kahlil fell asleep on the floor for his nap !

Sunday, November 8th, 2009:
Denver, Colorado

Today Kahlil fell asleep on the floor for his nap!

Energized G.O.P. Looks to Avoid Party Feud

November 5, 2009
By ADAM NAGOURNEY, The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Republicans emerged from Tuesday’s elections energized by victories in Virginia and New Jersey, but their leaders immediately began maneuvering to avoid a prolonged battle with conservative activists over what the party stands for and how to regain power.
Click here to read more from Adam Nagourney.


Blogger's Note: Images added with delight from Google...

Our Grandson: Kahlil, age 19 months

Just received these two nice pix of Kahlil from my daughter Caroline. Yup, he's a happy kid. He is 19 months old. They now live in Denver.

Jobless rate tops 10 pct. for first time since '83

By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER, AP Economics Writer
November 6, 2009

WASHINGTON – The unemployment rate has passed the psychological threshold of 10 percent for the first time since 1983 — and is likely to go higher.

Nearly 16 million people can't find jobs even though the worst recession since the Great Depression has apparently ended. Persistently high unemployment could hurt the recovery by restraining consumer spending, which accounts for 70 percent of the economy.
Click here to read more.

Blogger's Note: The image is from Department of Labor, for an earlier period, but I wanted a DEPRESSING image...

Andrew Sullivan: The Pain In Maine II

04 Nov 2009 12:57 pm
by Andrew Sullivan, Atlantic magazine online

A reader writes:

My straight son worked for the marriage equality campaign in Maine. I just got off the phone with him. He is sad and started crying. Not for himself but for those whose rights have been taken away and those who have been fighting for those rights for years. I have seldom been so proud as a Mother. I told my son that we should be satisfied. People like us who work hard for our ideals and follow our hearts have nothing to be ashamed of.

I also don't believe that the campaign has anything to be ashamed of. I was worried about the early ads, but they improved. The campaign organization, by all accounts, was superb. The money was there. The enthusiasm was there. The turnout was spectacular in an off-year. Read more analysis by Andrew Sullivan here.

Good News for the GOP? Not So Much.

Wednesday 04 November 2009
by: William Rivers Pitt, t r u t h o u t | Columnist

Ever watch "SportsCenter" on ESPN? Pound for pound, it's pretty much the most consistently entertaining program on television, but if you watch enough of it, you really get a sense of the similarities shared between sports reporters and political reporters. ESPN, like CNN, MSNBC and even Fox News, has to fill 24 hours with programming each day. More often than not, there are enough games, events and high-profile arrests in the sports realm to fill the time for ESPN, just as there are usually enough murders, car chases, wars, balloon boys and stories about puppies who found their way home to fill the time for the news channels.
Click here to read more.