Santorum capitalizes on Mandela’s death by comparing Obamacare to apartheid

Politico: As condolences and reflections followed the passing of Nelson Mandela, Rick Santorum linked the injustices the former South African president fought and Obamacare.

“He was fighting against some great injustice, and I would make the argument that we have a great injustice going on right now in this country with an ever-increasing size of government that is taking over and controlling people’s lives — and Obamacare is front and center in that,” Santorum said Thursday on Fox News’s “The O’Reilly Factor.”

Yeah, because making sure people don’t go bankrupt over a health emergency is exactly the same as a brutal system of racial oppression that made even the Jim Crow south look like a beacon of equality. If Mandela fought against apartheid, Santorum’s fighting against Obamacare, and Obamacare is just as bad as apartheid, then logic dictates that Rick Santorum is as towering a figure in the struggle for justice as Nelson Mandela.

Rick’s not trying to politicize the death of a great man to inflate his own importance at all. Is he?

But while we’re on the subject of racial equality, maybe Rick could tell us more about how the “blah people" are sucking up taxpayer dollars in the form of welfare. See, because he’s so much like Mandela and all…

Rick considering spreading Santorum again in 2016

Santorum: “I’m certainly leaving the door open for that. I’m making no commitments at this point, but we’re not doing anything inconsistent with running in 2016.”

[photo by Gage Skidmore, story from Political Wire]

News Roundup for 5/16/12

Potentially the world's worst lifeguard

-Headline of the Day-
"Poll: Walker Leads Barrett By 6 Points In Wisconsin Recall."

The Wisconsin recall election is just around he corner and Gov. Scott Walker has the lead -- 50%-44%. It's a Marquette University poll, which is pretty solid. "Three polls out in the last few days show a very consistent picture," writes Josh Marshall. "Gov. Scott Walker has a small but solid lead over Democrat Tom Barrett in the Wisconsin recall election. The TPM Poll Average has it at Walker 50.5% to Barrett 44.2%."

But don't worry, the Democratic National Committee is going to help -- yay! According to Buzzfeed, "DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz will visit Wisconsin this month to campaign with Walker's challenger — but there's still no indication that the Wisconsinites can expect more help than that."

Basically, Debbie's going to come to Wisconsin to hold a fundraiser for Democratic challenger Tom Barrett. Which is just real sharp thinking. We've been at this for months -- we're tapped out. We're kind of the ones who need the help here. This is like Sarah McLachlan asking the sad dogs in her sad dogs ad to please help the sad dogs in her sad dogs ad. A little out of state money wouldn't be out of order here. I'm not sure Schultz understands what "help" actually means.

It's a good thing Debbie's not a lifeguard. If she saw someone drowning, she'd just holler, "Swim!" (Talking Points Memo)


-The logic behind licensing-



Don't worry, if that were really true, North Korea would have a rogue gay marriage program. (Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal)


-Bonus HotD-
"The Joke Jimmy Kimmel Didn't Tell."

Kimmel to Howard Stern: "I had some jokes about -- like Rick Santorum. I said something like -- well, I didn't say it, but: Newt Gingrich's campaign is so dead Mitt Romney wants to baptize it and Rick Santorum wants to put it in a jar and show it to his kids." (Political Wire)

Stories to Watch: 5/5/12

I don't think I'm going to make that recall canvass today. Getting people out to the primary isn't exactly crucial, though. It's the work after Tuesday that's going to make the big difference. Now here's the news...


Arizona scores a victory for the bad guys in the War on Women.


And the War on Women is also being fought in Washington, as Republicans seemingly argue that it should be OK smack women who are undocumented immigrants around.


Romney's reactionary impulse serves him very poorly in the ongoing story of Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng.


Rick Santorum offers Mitt Romney some really shitty campaign advice: run on the "economic and family issues" that Rick ran on -- because that worked out so well for him and all.


Why you're hearing a lot less complaining about gas prices from Republicans lately.


Think there's political juice left in the Cheney "brand?" Liz Cheney apparently does.


Bill Maher makes a good point. When people talk about all the money they give to charity, they always include any donations to their church. Why should what amounts to membership dues to a club count as charitable giving? If your God says you have to do it, isn't that more like a tax than anything?


