News Roundup for 6/18/12

When this guy say you're being too much of a wingnut, you really ought to listen-

-Headline of the Day-
"GOP strategist: Republicans were `caught with their pants down’ on immigration."

Fox talking head and longtime GOP strategist Ed Rollins says the Republican Party is sinking fast and they need to get their act together. After Obama's immigration bombshell, the party's in deep trouble with a large and growing segment of the population. You're probably thinking Ed's one of the fake Republicans liberals run to when they want someone to say things they want to hear, but no. Rollins is a 100%, dyed-in-the-wool, rightwing lunatic. How do I know? Well, he was Shelly Bachmann's campaign manager -- and Huckabee's and Reagan's -- so there's your conservative nutjob bona fides right there. You just don't get any wingnuttier than that.

Anyway, Greg Sargent reports Ed told him, "Republicans need to be very careful about how they respond to Obama’s new immigration announcement, because Americans view the issue as one about fundamental fairness. If the GOP loses the Latino vote in the same way it has lost blacks, it won’t be able to win future presidential elections."

And by losing the Latino vote the way they've lost black voters, he means approximately all of them -- give or take the occasional Herman Cain. If that happens, it's game over for GOP presidents.

Meanwhile, George Will argued that if Mittens gets below 31% of the Latino vote come November, "he’s going to lose."

Couldn't happen to a nicer anti-immigration extremist. (Plum Line)


-Let's play a game-



Answer here. (Cagle Post)


-Bonus HotD-
"Russell Pearce, Ousted Arizona Immigration Law Architect, Denied Fundraiser At Mexican Restaurants."

Wait, you come as close as anyone in American history has to making it illegal to be Latino -- and now you want some burritos?

This hombre's got some huevos, amigos. (Huffington Post)

Stories to Watch: 5/2/12

Crap. I have to mow the yard tomorrow. I swear I'm getting me a herd of sheep. Now here's the news...


Newt Gingrich's campaign died as it lived -- with long-winded, self-important bloviation.


Ever needed an example of someone being a mindless, kneejerk reactionary? Mitt Romney's here to help.


Greg Sargent makes a good observation: embattled Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's spending literally millions on TV spots and it's not even quivering the needle on his polling numbers. Right now, things are tied up in that polling, but Walker seems to have run out of steam. For once, an overused election standby is actually true -- it's all going to be about turnout. Which is bad news for Walker, since the Tea Party's running out of steam too.


Oakland police seem to be really bad at learning from past mistakes.


Also in "police who really suck" news, the DEA forgets about a prisoner in a holding cell for nearly five days -- without any food or water.


Even Republicans are starting to realize the GOP economic policies are boneheaded.


Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is asking the FCC to pull Fox's broadcasting license. The law states that licenses may only be given to people of "good character" and have to be used "in the public interest." Rupert Murdoch fails on both counts. If the law were ever actually enforced, Fox News would be off the air in a heartbeat.


Mitt Romney can't stop bragging about how rich all his friends are.


Finally, Europe practices stark austerity and the result is the worst employment numbers in 15 years. America hasn't gone fullblown austere and we've got the best numbers in four years. Those are facts. Facts hate Republicans.

Related articles

• Obama in Afghanistan: Romney Faces Power of Incumbency
• No 'SNL' For Mitt Romney This Season, Says Lorne Michaels
• Walker's Wis. Lost Most Jobs in Nation

News Roundup for 3/8/12

Boehner came up with a brilliant wedge issue
-- and now he's stuck with it

-Headline of the Day-
"Dems twist knife in birth control fight."

You hear about this Rush Limbaugh thing? Oh, it's terrible! He's yelling at ladies he doesn't even know and calling them whores and prostitutes, just because they want prescription drug coverage.

Turns out that this isn't just a sudden bout of Tourette's or something. It was brought about by a big Republican freak out over employers' coverage of birth control. It seems that employers can no longer force employees to live by the employers' religious beliefs and this is the worst thing ever!

