In vicious new smear, Rove falsely claims Jennings advocated for NAMBLA

From Media Matters

After Sean Hannity introduced his Fox News show by asking, "Does Kevin Jennings support the group NAMBLA?" Karl Rove falsely claimed that Jennings, a Department of Education official, had engaged in "high-profile, in-your-face advocacy of things like NAMBLA and gay rights and queering elementary school curricula." Neither Rove nor Hannity provided any evidence that Jennings has ever "support[ed]" -- let alone engaged in "high-profile, in-your-face advocacy" of -- NAMBLA, and Rove's suggestion that support for "gay rights" is somehow related to support for NAMBLA is a smear.

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Rove falsely claims Jennings engaged in "high-profile, in-your-face advocacy" of NAMBLA

Rove, Hannity provided no evidence in support of false claim that Jennings advocated for NAMBLA. Hannity attempted to link Jennings to NAMBLA during the first two segments of his show, but neither he nor Rove provided any evidence in support of the false claim that Jennings supported or advocated for NAMBLA. Moreover, Rove's effort to link "things like NAMBLA and gay rights" is a smear.

From the October 7 edition of Fox News' Hannity:

HANNITY: Tonight -- shocking new allegations about President Obama's safe schools czar. Does Kevin Jennings support the group NAMBLA? The FBI agent who infiltrated that organization is here.

[...]

HANNITY: What do you make of what we talked about in our last segment? Here we have the safe schools czar, this guy by the name of Kevin Jennings. We talked about his praise of this guy Harry Hay, who is, you know, a guy that supports the group NAMBLA. He praised the guy, looked up to the guy. This guy admitted in his own words that he had counseled a 15-year-old that was having sex with an adult. He didn't report it; he asked the kid if he used a condom.

He said other controversial things. This Queering of Elementary Education book that he writes the foreword to. How does somebody like that, with that background, get appointed by a president of the United States?

ROVE: Well, one of two things happened on this. Either they decided that they deliberately wanted to put a very provocative, very controversial person in a job that -- where his views and his public statements and his actions were likely to unsettle a large amount -- number of Americans, or, once again, that vaunted Obama White House vetting system broke down.

I can't imagine that President Obama lacked the sensitivity to think that somebody who had said the things that Mr. Jennings had said, had done the things that Mr. Jennings had done, had taken the sort of high-profile, in-your-face advocacy of things like NAMBLA and gay rights and queering elementary school curricula -- that the president of the United States would think this was a person that he ought to put in charge of safe schools, and yet he did.

Jennings' praise of gay rights pioneer Hay had nothing to do with NAMBLA

Jennings reportedly said he was inspired by Harry Hay, "who started the first ongoing gay rights groups in America ... the Mattachine Society." Peter LaBarbera, president of a group that seeks to "expos[e] and counter the homosexual activist agenda," published a transcript of Jennings' 1997 remarks at the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network's mid-Atlantic conference that LaBarbera said was reprinted from The Lambda Report. In that speech, Jennings reportedly said, "One of the people that's always inspired me is Harry Hay, who started the first ongoing gay rights groups in America. In 1948, he tried to get people to join the Mattachine Society." Jennings' remarks include no mentions of NAMBLA.

Hay broadly recognized as gay rights pioneer. Upon Hay's death in October 2002, numerous obituaries (retrieved from Nexis) noted that Hay was a pioneer of the American gay rights movement -- just as Jennings noted in his 1997 speech. The New York Times noted that Hay "founded a secret organization six decades ago that proved to be the catalyst for the American gay rights movement." The Associated Press called Hay "a pioneering activist in the gay rights movement" who founded "the Mattachine Society." The San Francisco Chronicle stated that Hay was "considered by many to be the founder of the modern American gay rights movement." None of the obituaries mentioned NAMBLA.

Hannity's and Rove's efforts to link book foreword written by Jennings to NAMBLA are a smear

Jennings' book foreword decried anti-gay violence, had nothing to do with statutory rape. Jennings wrote the foreword to the 1999 book Queering Elementary Education: Advancing the Dialogue about Sexualities and Schooling. In the foreword -- which, contrary to Rove's and Hannity's suggestions, had nothing to do with statutory rape -- Jennings called for valuing "every human being as a precious gift" and looked forward to the day when people could "walk down our streets without fear."

Hannity's claim that former student was 15 is false

Former student was 16 -- the MA age of consent -- at the time of his conversation with Jennings. Hannity's assertion that Jennings "didn't report" that a 15-year-old student told him of his involvement with an older man is false. The student was 16, the legal age of consent in Massachusetts, when the conversation occurred 21 years ago.

M.C.L comment:

The amazing thing about these two special ed drop outs is that if someone was making unfounded claims about them in the same way they're doing to Kevin Jennings that person would be receiving a phone call from Rove or Hannity's lawyers. Here's the thing Sean Hannity could give two craps about the kid being underage or not it's just another thing Hannity can express his phony outrage. Where was Hannity and Rove's outrage when Mark Foley was sending his teenage underlings sexually explicit instant messages? That's right Marky had a (R) after his name so that overlook that or call it liberals looking for a scandal.

White House Communications Director calls Fox News ‘opinion journalism masquerading as news.’

Late last month, the White House posted a “reality check” on its blog, debunking some of Glenn Beck’s claims about the Olympics. At the end of the post, Online Programs Director Jesse Lee added that “even more Fox lies” had been called false by Politifact. In an article today on the White House’s increasingly aggressive interaction with Fox News, Time’s Michael Scherer quotes White House Communications Director Anita Dunn dismissing Fox as an “opinion journalism masquerading as news“:

The general in this war is Dunn, 51, a veteran campaign strategist who arrived at the White House in May. She has been a force in Democratic campaigns since the late 1980s and helmed Obama’s rapid-response operation during his run. At the White House, she has become a devoted consumer of conservative-media reports and a fierce critic of Fox News, leading the Administration’s effort to block officials, including Obama, from appearing on the network. “It’s opinion journalism masquerading as news,” Dunn says. “They are boosting their audience. But that doesn’t mean we are going to sit back.” Fox News’s head of news, Michael Clemente, counters that the White House criticism unfairly conflates the network’s reporters and its pundits, like Glenn Beck, whom he likens to “the op-ed page of a newspaper.”

Dunn isn’t the first White House aide to take a shot at the legitimacy of Fox’s news operation. Dunn’s deputy, Dan Pfieffer, told the AP recently that Fox was an “ideological news outlet.” Explaining the decision not to grant Fox News Sunday an interview with Obama recently, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, “Fox is an ideological outlet where the president has been interviewed before and will likely be interviewed again.”

Beck: Madeleine Albright looks like a ‘turkey’ because of ‘the neck skin on her.’