Finally, can we just all agree that Republican complaints about Obama "politicizing" terrorism are either stupid or insane?

Related articles

• Romney Makes Local Stop, Meets With Santorum
• Arizona Gov. Signs Planned Parenthood Funding Ban
• Biden thumps GOP over Violence Against Women Act

Stories to Watch: 4/11/12

Mowed the lawn. I hate mowing the lawn. I'm going to get some sheep or something. Now here's the news...


Reince Priebus is about as smart as the last RNC chairman.


Rep. Allen West continues to be an embarrassing clown.


Obama's up on Romney in Colorado and North Carolina. NC's the big heartbreaker for Mitt -- the GOP primary has turned what should've been a gimme into a contested race he's currently losing.


George Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder for the killing of Trayvon Martin. The ACLU and Al Sharpton release statements. The quick take on both: the charges would never have happened without the public outrage.


And that outrage spills over. With their War on Women bills and the Martin killing highlighting insanely liberal gun laws, ALEC is starting to feel the heat -- and they're beginning to sound a little panicked.


Rightwing nut and head of the Family Research Council Tony Perkins says that Mitt Romney's only hope is to start sounding like Rick Santorum. See, because that worked out so freakin' great for Rick, right? That line about there being a fine line between madness and genius? BS. Perkins proves that crazy and dumb go hand in hand.


Wait, they sell McDonald's in some hospital cafeterias? WTF? Are hospital administrators trying to drum up business for the cardiac wing?


A new study finds that the more Wal-Marts an area has, the more members of hate groups it has. Where there are no small business people to provide civic leadership, less savory types step in.


Finally, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker gets his first official opponent in the recall -- on the Republican ticket, forcing a primary. It's a "political agitator" running as a "fake Republican." Payback's a bitch, Scooter.

Related articles

• MSNBC's Thomas Roberts And RNC's Reince Priebus Battle Over 'War On Women' (mediaite.com)
• Obama campaign introduces Mitt Romney to a rock and a hard place (dailykos.com)
• More Republican officials resign themselves to Meh Romney, but some activists remain unconvinced (dailykos.com)
• DNC chair slams Wis. gov. Walker for 'Equal Pay' repeal (news.yahoo.com)

Stories to Watch: 3/27/12

Got the tornado mess all cleared up. I hadn't been up there since it happened. Man, it was devastation. A big wide path right through the woods. Oddly, my mother's trailer home up there was fine. It must've stopped right at her front steps. Now here's the news...


This is kind of surprising: a fairly decent majority -- 55% -- haven't heard about the Romney Etch a Sketch comments. This seems odd to me, since everyone but Romney -- Republican and Democrat -- has been pushing the story.


IMF chief Dominque Strauss-Kahn finds himself in another sex scandal after being charged with "aggravated pimping."


Santorum's latest ad takes fearmongering to a new low. Luckily, it's also so ridiculous that it's impossible to take seriously. As Steve Benen says, "I don't generally laugh out loud at these sorts of things, but Santorum's video is the most unintentionally hilarious video from a presidential candidate I've seen from someone whose name does not rhyme with Sherman Bain." Move over, Demon Sheep.


Dick Morris has finally snapped.


Embattled Wisconsin Gov. Walker barely leads his two most likely rivals, indicating a tight recall race. It also shows his ad campaign has gotten him nowhere.


Also in Wisconsin news, Mitt Romney may be ahead, but he's having trouble getting anyone's attention here.


For coverage of the Supreme Court and the Affordable Care Act, Talking Points Memo has healthcare reform feed.


Does working for an airline make you crazy?


John McCain -- probably correctly -- predicts corruption scandals in the future because of unlimited campaign cash.


Finally, conservatives would rather smear Trayvon Martin than admit that overly liberal gun laws are stupid.

Related articles

• Romney's Mansion to Have Elevator ... for Cars (newser.com)
• Santorum lashes out at reporters; Romney spokesman calls him 'unhinged' (mercurynews.com)
• Santorum Sweeps Louisiana (thedailybeast.com)
• Romney Advisor's 'Etch A Sketch' Comment Shakes Up The Web [VIDEO] (mashable.com)

Stories to Watch: 3/19/12

I woke up way to early today and couldn't get back to sleep. The time change always plays hell with my schedule. I'm hoping I get caught up sometime here soon, because I'm about to fall over asleep. Now here's the news...


