Liberal and Moderate Democrats Can Find Common Ground on Healthcare

On This Week, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida says common ground can be found with moderates such as Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, who is opposed to a public option. He seems amenable to something like the trigger.
Plus Tom Coburn speaks on his role in creepy John Ensign's affair. Watch the video here.

Jim Jones on Don't Ask Don't Tell

The World's Going to Hell in a Handbasket

To temper my positive blog post earlier today, it looks like nuclear extermination is inevitable, according to the doomsday bunch at the roundtable on This Week. George Will says there is no community of nations and the world is just made up of conflict, and that's natural, end of story. Richard Haass said forget about reducing nuclear proliferation. The gloomy bunch conclude Europe isn't ready to step up to the plate. Well, duh. It's going to take more than a speech. It's going to take time and consistent efforts to rally Europe and other allies. David Frum says Obama didn't get anything he wanted at the G20. See the roundtable here and here.  George Will also says republicans didn't vote for the budget because Obama's not a novelty anymore. Okay. 

UN Ambassador Susan Rice was relatively tame:

STEPHANOPOULOS: Is the United States prepared to pressure China?

RICE: We're working very closely with China. China shares the same goal that we do, which is a de-nuclearized Korean Peninsula. China also is very proximate, on the border with North Korea, and shares our desire not to see this situation escalate, and to ensure that we can achieve, George, the long-term goal, which is de- nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through the six-party talk process.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But because China is right on the border of North Korea, they've been reluctant to really pressure North Korea. They're afraid that if you turn the screws too hard on North Korea, the regime is going to collapse and there's going to be chaos.

And is that why they are not going along with tougher sanctions?

RICE: Well, I think they have multiple concerns. They are looking at the large long-term goal of ensuring that we don't have a nuclearized Korean Peninsula. There have been times when we have differed as to the best means of achieving that.

But we are unified with China and others in the six parties towards the goal, George, of ensuring that we roll back this nuclear program that North Korea is pursuing.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But is there any evidence at all that North Korea is going to respond to any of this? They've been steadily adding to their nuclear program, in fits and starts at times, but basically they've been able, over the last eight years or so, to develop a nuclear capability, to develop nuclear warheads, and they seem determined to keep going on that track. RICE: Well, George, it is fits and starts. I mean, there have been steps that have occurred over the last years that have been progress. For example, they did take steps to dismantle the facility at Yongbyon, which was the principal reactor. Read more or watch the video here

Austan Goolsbee: We're Coming in With a Bang

The round up from yesterday's political shows:

McCain's Pal Graham on Palin

Lindsey Graham says Palin has energized the base. More like incited the base.

McCain Thinks Americans Are Stupid

McCain counts on the stupidity of Americans while Obama is counting on their intelligence. Everywhere Obama goes, he says the American people are smart and won't get fooled again. Which America will win out?

McCain is hoping that his blatant lies won't penetrate the minds of Americans. He hired a walking lie -- Sarah Palin -- to act as if she's a smart energy expert, who is experienced in foreign policy because she can see Russia from Alaska. She said "Thanks but no thanks on that Bridge to Nowhere." Anyone who believes that is stupid, or shall we say misinformed or uninformed. There's too much information out there and we should ALL know better.

If you're going to vote for McCain, vote for the real McCain. 

McCain's camp is counting on the ignorance of racists (or those nervous that if they vote for a black man, he'll put a Big Black Agenda into place) to help lure voters his way, nudging them with ads that exploit race ever so subtley.

After the collapse of the financial markets, blame for which can be placed squarely on republican's economic philosophy -- give more to the most and hope that it trickles down -- free markets are best, they'll regulate themselves -- you'd think people would be taking a second look at Obama. We shall see.

McCain is counting on Americans not being able to connect the dots. Republican leadership = disaster, the near catastrophic economic and political conditions that we're facing now. McCain's counting on them not knowing his history with Phil Gramm and McCain's love of deregulation. McCain is counting on them never having heard him admit he's not up on economics. McCain believes that if he changes his campaign slogan, then people will believe that he's a change agent.

McCain is counting on people not knowing enough about lobbyists and how much they influence government or how his lobbyist adviser Randy Schuenemann lobbied on behalf of Georgia. He's counting on Americans equating good soldier with good leader. He's counting on them thinking that Obama is elitist while McCain, with 7, 8, or 9 houses, is not. He's counting on them not knowing that he wants to deregulate the health insurance industry like the banking sector. He's counting on them not having seen any YouTube videos, where McCain gets all hot headed, where McCain talks about how much he loves Bush, where he eats cake on his birthday with George, while people were stranded on rooftops in New Orleans. McCain's counting on people not knowing that he's always voted against clean energy and technology.

McCain hired Palin to connect with the "values voter" and the low information voter, the ones who wouldn't vote for a black man, the PUMAs, the ones who don't have enough information to make an informed decision, so they vote for the person who is like them. Palin hunts moose. I hunt duck. Palin has a pregnant teen. I have a pregnant teen. Palin believes in that the Iraq war -- fighting Islam -- is God's plan. I believe that Islam is bad, and isn't Obama a Muslim? Palin speaks with a down home charm about fightin' and fixin'. Hey, so do I. Palin's a hockey mom. I'm a soccer mom. Palin doesn't believe in abortion. Isn't Obama a live baby killer? Palin believes that children shouldn't read about gay people. I believe gay people are sinners. Palin is hot. I wish I was hot. Palin has some great red shoes. I'm going to get a pair of those great red shoes and the glasses to match. Palin is popular. I wish I was popular.

I'm sorry but after getting so much new information about Palin, you'd be a dummy not to recognize that she's clueless. Utterly clueless. McCain picked her to be second in command. What does this say about McCain? About what he thinks of Americans? But McCain's counting on Americans to be charmed. Sadly, women are being exploited by the republican party.

The smart republicans aren't fooled. They know Palin is a tool. They're mad at McCain because he's acting the fool, pretending to be someone he's not. He's pretending to be Obama. McCain even hired someone he thought was like Obama.

Meanwhile, Obama says Americans know better and they're hungry for change. Fingers crossed. 

McCain called unpresidential.

Richardson and Jindal on This Week With George S

Tomorrow, ABC's Jake Tapper fills in for George Stephanopoulos with two separate interviews: New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (for Obama) and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (McCain).
Look out for Tapper's his anti-Obama bias.