Monday, November 30, 2015
The 4500th Post
++The National Abortion Federation estimates there have been over 5,000 violent incidents, including deaths,at abortion clinics since the procedure was made legal.
"We Wouldn't Have Isis, If George W. Bush Had Not Invaded Iraq."
++Retired Lit. General Michael Flynn, former head of the Special Forces,said that we allowed anger after 9/11 to get the better of us so we invaded Iraq. The consequence is that our invasion led to the creation of ISIS today.
Sam Wang Is Almost Back
++Sam Wang posted a Thanksgiving message at the Princeton Elections Project. It doesn't make sense to those who don't know statistics.
++But it is clear Sam is beginning to rev his engines for 2016. His main concern is about the reliability of the polling data. He said that 20% of the votes in the GOP primary could cinch the nomination. He sees this as Rubio's target but it has to be consistent across the board.
++He debates whether 33% is the new 55% and gets in his digs at Nate Silver, who says these recent polls don't count. It's too early.
++But I can't wait until Sam Wang enters the fray.
++But it is clear Sam is beginning to rev his engines for 2016. His main concern is about the reliability of the polling data. He said that 20% of the votes in the GOP primary could cinch the nomination. He sees this as Rubio's target but it has to be consistent across the board.
++He debates whether 33% is the new 55% and gets in his digs at Nate Silver, who says these recent polls don't count. It's too early.
++But I can't wait until Sam Wang enters the fray.
Ted Cruz Was Delighted That Princeton Had Condoms
++Cruz guffawed at the idea Republicans were waging a war on women. "You don't see a shortage of rubbers in this country,do you?" He said he was glad of condoms otherwise "instead of two little girls" we would have 17. Hmmm.
Colorado Springs: Man Arrested For Threatening To Kill Planned Parenthood Survivor
++Not as good as The Onion posting a piece that shooter complained about driving too far to attack a Planned Parenthood clinic.
++But the police in Colorado Springs arrested a man outside the hospital who matched the description of the man who called in the threats and caused the hospital to go into lockdown.
++But the police in Colorado Springs arrested a man outside the hospital who matched the description of the man who called in the threats and caused the hospital to go into lockdown.
Early Coverage Of Obama In Paris
++The Boston Globe had President Obama's opening remarks to the climate change summit where he quotes Martin Luther King, saying there is a time that is too late. He urged the nations to step up to the challenge , especially after the last fiasco. He mentioned that large or small states are not immune to climate change.
++But the Globe and the wire services spent their time on hits side conversations with Vladimir Putin and his raising concerns with President Xi of China about the maritime issues and cyberspying. President Obama also met with the Prime Minister of India Moda to discuss the climate conference.
++What transpired the first day was alot of jockeying by the association of the island nations, who want the goal of 1.5 degrees the target permissible because 2 degrees they argue will wipe them out. President Obama will meet with them tomorrow but has already ruled out reparations or payments by the industrialized countries for their misery.
++A number of countries are in a type of bidding war about renewables and the preponderance of solar. Participants are actually optimistic some deal will be done.
Germany is skeptical about Eastern Europe because of its dependency on coal. European participants think the goal of raising billions of dollars will escape the conference because the Malta Summit for the EU failed to raise much for migrants that are streaming into the continent.
++Our Energy Secretary said that funding for renewable sources of energy are way blow the amounts required. While there is skepticism about Bill Gates initiative because of his commitment to nuclear,Bransen and Facebook's Zuckerman has joined the team of billionaires willing to fund renewables.
++What you are seeing is the next big expansion of the global economy with energy projects that are not fossil fuels. The developing countries see this summit as a big global bonanza for development aid. The European countries have already made commitments to farming,which fits into the theme of desertification.
++The climate activists have been left out of the proceedings through the interference of the French authorities but are making their voices known through their lobbying efforts.
++Over 100 heads of state are slated to speak to the conference.
++President Obama will depart home tomorrow after more meetings with the delegates of the Summit.
++But the Globe and the wire services spent their time on hits side conversations with Vladimir Putin and his raising concerns with President Xi of China about the maritime issues and cyberspying. President Obama also met with the Prime Minister of India Moda to discuss the climate conference.
++What transpired the first day was alot of jockeying by the association of the island nations, who want the goal of 1.5 degrees the target permissible because 2 degrees they argue will wipe them out. President Obama will meet with them tomorrow but has already ruled out reparations or payments by the industrialized countries for their misery.
++A number of countries are in a type of bidding war about renewables and the preponderance of solar. Participants are actually optimistic some deal will be done.
Germany is skeptical about Eastern Europe because of its dependency on coal. European participants think the goal of raising billions of dollars will escape the conference because the Malta Summit for the EU failed to raise much for migrants that are streaming into the continent.
++Our Energy Secretary said that funding for renewable sources of energy are way blow the amounts required. While there is skepticism about Bill Gates initiative because of his commitment to nuclear,Bransen and Facebook's Zuckerman has joined the team of billionaires willing to fund renewables.
++What you are seeing is the next big expansion of the global economy with energy projects that are not fossil fuels. The developing countries see this summit as a big global bonanza for development aid. The European countries have already made commitments to farming,which fits into the theme of desertification.
++The climate activists have been left out of the proceedings through the interference of the French authorities but are making their voices known through their lobbying efforts.
++Over 100 heads of state are slated to speak to the conference.
++President Obama will depart home tomorrow after more meetings with the delegates of the Summit.
Rude Pundit Writes Anti-Choice Movement Is A Scam.
++ You can access his opinion piece at democraticunderground or the Rudepundit website.
++But the gist is that the anti-choice movement could care less about infants and even abortion. It is a con perpetuated by the likes of the Family Research Council and their ilk. It is no mistake that the shooting occurred in Colorado Springs, the Vatican of the Christian Fundamentalist Movement.
++Rude Pundit reminds us that the three slain had six children. One was an Iraq vet, another an associate pastor and policeman, and one a stay-at-home Mom--the three figures of the Family Values Crowd.
++Rude Pundit calls Robert Dear, a shitheel redneck that bought the propaganda. In fact, he was known for sending anti-Obama literature and was researched by the Secret Service.
++Now in case you have missed it, Carly Fiorina, who claims that her rhetoric about Planned Parenthood had nothing to do with this,said that she "wanted all protests to be peaceful such as Black Lives Matter and those against Planned Parenthood."
++The last I looked holding hostages and shooting policemen without communicating to anyone is not a protest. It's just Carly had to get in black people.
++Rude Pundit uses the language appropriate for this outrage. But "he was quiet" I can hear George Carlin say. "And he was a loner."
++But the gist is that the anti-choice movement could care less about infants and even abortion. It is a con perpetuated by the likes of the Family Research Council and their ilk. It is no mistake that the shooting occurred in Colorado Springs, the Vatican of the Christian Fundamentalist Movement.
++Rude Pundit reminds us that the three slain had six children. One was an Iraq vet, another an associate pastor and policeman, and one a stay-at-home Mom--the three figures of the Family Values Crowd.
++Rude Pundit calls Robert Dear, a shitheel redneck that bought the propaganda. In fact, he was known for sending anti-Obama literature and was researched by the Secret Service.
++Now in case you have missed it, Carly Fiorina, who claims that her rhetoric about Planned Parenthood had nothing to do with this,said that she "wanted all protests to be peaceful such as Black Lives Matter and those against Planned Parenthood."
++The last I looked holding hostages and shooting policemen without communicating to anyone is not a protest. It's just Carly had to get in black people.
++Rude Pundit uses the language appropriate for this outrage. But "he was quiet" I can hear George Carlin say. "And he was a loner."
John Sununu Talks About The Manchester Union-Leader Of Christie
++Nate the Great had an article at FiveThirtyEight on what the Manchester Union-Leader endorsement means. Until 2012,it meant who ever got it won the New Hampshire primary. When they endorsed Newt Gingrich,his poll numbers fell by 10 points.
++Sununu appeared on a cable;e news show to explain that the owner of the Manchester Union-Leader knows that with the Trump phenomenon the Republicans lose the Senate,most of the House and the Presidency. I don't know about "most of the House" but the establishment sees a Titanic up ahead. It was one of the few interviews where John Sununu made sense.
++Sununu appeared on a cable;e news show to explain that the owner of the Manchester Union-Leader knows that with the Trump phenomenon the Republicans lose the Senate,most of the House and the Presidency. I don't know about "most of the House" but the establishment sees a Titanic up ahead. It was one of the few interviews where John Sununu made sense.
The Hospital With The Wounded From The PP Shooting Is In Lockdown
++Now this. Rep. McCaul of the House Homeland Security Committee said Colorado Springs was not an act of terrorism. Will hospital slayings count?
++How about this job? Robert Lewis Dear's public defender is the same lawyer who defended the Aurora Movie shooter.
++Mr. Dear's ex-wife said he was abusive,conservative, anti-abortion and highly religious. Sounds like a terrorist to me.
++AS Ben Carson said,"there are no angels on either side of this dispute." Shooter versus victims?
++Fox News managed to find an ex-cop who said President Obama is at fault for the Planned Parenthood shootings because he did not respond correctly to the threat of terrorism after Paris.
++A Facebook Evangelist--never knew there was such a thing--urged his followers to make it very uncomfortable for Planned Parenthood providers so they aren't secure anywhere.