By Matt Corley

his radio and TV shows recently, Glenn Beck has been positioning himself as an advocate for America’s mothers, who he says will be the “ones who will save the Republic.” “When are mothers going to stand up and demand the respect they deserve? Beck said on Fox this week. But as Media Matters noted on Tuesday, Beck has a long history of disrespecting women and moms with sexist commentary. Just today, he said that former secretary of state Madeleine Albright, a mother and grandmother , looks like a “turkey” because of “the neck skin on her.” Listen here:

On Sunday, Republican strategist Mary Matalin defended Beck’s public persona by saying that he was connecting with “maligned mothers.”

M.C.L. Comment: For a guy who looks like he has a wall covered with half naked boys Beck shouldn't talk about anyone else appearance.

Gold Digger! Beck Promotes Investment In Gold While Failing To Disclose His Conflict Of Interest

Yesterday at the top of his Fox News show, Glenn Beck said that America might be “facing the end of the almighty dollar.” He then did an entire segment decrying the demise of the dollar and warning about hyperinflation. As a brilliant solution, he advocated that Americans turn to gold, even using props to show how badly off people will be if they don’t invest in gold:

BECK: So, everybody gave us the gold. We still had a nice stack of cash here, and gold.

You’re over here. You don’t have any gold, right? This is you. This is you. This is your savings.

How much did you lose if you had any money in your 401k? Did you lose, let’s say, I don’t know, 40 percent of it? So, that’s gone.

He then brought on David Buckner of Columbia University to echo his gold cheerleading:

BECK: Any way to protect yourself?

BUCKNER: Well, you invest in things that are friendly to inflation.

BECK: Gold.

BUCKNER: Gold, real estate and some realm of the world.

Watch it:

“So Beck essentially scares his audience into believing that hyperinflation and economic collapse is a near sure thing and then advises them to buy gold to protect themselves,” writes Ryan Witt for the Examiner.com. “All along Beck never mentions that a gold-buying company happens to be one of his few remaining sponsors.”

As Witt notes, eighty companies have stopped advertising on Beck’s show since Color Of Change started its boycott in August. These companies include major names like General Mills, AT&T, Wal-Mart, and Bank of America. Most of Beck’s remaining advertisers are conservative organizations like the National Review or little-known corporations such as…the Superior Gold Group, Rosland Capital, and Goldline International. In fact, during Beck’s gold promotion show yesterday, Goldline ran an ad that said almost exactly what Beck said on his show: Americans should be buying gold because of hyperinflation. Watch it:

Goldline’s website also features a picture of Beck and the quote, “Before I started turning you on to Goldline, I wanted to look them in the eye. This is a top notch organization that’s been in business since 1960.”

On The Wonk Room, Pat Garofalo points out that CNBC is now using Beck as an economic indicator, taking Beck’s conflict-of-interest tirade as the true indicator that the dollar’s six month slide in value is effectively over.

Transcript:

BECK: Tonight, are we facing the end of the almighty dollar? [...]

So I’m sure we can all assume that the dollar is here to stay, and everything is just peachy. But in the off-chance that, maybe, somebody in the Middle East wouldn’t tell us exactly the truth, you know, that they’re not exactly 100 percent reliable, maybe we should discover what it means for our dollar and our country if it’s no longer pegged to oil. What does that mean for you?

Well, everybody — everybody, let me show you this. A long time ago, back after the world — after the World War, in fact, during World War I, it started. America had a whole bunch of gold. Everybody had gold. OK? But they were borrowing money from us, because they were fighting the war. So, we said, “You know what? Why don’t you just give us some gold?”

Now, after World War II, we officially went to the gold standard for the U.S., and we said, “You know what? There’s just not enough gold for everybody. Why don’t you just use the dollar? And what we’ll do is we’ll give you guys an equal amount of money so everybody has currency. U.S. dollars — it’s fantastic, and we’ll just stay — we’ll keep all the gold, and we promise, we’re never going to trash our dollar. We never would do that to you guys because we love you, and we’re trustworthy.” Got it?

So, everybody gave us the gold. We still had a nice stack of cash here, and gold.

You’re over here. You don’t have any gold, right? This is you. This is you. This is your savings.

How much did you lose if you had any money in your 401k? Did you lose, let’s say, I don’t know, 40 percent of it? So, that’s gone.

Now, did you know that the dollar has lost nearly 29 percent of its value in the last seven years? Twenty-nine percent. OK, that’s gone. Just gone. [...]

BECK: So, where in — and this is what — who’s getting screwed here? The big guys understand what’s going on. Who’s getting screwed here? The little guy.

BUCKNER: It’s going to be the American individual –

BECK: People.

BUCKNER: — the American citizen, because what we’re going to do is we’re going to go over there and the government is going to be able to pay off through inflation, but people — people won’t be able to.

BECK: Any way to protect yourself?

BUCKNER: Well, you invest in things that are friendly to inflation.

BECK: Gold.

BUCKNER: Gold, real estate and some realm of the world. It’s kind of a twisted way of saying it.

(CROSSTALK)

BUCKNER: — if you have it.

BECK: If you own it.

BUCKNER: You’re never going to be able to sell it because interest rates will go so high people won’t be able to, you know, finance it, but your value will go up, because it’s inflation-driven. Now, these things have been — they’re not just little warnings. They are things that — they are depending upon. The government is depending upon that.

O’Reilly: Fox News Doesn’t Report Stories That Will ‘Hurt Anybody’

By Ben Armbruster

Last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) criticized the partisan political environment, saying, “Can you imagine writing the Constitution today?” Graham asked, speculating that Fox News host Bill O’Reilly would complain of “Ben Franklin giving in on something.” Last night on Fox News, Bill O’Reilly playfully confronted Graham about the accusation and attempted to defend the integrity of his network. O’Reilly said that unlike the New York Times, Fox News doesn’t break stories that hurt people:

O’REILLY: And I think you raise a very interesting point in what you said. And you said — I’m glad you mentioned me because that got attention And then people to think about this. We don’t break stories that are going to interfere with President Obama or President Bush or whoever’s in office if we feel that the story is going to hurt anybody, our military, our policymakers. We’ll hold it back. Okay? We’re not The New York Times. We’re not trying to do that.

Watch it:

Fox News and O’Reilly may not “break stories” that directly “hurt anybody,” but they certainly haven’t made great efforts to take targets off anyone’s back either. In fact, O’Reilly producer Jesse Waters regularly stalks and ambushes anyone O’Reilly and his goons disagree with (like TP’s own Amanda Terkel), even if it means following them home and confronting them in places such as their garages.

