++With the Donald on SNL tonight,It has been the Donald and Ben Carson eating up the airwaves. JEB will Fix It was a bust and John Kasich got bogged down with Steven Colbert on the issue of marijuana. Carly Fiorina got chewed up on The View.
++Chris Christie said that the only reasons Republicans lose is because of unions.
++The flap created by Poppy Bush over George W and his advisers ate the Jeb campaign to the degree conservatives just shrug and want to avoid it.
++The establishment figure is now Marco Rubio, whose rampant credit card charges have been rationalized by Politico.
++ I think Ben Carson's nuttiness has now gone mainstream but I don't think his fibs about his biography hurt. His supporters expect that redemption stories ghouls be outlandish. By portraying himself as a young thug and saying he saved white students during riots after Martin Luther King was assassinated is music to his supporters' ears.
++His weirder beliefs which are an outgrowth of him being Seventh Day Adventist should hurt him.
++But we enter the holiday season with the Donald still champion. Strange thought.
++I got an email from a conservative today complaining about that "community organizer" who wasn't the "superior character" like Mitt Romney. His email went on about the terrific GOP field and felt that the leftist media made them a "Clown Car". Here a neurosurgeon,a Latino football player,another who went to Ivy League Schools. The emails I got are from people my age and it is clear they have no clue about the changing nature of our society. Sort of Pathetic.
Showing posts with label Chris Christie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Christie. Show all posts
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Friday, July 31, 2015
Who's Going to Make The GOP Debate?
++The first GOP debate is to be held on Thursday in Ohio. The RNC ceded the selection of the participants to Fox News. Allegedly,the participants will be chosen by the first ten in national polls. However, this gets dicey with hometown candidate John Kasich not getting up there and Carli Fiorina not qualifying. The only minority is Ben Carson.
++Fox said they will be having a kid's table debate prior to the first major debate.
++Even FOX admits that it is mayhem trying to decide who is going to participate. Jon Stewart said it succinctly that is whomever Roger Ailes decides.
++Teetering on the edge is Chris Christie, who attacked the owner of my hometown paper The Asbury Park Press because he funds the Monmouth University polls, which say that--yes--the people of New Jersey believe Christie would be a bad President.
++The Donald is romping in all polls with 20+% and double digit leads over the nearest competitors--Jeb! and Scott Walker.
++Today the owner of the Chicago Cubs gave Walker $5 million.
++Earlier next week the Koch Brothers will be hosting their cattle call with Jeb!,Marco Rubio, Scott Walker and Ted Cruz. The Koch Brothers say their campaign will center on the message that our economic policies should help the "unfortunate".
++The Donald says that he may give Sister Sara Palin a cabinet post.
++Fox said they will be having a kid's table debate prior to the first major debate.
++Even FOX admits that it is mayhem trying to decide who is going to participate. Jon Stewart said it succinctly that is whomever Roger Ailes decides.
++Teetering on the edge is Chris Christie, who attacked the owner of my hometown paper The Asbury Park Press because he funds the Monmouth University polls, which say that--yes--the people of New Jersey believe Christie would be a bad President.
++The Donald is romping in all polls with 20+% and double digit leads over the nearest competitors--Jeb! and Scott Walker.
++Today the owner of the Chicago Cubs gave Walker $5 million.
++Earlier next week the Koch Brothers will be hosting their cattle call with Jeb!,Marco Rubio, Scott Walker and Ted Cruz. The Koch Brothers say their campaign will center on the message that our economic policies should help the "unfortunate".
++The Donald says that he may give Sister Sara Palin a cabinet post.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Scatter-Shot Views
++Jeb changed his campaign team before his launch. While it was a shuffle,GOP insiders had complained that JEB had promised that he would be leading and then release his SuperPac Money Bomb and drown the competition and be the Inevitable One.
++Problem is that his money bomb isn't going to make the $100 million number when he launches.
++His digital communications quite because he claimed that Jeb in going to go heavy into television ads. The model for his campaign is his brother's 1999 campaign where George W. convinced his party there could be nothing but surrender to his candidacy.
++Rachel Maddow interviewed Lincoln Chaffee on his unorthodox career but stumbled on a weird fact. Lincoln lived in the same dorm with Jeb at Andover and knew him early in his career. Chaffee broke with the Republicans because he could not trust W. Chaffee actually visited the CIA and was briefed as Senator on WMDs in Iraq and came away saying there was nothing there. Consequently he voted against the Iraq War and ,as he told Rachel,someone has to stand against perpetual war.
++Mike Gerson said that it is true Rand Paul's campaign is in total disarray but that any GOP candidate is only one debate away becoming a contender. But Paul has also pissed off his colleagues on the NSA issue because they accuse him of lying about the surveillance program and trying to get credit about the bill that was passed even though he had nothing to do with it.
++Ted Cruz held a mock hearing inviting HHS officials to debate Obama subsidies. The Department declined because the subject was being litigated/
++The GOP is ramping up its anti Obamacare rhetoric. They claim they have a substitute if the government loses at SCOTUS but even here there was in complete shambles.
++Steve Benen at MaddowBlog writes about President Obama doing a victory lap over Obamacare. The President's point was not only that it registered millions and drastically reduced the uninsured,it effectively is now the American health insurance system five years later. He knows a Supreme court ruling would not only take health insurance away from 6 million and lead to 9,000 deaths per year but that the whole system would be jeopardized.
++Marco Rubio has been drawing criticism for his erratic personal finances. This time it is about his "unsinkable" boat he bought. Actually I think these stories don't hurt him because they make him human with chronic financial problems, something millions can relate to.
++The DONALD really is going to announce on the 16th and he told a Raleigh audience that they would be pleased. The Donald has a secret plan to defeat ISIS and he discussed this with the Pentagon who, of course, think it is brilliant. The Donald will be the job-creatorest of presidents because he knows who to do this. He is the only one who can save us now.
++The Hillary machine is getting into gear. Her kickoff in New York will be the official start-up of her 50 state organizing campaign. Yes, Iowa Democrats are crying for her to return. But I think they need the money.
++Former Senator Tom Coburn gave a frank interview with a conservative radio host and said he was horrified by the field of Republican candidates. He gave a person by person analysis . He favors Marco Rubio.
++Chris Christie wants to put a military option on the table against China. Think about that.
++Jeb gave his first strictly foreign policy speech and wants to get tough against Putin.
++Rubio gave a speech to say he would get tough against Russia and China.
++Scott Walker said he would re-invade Iraq.
++Chris Christie's Bridgegate problems won't go away as David Wildstein, his former aide, has given evidence against Christie. Christie is accused of leaking Grand Jury testimony. Bridget Riley is pissed at being thrown under the bus and is now suing for access to the Christie sponsored investigation that exonerated Christie.
++Ben Carson's campaign quit but his business manager Armstrong Williams says it's no problem. The various SuperPacs got into each other's way. He still polls well in Iowa.
++Nate the Great tells us we should not take the Wisconsin Straw Poll that showed Bernie Sanders at 41% too seriously. We didn't.
++Under the surface,various progressive websites do not recognize a reality about Hillary's campaign. She is locking up the permanent delegates like Democratic office holders, which play a key role at the convention. There are structural elements to her campaign like Obama's before hers that rarely get observed or mentioned. 50-state organization is key. Locking up delegates is another. Basically all Democratic-leaning think-tanks are in her corner. This doesn't leave alot of space for competitors.
++Problem is that his money bomb isn't going to make the $100 million number when he launches.
++His digital communications quite because he claimed that Jeb in going to go heavy into television ads. The model for his campaign is his brother's 1999 campaign where George W. convinced his party there could be nothing but surrender to his candidacy.
++Rachel Maddow interviewed Lincoln Chaffee on his unorthodox career but stumbled on a weird fact. Lincoln lived in the same dorm with Jeb at Andover and knew him early in his career. Chaffee broke with the Republicans because he could not trust W. Chaffee actually visited the CIA and was briefed as Senator on WMDs in Iraq and came away saying there was nothing there. Consequently he voted against the Iraq War and ,as he told Rachel,someone has to stand against perpetual war.
++Mike Gerson said that it is true Rand Paul's campaign is in total disarray but that any GOP candidate is only one debate away becoming a contender. But Paul has also pissed off his colleagues on the NSA issue because they accuse him of lying about the surveillance program and trying to get credit about the bill that was passed even though he had nothing to do with it.
++Ted Cruz held a mock hearing inviting HHS officials to debate Obama subsidies. The Department declined because the subject was being litigated/
++The GOP is ramping up its anti Obamacare rhetoric. They claim they have a substitute if the government loses at SCOTUS but even here there was in complete shambles.
++Steve Benen at MaddowBlog writes about President Obama doing a victory lap over Obamacare. The President's point was not only that it registered millions and drastically reduced the uninsured,it effectively is now the American health insurance system five years later. He knows a Supreme court ruling would not only take health insurance away from 6 million and lead to 9,000 deaths per year but that the whole system would be jeopardized.
++Marco Rubio has been drawing criticism for his erratic personal finances. This time it is about his "unsinkable" boat he bought. Actually I think these stories don't hurt him because they make him human with chronic financial problems, something millions can relate to.
++The DONALD really is going to announce on the 16th and he told a Raleigh audience that they would be pleased. The Donald has a secret plan to defeat ISIS and he discussed this with the Pentagon who, of course, think it is brilliant. The Donald will be the job-creatorest of presidents because he knows who to do this. He is the only one who can save us now.
++The Hillary machine is getting into gear. Her kickoff in New York will be the official start-up of her 50 state organizing campaign. Yes, Iowa Democrats are crying for her to return. But I think they need the money.
++Former Senator Tom Coburn gave a frank interview with a conservative radio host and said he was horrified by the field of Republican candidates. He gave a person by person analysis . He favors Marco Rubio.
++Chris Christie wants to put a military option on the table against China. Think about that.
++Jeb gave his first strictly foreign policy speech and wants to get tough against Putin.
++Rubio gave a speech to say he would get tough against Russia and China.
++Scott Walker said he would re-invade Iraq.
++Chris Christie's Bridgegate problems won't go away as David Wildstein, his former aide, has given evidence against Christie. Christie is accused of leaking Grand Jury testimony. Bridget Riley is pissed at being thrown under the bus and is now suing for access to the Christie sponsored investigation that exonerated Christie.