++How about this job? Robert Lewis Dear's public defender is the same lawyer who defended the Aurora Movie shooter.
++Mr. Dear's ex-wife said he was abusive,conservative, anti-abortion and highly religious. Sounds like a terrorist to me.
++AS Ben Carson said,"there are no angels on either side of this dispute." Shooter versus victims?
++Fox News managed to find an ex-cop who said President Obama is at fault for the Planned Parenthood shootings because he did not respond correctly to the threat of terrorism after Paris.
++A Facebook Evangelist--never knew there was such a thing--urged his followers to make it very uncomfortable for Planned Parenthood providers so they aren't secure anywhere.
Televangelist Jim Bakker Said The Devil Made Him Do It
++Remember Tammy and Jim. He went to prison for con games but he says today that "witches" were responsible for his behavior and that's why he went to prison.
Nelson Mandela, "George W. Bush Doesn't Know How To Think."
++A new book is out about how South Africa knew that Saddam Hussein didn't have weapons of mass destruction and how Nelson Mandela explained what he knew and then walked out of the meeting fuming.
++Mandela's successor Thabo Mbeki explained the same information to Tony Blair without affect. The Rest is history.
++Mandela's successor Thabo Mbeki explained the same information to Tony Blair without affect. The Rest is history.
Mitch McConnell Warns International Partners Not To Sign Climate Agreement
++Like Tom Cotton's attempt to sabotage the Iran Nuclear Deal,Mitch McConnell talks about President Obama as an outgoing President who can not keep any agreement he signs in Paris.
++So what's a country to do,just don't sign it and wait until the Republicans take over.
++The French ambassador had already spoken about the GOP efforts to lobby European countries. He said "no dice."
++So what's a country to do,just don't sign it and wait until the Republicans take over.
++The French ambassador had already spoken about the GOP efforts to lobby European countries. He said "no dice."
Critical of President Obama's strategy on ISIS, you know what to do
++Not to take the criticism sitting down,the Obama Administration asked Congress to pass the AUMF so it can legally fight ISIS. Since February, it has been left standing.
Republicans Try And Sabotage Climate Talks
++Our ace representatives think President Obama's commitment of $3 billion to developing countries to compensate them for climate damage is too high and now want to cut it from the government budget.
++Thom Hartmann explained that this was vital to ensuring the trust between the developed countries and the underdeveloped ones and was a key reason past climate change summits have failed.
++Thom Hartmann explained that this was vital to ensuring the trust between the developed countries and the underdeveloped ones and was a key reason past climate change summits have failed.
Geraldo Rivera Sent To Paris To Cover The Paris Climate Talks for FOX
++Fox and Friends questioned Geraldo being sent to Paris as the real global challenge is ISIS. Geraldo bravely tried to answer that Francois Hollande was like Rudy was after 9-11 and has become a tougher fighter against terrorism BUT still believes in Climate Change. Steve Doucy kept insisting that the planet was getting cooler, while Geraldo explained that this year was the hottest on record and the nine out of the ten hottest years were after 2000. The panel and Geraldo agreed nothing could be done but that ISIS should be stopped.
++Newsmax mocked President Obama's Paris statement that this summit was rebuke to all those who would seek to destroy civilization.
++Roger Ailes got ADWEEK"s Visionary of the year award.
++Naomi Klein was interviewed in Paris and said that the United States and Canada made sure the agreement wasn't legally binding. She lamented France's state of national emergency that led to the arrest of 24 climate activists and the banning of street demonstrations. She said over 500,000 were going to show to protest the lack of progress on climate change.
++Newsmax mocked President Obama's Paris statement that this summit was rebuke to all those who would seek to destroy civilization.
++Roger Ailes got ADWEEK"s Visionary of the year award.
++Naomi Klein was interviewed in Paris and said that the United States and Canada made sure the agreement wasn't legally binding. She lamented France's state of national emergency that led to the arrest of 24 climate activists and the banning of street demonstrations. She said over 500,000 were going to show to protest the lack of progress on climate change.
Building Momentum For A Climate Agreement
++Nancy LeTourneau at Washington Monthly writes a piece this morning that summarizes what President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry have done to make the climate agreement likely.
++President Obama allocated $80 billion of the stimulus package at the beginning of his term to develop clean energy. This blog mentioned at the time that this was one of the secret benefits of the stimulus package aimed at moving us away from the old economy.
++The administration curbed carbon emissions through agreements with the auto industry during their bailouts.
++John Kerry put a climate agreement as his top priority once he became Secretary of State . This meant he issued directives to the whole State Department to incorporate this into their work.
++The result is that over 150 countries responsible for 90% of the world's emissions have developed their climate targets.
++In one sense , the Paris meeting is a success. What Ms. LeTourneau points out that the Obama Administration has taken years to prepare rthe ground for this. Another example of the President taking the long view.
++President Obama allocated $80 billion of the stimulus package at the beginning of his term to develop clean energy. This blog mentioned at the time that this was one of the secret benefits of the stimulus package aimed at moving us away from the old economy.
++The administration curbed carbon emissions through agreements with the auto industry during their bailouts.
++John Kerry put a climate agreement as his top priority once he became Secretary of State . This meant he issued directives to the whole State Department to incorporate this into their work.
++The result is that over 150 countries responsible for 90% of the world's emissions have developed their climate targets.
++In one sense , the Paris meeting is a success. What Ms. LeTourneau points out that the Obama Administration has taken years to prepare rthe ground for this. Another example of the President taking the long view.
Bill McKibben Writes optimistically in the LA Times About The Paris Conference
++Bill McKibben of 350.org says that unlike the 2009 conference where President Obama and Hillary Clinton came away with nothing,Paris will be different. Bill believes the politics of climate change has altered for the better.
++The President got off his duff and cancelled the Keystone XL Pipeline, which Nasa scientist Hanson said would doom true planet. Pope Francis issued his encyclical on preserving the planet and made it compulsory that the world's Catholics adopt it as dogma. The President reached bilateral relations with China, Brazil and India. So the table is set for Paris.
++The spirit of the working sessions have been termed remarkable in their cooperation and the concerns of the developing world have been traken into account.
++Bill Gates along with other corporations have pledged a multi-billion dollar affort to develop clean energy.
++If the various parties don't come away with an agreement then it would be .in Pope Francis' words, catastrophic.
++Bill naturally points to the Climate Change rallies throughout the world he and his organization organized.
++WE hope Bill is right that the tide has changed.
++The President got off his duff and cancelled the Keystone XL Pipeline, which Nasa scientist Hanson said would doom true planet. Pope Francis issued his encyclical on preserving the planet and made it compulsory that the world's Catholics adopt it as dogma. The President reached bilateral relations with China, Brazil and India. So the table is set for Paris.
++The spirit of the working sessions have been termed remarkable in their cooperation and the concerns of the developing world have been traken into account.
++Bill Gates along with other corporations have pledged a multi-billion dollar affort to develop clean energy.
++If the various parties don't come away with an agreement then it would be .in Pope Francis' words, catastrophic.
++Bill naturally points to the Climate Change rallies throughout the world he and his organization organized.
++WE hope Bill is right that the tide has changed.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
The Donald Claims That Really President Obama Will Admit 200,00 Syrian Refugees
++Would that it were true but it's not--despite the Donald's "really,really credible sources." And only 2% of those are military age.
++Ben Carson just finished his trip to Jordan where he said the two camps he visited had "really nice" facilities. Carson got two things right: Jordan needs more funding for the camps; and the rest of the Arab states,namely Saudi Arabia must admit the refugees. So far the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia have admitted none.
++The strangest comments on this issue come from David Horowitz ,former editor of Ramparts,born-again conservative and father of a child who serves in the IDF. Horowitz says that the United States was right not to allow Jews in the country during the late 30s because Europe was at war--that's why they were refugees--and to do so posed a security risk to the United States. Horowitz is still Jewish even though his politics have gone right. I guess he didn't get the memo from the Holocaust Museum blasting such attitudes toward refugees.
++Ben Carson just finished his trip to Jordan where he said the two camps he visited had "really nice" facilities. Carson got two things right: Jordan needs more funding for the camps; and the rest of the Arab states,namely Saudi Arabia must admit the refugees. So far the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia have admitted none.
++The strangest comments on this issue come from David Horowitz ,former editor of Ramparts,born-again conservative and father of a child who serves in the IDF. Horowitz says that the United States was right not to allow Jews in the country during the late 30s because Europe was at war--that's why they were refugees--and to do so posed a security risk to the United States. Horowitz is still Jewish even though his politics have gone right. I guess he didn't get the memo from the Holocaust Museum blasting such attitudes toward refugees.
Paris
++Over 160 countries have submitted their plans for carbon reduction. But after reading the activists websites, the main dig at President Obama is that the agreement will not be a legally binding treaty.this has been apparent since the preliminary working session in Brazil. It is one of the reasons o many countries have submitted their plans and are attending. Past climate summits have been a farce and those farces have been led by the United States. Remember W's quote,"Here I am the world's biggest polluter."
++As the French Ambassador told Huffington Post,the only climate deniers are in the U.S. Congress and thank God they will not be in Paris. Jim Imhofe threatened to go but backed off.