In May, a radical anti-choice crusader gunned down Dr. George Tiller, a Kansas physician who administered abortions. Prior to this incident, O’Reilly regularly singled out Tiller on his show, referring to him as “Tiller the Baby Killer,” saying that he “has blood on his hands” and that he “executes babies.” After the murder, O’Reilly stood by all his claims and even lied that he never called Tiller “Dr. Killer.”

Other hosts, such as by Glenn Beck, have attempted to scare the American public by calling the President a “socialist,” saying that he has ties to communists (or fascists), or that he’s even a “racist” who hates “white culture.” Beck regularly fears that the country is being “stolen” and has even said that the Obama administration had created concentration camps.

Indeed, other major conservative media figures have noticed this constant incendiary rhetoric, and one CNN host noted that “Americans are scarfing up guns and ammunition at an alarming rate.”

Conservative group aims to delete ‘liberal bias’ from Bible

By Daniel Tencer "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

That famous line, attributed to Jesus in Luke 23:34, could well apply to the folks at Conservapedia -- the "conservative version" of Wikipedia -- who have embarked on a project to rewrite the Bible.

In an effort to rid the Good Book of "liberal bias," the group has set up the Conservative Bible Project, which aims to rewrite the Bible from a modern, conservative perspective.

"Liberal bias has become the single biggest distortion in modern Bible translations," the project's Web site asserts.

And the line quoted above is one of the group's targets for deletion in a truly "conservative" Bible. The "forgive them father" quote "is a favorite of liberals but should not appear in a conservative Bible," Conservapedia states.

And evidently many of Jesus' other teachings -- from the "turn the other cheek" lesson, to his disdain for profiteering -- will also no longer be acceptable in the conservative Bible.

"Socialistic terminology permeates English translations of the Bible, without justification," the Web site states -- a strange assertion, given that English versions of the Bible date back at least to the 16th century, while socialism as a concept was formed in the 18th century.

To combat the Bible's "socialism," the Conservative Bible Project wants to see Biblical use of the words "comrade," "labor" and "fellow" (as in "fellow worker") reduced.

Not surprisingly, the project has come under ridicule and derision from some corners.

"Jesus was obviously misquoted all over the place," blogger P.Z. Myers writes sarcastically. "So what to do? When your claim of godly authority rests on your interpretation of God's holy word, but God's holy words contradict your desired ends, you're in a bit of a pickle. There is a solution, though: rewrite the Bible and change the liberal bits!"

"The insane hubris of this really staggers the mind," writes Rod Dreher at Beliefnet. "These right-wing ideologues know better than the early church councils that canonized Scripture? They really think it's wise to force the word of God to conform to a 21st-century American idea of what constitutes conservatism? These jokers don't worship God. They worship ideology."

500,000 to boycott Pepsi over its ‘homosexual advocacy’

By Daniel Tencer 'God hates Diet Pepsi'

A group that advocates "traditional family values" claims it has the signatures of 500,000 people who have pledged to boycott Pepsi over what it says are the company's activities promoting gay rights.

The American Family Association, which boasts "2.5 million online supporters," "asked PepsiCo to be neutral in the culture war and not support the homosexual agenda," it said in a press release Tuesday. "PepsiCo refused. The company continues to give financial support to homosexual organizations."

The AFA launched its boycott campaign in January over PepsiCo's "continued support of same-sex marriage and homosexual advocacy." The group said it had received a "condescending letter" from Pepsi that "refused to address Pepsi's support of the homosexual agenda."

In particular, the AFA decried PepsiCo's donations to groups that funded the effort against California's Proposition 8 last year. The AFA said PepsiCo gave $500,000 to the Human Rights Campaign, which had worked to defeat Proposition 8.

The proposition, which barred same-sex marriage in the state and passed by a narrow margin last November, was supported by numerous conservative groups, as well as the Mormon church. By some reports, the Mormon church raised around $19 million for the Proposition 8 effort, amounting to 75 percent of all donations.

The Pepsi boycott seems to be having some effect within the Christian conservative community. Last month, the Westboro Baptist Church, of "God hates fags" fame, protested in downtown Atlanta with signs that read "God hates Diet Pepsi."

Last month, Bell Shoals Baptist, a mega-church in Brandon, Florida, removed its Pepsi vending machines and replaced them with Coke machines.

"We fight this battle one skirmish at a time," said Terry Kemple, the Bell Shoals member who organized the vending machine change, in an interview with the Brandon News & Tribune. "Our forefathers came here for religious liberty, not sexual liberty."

But the church's switch from Pepsi to Coke -- which other Florida churches joined -- may have been a strategic mistake. As Bridgette LaVictoire reported on the LezGetReal blog, "Coca Cola has consistently scored higher on the Human Rights Campaign’s list of LGBT friendly businesses" than Pepsi.

"The AFA [is] furious with PepsiCo over their diversity training, which is actually not quite as good as Coca Cola’s, and their work place support of LGBT individuals, which is not quite the same level of support as seen in Coca Cola Corp.," she wrote.

Earlier this year, the AFA slammed Pepsi and the Fox animated comedy Family Guy for "condon[ing] bestiality, gay orgies and babies eating sperm." The group was offended by an episode in which main character Peter Griffin was "turned gay" after taking an experimental shot of the "gay gene." Evidently the group was upset that the show portrayed homosexuality as something that is not a choice.

“Pepsi and FOX network joined hands to bring a perverted and sickening episode of TV’s Family Guy into the homes of millions of Americans," the group said in a statement.

"Interestingly ... there’s no mention of the word 'Pepsi' anywhere in the show," Frederick Reinhardt wrote at Examiner.com. "I wonder if Pepsi just happened to be one of the 24 other advertisers of the show when it aired."

Fox’s Shep Smith Takes Down Fox News Talking Point On Public Option: ‘It’s Not A Government Takeover!’

By Ben Armbruster Why would we not want a public option?” Shep Smith asked Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), kicking off a tense and lively exchange this afternoon on Fox News. When Barrasso quickly launched into his Frank Luntz-inspired GOP talking points, calling it a “government take-over of health care,” Smith — who’s been known to go off the Fox News reservation from time to time — pushed back:

SMITH: It’s not a government take over, Senator! That’s not fair and we both know it. It’s not a government takeover because what it would be is a government option if you have insurance now and you like it you can keep it. … That’s not a government take over if we’re being fair is it Senator?

Barrasso struggled to muster a response. “Well compare it to Medicare, which we know right now is going bankrupt,” he said. Later, Smith engaged in fierce advocacy in favor of the public option:

SMITH: As the costs have gone up, the insurance industry’s profits on average have gone up more than 350 percent and it’s the insurance companies which have paid and have contributed to Senators and congressman on both sides of the aisle to the point where now, we can’t get…what more than 60 percent of Americans say they support, is a public option. This has been an enormous win for the health care industry. That is an unquestioned fact. [...]

