GOP Civil War gets nasty — then weird

Politico:

A top tea party group is taking its clash with Karl Rove to a new level, sending out a fundraising email Tuesday featuring a photoshopped image of the GOP operative in an SS uniform.

“Wipe the Smirk Off Karl Rove’s Face,” reads the subject line of the email, from Jenny Beth Martin, co-founder and national coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots.

The email features a photo illustration in which Rove’s face is grafted onto a photo of a uniformed officer in the Reichsführer-SS, an elite class of soldier in the German Schutzstaffel during Adolph Hitler’s Third Reich. The lower left-hand corner of the photo features the inscriptions “Reichsführer-SS” and “K. Rove,” and appears to match a photo of SS Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler.

The weird thing about this is that “more than five hours after the fundraising email went out, Tea Party Patriots issued a public apology to Rove.”

“We apologize to Mr. Rove,” Martin said in the statement. “While we may have strong disagreements with Mr. Rove on the future of conservatism, we want to be clear this imagery is absolutely unacceptable and are working to ensure this type of mistake doesn’t happen again.”

That would be the first time any teabagger group was squeamish about calling people Nazis. Call Democrats Nazis and that’s fine, call a Republican one and that’s just crossing the line into indecency.

Karl Rove not even pretending GOP campaign isn’t all about race

Raw Story:

Republican strategist Karl Rove says that part of Mitt Romney’s plan to win the White House has to include getting “white Democrats” not to vote for President Barack Obama.

During a discussion with Politico’s Mike Allen on Monday, Rove made it clear that politics had actually become more racialized since the country elected its first black president.

“Obama has no chance of carrying Indiana,” the Fox News contributor explained. “I was having dinner with [Indiana Gov.] Mitch Daniels this spring, and I said, ‘Mitch, is there a white Democrat south of Indianapolis who’s supporting Obama who’s not a college professor in Bloomington?’ And he stopped for a minute over his green beans and says, ‘Not that I can think of.’”

“You know, Indiana’s gone,” he insisted, adding that North Carolina is also “gone” because “New South independents” — which The Atlantic‘s James Bennett says is code for “white independents” — and “racial moderates, economic conservatives, who in 2008 said this would be really good for our country, let’s put the issue of race behind us,” but now they are saying “we did the right thing” and the experiment failed.

WTF are “racial moderates?” Either you’re racist or you’re not. If you’re “in the middle” on the subject of race, you’re a racist. Sorry. Just not the goosestepping, Nazi-flag-in-the-living-room kind.

And this comes as the right freaks out over Chris Matthews calling out the GOP on their campaign of dogwhistle racism and denying they’re being racist at all.

Now here comes Karl with an update on how that campaign of racial division is coming along. Way to blow all the denials out of the water.

Stories to Watch: 4/26/12

I'm stuck for something to make, so it's burgers. Good thing I like burgers. Now here's the news...


Paul Ryan renounces everything he previously believed in to mollify the religious wing of his party. Makes you wonder if he actually believes in anything.


Karl Rove's electoral math puts President Obama way ahead. Let me repeat; that's Karl Rove's math.


After overcoming some GOP shenanigans, the latest incarnation of the Violence Against Women Act passes the Senate. Now it goes to the House, where things are almost certain to get really stupid. Trust me, the odds are extremely high that some GOPer or three will say something astonishingly insensitive.


In the process of getting the VAWA through, Al Franken gets a bit emotional.


If SCOTUS strikes down healthcare reform, they'll be joining in on the War on Women.


A lot of Boston Bruins fans are complete assholes.


The Koch brothers seem to have realized that no one but Republicans gives a fuck about Solyndra.


Finally, an empty-headed bleached foxbot mocks Sandra Fluke -- because that worked out so well the last time conservatives tried it.

Related articles

• Addressing VAWA, Sen. Al Franken Breaks Down On Senate Floor (thinkprogress.org)
• Karl Rove at Tufts: To win, GOP 'can't be mean' (bostonherald.com)
• Karl Rove-linked group Crossroads slams 'cool' Obama (abcnews.go.com)
• IRS Complaint Filed Against Karl Rove Group (lesliebrodie.wordpress.com)

News Roundup for 4/26/12

GOP's perception of young voters

-Headline of the Day-
"Crossroads ad attacks Obama's 'celebrity' presidency."