++Now after the Iran Nuclear Deal, which forced President obama to outwit Congress for a lower threshold for its adopt, why would anyone believe that he would present a treaty in a presidential election year which would be lampooned by the Republicans and their candidates who are beholden to the Koch Brothers and Big Oil?
++Republicans claimed the Obama-China deal was voluntary but China complied anyway for the first part.
++I do not want a Kyoto. I'll take a deal rather than a treaty anyway. But the most devoted climate activists are pressing where they have little chance of success.
++As the French Ambassador told Huffington Post,the only climate deniers are in the U.S. Congress and thank God they will not be in Paris. Jim Imhofe threatened to go but backed off.
++Now after the Iran Nuclear Deal, which forced President obama to outwit Congress for a lower threshold for its adopt, why would anyone believe that he would present a treaty in a presidential election year which would be lampooned by the Republicans and their candidates who are beholden to the Koch Brothers and Big Oil?
++Republicans claimed the Obama-China deal was voluntary but China complied anyway for the first part.
++I do not want a Kyoto. I'll take a deal rather than a treaty anyway. But the most devoted climate activists are pressing where they have little chance of success.
General Petraeus Argues Against Sending Ground Troops To Iraq or Syria.
++General Petraeus in an interview with Politico argued that any force you send into these countries needs legitimacy among the Sunni Arabs. He said such a force should be a "holding forces' that stops ISIS. He thinks we aren't there yet because we lack that legitimacy.
How Did Ted Cruz Get The Idea That The PP Shooter was A "Transgendered Leftist Activist?"
++Ted Cruz who identified with pro-life activists who support the killing of abortion doctors seemed to go in far left field by mischaracterizing the Colorado Springs shooter.
++Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs found that Cruz simply repeated the post of Jim Hoft, who Johnson tags the dumpiest person on the internet. Hoft, a severely conservative,found the voting record that said that Robert Lewis Dear,the shooter,was "female". The registrar took this down because it was obviously a typo. But Hoft ran with it.
++I guess Cruz just simply accepts all transgender people are leftists. I guess like Caitlyn Jenner,a conservative republican.
++And you complain about the Donald? Ted is on the Moon.
++Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs found that Cruz simply repeated the post of Jim Hoft, who Johnson tags the dumpiest person on the internet. Hoft, a severely conservative,found the voting record that said that Robert Lewis Dear,the shooter,was "female". The registrar took this down because it was obviously a typo. But Hoft ran with it.
++I guess Cruz just simply accepts all transgender people are leftists. I guess like Caitlyn Jenner,a conservative republican.
++And you complain about the Donald? Ted is on the Moon.
The End Begins--President Obama in Paris to Open COP.
++ President Obama landed at midnight Paris time and went directly to pay homage to the dead of the Paris attacks. He attended the vigil with President Francois Hollande and the Mayor of Paris.
++President Obama opens the Summit on Climate Change where 200 nations are gathered to reach a global deal to cut carbon emissions for the future and keep temperatures down to a habitable level.
++Since we have known the outlines of the deal for months,it seems strange to see a panic among climate activists set in. I don't know whether this is to hype attention to the summit or actually to voice concern that the agreement will not go far enough.
++Whatever the case we are seeing President Obama's last great accomplishment before he leaves office next year.
++Expect to see several deals on the periphery about migrants and Syria because Putin will also be in town.
++For France, it is a significant moment that you can have such a large global summit only a month after the terrorist attacks.
++President Obama opens the Summit on Climate Change where 200 nations are gathered to reach a global deal to cut carbon emissions for the future and keep temperatures down to a habitable level.
++Since we have known the outlines of the deal for months,it seems strange to see a panic among climate activists set in. I don't know whether this is to hype attention to the summit or actually to voice concern that the agreement will not go far enough.
++Whatever the case we are seeing President Obama's last great accomplishment before he leaves office next year.
++Expect to see several deals on the periphery about migrants and Syria because Putin will also be in town.
++For France, it is a significant moment that you can have such a large global summit only a month after the terrorist attacks.
Lindsey Graham and John McCain Want 10,000 Troops in Iraq and Syria Now.
++Because President Obama has failed to lead,Senators Graham and McCain say we need 10,000 troops in Ira and Syria now.
++Earlier today I received from Iraq an e-mail about the situation on the ground. Fires have broken out in the Interior Building,$10 billion dollars is missing from the government,the DAWA Party is in an uproar. The Iranians are trying to mediate between the government and former Prime Minister Maliki. The Iraqi military wants the Kurds to back down but the Kurds claim they haven't been paid by the government. New Mass graves have been found around Sinjar caused by ISIS. The Sunni tribes are protesting the government's policies. Because of high unemployment,the people of Basra are joining the shiite militias.
++And you want to sent 10,000 troops into this. The Iraqis have arrested more than 8,000 people this month for terrorism. But more than 6,000 have been let go.
++Clearly the Iraqis writing this were trying to play on the Americans heartstrings. But seriously folks,keep away.
++Earlier today I received from Iraq an e-mail about the situation on the ground. Fires have broken out in the Interior Building,$10 billion dollars is missing from the government,the DAWA Party is in an uproar. The Iranians are trying to mediate between the government and former Prime Minister Maliki. The Iraqi military wants the Kurds to back down but the Kurds claim they haven't been paid by the government. New Mass graves have been found around Sinjar caused by ISIS. The Sunni tribes are protesting the government's policies. Because of high unemployment,the people of Basra are joining the shiite militias.
++And you want to sent 10,000 troops into this. The Iraqis have arrested more than 8,000 people this month for terrorism. But more than 6,000 have been let go.
++Clearly the Iraqis writing this were trying to play on the Americans heartstrings. But seriously folks,keep away.
Washington Post Says Jim Webb May Run As An Independent.
++Doesn't seem to make much sense. Webb's headquarters are a few blocks from my home. The signs are still up. His own polling shows he could get 17% in Virginia, a key swing state in the 2016 Election. OK, top for it.
Carly Fiorina Says It Is The Leftwing That Links Fake Videos To Shooter.
++But Carly, the shooters said there would be no more baby parts. Where did he get that idea? Hmmm.
Saturday, November 28, 2015
New York Times Says Obama's Legacy At Stake With Climate Summit
++ Oh boy, it is true that a climate agreement will be a major accomplishment--maybe the last of his Presidency--but his legacy at stake?
Friday, November 27, 2015
The Donald Loves Alex Jones of Infowars
++Charles Johnson,the good blogger not the bad one with the same name,alerts us to Donald buying into Alex Jones conspiracy theories that 9/11 was perpetrated by the US government and the Sandy Hook massacre was a "false flag operation" by the Obama Administration to "seize Americans' guns."
++Meanwhile Michael Bloomberg reminds us that Ted Cruz is crazy. Interviewed by CNN,the former New York City Mayor said that for someone whom Allan Dershowitz claims was his most brilliant law student ,Ted Cruz says some of the most stupid things about climate change. "He's too smart for that. It must mean he can get away with it."
++Meanwhile Michael Bloomberg reminds us that Ted Cruz is crazy. Interviewed by CNN,the former New York City Mayor said that for someone whom Allan Dershowitz claims was his most brilliant law student ,Ted Cruz says some of the most stupid things about climate change. "He's too smart for that. It must mean he can get away with it."
Planned Parenthood Tweets About Ted Cruz
++Yesterday I wrote about Ted Cruz being endorsed by Troy (not Randy) Newman, who favors killing abortion doctors. It's about time someone takes it to Cruz who felt "honored" by this endorsement.
++Randy Newman is a great man and should not be associated with this psychotic.
++Tomorrow we should know more about the Planned Parenthood shooter. In the past several months,four Planned Parenthood clinics have been burned.
++The rightwing tweets only lament the death of the policemen but otherwise praised the man's actions,saying that women should know it is not safe and secure in these clinics.
++CNN was disgraceful in putting a Congressman who repeated the lies about the doctored videos while there was a live shooting incident taking place.
++Red State's Eric Erickson printed that they shooter was a Moslem. He was a white overweight male.
++Randy Newman is a great man and should not be associated with this psychotic.
++Tomorrow we should know more about the Planned Parenthood shooter. In the past several months,four Planned Parenthood clinics have been burned.
++The rightwing tweets only lament the death of the policemen but otherwise praised the man's actions,saying that women should know it is not safe and secure in these clinics.
++CNN was disgraceful in putting a Congressman who repeated the lies about the doctored videos while there was a live shooting incident taking place.
++Red State's Eric Erickson printed that they shooter was a Moslem. He was a white overweight male.
OK,Reuters/Ipsos Poll Has The Donald Losing 12 Pts.Since His High At 43%
++Reuters did their dump on the Donald by leading with his attack on the Times Reporter.
++The Donald had peaked at 43% the last day of their last tracking poll on the 22nd.
++OK, so what does it look like now.
++Well, of course, the Donald is still in the lead with 31%,followed by 15% for Ben Carson. They are followed by Rubio and Cruz with 8%. And the Jeb stands at 7%.
++So the Donald only has double Carson and 4 times the next candidates.
He's really hurting. C'mon guys. The 43% was a one day spike and his poll numbers are basically the same as for the past month.
++The Donald had peaked at 43% the last day of their last tracking poll on the 22nd.