[E]very vote against a public option is a vote for the insurance companies, sir. It is!

Again, Barrasso replied with trite talking points. “We’re not even allowing the people of America to read the bill,” he said, later adding that “Washington is incapable” of running health care. “I want to be clear,” Smith told Barrasso, “this wouldn’t be Washington running the system, Senator. It would be a government run plan paid for by the people who sign up for the plan.” Watch it:

As Smith railed against insurance companies, Barrasso responded, “I’m not going to defend the insurance companies — I’ve been fighting them for the last 25 years of practicing medicine.” In fact, the Wyoming senator has received a considerable amount of contributions from the health care industry: Over $500,000 from health professionals and nearly $100,000 from the pharmaceuticals and health products industry over his career and nearly $40,000 bundled from health care lobbyists in the last two years.

Fox News constantly peddles the false talking point that the Democratic health care plan would be a “government takeover” (see e.g. Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, and Greta Van Susteren). Kudos to Smith for letting the Fox audience know that most of their anchors are lying to them.

Transcript:

SMITH: Why would we not want a public option?

BARRASSO: Well let’s take a look at what we do know. My concern is a public or what I consider a government take over of health care.

SMITH: Well I know, right.

BARRASSO: Is going to make it very challenging.

SMITH: It’s not a government take over Senator. That’s not fair and we both know it.

It’s not a government takeover because what it would be is a government option if you have insurance now and you like it you can keep it. If you want the government option, a government run, paid for by those who buy it, government run option to try to keep costs down. That’s not a government take over if we’re being fair is it Senator?

BARRASSO: Well compare it to Medicare, which we know right now is going bankrupt.

[…]

SMITH: Over the last ten years, health care costs in America have skyrocketed. Regular folks cannot afford it. So they tax the system by not getting preventative medicine. They go to the emergency room and are at a last case and we all end up paying for it. As the costs have gone up, the insurance industry’s profits on average have gone up more than 350 percent and it’s the insurance companies which have paid and have contributed to Senators and congressman on both sides of the aisle to the point where now, we can’t get what all concerned on Capitol Hill seem to believe and what more than 60 percent of Americans say they support, is a public option. This has been an enormous win for the health care industry. That is an unquestioned fact.

But I wonder, What happens for the American people when we come out with legislation now which requires everyone to have health care insurance — or many more people — but does not give a public option, therefore millions more people will have to buy insurance from the very corporations that are over charging us and whose profits have gone up 350 percent in the last ten years. It seems like ‘we the people’ are the ones getting the shaft here.

BARRASSO: And we’re not even allowing the people of America to read the bill or know what it costs. You’re absolutely right. I’m not going to defend the insurance companies. I’ve been fighting them for the last twenty-five years of practicing medicine.

SMITH: But with every vote against the public option, is a vote for the insurance companies, sir.

BARRASSO: No it’s not, no I disagree with you.

SMITH: It is. How can you disagree with that? It is the public option that would keep costs in check, which would keep prices in check, which would stop the big corporations, which have made 350 percent improvements in their profits over the last ten years. A public option would stop it, what else would stop that?

BARRASSO: I don’t believe that — you know — I don’t believe that at all, and that’s why they can’t even get the sixty votes that Senator Baucus had for it. […]

All of the studies in Washington show that Washington is incapable — incapable — of dealing with the waste and the fraud and the abuse in the system, and you’re going to see more of that. The more government take over you have of that the more that Washington runs the system, the worse it’s going to be for the American people.

SMITH: I want to be clear. This wouldn’t be Washington running the system Senator. It would be a government run plan paid for by the people who sign up for the plan.

BARRASSO: Well, that’s a Washington run plan.

SMITH: Yes. Paid for by the people that sign up for the plan. A not-for-profit to try to keep health care costs down. And that’s what in recent polls that more than sixty percent of Americans say they favor

BARRASSO: 100 percent of Americans want to keep the cost down, and so do I, that’s what I’ve been working for by the medical director of something called the Wyoming health fairs, to give people positive incentives to get their costs down and stay healthy.

Bachmann’s agenda: ‘After we defund the left, we pass repealer bill after repealer bill after repealer bill.’

By Matt Corley

At a briefing with conservative bloggers held at the Heritage Foundation today, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) articulated “the way forward for conservatives.” Bachmann’s strategy consisted of defeating Democrats in 2010, defunding the left and passing a series of “repealer” bills:

BACHMANN: We have to defund the left. And this is great. Gallup came out with a poll, I think last week or the week before, that said the American people believe that Congress wastes 50 percent — 50 cents or 50 percent of every dollar it spends. God love the American people. They get it. They understand the truth that actually there’s huge waste. So we defund that but then the third thing that we do, which you’re getting into with economic development, is we have to after we defund the left, we pass repealer bill after repealer bill after repealler bill. Because there’s a huge machinery that’s been built up in this town. And we have to just repeal it. And we have to campaign on that to the American people. That is a hugely winning message right now with the American people.

Watch it:

Bachmann isn’t the first conservative member of Congress to express a desire to “repeal” legislation passed under Obama if Republicans take back control of Congress again. In August, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) said “we’ll repeal” health care reform if it passes. Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) said at the Values Voter Summit last month that he dreams of telling President Obama in 2010, “we need to repeal the disaster and the tyranny that you passed last session.”

Rooting against America: Beck, other conservatives cheer elimination of Chicago's Olympic bid

From Media Matters

Conservative media figures have celebrated the International Olympic Committee's elimination of Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics and used the event to bash President Obama, who flew to Copenhagen to lobby IOC members on behalf of Chicago's bid. For instance, Glenn Beck called the news that Chicago's bid had failed "so sweet," Rush Limbaugh declared himself "happy" and "gleeful" with the results, and Matt Drudge proclaimed: "World rejects Obama."

Conservative media celebrate Chicago's elimination, bash Obama

Beck: "Oh, it's so sweet" that Chicago's bid failed; "savor this moment." On his radio program, Beck said: "Do not go anywhere. Don't -- do not look at the screen. Don't -- don't go to any other radio stations. Nothing. You don't want to hear this news -- I mean, please, please let me break this news to you. Oh, it's so sweet." After a commercial break, Beck's producer stated that "the first round of voting is up for the Olympic games, and the first city" -- at which point Beck interrupted, saying, "Wait! Wait for it! Wait for it. Enjoy this -- savor this moment." The producer continued, "And the first city to be eliminated is Chicago." Beck later asked his producer if Chicago's elimination was proof that Obama had "failed." [Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Show, 10/2/09]

Lou Dobbs: "On today's broadcast, the IOC just says 'no' to Chicago! As the Drudge Report says 'The Ego Has Landed.' " From the "Today on the Radio" section of LouDobbs.com:

Breitbart website: "It is kind of like the world community saying to President Obama, 'Not only no, but Hell No.' " From a post by Publius -- the pseudonym of the "Editorial Panel" of the Andrew Breitbart-published website BigGovernment.com -- headlined, "Chicago Drops From 'Second City' to Fourth City":

So, not only did Chicago lose out in its bid for the Olympics, it lost in the FIRST ROUND. It is kind of like the world community saying to President Obama, "Not only no, but Hell No."