Never let it be said that Republicans are saddled with the burden of new ideas. And for anyone daring to make such a scurrilous accusation, I offer the latest from Karl Rove's PAC. In it, President Obama is attacked for being just so gosh-darned famous and "cool."

Seems familiar, somehow. Like someone had tried it before. I wonder how that turned out?

Anyway, this time it's different. There's that whole "he's cool" thing, too. The ad is aimed at young people and you know how they hate cool. As Steve M. from No More Mister Nice Blog puts it, "No! Don't listen to the part of your brain that responds to coolness! Coolness is not good! Coolness is bad! Bad! Romney is boring! Boring is good!"

Hey young people! Put down your video game controllers and your meme generators and your phone apps and join us in a nice game of whist!

I guess Republicans have to at least try to attract young voters. But you'd think that in trying, they'd actually try. (The Hill)


-Cartoon time with Mark Fiore-
Hey kids, have you heard about CISPA? Don't worry, it's just to keep you safe!


Click for animation

President Obama says he'll veto it, but you know how he hates America... (MarkFiore.com)


-Bonus HotD-
"Romney Campaign Again Warns Of ‘Soviet’ Threat."

First, Romney's foreign policy adviser complains about our policy with "Czechoslovakia," now this.

I think Mittens is trying to convince Republican voters that he literally is Reagan -- and that it's 1984. (Talking Points Memo)

News Roundup for 3/22/12

Rove makes an appearance on The Colbert Report

-Headline of the Day-
"Karl Rove: Bin Laden killing was no biggie."

Republicans just can't let President Obama have nice things. If Obama does something, then it's automatically terrible -- unless you can't possibly spin it that way. In that case, it's trivial.

Karl Rove proved that today in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal. In it, Rove uses a 17-minute Obama campaign web movie to point out that the president is just God awful -- unlike that fella Karl served under.

Anyway, Karl's biggest challenge was making the death of Osama bin Laden seem like one of those not-automatically-terrible-so-it-must-be-trivial things and he hit kind of a dead end. There's no way he could do it. Scratch that; there's no way he could do it honestly. This is Karl Rove here, so he quickly overcame this problem.

"As for the killing of Osama bin Laden, Mr. Obama did what virtually any commander in chief would have done in the same situation," Karl writes. "Even President Bill Clinton says in the film 'that’s the call I would have made.' For this to be portrayed as the epic achievement of the first term tells you how bare the White House cupboards are."

Tiny little bit of a problem here: that's not exactly what Clinton said. What Bill said was, "He took the harder and the more honorable path. When I saw what had happened, I thought to myself, 'I hope that’s the call I would have made.'" Contrary to what Karl wants you to believe, Bill's not saying it was an easy decision anyone would've made, he's saying it was a hard decision.

And would Karl's boss have made that call? Here's GWB on the subject: "I truly am not that concerned about [Osama bin Laden]. I am deeply concerned about Iraq... I really just don’t spend that much time on him, to be honest with you."

So I'm going to go out on a limb and say no. (Plum Line)


-The Distracto DeVille Deluxe-



"Guess it's back to calling women sluts, then." (McClatchy)


-Bonus HotD-
"Ann Coulter Says It Is Now Time To ‘Go After’ The Obama Children."

Ann who?

Oh yeah... She's that one woman who used to say deliberately offensive things for a living. The troll lady... You know...

Man, I thought she'd be insane and homeless by now. I guess I was half right. (Wonkette)

Stories to Watch: 1/5/12

Chili and cornbread tonight. Perfect winter food. Now here's the news...


Karl Rove abuses the English language by calling Mitt Romney's 8-vote squeaker in Iowa a "big win." Democrats are less impressed with Mittens' heroic triumph.


The 1% thinks you're stupid. In fact, they think you're very stupid.


The jobs front is still seeing improvement, so expect the GOP to try to sabotage that.


Still, if you want to move up the economic ladder, you're screwed.


Washington Monthly puts together a collection of articles that answer the question, "What If Obama Loses?" Worth a read.