++OK, so what does it look like now.
++Well, of course, the Donald is still in the lead with 31%,followed by 15% for Ben Carson. They are followed by Rubio and Cruz with 8%. And the Jeb stands at 7%.
++So the Donald only has double Carson and 4 times the next candidates.
He's really hurting. C'mon guys. The 43% was a one day spike and his poll numbers are basically the same as for the past month.
Trump Gets Thumped
++Rushbo attacked The Donald for his remarks about the New York Times reporter. "Attacking a cripple isn't what Republicans do?" Really what about the attacks on Max Cleland? Wait to the attacks on Congresswoman Duckworth this year.
++GOP state chairmen say it looks like the Donald will win of two of the first three primaries if they were held today.
++Eugene Robinson in the Imperial Post has an op-ed about how the Republicans got themselves into this situation. Similar to the thoughts Howard Dean voiced yesterday.
++Meteor Blades at the DailyKos ignored Josh Marshall's warnings and attacked the Donald as a fascist.
++Timothy Egan of the New York Times has a terrific column today on the Donald. He opens with a description of "The Plot Against America",one of Philip Roth's later novels about Lindbergh becoming the President of the United States. As you might remember Lindy was close to Adolf Hitler. The novel is a good read and even mentions Deal, New Jersey since Roth is a Jersey boy.
++Egan methodically recites the Donald's most egregious policy suggestions and notes that Polifact rates him 75% wrong on facts,25% "partly True" and 0% right.
++Since the Donald is getting so much free media time,we are forgetting the other Republicans. Ted Cruz got endorsed by Randy Newman,the head of Operation Rescue and an advocate of killing abortion doctors. Townhall,the conservative on-line newsletter, rejoices about the fall in abortions in America. I guess they didn't get the memo from the Guttmacher Institute two years ago that abortions were falling because of better preventive medicine and contraceptives. This fact is not because the Republicans are shutting abortion clinics and going after Planned Parenthood.
++Dr. Ben Carson is brushing up his foreign policy credentials today by visiting Syrian refugees in Jordan. His prime adviser on foreign policy is Iran-Control great Dewey Clarridge, who said Carson doesn't seem to understand foreign policy.
++GOP state chairmen say it looks like the Donald will win of two of the first three primaries if they were held today.
++Eugene Robinson in the Imperial Post has an op-ed about how the Republicans got themselves into this situation. Similar to the thoughts Howard Dean voiced yesterday.
++Meteor Blades at the DailyKos ignored Josh Marshall's warnings and attacked the Donald as a fascist.
++Timothy Egan of the New York Times has a terrific column today on the Donald. He opens with a description of "The Plot Against America",one of Philip Roth's later novels about Lindbergh becoming the President of the United States. As you might remember Lindy was close to Adolf Hitler. The novel is a good read and even mentions Deal, New Jersey since Roth is a Jersey boy.
++Egan methodically recites the Donald's most egregious policy suggestions and notes that Polifact rates him 75% wrong on facts,25% "partly True" and 0% right.
++Since the Donald is getting so much free media time,we are forgetting the other Republicans. Ted Cruz got endorsed by Randy Newman,the head of Operation Rescue and an advocate of killing abortion doctors. Townhall,the conservative on-line newsletter, rejoices about the fall in abortions in America. I guess they didn't get the memo from the Guttmacher Institute two years ago that abortions were falling because of better preventive medicine and contraceptives. This fact is not because the Republicans are shutting abortion clinics and going after Planned Parenthood.
++Dr. Ben Carson is brushing up his foreign policy credentials today by visiting Syrian refugees in Jordan. His prime adviser on foreign policy is Iran-Control great Dewey Clarridge, who said Carson doesn't seem to understand foreign policy.
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Marco Rubio On "Current Law" Versus "Settled Law"
++Marco Rubio hasn't been called out on this yet.
++Two days ago, he said that "God's Law" supersedes our law on "same Sex" Marriage. He went on to say that same sex marriage was only legal under current law. He actually encouraged people to break the current law if they thought they were duty bound by their religion.
++Today he says that Roe Versus Wade is "current Law" and not "established law".
++How about Citizens United which this blog showed overturned 100 years of campaign law. Is that"current" or settled" law?
++What in Rubio's world constitutes "settled law"? We are going down the rabbit hole here.
++Two days ago, he said that "God's Law" supersedes our law on "same Sex" Marriage. He went on to say that same sex marriage was only legal under current law. He actually encouraged people to break the current law if they thought they were duty bound by their religion.
++Today he says that Roe Versus Wade is "current Law" and not "established law".
++How about Citizens United which this blog showed overturned 100 years of campaign law. Is that"current" or settled" law?
++What in Rubio's world constitutes "settled law"? We are going down the rabbit hole here.
Francois Hollande Meets With Putin
++After Hollande met with President Obama, he flew to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin to form an alliance against ISIS.
++This takes place with the background of Turkey downing Russian aircraft in Turkish airspace. Putin then ordered the bombing yesterday of a Turkish aid convoy inside Syria. Putin also sent anti-aircraft missiles to Syria, which will make a no-fly zone almost impossible to create.
++Putin's gripe with Turkey is that ISIS's oil is transported through Turkey to the world market and one of the leading brokers for ISIS is Erogen's son. Also arms are regularly shipped through the Turkish borders on both sides.
++Hollande and Putin agreed that there would be no immediate requests for Assad to step down by both sides indicated he would have to go eventually for a peaceful solution to Syria.
++The actual headline take-away is that Putin agreed to join US airs tikes against ISIS positions--certainly something the American Right will object to but the Obama Administration favors.
++American commentators suggest that Putin has one this round by getting the West to agree that Assad won't immediately go and that Russia has deepened its influence in the region. It is a fact that they have enlarged their Naval base on the Mediterranean and expanded their airfields. But these same commentators don't mention that Assad was unlikely to go anywhere soon anyway.
++This takes place with the background of Turkey downing Russian aircraft in Turkish airspace. Putin then ordered the bombing yesterday of a Turkish aid convoy inside Syria. Putin also sent anti-aircraft missiles to Syria, which will make a no-fly zone almost impossible to create.
++Putin's gripe with Turkey is that ISIS's oil is transported through Turkey to the world market and one of the leading brokers for ISIS is Erogen's son. Also arms are regularly shipped through the Turkish borders on both sides.
++Hollande and Putin agreed that there would be no immediate requests for Assad to step down by both sides indicated he would have to go eventually for a peaceful solution to Syria.
++The actual headline take-away is that Putin agreed to join US airs tikes against ISIS positions--certainly something the American Right will object to but the Obama Administration favors.
++American commentators suggest that Putin has one this round by getting the West to agree that Assad won't immediately go and that Russia has deepened its influence in the region. It is a fact that they have enlarged their Naval base on the Mediterranean and expanded their airfields. But these same commentators don't mention that Assad was unlikely to go anywhere soon anyway.
A Great Show On Democracy Now
++Amy Goodman's cohost is Juan Gonzalez, a regular columnist for the New York Daily News. Juan is also a well-known expert on the history and economics of Puerto Rico.
++Tonight Democracy Now broadcast the full speech by Juan in October to an audience at NYU. The speech was on the colonial roots of the current debt crisis in Puerto Rico. If Congress does nothing by the end of the month,Puerto Rico will go bankrupt or will it. No one knows because Puerto Rico was purposely left out of the bankruptcy law when Strom Thurmond and Bob Dole made a deal in the 1990s. All other American territory can file under bankruptcy laws. The other aspect of change was Bill Clinton's deal with Newt Gingrich over raising the minimum wage. Bill let the corporate tax breaks for US companies in Puerto Rico expire over a ten year period. Previously,Puerto Rico was the number 1 profit center for many American corporations, sometimes out posting the profits from all of Latin America combined. Roughly 33.5 billion a year leave the island in corporate revenues. With the end of the tax breaks came the end of the businesses who moved elsewhere. Crash, Boom. The Puerto Rican economy was wiped out.
++What was intriguing about Juan's presentation was that everything in Puerto Rico has bonds. The reason--they are Triple Tax-Exempt for anyone living in the United States. That means you don't pay federal,local or state taxes. The bonds are insured by independent insurance companies that guarantee you the full payment. As a consequence the last bonds issued in 2014, pay 8% interest.
++Now the bonds are selling at $.30 to a dollar and hedge funds are buying them up at twice that with the anticipation they can recoup $.90 when the day of "default" comes.
++Juan pointed out how 100,000 Puerto Ricans are leaving the island per month because the living conditions have so deteriorated. Over half the housing stock is empty. Unemployment is the highest in America and it has been at depression levels for a decade.
++All sad and nothing in Washington is being done about it. Remember President Obama promised the island a referendum on their status. The lack of a clear legal status means everything is in legal limbo so it is unclear how they can tackle their debt problem. The island has already implemented a serious austerity budget and can't absorb anymore.
++Juan urges anyone concerned to rally around a press Congress to address this issue.
++Why? The bond insurers stocks are crumbling once news got out that the Governor was thinking of not paying. The market suggests the insurers do not have the money to cover a default. What this means is that all Triple A Tax Exempt bonds such as New York would be jeopardized. It's another achilles heel in our economy.
