Democrats pick up another House seat.
Want to see what Republican immigration reform looks like?
Interior Sec. Ken Salazar apologizes for threatening to punch a reporter.
A Florida restaurant owner is charging customers a 5% "Obamacare surcharge." Update: he's walking it back.
Rep. Scott DesJarlais may have some explaining to do.
Reassuring news from Maine's outgoing GOP chair: "I know black people. I play basketball every Sunday with a black guy."
Gaza fires more rockets into Tel Aviv while Israel drafts 16,000 reservists.





John Metz (Mr. "Obamacare surcharge") is representative of the real problem in our country. Greed.
Well, this is sad! I am NOT going to eat in any restaurant that does this to us or its employees. I can live without PapaJohns, Chick Fila, Dennys, Hurricane Grill, DQ and any other business where the owner thinks more about "getting his" than he does about his customers or his employees!!
I'd like to see a comprehensive list of such businesses. I'm sure I can live without them too, at least under usual circumstances.
How much did John Metz donate to the Romney campaign? Probably enough to get a good start towards providing health care for the people helping him make his millions.
Sorry, buddy, you can't walk that sh*t back. It's on you, and it's going to STAY on you.
I was just reading about the horrible accident in Midland Texas that according to reports, has killed 4 people, among them the vets that were being honored. They were hit by a train while being pulled across the tracks by a truck, as in a "float." Very very tragic.
"Cut my huge profit margin to actually create a fairer, more beneficial society for EVERYONE? That's evil communism!!"
This idiot doesn't realise better healthcare for his employees will benefit HIM!
Applebys is another one doing the same.
One word: boycott.
Joh Metz has health care - what does he care about others? NOT AT ALL! DesJariais is a total hypocrite. GOP? Not about the common person, just about themselves. Greed and indifference. BTW, where is that 5 million Trump would pay Obama for his school records? Did he give it to the charities working to rebuild after Sandy? No, he did not. Just a publicity whore.
I know black people. I play basketball every Sunday with a black guy.
On second thought, maybe the GOP should go back to talking about rape.
Leave him alone; he knows african americans, because he saw the 'Harlem Globetrotters,' once! Ha.......
For those so inclined, here's a list of all the restaurants owned by that chucklehead who values profit margin over the well-being of his employees. Feel free to share.
http://www.rremcrestaurants.com/locations.php
"I know black people. I play basketball every Sunday with a black guy."
Heh, nice try. That's the Onion, surely!
...... wait. You mean he ACTUALLY SAID THAT?
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/how-israel-shattered-gaza-truce-leading-escalating-death-and-tragedy-timeline
The 5% Obamacare surcharge guy has already abandoned that position after the inevitable backlash.
http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/backlash-florida-restaurants-owner-retreats-obamacare-surcharge
Thanks! I just added your link as an update up top.
I have still attached the five percent 'stupidity' surcharge on the bill I am sending him.......
I'm pretty disgusted with the coverage of the situation around Gaza. Why not IN Gaza? Because this latest round starts with over a hundred rockets being fired indiscriminately into civilian areas by Hamas, the putative leadership of the Palestinians in Gaza. I applaud the efforts of the IDF to protect its people. Imagine if members of a drug cartel in northern Mexico began raining rockets into El Paso. If the US did not respond vigorously to that attack the public here would be up in arms. We would not only be within our rights to respond, but we would have an obligation to respond to protect our citizens.
If that surcharge, etc. doesn't tell people all they need to know about companies' attitudes towards workers, then I don't know what will!
You know what's sad, if these tactics really do end up costing them business, they'll just whine that they're victims!
Have you heard about Miko Peled? He wrote a book called "The Generals Son" and he has a very different take on the conflict between Israel and the Gaza that I think we need to learn more about here in the US since our tax dollars are going toward helping Israel. Here is a lecture he gave recently in Seattle. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TOaxAckFCuQ
I wish Rachel would interview him on her show.
My family and I have agreed not to eat at any Applebees, Papa Johns, Dennys, etc. ever again. Done. Period.
Also reading about the strikes/walkouts planned by WalMart employees for the week preceding Black Friday. Cripes! Now Wal(F)Mart wants their employees to basically forego family Thanksgiving and show up to work that evening so this HUGE corporation can make even more billions on the backs of their poorly paid workers.
http://m.guardiannews.com/business/2012/nov/15/walmart-walkout-action-black-friday?cat=business&type=article
Ethell: you may see a trend that none of the brands you sited are food that is healthy, so you are doing yourself a real favor; they also don't care about your health!