Anyway, this is becoming a problem for Republicans, since the whole thing is stupid and everybody knows it. GOP leaders just want it all to go away (although Limbaugh isn't really playing along on that point).

So a bunch of Democrats, who also happen to be women, cooked up a plan. This thing isn't going to fade away, as GOP leadership hopes. Republicans are going to have to come out -- in public and on the record -- about how they feel about contraceptive coverage.

According to Greg Sargent, "In a letter to Speaker John Boehner — which was sent my way by a source — the 12 female Senate Dems, led by Patty Murray, are demanding that he drop his promise to hold a vote on the House version of the Blunt amendment, which has over 200 Republicans co-sponsors.

"The letter from the female Senators — which is timed to International Women’s Day — asks Boehner to pledge not to move any more birth-control-related legislation in the House."

See, the problem here is that the nuts are dug in on this issue because of Limbaugh. They think they have to defend him and in doing so have taken his whole slut/whore/bitch line as Gospel. If Boehner drops the issue, they're going to be ma-ad. But if he puts it up to a vote, everyone else will be. For the record, "everyone else" outnumbers the nuts by, like, a lot. This is what you call being between yer rock and a hard place. If Boehner let's the issue fade, a bunch of females get to shout "victory!" from the rooftops and piss off the GOP base. If not... well, that's pretty much like flooring it into the brick wall of public opinion -- in an election year that's already looking a little shaky for the Grand Old Party.

Of course, it wasn't the dem women who put Boehner between that rock and that hard place. Some guy named "John Boehner" did that.

They're just making sure he stays there for a while. (Plum Line)


-Cartoon time with Mark Fiore-
Hey kids, this week we're going to learn all about a Iran and the nuclear weapons program it doesn't actually have...


Click for animation

Bonus fun: it wouldn't really be a war over nuclear weapons, since Iran doesn't actually have any of those. It'd be a war against Forbidden Knowledge -- which is futile. (MarkFiore.com)


-Bonus HotD-
"Joe The Plumber/Future Congressman Whining About ‘Gotcha’ Questions Already."

Hey, he learned that whine from the best. (Wonkette)

Stories to Watch: 1/28/12

The Washington Post has changed the address to Greg Sargent's RSS feed. Why do sites do that? It's a total pain. I'm going to have to edit it into the Superfeed, but I'm not going to be able to do it right away. For the time being, items marked "[Greg Sargent]" are actually general WaPo news stories. That'll be fixed later today.

I wish I would've noticed it sooner, because I added the Maddow Blog to get Steve Benen's new home into the feed this morning. I was already under the hood once -- I could've done it then. Now here's the news...


John Nichols notes that if you take all the votes in the GOP primary so far, break them down as a percentage of the electorate, and compare them to the number of signatures turned in to recall Wisconsin Republicans, you find that the Wisconsin recall is about twice as popular as all the GOP candidates combined. That may seem a little off in the weeds at first, but his point is that the numbers show a much more important movement than the media is giving us credit for.


For his part, Stephen Moore mostly agrees. In a Wall Street Journal piece in which he calls the recall the "most important non-presidential election of the decade." Of course, being the WSJ, that means sheer terror at the thought that unions could be making a comeback.


Mitten's opens up a big lead in Florida. However, that'd be the third time this month that the frontrunner has switched from Romney to Gingrich or vice versa (the last being just eight days ago) -- and new polling is expected tonight.


Sarah Palin attempts to remain relevant.


Grover Norquist wants to impeach Obama if he wins reelection and doesn't extend the Bush tax cuts. "High crimes?" "Misdemeanors?" "Democracy?" What are these things of which you speak?


Obama takes on an obstructionist congress.


Mittens has lost the independent voter.


Finally, Obama and Democrats are working to bring the Buffet Rule -- which would have the wealthy paying more in taxes than their help -- up for a vote. This is probably going to be a big one, so keep an eye out.