++Puerto Ricans are virtually ignored. But Juan says that 200,000 Puerto Ricans will be registered this year in Florida alone to vote. Perhaps they may raise the issue of the island.
++FYI--Mr grandfather was a missionary in Arecibo and Mayaquez during the 1920s. He was one of the youngest Doctors of Divinity who ever graduated in the United States. As a proud young man he posted "Dr. Relyea" outside his office in Puerto Rico.
The consequence,according to my grandmother, was that he ended up delivering many babies and never referred to himself as Dr. Relyea afterwards.
++The presentation by Juan Gonzalez is worth watching if you know nothing about the island and its recent history. It's too bad it had to air on Thanksgiving night.
++Tonight Democracy Now broadcast the full speech by Juan in October to an audience at NYU. The speech was on the colonial roots of the current debt crisis in Puerto Rico. If Congress does nothing by the end of the month,Puerto Rico will go bankrupt or will it. No one knows because Puerto Rico was purposely left out of the bankruptcy law when Strom Thurmond and Bob Dole made a deal in the 1990s. All other American territory can file under bankruptcy laws. The other aspect of change was Bill Clinton's deal with Newt Gingrich over raising the minimum wage. Bill let the corporate tax breaks for US companies in Puerto Rico expire over a ten year period. Previously,Puerto Rico was the number 1 profit center for many American corporations, sometimes out posting the profits from all of Latin America combined. Roughly 33.5 billion a year leave the island in corporate revenues. With the end of the tax breaks came the end of the businesses who moved elsewhere. Crash, Boom. The Puerto Rican economy was wiped out.
++What was intriguing about Juan's presentation was that everything in Puerto Rico has bonds. The reason--they are Triple Tax-Exempt for anyone living in the United States. That means you don't pay federal,local or state taxes. The bonds are insured by independent insurance companies that guarantee you the full payment. As a consequence the last bonds issued in 2014, pay 8% interest.
++Now the bonds are selling at $.30 to a dollar and hedge funds are buying them up at twice that with the anticipation they can recoup $.90 when the day of "default" comes.
++Juan pointed out how 100,000 Puerto Ricans are leaving the island per month because the living conditions have so deteriorated. Over half the housing stock is empty. Unemployment is the highest in America and it has been at depression levels for a decade.
++All sad and nothing in Washington is being done about it. Remember President Obama promised the island a referendum on their status. The lack of a clear legal status means everything is in legal limbo so it is unclear how they can tackle their debt problem. The island has already implemented a serious austerity budget and can't absorb anymore.
++Juan urges anyone concerned to rally around a press Congress to address this issue.
++Why? The bond insurers stocks are crumbling once news got out that the Governor was thinking of not paying. The market suggests the insurers do not have the money to cover a default. What this means is that all Triple A Tax Exempt bonds such as New York would be jeopardized. It's another achilles heel in our economy.
++Puerto Ricans are virtually ignored. But Juan says that 200,000 Puerto Ricans will be registered this year in Florida alone to vote. Perhaps they may raise the issue of the island.
++FYI--Mr grandfather was a missionary in Arecibo and Mayaquez during the 1920s. He was one of the youngest Doctors of Divinity who ever graduated in the United States. As a proud young man he posted "Dr. Relyea" outside his office in Puerto Rico.
The consequence,according to my grandmother, was that he ended up delivering many babies and never referred to himself as Dr. Relyea afterwards.
++The presentation by Juan Gonzalez is worth watching if you know nothing about the island and its recent history. It's too bad it had to air on Thanksgiving night.
Howard Dean On Why The GOP Is Now Using The F Word for Trump
++(FYI-I have worked with Howard Dean for the past few years on projects.)
++Howard Dean told Chris Hayes on his television show that the reason Republicans are calling Donald trump a fascist is because they are scared and panicking. Howard says that if the Donald wins the winner-take-all primary in Florida the establishment candidates like Bush and Rubio are dead.
++The Donald is up in the first three primaries and if he goes into Super Tuesday with a lead it is trouble.
++Howard admits the GOP are all authoritarians and the Party is counting on voter suppression to win a victory but the Donald would doom them.
++In the past week,John Kasich and Jeb Bush have released ads attacking the Donald and suggesting he is a fascist. As Chris Hayes pointed out that rarely has a candidate been called out as fascist by other party officials. Usually it is a political subculture that tags a candidate with this epithet. However, as Howard noted,calls against Trump's lying haven't worked and only increase his support.
++Harking back to Rush's comments, the more Trump is criticized for something like attacking the New York Times' reporter's disability the more the base supports him. There is no line the Donald can't cross. Howard says the establishment is comfortable with dog-whistles but not someone actually saying racist things out loud. The GOP has put itself into a box of its own creation.
++Josh Marshall wants us to stop the fascist language because it is too imprecise but rather focus on each ridiculous idea. Josh found the attack of the Times Reporter beyond the pale and just hopes the party honchos bring the Donald back into line.
++Both Howard Dean and David Axelrod believe the Donald would get wiped out in a general election. But the concern for the GOP is that, as Howard said, the Donald has a real chance at the nomination.
++Howard Dean told Chris Hayes on his television show that the reason Republicans are calling Donald trump a fascist is because they are scared and panicking. Howard says that if the Donald wins the winner-take-all primary in Florida the establishment candidates like Bush and Rubio are dead.
++The Donald is up in the first three primaries and if he goes into Super Tuesday with a lead it is trouble.
++Howard admits the GOP are all authoritarians and the Party is counting on voter suppression to win a victory but the Donald would doom them.
++In the past week,John Kasich and Jeb Bush have released ads attacking the Donald and suggesting he is a fascist. As Chris Hayes pointed out that rarely has a candidate been called out as fascist by other party officials. Usually it is a political subculture that tags a candidate with this epithet. However, as Howard noted,calls against Trump's lying haven't worked and only increase his support.
++Harking back to Rush's comments, the more Trump is criticized for something like attacking the New York Times' reporter's disability the more the base supports him. There is no line the Donald can't cross. Howard says the establishment is comfortable with dog-whistles but not someone actually saying racist things out loud. The GOP has put itself into a box of its own creation.
++Josh Marshall wants us to stop the fascist language because it is too imprecise but rather focus on each ridiculous idea. Josh found the attack of the Times Reporter beyond the pale and just hopes the party honchos bring the Donald back into line.
++Both Howard Dean and David Axelrod believe the Donald would get wiped out in a general election. But the concern for the GOP is that, as Howard said, the Donald has a real chance at the nomination.
Remember It is the %0th Anniversary
++Of America's favorite thanksgiving song, Alice's Restaurant. Arlo Guthrie is still singing it on his 50th anniversary tour. Based on an incident in Stockbridge, Massachusetts,where Arlo Guthrie was arrested for littering on Thanksgiving because the city dump was closed. You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant, except Alice. Arlo Guthrie will be in Alexandria next week at the Birchmere.
++On Saturday the 28th, Hot Tuna appears at the synagogue in Washington,D.C., a wonderful venue for acoustic instruments.
++On Saturday the 28th, Hot Tuna appears at the synagogue in Washington,D.C., a wonderful venue for acoustic instruments.
Happy Thanksgiving
++President Obama wished the country a happy New Year and likened the Syrian refugees to the pilgrims.
++Josh Marshall wants to remind us that if you are concerned about the threat of the Syrian refugees then check out the number of immigrant visas given to all those from the Muslim countries this past year. It dwarfs the minuscule number of Syrians by hundreds of thousands.
++The Donald made fun of a disabled New York Times reporter, who had previously written about him. Similar to his remarks about Charles Krauthammer.
++Been binge-watching the Man in the High Castle. A Phillip Dick story that actually put me off the prophetic writer for years when I read it in high school.
But the point is in episode One when Joe is traveling to the "Neutral Zone" he stops in the Midwest where the sky is filled with snow-klike flakes. The cop who is helping him commented, "It was the hospitals day to burn the infirm and crippled." A perfect Donald Trump society.
++Heard Rush on a car radio and he said something true. The more the media writes about the Donald's lies,the more the Republican base supports him. Because they have been trained to hate the media.
++Pope Francis warns that if "special interests" try to derail the climate talks in Paris, it would be catastrophic.
++Right on cue, my rightwing friends e-mail me a Breibart article quoting a German scientists saying NASA has made up the climate data for years. The e-mail started by quoting Franz Fanon. Why don't they get some conservative quotes? Like Reagan's "Trees create pollution."
++Read Bob Woodward's "The Last of the President's Men". This is Woodward's metier--Richard Nixon, the creator of the EPA. Nixon comes off especially creepy and misanthropic. Based on Alexander Butterfield's archives and taped interviews, Woodward returns to the scene of the crime.
++The "scoop" for Woodward is the handwritten memo from Richard Nixon to Henry Kissinger that the bombing program in Vietnam has produced "zilch" and that it had fizzled. Woodward even calls Henry on the Amtrak to verify. Henry couldn't but he said the bombing of Vietnam had no effect on the war--except the thousands dead. Great read and shorter than Woodward's other books.
++Makes you wonder what effect President Obama's 7,000 sorties have had on ISIS. In Woodward's interview with Butterfield, he said the "Christmas Bombings" of Vietnam solely had to do with ensuring re-election. Polls said the Americans favored bombing. So what's President Obama's excuse?
++Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Sorry I couldn't be in New York.
++Josh Marshall wants to remind us that if you are concerned about the threat of the Syrian refugees then check out the number of immigrant visas given to all those from the Muslim countries this past year. It dwarfs the minuscule number of Syrians by hundreds of thousands.
++The Donald made fun of a disabled New York Times reporter, who had previously written about him. Similar to his remarks about Charles Krauthammer.
++Been binge-watching the Man in the High Castle. A Phillip Dick story that actually put me off the prophetic writer for years when I read it in high school.
But the point is in episode One when Joe is traveling to the "Neutral Zone" he stops in the Midwest where the sky is filled with snow-klike flakes. The cop who is helping him commented, "It was the hospitals day to burn the infirm and crippled." A perfect Donald Trump society.
++Heard Rush on a car radio and he said something true. The more the media writes about the Donald's lies,the more the Republican base supports him. Because they have been trained to hate the media.
++Pope Francis warns that if "special interests" try to derail the climate talks in Paris, it would be catastrophic.
++Right on cue, my rightwing friends e-mail me a Breibart article quoting a German scientists saying NASA has made up the climate data for years. The e-mail started by quoting Franz Fanon. Why don't they get some conservative quotes? Like Reagan's "Trees create pollution."
++Read Bob Woodward's "The Last of the President's Men". This is Woodward's metier--Richard Nixon, the creator of the EPA. Nixon comes off especially creepy and misanthropic. Based on Alexander Butterfield's archives and taped interviews, Woodward returns to the scene of the crime.
++The "scoop" for Woodward is the handwritten memo from Richard Nixon to Henry Kissinger that the bombing program in Vietnam has produced "zilch" and that it had fizzled. Woodward even calls Henry on the Amtrak to verify. Henry couldn't but he said the bombing of Vietnam had no effect on the war--except the thousands dead. Great read and shorter than Woodward's other books.
++Makes you wonder what effect President Obama's 7,000 sorties have had on ISIS. In Woodward's interview with Butterfield, he said the "Christmas Bombings" of Vietnam solely had to do with ensuring re-election. Polls said the Americans favored bombing. So what's President Obama's excuse?
++Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Sorry I couldn't be in New York.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
IOWA CAUCUS--ISU Poll
++ Hillary Clinton 49.5%,Bernie Sanders 27.8%,Don't Know 13.7%, and Other 6.3%.
Reuters/Ipsos Tracking Poll
++Democrats:
Hillary Clinton 58%
Sanders 30%
Won't Vote 8%
O'Malley 6%
++Republicans:
Donald Trump 37%
Ted Cruz 11%
Marco Rubio 10%
Ben Carson 9%
Won't Vote 6%
Jeb Bush 6%
Chris Christie 4%
Carly Fiorina 3%
GOV. Gilmore 3%
Mike Huckabee 3%
John Kasich 3%
George Pataki 2%
Ron Paul 2%
Rick Santorum 0%
Lindsey Graham 0%
++Note Gilmore's first appearance as a "contender". It's Clear it's The Donald versus Hillary.
Hillary Clinton 58%
Sanders 30%
Won't Vote 8%
O'Malley 6%
++Republicans:
Donald Trump 37%
Ted Cruz 11%
Marco Rubio 10%
Ben Carson 9%
Won't Vote 6%
Jeb Bush 6%
Chris Christie 4%
Carly Fiorina 3%
GOV. Gilmore 3%
Mike Huckabee 3%
John Kasich 3%
George Pataki 2%
Ron Paul 2%
Rick Santorum 0%
Lindsey Graham 0%
++Note Gilmore's first appearance as a "contender". It's Clear it's The Donald versus Hillary.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Quinnipiac Poll On GOP Iowa Caucus
++Donald Trump 25%
Ted Cruz 23%
Ben Carson 18%
Marco Rubio 13%
Rand Paul 5%
Jeb Bush 4%
Carly Fiorina 3%
++No others topped 2%.
Ted Cruz 23%
Ben Carson 18%
Marco Rubio 13%
Rand Paul 5%
Jeb Bush 4%
Carly Fiorina 3%
++No others topped 2%.
Monday, November 23, 2015
The Things You Can Learn on The Internet
++Lady Gaga is used by the Illuminati to condition us to accept the occult and to focus on lower urges.
++Kim Kardashian is another agent of the Illuminati to focus our attention to her buttocks.
++Twerking comes from the witches kissing the Devil's anus and started with the witch trials in Scotland.
++All of this is to deceive us that the events around the world mean the destruction of America and the emergence of the Illuminati control which brings on the Anti-Christ.
++Kim Kardashian is another agent of the Illuminati to focus our attention to her buttocks.
++Twerking comes from the witches kissing the Devil's anus and started with the witch trials in Scotland.
++All of this is to deceive us that the events around the world mean the destruction of America and the emergence of the Illuminati control which brings on the Anti-Christ.
Secure The Borders? They Already Are.
++Last year,according to the Pew Foundation,230,000 crossed the border illegally. That is the lowest number since 1971.
++The new of Mexican immigrants in the country is down to 11.7 million from 12.8 million in 2007.
++The new of Mexican immigrants in the country is down to 11.7 million from 12.8 million in 2007.
The Farce Awakens
++Sometimes even Paul Krugman can't resist.He chides the Beltway punditry for its expectations that after the Paris attacks that voters would drift to a Republican with national security credentials. Krugman asks who are these people and why does anyone expect this when the GOP has fed panic after panic the moment President Obama was elected. Remember the Ebola Plague,the death spiral of Obamacare,the explosion of inflation. Instead Krugman rightfully mentions that the Donald's poll numbers keep increasing.
++Krugman gets in a solid whack at Nial Ferguson,the imperialist much-favored by neoconservatives. Ferguson said that Paris attacks were the modern version of the Huns sacking Rome. Krugman muses,"Did the Romans return to the cafes a day later?"
++We are to expect more of this nonsense. The Donald has doubled down on his thousands of Muslims cheering 9-11 in Jersey City by saying he had solid, really secret sources.
++Krugman gets in a solid whack at Nial Ferguson,the imperialist much-favored by neoconservatives. Ferguson said that Paris attacks were the modern version of the Huns sacking Rome. Krugman muses,"Did the Romans return to the cafes a day later?"
++We are to expect more of this nonsense. The Donald has doubled down on his thousands of Muslims cheering 9-11 in Jersey City by saying he had solid, really secret sources.
Obama Continues To Be Weak Against ISIS--He's Only Bombed Them 7,000 Times
++There is a reason for Obama's weakness. Mark Levin claims Obama is an ISIS agent. But Jerome Corsi,America's most famous white Christian nationalist, believes because Obama had a same-sex marriage with his Pakistani roommate at Columbia which he consecrated with a ring with Islamic figures on it. He told Infowars News that the reason his original revelation that this had occurred was thought to be false was that President Obama fiendishly had the ring modified to erase anything connected to Islam. Obama had to keep his cover as an Islamic agent.
++So bombing them this many time establishes his pattern of deception.
++So bombing them this many time establishes his pattern of deception.
A Must Read--This Issue of the Atlantic Mothly
++Peter Beinart says that President Obama is not speaking to his opponents but to history when he defends the Syrian refugees. Beinert thinks this has been one of Obama's finest moments, not caving to nativism and fighting for a version of American history that has informed his presidency. Beinert outlines this history by recalling the speech at the 2008 Convention when Obama talked about the people who founded America--fleeing oppression abroad and the pioneers who fought nature in the West. Beinert feels President Obama has been constantly fighting the evil that is within America. He cites his Pettis Bridge speech and his efforts to rally the country after the Sandy Hook massacre. Beinert mentions how often President Obama tweeted messages for the Syrian refugees while traveling abroad and his criticisms of the Republicans trying to play to the fears of people. Beinert also mentions how unpopular President Obama's position is.
++Beinert's essay is a good read,"Why Obama is Standing By the Syrian refugees?".
++Beinert's essay is a good read,"Why Obama is Standing By the Syrian refugees?".
So Let's Raise Some Issues About 9-11.
++I experienced 9-11 as fire engines raced by my office on Rt. 1 heading to the Pentagon. A wife of a friend of mine tended to the dogs in Manhattan who sniffed through the rubble for bodies. My sister had friends in Rumson,New Jersey, lost their husbands in the Twin Towers.
++But there are questions that remain after all these years. Why did Building Number 7 collapse? It was not struck by any debris from the Towers or hint by a plane. It collapsed vertically to the ground and didn't tip over.
++Why was Neil Bush on the Board of the company that provided security to the Twin Towers?
++FEMA has already at the Twin Towers two days before the attack. What were they doing?
++The real $60 million question is why was there so much nanothermite found in the debris at the sight. This is an explosive that is only made in Los Alamos and melts steel. No one can account for the melted steel because crash of airplanes and explosions do not produce the amount of heat to melt steel.
++There were many contemporaneous accounts of "explosive type" noises from the basement which have never been explained.
++These questions escape even the hardest 9-11 truthers but, hey, as Jeb said "Shit Happens."
++But there are questions that remain after all these years. Why did Building Number 7 collapse? It was not struck by any debris from the Towers or hint by a plane. It collapsed vertically to the ground and didn't tip over.