Wait a minute. If I'm going to start boycotting, I need a correct list. I knew about Papa John's and Chick Fila. Are Dennys, Hurricane Grill and DQ also on the list? Who else? How do I fact-check (don't watch Fox so I have to question)?
Resolving differences with violence is in effect admitting that you are not smart enough to resolve them peacefully.
Personally I find Ken Salazar distasteful and extremely disappointing in terms of wildlife and environmental conservation. I wish Obama would get rid of him.
Although I agree that the owners of these businesses need a wake up call... To boycott them will hurt the employees even more than it will hurt the owners... No business means No employees.... There needs to be a better way to send the message.
Agreed,
A boycott may hit the owners bottom line, but they most likely will still live pretty well. On the other hand, if the boycott causes business to go down there could be layoffs or even closures and the hourly low-wage workers are the ones hurt.
Calden; didn't you hear? The supreme court says that cash equals free speech, and I am using the first amendment against hateful people. Corporations are people, too, my friend, to quote the Utah bard. I would take this speech over the people that protest in front of an abortion doctor's house in MS., and are basically threatening him to leave town; Dr. Tiller should have had more rights than Denny's.....
So, what happened to the horses finally?
Congratulations to Dr. Bera on his defeat of Dan Lungren. We worked hard to defeat Lungren, as he was one of the biggest foes of the ACA in congress. It was a triumph of substance over political cash........
I did a small part of taking down Lungren. I'm happy to hear that Dr. Bera will now be my representative in the House.
The only problem is that I have not heard if the secretary of state in CA has certified it. I think it is being called due to the odds of winning, with 70 thousand ballots out there to be counted. The last day for counting is today.....
Rachel - maybe you've done this, but please get the information out there that for large business owners (50 or more full time employees or equivalents), the $2000 penalty charge is only for full time employees (working over 30 hours) MINUS 30. So, if you have 50 full timers - you will only pay this PRO-RATED YEARLY charge on 20 of these full time employees. I'm a restaurant owner with the facts. We're under alot of pressure to hate Obama and the ACA - but it's BS. With these penalties - we'd actually save money paying the penalties vs. what we pay to insure. Of course, we believe in insuring as many workers as we can afford to - can't say the same for everyone ) :. I'm frustrated with the BS. Let's get the facts out there - please! I appreciated your Journalistic integrity, Rachel Maddow - so I know if anyone can get to the facts, you will! Thanks.
I called the american red cross to give a donation for Sandy, and for the earthquake in Guatemala. The red cross must be using a hired boiler plate phone bank; they took my Sandy donation, but refused to take my donation for Guatemala. They told me they were not allowed to do that, and were only accepting Sandy donations over the phone. Undeterred, I started digging. None of the american consular/ambassador numbers I could find for Guatemala in the US were working. I tried contacting the US ambassador in Guatemala city by email, but no response. Also; there is no relief info about the earthquake on our ambassador to Guatemala's web site, nor link to the Red Cross. I would appreciate it if anyone has any pull to get people to respond to this emergency. We have always helped other countries in their time of need, but it looks like the world has forgotten Guatemala. Please give, and please give to Sandy as well......
To Lesman: I, too have an affinity for Guatemala, as well as other areas where natural disasters are not given as much publicity. My contributions go to MERCY CORPS, which is based in Portland, Oregon. They provide assistance all over the world. I'm sure you can find them on the web. I have been dealing with them for over five years. You can designate where you want your contribution to be applied. I've already sent my check for Guatemala Earthquake Relief.
"...where did these black people come from? I don't know them."
Ah, living oxymora (i.e. black Mainers - or black people from any predominately white state); glad to meet ya! Yes, Charlie, we're everywhere. Boo!
Shout out to Sioux City, IOWA!
Is Arizona counting their hundreds of thousands of uncounted votes? Or stalling?
This gets at the heart of everything. People who tell others to tell others to go to work because these cars are that damn important, maybe one of the wealthy tenants called someone to make sure that there would be someone watching their car. People who have to protect their jobs. People who have to go to work. The fact that this happened in an evacuation zone during a hurricane makes it startling, but it's really not that different than the decisions people have to make all the time to go to work sick, to leave their children in questionable situations, to compromise so much to attain or keep employment. The people who say that we don't need the unions, there are laws are right. This man could have sued if he was fired for not going to work in an evacuation zone, the person who told him to go could have sued if fired for refusing to do that. But even if they knew that, the possibility of those actions does not put food on the table today or pay the rent. Maybe one of the tenants on this building, one of the Hollywood people, will stand up about this? http://www.thenation.com/article/171228/called-work-during-super-storm-sandy-tribeca-parking-attendant-drowned