++Ben Carson's campaign quit but his business manager Armstrong Williams says it's no problem. The various SuperPacs got into each other's way. He still polls well in Iowa.
++Nate the Great tells us we should not take the Wisconsin Straw Poll that showed Bernie Sanders at 41% too seriously. We didn't.
++Under the surface,various progressive websites do not recognize a reality about Hillary's campaign. She is locking up the permanent delegates like Democratic office holders, which play a key role at the convention. There are structural elements to her campaign like Obama's before hers that rarely get observed or mentioned. 50-state organization is key. Locking up delegates is another. Basically all Democratic-leaning think-tanks are in her corner. This doesn't leave alot of space for competitors.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Drips and Drabs on Day of Technical Problems
++Lindsey Graham has never sent an e-mail.
++Mitch McConnell will try and find a way to raise the debt ceiling on time.
++Hillary's e-mails are already at the Benghazi committee.
++The Russians hate us worse than during the Cold War.
++Over 50,000 rallied against Bibi in Israel.
++The Saudis have become the greatest arms importers.
++Chris Christie looks like he's toast in the presidential race.
++The Pentagon is depressed about the war on terror.
++President Obama says he will walk away from a bad Iranian deal.
++Rudy showed up in Berlin to bash Obama again, calling his policy against Iran "reckless".
++Mitch McConnell will try and find a way to raise the debt ceiling on time.
++Hillary's e-mails are already at the Benghazi committee.
++The Russians hate us worse than during the Cold War.
++Over 50,000 rallied against Bibi in Israel.
++The Saudis have become the greatest arms importers.
++Chris Christie looks like he's toast in the presidential race.
++The Pentagon is depressed about the war on terror.
++President Obama says he will walk away from a bad Iranian deal.
++Rudy showed up in Berlin to bash Obama again, calling his policy against Iran "reckless".
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Your D.C. News
++Senator Inhof again proved that climate change was a hoax by throwing a snowball at Senator Cassidy in the Senate today.
++House Republicans are thinking about a three-week continuing resolution to fund DHS. Senate Republicans want to have a funding bill sans immigration to last to the end of September.
++Bobby Jindal is tied of hyphenated Americans and thinks there should be no Indian-Americans or African-Americans.
++James O'Keefe says he deserves a Polk Award for his scams about voter fraud.
++Chris Christie taunts Jeb Bush about being the establishment choice but that he, Christie would be unafraid to tell you what he thinks. He thinks the Obama White House should sit down and shut up.
++Scott Walker says if he can defeat 1,200 protesters, eating pizza from Ian's Pizza, he can defeat ISIS anywhere in the world.
++Ann Coulter says we should fear immigrants more than ISIS.
++CPAC panelists said that coke users die before the age of 50 because they have holes in their heart.
++Carly Fiorina, failed Hewlett-Packard CEO, doesn't like Hillary Clinton.
++A Nebraska judge ruled for the landowners against TransCanada's seizure of their property under eminent domain which would postpone the pipeline for at least three years. Mitch McConnell will bring the pipeline up for a vote next week.
++Loretta Lynch made it out of committee today and made be voted on next week to replace Eric Holder.
++No word about the Authorization to use military force from the Congress.
++Today marked the longest period since 9/11 when no Americans had been killed in combat--not 79 days and counting.
++House Republicans are thinking about a three-week continuing resolution to fund DHS. Senate Republicans want to have a funding bill sans immigration to last to the end of September.
++Bobby Jindal is tied of hyphenated Americans and thinks there should be no Indian-Americans or African-Americans.
++James O'Keefe says he deserves a Polk Award for his scams about voter fraud.
++Chris Christie taunts Jeb Bush about being the establishment choice but that he, Christie would be unafraid to tell you what he thinks. He thinks the Obama White House should sit down and shut up.
++Scott Walker says if he can defeat 1,200 protesters, eating pizza from Ian's Pizza, he can defeat ISIS anywhere in the world.
++Ann Coulter says we should fear immigrants more than ISIS.
++CPAC panelists said that coke users die before the age of 50 because they have holes in their heart.
++Carly Fiorina, failed Hewlett-Packard CEO, doesn't like Hillary Clinton.
++A Nebraska judge ruled for the landowners against TransCanada's seizure of their property under eminent domain which would postpone the pipeline for at least three years. Mitch McConnell will bring the pipeline up for a vote next week.
++Loretta Lynch made it out of committee today and made be voted on next week to replace Eric Holder.
++No word about the Authorization to use military force from the Congress.
++Today marked the longest period since 9/11 when no Americans had been killed in combat--not 79 days and counting.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Very Strange
++It is very strange to see contenders for the GOP presidential nomination come out against vaccinations. And these were the same people who were petrified about the Ebola virus. Chris Christie came out for "voluntary" vaccinations. Rand Paul said vaccinations caused severe mental diseases. The last I looked we were in the 21st century. I guess not. I wouldn't be surprised to see Rand Paul call for bloodletting as an acceptable medical practice.
++Roald Dahl wrote a moving op-ed at Huffington Post advocating vaccines because his daughter died from measles.
++Meanwhile President Obama made sure he was photographed getting a vaccine.
++Today he is hosting beneficiaries of Obamacare just as the House is voting once again to repeal it.
The White House finally made it explicit about what the stakes are. It's not just for those people who might get tax subsidies for their care. Any repeal affects all of us with private health insurance and Medicare. That's 250 million people, not just the 5-10 million often mentioned concerning the SCOTUS case.
++You would be back to "pre-existing" conditions,adult children tossed off their health care,no preventative care,no caps on health insurance profits,and the list goes on. Remember the pre-Obamacare days when people were denied operations because their algorithm didn't fit. I do. People were actually in the operating room when health insurance companies would not OK an operation. I came dangerously close to this for my eye operation until the surgeon interfered. Otherwise I would be blind.
++We still have medical bankruptcies in this country. So many that these are not included in your FICO rating. Under the last administration, it was epidemic. The same goes for premium hikes. Under the Bush administration, I had to junk my health insurance because it cost more than my mortgage. My family only got it because my wife taught.
++There really is a point where these anti-Obamacare congress critters are nuts. But if they are anti-vaccine also,why should they even want health insurance?
++Roald Dahl wrote a moving op-ed at Huffington Post advocating vaccines because his daughter died from measles.
++Meanwhile President Obama made sure he was photographed getting a vaccine.
++Today he is hosting beneficiaries of Obamacare just as the House is voting once again to repeal it.
The White House finally made it explicit about what the stakes are. It's not just for those people who might get tax subsidies for their care. Any repeal affects all of us with private health insurance and Medicare. That's 250 million people, not just the 5-10 million often mentioned concerning the SCOTUS case.
++You would be back to "pre-existing" conditions,adult children tossed off their health care,no preventative care,no caps on health insurance profits,and the list goes on. Remember the pre-Obamacare days when people were denied operations because their algorithm didn't fit. I do. People were actually in the operating room when health insurance companies would not OK an operation. I came dangerously close to this for my eye operation until the surgeon interfered. Otherwise I would be blind.
++We still have medical bankruptcies in this country. So many that these are not included in your FICO rating. Under the last administration, it was epidemic. The same goes for premium hikes. Under the Bush administration, I had to junk my health insurance because it cost more than my mortgage. My family only got it because my wife taught.
++There really is a point where these anti-Obamacare congress critters are nuts. But if they are anti-vaccine also,why should they even want health insurance?
Friday, January 9, 2015
Here They Come
++Bishop Willard "Mitt" Romney has given the word to his donors that he is considering another run for the Presidency. He cites the turmoil overseas and the state of the economy as his reasons. Consider this: President Obama created the same number of jobs that Romney said he would create in his first term.
++Mike Huckabee quit Fox News, a sign he will run.
++Chris Christie is already putting out the word he is running.
++Believe or not , Marco Rubio is defying Jennifer Rubin, and is indicating he will run.
++Former UN Ambassador John Bolton quit his FOX News gig as a sign he too will throw his hat in the ring.
++And, believe it or not, Scott Brown, who ran a carpetbagger for Senate in New Hampshire, wants to give it another try by running in------California for Barbara Boxer's seat.
++The New reform conservative movement has indicated that they want to increase defense spending and cut discretionary programs. In short, they want to restore George W. Bush's foreign policy. Oh myy.
++Mike Huckabee quit Fox News, a sign he will run.
++Chris Christie is already putting out the word he is running.
++Believe or not , Marco Rubio is defying Jennifer Rubin, and is indicating he will run.
++Former UN Ambassador John Bolton quit his FOX News gig as a sign he too will throw his hat in the ring.
++And, believe it or not, Scott Brown, who ran a carpetbagger for Senate in New Hampshire, wants to give it another try by running in------California for Barbara Boxer's seat.
++The New reform conservative movement has indicated that they want to increase defense spending and cut discretionary programs. In short, they want to restore George W. Bush's foreign policy. Oh myy.
Friday, June 27, 2014
White Men Acting Out
++Mississippi Tea Party leader, lawyer Mark Mayfield,committed suicide as he was indicted for participating in the stunt of video-taping Tad Cochran's wife in a nursing home where she is because she suffers from dementia.
++Teabaggers tweeted back to Cruz' call for impeachment of Eric Holder, saying what is stopping him and escalating to calls for impeaching the President.
++GOP politician Timothy Ray Murray accuses Rep. Fred Lucas, a fellow Republican, of being dead, having been executed three years ago. Lucas was then replaced by a lookalike. It didn't stop Lucas or his lookalike winning the primary with over 85% of the vote.
++Dick Cheney now says we will experience a massive terrorist attack within ten years or make that twenty-five years unless we adopt his ideas.
++The Virginia GOP has been caught out offering a Democratic Senator a job, phone and a car before he resigned and killed Medicaid expansion for the state.
++Mississippi GOP chairman flatly rejects the Tea Party claims that 700 were illegally cast for Cochran.
++Sarah Palin wistfully wonders whether there should be a third party because the GOP establishment acts like Democrats. Interesting observation. Should pass it onto the DNC.
++Chris Christie is still up to it for taking money for the cancelled Bridge project and using it on the Pulaski Highway Bridge.