"I believe the economy is coming back, by the way," said Mitt Romney in Illinois. Did Romney forget that Obama's economic policies (by Mitt's arguments anyway) couldn't possibly do anything but bring the economy down? Or was it a deliberate shift from a candidate who realizes the "bad economy" message may not be the best fit come November?


If you're a homeowner and you think Rep. Darrell Issa gives a crap about you, you're dreaming.


Rep. Paul Ryan's Medicare-slaying is back. Sign you're dealing with a true believer: it was a guaranteed loser the last time around and there's no reason to believe it's gotten any more popular.


2010 was the warmest year on record.


Limbaugh plays the victim card. It's weird how constantly whining about being picked on is seen as heroic on the right. Meanwhile, advertisers throughout the talk radio industry make it clear they want hosts to tone it down.


A second Goldman ex-employee comes out against the firm's corporate culture of mean-spirited greed.


Finally, Politics makes strange bedfellows.

Related articles

• Please Tell Mitt Romney, Government Is Not A Business (polentical.com)
• Romney Can't Understand Why Anyone Would Vote Democrat (lezgetreal.com)
• Everything Mitt Romney Has To Say (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
• Rep. Joe Walsh: Tea Party favorite calls Obama a 'sexy Messiah' (thegrio.com)

Stories to Watch: 3/18/12

I just installed the NoScript addon for Firefox. I think it may have changed my life. I guess my little laptop didn't like Java very much. Now here's the news...


Poachers are on the verge of wiping out rhinos in South Africa.


John McCain is not happy with the way the GOP primaries are going. Can't say I blame him -- and I can't say I feel sorry for him, either.


Speaking of primaries, Rick Santorum is damned determined to lose the one in Puerto Rico. Why are you even letting yourself get hung up on this one, Rick? There's no big movement for Puerto Rican statehood. I think this whole flap is evidence that Rick Santorum is a dumb, dumb man.


Also, NO MEN KISSING MEN AT SANTORUM EVENTS! VERBOTEN!


Angry women ridicule Rick Perry on his Facebook page. This is becoming a trend.


Mitt Romney's latest lie, carazy-assed wingnut blog conspiracy edition: Obama wants high gas prices.


The Heartland Institute, already in trouble for dishonest shenanigans, tried to steal documents from Greenpeace. Hypocrisy in action.


Finally, Ron Paul caucusers get a little too enthusiastic in Missouri.

Related articles

• Geraldo To O'Reilly: Santorum 'Torpedoed His Campaign' In Puerto Rico With English Comments (mediaite.com)
• Rick Santorum lost Puerto Rico by talking (dailykos.com)
• Puerto Rico a force in Florida voting (tampabay.com)
• Rick Santorum Confirms Shirtless Lounging Man In Puerto Rico Is Him, Apologizes (mediaite.com)

News Roundup for 3/16/12

2012 is starting to seem very familiar

-Headline of the Day-
"Romney, Santorum Stir Less Enthusiasm Than McCain Did."

Remember back in 2008, when all the Republicans were all like, "Oh crap, I guess I have to vote for John McCain?" Well, it turns out that GOP voters in 2012 are feeling even more oh-crapper than they did then.

According to the report, "A little more than one-third of Republicans say they would vote 'enthusiastically' for either Mitt Romney or Rick Santorum if either candidate were to win their party's nomination for president. Slightly fewer say they would vote enthusiastically for Newt Gingrich. This level of enthusiasm is similar to Republicans' feelings about voting for Romney in early 2008, but lower than the enthusiasm level for that year's eventual GOP nominee, John McCain." In fact, enthusiasm for Mitt Romney was about where it was in 2006, when he -- you know -- lost.

If you ask me, you can blame Super PACs here. They've bought contests all over the country and the people the billionaires want don't really match up with what the people want. To be fair, what those people wanted seemed to be Herman Cain, but then he went and turned out to be a serial buttpincher and that ruined that dream.

