The budget proposals are very, very ugly:

The governor identified $4 billion in optional cuts, in which she choose $2 billion in preferred cuts. The following proposals are likely to end up in her November budget proposal:

• Eliminate the Basic Health Plan, ending subsidized health care to 35,000 low-income individuals.
• Cut off medical services to 21,000 people enrolled in the state’s Disability Lifeline and ADATSA (Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Treatment Support Act) programs.
• Trim 15 percent from the support the state provides to colleges and universities.Reduce levy equalization, which helps property poor districts, by 50 percent.
• Cut the length of supervision for all offenders, based on severity of offense. Sex offenders will be supervised for 24 months, and all other offenders, for 12 months.

“This is what our choices look like even after we let go of thousands of state workers and cut money to our public schools, our colleges and universities, our prisons, and shredded our safety net for the old, sick, and poor,” Gregoire said.

This is a budget that hurts everyone, but it really hits the most vulnerable of our citizens. Crime and violence will be higher than it should be for all of us. These cuts can be quantified by increases in bankrupcies, untreated morbidity, and dead bodies. The actuaries will tell us just how many bright high school graduates have had a college degree stripped from them—with lifetime consequences and lost dreams.

But this budget does not have to be. The Governor is, undoubtedly, hoping the legislature will grow a pair and work on the revenue end of things:

Gregoire says she will now turn her attention to finding ways to offset some of the cuts with new money. That could include fees, closing tax exemptions or a general tax increase.

We are now living through an era of historically low taxes. It’s well past the time to close many of the tax exemptions that have outlived their usefulness to us, the flesh and blood people of Washington state. And its time to raise bring in more tax revenue.

Seriously…I don’t want to live in a Washington surrounded by decaying infrastructure, high crime, medical bankruptcies, or physical suffering for those who chose pain, even death, over bankruptcy. Let’s confine that Mad Max-like dystopia shit to the movies, huh?

Please join us for an evening of politics under the influence at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking liberally.

We meet at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. at 8:00 pm. Stop by earlier for a quiet dinner.

Can’t make it into Seattle? The Tri-Cities chapter of Drinking liberally meets every Tuesday night as well. The Bellingham Chapter also meets tonight. And tomorrow the Burien chapter meets.

With 227 chapters of Living Liberally, chances are good there is one near you.

Rep. Jay Inslee (WA-1) want to be your next Governor. In this interview, he talks jobs, jobs, jobs, and a bit of medical marijuana. The interview is followed by a round-table discussion with Chris Vance, Joel Connelly, Cathy Allen, and Joni Balter:

Watch October 21, 2011 on PBS. See more from KCTS 9 Connects.

Thom: Harold Camping tells us Friday is our last day.

Herman Cain jokes all the way to Worst Person in the World.

Obama Ends the Iraq War:

• Obama: End of combat operations in Iraq….
• Ed and Pap: Obama keeps his promise on Iraq.

Pap: GOP ready to steal 2012 election.

Occupied:

• Young Turks: Rep. West’s bizarre OWS “Nazis” and “Communists”.
• Jon with Scorn in the U.S.A. (via OneGoodMove).
• Thom: Has OWS blown up the Santa Claus theory?
• OWS: Outing the ringers:
• Young Turks: Goldman Sachs run-in at OWS.
• Olbermann with Markos: The GOP’s inability to “get” the OWS movement.
• Thom: How the 1% are reacting.
• Mark Fiore: Dog Boy and Mr. Dan in Thanks for Nothin’.
• The Daily show does OWS.
• Roy Zimmerman: Hope, Struggle, and Change:
• Young Turks at OWS: Americans love a millionaire tax.
• Olbermann with Rev. Jesse Jackson on saving the medical tent

Thom: The Good, the Bad, and the Very, Very Ugly.

ONN: Week in review.

Ann Telnaes: Sen. Graham—Give me your oil….

Liberal Viewer: FAUX News bias on health law constitutionality?.

Lawrence O’Donnell: VP Joe Biden schools Republicans on math.

Sam Seder: Marco Rubio’s fictional biography.

The Teabaggers boycott Aladdin Episode 2.

Pap: How anti-science Republicans are destroying America.