Related articles

• Late Night FDL: Crime and Punishment, by Grover Norquist (firedoglake.com)
• How Out There Is Grover Norquist? (andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com)
• Mitt Romney turning off independents (dailykos.com)
• What Romney Would Pay Under His Tax Plan (alan.com)

Stories to Watch: 12/5/11

Got the tiniest bit of snow today and no accumulation, but any excuse the make a big pot of chili is a good one. Next time, I'll make a thermos of hot cocoa. Now here's the news...


Wisconsin Governor and recall target Scott Walker is oddly silent about threats and crimes being committed on his behalf.


Gallup finds that the race for the GOP nominee has narrowed to Mittens and Gingrich, which the two being "the only two candidates Republicans say would be acceptable presidential nominees from their party." The good news for Team Obama is that Gingrich is seen as more acceptable that Romney -- by a wide margin (62% to 54%), meaning the base is falling back to the old habit of putting ideological purity above electability.


Case in point; being mean to Donald Trump makes Newt Gingrich sad.


The first item in Greg Sargent's "Morning Plum": "Top Romney operative admits ad attacking Obama was 'propaganda.'"


Always count on Democrats to be the ones to fold.


Karl Rove thinks a Trump-moderated debate is a bad idea. Helping Karl make that case is The Donald himself -- twice.


Apparently, Sarah Palin got a sex change, moved to Mexico, and is running for president down there.


Finally, Paul Begala finds the entire GOP presidential field to be less than impressive; "[A]s LBJ said of the Republicans of his day, [they] couldn't pour pee out of a boot if the instructions were on the heel."

Related articles

• Now Political Buddies, Gingrich Once Accused Trump Of Manipulation (thinkprogress.org)
• Former Obama Spokesman Asks 'Is Karl Rove Trying To Neuter Gingrich?' (mediaite.com)
• Trump-moderated debate gets first RSVP (shortformblog.tumblr.com)
• Republicans Critical of Trump Debate (thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com)

Stories to Watch: 11/28/11

Herman Cain gets out in front of his latest scandal, by breaking the news himself on CNN. A woman in Georgia claims to have had a 13 year affair with Cain -- something Cain denies. At this point, it hardly matters anyway.


You've probably already heard that Barney Frank is retiring when his term is up. He's giving Newt a good kick on the way out.


Revelations of a $13B secret bailout highlight one of the biggest problems facing America -- too big to fail. Bust the trusts.


Newt Gingrich's Potemkin campaign.


Fox News totally misrepresents a NYT op-ed. Imagine my shock.


Greg Sargent reports that Democrats are definitely going to make income inequality and the 99% an issue in 2012.


Krugman points out that if you want to reduce the deficit, you're going to have to tax the rich -- a lot. Needless to say, this is the worst thing ever.


Congress is on the verge of wrecking the internet. Again I have to ask, if our deficit is such a big problem, why are we so eager to police companies' copyrights for free? This is something that the court system exists for -- if they want to protect copyright, let them sue like everyone else. I haven't noticed any media execs starving to death, so everything seems to be working just fine.


Finally, the GOP argument that the US has "the best healthcare in the world" is their other zombie lie.

Related articles

• WATCH: Barney Frank's Parting Bitchslap To Adulterer Hypocrite Newt Gingrich (queerty.com)
• Herman Cain denies affair allegations after woman claims 13-year extramarital relationship (nj.com)
• Barney Frank Bids Farewell, Wishes Newt Gingrich Luck (timesunion.com)
• Barney Frank Calls Newt Gingrich an 'Ideal Opponent' in 'Sanctity of Marriage' Debate Over DOMA: VIDEO (towleroad.com)

Stories to Watch: 11/21/11

Running a little late today, but I got the headlines together. Now here's the news...


Newt Gingrich tops a new CNN poll at 24%, with Mittens following at 20%.


The media are up to their old tricks with the failure of the super committee; i.e., "both sides are equally guilty." Greg Sargent calls them on it.


A lot of lefties are happy with the committee's collapse. They should probably cork the champagne though, since I'm pretty sure the automatic cuts are never going to happen.


Old news, but I skipped the weekend to celebrate my birthday; lobbyists spell out their PR assault on the Occupy movement.