Rick Santorum flat-out lies. There is no other way to put it.


Also in Rick news; he learns that hate isn't as easy to sell in New Hampshire.


Gingrich becomes the latest GOPer to automatically assume that all people on welfare are black.


How much does online piracy cost copyright holders? While it's not exactly clear, the numbers put out by SOPA supporters are comically inflated.


Finally, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray -- an Obama recess appointment -- is not letting the grass grow under his feet.

Related articles

• Why the Heck Is Perry Still In? (newser.com)
• Epic says it does not "support the current version of SOPA" (vg247.com)
• Web Giants Consider 'Nuclear Option' Blackout to Fight SOPA (talkincloud.com)
• SOPA-like law passes in Spain, U.S. allegedly involved (cbsnews.com)

Stories to Watch: 12/21/11

Pretty much done with my Christmas sourdough pancake project. I still have more to make, but they can wait. I've got to make some for a buddy who's over in Czech and won't be back until after the holidays -- and a batch to make for myself. When you're making everyone else pancakes, you really develop a hankerin' for a stack to call your own. Now here's the news...


Mittens takes up residency in an alternate universe where the crazy-assed stuff they say on rightwing talk radio is true, true, true. It's a tremendous strawman argument where President Obama tries to "create equal outcomes" in an "entitlement society," in which "everyone receives the same or similar rewards, regardless of education, effort, and willingness to take risk." Needless to say, this resembles the things Obama has said and done in absolutely no way. "This is nuts, Glenn Beck–level insane," writes Jonathan Chait.


On the other hand, old Romney habits are hard to break -- even as you're trying to convince GOP voters that you're Herman-Cain-league insane. Mittens just can't bring himself to form an opinion of the House Republicans' payroll tax cut debacle.


Romney's also having trouble agreeing with himself on the issue of the Iraq War.


And on the question of that debacle, Karl Rove agrees with the Wall Street Journal.


If you're trying to make the GOP's position on the payroll tax cut fiasco look good, this is not the way you want to do it.


Ron Paul is now the frontrunner in Iowa. I stand by my assertion that this will be meaningless outside of Iowa.


Wisconsin's own big-bottomed GOP Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner is a jackass.


The EPA sets new limits on mercury emissions from power plants.


Man, is Iowa religious freak Bob Vander Plaats ever fickle.


Finally, this must really steam anti-gay Republicans.

Related articles

• Scott Brown Denounces House Republicans Over Payroll Tax Cut Deal (huffingtonpost.com)
• Republicans Walk Out on Payroll Tax Vote, Cut Off C-SPAN Cameras (littlegreenfootballs.com)
• Tom McMahon: Merry Christmas, Middle Class! House Republicans Just Voted To Raise Your Taxes By $1,000 (huffingtonpost.com)
• WATCH: Maddow Hammers John Boehner And House Republicans (huffingtonpost.com)

Stories to Watch: 12/13/11

Still waiting for snow here. Things are getting desperate. Now here's the news...


Lowe's decision to pull their ads from All-American Muslim is quickly turning into a PR disaster. I have to admit some personal fascination with this story. Somewhere, some Lowe's suit or roomful of suits said, "Yup, this is a good idea!" Who could possibly have come to that conclusion? That's what fascinates me. Whenever I see a story about some crazy thing someone has done, I always want to ask them, "At what point did any of this seem like a good idea?" Not in a smart-alecky way, but because I really want to know -- what makes obviously lousy ideas seem rational?


Does a strong showing in Iowa polling mean that it's Ron Paul's turn to be the not-Romney? I kind of doubt it. Paul's made a huge effort to get votes in Iowa and I think it's paying off. According to ABC News, Paul's "ground game hasn’t gone unnoticed by Iowa’s Republican Gov. Terry Branstad, who called Paul’s operation the best of any of the Republican candidates in the state." Outside Iowa, Gingrich's lead widens.


Donald Trump pulls out of moderating the all but dead Newsmax debate. In doing so, he manages to blame the GOP candidates and basically says they're afraid of him. What a massive ego.


Gallup polling indicates some trouble for Obama in swing states, but things are still pretty unpredictable right now. I think this is a pretty good, if brief, analysis.