++Teabaggers tweeted back to Cruz' call for impeachment of Eric Holder, saying what is stopping him and escalating to calls for impeaching the President.
++GOP politician Timothy Ray Murray accuses Rep. Fred Lucas, a fellow Republican, of being dead, having been executed three years ago. Lucas was then replaced by a lookalike. It didn't stop Lucas or his lookalike winning the primary with over 85% of the vote.
++Dick Cheney now says we will experience a massive terrorist attack within ten years or make that twenty-five years unless we adopt his ideas.
++The Virginia GOP has been caught out offering a Democratic Senator a job, phone and a car before he resigned and killed Medicaid expansion for the state.
++Mississippi GOP chairman flatly rejects the Tea Party claims that 700 were illegally cast for Cochran.
++Sarah Palin wistfully wonders whether there should be a third party because the GOP establishment acts like Democrats. Interesting observation. Should pass it onto the DNC.
++Chris Christie is still up to it for taking money for the cancelled Bridge project and using it on the Pulaski Highway Bridge.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Happy Juneteenth
++ Scott Walker is in the middle of a vast criminal network that involves leading right-wing donors and Karl Rove.
++Chris Christie is moments away from being handed his hat by prosecutors in New Jersey.
++Mitt "Willard" Romney at 29% is now the overwhelming favorite for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016.
++Rick Perry has been invited to Gay Pride Day in San Francisco after saying he might move to California.
++Kay Hagen has a five point lead in the polls in the North Carolina Senate race.
++Kevin McCarthy is the new GOP Majority Leader in the House. Steven Scalise, the head of the ultra conservative Republican Study Group and a favorite of the oil industry, was made Whip.
++The Presbyterians voted to move closer to accepting same-sex marriage.
++Rude Pundit has been on a tear the last few days on Cheney and McCain and Graham. Read him.
++The return of the Iraq war hawks has inspired great work by Jason Linkins, Rachel Maddow,Dan Waldman,E.J. Dionne, Charles Pierce , Rude Pundit,Ed Shultz and Pap, America's lawyer.
++Sandy Koufax's protege Clayton Kershaw pitched a 14-strikeout no-hitter that missed a perfect game by one fielding error. Baseball experts--aren't we all--are trying to rate whether the Dodger Pitcher threw the best no-hitter in history. They check out pitch count, walks (0), strikeouts. They think he did it.
++I watched President Obama's speech on Iraq today with a heavy heart. I'll comment on American moves later.
++Chris Christie is moments away from being handed his hat by prosecutors in New Jersey.
++Mitt "Willard" Romney at 29% is now the overwhelming favorite for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016.
++Rick Perry has been invited to Gay Pride Day in San Francisco after saying he might move to California.
++Kay Hagen has a five point lead in the polls in the North Carolina Senate race.
++Kevin McCarthy is the new GOP Majority Leader in the House. Steven Scalise, the head of the ultra conservative Republican Study Group and a favorite of the oil industry, was made Whip.
++The Presbyterians voted to move closer to accepting same-sex marriage.
++Rude Pundit has been on a tear the last few days on Cheney and McCain and Graham. Read him.
++The return of the Iraq war hawks has inspired great work by Jason Linkins, Rachel Maddow,Dan Waldman,E.J. Dionne, Charles Pierce , Rude Pundit,Ed Shultz and Pap, America's lawyer.
++Sandy Koufax's protege Clayton Kershaw pitched a 14-strikeout no-hitter that missed a perfect game by one fielding error. Baseball experts--aren't we all--are trying to rate whether the Dodger Pitcher threw the best no-hitter in history. They check out pitch count, walks (0), strikeouts. They think he did it.
++I watched President Obama's speech on Iraq today with a heavy heart. I'll comment on American moves later.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Sunday-Still Frigid Rain in D.C.
++Same sex marriage is now a reality all over the United Kingdom. Big Ben struck twelve twice. Elton John announced he was getting married.
++Ross Douhout in the New York Times tried to explain today why the Red States with supposedly conservative religious values leads the nation in poverty,health care problems,divorce and porn addiction. He doesn't really.
++General Martin Dempsey is in Israel today to pacify Israel on its complaints about American policy in the Ukraine and in the Middle East in general.
++The classified American documents about Israel stealing American weapons-grade uranium in the late 1960s and 1970s have been released.
++Paul Krugman wonders why there is a news blackout about Obamacare hitting its numbers when the website screwup dominated the news for months.
++Senator Barraso of Wyoming claims that the Obama administration is fudging the figures--sort of like the labor numbers.
++Michelle Bachmann screamed about the lawlessness of the Obama Administration changing the healthcare deadlines. Interesting HHS has the right, according to the law, to set the deadlines as it sees fit.
++Democrats are missing an opportunity by not seizing on the fact that red states are cheating over 7.7 million Americans out of health insurance by denying Medicaid expansion.
++The National Review admits that ACA was the biggest defeat for "small government " conservatives in a generation.
++Chris Christie blew his audition with Adelson in Vegas by referring to the West Bank as occupied territory. Republican Zionist organizations lectured him on the miscue and he blew them off. GOP donors are so hysterical they are courting Jeb Bush to throw his hat in the ring.
++Wisconsin may have made it into the Final Four but it is now 2nd in job losses in the United States.
++The New York Times and other media outlets are finally getting hip to the efforts by the GOP to limit voting in key Swing States.
++Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with John Kerry in Paris today. Russia wants greater autonomy for Southern and Eastern Ukraine and insist they will protect Russian speakers. But, of course, they will not invade the Ukraine.
++One of the common themes at the Vegas show-and-pony show was the United States must become "aggressive against international challenges." Has anyone figured out yet that the GOP has no foreign policy experts anymore. The Grade B team of neo-cons will be in their late 60s and early 70s by 2016.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
It's Rignarok--The World Ends Today
++The Norse apocalypse is an epic battle among the Gods--Thor,Loki,Odin,Freyr,and Hermoor. Odin gets killed and creation ends. The good news is that life will begin again with two humans.
++Since this blog started, the end of the world has come two times--maybe three is the charm.
++General Boynkin says the apocalypse will come with Jesus returning carrying an AR-15. Jesus is the one behind the Second Amendment.
++It's not only General Boynkin who thinks this. Tom Delay says we have all lost our way because we forgot God created the constitution and as a consequence the Bill of Rights.
++It's not been a good day for Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, the head of the Sinaloa drug king. He was arrested yesterday.
++President Yanukovich vamoosed after signing an agreement with the opposition in the Ukraine. No one knows where he is.
++President Madura hopes to hang on in Venezuela by challenging President Obama to a debate. But the base of the Chavez Revolution,the urban poor has now joined with the students in demanding the government quit.
++Rex Tillerson, the CEO of ExxonMobil, thinks the end is near. He is suing against fracking because a water tower would spoil his view.
++Boardwalk Empire continues in New Jersey. Chris Christie has been using the governor's residence as the venue to entertain the big money people of the GOP. Naturally state funds were used to refurbish the old home.
++PTA Chairman Samson has been retroactively recusing himself from decisions that benefited his legal clients. The Newark Star-Ledger have called for him to resign.
++Governor Walker of Wisconsin has been caught out with the release of over 20,000 e-mails in the John Doe 1 investigation. It seems the Milwaukee Counter employees were working on his campaign while on the public payroll. Despite aides going to jail, the DA said he didn't have enough to bring charges against Walker. The mantra for GOP 2016 presidential candidates will be "If the glove don't fit, you must acquit."
++President Obama urged Democrats to run hard in state races in 2014. Democrats are aiming at the governor races in Florida,Ohio,Maine,Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to set the table for 2016.
++Hillary Clinton has sunk to a 59% approval rating. Rinse Penis at the RNC claims that all the Clinton era so-called scandals will be fair game. Car Thief Darryl Issa weighed in this week by saying that Hillary Clinton gave an order to Leon Panetta for troops to stand down from rescuing the ambassador and the Special Forces from Benghazi. Of course,none of this is true. John McCain said this week that if the election were held today Hillary would win.
++Steven King said it really was "literally true" that the Dream Kids were drug mules with calves the shape of cantaloupes.
++Anti-gay legislation has broken out around the nation. Arizona passed a bill that would allow people to discriminate against gays in any walk of life. This was passed under the rubric of Religious Freedom.
++Ted Nugent and Texas GOP candidate Abbott got into problems with calling" Obama a mongrel". Yesterday's Ted's wife tweeted how wonderful it was to meet 4 adult children from Ted's former affairs. No one asked whether there were any mixed races among the brood.
++President Obama is awarding two dozen Medals of Honor to people who were discriminated against--Jews,Blacks, Hispanics. The Medals of Honor cover actions in WWII,the Korean War, Vietnam, and Iraq. One of the awardees is Lenny Kravitz' grandfather,who fought in WWII.
++Pat Buchanan urges the GOP to model their immigration policies after the far-right parties in Europe. He even provides the service of listing each of the parties to inspire the House.
++With that,I am reading a superb book,The Pope and Mussolini,the Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe, by David Kertzer (Random House ,2014). It should be a cautionary tale of the threat posed by a Christianist, Corporate alliance here in the States. Needless to say, Pope Pius XI was against liberal democracy and formed a strategic alliance with Mussolini at the expense of Catholic parties. It is also useful as a history of the anti-semiticism of the Catholic Church and its real world consequences.
++Baseball great Sandy Koufax was hit by a fastball in batting practice at the Dodgers spring training. Rumors are he is OK but we still have to wait whether he can pitch again.
++Since this blog started, the end of the world has come two times--maybe three is the charm.
++General Boynkin says the apocalypse will come with Jesus returning carrying an AR-15. Jesus is the one behind the Second Amendment.
++It's not only General Boynkin who thinks this. Tom Delay says we have all lost our way because we forgot God created the constitution and as a consequence the Bill of Rights.
++It's not been a good day for Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, the head of the Sinaloa drug king. He was arrested yesterday.
++President Yanukovich vamoosed after signing an agreement with the opposition in the Ukraine. No one knows where he is.
++President Madura hopes to hang on in Venezuela by challenging President Obama to a debate. But the base of the Chavez Revolution,the urban poor has now joined with the students in demanding the government quit.
