”Economy crashes, debutante-type parties, Bar Mitsvahs hardest hit.”

(not to make fun of any particular coming-of-age ceremonies, but boo-fucking-hoo.)

Count on CNN to bring the hard-breaking news.

”DALLAS, Texas (CNN) -- Jasmine Rocha learned a valuable budgetary lesson when planning her quinceañera, the 15th birthday celebration that represents a rite of passage from childhood to womanhood for Latinas.”

“"It was very hard because sometimes the stuff that I wanted, it wasn't able to come through," said the teen from Dallas, Texas.”

“Jasmine's mother, Grace Grimaldo, sometimes has a tough time even paying the family's phone bill, but balked at the suggestion that her daughter's quinceañera was not a financial necessity.”

Notice: Posted by permission of AceCorp LLC. Please e-mail overnight open thread tips to xgenghisx@gmail.com. Otherwise send tips to Ace.

Posted by: Open Blog at 08:41 PM | Comments (288)
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Cassy Fiano endured the pain of calling every GOP senator to find out where they stand on the spendulus bill.

The complete list is at the link but here are some excerpts:

Firm No:
John McCain
Lindsay Graham
Mitch McConnell
Jeff Sessions

Squishy (apply pressure):
Michael Enzi — “leaning towards no”
Kay Bailey Hutchison — busy on both lines
Lamar Alexander — likely a “no” vote, but still possibly squishy
Saxby Chambliss — said he currently opposed it, but was “open to compromise”
George Voinovich — voted no in appropriations but is still open to voting for the bill

Update: It has been reported in the comments below that Susan Collins e-mail, phones and fax have all been crashed. I am going to suggest a blitz on NY senator Kristen Gilbrand (202) 224-4451 email: finance@kirstengillibrand.com.
She has said in the past she didn't support this bill so there may be hope.

Posted by: Open Blog at 02:54 PM | Comments (245)
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Nancy Pelosi only submitted a bill of $820 billion. Collins blessed an $827 billion bill. But, um, she's such a fiscal hawk she might vote against the final conference bill if it's even bigger.

Nancy Pelosi, big-spending liberal Democrat from San Francisco, wrote a cheaper, more prudent bill than the one "Republican" Collins crafted.

Puts it all in context.

I wouldn't hold out much hope Nancy Pelosi will get into a catfight with Collins and thus doom the bill. Besides, even if Pelosi adds back in $60 or $80 billion of her own Sears' Wish List of boondoggles, is Ms. Fiscal Hawk Susan Collins really going to balk at such a small mark-up in a $1.2 trillion dollar bill? I doubt it.

Thanks to CJ.

Hmm... Some Room for Trouble: One can hope for a bit of acrimony during the reconciliation process:

The Senate changes bring what had been a $920 billion package down to about $820 billion. Among the largest cuts: $40 billion from a $79 billion fund aimed at helping states preserve school funding as they try to balance their budgets. And negotiators cut in half $15 billion in "incentive grants" for states that meet certain goals for their initial education allotment.

"Education took a big hit here," said Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.).

The compromise also would cut $5 billion from a plan to help unemployed workers pay for health-care coverage, reducing the amount the federal government would pay for COBRA premiums to 50 percent from 65 percent. And it would cut $2 billion from a plan to help critical-access hospitals computerize medical records.

A smaller number of changes would reduce the size of the Senate's tax package, including a $9 billion revision to a credit for investors in low-income housing and a $2 billion adjustment to the president's Making Work Pay credit that would eliminate the benefit for some taxpayers.

...

Negotiations with the House could also dramatically alter the package. While the bills in the two chambers are now likely to be similar in size, the Senate has increased the percentage of its legislation devoted to tax cuts. The biggest change is the addition of a $70 billion provision that would protect more than 24 million families from the alternative minimum tax.

House moderates oppose including the AMT provision in the stimulus package, arguing that the issue should be addressed in the regular budget process so that its cost can be offset by spending cuts or tax increases. But until yesterday, House leaders appeared willing to accept the provision, which was added at the urging of Sen. Charles E. Grassley (Iowa), the senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee.

With AMT in and some of House Democrats' top spending priorities out, the package could become much more difficult for many House members to swallow, Democratic aides said. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) said House Democrats will push hard to restore the Senate's deletions. That means, lawmakers said, that the overall cost would grow to around $900 billion to accommodate the AMT fix.

Said House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.): "I don't think much of what the Senate is doing."

