Gun lobby has hard time finding Ayotte defenders for TV ad

A follow-up to the previous item.

ThinkProgress: As Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) battles public outcry over her vote to kill a bipartisan amendment expanding background checks for gun purchases, a national conservative group based in Iowa is running television ads featuring seemingly ordinary New Hampshire moms and law enforcement officials defending the one-term senator from out-of-state “partisan” attacks.

But the American Future Fund appeared unable to find voters who agree with Ayotte’s position, as a cursory search of individuals in the advertisement reveals that the supposedly typical New Hampshirites are actually long-time Republican party activists and officials. Polls show that

91 percent of New Hampshire adults support expanded screenings…

Jayne Millerick is billed in the ad as a “New Hampshire mom” and says “Those attack commercials are partisan and deliberately misleading.” But Millerick is actually a Republican strategist who served as Chairman of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee, a New Hampshire Republican Delegate in 2008, and was a member of New Hampshire Women for Mitt coalition in 2012. She is now a professional political consultant.

Judy Brown, another “New Hampshire mom” from the ad, served alongside Millerick in the Romney campaign and volunteered for Ayotte’s campaign in 2010. In 2013, she was named as the Nashua City Republican of the Year.

Barbara Dutile, a “Law Enforcement official,” is the wife of a Republican Sheriff in Grafton County who was Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) New Hampshire delegate in 2008, campaigned for Romney, and served as an alternate delegate. In 2012 she received an award from the Republican Party of New Hampshire.

Granted, all these people are New Hampshire moms, but the fact that they don’t disclose what they are beside that tells a lot about how popular Ayotte’s vote is in the state. “I’m a Republican and I back Kelly Ayotte” doesn’t get you far, In fact, it would seem that AFF made the decision that this revelation would actually be a negative.

What friends Sen. Ayotte still has in New Hampshire seem to be rendered useless by their association with her and her party. That’s not a good omen for the future or their fight in New Hampshire.

Ayotte background check vote sparks NH ad war

Ironically, the gun lobby is being outgunned.

Washington Post: …Ads in the state are focused on Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R), the only senator from the Northeast to vote against expanded background checks. Gun-control groups hope to turn her vote into a political liability; gun-rights advocates aim to prove that it isn’t one.

American Future Fund, a conservative nonprofit, is up Friday with a $250,000 ad buy supporting Ayotte. That dwarfs the $25,000 buy from the National Rifle Association. But it pales in comparison to the ad buy from Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which is estimated to be larger than $600,000. (The group says only that the two-week buy is in the six figures but has not disputed that estimate.) The ads are running during Red Sox games, an expensive time. Americans for Responsible Solutions, the pro-gun control group founded by former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, also has a $350,000 radio buy up in New Hampshire and four other states. The group has raised $11 million in the past four months and is likely to spend more in New Hampshire.

Ayotte isn’t up for reelection until 2016, so the ads aren’t focused on electoral politics directly. Instead, they’re seeking to influence her vote when the issue comes up again. Ayotte’s favorables have been in a tailspin after the vote and gun safety advocates see her as a likely defector in the next round. The ads from them are downward pressure meant to keep her numbers low by keeping voters’ disappointment with her fresh in their minds.

Which may explain the lower figures for gun lobby ads. They want to shore up support, but Ayotte is taking such a beating that they don’t want to make her seem like a no-guns-laws-ever fanatic. It’s kind of a “damned if you do and damned if you don’t” situation — you can’t defend her without reminding everyone why they got so mad at her in the first place. The best they can do is offer cautious support and hope this whole thing blows over.

Unless Ayotte is politically suicidal, that may not be enough.

[photo by schmilblick]

Stories to Watch: 2/4/12

It's a lovely April day here in Madison. It's February, you say? Tell it to the climate. Now here's the news...


Was the Komen/Planned Parenthood debacle the result of wingnuts believing their own BS talking points?


Newt Gingrich thinks you're really mad about Manhattan elites who "ride the subway" and write for "fancy newspapers." Gawker has a great video collection of the hoity-toity riders of the absolutely opulent NYC transit system. Watch out fancypants, we're on to you!


Also in Noodles news, is Gingrich out after Nevada? An email sent around to reporters schedules a post-Nevada press conference from 11pm to midnight. Gingrich is expected to lose badly in Nevada and people don't generally schedule their concession speeches. Believe it or not, this is probably not good news for Mittens.


Yet another birther case goes down in flames.


'Baggers really are hopelessly insane.