Harry Reid hopes to head off GOP gamesmanship on a payroll tax-cut extension.


The National Transportation Safety Board calls for a national ban on the use of cell phones while driving. I'm waiting for some wingnut blogger to show how this is exactly like Nazi Germany.


James Murdoch knew phone hacking was going on.


Finally, Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS PAC is a bullshit factory. Try to act surprised.

Related articles

• Trump Steps Down As Moderator Of Ridiculed Debate (huffingtonpost.com)
• Paul Surges in Iowa (politicalwire.com)
• Poll: Newt Gingrich Continues to Lead GOP Field in Iowa (usnews.com)
• Simmons Buys Ads for 'All-American Muslim' (theroot.com)

Stories to Watch: 12/8/11

What's nearly as good as fresh-baked lasagna? Leftover lasagna. I'm eatin'. Now here's the news...


RNC chair Reince Priebus comes out against a Trump-sponsored GOP debate. When it's beneath even Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann, that tells you a lot. This thing is probably dead.


A payroll tax cut fails again in the Senate.


Meanwhile, Republicans offer their own payroll tax cut plan. As always, the GOP wants to cut off your left arm as the price for saving your right.


David Frum sees Newt Gingrich as the latest GOP fad-candidate. But this time, he sees it hurting the party. "[G]iven that these balloons take typically 6-8 weeks to shrivel, the impending Gingrich bust may not arrive soon enough to save Romney," he warns. "No question though, it will arrive in time to freak out the Republican party."


A certain fella named "Mitt" seems to agree with Frum.


Eric Cantor shuts down a bill in the Financial Services Committee that would've made insider trading by congress critters illegal. If congress shuts off the easy-money tap, Republicans like Cantor might have to actually, you know, do work.


President Obama bitchslaps GOP candidates who claim he follows a foreign policy of "appeasement": "Ask Osama bin Laden and the 22 out of 30 top al Qaeda leaders who have been taken off the field whether I engage in appeasement. Or whoever’s left out there about that."


As ads tying Elizabeth Warren to Occupy Wall Street fail to impress Massachusetts voters, Karl Rove switches gears and tries to tie her to big banks. When one argument contradicts another, that's what savvy DC insiders call "amateurish bullshit."


Finally, here's a good way to join the ranks of the unemployed.

Related articles

• Why The GOP Fears Gingrich (andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com)
• WATCH: GOP Candidate's Wild Night In DC (huffingtonpost.com)
• Fox News Poll: Gingrich Leads in GOP Voter Preference (foxnews.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: 11/12/11

RIP Sheba, my mom's 14 year-old Siberian husky. She was a sweet dog who loved running, snow, and tuna melts. At the end, she couldn't run and there was no snow, but there were still tuna melts. I can't think of anything to say, other than to quote Vonnegut; "And so it goes." Now here's the news...


In happier news, I did a major refurbish of the blogspot blogs. I was going to do a complete redesign, but it turned out to be unnecessary. Each blog now features pages with the Superfeed and my latest Tumblr content, as well as redirects to the other blog -- so they're a lot more like just one blog now. I got rid of some widgets made redundant by the pages, so things should load a little more quickly. Other than that, the only real obvious change is a black menubar under my Fighting Bob banners (I might dress that up a little at a later date). Poke around and see how you like it -- and let me know if there's a problem. All the changes should work on all major browsers, but you never know. If you find a bug, please be sure to include what browser you're using.


The economy is still a drag on President Obama's approvals, as his disapproval ratings on that issue hit a new high in a CBS News poll. The question is, will the public find Republicans' economic ideas more palatable? Other recent polling suggests not. If his eventual opponent's diapprovals are higher than his own on the issue, it doesn't seem like it'd make much difference how high Obama's were.


Republicans simply will not let go of the myth that Fannie, Freddie, and government regulations brought down the economy.


Karl Rove's American Crossroads ads are so egregiously false that at they're being pulled off the air in Montana.


With Herman Cain being the latest wingnut darling to crash in a tailspin, Nate Silver predicts the next flavor of the month will be Newt Gingrich. What is it with the Republican voters and their love for vanity campaigners anyway? Trump, Cain, Gingrich. Poor Rick Santorum; all that perfectly acceptable pure, naked crazy and he can't get anyone's attention.