The very liberal House caucus loves spending and abhors tax cuts. Will they choke on such things? Will they allow the tax cuts but force the spending back in to balloon the cost of the bill (even without debt service) up to $1 trillion or more?

One can only hope. And hope too that Collins and Snowe want primarily to be seen as willing to deal, and, having so shown themselves, will ultimately balk at a $1.5 trillion dollar pork bonanza.

Posted by: Ace at 01:54 PM | Comments (85)
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Nothing to see here people, just another two year old smoking cigarettes video. After the break: AoSHQ presents: Your WTF video of the day. Enjoy, cringe, whatever...

Via http://www.neatorama.com/ more...

Posted by: Open Blog at 01:28 PM | Comments (36)
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This is JackStraw's big thing -- he's been sending me tips about it for months and months. (Link Fixed.)

I don't know about the intentional sabotage of government in order to provoke a crisis. I definitely think these cats are big into creating a permanent crisis atmosphere which will allow them to impose the "change" they seek.

Thanks to Larwyn.

Posted by: Ace at 01:07 PM | Comments (142)
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And this nonsense, too, as Obama claims to families of terrorist victims he's "keeping an open mind" on Gitmo.

Which is a lie. This is the same "bipartisan outreach" he offers Republicans. He'll listen to you, but he won't listen to you. He trusts he's charming enough that you won't notice he doesn't really give a shit about you.

Posted by: Ace at 12:52 PM | Comments (41)
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Even the media bothers itself to note this:

CNN: However, Jim Manley, a spokesman for Majority Leader Harry Reid, said the deal will ultimately include two amendments that have already passed with broad supportÂ…Those two measures bring the total to $827 billion.

AP: Officials put the cost of the bill at $827 billion

AP: A comparison of the $827 billion economic recovery planÂ…with a $820 billion version passed by the House. Additional debt costs would add about $350 billion or more over 10 years.

McClatchy: The Senate plans to take a final vote on its $827 billion economic stimulus package at noon Tuesday

Wash Times: The reported $780 billion price tag does not include several amendments that Republican leaders have said would bring its total cost more than $827 billion.

Wash Times: an $827 billion version of the bill.

CBS: Last night Democratic leaders reached a dealÂ…which now totals about $827 billion dollars.

FOX: Officials put the cost of the Senate package at $827 billion

In case you don't know, the Senate actually added more than a hundred billion to the bill. They "cut" most of that. So now they present the bill as cut down.

Even though it's actually bigger than the one presented to them. All they did was substitute their pork for the House's pork and add another $7 billion as a "compromise" with the House.

Via Michelle Malkin, here are the proposed changes. The military will be happy to know they're getting money for hybrid vehicles and lithium batteries.

Because when you're fighting a war, you might as well fight global warming while you're at it.

The cloture vote is supposed to come at 5:30 Monday, but I've also read they might try to force that vote Sunday, too.

Posted by: Ace at 12:25 PM | Comments (46)
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The scandal seems weak tea. Something about diversion of campaign funds to a relative who was supposed to perform some services but allegedly didn't.

Here's how the WaPo got their story:

Not until you reach well down on the jump page do you learn this interesting little detail: "The U.S. attorney's office inadvertently sent the confidential document, a defense sentencing memorandum filed under seal, to The Washington Post after the newspaper requested the prosecution's sentencing memorandum." Inadvertently sent what was supposed to be a sealed document to the Post? Yeah, sure, and the Post will sell you the Brooklyn Bridge real cheap, too.

Is anyone in the U.S. Attorney's office going to lose their job over this? Will the Obama DOJ launch an investigation to make sure this wasn't politically motivated? What would the Post and others have said if this had happened to, say, Howard Dean, during the Bush administration?

Remember the rule. When a dirty leak harms Democrats, the media focuses on the dirtiness of the leak and barely even mentions the damaging information the leak disclosed.

But when a dirty leak harms Republicans, they focus on the substance of the leaked information and don't question at all the propriety of the leak.

Always. Always, always, always.

Posted by: Ace at 11:43 AM | Comments (49)
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Which memoir? The one of his life or of Obama's?

I think I've seen this before.

Posted by: Ace at 11:25 AM | Comments (18)
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Well they done did it, and now we have to dig the country out of debt. 2010 can't come soon enough.

Incidentally I should mention how much fun it is wandering around DC in an Israeli Special Forces shirt, pisses off all the right people. You asked for profanity, you gets it. The words Uncle & Jimbo together constitute a content warning.

Fear the Shite Sandwich.

Posted by: Uncle Jimbo at 11:08 AM | Comments (56)
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