++Rex Tillerson, the CEO of ExxonMobil, thinks the end is near. He is suing against fracking because a water tower would spoil his view.
++Boardwalk Empire continues in New Jersey. Chris Christie has been using the governor's residence as the venue to entertain the big money people of the GOP. Naturally state funds were used to refurbish the old home.
++PTA Chairman Samson has been retroactively recusing himself from decisions that benefited his legal clients. The Newark Star-Ledger have called for him to resign.
++Governor Walker of Wisconsin has been caught out with the release of over 20,000 e-mails in the John Doe 1 investigation. It seems the Milwaukee Counter employees were working on his campaign while on the public payroll. Despite aides going to jail, the DA said he didn't have enough to bring charges against Walker. The mantra for GOP 2016 presidential candidates will be "If the glove don't fit, you must acquit."
++President Obama urged Democrats to run hard in state races in 2014. Democrats are aiming at the governor races in Florida,Ohio,Maine,Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to set the table for 2016.
++Hillary Clinton has sunk to a 59% approval rating. Rinse Penis at the RNC claims that all the Clinton era so-called scandals will be fair game. Car Thief Darryl Issa weighed in this week by saying that Hillary Clinton gave an order to Leon Panetta for troops to stand down from rescuing the ambassador and the Special Forces from Benghazi. Of course,none of this is true. John McCain said this week that if the election were held today Hillary would win.
++Steven King said it really was "literally true" that the Dream Kids were drug mules with calves the shape of cantaloupes.
++Anti-gay legislation has broken out around the nation. Arizona passed a bill that would allow people to discriminate against gays in any walk of life. This was passed under the rubric of Religious Freedom.
++Ted Nugent and Texas GOP candidate Abbott got into problems with calling" Obama a mongrel". Yesterday's Ted's wife tweeted how wonderful it was to meet 4 adult children from Ted's former affairs. No one asked whether there were any mixed races among the brood.
++President Obama is awarding two dozen Medals of Honor to people who were discriminated against--Jews,Blacks, Hispanics. The Medals of Honor cover actions in WWII,the Korean War, Vietnam, and Iraq. One of the awardees is Lenny Kravitz' grandfather,who fought in WWII.
++Pat Buchanan urges the GOP to model their immigration policies after the far-right parties in Europe. He even provides the service of listing each of the parties to inspire the House.
++With that,I am reading a superb book,The Pope and Mussolini,the Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe, by David Kertzer (Random House ,2014). It should be a cautionary tale of the threat posed by a Christianist, Corporate alliance here in the States. Needless to say, Pope Pius XI was against liberal democracy and formed a strategic alliance with Mussolini at the expense of Catholic parties. It is also useful as a history of the anti-semiticism of the Catholic Church and its real world consequences.
++Baseball great Sandy Koufax was hit by a fastball in batting practice at the Dodgers spring training. Rumors are he is OK but we still have to wait whether he can pitch again.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
The Morning Blat
++The House GOP will bring a clean debt ceiling bill up today because they couldn't get agreement on the ransom demand.
++Janet Yallin makes her first public appearance as FED chair and will say that the jobs recovery hasn't been enough.
++The Obama Administration has altered its stand on leaving Afghanistan. They now want to wait until Karzai is out of office. Afghan troops are now restless for a security agreement, which Karzai has refused to sign.
++President Obama has set a dubious record--deporting 2 million people, which is greater than all the Presidents from the late 19th century through l999 combined.
++Chuck Schumer this weekend proposed that the House GOP pass an immigration reform bill and make it applicable when President Obama leaves office since they claim they do not trust President Obama to enforce the law. I guess 2 million people doesn't convince them. Carnival Crux said today that he wants to discuss immigration in 2015.
++Dana Millbank today reports in the Washington Post that the Heritage Foundation's latest conference on new policy ideas had none.
++The South Dakota GOP stopped Medicaid expansion in that state.
++Efforts by conservatives to prevent Arizona from expanding Medicaid failed.
++Chris Christie continues to be beleaguered by the subpoenas over Bridgegate.
++His money tour for GOP candidates isn't panning out as Texas and Illinois Republicans are avoiding him.
++Iran has agreed to share information on their experiments with triggers with the international atomic energy commission. Iran successfully tested a long-range missile and has two ships to get near US waters.
++After a stall, more Syrian chemical weapons left the country.
++Janet Yallin makes her first public appearance as FED chair and will say that the jobs recovery hasn't been enough.
++The Obama Administration has altered its stand on leaving Afghanistan. They now want to wait until Karzai is out of office. Afghan troops are now restless for a security agreement, which Karzai has refused to sign.
++President Obama has set a dubious record--deporting 2 million people, which is greater than all the Presidents from the late 19th century through l999 combined.
++Chuck Schumer this weekend proposed that the House GOP pass an immigration reform bill and make it applicable when President Obama leaves office since they claim they do not trust President Obama to enforce the law. I guess 2 million people doesn't convince them. Carnival Crux said today that he wants to discuss immigration in 2015.
++Dana Millbank today reports in the Washington Post that the Heritage Foundation's latest conference on new policy ideas had none.
++The South Dakota GOP stopped Medicaid expansion in that state.
++Efforts by conservatives to prevent Arizona from expanding Medicaid failed.
++Chris Christie continues to be beleaguered by the subpoenas over Bridgegate.
++His money tour for GOP candidates isn't panning out as Texas and Illinois Republicans are avoiding him.
++Iran has agreed to share information on their experiments with triggers with the international atomic energy commission. Iran successfully tested a long-range missile and has two ships to get near US waters.
++After a stall, more Syrian chemical weapons left the country.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Happy Year of the Horse!
++I guess it didn't start so well for the Broncos.
++My Superbowl Ad favorites:
**Bob Dylan's Chrysler "America's Import"
**Coca-Cola's "Beautiful" with its multilingual singing.
**Doritos "Time Machine"
**Cheerios
++Best Ad not shown--"Pride" by the American Indian Nations.
++Chris Christie didn't get his Super Bowl box. More aides have resigned. The papers are beginning to pour in on Bridgegate. Christie's state trooper was arrested for shop-lifting in Pennsylvania. The New Jersey situation is now in meltdown. CPAC decided to invite Christie to their confab anyhow.
++Because readers complain about my bias,I took the celebrity personality test this weekend. The closest match for me using their Jungian categories was Ronald Reagan, which provoked howls from my former conservative friends.
++In case you missed it, the New York Times reports that all of Libya's chemical weapons have been destroyed in a secret program of the Obama Administration.
++Hillary Clinton answered Senator Levin's letter concerning additional sanctions against Iran. She wrote back that she opposed additional sanctions because the United States has the high ground and that this would be lost by passing such measures, which would fracture the international alliance.
++John Kerry warned Israel that if they don't move on the Palestinian talks the "divestment movement" would pick up steam. The ultra-right in Israel now say John Kerry is an anti-semite.
++Iran says it would negotiate with the EU on human rights. Howard Dean last week said that the nuke talks should be conditioned on human rights progress. I see the two as separate.
++President Obama gave about his 400th interview of his Presidency this time to Fox News. Donald Trump was outraged that the President didn't wear a tie.
++The Guttmacher Institute released a study that showed abortion rates in the United States are at the lowest since just after Roe v Wade. The reason is not the restriction by state's on abortion rights but rather the use of contraceptives.
++The Senate is going to vote on cloture for the Farm Bill today. Besides the foodstamp cuts, it is unique this year to prohibit the public from finding out how much farm subsidies congressional members receive from the bill.
++Paul Ryan said yesterday that the Presidency was "lawless". He also said that immigration reform can't happen because the GOP doesn't trust Obama to reinforce it. He has only deported 2 million undocumented aliens during his Presidency. So how much border security do you need?
++Treasury Secretary Lew says time in running out on the debt ceiling. The House GOP has not decided what ransom they want.
++The House is preparing two more bills to repeal Obamacare. The two elements are to favor employers.
++Janet Yallin took her oath of office this morning and thereby became the most powerful woman in the world.
++Miley Cyrus posed nude.
++My Superbowl Ad favorites:
**Bob Dylan's Chrysler "America's Import"
**Coca-Cola's "Beautiful" with its multilingual singing.
**Doritos "Time Machine"
**Cheerios
++Best Ad not shown--"Pride" by the American Indian Nations.
++Chris Christie didn't get his Super Bowl box. More aides have resigned. The papers are beginning to pour in on Bridgegate. Christie's state trooper was arrested for shop-lifting in Pennsylvania. The New Jersey situation is now in meltdown. CPAC decided to invite Christie to their confab anyhow.
++Because readers complain about my bias,I took the celebrity personality test this weekend. The closest match for me using their Jungian categories was Ronald Reagan, which provoked howls from my former conservative friends.
++In case you missed it, the New York Times reports that all of Libya's chemical weapons have been destroyed in a secret program of the Obama Administration.
++Hillary Clinton answered Senator Levin's letter concerning additional sanctions against Iran. She wrote back that she opposed additional sanctions because the United States has the high ground and that this would be lost by passing such measures, which would fracture the international alliance.
++John Kerry warned Israel that if they don't move on the Palestinian talks the "divestment movement" would pick up steam. The ultra-right in Israel now say John Kerry is an anti-semite.
++Iran says it would negotiate with the EU on human rights. Howard Dean last week said that the nuke talks should be conditioned on human rights progress. I see the two as separate.
++President Obama gave about his 400th interview of his Presidency this time to Fox News. Donald Trump was outraged that the President didn't wear a tie.
++The Guttmacher Institute released a study that showed abortion rates in the United States are at the lowest since just after Roe v Wade. The reason is not the restriction by state's on abortion rights but rather the use of contraceptives.
++The Senate is going to vote on cloture for the Farm Bill today. Besides the foodstamp cuts, it is unique this year to prohibit the public from finding out how much farm subsidies congressional members receive from the bill.
++Paul Ryan said yesterday that the Presidency was "lawless". He also said that immigration reform can't happen because the GOP doesn't trust Obama to reinforce it. He has only deported 2 million undocumented aliens during his Presidency. So how much border security do you need?
++Treasury Secretary Lew says time in running out on the debt ceiling. The House GOP has not decided what ransom they want.
++The House is preparing two more bills to repeal Obamacare. The two elements are to favor employers.
