Stories to Watch: 6/1/11

Making burgers. On the grill. Because that's the sort of thing I do. Now here's the news...


Republicans don't like it when President Obama tells them that tax rates are lower now than under Reagan. In fact, they pretty much refuse to believe it. Proof yet again that the GOP is at war with reality.


Sarah Palin met with Fox News execs; presumably to decide whether she's running for president or being a Fox personality. She can't do both and stay clear of the law.


Latest maybe-gonna-run-for-prez: Jim DeMint. Sooner or later, Republicans are going to have to come to grips with the idea that the candidates they have are the candidates they have. If they don't like them, tough. Finding new nuts that are exactly like the ones already running isn't going to save their asses.


Wisconsin recall target Dan Kapanke isn't feeling any voter love for Republicans. "We've got tons of government workers in my district -- tons," he says. "From La Crosse to Prairie du Chien and to Viroqua and to Ontario and to Hillsboro, you can go on and on and on. We have to overcome that. We gotta hope that they, kind of, are sleeping on July 12th -- or whenever the date is." That quote wasn't meant for public consumption, by the way -- according to the report, it was "secretly recorded." He also doesn't hold out a lot of hope for Randy Hopper or Alberta Darling.


Jesus may have ruled out a presidential bid for Mike Huckabee, but he didn't say anything about the veepee slot.


Rep. Anthony Weiner doesn't make the most convincing argument in the world that an underwear shot is not of him.


Finally, a class act all the way, Sarah Palin goes to Ellis Island to bash the DREAM Act.

Related articles

• Wisconsin Government Accountability Board approved recall elections for 6 Republicans (politicore.wordpress.com)
• Palin confirms she's part of company that bought $1.7 million property north ... - Washington Post (news.google.com)
• Romney Leads Among Iowa Republicans, Cain And Palin Tied For Second (outsidethebeltway.com)
• Palin admits role in Arizona home purchase (capitolhillblue.com)

Stories to Watch: 3/16/11

In yet another sign that the Japanese government is soft-peddling the severity of their nuclear incident, the New York Times reports that the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's head "gave a significantly bleaker appraisal of the threat posed by Japan's nuclear crisis than the Japanese government" in congressional testimony. All evidence leads nuclear experts to conclude that "all the water in the spent fuel pool at the No. 4 reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station had boiled dry, leaving fuel rods stored there exposed and bleeding radiation." This is as bad a bit of news as it sounds.


Wikileaked documents show that the IAEA warned Japan that the plants wouldn't stand up to a strong earthquake.


Bad news for the GOP: polling shows that voters aren't extremely thrilled with President Obama, but we still believe he beats all the alternatives. In head-to-head matchups with any prospective GOP candidate, Obama comes out ahead.


When China backs off approving new nuke plants, you really ought to do some slowing down of your own.


The DEA seizes Georgia's supply of the drug they use to perform lethal injections. Turns out that the state was so desperate to knock off inmates that they may have smuggled the drug into the country.


I screwed up an item yesterday. I said that Wisconsin Republican state Senator Dan Kapanke was shacking up with a mistress here in Madison, but it's actually Sen. Randy Hopper. It's a shame, because "Hanky-Kapanke" is such an awesome nickname, it's a pity to see it go to waste.


Finally, Steve King -- the most consistently buffoonish Republican this side of Louis Gohmert -- still thinks it's a good idea to cut funding for tsunami preparedness. Of course, he's from Iowa, so what the hell does he care? Don't see him coming out against tornado tracking, do you?

News Roundup for 3/15/11

I've got bad news for you, pal...

-Headline of the day-
"ABC-Washington Post Poll: 64% of Americans Favor Tax Increases to Trim Deficit."

Americans want to cut, cut, cut. Cut Social Security and Medicare, slash spending on education, slice Planned Parenthood to the bone - cut, cut, cut, cut, cut! And none of this "tax the rich" class warfare stuff either. Americans want to cut!

Except, they don't. They want some of that commie "tax the rich" class warfare stuff.