Still, it doesn't seem very likely that the GOP electorate would go from Herman Cain to Mitt Romney all on their lonesome. Mittens has been winning races not because everyone thinks he's so awesome, but because he and his Super PAC buddies have been running "don't vote for Mitt's opponent -- he's even worse than Romney!" ads. People are settling for what they see as the lesser of two evils -- which is kind of tough, since those evils are like Satan and Beelzebub.

Of course, there's still a way to juice things up again come the general. It's the John McCain way: grab some random featherheaded lunatic who knows all the empty talking points and buzzwords by heart as a running mate, then hope they aren't exposed as a lightweight before election day.

Romney-Hannity 2012! (Gallup)


-On a related note-



"Now go ahead and pledge allegiance to the Koch brother, kids -- or do you hate America?" (McClatchy)


-Bonus HotD-
"GOP Strapped to the Roof of Romney's Car."

File under "Perfection in Metaphors." (Political Wire)

Stories to Watch: 3/15/12

I had some trouble with the tickers on my blogspot blogs, so I swapped them out for feedburner tickers -- which I don't actually like. Still, they'll do until I either figure out the problem or find a new ticker. I'll get to that either later tonight or sometime this weekend. No rush, these work -- they're just limited and weird looking. Now here's the news...


In 2001, the Justice Department's all-consuming obsession with pornography allowed the 9/11 plot to be overlooked. In 2012, Rick Santorum's big priority for the Justice Department: pornography.


Mitt Romney says it's OK with him if Puerto Ricans want to keep speaking Spanish. We'll see how the base likes that one. In comment threads, the buzz from wingnuts that I've been reading about Santorum's idiotic statement amounts to "Alright Rick!" Let's see if Mittens gets any blowback here.


One explanation for Mitt's foray into courage; Hispanics hate the GOP -- maybe more that the wingnuts hate Mitt.


Diane Feinstein takes up arms against the GOP's War on Women.


The right's continuing crusade against Sandra Fluke takes a new turn -- straight into fullblown antisemitism. Attacking Fluke isn't working, so it's time to attack her boyfriend and his family for their "left-wing, Jewish socialism." Great.


Try to bend your brain around this one; the Republican War on Women proves that Democrats see women as sex objects. I'm sure sillier arguments have been made in the past, but I'm kind of stuck to think of one.


Mitt Romney's done with debating. Seriously though, what could candidates possibly say that they haven't already said in the 45 kajillion other debates? You guys are going to have to make up your minds using the reams of information you already have. I'm not really seeing the problem in that.


Finally, Obama calls them like he sees them.

Related articles

• Right Wing Blogs Still Stalking and Spewing Hatred at Sandra Fluke (littlegreenfootballs.com)
• Poll: Santorum leads in Pennsylvania (politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com)
• More Delegate Problems for Rick Santorum in Illinois, D.C. (usnews.com)
• Romney goes on the air in Illinois; Santorum in Louisiana (politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com)

Stories to Watch: 3/14/12

The weather is unseasonable, I've got some brats, and I'm grilling. Now here's the news...


Dueling incompetences: Rick Santorum didn't get his paperwork in on time and it could've cost him delegates in Illinois before a single vote was cast. But never mind; Team Romney failed to challenge, so the race is now competitive.


You'd think Wisconsin Republicans would be doing the very least they could to piss off voters ahead of the recall elections -- but you'd be wrong.


Even roughly one third of Republicans think Rush Limbaugh should be canned.


Breitbart's clown show desperately struggles to remain relevant. And fails.


Harry Reid scores a win against judicial obstructionism.


If Santorum can stay in until April 24, he's got a big win coming.


Although, that'll be hard if Rick keeps being such an incredible asshole.


The all but deceased Keyston XL pipeline would be more trouble than it's worth.


Finally, House Republicans' word ain't worth shit.

Related articles

• BLOCKADE: The GOP's Unending Effort to Block Obama's Nominees (ynative77.wordpress.com)
• After Wisconsin Voters Revolt Against GOP Lawmakers, GOP Lawmakers Approve Amendment Preventing Recall Elections (thinkprogress.org)
• Remember to Pray to Limbaugh Five Times a Day (thedailybeast.com)
• Recall elections against four Wisconsin Republican state senators to go forward (dailykos.com)

Stories to Watch: 3/13/12

The GOP, in their own words...


...now here's the news...