++Janet Yallin took her oath of office this morning and thereby became the most powerful woman in the world.
++Miley Cyrus posed nude.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Quien Es Mas Macho?
++The Mayor of Sochi claims there are no gays in his city--only gay bars.
++The Marlboro Man died at the age of 72 because of respiratory problems.
++Bob Schaeffer laughed at Ted Cruz for saying Obama caused the government shutdown.
++Tom Perkins, a billionaire, said that the attacks on the Rich were the same as Kristallnacht. Really?
++Trey Radel ,Florida Republican, will resign from the House . He was caught buying cocaine from an undercover agent.
++Steve Stockman who has been absent from the House for the first 17 days blamed the media saying he was campaigning but no one saw him.
++Mike Huckbee says that women have to control their libidos and shouldn't expect Uncle Sugar to provide them with birth control pills.
++Texas candidate for governor, Wendy Davis is a "bad mother" according to the Republicans.
++Morning Joe Scarborough says that Hillary Clinton can't attack the GOP on the war against women because of Monica Lewinski.
++Newsmax says that "Hellcat" Clinton is in bad shape because of Benghazi.
++Rand Paul says that Bill Clinton exhibited predatory behavior against women and this will damage Hillary.
++Erick Bennett, the tea bagger challenger against Susan Collins, threatened to kill his wife and was charged with spousal abuse. These are positive things for his campaign.
++AIPAC has attacked Wendy Wasserman Schultz for not being pro-enough on Israel, although she has the highest pro-Israel voting record in Congress.
++Dinesh D'Sousa was indicted for violating campaign finance laws. He used both his wife and his mistress as fronts for his campaign contributions.
++Lamar Alexander's staff member who was busted for distributing child porn committed suicide.
++Kim Jong-un ordered the entire family of his uncle's executed.
++Chris Christie hired Patton, Boggs, the D.C. Law firm to defend him in his exploding scandals.
++Frank Rich in this issue of New York magazine proclaims Fox News dead and wishes liberals woud stop fixating on it.
++The Marlboro Man died at the age of 72 because of respiratory problems.
++Bob Schaeffer laughed at Ted Cruz for saying Obama caused the government shutdown.
++Tom Perkins, a billionaire, said that the attacks on the Rich were the same as Kristallnacht. Really?
++Trey Radel ,Florida Republican, will resign from the House . He was caught buying cocaine from an undercover agent.
++Steve Stockman who has been absent from the House for the first 17 days blamed the media saying he was campaigning but no one saw him.
++Mike Huckbee says that women have to control their libidos and shouldn't expect Uncle Sugar to provide them with birth control pills.
++Texas candidate for governor, Wendy Davis is a "bad mother" according to the Republicans.
++Morning Joe Scarborough says that Hillary Clinton can't attack the GOP on the war against women because of Monica Lewinski.
++Newsmax says that "Hellcat" Clinton is in bad shape because of Benghazi.
++Rand Paul says that Bill Clinton exhibited predatory behavior against women and this will damage Hillary.
++Erick Bennett, the tea bagger challenger against Susan Collins, threatened to kill his wife and was charged with spousal abuse. These are positive things for his campaign.
++AIPAC has attacked Wendy Wasserman Schultz for not being pro-enough on Israel, although she has the highest pro-Israel voting record in Congress.
++Dinesh D'Sousa was indicted for violating campaign finance laws. He used both his wife and his mistress as fronts for his campaign contributions.
++Lamar Alexander's staff member who was busted for distributing child porn committed suicide.
++Kim Jong-un ordered the entire family of his uncle's executed.
++Chris Christie hired Patton, Boggs, the D.C. Law firm to defend him in his exploding scandals.
++Frank Rich in this issue of New York magazine proclaims Fox News dead and wishes liberals woud stop fixating on it.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
The Days of Our Lives
++Roe vs. Wade marked its 41st anniversary. Only 25,000 braved the cold weather to protest. Ricky Cantor told the crowd that he was going to insure that the government never pays for abortion--which it doesn't. House Republicans passed a bill for the IRS to audit all women who have had abortions to ensure they don't take it off as a tax deduction. Tom Cotton of Arkansas is introducing a bill that would give fertilized eggs constitutional rights. Weirdly,poll numbers today about abortion mirror almost exactly those from 41 years ago. There has been no movement toward the anti-abortion position in all these years.
++Sean Hannity was miffed that Andrew Cuomo said that there was no room in New York state for extreme conservatives. Hannity said he was going to move from New York in protest but later claimed he really couldn't because so many people were dependent on his show. He does say he may run for public office in Florida. He will be attending the State of the Union Address next Tuesday as a guest of American hero, Louie Gohmert.
++The Secret Service visited the Florida Republican who wants to lynch President obama, saying that the situation has moved beyond impeachment.
++Supreme Commander Major General Paul Valley launched his Operation American Spring in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a fitting place to advocate the overthrow of the government since the state was the first to secede from the Union.
++Marco Rubio plans to make Americans pay higher premiums for Obamacare by sponsoring a bill to eliminate the risk pool guarantees for the health insurance industry. He has twelve sponsors.
++Brainwrap has been driving himself crazy trying to reconcile his numbers for Obamacare. The total with Medicaid is now 11.9 million. Medicaid expansion is now 6.3 million.
++Jeffrey Toobin in the latest New Yorker has a iece on the President's Bipartisan Commission on Elections. Yes, it came out and it shows voter fraud is infinitesimal. The suggestions to enlarge the franchise are totally sane so they don't stand a chance of passing. The same I might add to the revised Voting Rights Act written by Senator Leahy and Rep. Sesenbrenner.
++The President's Privacy Board came out today and said the NSA mass collection of phone information was illegal.
++Governor Bob McDonnell and his wife were indicted for corruption in Virginia.
++Virginia Attorney General Herring said today he was joining a suit against the state's anti-same sex marriage law.
++Virginians may escape the bullet this year. Democratic Jennifer Wexton won the special seat for the Senate in a blizzard. The win may put the Democrats in control of that body. Another seat is waiting for a recount. Meanwhile the first poll has come out with Mark Warner holding a fifty point lead over Gillespie.
++The Cooch called for Chris Christie to step down as head of the Republican Governor's Association.
++The U.S. Attorney told Dawn Zimmer, the Mayor of Hoboken to stop doing media interviews. The FBI has been interviewing her staff and aides about her claims and apparently five people support her version of her meeting with the Lt.Gov.
++Chris Christie has fallen in popularity and now the GOP front-runner is Rand Paul.
++The President is going to focus on income inequality in his State of the Union Address. A stunning report shows that 85 people have more wealth than the poorest 3.5 billion combined.
++Sean Hannity was miffed that Andrew Cuomo said that there was no room in New York state for extreme conservatives. Hannity said he was going to move from New York in protest but later claimed he really couldn't because so many people were dependent on his show. He does say he may run for public office in Florida. He will be attending the State of the Union Address next Tuesday as a guest of American hero, Louie Gohmert.
++The Secret Service visited the Florida Republican who wants to lynch President obama, saying that the situation has moved beyond impeachment.
++Supreme Commander Major General Paul Valley launched his Operation American Spring in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a fitting place to advocate the overthrow of the government since the state was the first to secede from the Union.
++Marco Rubio plans to make Americans pay higher premiums for Obamacare by sponsoring a bill to eliminate the risk pool guarantees for the health insurance industry. He has twelve sponsors.
++Brainwrap has been driving himself crazy trying to reconcile his numbers for Obamacare. The total with Medicaid is now 11.9 million. Medicaid expansion is now 6.3 million.
++Jeffrey Toobin in the latest New Yorker has a iece on the President's Bipartisan Commission on Elections. Yes, it came out and it shows voter fraud is infinitesimal. The suggestions to enlarge the franchise are totally sane so they don't stand a chance of passing. The same I might add to the revised Voting Rights Act written by Senator Leahy and Rep. Sesenbrenner.
++The President's Privacy Board came out today and said the NSA mass collection of phone information was illegal.
++Governor Bob McDonnell and his wife were indicted for corruption in Virginia.
++Virginia Attorney General Herring said today he was joining a suit against the state's anti-same sex marriage law.
++Virginians may escape the bullet this year. Democratic Jennifer Wexton won the special seat for the Senate in a blizzard. The win may put the Democrats in control of that body. Another seat is waiting for a recount. Meanwhile the first poll has come out with Mark Warner holding a fifty point lead over Gillespie.
++The Cooch called for Chris Christie to step down as head of the Republican Governor's Association.
++The U.S. Attorney told Dawn Zimmer, the Mayor of Hoboken to stop doing media interviews. The FBI has been interviewing her staff and aides about her claims and apparently five people support her version of her meeting with the Lt.Gov.
++Chris Christie has fallen in popularity and now the GOP front-runner is Rand Paul.
++The President is going to focus on income inequality in his State of the Union Address. A stunning report shows that 85 people have more wealth than the poorest 3.5 billion combined.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Sunday Blues
++SCOTUS rejected the Prop 8 supporters' petition to delay California's same sex marriages.
++Jim DeMint and Gary Bauer appeared to argue that same sex marriages hurt kids and to argue for transvaginal probes on the Sunday talk shows. Luckily Rachel Maddow was there to shut them down on both items.
++Chris Christie vetoed Medicaid extension in New Jersey indicating he is touching the base to make way for the primaries.
++The House's anti-abortion law was scored by the CBO and found that it would cost the government $75 to $400 million over 10 years.
++House Republicans are complaining that sequestration will mean that some military bases will not have enough money for July 4th fireworks.
++Republican members of the Senate sent the NFL a letter protesting the idea that they might run ads on Obamacare, claiming the Administration was strong-arming them on a "divisive "issue even though it is law.
++The NYTimes reports that Republicans have come up with a new strategy to fight Hillary Clinton--they claim she is too old to be President while the GOP has younger candidates who just happen to have really old ideas.
++Linda Greenhouse has a column in today's Times about the real John Roberts. It's not pretty.
++House Republican leadership has sent out hugely mixed signals on immigration reform. Newsmax is horrified that Paul Ryan has spent hours trying to persuade the Republican Caucus that passage of immigration reform is necessary. Eric Cantor said that the "Dream Kids" have to have a country. But the House is going ahead with its own version of reform that would not include a path to citizenship. Stay tuned.