Gallup finds that, compared with last month, there has been no change in support for the Occupiers. On the downside, more are critical of the approach.


Boehner blames the super committee's failure on -- who else? -- President Obama. Smarter and more realistic analysts will point their fingers at Grover Norquist.


Finally, Pamella Geller has snapped completely. According to her, Butterball turkeys are part of the secret Islamification of America. No, really.

 

Related articles

• Steve Kroft To Grover Norquist: 'You've Got Them By The Short Hairs!' (crooksandliars.com)
• Grover Norquist, the tax lobbyist with an iron grip on the Republican party (guardian.co.uk)
• Grover Norquist: GOP leadership has promised him no Super Congress tax increases (dailykos.com)
• Grover Norquist's hold on the GOP (cbsnews.com)

Stories to Watch: 9/26/11

Finally. I needed to get some bandwidth issues taken care of and it took me a lot longer than I thought it would. I think I've got it squared away now, but I'll run diagnostics later tonight to make sure. I'll set them up to run overnight. For once, I'll be productive even while I sleep. Now here's the news...


Greg Sargent takes on the idea of a third party by pointing out that there isn't exactly a third position on most issues for that party to take. Hence, it would be redundant. I'd go a bit farther and point to parliamentary systems where several parties exist; those tend to be narrowly focused parties (dealing almost exclusively with environmentalism, women's rights, copyright reform, etc.) that wind up as part of one coalition or another along the conservative/liberal divide. All we do in the US is skip the coalition building part. You may agree, you may disagree, but it's always nice to see a sound, logical argument. Paul Krugman also takes a stab at the issue.


The House and Senate continue to wrangle over disaster relief spending as the government faces a possible shutdown. David Dayden of Firedoglake makes an excellent case for Democrats sticking to their guns.


Allegations of the use of excessive force get awfully hard to deny in NYPD crowd control during the Occupy Wall Street protests. I want you to stop a moment and consider the political shitstorm that would ensue if police treated 'bagger protesters this way. I guess it's OK to abuse liberals.


Speaking of 'baggers, how racist can they be? How's this?


The DNC capitalizes on the bloodthirsty and hateful nature of the crowds at GOP debates.


Finally, Florida Gov. Rick Scott is just a clown.

Related articles

• Comedian Lee Camp Asks Important Questions About the Police Response to OccupyWallStreet (crooksandliars.com)
• Keith Olbermann calls out Media Blackout on 'Occupy Wall Street' Protest (finaloutlaw.com)
• Liveblog of #OccupyWallStreet: NYPD's Crackdown on the Protest (dissenter.firedoglake.com)

News Roundup for 9/20/11

America's Second Least Useful Pundit, After Bill Kristol

-Headline of the Day-
"Yup, moderates and independents support taxing the rich."

If there's one hobby you might consider taking up, it's David Brooks avoidance. The New York Times columnist and TV talking head suffers from a really bad case of High Broderism that dictates that the only wise course for a politician -- especially a Democratic politician -- is straight down the center line of the interstate.

In his latest reality-challenged column, Brooks becomes very sad that President Obama has chosen a lane with his deficit reduction and job creation plans. "In his remarks Monday the president didn't try to win Republicans to even some parts of his measures," Brooks complains. "He repeated the populist cries that fire up liberals but are designed to enrage moderates and conservatives."

See, when the chips are down, moderates always side with conservatives. Is there any evidence of this? Not especially, but don't try to tell David Brooks that. It's heresy in his Church of the Almighty Middle.

And don't try to point out reality either. It's not going to sink in. If Brooks hasn't wised up by now, he's never going to. But that doesn't stop Greg Sargent from giving it the old college try.

"[A]s it happens, strong majorities of moderates and independents support tax hikes on the wealthy as the best way to close the deficit," he points out and provides big poll numbers to prove it. Will taxing the wealthy "enrage" moderates? No. How do we know that? Because someone asked them!

Note to Dave: mindreading acts are unnecessary in a world where polling exists.