More trouble brewing at Occupy Oakland.


Tennessee state Rep. Rick Womick is a jackass.


Former lobbyist, prisoner, and scandal Jack Abramoff says that members of congress bragged to him about insider trading. For the record, as a lobbyist Abramoff dealt mostly with Republicans and exclusively with conservatives.


Finally, Christian right nutjobs want Jesus to chase the moneychangers out of the temple. Oops! Misread that; they want Jesus to chase away the people chasing away the moneychangers. That's the beauty of the Bible -- it contradicts itself so often that you can get it to say whatever the fuck you want it to say. Sermon on the Mount? Shut up, you commie hippie!

Related articles

• McClatchy-Marist Poll: Strong Sign that Cain is Sinking and Gingrich Is Rising as Anti-Romney? (themoderatevoice.com)
• Romney leads Cain 2-to-1 in electability, says CBS News poll - CBS News (cbsnews.com)
• Mitt Romney's Student Loan 'Non-Plan' Underwhelms (huffingtonpost.com)
• Occupy Oakland will be forced to close after shooting: According... (shortformblog.tumblr.com)

Stories to Watch: 11/10/11

I hate it when the clocks change in the fall. It's like your plunged headlong into winter, overnight. Now here's the news...


Penn State students riot after Joe Paterno is fired for covering up what became a child sex abuse scandal. Pepper spray makes an appearance, but no rubber bullets. So, for the record; rioting jackasses who put sports above child welfare -- no rubber bullets. People who protest income inequality and unemployment -- crackin' heads with rubber bullets.


A man is in critical condition after suffering a gunshot wound at Occupy Burlington in Vermont. At the moment, it seems as if it's a suicide attempt by a troubled homeless man.


Matthew Yglesias is leaving the Center for American Progress' ThinkProgress blog to work for Slate. As an aside, right now he's included in the ThinkProgress RSS feed, but I may have to get the new URL for the Superfeed. I definitely want Matt Yglesias in there.


Karl Rove is up to his old tricks again -- namely, being a professional liar.


Writing for Sabato's Crystal Ball, Alan Abramowitz calculates that President Obama "has a good chance of winning a second term."


The Senate rejects a repeal of net-neutrality rules.


Contrary to GOP talking points, small banks like Dodd-Frank regulations. Then again, pretty much everything is contrary to GOP talking points.


Finally, Occupy Michele Bachmann!

Related articles

• Occupy Burlington Man In Grave Condition After Being Shot (lezgetreal.com)
• Elizabeth Warren responds to Karl Rove, stands by Occupy Wall Street (dailykos.com)
• Self-inflicted shooting at Occupy Burlington, Vermont (100gf.wordpress.com)

Stories to Watch: 10/24/11

Leftovers tonight. Part of the joy of being a good cook is having good leftovers so you don't have to cook. Now here's the news...


This one gets a little circuitous, so bear with me. Karl Rove, while literally pointing to a list of candidate gaffes, argues on Fox News that the Herman Cain campaign has "peaked" and that he's probably run his course as a contender for the GOP nomination. In response, Cain says that Rove's analysis is "a deliberate attempt to damage me because I am not, quote unquote, the establishment choice."

Here's the thing: Cain is probably half-right. Rove is trying to derail his campaign, but not because he's not "the establishment choice." It's because of all the items on Rove's list. Cain's a ridiculous clown who couldn't possibly win against Obama, so the smart thing to do is head this disaster off at the pass.

***
Speaking candidate gaffes: Herman Cain has reportedly agreed to a one-on-one debate with Newt Gingrich. Not at all sure what the reasoning is here -- Newt's already an also-ran, so this wouldn't help anyone but Gingrich, and -- as feverishly crazy as Newt actually is -- he's still Cain's intellectual superior. I cannot see anyone walking away from this event thinking, "Now there was a bright move by the Hermanator."


Michele Bachmann's New Hampshire campaign implosion goes scandalously public.


American's don't think much of the electoral college.


Mittens makes it clear that he's running as the candidate who's not insane.