The swing state of New Hampshire swings strongly toward Obama.


Finally, after a brutal massacre in the city of Homs, President Obama demands that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad step down.

Related articles

• Santorum, Paul bypass Nevada caucuses, look ahead (sfgate.com)
• Nevada set for Republican vote (bbc.co.uk)
• Romney hopes for lopsided win in Nevada caucuses - CBS News (cbsnews.com)
• Homs massacre: 200 dead as Assad's troops pound Syrian city with mortars (dailymail.co.uk)

Stories to Watch: 1/11/12

Got a call yesterday from a buddy vacationing in Florida. I heard seagulls. It was horrifying. Now here's the news...


Talking Points Memo has a photo gallery of things that aren't as steep as Rick Perry's plunging poll numbers.


Note to first-term Republican Rep. Diane Black: don't try to claim the House isn't in recess while talking about how you went on recess.


As if the recall weren't enough trouble, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is accused of over 1,000 campaign finance law violations, which could cost him over a half a million in fines. Once again, I point out that voter ID won't solve election fraud problems -- but getting rid of Republicans will.


Warren Buffett is once again awesome.


Gingrich walks back his criticism of Mitt Romney's corporate predator past. The brief Gingrich flirtation with reality is over -- for now.


And so Newt goes back to favorite themes: frootloop paranoia about the Homosexual Menace and a war on Christianity.


How do you prove that voter fraud is a big problem? If you're stupid, you commit some voter fraud and make sure you get it one tape.


The clown show effect strikes again; waning GOP enthusiasm was as evident in New Hampshire as it was in Iowa.


Finally, Herman Cain announces that he won't endorse anyone, as every single GOP candidate breathes a huge sigh of relief.

Related articles

• James O'Keefe Commits Voter Fraud to 'Prove' Voter Fraud (littlegreenfootballs.com)
• The man who could stop Romney (cnn.com)
• Who Will Bail Next? (thedailybeast.com)
• Newt Gingrich's Gay Sister Backs Obama For 2012 (gunnyg.wordpress.com)

News Roundup for 1/11/12

Rick Perry

-Headline of the Day-
"CNN Apparently Waives Its Own Debate Rules To Let Rick Perry In."

The endless series of GOP debates marches on, this time in South Carolina, and Rick Perry will be there.

Whether he should be there is another question entirely. According to the report, in "CNN’s criteria for inclusion, a candidate must get at least 4th place in either Iowa or New Hampshire, or get 7% support in at least three national Republican or three South Carolina primary polls released in January. The requirements were posted online last Tuesday afternoon, several hours before before the Iowa caucuses began later that night."

The problem: Rick has done almost none of that. "Perry came in fifth place in Iowa, and sixth in New Hampshire," the report says. "And currently, his national and South Carolina poll numbers do not show him meeting that threshold, either."

Worse, the only poll that shows Perry reaching the crucial 7% is from Reuters -- CNN's own polling has Rick at 5% in South Carolina (pdf).

Asked what the hell the deal was, Edie Emery, director of public relations for Turner Broadcasting Systems, said, "Yes, Gov. Perry will be invited to next week’s CNN debate. He has met the criteria."

Fair enough. Except he hasn't. (Talking Points Memo)


-Mittens clarifies-



Surprisingly accurate. (McClatchy)



-Bonus HotD-
"C-SPAN caller asks if 'Romney has a big penis.'"

I think I see what's happening here. The caller overheard a conversation.

Let me straighten this out: what you heard someone say is that Romney is a big dick.

Hope you find this helpful. (Raw Story)

Stories to Watch: 1/10/12

Big doin's in New Hampshire tonight, so I'll keep this short. I probably don't have your attention. Now here's the news...


Polling shows that Stephen Colbert would beat Jon Huntsman in South Carolina.


Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum all vow to bravely face America's most pressing crisis -- that of nekkid ladies on those internets.


New Hampshire voters will get a chance to vote for Herman Cain and "Dick" Perry tonight. I'm hoping Dick gets more votes that Rick, because that'd be too hilarious.


Ron Paul thinks Mitt Romney's record of slash-and-burn vulture capitalism with Bain is great.


The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists bumps their "Doomsday Clock" up to five minutes to midnight.


Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett (not to be confused with the other space cadet) wants to kick a bunch of people off food stamps -- mostly because he's a Republican and an awful excuse for a human being.


SOPA-backers are seeing their reelection prospects get a bit tougher.