Sarah Palin challenges Pres. Obama to a debate. It's puffed-chested grandstanding, because she knows it'll never happen in a million years. Which is good for Sarah, because she'd get her ass beat.


From the "ain't learned Jack" department: 4 out of 19 of the US's largest banks are unprepared for an economic meltdown and wouldn't survive without a bailout. Just another example of why "too big to fail" is "too big to exist" -- i.e., they don't have to be prepared because if the worst happens again -- and it will -- we'll have to bail them out or blow a whole in our economy. It's free, taxpayer-funded profit insurance. Bust the trusts.


I'm not sure I'm 100% clear on what this means, but Rush Limbaugh's syndicator is suspending "barter ads" for two weeks. Apparently, this is bad for Rush.


Neil deGrasse Tyson says hyperpartisanship has broken NASA.


Rick Santorum's decides it's time to go to war with Fox News. No, really.


Allen West doesn't seem to understand how time works. Not the Einstein space/time stuff, but the basic concepts of "past," "present," and "future." Effect before cause? Cool with him.


Republicans aren't putting together a coherent message on Afghanistan.


Another round of GOP primaries tonight. The big winner is expected to be Jesus. And Mittens, but mostly by not losing any ground.


Finally, Catholic League president Bill Donohue cements his reputation as an inexcusably awful, awful person.

Related articles

• Louis C.K. Drops Correspondents Dinner Gig after Greta Van Susteren Complains (crooksandliars.com)
• Sarah Palin: Allen West Should Be Considered For Vice Presidency In 2012 (allenwestrepublic.wordpress.com)
• Sarah Palin Defends Rush Limbaugh, Says Apology Was Unnecessary [Video] (jezebel.com)

Stories to Watch: 3/12/12

You'd think it was June here. Seriously. Now here's the news...


Mitt Romney has a new spin on Medicare. Not surprisingly, it's entirely dishonest and inaccurate.


In case you missed it; a second judge has struck down Wisconsin's voter ID law. The first judge got some pushback because he'd signed the Walker recall petition, so this puts a dent into the predictable cries of "bias!" from the right.


Also in voter ID news: Texas finds their law in jeopardy as well.


Harry Potter leads kids to hell.


You know you're a redneck when you've got a Mitt Romney sign up on blocks in your front yard.


Rick Santorum's war with the Netherlands continues.


Finally, Florida Republican Rep. Cliff Stearns goes birther.

Related articles

• Mitt Romney claims that President Obama is the one who is out of touch (dailykos.com)
• Jeff Foxworthy Campaigns With Mitt Romney In Alabama And Mississippi (mediaite.com)
• Cliff Stearns' Republican primary opponent seizes on allegations (tampabay.com)
• Watch out Mitt Romney: Rick Santorum just got a big birther endorsement (dailykos.com)

News Roundup for 3/12/12

Rick's plans are a wee bit wide of reality

-Headline of the Day-
"Santorum Concedes: He Can't Win The Nomination Outright."

Talk about your misleading headlines; Rick Santorum has not conceded the Republican nomination to Mitt Romney. Instead, he conceded to the argument that he'll never get the delegates he needs to win the nomination. It not really much of a fine distinction and when your headline begins "SANTORUM CONCEDES" you really ought to consider the fact that someone's bound to take that the wrong way.

How can Rick argue that he can't win the delegate math, while he can win the nomination? Simple. It just takes buttload upon buttload of wishful thinking. See, Santorum 2012 is circulating a memo arguing that Romney won't get the delegates needed to be the automatic winner. That means a contested convention. And that, by a leap of logic worthy of Evel Knievel, means we're looking at nominee Rick.

Actually, now that I think about it, "SANTORUM CONCEDES" is only a millimeter short of the truth. (Buzzfeed)


Plan B-
If the strategy in the memo doesn't pan out...


Click for full strip

...Rick has a plan to get rid of Gingrich. (GoComics.com)


-Bonus HotD-
"Fox News Commenters React to Afghan Killings: ‘A Dead Muslim Is a Good Muslim.’"

How far gone is the right these days? Well, they're cheering on serial killers, so... (Little Green Footballs)

Stories to Watch: 3/8/12

You know, if it's going to be as warm next week as they're predicting, I might just break out the grill. The first time is always the best every year, because you've almost forgotten what it tastes like. Now here's the news...