++Ray LaHood,Obama's Transportation Secretary,and former Republican Illinois Congressman, told the Washington Post that he feared the Republican Party was bordering on irrelevancy with regard to their Do Nothing Attitude. He pointed to the immigration bill and the farm bill. The failure to pass the Farm Bill,lingering for two years, will hurt House members. Dairy farmers will go out of business if it isn't passed. It is one of those routine bills that needs to be passed every few years. Like debt ceilings, it almost always has.
++One wise guy noted that Rand Paul's claim same sex marriage would lead to bestiality is strange because in Kentucky bestiality is legal, while same sex marriage isn't.
++The Daily Beast had a piece that said that Rand Paul's problem in winning the Presidency is because he is short. As Randy Newman sang, "Short people got no reason to live." Maybe Rand Paul can run as an incarnation of James Madison, who was also very short.
++In the Beltway, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul,Paul Ryan are considered serious presidential contenders. Forget it,we had only two Senators in my lifetime who made it. Lightening isn't going to strike three times. I bet the governors will lead the race--Chris Christie,Rick Perry (Oh, yes), Mike Huckabee,John Kasich, Gary Pence, and Vishnu Jindal. The question national Republicans are asking is "who can take Ohio?"
++Most observers like myself believed that gerrymandering gave the GOP the House until at least 2020. Carville and Greenberg say,"Hold on." They have a poll this week that the American people identify Congress with Republicans and that Democrats stand great chances of picking up swing seats in the House. What's interesting is that their findings even baffled them who thought the same way as the rest of us. By the way, Charlie Cook wants to remind everyone that Obama has held a 50% approval rating the last two weeks.
++In their quest for the youth vote, the GOP is letting Elizabeth Warren's bill to cap interests rates die so the loans will double starting tomorrow.
++The New Yorker cover with Bert and Ernie cuddling and watching the television with the five judges who supported same sex marriages has come under flak. Heritage Foundation went out of its way to denounce Bert and Ernie "coming out" and of course this is another reason NPR should be defunded. Brian Fischer claims the New Yorker cover encouraged child sex abuse.
++Not all evangelical Christians are wackjobs,the New York Times has a nice piece on Mariano Rivera,who keeps chugging along. The article details how in his 19-year career everyone on the field has always known where his pitch will go, even the batter, but he keeps saving games with a single pitch. Go figure!
++But some Christians are wackos. The World Nut Daily has called for a Christian revolution because of same sex marriage and Obamacare and says that the Gary Bauer type Religious Right is just misleading "real Christians" and accepting there is a separation not church and state.
++Sarah Palin is thinking of leaving the Republican Party if it keeps forgetting its platform and joining Mark Levin in the Freedom Party.
++In the Republican quest for the youth vote, they might like to know over 50% of 18-30 say they have no religion. A much larger percentage say they are for same-sex marriage. And even greater percent think dope should be legalized. Rand Paul is talking about the last item but don't hold your breath.
++Nancy Pelosi aims to put the GOP to the test about its minority outreach by sponsoring the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Senator Leahy says he is working on a draft in the Senate.
++The EU is going ballistic over revelations in Der Spiegel that the NSA has been eavesdropping on German citizens and the EU parliament.
++Jim DeMint and Gary Bauer appeared to argue that same sex marriages hurt kids and to argue for transvaginal probes on the Sunday talk shows. Luckily Rachel Maddow was there to shut them down on both items.
++Chris Christie vetoed Medicaid extension in New Jersey indicating he is touching the base to make way for the primaries.
++The House's anti-abortion law was scored by the CBO and found that it would cost the government $75 to $400 million over 10 years.
++House Republicans are complaining that sequestration will mean that some military bases will not have enough money for July 4th fireworks.
++Republican members of the Senate sent the NFL a letter protesting the idea that they might run ads on Obamacare, claiming the Administration was strong-arming them on a "divisive "issue even though it is law.
++The NYTimes reports that Republicans have come up with a new strategy to fight Hillary Clinton--they claim she is too old to be President while the GOP has younger candidates who just happen to have really old ideas.
++Linda Greenhouse has a column in today's Times about the real John Roberts. It's not pretty.
++House Republican leadership has sent out hugely mixed signals on immigration reform. Newsmax is horrified that Paul Ryan has spent hours trying to persuade the Republican Caucus that passage of immigration reform is necessary. Eric Cantor said that the "Dream Kids" have to have a country. But the House is going ahead with its own version of reform that would not include a path to citizenship. Stay tuned.
++Ray LaHood,Obama's Transportation Secretary,and former Republican Illinois Congressman, told the Washington Post that he feared the Republican Party was bordering on irrelevancy with regard to their Do Nothing Attitude. He pointed to the immigration bill and the farm bill. The failure to pass the Farm Bill,lingering for two years, will hurt House members. Dairy farmers will go out of business if it isn't passed. It is one of those routine bills that needs to be passed every few years. Like debt ceilings, it almost always has.
++One wise guy noted that Rand Paul's claim same sex marriage would lead to bestiality is strange because in Kentucky bestiality is legal, while same sex marriage isn't.
++The Daily Beast had a piece that said that Rand Paul's problem in winning the Presidency is because he is short. As Randy Newman sang, "Short people got no reason to live." Maybe Rand Paul can run as an incarnation of James Madison, who was also very short.
++In the Beltway, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul,Paul Ryan are considered serious presidential contenders. Forget it,we had only two Senators in my lifetime who made it. Lightening isn't going to strike three times. I bet the governors will lead the race--Chris Christie,Rick Perry (Oh, yes), Mike Huckabee,John Kasich, Gary Pence, and Vishnu Jindal. The question national Republicans are asking is "who can take Ohio?"
++Most observers like myself believed that gerrymandering gave the GOP the House until at least 2020. Carville and Greenberg say,"Hold on." They have a poll this week that the American people identify Congress with Republicans and that Democrats stand great chances of picking up swing seats in the House. What's interesting is that their findings even baffled them who thought the same way as the rest of us. By the way, Charlie Cook wants to remind everyone that Obama has held a 50% approval rating the last two weeks.
++In their quest for the youth vote, the GOP is letting Elizabeth Warren's bill to cap interests rates die so the loans will double starting tomorrow.
++The New Yorker cover with Bert and Ernie cuddling and watching the television with the five judges who supported same sex marriages has come under flak. Heritage Foundation went out of its way to denounce Bert and Ernie "coming out" and of course this is another reason NPR should be defunded. Brian Fischer claims the New Yorker cover encouraged child sex abuse.
++Not all evangelical Christians are wackjobs,the New York Times has a nice piece on Mariano Rivera,who keeps chugging along. The article details how in his 19-year career everyone on the field has always known where his pitch will go, even the batter, but he keeps saving games with a single pitch. Go figure!
++But some Christians are wackos. The World Nut Daily has called for a Christian revolution because of same sex marriage and Obamacare and says that the Gary Bauer type Religious Right is just misleading "real Christians" and accepting there is a separation not church and state.
++Sarah Palin is thinking of leaving the Republican Party if it keeps forgetting its platform and joining Mark Levin in the Freedom Party.
++In the Republican quest for the youth vote, they might like to know over 50% of 18-30 say they have no religion. A much larger percentage say they are for same-sex marriage. And even greater percent think dope should be legalized. Rand Paul is talking about the last item but don't hold your breath.
++Nancy Pelosi aims to put the GOP to the test about its minority outreach by sponsoring the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Senator Leahy says he is working on a draft in the Senate.
++The EU is going ballistic over revelations in Der Spiegel that the NSA has been eavesdropping on German citizens and the EU parliament.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
BUTCH OTTER FOR PRESIDENT
Gail Collins in the New York Times was writing about the curse of Mitt on the Republican race and stumbled wonderfully on the solution. The Republicans are after a fiscal conservative and who better to carry the banner forward than Rude "Butch" Otter, the governor of Idaho.
Butch Otter provides marketing opportunities for a campaign better than Willard Romney or Newton Leroy Gingrich. Sweatshirts "Vote Otter" or mascot otters for the children. This is an opportunity that certainly the teabaggers would love. Vote the Otter--easy to remember.
Rude "Butch" Otter is the solution for a field that is struggling to find traction and something sane to run on.
So today we have Rick Perry's hunting camp named "Niggerhead", something Herman "Pizza Man" Cain finds insensitive. With Obama cleaning up Islamic terrorists, Rick Perry now wants to show he's tough on Hispanics so he wants to invade Mexico to go after the drug cartels. General Pershing didn't have much luck going after Pancho Villa, who later shows up in the Paco Taibo II mysteries.
Chris Christie is being seen as the Chazz Bono of the Republicans, a Christy Whitman who had a sex change. And, Mark Levin warns us he's a 'warmer", someone who believes in climate change. He also is too "liberal" for Herman Cain because he once entertained ideas of gun control and civil unions for same sex couples. And, besides, Michael Kinsley says he's too fat to be president in these lean times.
And Willard "The Mitt" Romney? Well, wasn't Willard the name of the Big Rat in the movie of the same name? Or didn't Marlon Brando as Col. Kurtz captured it about right in Apocalypse Now," Willard, you're just an errand boy...Willard, for some grocery clerks."
Gail Collins is right. Republicans must band together and draft Rude "Butch" Otter for President. President Otter would bring us closer together for the Final Looting of America.
Otter in 2012!!
Butch Otter provides marketing opportunities for a campaign better than Willard Romney or Newton Leroy Gingrich. Sweatshirts "Vote Otter" or mascot otters for the children. This is an opportunity that certainly the teabaggers would love. Vote the Otter--easy to remember.
Rude "Butch" Otter is the solution for a field that is struggling to find traction and something sane to run on.
So today we have Rick Perry's hunting camp named "Niggerhead", something Herman "Pizza Man" Cain finds insensitive. With Obama cleaning up Islamic terrorists, Rick Perry now wants to show he's tough on Hispanics so he wants to invade Mexico to go after the drug cartels. General Pershing didn't have much luck going after Pancho Villa, who later shows up in the Paco Taibo II mysteries.