Finally, a short film on Mitt Romney and Bain Capital -- financed by Gingrich-backers -- sounds absolutely brutal.

Related articles

• What Mitt Romney did at Bain (politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com)
• Will Mitt Romney's Record at Bain Capital Be His Downfall? (usnews.com)
• New Hampshire Primary Election 2012: Battered Mitt Romney Stumbles Toward Win (huffingtonpost.com)
• Romney's Bain blowback (money.cnn.com)

News Roundup for 1/10/12

New RNC logo

-Headline of the Day-
"Republicans Hand Democrats a Populist Issue."

Republicans handed Democrats a gift today, by way on confirming one of the worst GOP stereotypes. In a fourth circuit court case, the Republican National Committee filed an amicus brief [PDF] arguing that candidates for office should be able to get that sweet, sweet corporate cash straight from the corporations themselves.

"Especially if Romney is the nominee, expect this to be rolled into Romney's 'corporations are people, my friend' line, the Bain Capital stuff, and the recent 'I like to fire people gaffe,' with Occupy undertones, for Democrats (or their super PAC surrogates) to make an anti-corporate, Populist message for Obama's reelection," writes Rick Hasen of the Election Law Blog.

In fact, since the RNC basically makes the "corporations are people" argument in the brief, I'd say this was a pretty sure bet. They might as well slap a "for sale" sign on the GOP logo, because the RNC is indicating that they want to sell the party really, really bad. (Political Wire)


-Shovel-Ready-



Don't worry New Hampshire, it's almost over. (Time)


-Bonus HotD-
"Heckler askes Romney: 'Are you going to fire the baby?'"

A Romney critic blows the obligatory baby picture photo op. Experts say this is the most embarrassing infant-related campaign incident since Chester Arthur confused the "shake hands, kiss baby" routine and had to be forcibly stopped from shaking babies. (Raw Story)

News Roundup for 1/9/12

Probably not what Romney meant

-Headline of the Day-
"'I like being able to fire people.'"

The above words are a fine example of something you should never, ever in a million years say if you're running for president under the banner of "I'm a Big-Time Job Creator!"

This is especially true if you're Mitt Romney, whose record of job creation is sketchy at best and nearly nonexistent at worst.

But Mittens said exactly that at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast this morning in Nashua. Full context: "I want individuals to have their own insurance. That means the insurance company will have an incentive to keep you healthy. It also means that if you don’t like what they do, you could fire them. I like being able to fire people who provide services to me. You know, if someone isn’t giving the good service, I want to say, I’m going to go get someone else to provide this service to."

OK, so not so extremely terrible in context -- just garden variety terrible. As a sound bite goes, this is a campaign commercial. For example, Team Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt was nearly speechless at his candidate's good fortune. His response: "!!!"

No, really.

"I think I see the point Romney was trying to get at," Steve Benen comments, "but for a guy with an atrocious jobs record, who got very wealthy laying off American workers, 'I like being able to fire people' is a seven-word phrase that may prove tough to live down."

With all the GOP candidates already going all OWS on Romney (yeah, they've all turned hippie), this is exactly the wrong way for Mittens to go.

Still, he's quickly disproving that whole "not a real Republican" thing everyone tried to saddle him with -- he's got the Republican style of competence down pat. (Political Animal)


-I used to like having eyes-
Oh jeebus...


Click for full comic

Maybe steel wool will get the image out... (Bad Reporter)


-Bonus HotD-
"Could Huntsman Take Second?"

Jon Huntsman has a real chance of taking the silver in New Hampshire tomorrow. That Santorum boomlet sure didn't last long, huh? (Talking Points Memo)

Stories to Watch: 1/8/12

There weren't any headlines yesterday, because I couldn't get to them. If you're ever jonesing for up to the minute stuff, allow me to plug suggest the Progressive New Must-Read Superfeed. You don't have a RSS feed reader you say? That's OK, use mine or follow the robot on Twitter. Now here's the news...


At the ABC News GOP debate, George Stephanopoulos lets Mitt Romney get away with a whopper. ABC needs to stop letting George moderate debates because, frankly, he's awful.


Team Newt isn't as inclined as Stephanopoulos to let Mittens' Bain years slide.


Another Romney whopper.


And while the media is saying that Mittens did well in the debate, it's clear he did a lot of lying.


He also suggested that only rich people should run for office. And Mittens won the debate? Really?