Evidence that not even Herman Cain is taking Herman Cain's candidacy seriously.


Finally, the President rolls over congress to provide mortgage relief.

Related articles

• Herman Cain Accuses Karl Rove Of 'Deliberate Attempt To Damage' Him (mediaite.com)
• Rove calls Cain's gaffes 'really deadly' (thehill.com)
• Herman Cain: Former Biz Whiz? Try Lobbyist (newser.com)

Stories to Watch: 10/22/11

I'm going to take another whack at sourdough bread. This time, I'll knead it after it comes out of the bread machine and divide it into two loaves so it's not in the oven for as long (the crusts have been a little too crusty, even for sourdough). We'll see how that works out. Now here's the news...


The UPenn campus paper publishes Eric Cantor's speech on income inequality. You know, the one he cancelled after it became clear the audience wouldn't be sycophantic? Here's a fun game: use your browser to search for the words "income" and "inequality" in the text. It's very instructive.


Steve Benen reviews Cantor's undelivered speech; "After having read it, it seems Cantor probably made a wise choice canceling at the last minute." The speech in a nutshell; "Trickle down economics will work this time. I swear!" Anyone who'd give this steaming pile of a speech deserves to be heckled.


Unfortunately for Eric, he doesn't actually have to be there to be protested.


The new conservative spin; President Obama won the war in Iraq wrong.


Proof that global warming denial is an article of faith, not a scientific position; after a Koch-funded study led by a climate skeptic confirms anthropogenic global warming, the deniers are still denying.


Electric car companies are using federal money to create jobs in America. Needless to say, it's the worst thing ever.


Finally, Karl Rove's super-secret American Crossroads PAC warns the GOP that Obama's "tax the rich" rhetoric is working; "our poll found that 64% favor raising taxes on people with incomes above $200,000."

Related articles

• Eric Cantor Cancels Income Inequality Speech When UPenn Can't Guarantee 'Selected Audience' (mediaite.com)
• Protesters Scare Eric Cantor Into Canceling His Income Inequality Speech [The Economy] (gawker.com)
• Cantor Cancels Wharton Lecture When He Finds Public Is Invited (crooksandliars.com)
• Fearing Occupy Philly, Eric Cantor cancels speech (dailykos.com)

Stories to Watch: 9/7/11

Big GOP debate tonight. I, for one, plan to skip it. For one, it's at the Reagan Library. The last debate there turned into a macabre contest to see who could fit in the dead man's clothes. Expect "I'm Reagan! No, I'm Reagan!"

For another; all the candidates have basically been in a competition to see who can be the most like the GOP congress. So you know what they're going to say; tax cuts, regulation, "job creators," Jesus, wank, wank, wank. I could practically write the transcript right now.

I'll read about it tomorrow, so I don't have to suffer through it. Now here's the news...


Karl Rove thinks Rick Perry's biggest problem will be the self-inflicted wound caused by his own idiotic book. His views on Social Security, for example, are "toxic in a general election environment and they are also toxic in a Republican primary."


In way-local news, Wisconsin State Rep. Mark Pocan announces he'll be running for the congressional seat Tammy Baldwin will leave open to run for the US Senate. Liberal as all get out and strongly supported by labor, he'll probably win it in a walk.


Al Gore's not real happy with President Obama right now. He shouldn't be. And neither should you. Gore writes of the president's abandonment of EPA guidelines for smog, "Instead of relying on science, President Obama appears to have bowed to pressure from polluters who did not want to bear the cost of implementing new restrictions on their harmful pollution -- even though economists have shown that the US economy would benefit from the job creating investments associated with implementing the new technology."


The Union of Concerned Scientists agrees with Gore -- Obama's move was boneheaded. "This delay is shocking," says UCS Scientific Integrity Program Director Francesca Grifo. "President Obama's decision will leave us with a rule that flouts the Clean Air Act and ignores science. They've allowed politics to trump science at the expense of the American people's health."


Greg Sargent reveals one reason why the right plays the victim card so often. The short version is that the base is gullible, thin-skinned, and easily spooked -- which translates into a fundraising bonanza every time someone cooks up some new and imaginary offense, plot, or threat. The long version is even worse.