A new ABC News/Washington Post poll [pdf] shows that nearly two-thirds of Americans want to increase taxes on the rich. While the poll shows some appetite for spending cuts, it also finds that a "substantial 64 percent say the best way to trim the deficit is with a combination of spending cuts and tax increases, rather than just cutting spending (31 percent, down 5 points from December) or only raising taxes (3 percent)."

And Republicans ain't doing so well either. 46% say they trust Obama on the recovery more than Republicans, while only 34% hold the opposite opinion. Worse, among those who believe the economy is in recovery, only 6% credit Republicans for it.

And those cuts everyone wants? Where do they come from? While this poll doesn't address that question, an earlier Ipsos poll did -- people want to cut defense spending.

So there you go: tax the rich, pass a peacenik budget, GOP economics suck. Looks like, just a few months after the big Republican win in November, the GOP has managed to turn Americans into a bunch of commies. (Firedoglake)


-Cheddar rebellion update-
Hey, how's that whole recalling your insane GOP state senators thing going in Wisconsin, you ask?

Very well. How kind of you to inquire. And how is your Aunt Rosamunde? Well, I hope? Good, good.

Anyway, a new Public Policy Polling survey finds that, of the eight Republicans eligible for recall, three would go down today to a generic Democrat. That's right, voters would rather buy a pig in a poke than reelect Luther Olson, Dan Kapanke, or Randy Hopper. And, while the margin of error isn't mentioned in the report, two other GOPers only beat an unnamed dem by four points or less. So those are looking pretty darned doable at this point.

As a side note, I propose we start calling Dan Kapanke "Dan Hanky-Kapanke," since he's been kicked out of his house and is living in Madison with his mistress now. Even his wife wants to recall him. Seriously, that story can't help him any.

So, how many seats would Democrats have to take to turn over the senate?

Three. Thank you for asking. You really are most kind today. (Daily Kos)


-Bonus HotD-
"Snake dies from silicone poisoning after biting model's breast during photoshoot."

A lesson for us all. (Daily Mail)

News Roundup for 3/10/11

Wisconsin GOP Headquarters

-Headline of the day-
"Poll: Majorities support recall of two Wisconsin GOP senators."

You might have heard there was a little kerfuffle at the Wisconsin capitol last night. Seems a bunch of GOP state senators wanted to commit political suicide and no one could talk them off the ledge. Tragic, really. The method of self-execution was a vote -- of questionable legality -- to strip public employees of their collective bargaining rights. In case you haven't been paying attention, this was a mind-bogglingly unpopular move.

And so the efforts begin to recall senators involved in the vote. And (extremely) early polling shows some groundswell -- at least two Republican senators are easy pickings. The poll shows that 54% of his constituents would vote to recall Sen. Randy Hopper and 57% would do the same for Sen. Dan Kapanke.

Of course, things have changed since the poll was taken -- the GOP senators actually held the vote. That's right, those are pre-vote-to-throw-your-career-away numbers, so the odds are pretty damned good that things are just going to go from bad to worse for them. How do I know? Liberal groups raised $200,000 in one night following the vote and AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka named Gov. Scott Walker "Mobilizer of the Year," so lefties are pretty fired up here.

How many GOPers have to fall for Democrats to take control of the senate? Three. Eeeeee, I'm so excited!

It was a wild ride, Wisconsin senate Republicans. Hope you enjoyed it, because it's almost over. (Plum Line)


-Cartoon time with Mark Fiore-
Hey kids! Uncle Mark is sick or on vacation or dead or something, so today's cartoon is by some Xeth Feinberg guy filling in for him. It's just as good!

So today, we're going to learn how to be one of those talking head guys on teevee! Yay!


Click for animation

No really! People make money doing this stuff... Scout's honor! (MarkFiore.com)


-Bonus HotD-
"Rand Paul Blames Energy Department for Faulty Toilets, Among Other Things."

They're just so complicated -- he can't even figure out how you plug one in! (New York Times)