++Why was Neil Bush on the Board of the company that provided security to the Twin Towers?
++FEMA has already at the Twin Towers two days before the attack. What were they doing?
++The real $60 million question is why was there so much nanothermite found in the debris at the sight. This is an explosive that is only made in Los Alamos and melts steel. No one can account for the melted steel because crash of airplanes and explosions do not produce the amount of heat to melt steel.
++There were many contemporaneous accounts of "explosive type" noises from the basement which have never been explained.
++These questions escape even the hardest 9-11 truthers but, hey, as Jeb said "Shit Happens."
The Donald Said He Saw Hundreds Of Muslims in Jersey City Cheering 9-11.
++Josh Marshall today points to this Trumpism also supported by Ben Carson as evidence that the Republican campaign has descended into the swamp of urban legends.
++Josh posted an in-depth debunking of the story by Allegra Kirkland ,which outlines the rumors surrounding cheering 9-11. Remember the "Dancing Israelis"--they were arrested on the George Washington Bridge for seemingly taking photos of the Twin Towers. They were held 27 days at the Brooklyn Detention Center. In fact they turned out to be four Israelis working for a city moving company and happened to have box-cutters with them.
++Allegra cites a paper done by two Rutgers professors about how 9-11 affected young Arab-American students. They report that there may have been a celebration near the Paterson library. They also reported rumors of Tailgating parties by Jersey citizens watching the fires burning where the Twin Towers stood.
++And of course, Allegra has to put in the CNN video of Palestinians celebrating 9-11.
++And out of this stew the Donald gets his statement of seeing hundreds of Muslims in Jersey City celebrating 9-11.
And in the courageous fashion he was terrified of a 4-year old Syrian,Chris Christie hedged on the Donald's statement just saying he didn't see it.
++Ben Carson has since backed away from saying he saw it but he did say Thomas Jefferson wrote the Constitution.
++Josh posted an in-depth debunking of the story by Allegra Kirkland ,which outlines the rumors surrounding cheering 9-11. Remember the "Dancing Israelis"--they were arrested on the George Washington Bridge for seemingly taking photos of the Twin Towers. They were held 27 days at the Brooklyn Detention Center. In fact they turned out to be four Israelis working for a city moving company and happened to have box-cutters with them.
++Allegra cites a paper done by two Rutgers professors about how 9-11 affected young Arab-American students. They report that there may have been a celebration near the Paterson library. They also reported rumors of Tailgating parties by Jersey citizens watching the fires burning where the Twin Towers stood.
++And of course, Allegra has to put in the CNN video of Palestinians celebrating 9-11.
++And out of this stew the Donald gets his statement of seeing hundreds of Muslims in Jersey City celebrating 9-11.
And in the courageous fashion he was terrified of a 4-year old Syrian,Chris Christie hedged on the Donald's statement just saying he didn't see it.
++Ben Carson has since backed away from saying he saw it but he did say Thomas Jefferson wrote the Constitution.
The Booman Returns!
++Readers of this blog will recall I have often referred to the "Booman" of the Booman Tribune website for his sardonic comments on our political scene.
++I miss Ed Kilgore and Steve Benen at the Washington Monthly but WP redeems itself partially by gaining the Booman--real name Martin Longman--as a regular blogger.
++In case you wonder why the GOP has become so overtly racist this past year,Martin Longman has an excellent analytical article "Why the GOP Has Grown So Hostile." It's the math stupid.
++You remember the GOP autopsy in 2012 which said they needed greater outreach to Hispanics and minorities and also women. Of course none of that came true for obvious reasons that their base didn't want it to.
++So what's a poor party to do but double-down on their white. The Gop figures they will double their African-American vote simply because Barack Obama isn't running. So that's 12% of the black vote.If they can gain 20% of the Hispanic Vote--Romney did 26%--then they have to maintain their white voters. Republicans the last four elections have received 59% of whites.
++As Longman writes,it is easier to gain from groups that don't support you than to add from those who already do. The GOP, as insurance, feels it needs to pump up the White vote from 59% to 64%.
++Longman notes that nearly 7 in 10 White Christians identify with the GOP. The religion gap has grown. 84% of Republicans identify as Christians, while with white Democrats only 57% identify as Christians.
++Not in Longman's article is that for the first time in our history white Christians represent only 40% of the population. Which accounts for the efforts among the Republican candidates to try and milk the Religious Right, a dying breed with clout.
++Longman points out the long history of the Southern Strategy but with the Donald it has gone national.
++It's too bad that "Booman" has to go serious and not be the wisecracker of old. But read the article.
++The "late" Ed Kilgore wrote extensively about the emphasis on the White by modern GOP strategists. Trende and others posited that the demographic crisis faced by the GOP was not a death knell but an opportunity. Kilgore had argued that by-elections favored the GOP base but the general would not favor this strategy. Longman's article makes you pause because it's not so far fetched, especially if you have voter suppression in place.
++I miss Ed Kilgore and Steve Benen at the Washington Monthly but WP redeems itself partially by gaining the Booman--real name Martin Longman--as a regular blogger.
++In case you wonder why the GOP has become so overtly racist this past year,Martin Longman has an excellent analytical article "Why the GOP Has Grown So Hostile." It's the math stupid.
++You remember the GOP autopsy in 2012 which said they needed greater outreach to Hispanics and minorities and also women. Of course none of that came true for obvious reasons that their base didn't want it to.
++So what's a poor party to do but double-down on their white. The Gop figures they will double their African-American vote simply because Barack Obama isn't running. So that's 12% of the black vote.If they can gain 20% of the Hispanic Vote--Romney did 26%--then they have to maintain their white voters. Republicans the last four elections have received 59% of whites.
++As Longman writes,it is easier to gain from groups that don't support you than to add from those who already do. The GOP, as insurance, feels it needs to pump up the White vote from 59% to 64%.
++Longman notes that nearly 7 in 10 White Christians identify with the GOP. The religion gap has grown. 84% of Republicans identify as Christians, while with white Democrats only 57% identify as Christians.
++Not in Longman's article is that for the first time in our history white Christians represent only 40% of the population. Which accounts for the efforts among the Republican candidates to try and milk the Religious Right, a dying breed with clout.
++Longman points out the long history of the Southern Strategy but with the Donald it has gone national.
++It's too bad that "Booman" has to go serious and not be the wisecracker of old. But read the article.
++The "late" Ed Kilgore wrote extensively about the emphasis on the White by modern GOP strategists. Trende and others posited that the demographic crisis faced by the GOP was not a death knell but an opportunity. Kilgore had argued that by-elections favored the GOP base but the general would not favor this strategy. Longman's article makes you pause because it's not so far fetched, especially if you have voter suppression in place.
CBS Battleground States
New Hampshire;
Bernie Sanders 52%
Hillary Clinton 45%
O'Malley 3%
IOWA:
Hillary Clinton 50%
Bernie Sanders 44%
O'Malley 5%
SOUTH CAROLINA:
Hillary Clinton 72%
Bernie Sanders 25%
O'Malley 2%
Bernie Sanders 52%
Hillary Clinton 45%
O'Malley 3%
IOWA:
Hillary Clinton 50%
Bernie Sanders 44%
O'Malley 5%
SOUTH CAROLINA:
Hillary Clinton 72%
Bernie Sanders 25%
O'Malley 2%
CBS Republican Polls
++Donald Trump Leads In All First State polls.
++IOWA:
Trump 30
Cruz 21%
Carson 19%
Rubio 11%
Bush 5%
Fiorina 4%
Christie 2%
Paul 2%
Santorum 2%
Jindal 2%
Huckabee 1%
Kasich 1%
Gillmore 0%
Graham 0%
Pataki 0%
++NEW HAMPSHIRE
Trump 32%
Rubio 13%
Cruz 10%
Carson 10%
Kasich 8%
Bush 6%
Fiorina 6%
Paul 6%
Christie 5%
Santorum 1%
Graham 1%
Gilmore 0%
Jindal 0%
Pataki 0%
++South Carolina
Trump 35%
Carson 19%
Rubio 16%
Cruz 13%
Bush 5%
Graham 3%
Fiorina 2%
Kasich 2%
Huckabee 2%
Christie 1%
Paul 1%
Santorum 1%
Gilmore 0%
Jindal 0%
Pataki 0%
++IOWA:
Trump 30
Cruz 21%
Carson 19%
Rubio 11%
Bush 5%
Fiorina 4%
Christie 2%
Paul 2%
Santorum 2%
Jindal 2%
Huckabee 1%
Kasich 1%
Gillmore 0%
Graham 0%
Pataki 0%
++NEW HAMPSHIRE
Trump 32%
Rubio 13%
Cruz 10%
Carson 10%
Kasich 8%
Bush 6%
Fiorina 6%
Paul 6%
Christie 5%
Santorum 1%
Graham 1%
Gilmore 0%
Jindal 0%
Pataki 0%
++South Carolina
Trump 35%
Carson 19%
Rubio 16%
Cruz 13%
Bush 5%
Graham 3%
Fiorina 2%
Kasich 2%
Huckabee 2%
Christie 1%
Paul 1%
Santorum 1%
Gilmore 0%
Jindal 0%
Pataki 0%
Sunday, November 22, 2015
The Donald Now Will Not Rule Out A Third Party Bid.