Seriously, the best first step you can take in understanding American politics well would be to swear to remain forever in ignorance of what David Brooks thinks. (Plum Line)


-Economics 101-
When you really think about Republican economic talking points, they don't make a whole lot of sense.


Click to embiggen

Which would explain why a lot of people don't really think about them. (McClatchy)


-Bonus HotD-
"American Family Association Freaks Out Over Ice Cream Named After Testicles."

This is a real thing. (Wonkette)

Stories to Watch: 9/19/11

Making zucchini pancakes to go with some fish. I don't have a recipe, I'm just going to wing it by adapting my sourdough pancake recipe. Wish me luck. Now here's the news...


The best take I've seen on Republican Rep. John Fleming, who barely manages to scratch together an existence on a mere $400k in profit a year, from Scott Lemieux of the blog Lawyers, Guns, and Money: "Again, the central premise of the contemporary Republican Party is that people making $400K+ a year are living a hardscrabble existence, while a teacher or police officer making $50K a year is enjoying a pampered life of unimaginable luxury." The worst part about all this? The morons in the Tea Party or who listen to talk radio believe exactly that.


Greg Sargent sees President Obama turning the "class warfare" charge around and putting it where it belongs -- around Republicans' necks.


Meanwhile, Obama vows to veto a deficit reduction bill that doesn't balance cuts with tax increases on the wealthy.


More bad press for Rick Perry as the Justice Dept. determines that Texas's redistricting is gerrymandering that violates the Voting Rights Act.


Bill O'Reilly seriously overestimates his own popularity.


Don't Ask, Don't Tell will die tomorrow after a long and pointless battle with reality.


Just in case you missed it, Andrew Breitbart wants to kill you. So stay frosty.


Ed Rollins, Michele Bachmann's former campaign manager and current talking head, says Shelly's got enough resources left to fight in Iowa, then she's done. Expect her to amp the crazy up to eleven, because that's been working so well for her so far.


Finally, Andrew Sullivan looks at polling and finds that Obama's plan to soak the rich looks like it's already really popular.

Related articles

• Tea Party Rep. John Fleming: Only $400,000 Left After 'I Feed My Family' (crooksandliars.com)
• Congressman Spends $200,000 a Year on Food [Video] (gawker.com)
• Feeding your family: almost as bad as paying taxes (themoderatevoice.com)
• Wealthy Republican congressman apparently pays workers less than $11,400 per year (dailykos.com)

News Roundup for 7/20/11

GOP House member "negotiates" with White House, Senate

-Headline of the Day-
"Former Senator Judd Gregg Says Shutdown Needed Before House Will Agree To Debt Limit Deal."

House Republicans have lost their damned minds. That's pretty much the gist of Judd Gregg's analysis of the debt limit standoff. "My gut tells me that we'll need a weekend of drama -- maybe a weekend of the government not paying its bills -- politicians need drama to make something happen," he says. "As soon as social security checks don't go out, the politics will change. I suspect it'll take artificial drama to get closure past the House." Of course, missing the deadline won't be so "artificial." The markets are already getting spooked.

Granted, the rest of his assessment sounds pretty pie-in-the-sky -- that a drop in the US credit rating is no big deal and no one's going to worry much about it -- but it gives you an idea of just how unseriously the average Republican is taking all this.

To make matters worse, Greg Sargent is reporting that the House Republican Nutjob Caucus (i.e., most of them) is "whipping furiously to block McConnell proposal in the House." The McConnell proposal is convoluted and silly, sure, but it's really the only way out for the GOP. "That all sounds pretty ominous," he writes. "But it's also possible, as Senate GOP and Dem aides are hoping, that there will be a drop dead moment of terror next week that will, shall we say, persuade people to rethink their positions a bit."

Wishful thinking, if you ask me. If Judd Gregg is any example, conservatives believe that default is no big deal. Besides, you can't scare someone sane, you can only scare them crazier.