The GOP Primary Asylum:

• ONN: GOP race heats up as candidate in coma more appealing than rest of field:
• Keith and Nia-Malika Henderson (WAPo) on infighting at the debate
• ONN Follow-up: Comatose John Clarkson drops out of GOP race due to sex scandal.
• Alyona’s Tool Time: Bachmann ‘Iraq should reimburse us!’
• Actual Audio: Michele takes on Herman.
• Young Turks: Herman Cain on unemployment, “blame yourself”.
• Stephen: Herman Cain’s electrified fence.
• Young Turks: Herman Cain’s gay “choice”.
• Ann Telnaes: Herman Cain’s, “No abortions ever.”
• Young Turks: Cain’s secret addendum to the 999 plan.
• Did Mitt forget?
• Maddow: Mitt Romney does not understand his own position on birth control!
• Mitt’s housing plan.
• Ann Telnaes: Perry’s inner Palin.
• Rick Perry calls Herman Cain, “brother.”
• The first lady Gaga:

Glenn Beck conspires his way to Worst Person in the World.

The Tea Party Nation Engages in Blatant Sabotage Against America:

• Young Turks: Tea Party Nation’s sabotage.
• Sam Seder: Tea Party Nation’s bizarre new “pledge”.
• Stephen on The Tea Party Nation’s Pledge

Pap and Ed: Republicans now claim to be concerned about income gap.

Alyona: Poverty spreading across the states..

White House: West Wing Week.

Gaddafi is Gone:

• Newsy: How did Gaddafi die?
• Alyona: MSM celebrates a death.
• Obama on Muammar Qaddafi’s death.
• Jon: No ‘Amour Gaddafi.
• Olbermann and Bill Press on Republican’s reaction to the death of Gaddafi
• Alyona: Who gets “credit” for Libya?

Sen. Cantwell (D-WA) on the threat of Salmon anemia:

Obama on The American Jobs act.

Thom: ALEC is targeting your sick leave.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

This morning, public radio stations across the nation played a Marketplace piece about small businesses supporting the OWS family of protests.

And who did they feature in the story? Occupy Seattle and Big Mario’s New York Style Pizza:

Big Mario’s has made it cheap and easy to feed the protesters. As The Ave points out, even if you cannot join the crowds at Westlake Center or other occupied sites, you can still support the cause by sending food (or other essentials of life).

I could live the rest of my life on pizza alone, but that may not be true for all. The Ave article asks people to identify other places that support the protesters through discounts and deliver to Occupy Seattle. If you know of any, leave details in the comment thread, here or at The Ave.

It’s seems like an epidemic among Republicans these days. Earlier this week it was Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler (R-WA-3). Today we have ourselves another cowardly Republican on full display.

This time it’s Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA-7) cowering at the thought of appearing before an un-screened crowd:

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) is abruptly pulling out of a scheduled Friday lecture on income equality at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business School, according to the school.

[…] According to Cantor’s office, the Congressman pulled out after discovering that the speech would be open to the public and seeing reports that the university was allowing protestors to gather on the campus itself.

I cannot substantiate the rumor that instead of giving the speech, Cantor held a meeting with Herrera Beutler and Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA-8) to draft the bylaws of the G.O.P. Coward’s Club.

Freshman Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler (R-WA-3) got a little attention today from the national press. And, um…it wasn’t exactly a profile in political courage.

The original story comes from The Columbian (my emphasis):

Who should be informed of the opportunity to meet with their elected officials? Who decides how that should happen? According to U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, she does.
[…]

On Friday The Chronicle in Centralia received a phone call from Herrera Beutler staffer and Communications Director Casey Bowman informing the newspaper of the meeting. Bowman asked that a meeting announcement not be placed in the paper. However, he did invite the paper to cover the event.

The Chronicle refused his request and published an announcement in Saturday’s paper.

The reason for not publishing an advance notice of the meeting was the fear that people from outside the immediate area could come and “just yell” at the congresswoman “whatever’s on their minds,” Bowman said Friday.

Perhaps Herrera Beutler can get together with Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA-8) and charter a G.O.P. Coward’s Club.

Robert Mac hosts a debate between incumbent King County Council member Jane Hague and her challenger Richard Mitchell:

Publicola has a brief recap but, man, it’s worth watching the whole thing.