Happy International Women's Day, everyone.


Scott Brown has a Romney problem.


The obvious has been confirmed; the birth control battle (and Limbaugh's boneheaded crusade to keep it in the headlines) is hurting Republicans with women and Independents.


64% of Americans support collective bargaining rights for public employees. Another GOP loser.


Rush Limbaugh tries to erase history. Meanwhile, commercial breaks for his show today featured minutes of dead air.


Rick Santorum, spammer.


The next time some panicky grandma tells you Medicare is going broke, show them this and tell them to calm down.


Limbaugh's latest anti-woman target strikes back -- with humor.


The Senate rejects approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. Damn, we might actually be winning this thing.


Finally, Sen. Carl Levin -- chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee -- says he'd "love" to see Rush Limbaugh booted off the the Armed Forces Network. Damn, we might just win that one, too.

Related articles

• Carl Levin Wants Armed Forces Radio to Drop Rush Limbaugh (outsidethebeltway.com)
• Robert Greenwald: How to Honor Rush Limbaugh on International Women's Day (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
• Rush Limbaugh Is the Real Victim Here! (delong.typepad.com)
• SeekingArrangement.com to Support Sugar Daddy Rush Limbaugh at Time of Crisis (prweb.com)
• Bill Maher defends Rush Limbaugh against critical 'fatwa' (thehill.com)

Stories to Watch: 3/6/12

Over 50 degrees here today. Beautiful, but very, very wrong. Now here's the news...


Tonight could be the night that Mittens is finally crowned Prom Queen. With the gap in Ohio now nonexistent and even moving Romney's way, we've finally gotten to the point where the numbers do now actually matter.


I saw a Facebook post about this last night, but it seemed too sparse to report on at the time; Lakota threaten to confiscate Keystone XL Pipeline trucks and equipment that cross their Pine Ridge lands in South Dakota.


Limbaugh's mouth is a gift to Democrats.


A Dane County Circuit Judge grants a temporary injunction against Wisconsin's new voter identification law. There is a problem, however -- that same judge signed the petition to recall Gov. Walker. So we'll see how long that lasts on appeal. Still, a speedbump's a speedbump and I'll take it.


Polling shows that people in Texas -- Texas -- want the state to continue funding Planned Parenthood. The GOP's War on Women is just blowing up in their faces all over the place.


Newt takes a nap.


Things that would never happen, but would be awesome if they did: a Limbaugh/Maddow debate.


Finally -- and this is no surprise, but more of a reminder -- Rick Santorum's been crazy for a while now.

Related articles

• Lakota Indians Block 'Keystone XL Pipeline' Trucks in Six-Hour Standoff (alternet.org)
• Rush Limbaugh advertisers drop out even after apology (abclocal.go.com)
• Breaking News: Lakota arrests underway halting XL pipeline trucks (climate-connections.org)
• Herman Cain Addresses Sandra Fluke Controversy (huffingtonpost.com)

News Roundup for 3/6/12

More popular than Newt Gingrich

-Headline of the Day-
"Romney Rebounds Among Conservatives, But GOP Contenders All Stay Underwater."

It's Super Tuesday, so gather the children round the Super Tuesday for Super Tuesday dinner and regale them with stories of how the Super Tuesday winner is bound to be the most popular person in all the land -- because lying to kids on holidays is some sort of holiday tradition.

See, new polling shows that while Mitt Romney's made some ground with conservatives after winning in Arizona and Michigan, everybody else still hates him. And if it's not Mittens who comes out on top tonight? Doesn't matter. When it comes to GOP primary candidates, we hate all of them.

According to the report, "All four Republican contenders remain underwater in overall favorability in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, marking the difficulties the survivor may face against Barack Obama. More Americans hold negative than positive views of Romney by a 10-point margin, Rick Santorum by 8 points, Ron Paul by 9 points and Newt Gingrich by a whopping 33 points."

Yeah, we really don't like Newt. I'll wait a moment until you're done laughing at him.

Done?

Now?

Still, really?