Chris Christie is being seen as the Chazz Bono of the Republicans, a Christy Whitman who had a sex change. And, Mark Levin warns us he's a 'warmer", someone who believes in climate change. He also is too "liberal" for Herman Cain because he once entertained ideas of gun control and civil unions for same sex couples. And, besides, Michael Kinsley says he's too fat to be president in these lean times.
And Willard "The Mitt" Romney? Well, wasn't Willard the name of the Big Rat in the movie of the same name? Or didn't Marlon Brando as Col. Kurtz captured it about right in Apocalypse Now," Willard, you're just an errand boy...Willard, for some grocery clerks."
Gail Collins is right. Republicans must band together and draft Rude "Butch" Otter for President. President Otter would bring us closer together for the Final Looting of America.
Otter in 2012!!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Short Takes
Well, the whole Chris Christie thing actually gets interesting. Nancy Reagan told him to run, Barbara Bush called his wife to get him to run and George Pataki asked him to run. Not the run-of-the-mill conservatives. The GOP establishment, which George Will said died when Barry Goldwater ran, is still pumping along and they are not happy with the Romney camp and the rest of the field. Apparently, the big donors have suspended making any more donations for a month, looking to find Mr. Right.
Lawrence O'Donnell had a fascinating take on the Sarah Palin imbroglio. Apparently, Sister Sarah has been criticizing Fox News personalities on her interviews with Greta Van Sistern. This, O'Donnell, spells doom for her and Roger Ailes. He points out--as he did in the past--that Ailes won't tolerate divergence from the party line as in the case of Glenn Beck, who met his demise at the network. The Drop Dead Date for Palin is the last week of October, which is the deadline for filing for New Hampshire. Once she doesn't file, then she is yesterday's news and her stock as a political celebrity crumbles. O'Donnell has been right about this stuff before.
The Mike Huckabee rumor is precisely that. He's not going anywhere, which will send the GOP scrambling around for someone else.
The RNC doesn't know what to do with Florida's renegade move to change their primary. This has set off a stampede of other states jiggling their calenders, which could move New Hampshire to December. Now the RNC is threatening to penalize miscreant states. Stay tuned.
A millionaire cashmere rancher (is there such a thing?) from Montana wants to open investigations into wastes of government funding for school lunches. I guess this is another great idea to create jobs. Why doesn't the GOP demand that the IG report on the $80 billion wasted in Afghanistan and Iraq during the last administration be open to the public? The report has been sealed until 2036.
Sometime, someday The Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees will actually play a game. I love it when baseball is played in rainy Fall days. Maybe the series will end before Thanksgiving.
Meanwhile it looks like my Lakers will lose the services of Kobe Bryant to Europe. Bring back Magic!
Lawrence O'Donnell had a fascinating take on the Sarah Palin imbroglio. Apparently, Sister Sarah has been criticizing Fox News personalities on her interviews with Greta Van Sistern. This, O'Donnell, spells doom for her and Roger Ailes. He points out--as he did in the past--that Ailes won't tolerate divergence from the party line as in the case of Glenn Beck, who met his demise at the network. The Drop Dead Date for Palin is the last week of October, which is the deadline for filing for New Hampshire. Once she doesn't file, then she is yesterday's news and her stock as a political celebrity crumbles. O'Donnell has been right about this stuff before.
The Mike Huckabee rumor is precisely that. He's not going anywhere, which will send the GOP scrambling around for someone else.
The RNC doesn't know what to do with Florida's renegade move to change their primary. This has set off a stampede of other states jiggling their calenders, which could move New Hampshire to December. Now the RNC is threatening to penalize miscreant states. Stay tuned.
A millionaire cashmere rancher (is there such a thing?) from Montana wants to open investigations into wastes of government funding for school lunches. I guess this is another great idea to create jobs. Why doesn't the GOP demand that the IG report on the $80 billion wasted in Afghanistan and Iraq during the last administration be open to the public? The report has been sealed until 2036.
Sometime, someday The Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees will actually play a game. I love it when baseball is played in rainy Fall days. Maybe the series will end before Thanksgiving.
Meanwhile it looks like my Lakers will lose the services of Kobe Bryant to Europe. Bring back Magic!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Random Thoughts On A Fall Day
FRAUD ALERT: You know about the Nigerian e-mail scams promising you a legacy of a few million euros if you forward your bank account number. Well,now they're doing it by telephone. The same scam. But there is a new scam besides the tried and true money abroad, it's you've won a sweepstakes or a lottery. I have won over $51 million in three lotteries and sweepstakes over the last few days. A cashier check will be hand-delivered to your address. You need a valid photo ID and a bank account. When will you be there? A representative is in your state right now and wants to drive to you with the cashier check. Fine, just come. Well, there is the matter of the slight insurance payment to protect your check. I'll give them a check when you deliver the cashier check. No, our representative is not authorized to accept payment. So you are supposed to go to Western Union and send a money order or in one of the scams where I won $880,000, I was to go to WalMart and buy a green money pak and call a number and read the number on the back. The target for these scams are the retired and the elderly because I was asked on all three occasions when did I retire. The bottom line is that this is a symptom of our desparate economy and our delusionary thinking that a lottery will solve our problems. Tonight is Moneyball, I can't wait.
Talking about scams, Willard Romney has launched a full-scale assault on Rick Perry, accusing the governor of being weak on immigration and too liberal. Wow. Willard keeps calling President Obama "clueless" on the economy. Now,let's walk that statement back. Here is a man, who was a founder of a hedge fund, a member of the very class who brought America to its knees and he says Obama is clueless. The biggest fraud being perpetrated right now aren't my Nigerians, it's the Republicans who claim that Wall Street, the banks and the large corporations, the people who singlehandedly crashed the global economy, got bailed out and keep getting rich, are the very people who we should hand over control of the economy back to? That is real hubris. It's just mind-boogling. But if you keep repeating it enough,people will believe it.
One little trivia item about Willard. He is related to the founder of the Mormon cult, Joseph Smith, who also declared he was running for President but was gunned down. Mormons like to talk about their history of being discriminated against. But Smith seemed to have other problems--he was hunted down for bank and financial fraud throughout the Midwest. Maybe it runs in Willard's genes.
But ,alas, a CNN poll still has the American people by 55% blaming Bush for our current economic woes, and now about 32% Obama and the Democrats.
www.Realclearpolitics.com has a compendium of recent polls showing President Obama beats all declared GOP candidates except Generic Republican. Maybe that's why the GOP is panicking about its roster and trying to recruit Chris Christie. But over 30% of the GOP don't want Christie to run. Aside from acting as a bully, the new teabagger style, Christie is actually unacceptable to the base because he favored gun control, appointed a Muslim to the Jersey courts, doesn't think illegal immigration is a big problem and believes any deficit reduction has to be accompanied by revenues. He's out of there, my friends.
Oh, by the way, Ricky Cantor is wrong--Warren Buffett did not come out and oppose the Buffett Rule proposed by President Obama. The rightwing blogosphere has been reporting this with the usual spin all day long. But does it matter? Rick Perry told CNBC that Warren Buffett doesn't know anything about the economy or job creation.
Today is the Red Banner day for Sister Sarah. Red State reports that she will announce today whether she will run for President.
Michelle Bachmann may not make it to Iowa as her campaign is holding its breath that she is out of funds and even the vendors are knocking at her door for payments.
The great Rudy Guiliani has sent emissaries to New Hampshire to scout out possibilities for a run. He'll run into Jon Huntsman there because the other Mormon has moved his headquarters to the Granite state.
Why do these people waste their breath? The Newt and his lovely bride Callista released the first part of his new Contract on America. The Newt says he is waging a "cultural campaign."
Rachel Maddow got it right the other night when she said that this time President Obama is running the values campaign, contrasting his vision of America with the mean and small vision of the Republicans. There is alot of truth there. The New York Times printed a lengthy editorial about this icy vision today.
Which brings me to the cosmically important issue--Why do House Republicans really want to kill Elmo? The House GOP is gearing up for their insane budget, which is Paul Ryan's bill on steroids. Yes, they want to eliminate NPR and Public Telvision and Juan Williams already has a new job and a new book out, so they really are just fixated on Elmo. Then the teabaggers hate Barry Goldwater because they want to eliminate one of his favorite organizations--Planned Parenthood. So dimbulb wants to hold hearing on Planned Parenthood to determine whether they misused federal funds for abortions. Planned Parenthood has filed tax returns from their founding and are subject to government audits for any funds received from the federal government. As everyone knows federal funds, whether it's Planned Parenthood or Obamacare, can't be used for abortions and only 3% of Planned Parenthood's funding goes to this procedure, which when I last looked was legal.
These are all job creating measures as the House GOP can tell you. But more importantly, Alaskan congressman Don Young wants to rescind all federal regulations of business created since 1991--why? I have no idea. Maybe the Koch Brothers have a fiendish scheme about a regulation created in 1992. But not all businesses are thrilled by total de-regulation. The natural gas industry actually wants new safety regulations on gas pipelines because they are exploding all around the country, blowing up houses and killing people. They are actually lobbying for these regulations but Senator Rand Paul is putting a hold on them for ideological reasons.
"Ideology before Country" is the motto of the New GOP. I keep reading all these hairbrain schemes and I am not convinced the intended beneficiary of these efforts really want them either. I know K Street Lobbyists spend billions upon billions on crafting bills to their liking. But does anyone want to ask,"Whether they even know what they are doing?" If the captains of industry and banking did not know anything about what they were doing in 2008, why do you believe their minions, who have no experience either, know what they are doing? We don't call this stoogeland for nothing.
I would feel more comfortable if what the lobbyists tell people about these new laws were actually true. Then the tax cuts for the wealthy, deregulation and all the rest would create a huge boost for the economy. But we already did that stuff and the whole world collapsed.
Meanwhile, liberals are throwing hissyfits over this or that betrayal by President Obama. President Obama is going to address the Human Rights Caucus, the gay, lesbian and transgender group, about what steps he has taken on behalf of the gay community. So this morning I read a nasty condemnation of the Obama Administration's policies toward gays and the affront this person feels about him speaking there. Now, let's see: Repeal of DADT, a policy created by Bill Clinton, the Hate Crimes Bill, the domestic partners benefit ruling,the allowing military chaplains to marry gays, the refusal to defend DOMA. The appointment of the first transgender person to the Administration. What does this person want: Obama to marry Rahm Emmnauel? It's crazy.