Limbaugh: For those "upset that I sound gleeful -- I am. I don't deny it. I'm happy." On his radio program, Limbaugh stated: "Folks, the ego has landed. The world has rejected Obama. Chicago, the least number of votes, first elimination in the round of voting for the Olympics in 2016. ... When you stop to think about it, folks, doesn't it make sense? Our president, Barack Hussein Obama -- mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack Hussein Obama mmm, mmm, mmm -- had been running around the world for nine months telling everybody how much our country sucks. He's been running around the world apologizing for the United States of America. Why would anybody award the Olympics to such a crappy place as the United States of America?" Later in the program, after reading a series of headlines about Chicago's elimination, Limbaugh explained why he is "gleeful" and "happy" about the failure of its Olympic bid:

LIMBAUGH: For those of you on the other side of the aisle listening in who are upset that I sound gleeful -- I am. I don't deny it. I'm happy. Anything that gets in the way of Barack Obama accomplishing his domestic agenda is fine with me. I stand by -- I don't want Obamacare to succeed. I want national health care, socialized medicine, to fail. I want cap and trade -- a national carbon tax emissions policy based on a hoax -- I want that to fail. I do not want the government owning car companies. I don't want the government running banks. I don't want the government in charge of loans. I don't want any of it. I want all of that to fail.

And for those things to fail, I'm sorry to say, our president must fail, because they're his ideas. It is the ideas I want to fail, but the architect of those ideals must, by the same sense of logic, also fail at the same time the ideas do. So anything that weakens and helps people to see the real Obama is a step forward. Gotta say it.

Drudge: "The ego has landed. World rejects Obama: Chicago out in first round." From the Drudge Report:

RedState.com's Erickson: "World rejects Barack Obama. ... Hahahahaha." From RedState.com managing editor Erick Erickson's post, headlined, "BREAKING: World Rejects Barack Obama. No Chicago Olympics; Hey Rush, apparently the rest of the world wants Obama to fail too":

Hahahahaha.

I thought the world would love us more now that Bush was gone.

I thought if we whored ourselves out to our enemies, great things would happen.

Apparently not.

So Obama's pimped us to every two bit thug and dictator in the world, made promises to half the Olympic committee, and they did not even kiss him.

Weekly Standard blog post reportedly said "[c]heers erupt[ed] at" magazine in response to Chicago losing bid. Think Progress' Matt Corley reported that a post by Weekly Standard blogger John McCormack originally stated that when the news came that Chicago's bid had been eliminated, "[c]heers erupt[ed] at WEEKLY STANDARD world headquarters." From Corley's blog post:

Soon after news broke that the International Olympic Committee had rejected Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Olympics, which President Obama had personally lobbied for, Weekly Standard blogger John McCormack published a celebratory post on the magazine's blog, titled "Chicago Loses! Chicago Loses!." McCormack wrote that "Cheers erupt at WEEKLY STANDARD world headquarters":

But the post has now been changed. The reference to cheers have been removed and the title has been shortened to a non-exclamatory "Chicago Loses." The current post neither acknowledges nor explains the changes that were made.

HotAir's Allahpundit to Obama: "You're a bigger sucker than I thought, champ." Blogger Allahpundit stated on HotAir.com: "It's only right that I eat crap here for having insisted that this was a done deal and that The One wouldn't dare risk his political capital on a completely needless humiliation. You're a bigger sucker than I thought, champ."

Malkin: "Goodbye, 'Yes We Can.' Hello, 'No, You Can't.' " Fox News contributor Michelle Malkin wrote: "Goodbye, 'Yes We Can.' Hello, 'No, You Can't.' Like Icarus, President Obama's giddy ego flight has ended with melted wax and fallen wings. This is a big win and a massive relief for taxpayers. But Chicago cronies are not going to take this well. Gird your loins."

M.C.L. Comment:

I know I've posted this story yesterday but the more I think about it the more I get piss about the media prostitutes that spend yesterday rooting the U.S. not getting the 2016 summer games. Rush and his piss ant clones in the right wing media spent eight years claiming Liberals rooted for soldiers to die in Iraq only because their hate for Bush was greater than their love of the country. Now they're doing what they accused Bush critics were doing but unlike the fictional liberals they claim were cheering for soldiers deaths they were out and about gloating and cheering when Chicago got knocked out in the first round. Again how petty and small do you have to that you would cheer when a American city loses a chance to host the Olympic? But here's the bright side while Michelle Malkin and her fellow hacks are rolling around in the mud because President Obama's adopted city of Chicago lost the only people that share their view are a small minority.

Jindal turns down $300 million in stimulus funds for high-speed rail.

By Amanda Terkel In response to President Obama’s national address in February, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal pointedly went after stimulus funding for high-speed rail projects as “wasteful spending.” But in August, state officials began drafting plans to request $300 million in stimulus funds to develop a high-speed rail between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. An official in the state Department of Transportation and Development called the project “a very valuable economic incubator.” The plan had the backing of Louisiana legislators such as Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao (R), who was pressing Jindal to request the money. Jindal, however, let the midnight Friday deadline pass, allowing his right-wing ideology to win out:

Jindal aides have said the administration is not applying because of concerns about the project’s ongoing costs. They said the state would incur an annual $18 million bill to run the rail system once it became operational. [...]

But U.S. Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao, R-New Orleans, on Friday called on Jindal to apply for the money. Since all U.S. taxpayers will foot the bill for the stimulus spending, Cao said, the state’s elected officials should see that Louisiana gets its fair share. “It’s our duty to obtain as much as we can to rebuild this region,” Cao said at a news conference at his city’s train station.

He acknowledged “a real concern” about the state’s responsibility for paying the annual costs, but said the overall project would be “an $180 million win for the state of Louisiana.”

Earlier on Friday, Cao had still been optimistic that Jindal would file application for the funding, which was all ready to go. “We’re counting on his leadership in this goal to go beyond any party lines and do what’s right for Louisiana,” Cao said.