++The Donald may be reacting to the creation of a new Superpac New Day in America aligned with John Kasich. The SuperPac with megadonors from all the GOP candidates are committed to taking down the Donald in New Hampshire.
Marco Rubio's First TV Ad
++Senator Shortpants warns that what happened in Paris could happen here. (Despite spending trillions of dollars to prevent it happening here.)
++We are in a civilizational struggle against those who hate freedom. They hate us for our values like allowing women to drive a car.
++We must either win or lose this struggle.
++He didn't reach for the water.
++We are in a civilizational struggle against those who hate freedom. They hate us for our values like allowing women to drive a car.
++We must either win or lose this struggle.
++He didn't reach for the water.
Ross Douthat: Searching for Richard Nixon
++The esteemed New York Times op-ed writer says that the Republican Party needs a new Richard Nixon. Of course, he doesn't want the paranoid ,anti-semitic President but the politician who knew how to manipulate the disgruntled masses in to a winning combination.
++He objects to Donald Trump because he doesn't know how to dog-whistle his message like Nixon did. He pointed to Nixon restoring the Republican Party after Goldwater. The Donald's followers remind him of those of George Wallace and that spells doom in Douthat's world. Besides we need someone with an understanding the realpolitik that knows you can't combat Putin, Iran, China and then fight Daesh at the same time. Because frankly Obama's foreign policy is a mess.
++If the Republicans don't find their Richard Nixon, you will end up with Hillary who has Nixon's flaws but not his accomplishments.
++Generally a weird column. Douthat still doesn't get that the GOP is off the charts in terms of nuttiness. Notice he didn't mention the Nixon of the Clean Water Act or EPA.
++He objects to Donald Trump because he doesn't know how to dog-whistle his message like Nixon did. He pointed to Nixon restoring the Republican Party after Goldwater. The Donald's followers remind him of those of George Wallace and that spells doom in Douthat's world. Besides we need someone with an understanding the realpolitik that knows you can't combat Putin, Iran, China and then fight Daesh at the same time. Because frankly Obama's foreign policy is a mess.
++If the Republicans don't find their Richard Nixon, you will end up with Hillary who has Nixon's flaws but not his accomplishments.
++Generally a weird column. Douthat still doesn't get that the GOP is off the charts in terms of nuttiness. Notice he didn't mention the Nixon of the Clean Water Act or EPA.
New Hampshire
++CBS:
Trump 32%
Rubio 13%
Carson 10%
Cruz 10%
Kasich 8%
JEB! 6%
Fiorina 6%
Christie 5%
++Suffolk University/Boston Globe
Trump 22%
Rubio 11%
Carson 10%
Cruz 9%
Kasich 9%
Note: Jeb's polling comes after a multi-million dollar Ad blitz.
Trump 32%
Rubio 13%
Carson 10%
Cruz 10%
Kasich 8%
JEB! 6%
Fiorina 6%
Christie 5%
++Suffolk University/Boston Globe
Trump 22%
Rubio 11%
Carson 10%
Cruz 9%
Kasich 9%
Note: Jeb's polling comes after a multi-million dollar Ad blitz.
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Predictwise
++Hillary Clinton's Chances for the Nomination: 94%
++Hillary Clinton's Chances to Become President: 59%
++JEB Bush's Chance to Become President: 3%
++This is the highest reach of Hillary Clinton so far.
++Hillary Clinton's Chances to Become President: 59%
++JEB Bush's Chance to Become President: 3%
++This is the highest reach of Hillary Clinton so far.
ABC/Washington Post Poll
++Democrats: Hillary 60 and Sanders 31.
++Republicans:
Donald Trump is the leader of the GOP 32%
Ben Carson: 22%
Marco Rubio: 11%
Ted Cruz: 8%
Jeb Bush: 6%
++Almost 75% of Americans are now focused on the presidential campaign. The two leading issues are Terrorism and the Economy.
++Republicans:
Donald Trump is the leader of the GOP 32%
Ben Carson: 22%
Marco Rubio: 11%
Ted Cruz: 8%
Jeb Bush: 6%
++Almost 75% of Americans are now focused on the presidential campaign. The two leading issues are Terrorism and the Economy.
Democrat John Bel Edwards Defeats Senator Vitter by 11pts
++ Senator David Vitter's Hail Mary moves against the Syrian Refugees--or the one refugee--didn't produce the comeback win he wanted.
++I would put his defeat squarely on the fact the people of Louisiana were so fed up with Bobby Jindal and the crashing state economy no Republican could have pulled it off.
++"Diaper Dave" as he is affectionately called in D.C. after his sexual kink said that he would serve his last year in the Senate and not run again for the Senate in 2016.
++Bel Edwards is a former Ranger and is on record advocating Medicare and Obamacare for the state. Don't expect a bother Jerry Brown or a progressive governor with this guy.
++Both candidates decided not to address the serious revenue shortfall of the state--the very same one that Jindal actually bragged about in his presidential campaign.
++I would put his defeat squarely on the fact the people of Louisiana were so fed up with Bobby Jindal and the crashing state economy no Republican could have pulled it off.
++"Diaper Dave" as he is affectionately called in D.C. after his sexual kink said that he would serve his last year in the Senate and not run again for the Senate in 2016.
++Bel Edwards is a former Ranger and is on record advocating Medicare and Obamacare for the state. Don't expect a bother Jerry Brown or a progressive governor with this guy.
++Both candidates decided not to address the serious revenue shortfall of the state--the very same one that Jindal actually bragged about in his presidential campaign.
Friday, November 20, 2015
The Sooner Poll-Oklahoma
++Clinton 47,Sanders 12, O'Malley 2
++Republicans:
Donald Trump 27%
Ben Carson 18%
Ted Cruz 18%
Marco Rubio 16%
Mike Huckabee 4%
Jeb Bush 2%
Rand Paul 2%
John Kasich 1%
Chris Christie 0%
Lindsey Graham
Rick Santorum
George Pataki 0%
++Republicans:
Donald Trump 27%
Ben Carson 18%
Ted Cruz 18%
Marco Rubio 16%
Mike Huckabee 4%
Jeb Bush 2%
Rand Paul 2%
John Kasich 1%
Chris Christie 0%
Lindsey Graham
Rick Santorum
George Pataki 0%
Josh Marshall Looks At David Vitter's Last Minute Hail Mary Pass
++Josh Marshall looks at David Vitter's desperate attempt to win an upset in tomorrow's Louisiana Governor's race. Vitter who has been tagged with his old prostitution scandal, the arrest of his own Private Investigator, and Bobby Jindal's dismal record trails heavily in all the recent polls to the Democrat.
++But Vitter trying to capitalize on the anti-Syrian refugee sentiment is broadcasting ads against them. But not just all of them, one in particular. It seems Catholic Charities, which is linked to Vitter's wife in Louisiana, sent one of the refugees to Washington D.C. because he had relatives here. Vitter is suggesting that this refugee is missing and we all know what that means--ISIS.
++What Vitter doesn't tell anyone is that the man is here and is visible. Catholic Charities verified that. But as Josh points out this has stimulated violence against the local Catholic Charities office.
++Tomorrow's results will show whether the GOP hysteria over refugees really matters in an election.
++But Vitter trying to capitalize on the anti-Syrian refugee sentiment is broadcasting ads against them. But not just all of them, one in particular. It seems Catholic Charities, which is linked to Vitter's wife in Louisiana, sent one of the refugees to Washington D.C. because he had relatives here. Vitter is suggesting that this refugee is missing and we all know what that means--ISIS.
++What Vitter doesn't tell anyone is that the man is here and is visible. Catholic Charities verified that. But as Josh points out this has stimulated violence against the local Catholic Charities office.
++Tomorrow's results will show whether the GOP hysteria over refugees really matters in an election.
Ed Kilgore's Last Day
++Having filled the shoes of Steve Benen, Ed Kilgore leaves us with Buddy Guy's cover of "Please Don't Leave Me." But also he examines Peggy Noonan's latest.
++Peggy says that not only do we need another Ronald Reagan because of his optimism but also the country needs a father figure that exudes confidence that with all the problems we face America can solve them. That must be The Donald, who now suggests his Muslim database should be a watch list.
++Ed Kilgore notes that Peggy will have none of President Obama's nonsense that doubt is an essential part of faith.
++Ed Kilgore will next appear in New York magazine but living in California.
Good Luck Ed. I'll miss his videos of bluesmen.
++Peggy says that not only do we need another Ronald Reagan because of his optimism but also the country needs a father figure that exudes confidence that with all the problems we face America can solve them. That must be The Donald, who now suggests his Muslim database should be a watch list.
++Ed Kilgore notes that Peggy will have none of President Obama's nonsense that doubt is an essential part of faith.
++Ed Kilgore will next appear in New York magazine but living in California.
Good Luck Ed. I'll miss his videos of bluesmen.
Bloomberg Poll
++Hillary Clinton has solidified her position as Democratic leader getting high marks for most able to fight terrorism and being the commander-in-chief.
++Clinton 55%, Sanders 30% and O'Malley 2% and Not Sure 8%.
++Clinton 55%, Sanders 30% and O'Malley 2% and Not Sure 8%.
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