Erick-Erick is frustrated with Sarah Palin's coquettery. I'll bet he'll even take her poster out of his locker at CNN.


Harry Reid plans to put a clean disaster relief bill up for a vote and dare Senate Republicans to join Eric Cantor in holding Irene victims hostage.


Rep. Allen West continues to be a hateful jackass.


Finally, the GOP will not rebut the president's jobs speech. "The Republicans' refusal to respond to the president's proposal on jobs is not only disrespectful to him, but to the American people," says Nancy Pelosi.

Related articles

• The Caucus: Republican Debate: Five Things to Watch (thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Al Gore Just Took A Big Shot At Obama (businessinsider.com)
• GOP Already Blasting Obama's Jobs Speech (abcnews.go.com)
• Crazy Georgian GOP Rep. latest to boycott Obama's jobs speech (americablog.com)

Stories to Watch: 8/20/11

Good show. Good time. I was up way too late though. Now here's the news...


One-time Tea Party fave Chris Christie has been taking stances lately that are politically incorrect for a one-time Tea Party fave. After saying "crazies" were responsible for rampant Islamophobia and Sharia paranoia on the right, he now says he believes global warming is real and humans contribute to it. This is a man that some on the right still hold out hope will run for president. But in the party's current basketcase condition, no freakin' way.


John Huntsman, who is actually running, also does his best to rule himself out as the nominee. Only nuts are allowed.


Liberal activists and union folks are giving GOP lawmakers a hard time at townhalls over the recess. Sound familiar? Yeah, if this is how Republicans want to do politics, this is the way we're going to do politics. It's your bed, GOP. Now lie in it.


Disappointing news out of Wisconsin; Russ Feingold says he won't run for any office in 2012, meaning both the gubernatorial recall and the seat opening with Sen. Herb Kohl's retirement are out. It's a real pity, because polling either race was all his.


Karl Rove thinks Sarah Palin will run. I think it wouldn't make any damned difference and who cares? Of course, Karl's just running with the Bushies and trying to drum up excitement for anyone but Rick Perry. But, as Howard Finemann points out, Karl played a big part in Perry's current popularity in the first place. Those neocons, always running around putting out fires that they themselves set.


Finally, do you think Rick Perry's an idiot? Ronald Reagan's chief domestic policy adviser Bruce Bartlett invites you to join the club.

Related articles

• Quote of the Day: Is Rick Perry Karl Rove's Frankenstein Monster? (themoderatevoice.com)
• Bruce Bartlett: Rick Perry is an idiot (crooksandliars.com)
• Haley Barbour Calls Rick Perry's Conservative Critics Part of The 'Liberal Media League' Out To Get Christians (crooksandliars.com)
• WI-Sen, WI-Gov: Russ Feingold will not seek office next year (dailykos.com)

Stories to Watch: 5/10/11

Freakin' insanely nice here today. 80 degrees. I actually kept the windows closed so it would stay cool in here. Now here's the news...


Fox News is oh-so cross that President Obama will have the "vile rapper" Common at the White House for a poetry event. But Fox has had a different take on Common in the past.


Rand Paul, stalwart defender of the military-industrial complex.


Republican plans to privatize Medicare are rapidly crumbling as GOPers, sensing an electoral iceberg, begin to jump ship.


Karl Rove's American Crossroads PAC is sinking $650 mil. into Jane Corwin's flailing NY-26 run.


Charles Koch "gives" $1.5 million to Florida State University. Why the quotes? Koch gets input on hiring decisions for the school's economics department in exchange. Let's just drop the quotes and say he bought Florida State's economics department outright. Luckily, this isn't sitting well with a lot of people who think an economic flatearther like Koch shouldn't be allowed within eyesight of the department. If they lose this one, expect an economics degree from Florida State to be almost worthless in the job market.


In news that'll cause a lot of excitement, but will ultimately go nowhere: liberals in Arizona want to split off into a new state.


Kevin Drum argues that John Boehner's insane hostage demands regarding the debt ceiling are a bluff.


Finally, Michael Heick of Amherst, NY is a Grade A prick.