VIDEO: Mission Accomplished For Conservatives Who Rooted Against America

Although the United States sent a high-powered delegation to make a last-ditch effort to bring the 2016 Olympics to Chicago, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled out the Windy City today. Of the final four cities — which also included Madrid, Toyko, and Rio — Chicago received the fewest votes. In his speech to the IOC in Copenhagen today, President Obama tied the American dream to the Olympic spirit in his pitch for the United States:

[Chicago is] a bustling metropolis with the warmth of a small town; where the world already comes together every day to live and work and reach for a dream — a dream that no matter who we are, where we come from; no matter what we look like or what hand life has dealt us; with hard work, and discipline, and dedication, we can make it if we try.

That’s not just the American Dream. That is the Olympic spirit. It’s the essence of the Olympic spirit. That’s why we see so much of ourselves in these Games. That’s why we want them in Chicago. That’s why we want them in America.

Always looking for a way to bring down Obama, conservatives not only criticized the President’s 15-hour trip, but also spent this week denegrating Chicago, downplaying the Olympics, and rooting against America. The criticisms have included mocking “fat people” in Chicago, gushing that Rio is just plain “awesome,” and saying that Chicago is too violent and doesn’t deserve the event. Watch a compilation:

So how will all these conservatives who have been rooting against the United States react now that their rhetoric has become reality? On Twitter, former Bush spokesman Scott Stanzel cautioned Republicans against gloating: “Note to GOP officials/consultants – resist the temptation to pile on about Chicago losing the Olympic bid just because Obama made the pitch.” His message didn’t reach RedState’s Erick Erickson, who immediately wrote:

Hahahahaha. I thought the world would love us more now that Bush was gone. I thought if we whored ourselves out to our enemies, great things would happen. Apparently not.

Bringing the Olympics wasn’t about cronyism. Besides U.S. pride, it was about an event that could have generated $22.5 billion in economic activity and the equivalent of 315,000 new full-time jobs in America.

Transcript:

SEAN HANNITY, 9/29: Tonight — Gang violence in Chicago leaves a teenager dead, and the shocking events are caught on tape. Should the President be pushing to bring the Olympics to this city?

…

MICHELLE MALKIN, 9/30: Well, this is all about the president’s Chicago cronies. That’s what this Olympic push is all about. And it starts with Richard M. Daley, the mayor of Chicago. He’s been there since 1989. He would like to see this $5 billion party cap off his long grand tenure. And it’s a great way to white wash all of the city’s ills in the windy city and in Illinois for that matter.

…

PAT CADDELL, 9/29: “Now in Chicago what we’re going to have is gangster politics that will make Al Capone so happy. This is the biggest ever outrage ever done the President of the United States.”

…

BRIT HUME, 9/29: Even if he does though, there are always going to be people who will always suspect he was on a political errand for Mayor Daley of Chicago, who has staked a lot of prestige on landing the Olympics, and a lot of people, I think, will not ever get over that idea.

BRETT BAIER: We’ll cover it.

…

DENNIS MILLER, 9/30: But I would caution the IOC to get ready. If they don’t award this Olympics to Chicago, and thus to President Obama, get ready to be deemed racist. That is the move.

BILL O’REILLY: And Oprah’s there too. They’re going to take a hit.

…

S.E. CUPP, 10/1: But on the other hand? Have you have you been to Rio? I have. It’s awesome. If I’m Rio, I’m not really worried. I mean, I don’t know — there’s conflicting stuff going on here. I’ll be surprised.

SEAN HANNITY: And they have a national holiday on the day of the announcement. So they’re fighting back.

CUPP: Well, Rio’s awesome. No offense to Chicago. I love the Cubs game.

GUILFOYLE: Everybody loves Rio.

CUPP: But Rio is awesome.

…

LOU DOBBS, 10/1: They are there talking — Michelle Obama talking smack with the First Lady of Brazil about the Olympics. Is this an appropriate — well, initiative on the part of the Obamas?

…

GLENN BECK, 9/30: ou know, I wouldn’t think that with everything that’s going on that Chicago and the Olympics would be a priority, but it is for this president, and his gal pal, because remember, they’re playing for all the gold.

…

BILL BENNETT, 10/1: BENNETT: Well, I’m actually for Rio. Somebody made the argument this afternoon — I guess it was Jack Cafferty — who said — and I don’t always agree with Jack, you may know, but he said, Rio, it’s beautiful women at the beach. In Chicago, it’s fat people eating. So, which would you rather see on TV?

ROLAND MARTIN: Have you seen Rio’s crime rate?

BENNETT: But let me say, one good thing — one good thing about Barack Obama going to Copenhagen and arguing for the United States and Chicago is, he is going to have to say some really very positive things about the United States while abroad, which is not something he has been doing.

WOLF BLITZER: All right, guys, on that note –

BENNETT: It will be a good thing. I would love to hear that.

MARTIN: Bill, that’s the first time you didn’t say buy American. I’m can’t believe you’re not supporting America.

BLITZER: Let the record show there are many, many beautiful women in Chicago as well.

M.C.L. comment: How petty and pathetic you got to be that you would root for the United States to lose her bid to host the Olympics? But then again I would like to thank the Republicans and their three dollar whores in the right wing media for showing sane America that they have one interest and one interest only and that's defeating President Obama at any cost. Regardless people are dying due to lack of insurance or bringing some pride to a American city by hosting the summer games the Republicans and their media street walkers just want to brand defeat on President Obama. While I didn't like nor respected President Bush I never rooted for him to fail because if Bush fails it's not like his policies only impact his brain-dead followers it set everyone back.

Now I don't mind Republicans and their brought and paid for media act like little kids getting a Nintendo Wii for Christmas when something don't go well for President Obama because again one they're showing people they have no interest other then making sure President Obama fail and two the Republican Party are every merging with the fringe element of that party so when they look at their election map it's going to look like stops on the NASCAR circuit.

DeMint Defiantly Leads GOP Delegation To Meet With Illegitimate Honduran Post-Coup Government

By Andrea Nill Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) has announced that he will be visiting Honduras today to meet with the de facto regime of acting Honduran President Roberto Micheletti in sheer defiance of the position taken by the US government and international community. Not a single nation has recognized Micheletti’s government, but Washington Note’s Steve Clemons explains that DeMint is intent on taking Honduran matters into his own hands:

Jim DeMint is acting on behalf of, in cahoots with, and against the foreign policy of the United States of America in encouraging post-coup Honduran government officials defy the United States. He is encouraging a political leadership which has no legitimacy and which not recognized by other democracies in the region — while the ousted President makes cell phone UN General Assembly statements from a couch-bed in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa.

The Logan Act forbids “unauthorized citizens” from negotiating with foreign governments. In a 1936 Supreme Court ruling, Justice Sutherland wrote that “the President alone has the power” and “the Senate cannot intrude, and Congress itself is powerless to invade it.”