The religious right are flocking to Santorum's camp. Not extremely surprising, but I'd urge caution to anyone thinking they're seeing a split in the GOP -- remember all the "Social conservatives rally around [insert failed and abandoned candidate here]" headlines we've seen. These people are flighty, disloyal, and easily spooked.


MSNBC finally realizes that Pat Buchanan is a racist lunatic incapable of real world analysis. He's been "suspended indefinitely" from the network. And lo, there was a great rejoicing.


Finally, Romney's lead in New Hampshire begins to shrink.

Related articles

• Mitt Romney Baffled By Contraception Question (thehollywoodgossip.com)
• Axelrod: Romney 'rooting' for economic stagnation? (politico.com)
• Huckabee: Lack of Mitt attacks 'inexplicable' (politico.com)

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)

News Roundup for 1/4/12

New GOP logo

-Headline of the Day-
"Gingrich Floats Idea of Anti-Romney Alliance."

The Republican presidential nominating process is already starting to feel like some crazy reality TV game show. Now Newt Gingrich proposes a strategy straight out of Survivor -- weaker candidates form an alliance to take out the stronger one.

In an interview with wingnut radio host Laura Ingraham, Newt was asked, "Can you see a scenario under which [Rick Santorum and yourself] would align together to try to defeat the establishment candidate, Mitt Romney?"

"Absolutely. Of course," Newt said. "I mean Rick and I have a 20-year friendship, we are both rebels, we both came into this business as reformers, we both dislike deeply the degree to which the establishment sells out the American people. We both think Washington has to be changed in very fundamental ways, and we have lots of things that fit together. And the thing that's interesting is if you take the votes, you add to that Perry and Bachmann, you begin to see the size of the conservative vote compared to Romney...if you take, you know, Santorum and Perry and Bachmann and Gingrich you get some sense of what a small minority Romney really represents."

This will probably work out great -- provided Mittens doesn't find the immunity idol hidden in New Hampshire. (Political Wire)


-Cartoon time with Mark Fiore-
Hey kids, the roundup is finally back and that means I can get lazy right off the bat with a leftover Mark Fiore cartoon! Yay!


Click for animation

I know, there was a lot more crazy than that, but these things can only run so long... (MarkFiore.com)


-Bonus HotD-
"Jon Huntsman Reacts To Sen. John McCain’s Romney Endorsement: 'Nobody Cares.'"

Probably the truest thing a Republican has said all week. (Mediaite)

Stories to Watch: 11/30/11

Got some Walker-recally stuff going on here, so the headlines are a little late. Tomorrow, I'll have to skip them altogether. Worth it, though. Now here's the news...


Hey, remember how silly it was for people to say the Fukushima Daiichi was near full meltdown? Hahahaha! Yes, that sure was dumb. And how people worried that it might cause illness? Hahahaha! Stop! It's totally fine.


The rightwing National Review's Jim Geraghty is apparently no fan of Newt Gingrich. In a post, he lists off a whole bunch of crazy and stupid things Newt has said or proposed. I'd edit his list shorter, since Geraghty's idea of "crazy" includes "vaguely liberal," but there's still some gold in there.


And shut up Newt, you were a lobbyist. Lobbyist, lobbyist, lobbyist. If you're ashamed of it now, you never should've signed up for it. As speaker, your favorite phrase was "personal responsibility." Time to practice it.


I'm not a big fan of Rick Perry, but CNN seems to be scraping the bottom of the barrel here. In speaking about New Hampshire, Perry says "caucuses," instead of "primaries." Oooh! Big gaffe, big scoop -- stop the presses!


Another Iranian nuclear facility has exploded. Either the Iranians are hopelessly inept or they're under attack.


Still don't understand what's up with the Occupy movement? It's shit like this.


NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg goes all James Bond villain. We better give him what he wants or he'll destroy the moon or something.


When do Republicans think tax cuts need to be paid for? When they're for you. When they're for bazillionaires, not so much.


A win for labor.


Finally, Michele Bachmann doesn't know what "scientific" means? Imagine my shock.

Related articles

• US politics: more rightwing than thou (guardian.co.uk)
• The Secret of Gingrich's Success: Hating Liberals (news.firedoglake.com)
• Mitt's Darkening Horizon (talkingpointsmemo.com)
• PPP: Newt Gingrich takes 30-point lead in Florida primary (dailykos.com)

News Roundup for 10/21/11

Herman Cain

-Headline of the Day-
"Herman Cain Defends 9-9-9 By Dropping One Of The 9s."

