Stories to Watch: 5/16/11

Long and unexpectedly sad weekend. Now here's the news...


I'm detecting a pattern. Republicans freak people out about things that aren't actually happening, get elected, then make sure those things happen. When the healthcare reform debate was going on, the GOP scared everyone with the idea that Democrats were "destroying" Medicare. What did they do after getting elected? Put forward a plan to destroy Medicare. And Republican-controlled state governments are getting right to work instituting death panels. Check the next GOP nominee's birth certificate, because -- if the trend holds -- they'll be a secret Muslim terr'ist from Kenya.


20,000 rally at the Wisconsin State Capital to remind everyone that we're still pissed off and there will be recalls.


Here's a shocking surprise: given the choice between running interference for scandal-plagued Republican Sen. John Ensign and reporting on the story, Fox ran interference. They report, you decide -- except of course when they choose not to report.


Donald Trump's fake campaign may be at an end, but we can be sure his fucknuttery will still pop up from time to time.


Paul Ryan and Newt Gingrich are having a lovers quarrel. If those two crazy kids can't make it work, what hope is there for the rest of us?


The case against IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn looks really, really bad. Just really, really, really bad.


Happy Debt Limit Day! Krugman does not have good things to say about Republicans.


The lunatic 20% are back -- 1 in 5 believe that Osama bin Laden isn't dead.


Another day, another blow for torture fans.


Finally, ACORN is planning to destroy democracy by getting Barack Obama elected! Two reasons to see good news in the latest rightwing nutjob freakout: 1) they're running out of crazyassed, paranoid conspiracy theories and 2) they're embracing recycling.

Related articles

• Here's Video Of The Dominique Strauss-Kahn Perp Walk (businessinsider.com)
• House Republicans still trying to find the message for 'Path to Prosperity' debacle (dailykos.com)
• Widespread GOP hypocrisy revealed in Ensign affair (capitolhillblue.com)
• Newt Gingrich: Ryan Medicare Plan Is 'Too Big A Jump' (huffingtonpost.com)

Stories to Watch: 4/21/11

Wisconsin voters are split on recalling Gov. Scott Walker. For a guy who won easily, this is bad news. Here's hoping he hasn't bottomed out yet. Now here's the (rest of the) news...


Amazon's network problems continue, bringing down major internet sites and no doubt improving worker productivity for the day.


President Obama approves the use of predator drones in Libya. Expect plenty of stories about innocent people being killed by drones, because that seems to be what they're best at. If it were up to me, they'd be listed as "technology that doesn't quite work yet" and they'd be back on the drawing board, not out in the field.


Another town hall event goes off the rails over GOP plans to replace Medicare.


Obama takes a shot at global warming deniers in congress.


Scandal-plague Republican Sen. John Ensign will retire in 2012.


The Onion gets it right on Mittens Romney and Republican voters. No, really.


Reason no. 7,346,627,403 why I don't bother with the Drudge Report.

Stories to Watch: 3/7/11

I came across an interesting piece at The Altantic, but it needs a lot of background, so bear with me here.

In the battle over Scott Walker's budget fiasco, Republican state Senator Dale Schultz has bravely staked out the middle of the road. In a move that he labels a "compromise," he's been pushing -- with the help of the Wisconsin State Journal -- a really boneheaded idea.

Basically, Shultz's idea works this way: unions accept the concessions they've already made and Republicans agree to sunset a ban on collective bargaining after a year. You see the problem right? Since unions make the concessions, there's really no need for the ban -- it's pointless.

Or so it would seem. Anyone who's watched the PATRIOT Act become a cornerstone of American life knows that once government takes your rights away, it's really hard to get them back. Schultz would have us put this whole argument on the backburner for a year, after which it'll all come up again. Excuse me if I have my doubts that Republicans are going to be less insane in a year. Still, everyone in the media has been pushing this as the "sensible middle ground," ignoring the fact that the premise -- that collective bargaining must be banned -- makes no damned sense at all if unions agree to the concessions.

Anyway, The Atlantic's Natasha Vargas-Cooper attended a Schultz town hall in Reedsburg and found that, despite the media line that he's the only "reasonable" guy here, his plan is wildly unpopular with his constituents -- who apparently see through it as easily as I did. According to her report, when Senator Dale spelled out his plan, "The word 'no' reverberated loudly through the crowd, while many others shook their heads silently."

"After hearing you speak," one constituent said to Schultz, "I've decided to become a Democrat." Schultz is considered the Republican most likely to cave and, judging from the article, it's easy to see why.

Now here's (the rest of) the news...

***

Scandal-plagued Republican Senator John Ensign decides losing reelection isn't worth the headache.


Continuing what seems like an endless stream of disappointments, the Obama administration is going to restart military tribunals at Gitmo.


Experts call bullshit on John Boehner's claim that the United States is "broke."


Ick. ThinkProgress has video of Sen. Scott Brown begging David Koch for money.


Republicans in the states try a back door repeal to the 26th Amendment, which gives eighteen year-olds the right to vote. In New Hampshire, one moron comes right out and says it's because young people vote liberal.


Finally, Democrats have already raised over $200,000 to recall Wisconsin GOP senators. See you at the ballot box, guys.