Since former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was seized by the military at gunpoint and exiled in his pajamas back in June, the Obama administration — together with the United Nations, European Nations, and the Organization of American States — has collectively addressed the delicate political situation in Honduras by putting pressure on Micheletti’s government to reach a peaceful and democratic solution. So far, the US has cut all non-humanitarian aid to the de facto government and revoked the visas of all civilian and military officials who backed the June 28 coup. The Obama administration is also making a deliberate effort to repair critical relations with Latin America by reversing Washington’s “historic tendency” of welcoming and backing coups waged against democratically-elected leaders, such as Zelaya, who are critical of the U.S.

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) attempted to block approval of DeMint’s self-described “fact-finding trip,” citing the defiant role DeMint has taken in attempting to alter US policy on Honduras by brazenly blocking the confirmations of Arturo Valenzuela, Obama’s nominee to be assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, and Thomas A. Shannon Jr., the nominee to be ambassador to Brazil. However, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) interfered and appealed to the Defense Department to provide an airplane for DeMint and his delegation, which the Pentagon allowed. DeMint will be joined by US Reps. Aaron Schock (R-IL), Peter Roskam (R-IL), and Doug Lamborn (R-CO). Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) will be visiting Honduras on Monday. Ros-Lehtinen and the congressmen plan on meeting with Micheletti, members of the Honduran Supreme Court, election officials, and Honduran business and civic leaders. However, they are snubbing Zelaya who recently returned to Honduras and took refuge in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa.

Perhaps the public relations firm Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter & Associates — which Micheletti’s regime hired to “bolster its image in Washington” — helped convince DeMint to overlook the fact that Micheletti has suspended constitutional guarantees to civil liberties, including freedom of assembly and freedom of the press. Meanwhile, the U.N. Human Rights Council has unanimously called for an immediate end to all human rights violations in Honduras on behalf of the de facto government.

Update Wesley Denton, a spokesman for DeMint, told Talking Points Memo that the Senator is not attempting "to intervene in support of the military coup in Honduras." Denton explained:

"Sen DeMint did not announce that to the New York Times, they did not get that from our office. They did not speak to staff members from our office that I know of -- they certainly did not talk to me...He's not in support of any particular politician. He supports democracy, the rule of law and the constitution of Honduras, and he wants to see a quick resolution to the crisis, one that allows the Honduran people to resolve it through a democratic and transparent process."

Grayson: The GOP is a "lie factory"

By Tony Romm

The now-infamous Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) unleashed another verbal tirade against Republicans on Thursday, calling the party a "lie factory" that hoped only to stall the healthcare debate.

Grayson also dismissed calls that he apologize for his remark earlier this week that Republicans' healthcare plan was to "die quickly" -- an allegation that has since invoked the ire of the entire GOP.

"America is sick of you, Republican Party; you're a lie factory, that's all you do," he told MSNBC on Thursday. "Why don't you work together with the Democrats to solve America's problems instead of making stuff up?"

Grayson then called the party a bunch of "no-mongers," and he chided GOP lawmakers for failing to come up with their own healthcare plan in the 48 hours since he first attacked their strategy.

"The people who should be apologizing are the Republicans, they're the ones who should apologize for dragging us all through the mud here while we're just trying to improve healthcare in America," he said. "That's all we're trying to do."

The GOP has since dismissed Grayson's remarks as partisan hackery, and some party members are now calling for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to sanction the congressman for his comments -- much as Democrats rebuked Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) for interrupting the president during his address to Congress. But Democrats have grumbled at that suggestion, claiming it is little more than a distraction from the more important debates confronting Congress.

Grayson said Thursday he agreed with that perspective, but he also offered some tough words for his own party, which he said needed to work together to overcome Republicans' stall tactics.

"We've got to get past this point where everything is stalled; where the Republicans are winning just through inertia," he said. "We have a majority, we have to use it."

Despite evidence to contrary, Fox News machine claims Jennings "cover[ed] up statutory rape"

from Media Matters

Despite evidence to the contrary, Fox News -- led by Sean Hannity -- and other right-wing media have claimed that Department of Education official Kevin Jennings "cover[ed] up statutory rape" and violated Massachusetts law by not reporting to authorities a 1988 conversation in which a high school student told Jennings about his relationship with an older man. In fact, Jennings' attorney wrote in a 2004 letter that the student was 16 years old, which is -- and was at the time -- the legal age of consent in Massachusetts.

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Fox, right-wing media claim Jennings covered up "statutory rape"

Sean Hannity: "As The Washington Times said, 'At the very least, statutory rape occurred,' and he didn't report it." On the September 30 edition of Fox News' Hannity, host Sean Hannity said: "We have the safe schools czar, a guy by the name of Kevin Jennings, OK? And he writes this book, and he gives information to a 15-year-old -- ABC News and Jake Tapper write about this tonight -- a 15-year-old sophomore, and his advice to him when he's having a gay relationship is, you know, 'Did you use a condom?' He knew it was an older adult. Now, as The Washington Times said, 'At the very least, statutory rape occurred,' and he didn't report it. Now he's saying that he made a mistake, only because it's been reported on. My question is, where's the vetting process? Why was he even put in this position?" Hannity went on to call for Jennings to be "fired."

The Fox Nation: Jennings "Cover[ed] Up Statutory Rape." The Fox News website TheFoxNation.com posted the following headline on September 30:

Gateway Pundit: "Jennings hid pedophilia from authorities." In a September 30 post titled "Obama's 'Safe Schools Czar' Expresses Regret for Not Reporting Statutory Rape," the right-wing blog Gateway Pundit claimed: "Barack Obama's 'safe school's czar' Kevin Jennings hid pedophilia from authorities. Jennings violated a state law that required him to report the abuse."

Malkin: Jennings failed to report "homosexual child predator." Fox News contributor Michelle Malkin wrote a September 30 blog post titled "Safe Schools czar now 'regrets' failure to report child predator" in which she referred to Jennings' purported "failure as a young gay teacher to protect a 15-year old student from a homosexual child predator."