And if you think you've seen the GOP hit rock bottom in the sanity department, you ain't seen nothin' yet. Expect Michele Bachmann to start making appearances with a birdcage on her head. (Business Insider)


-What you feel happening is not happening-
I'd say that the heat was frying Rush's brain, but all the drugs already took care of that. Anyway, you know this big heat wave we're having? We're not really having that. It's a government conspiracy to get us all to believe in global warming.



Don't forget Dittoheads, when you go out today, take a coat and refuse water. Prove them commies wrong. (Media Matters)


-Bonus HotD-
"Palin on mainstream media: 'I want to help them... I have a journalism degree.'"

Translation: "My movie crashed on arrival, this gravy train is winding down, and I have no shot at the presidency. Somebody give me a job!" (ThinkProgress)

Stories to Watch: 7/6/11

I barely slept last night. I don't know what the problem was, but all I did was toss and turn. Hoping for better luck tonight -- I'm certainly exhausted enough. Now here's the news...


GOP Sen. Jeff Sessions complains that asking the wealthy to pay their fair share is "rather pathetic." Greg Sargent calls the Republican position on the issue "surreal."


The Ninth Circuit Court reaffirms that DADT is unconstitutional and reinstates a ban on its enforcement anywhere.


The rightwing blogosphere is horrified to learn that ACORN is getting taxpayer dollars -- despite the fact that there's no longer any such thing as ACORN. Hey, if you can't freak out over imaginary problems, what can you freak out about?


President Obama calls Republican hostage-taking like it is.


John Boehner's new rules for the House of Representatives are turning that chamber into a hopeless mess of incompetence and error. There's a reason why Republicans think government doesn't work -- they suck at getting it to run.


Finally, Swing state voters agree with liberals that the wealthy should pay more. No doubt, Jeff Sessions finds them "pathetic" as well.

Related articles

• Jeff Session's defense of millionaires is 'rather pathetic' (dailykos.com)
• Ninth Circuit Court Of Appeals Effectively Ends DADT (lezgetreal.com)
• Theater Of The Absurd: The Insane Debate Over Taxes On The Rich (alan.com)
• NH-Pres: Bachmann surges, Romney stalls, Gingrich collapses (dailykos.com)

Stories to Watch: 6/29/11

Finally got a Griper Blade post up. And the week's only half done. Now here's the news...


Here's a pretty good argument that Michele Bachmann is on the same skyrocket-then-crash trajectory suffered by Donald Trump and Herman Cain.


President Obama tells people attending an LGBT Pride Reception at the White House that certification of the repeal of DADT will be "a matter of weeks, not months."


According to Greg Sargent, Obama "was clearly out to pick a major public fight with Republicans over tax cuts for the rich" with his press conference today. Let's hope Sargent's right.


But this is also a sign that the debt-limit talks with the GOP have collapsed for good. "The best advice I've gotten for assessing the debt-ceiling negotiations was to 'watch for the day when the White House goes public,'" writes Ezra Klein. "As long as the Obama administration was refusing to attack Republicans publicly, my source said, they believed they could cut a deal. And that held true... But today they went public. The negotiations have failed."


The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee wants you to make John Boehner cry. Geez guys, people like a little challenge. The guy cries when his corn flakes get soggy. My suggestion for the next fundraiser; "Make John Boehner Shoot Milk Out of His Nose!"


A three-judge panel finds healthcare reform constitutional -- a major step in establishing it's legality. For those keeping track of the decisions so far, it's not looking good for the antis; MSNBC reports, "This brings to four the number of court decisions upholding the law. Two other courts have declared it unconstitutional on its long march to the Supreme Court."


Trying to pump up his dismal approval ratings, Florida Gov. Rick Scott resorts to robocalls -- because being called by a robot during dinner is just everyone's favorite thing. Nice to see he's put as much thought into this as he has into everything else.


Finally, is Tim Pawlenty secretly pro-choice?