Pizza guy Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan -- a 9% corporate income tax, 9% personal income tax, and 9% sales tax -- is the best tax plan ever devised by man. Let's look at the advantages here; it's simple, it's... Ummm... Well, it's simple. No more goofing around with tax forms looking for deductions that would bring your taxes down. It's freakin' awesome!

Still, Cain admitted that people at the low end of the economic scale wouldn't do so well under his awesome plan. So no more 9-9-9 for the dirt poor. For them, it's 9-0-9. No income taxes (just like things are now) and a new sales tax. You still pay more, but not as much more. Now shut up and stop being poor!

Of course, this doesn't address the other problems with the plan -- most notably, if you aren't wealthy, it sucks.

Still, any step away from 9-9-9 is a step in the right direction. (Talking Points Memo)


-#OccupyYourMailbox-
Ever wonder why people sympathize with Occupy Wall Street?


Click to embiggen

Well there ya go then... (Truthdig)


-Bonus HotD-
"Michele Bachmann's New Hampshire Staff All Fleeing Like Hell."

The exodus is so big that you could truthfully say that Shelly doesn't actually have a New Hampshire campaign anymore. Bonus fun: a Bachmann appearance in San Francisco fails to attract even protesters.

She's totally gonna be president! (Wonkette)

Stories to Watch: 10/12/11

Looks like our autumn heat wave is finally over. I grilled burger in the drizzle last night, but damn it, I grilled burgers. Now here's the news...


Herman Cain opens up a strong lead over Mitt Romney in a Public Policy Polling poll, with Rick Perry falling behind -- yes, it's true -- Newt Gringrich. Bonus fun; the poll also finds that about 40% of GOP voters are still birthers. The crazy never ends with these people.


A Reuters/Ipsos poll contradicts PPP, with Mittens in the lead, while somebody called Evolving Strategies has Cain, Perry, and Romney leading Obama. Don't get too excited about any of this; recall that a recent Pew poll showed that more than half can't even name a GOP candidate off the top of their heads.


Matt Taibbi has some good advice for Occupy Wall Street. My favorite, demanding a round of good old-fashioned trust busting. Too big to fail = too big to exist.


The idea that Republicans are deliberately trying to sabotage the economy is beginning to look like the Democratic Party line.


President Obama's Jobs Bill is extremely popular, complete with raising taxes on the wealthy.


Chuck Schumer's not-so-awful plan to take on the GOP in '12; run against the Tea Party, who are becoming less popular every day.


More trouble in the UK for Rupert.


Warren Buffet puts his money where his mouth is.


Finally, New Hampshire ponders a December primary. How about we keep these things to the same year as the elections, OK? This is just getting stupid.

Related articles

• PPP: Cain soars to GOP lead, Romney treads water, Gingrich tops Perry (dailykos.com)
• Not So Fast: Romney And Cain Tied In Reuters National Poll (businessinsider.com)
• Obama team zeroes in on Romney (thehill.com)

News Roundup for 8/18/11

Texas Governor Rick Perry

-Headline of the Day-
"Rick Perry Can't Defend His Claim That Social Security Is Unconstitutional Because He's 'Got A Big Mouthful.'"

Mouthful of what? If you guess BS, you're only half right. His mouth was also full of what he called "pop ups" -- despite the fact that the restaurant he was campaigning at was called "Popovers on the Square."

At the New Hampshire stop, Perry learned that the state isn't much like Texas and, if you say something insane, they're not going to let it slide. Despite having claimed in the past that Social Security is unconstitutional, Perry's trying to have it both ways by pretending to be committed to protecting it -- at least, for the generation currently collecting.

Anyway, protesters in New Hampshire weren't buying it and asked him to explain his interesting constitutional theory. it was at this point that Perry displayed his astounding rhetorical skills; "I don't think I..." he said. "I'm sorry, you must have..."

Cleared that right up, huh? Having reached the limit of his ability to string words together, Perry "stuffed a generous piece of popover in his mouth." Why lookie there! I'd surely love to answer you folks' question, but I went and jammed my skull plum full of puff pastries. Reckon I'll have to get back to you on that. Y'all have a good day and cowboy boots sixshooter horseshoes yeehaw!

Perry then rushed out, impressing onlookers with his Three Stooges imitation as he "tripped over one of the women standing at his side pressing him on Social Security."

This is what passes for presidential timber on the right these days. (ThinkProgress)


-Cartoon time with Mark Fiore-
Hey kids, it's a big scary world with lots of bad things happening and the press will cover it all -- after the elections!