Who do you think does better, and why?

I got to the Ale House a bit late, but here is the open thread….

5:18: Wow…the five minutes I’ve watched has been a big hatefest on Cain’s 999 tax plan. Funny how Republicans suddenly embrace reality when it gives them something to crush their opponent with.

5:20: Apples and oranges. Double-topping pizza for only $9.99: Feast of the top .999%

5:22: The Newtster still insists on being called, “Mr. Speaker”. What a putz!

5:23: Michele wants to “Go back to the miracle of Ronald Reagan’s plan”, “abolish the tax code”, “flatten taxes”. My god, is she an idiot!

5:26: Once again, Rick Perry is caught napping. He doesn’t have a rival tax plan. Instead he wants to talk unemployment. That’s sooooo last month.

5:29: Rick Santorum shouldn’t show his teeth like that. People’ll think he’s British…..

5:34: Michele Bachmann points out that the Obama administration is arguing with itself over the CLASS act. Not really. A good discussion of CLASS come from Ezra Klein.

5:39: Ron Paul is in fine babbly form this evening!

5:42: Rick Perry’s health care plan is to prosecute those who hire “illegals”?!? (Like Mitt Romney, apparently?) I’m feeling healthier already!

5:45: It pains me to say this, but Mitt made mincemeat of Rick Perry over the interruptions and also the “hiring illegals” business.

5:50: Perry had a strong “border” comeback after the “illegals fiasco”, but it was prepared. After Bachmann’s babblery, Perry babbles back.

5:52: Perry tries mining the “Mitt Hires Illegals” again. Less disastrous.

5:53: A Hispanic man just asked a question. Who will be first to ask if CNN checked his citizenship documents?

5:55: I have no idea what Ron Paul just spewed about putting people in groups and group mentality.

5:57: Bachmann: America has problems with magnets and anchor babies. Magnets and anchors can be quite unwieldy! So…good point.

6:03: The Mittster solution to nuclear waste: Let the states BID on it!

6:04: Rick Perry just said that the Government shouldn’t subsidize energy in any form. Wait…wasn’t that his entire fucking Jobs Plan?!?

6:08: Huh…Michele Bachmann is a mom?

6:12: Ron Paul just admitted he is incompetent.

6:18: Fuck…a group of noisy diners just sat down at the table behind me. I could barely hear the debate as it was. Fortunately, the closed caption text is on. Looking at the bright side…is’s good practice for old age!

6:21: Candidates are now going through their pre-prepared statements on “faith”. Fucking YAWWWWWWNNNNN. None of them are going to go there about Mormonism, obviously. I mean, it wouldn’t be fair with Huntsman not there….

6:22: Rick Perry talking about “the founding fathers” is like Mike Tyson talking about nuclear physics….

6:25: A “question from the audience” CLEARLY being read off of a screen. Sheesh. What bullshit!

6:28: Was it a Closed Caption error or was the Newtster talking about “illeteral politicians”???

6:31: Herman Cain: “Policy that we do not negotiate with terrorists”…but maybe we can send ’em some pizza and coke….

6:33: Let’s step back for a moment. Is it my imagination, or is Anderson Cooper, essentially, trying to simply drag the most controversy out of the “debaters”? Seriously…the substance is excessively thin, but the show ain’t half bad!

6:40: Damn…even Ronald Reagan’s movie roles are sacred to the Republicans. They are in a FUCKING REAGAN CULT!!!!!!

6:42: Okay…I’m outta here. I have to go to a birthday dinner a couple of doors down. It has been another enjoyable debate, watching Republicans presidential wannabes trying to out-crazy each other.

So far, it seems that Herman Cain has succeeded in not being destroyed. Perry is toast…very burnt toast that has been thrown into the kitchen sink only to get soggy. What a mess. Michele, “Mr. Speaker”, and Santorum (eeewwwww!) are where they started—amusing sideshows. Romney still comes off as the condescending prick he probably really is…and he continues to be the reluctant choice of Republicans. Oh, yeah. Ron Paul…still the fucking kook-job he has always been.

And that concludes another fascinating episode of “The GOP Primary Asylum Reality Show.” And may God HELP America!