Related articles

• Speaker John Boehner warns the Obama administration - The State Column (news.google.com)
• Republicans attacking Dems on Medicare again; will Dems give them more ammo? (dailykos.com)
• Blocking debt limit increase could jeopardize Social Security checks (dailykos.com)
• Police Officers, Fed Up with Rick Scott, Leave Republican Party En Masse (gunnyg.wordpress.com)

Stories to Watch: 5/18/11

I'm making chili. If there's one thing that's easy to throw together, it's chili. Besides, it's cold and wet and dark. Chili is practically required. Now here's the news...


Limbaugh proves he doesn't even understand math, let alone economics.


The GOP stands up for the poor, downtrodden oil industry.


Awesome snippet from Teagan Goddard: "After Rick Santorum said that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) 'doesn't understand how enhanced interrogation works' -- despite the fact that McCain was tortured during the Vietnam War -- Greg Sargent asked McCain's office for a response and received a one-word reply: 'Who?'"


Minnesota Republicans move to ban same-sex marriages. Sooner or later, they're going to run out of people to hate -- and then they'll be screwed.


Newt Gingrich gets more whiny every day. You may not be able to dig your way out of a hole, but I'm not sure you can complain your way out of one either.


GOP bigs are now hoping Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels gets into the race. Then they'll find out he can't win either and the search for the elusive "None of the Above" will continue.


Rep. Peter King of the "GAAAH! Muslims!!" fame says he's open to being drafted for a presidential run. And then there's the sound of crickets.


Once again, we're reminded that lovably boring character actor, former Nixon speechwriter, and all-around rightwing nutjob Ben Stein is really just a horse's ass.


Finally, scientists discover a new class of planets that are lonely, sad, and rejected by their peers.

Related articles

• Rick Santorum Says John McCain Doesn't Understand Interrogation (alan.com)
• Two Quotes for the Morning... and the stupidity of Rick Santorum (underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com)
• Rick Santorum says Sen. John McCain, an ex-POW, doesn't understand the effectiveness of harsh interrogation (pennlive.com)
• Santorum: McCain Doesn't Understand Interrogation (huffingtonpost.com)

Stories to Watch: 4/13/11

Been watching old episodes of MST3K lately, so if I seem a little smartassier than usual, that'll be the explanation I'm going with. Now here's the news...


Paul Krugman reviews President Obama's budget speech: "Overall, way better than the rumors and trial balloons. I can live with this. And whatever the pundits may say, it was much, much more serious than the Ryan 'plan.'" Greg Sargent says, "Obama made the moral case for what it means to be a Democrat." Steve Benen gets all alliterative, calling it a "rousing rejection of Republican radicalism." No big shocker: Republicans didn't like it very much.


The CBO scores the budget compromise between the White House and House Republicans and finds that John Boehner either lied to his base about all the cuts (not unbelievable) or got ska-rooooooed. The party, having painted itself into a corner, announces -- through Eric Cantor -- that they've got the votes to pass it anyway.


The Associated Press gets hoaxed and GE's nearly non-existent tax liability is suddenly headline news again.


The religious right actually gives a fuck about toenails in J. Crew ads.


Finally, Scott Walker and David Prosser Koch up Wisconsinites' drinking water.

Stories to Watch: 4/6/11

I am golden. No one I voted for yesterday lost. Even the referenda won. Off to buy a lottery ticket. Now here's the news...


The GOP spin on liberal JoAnne Kloppenburg winning the Wisconsin Supreme Court race? It's a big victory -- for Gov. Scott Walker and Republicans. No, really. Greg Sargent breaks down all the ways in which this is laughable BS. And here's another reason why losing isn't really winning, straight from within the Walker administration itself.


Glenn Beck will "transition off" from Fox News, which is fancy-talk for "he's being fired for lousy ratings and general nutjobbery."


After reading his budget proposal, people are wondering if Rep. Paul Ryan has broken with reality. Side note: Ryan's from Wisconsin and things did not go well in his district last night.


Boehner on the budget standoff: "Boo-hoo-hoo!"


A new Gallup poll shows that people don't want a shutdown and aren't happy with the way the GOP is handling things. Maybe that's what Boehner was crying about.