Click for animation

Wait, did Sarah Palin sneeze? Stop the presses! (MarkFiore.com)


-Bonus HotD-
"Bachmann: The American People Are Concerned About 'The Rise Of The Soviet Union.'"

Oh for fuck's sake... (Right Wing Watch)

Stories to Watch: 8/17/11

Summer recalls are over and I'm already jonesing for a fix. Can we recall someone just for the hell of it? Now here's the news...


Rick Perry's "Texas Miracle" is made out of government jobs, making him a commie.


Perry also believes that climate science is a grand conspiracy.


Howard Dean predicts that Bushies will take down Perry.


Obama's job rating on the economy hits a new low. Remember everything I've ever written on the overblown value of compromise and centrism when you think about that. Meanwhile, the Obama campaigners decide it's a good time to attack Paul Krugman and engage in a little hippy-punching.


The Congressional Black Caucus doesn't think much of the president either.


A former TeaPartier spills the beans on what the 'baggers are all about. Long story short, they're the Christian taliban.


Michele Bachmann is palling around with -- and signing paychecks to -- a terrorist.


In other Bachmann news, she promises to drop gas prices below two bucks if elected. Her detailed plan for doing this? There isn't one.


Romney leads in New Hampshire, with Perry a distant second, Ron Paul third, and Michele Bachmann fourth. Everyone else? Yesterday's news.


Finally, who's President Obama's opponent of choice? Looks like it's Rick Perry.

Related articles

• Should the Media Take Ron Paul More Seriously? (usnews.com)
• On the Trail: Romney Praised Perry, Campaign Bus Wars and Elvis (blogs.abcnews.com)
• Joe Cutbirth: Rick Perry's Gaffe: Channelling Phil Gramm or Clayton Williams? (huffingtonpost.com)
• Ron Paul ad takes aim at Romney, Perry and Bachmann (thehill.com)

News Roundup for 4/19/11

Praise Jesus!

-Headline of the day-
"Texas Kindergartner Exercising 2nd Amendment Rights At School Hurts 3."

An unnamed six year-old Second Amendment Hero exercised his God Given Right all over a Texas lunchroom today. He wounded himself and two other children, although none were seriously injured.

According to the report, the "six-year-old kindergartner's loaded gun fell out of his pocket in the school cafeteria and fired," sending glorious Bullets of Freedom throughout the cafeteria and no doubt scaring the bejeezus out of any hidden terr'ists looking to institute Sharia law there.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is said to be considering the child for a medal. (Wonkette)


-Ask the base-
Igor Volsky of the Center for American Progress asks actual 'baggers in New Hampshire what they think of the satanic gay marriage law in their state. Ooooooh, he's gonna get an earful!



They are just super-fired up about the issue, aren't they? (Wonk Room)


-Bonus HotD-
"House sets $500K, $520-an-hour contract for DOMA defense."

Tell me again how it's Democrats who throw money away... (Politico)

Stories to Watch: 3/14/11

I'm thinking I'm going to make biscuits and gravy tomorrow. I can make sausage gravy in my sleep and I found what I hope is a good recipe for sourdough biscuits. It calls for dipping them in bacon grease before you bake them, but I'm not interested in a heart attack. I mean, I'm already making gravy with rendered sausage fat. I'm thinking I'll spray them with aerosol oil and that'll be good enough. Now here's the news...


For those of you keeping track -- which, at this point, is everyone -- the number of reactors in crisis at the Fukushima plant is now three. The good news; that's all of them, so the number can't grow. The bad news; all of them in crisis in pretty close to the worst case scenario.


In related news; experts are beginning to suspect the Japanese government of a cover-up. The evidence: Japan is releasing no radiation readings. "It was the same at Chernobyl, where they said there was a bit of a problem and only later did the full extent emerge," says one nuclear engineer.


Pushback from the pro-nuclear people has begun.


Retired Blue Dog Senator Evan Bayh goes to Fox News, where he'll no doubt feel right at home playing the "fake liberal" role that Juan Williams also plays there.


O'Keefe's NPR video is another hoax. How long before the media stops giving this phony any attention?


You can get arrested for thinking about having an abortion in Iowa.


Kansas state Rep. Virgil Peck may just be psychotic. No surprise, he's Republican. In New Hampshire, another pschotic GOPer resigns.


Finally, not even Eric Cantor is crazy enough for the 'baggers.