If you have the chance this evening, do show up at the Reject Rove Rally and let Rob McKenna know what you think of him hanging out with one of the architects of Shrubs Great Big Military Adventure in Iraq, renditions, torture, etc.

And then join us for Drinking Liberally, Seattle for another evening of politics under the influence. We meet at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. at 8:00 pm. Some folks will probably be there earlier to watch the Republican Debate and have dinner.

Can’t make it? The Tri-Cities chapter of Drinking Liberally meets tonight beginning at 7:00pm. Drinking Liberally Tacoma meets this Thursday, 7:00pm at the Hub Restaurant. And the Everett chapter of Drinking Liberally meets at the Buzz Inn in Snohomish next Monday at 7:00 pm.

With 227 chapters of Living Liberally, chances are good there is one near you.

Karl Rove is in town tonight to raise money for Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna.

Apparently Rob McKenna is okay with receiving the help of a co-conspirator in the Iraq war, illegal renditions, and the U.S. policy of torturing prisoners adopted under the Bush administration.

Anything for power, huh Rob?

The Democrats are holding a Reject Rove Rally this evening:

We will be at the corner of Bellevue Way (NE 104th Ave). and 6th St. Important Note: 104th Ave. is better known as Bellevue Way. We’ll be on the southeast corner on the sidewalk, directly opposite the Bellevue Westin and in front of the Bellevue Arts Museum. The rally starts at 5:30 pm, but please show up a little earlier than that.

If you have the chance, show up and let Rob McKenna know what you think of him hanging out with a fucking war criminal.

Goldy captures remarkable video that shows an interview and the subsequent arrest of a defiant protester at the Seattle Occupation.

The woman has the audacity of building an un-permitted “structure.” It has a sleeping bag foundation (likely not up to seismic or structural codes). Goldy tells me that, aside from asking her to move, they didn’t really take any action until she erected the top portion of the structure, consisting of umbrella-based roofing materials supported by her own arm (certainly not up to structural standards). The city had no choice but to eliminate the dangerous, illegal structure.

As it happens, it was the woman’s only home.

The police first “disarmed” the perpetrator of un-permitted housing construction by taking away a paper cup from her hand and the cigarette from her mouth. It wasn’t just a cup, though, as one cop found out when he pulled the lid off and became moistened by the coffee within.

Dominic Holden has a follow-up report (emphasis in original):

“The only people who we arrest with umbrellas are the people with umbrellas who take their cups of hot coffee and dump it on officers,” says Sergeant Sean Whitcomb. He says you can see in the video below, at about the 1:00 minute mark, the woman “take her hand and forcefully slosh the coffee on one of the officer’s legs.”
[…]

The Seattle Police Department is asking prosecutors to charge her with obstruction, resisting arrest, and misdemeanor assault (for the coffee thing). She was one of eight people arrested this morning, Whitcomb says.

A clear case of assault with “hot coffee.”

Except that, as Goldy’s video timestamp shows, the coffee was no less than 38 minutes old at the instant it was used to assault the officer (and it was possibly much older).

And, contrary to Sergeant Whitcomb statement, the moistening/flesh-scorching incident took place after the police had begun detaining her, not before.

In any case, we certainly wish the officer a speedy and full recovery from his coffee burns and a complete dehydration from the moistening. And thank god(s), that when he pulled the lit cigarette from her mouth, the pain of his first injuries didn’t cause him to plant his palm on the lit end of the cigarette.

Thankfully, the dangerous structure was torn down without additional injury to Seattle police officers or innocent bystanders.

Postscript:

As a non-resident of Seattle, I don’t typically have much to say about the Seattle Mayor—I simply don’t have a dog in that race. It seems to me, this video is the nail in the coffin of Mayor Mike McGinn’s reelection prospects. Simply put, his handling of the Occupy Seattle protest has come off as bipolar.

Thom: The Good, The Bad, and the Very Very Ugly.

Ann Telnaes: Taxpayer killing of the unborn….

White House: West Wing Week.

Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks: Senator:

Thom: Did Republicans just prove they only care about the top 1%?