This is how insane the GOP base has become; a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll puts Romney at the head of the Republican pack, followed by... Donald Trump.


More fun with polling: people think John Boehner sucks. There's just so much for him to cry over!


Finally, bad news for Wisconsin recall target Spanky Kapanke, followed by more bad news.

Stories to Watch: 3/19/11

I saw a robin the other day, which is the traditional sign of spring. But I knew it was spring when I saw flies in the backyard. Robins? Who needs them? When you've got insects, things are obviously turning around. Now here's the news...


French fighters are now enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya, as President Obama's rhetoric becomes more bellicose.


Radiation-contaminated food is found 90 miles from the Fukushima plant and "slight amounts" of radioactive iodine have been detected in Tokyo tap water. A food scare is so not what the government needs right now.


And what's the absolute worst case scenario for Fukushima? Pretty goddam bad. According to one expert, it's possible that the area around the plant could become uninhabitable and that an area "as large as several northeastern states" would be affected. That last estimate would include sea area, obviously.


RIP Warren Christopher.


Super full moon tonight, so go out in the backyard and read a book.


Ironically and hypocritically, James O'Keefe doesn't want to appear on video.


Finally, Greg Sargent reports that the GOP is testing what he calls "hard-core anti-union messages" in polling. He says this is "another sign that some folks may be getting mighty nervous about the Dem drives to recall Wisconsin GOP state senators."

They should be nervous.

Stories to Watch: 3/8/11

Not much going on here. March is the messiest month -- mud is everywhere. And our governor's a douche. Now here's the news...


For the first time, a General Society Survey poll finds that more Americans support same-sex marriage than oppose it. Still no majority though: 46%-40%. Still, even if everyone still on the fence went anti, the pros would still be ahead.


Southern Poverty Law Center's Mark Potok takes on Rep. Peter King's "let's all be afraid of the Muslims" hearings. Shorter version: you want hate-filled anti-American radicals calling for (and committing) violence? Look at the American right.


James O'Keefe's ambush shop is at it again. This time, he's "busted" someone at NPR hating on conservatives. LIBERAL MEDIA BIAS!! The problem: the guy they conned wasn't a journalist, he was a fundraiser -- and he thought he was talking to a potential donor. His views have zero influence on the editorial content. And, when they start saying they represent the Muslim Bortherhood (what O'Keefe had hoped to bust them on), he turned down their money. Otherwise, writes Dave Weigel, "His pandering to the group is actually sort of masterful."

A fundraiser kissing ass? Imagine my shock. Next you'll tell me the guy at the used car lot was only being nice to me because he wanted to unload that rusty '71 Impala.


The move to recall Republican state senators in Wisconsin is coming along nicely. "If these new numbers the Wisconsin Democratic Party shares with me are accurate," writes Greg Sargent, "it's already exceeding expectations in a big way."


Finally, is even Scott Walker beginning to crack?

Stories to Watch: 2/14/11

Freakin' heatwave up here. The snow is just melting like crazy, as temperatures hit the forty-degree neighborhood. This may sound good, but it's not. The streets and sidewalks are soaked, while it gets down to eighteen at night. This means ice everywhere. A real mess -- and a dangerous one at that. Now here's the news...


In an attempt to appease Republicans, President Obama offers an awful budget proposal. Of course, Republicans reject is as the worst thing ever -- before they could possibly even have read it. How many times does something like this have to happen before someone at the White House gets the obvious message -- the GOP will always refuse to be satisfied with the things they demand? Go ahead and do whatever the fuck you want, because -- even if you try to meet them halfway -- Republicans are going to whine just as loudly no matter what,


Speaking of Republicans whining: Fox News is appalled that Ron Paul libertarians weren't grovelingly respectful of Cheney and Rumsfeld.


The McCain Virus spreads to Iran and Yemen.


Greg Sargent uncovers a closet commie -- GOP Rep. Leonard Lance of New Jersey.


Andy Breitbart has trouble.


Jeff Sessions is a clown.


Finally, a breakdown of what the Obama budget would mean, agency by agency.