Related articles

• Florida State University sells its integrity for $1.5 million (scienceblogs.com)
• What Would You Say to the Koch Brothers if You Had the Chance? (alternet.org)
• NY-26: Is there any surer sign our poll was right? (dailykos.com)
• New Campaign Assails Koch Brothers (huffingtonpost.com)

Stories to Watch: 4/25/11

Got new banners at two of my blogs. Pretty nifty, huh? That guy's Fighting Bob La Follette, a Wisconsin political hero. I'm not sure those versions are final, though -- the worn paint effect looks too digital to me. I think I'll blow up the text layer, add the lettering and the "grunge" mask, then shrink it down again to let the anti-aliasing soften it out a bit. No rush though, these'll do fine for the time being.

Next project: getting some sort of design over at my Tumblr blog. Seriously, it's like an unpainted wall. Even Drudge Report and craigslist are prettier to look at. That's going to be a bit more work. Now here's the news...


Haley Barbour announces that he won't run for the GOP presidential nomination. Steve Benen points out that this isn't so much a case of deciding against running, as it is the first instance of an actual candidate dropping out of the race.


Leaked documents show us what's inside Gitmo. It's not pretty.


The Supreme Court is in no hurry to look at "Obamacare." They've decided to let it wind its way up through the appeals process normally, despite "a call Monday from Virginia's attorney general to depart from its usual practice and put review of the health care law on a fast track."


"Less than half of GOP voters in Georgia, North Carolina, and Mississippi" think the good guys won the Civil War.


Republican presidential campaign procrastination has Karl Rove nervous.


The latest "Donald Trump's a commie" news: he gave big to Rahm Emanuel's mayoral campaign.


Finally, high oil prices are really, really, really good for Exxon -- and so are all the oil subsidies this "struggling industry" is getting.

Stories to Watch: 2/17/11

I'm finally getting the hang of this sourdough thing. I've been making bread, but it hasn't been rising the way I'd hoped. So yesterday, I made some dough, let it rest an hour, punched down what little rising it had done, then covered it, and put it in the fridge overnight. I figured that would slow, but not stop, the rising and I'd bake it the next day.

I got up today, checked, and saw the dough had barely risen. So I pulled the dough out, turned on the oven for a few minutes to warm it up, and stuck the loaf in there for an "assisted" rise. Took off like a shot. I rose the hell outta that dough. Now I got me a loaf of actual sandwich-worthy bread and I'm not going to do things any other way from now on. Now here's the news...


The nation amazed to discover Democrats with guts living in Wisconsin. Such a creature was long thought to be extinct. National Democrats rub up against them in hopes that gutsiness is catching. Here's hoping it is, because from what I've seen, these protests make the tea party look like a Boy Scout meeting. This is what it really looks like when the people hit the streets.


In related news, the anecdotal evidence I've been seeing is confirmed: Wisconsinites are none too happy with Walker's scheme to bust unions.


Karl Rove hates on the birthers. Meanwhile, Michele Bachmann kisses their butt.


The GOP seems set on burning through whatever goodwill voters have toward them with a Gingrich-like plan to shut down government. Already, John Boehner is being forced to pretend he gives a crap about unemployment.


Finally, here's the next octogenarian Glenn Beck will sic his psychos on.

Rove: McCain Campaign 'Beyond the 100% Truth Test'

clipped from www.politico.com It’s not every day that Democrats embrace the wisdom of Karl Rove, but the Barack Obama campaign is e-mailing around a comment he made to Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday.” With the commercials of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) under attack for falsehoods, Rove said that both sides in the presidential race have “gone one step too far” — in McCain’s case, by “attributing to Obama things that are … beyond the 100 percent truth test.” "When Karl Rove is questioning the legitimacy of your dishonest tactics, you really need to take a moment of self-reflection," Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan said when the campaign e-mailed the quote to reporters for the second time in 80 minutes.

Boy Genius missteps and McCain's campaign of victimhood takes a little hit. The piece goes on:

Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor, echoing Obama campaign language from Saturday, quickly blasted out a statement saying: “In case anyone was still wondering whether John McCain is running the sleaziest, most dishonest campaign in history, today Karl Rove -- the man who held the previous record -- said McCain’s ads have gone too far.”

Karl is so not getting the GOP Christmas bonus this year...