Meanwhile David Axelrod is suggesting there are multiple ways President Obama will get to 270 electoral votes. Last time I really liked the campaign's gaming how many ways you can win. Oh and yes, Obama's small donor effort only has 250,000 new donors even though it hasn't reached the 2008 peak yet.
If you haven't donated to your favorite politicians, today is the last day of the quarter. Give early and often.
Talking about scams, Willard Romney has launched a full-scale assault on Rick Perry, accusing the governor of being weak on immigration and too liberal. Wow. Willard keeps calling President Obama "clueless" on the economy. Now,let's walk that statement back. Here is a man, who was a founder of a hedge fund, a member of the very class who brought America to its knees and he says Obama is clueless. The biggest fraud being perpetrated right now aren't my Nigerians, it's the Republicans who claim that Wall Street, the banks and the large corporations, the people who singlehandedly crashed the global economy, got bailed out and keep getting rich, are the very people who we should hand over control of the economy back to? That is real hubris. It's just mind-boogling. But if you keep repeating it enough,people will believe it.
One little trivia item about Willard. He is related to the founder of the Mormon cult, Joseph Smith, who also declared he was running for President but was gunned down. Mormons like to talk about their history of being discriminated against. But Smith seemed to have other problems--he was hunted down for bank and financial fraud throughout the Midwest. Maybe it runs in Willard's genes.
But ,alas, a CNN poll still has the American people by 55% blaming Bush for our current economic woes, and now about 32% Obama and the Democrats.
www.Realclearpolitics.com has a compendium of recent polls showing President Obama beats all declared GOP candidates except Generic Republican. Maybe that's why the GOP is panicking about its roster and trying to recruit Chris Christie. But over 30% of the GOP don't want Christie to run. Aside from acting as a bully, the new teabagger style, Christie is actually unacceptable to the base because he favored gun control, appointed a Muslim to the Jersey courts, doesn't think illegal immigration is a big problem and believes any deficit reduction has to be accompanied by revenues. He's out of there, my friends.
Oh, by the way, Ricky Cantor is wrong--Warren Buffett did not come out and oppose the Buffett Rule proposed by President Obama. The rightwing blogosphere has been reporting this with the usual spin all day long. But does it matter? Rick Perry told CNBC that Warren Buffett doesn't know anything about the economy or job creation.
Today is the Red Banner day for Sister Sarah. Red State reports that she will announce today whether she will run for President.
Michelle Bachmann may not make it to Iowa as her campaign is holding its breath that she is out of funds and even the vendors are knocking at her door for payments.
The great Rudy Guiliani has sent emissaries to New Hampshire to scout out possibilities for a run. He'll run into Jon Huntsman there because the other Mormon has moved his headquarters to the Granite state.
Why do these people waste their breath? The Newt and his lovely bride Callista released the first part of his new Contract on America. The Newt says he is waging a "cultural campaign."
Rachel Maddow got it right the other night when she said that this time President Obama is running the values campaign, contrasting his vision of America with the mean and small vision of the Republicans. There is alot of truth there. The New York Times printed a lengthy editorial about this icy vision today.
Which brings me to the cosmically important issue--Why do House Republicans really want to kill Elmo? The House GOP is gearing up for their insane budget, which is Paul Ryan's bill on steroids. Yes, they want to eliminate NPR and Public Telvision and Juan Williams already has a new job and a new book out, so they really are just fixated on Elmo. Then the teabaggers hate Barry Goldwater because they want to eliminate one of his favorite organizations--Planned Parenthood. So dimbulb wants to hold hearing on Planned Parenthood to determine whether they misused federal funds for abortions. Planned Parenthood has filed tax returns from their founding and are subject to government audits for any funds received from the federal government. As everyone knows federal funds, whether it's Planned Parenthood or Obamacare, can't be used for abortions and only 3% of Planned Parenthood's funding goes to this procedure, which when I last looked was legal.
These are all job creating measures as the House GOP can tell you. But more importantly, Alaskan congressman Don Young wants to rescind all federal regulations of business created since 1991--why? I have no idea. Maybe the Koch Brothers have a fiendish scheme about a regulation created in 1992. But not all businesses are thrilled by total de-regulation. The natural gas industry actually wants new safety regulations on gas pipelines because they are exploding all around the country, blowing up houses and killing people. They are actually lobbying for these regulations but Senator Rand Paul is putting a hold on them for ideological reasons.
"Ideology before Country" is the motto of the New GOP. I keep reading all these hairbrain schemes and I am not convinced the intended beneficiary of these efforts really want them either. I know K Street Lobbyists spend billions upon billions on crafting bills to their liking. But does anyone want to ask,"Whether they even know what they are doing?" If the captains of industry and banking did not know anything about what they were doing in 2008, why do you believe their minions, who have no experience either, know what they are doing? We don't call this stoogeland for nothing.
I would feel more comfortable if what the lobbyists tell people about these new laws were actually true. Then the tax cuts for the wealthy, deregulation and all the rest would create a huge boost for the economy. But we already did that stuff and the whole world collapsed.
Meanwhile, liberals are throwing hissyfits over this or that betrayal by President Obama. President Obama is going to address the Human Rights Caucus, the gay, lesbian and transgender group, about what steps he has taken on behalf of the gay community. So this morning I read a nasty condemnation of the Obama Administration's policies toward gays and the affront this person feels about him speaking there. Now, let's see: Repeal of DADT, a policy created by Bill Clinton, the Hate Crimes Bill, the domestic partners benefit ruling,the allowing military chaplains to marry gays, the refusal to defend DOMA. The appointment of the first transgender person to the Administration. What does this person want: Obama to marry Rahm Emmnauel? It's crazy.
Meanwhile David Axelrod is suggesting there are multiple ways President Obama will get to 270 electoral votes. Last time I really liked the campaign's gaming how many ways you can win. Oh and yes, Obama's small donor effort only has 250,000 new donors even though it hasn't reached the 2008 peak yet.
If you haven't donated to your favorite politicians, today is the last day of the quarter. Give early and often.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Virginia and New Jersey 2009--predictors for 2010?
Historically, the president's party takes a beating on a mid-term election during bad economic circumstances. Yesterday, the Tan Man, Rep. Boehner wailed about the current unemployment numbers and the hardship the Middle Class is facing as the Democrats spend and spend money and sink the country deeper in debt. The music is being written for 2010 now. Republicans are banking on past history and the fact that Americans should be amnesic by the time 2010 comes around about how we got into this mess in the first place. Karl Rove is already saying that unemployment should rise further and last until the first of 2010, thereby giving Republicans an advantage to peddle their new "small government" philosophy.
But interestingly, Charles Cook and other pundits are agreeing with my assessment of months ago that Democrats look like they actually might gain at least 1 seat and possibly 4-5 in the Senate and lose about 12 in the House. So, basically 2010 looks like a wash and no great harbinger of a Republican comeback.
However, Republicans are banking on victories in New Jersey and Virginia governor races this year to create the illusion of a recovery and to recruit stronger candidates for 2012. Karl Rove is already saying that these two victories would shake the Obama White House and might predict a one-term presidency. Despite the hype, you can get where the Echo Machine and radio air bombardment will go if this occurs.
In reality, the Republican race in New Jersey is actually a negative campaign against Corzine. The Virginia race is peculiar in that Republican candidate Bob McDonnell, the former Attorney-General, is trying to co-opt the slogans of the upbeat Obama campaign, including the slogan "Yes, We Can". Both races, it seems to me, are experiments by the Republicans to determine which works best--the relentless negative campiagn by Christie in New Jersey or the positive, results-oriented campaign by McDonnell. If Terry McAuliffe wins the Democratic primary, you can expect one of McDonnell's sub-themes will be about carpet-baggers.
As for great Republican fund-raising races in 2010, look for big bucks to go after Chris Dodd in Connecticut, Harry Reid in Nevada and John Murtha in Pennsylvania. It will depend on the Republican challengers in the New York race whether this will become a big donor contest. The same applies to the Pennsylvania Senate race. If it's Toomey versus Specter, it will be heavy right-wing money. If it's Sestak versus Toomey, it will be heavy Republican and right-wing money to secure the seat. Republican Bill McCollum looks real weak as the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Florida.
It seems to me that the Obama administration will have to speed delivery on the stimulus money so as to show results. But the counter to this is that many state governments themselves are collapsing from debt and having to cut back on services, which may well negate any gains from the stimulus projects.
But interestingly, Charles Cook and other pundits are agreeing with my assessment of months ago that Democrats look like they actually might gain at least 1 seat and possibly 4-5 in the Senate and lose about 12 in the House. So, basically 2010 looks like a wash and no great harbinger of a Republican comeback.
However, Republicans are banking on victories in New Jersey and Virginia governor races this year to create the illusion of a recovery and to recruit stronger candidates for 2012. Karl Rove is already saying that these two victories would shake the Obama White House and might predict a one-term presidency. Despite the hype, you can get where the Echo Machine and radio air bombardment will go if this occurs.
In reality, the Republican race in New Jersey is actually a negative campaign against Corzine. The Virginia race is peculiar in that Republican candidate Bob McDonnell, the former Attorney-General, is trying to co-opt the slogans of the upbeat Obama campaign, including the slogan "Yes, We Can". Both races, it seems to me, are experiments by the Republicans to determine which works best--the relentless negative campiagn by Christie in New Jersey or the positive, results-oriented campaign by McDonnell. If Terry McAuliffe wins the Democratic primary, you can expect one of McDonnell's sub-themes will be about carpet-baggers.
As for great Republican fund-raising races in 2010, look for big bucks to go after Chris Dodd in Connecticut, Harry Reid in Nevada and John Murtha in Pennsylvania. It will depend on the Republican challengers in the New York race whether this will become a big donor contest. The same applies to the Pennsylvania Senate race. If it's Toomey versus Specter, it will be heavy right-wing money. If it's Sestak versus Toomey, it will be heavy Republican and right-wing money to secure the seat. Republican Bill McCollum looks real weak as the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Florida.
It seems to me that the Obama administration will have to speed delivery on the stimulus money so as to show results. But the counter to this is that many state governments themselves are collapsing from debt and having to cut back on services, which may well negate any gains from the stimulus projects.
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