Jennings' attorney stated in letter that student was 16, which is, and was, MA age of consent

Jennings' attorney: Conversation was "with a sixteen-year-old student"; "no factual basis" that Jennings was "aware of any sexual victimization of any student." In an August 3, 2004, letter, Constance M. Boland of the law firm Nixon Peabody -- which represented the organization that Jennings ran -- wrote that the "conversation" Jennings had was with "a sixteen-year-old student" and that there "is no factual basis whatsoever for" the "claim that Mr. Jennings engaged in unethical practices, or that he was aware of any sexual victimization of any student, or that he declined to report any sexual victimization at any time." [Boland letter, 8/3/04]

Massachusetts age of consent is -- and was at the time -- 16. According to a footnote in the 1982 Massachusetts case Commonwealth v. Calvin D. Miller, chapter 265, section 23 of the General Laws of Massachusetts, as amended in 1974, at the time provided:

Whoever unlawfully has sexual intercourse or unnatural sexual intercourse, and abuses a child under sixteen years of age shall, for the first offense, be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for life or for any term of years, or, except as otherwise provided, for any term in a jail or house of correction, and for the second or subsequent offense by imprisonment in the state prison for life or for any term of years, but not less than five years.

According to the legislative history available in the Lexis database, the provision was not amended after 1982 until 1998. It was amended again in 2008, and now provides:

Whoever unlawfully has sexual intercourse or unnatural sexual intercourse, and abuses a child under 16 years of age, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for life or for any term of years or, except as otherwise provided, for any term in a jail or house of correction. A prosecution commenced under this section shall neither be continued without a finding nor placed on file.

M.C.L. comment:

Quick question didn't Fox News and other right wing media outlets try to bury the Mark Foley scandal?

Rep. Broun says that constituent who has major depression should go to the emergency room.

By Zaid Jilani

One of the most radical opponents of health care reform is Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA). He has said that a public option would “kill people.” Last Tuesday, Broun was confronted by a constituent at a health care town hall who explained that he has has gone into debt because he can’t afford insurance for his major depressive disorder. In response to his constituent’s story, Broun said that “people who have depression, who have chronic diseases in this country…can always get care in this country by going to the emergency room.” That comment prompted boos from the crowd. Towards the end of Broun’s answer, a constituent yelled, “That’s why we need a public option!” which brought cheers from the audience. Watch it:

As Georgia Liberal explains, “Treating major depression is not a one-shot deal. That is like saying cancer patients should get treatment one night in the E.R. and it is all better. You cannot treat chronic conditions in the ER.”

Bill Hicks Perfectly Describes Rush Limbaugh

I've always wonder anytime Rush talks about President Obama or liberals he always uses the phrase bend over and take it, since I can't explain it I'll let the great Bill Hicks give his opinion on Rush Limbaugh enjoy....

Grayson stands by criticism of Republican plan: ‘I would like to apologize to the dead.’

By Faiz Shakir

Yesterday(Tuesday night), Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) said the Republican health care plan is “don’t get sick,” and if you do get sick, “die quickly.” After offering those facetious and sadly accurate remarks, Grayson came under criticism from Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), who demanded that Grayson apologize on the House floor. Speaking to reporters this afternoon, Grayson said, “Yes, it was tongue-in-cheek. I’m surprised I have to explain that, but that’s the way it goes these days.” He added that he’s “not taking any of it back” and will “stand by what I said.” When asked if he would apologize, Grayson offered this response:

“I would like to apologize,” he said. “I would like to apologize to the dead.”

Citing a statistic that 44,789 Americans die each year because they don’t have health insurance, Grayson said, “That is more than ten times the number of Americans who died in the war in Iraq, it’s more than ten times the number of Americans who died on 9/11. …It happens every year.”

Grayson added in another apparent dig at the GOP, “We should care about people even after they are born.”

Grayson apologized one last time.

“I apologize to the dead and their families that we haven’t voted sooner,” he said.

“I don’t think the Democrats need to be on defense,” Grayson told reporters. “I think we should be on the offense and not the defense, and that’s where I plan to stay.”

Update This afternoon, Grayson appeared on CNN's The Situation Room, where he engaged in a fierce debate with the panel. He stood his ground, arguing, "I'm not the one who should apologize, they should apologize to America." He added, "Democrats have to have guts. And now we have to have the guts to take the majority that the American people gave to us and do something with it. And what we have to do is solve people's problems." Watch it:

State officially shut down Lawmakers fail to agree on budget before deadline

By Chris Christoff and Kathleen Gray

LANSING -- State government was officially shut down after midnight, as state lawmakers failed to agree on either a full or temporary budget for the new fiscal year.

The Republican-controlled Senate held final action on an interim budget until after the midnight deadline, over objections from Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who accused them of shirking their responsibility to keep state government from shutting down.

The Senate adjourned until 12:15 a.m., when it was presumed negotiations would continue between the House, Senate and Granholm.

Less than an hour earlier, Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, accused Granholm and Senate Democrats of sabotaging progress on a final budget agreement, although key budget bills remained stalled in the Democratic controlled House.

Wednesday afternoon, Granholm notified some 51,000 state employees that they would be laid off at 12:01 a.m. if no budget was in place.

Only state workers for essential services would be at work, such as prison employees, unemployment offices, State Police patrols and state hospitals and critical health programs.

The closure also means state vendors will not be paid.

If there is no resolution by later in the morning, people camping in state parks will be asked to leave.

Lt. Gov. John Cherry, who presided over the Senate, said, "It's unfortunate it's gotten to this point. Both houses passed continuation budgets, but unfortunately they haven't sent it to the governor's desk so she can sign it.

Cherry said some may have been looking toward an actual government shut down. He added, "Maybe now that it's happened a resolution can be reached."

Two key bills -- one to fund public schools, the other to pay for state government and revenue sharing to local communities -- remained mired in the House with not enough support.

Just before midnight a bill to reduce state aid to schools by $218 per pupil was defeated, 2-106, as the Michigan Education Association engaged an all-out lobbying effort to kill the bill.

"Our goal is to find the money to run our schools," said MEA executive director Lu Battaglieri.

House Democratic leaders vowed throughout Wednesday to pursue legislation to raise more revenue, and use the money to restore some cuts such as aid to schools, the Michigan Promise grant program for college students revenue sharing and Medicaid payments to physicians and hospitals.

A bill to fund public universities would eliminate the Michigan Promise grant program, which was to pay up to $4,000 to eligible college students this school year.

Another bill that stalled in the House would reduce revenue sharing to cities, townships and villages by 11%. House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township, couldn't muster enough of his own House Democrats to pass the bill.

Dillon had said he had an agreement with Senate Republicans to balance the budget using spending cuts. Dillon also planned to pursue unspecified taxes to restore programs.

Among the taxes discussed were a 3% assessment on all physicians, a tax on bottled water and a sales tax on tickets for entertainment such as sports events and concerts.

The state House of Representatives barely passed the budget that provides payments to local units of government for everything from police and fire services to maintaining parks and libraries.

The 56-52 vote was enough to pass revenue sharing, which includes an 11.1% cut in payments to municipalities, as well as a $7.1 million allocation for the Michigan State Fair.

The vote came 75 minutes past the midnight deadline to approve a state budget.