Occupied:

• Ann Telnaes: Gingrich, Cain and Cantor on “wall street mobs”.
• Young Turks: Occupy Wall Street epic win.
• Alonya: Speaking to the occupiers.
• Mark Fiore: Then meets now.
• Thom: We are the 99%…let’s get to work.
• Olbermann with Tavis Smiley and Cornel West on occupy Wall Street.
• Ed and Pap: Stop the looting, start the prosecuting.
• Aloyna: Bloomberg backs down.
• Young Turks: Conservatives claim OWS is anti-Semitic
• Ann Telnaes: Newt Gingrich’s trash talk.

Jimmy Kimmel talks to kids about politics.

Ed with some Psychotalk from John Boehner.

ONN: Obama’s approval soars after punching Wall Street banker in the face.

Koch Gives Cancer:

• Thom: Koch and Cancer.
• Young Turks: The Koch Brothers cause cancer.

Tom with more Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

Radio host Neal Boortz crazies his way to Worst Person in the World.

The GOP Primary Asylum:

• Jimmy Fallon: GOP political ads (via Huffington Post).
• Aloyna: MSM primary political games.
• Ann Telnaes: Palin ain’t running.
• Young Turks: Herman Cain takes the lead!
• Lawrence O’Donnell: Inside 999.
• Herman Cain: Revolution 999 (via TalkingPointsMemo).
• Newsy: Is Cain’s 999 tax feasible?
• Aloyna’s Happy Hour: Bachmann goes all 666 at debate
• Ann Telnaes: Christie will not run
• Thom: Values Voter bigotry over Romney’s faith.
• Young Turks: Ron Paul’s eyebrow?
• Pap: Who’s pulling the strings for Rick Perry?.
• Ed with some Psychotalk from Gov. Rick Perry.
• Young Turks: 999 or 666?
• CNN: Romney policies run up against reality.
• Tweety: The ‘Two Faces’ of flip-flopping specialist Willard Mitt Romney
• Mitt Romney through some Bad Lip Reading:
• Ed: Rush disavows Mitt’s conservative credentials.
• Young Turks: Newt’s moment of crazy.
• Actual Audio: Herman Cain versus the protesters.
• Susie Sampson: Social Security and the Romney-Perry Showdown!

Jimmy Starline, member of the County Board of Commissioners in Camden County, Ga is Worst Person in the World.

Thom: Dems fire-up to fire Walker.

More Hank, Jr.:

• Young Turks: Hank goes on The View.
• Barely Political: Hank’s apology.

Aloyna’s Tool Time: FL Gov. Rick Scott and the Liberal Arts.

Newsy: Parts of Alabama immigration law blocked.

Sam Seder: Corporate tax dodgers are destroying the economy.

Sharpton: The GOP “jobs plan”.

Kill ’em Dead:

• Young Turks: FL lawmaker wants firing squads.
• Aloyna’s Tool Time: FL Sen., Ol’ Sparky, and Firing Squads.

Rush Limbaugh is back in the saddle as Worst Person in the World.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Publicola announces the Friday Jolt winner of the day:

Anyone who’s thinking of running against US Rep. Dave Reichert.

US Rep. Dave Reichert tainted his reputation as a green Republican—one of the Democrats’ big problems when taking him on—by voting for a coal bill today that will weaken coal ash regulations and take the EPA completely out of the picture.

Reichert goes from a pale green to ashen….

Coming out of the 2010 elections with avictory in taking the House, Republicans were boasting about their inevitable Senate victory in 2012. Now they may need to worry about simply keeping the House (via TPM):

…voters are starting to favor a Democratically-controlled Congress, as disapproval of the legislative body grows.

A Reuters/Ipsos survey released on Wednesday showed a major gap between the two parties, with 48 percent of voters going for Democrats while 40 percent went for Republicans. An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll showed a four point lead for Democrats, and Public Policy Polling showed a six point edge for Dems.

Two mistakes the Republicans made: First they let the extremist minority of their party (i.e. Teabaggers) drag them to the far right way-crazy, resulting in a year filled with seeming political chaos in Congress. What could have come off as principled defiance instead came off as sabotage.

Second, Republicans have gotten absolutely nothing productive done to solve the problems of a stalled economy and high unemployment. Negative, angry rhetoric is great stuff for giving voters an outlet for their angst and a common cause. But the voters wanted more than a big vent-fest…they wanted and expected real improvements. The Republicans failed to deliver. The voters are noticing.