OK, we have to move on. Anyway, things don't look good from a historical standpoint here. The article tells us, "[A]s noted in previous reports, all are well below the levels of popularity attained by previous candidates -- John McCain and Obama among them -- at about this stage of their own nomination battles."

So let's see glued to our TV sets and watch as Republican voters in ten states try to decide which hated public figure they're going to have to settle for (ABC News)


-Desperate times call for...-



Click for full strip

I don't think it would help. (GoComics)


-Bonus HotD-
"President Mocks Fox News Reporter’s Question About Gas Prices."

In answer to Fox News White House Reporter Ed Henry's question about whether he actually wanted gas prices to rise, President Obama said, "Ed, just from a political perspective, do you think the President of the United States, going into reelection, wants gas prices to go up even higher? … Is there anybody here who thinks that makes a lot of sense?"

Interestingly, the words "stupid," "fucking," or "question" were not used in that response. (Talking Points Memo)

Stories to Watch: 3/4/12

All that wet snow from yesterday is now ice. What a mess. I threw salt on my sidewalk and I could hear it crackle. Now here's the news...

Missed in all the contraception/Limbaugh/Fluke hullabaloo during the past few days; Rick Santorum's really having to do damage control for saying that urging Americans to seek higher education makes Barack Obama a "snob."


Although, on that issue of contraception, Rick doesn't seem to have learned a damned thing from the events of this past week.


In a sign that Santorum has been overplaying social issues, Ohio -- where he held a clear lead -- is now polling as a tie. The wise thing to do would be to compete with Romney on economic issues, but that's not why Rick ran in the first place. He ran to lecture America on gays and abortion and all that other culture warrior stuff. He's completely unprepared to do anything else.


And it's not just Santorum, the entire GOP has been backing social losers since the Komen/Planned Parenthood fiasco.


A new poll shows Scott Brown leading Elizabeth Warren by a solid, but not insurmountable, eight points. It was hard to tell where the race stood, because earlier polling had glaring flaws. The problem with facing incumbents is more than name recognition and the fundraising advantage (although, in this race, Warren holds the cash edge); many people ask themselves, "Does this guy deserve to be fired?" not, "Who's the better candidate?" Maybe Warren needs to make things less personal and talk about what happens if the Republicans take the senate. Or more personal and talk about Brown as the cosponsor of the wildly unpopular Blunt amendment.


Finally, voter supression doesn't get much more blatant than this.

Related articles

• Romney, Santorum all tied up in Ohio (politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com)
• Elizabeth Warren DESTROYS Scott Brown In 4th Quarter Fundraising (businessinsider.com)
• Schumer focuses on the Senate, Scott Brown and contraception (thehill.com)
• In Time for Super Tuesday, Mitt Romney Ties Rick Santorum in Ohio: Poll (ibtimes.com)

Stories to Watch: 3/3/12

No tornadoes up here, just piles of heavy wet snow. I suppose I should be grateful for it, considering. Now here's the news...


Like all the rest of the top Not-Romney's, Rick Santorum's campaign structure is mostly either theoretical or imaginary. In fact, it's now looking like he may lose as many as 18 Ohio delegates before anyone has even voted -- and it's his own damned fault.


Latest polling shows that Gingrich still owns Georgia.


Blowhard Bill O'Reilly joins the rest of the morons pushing the false talking point that, under the contraception coverage rule, government will be paying for birth control. I guess because that's been working so well for Rush Limbaugh.


George Will declares the White House a lost cause for Republicans this go-round. He advises the party concentrate on congress as the way to make sure that Obama has "a substantially reduced capacity to do harm."


If you're in the mood for a surprise, watch for the Washington state Republican caucuses results tonight. Romney's polling ahead, but particulars of the caucuses mean it's hard to predict who's going to win. Even Ron Paul has a credible shot.


Looks like TV stations are the big winners in the Citizens United ruling.


More reason for spring fever: the Wisconsin recalls will probably take place in June.


Finally, you do know that Neil deGrasse Tyson is awesome, right?

Related articles

• Washington State caucuses could foreshadow Super Tuesday (csmonitor.com)
• PPP, Survey USA point to Romney win in today's WA caucuses (hotair.com)
• Santorum: Limbaugh's "Slut" Comments About Fluke "Absurd" (themoderatevoice.com)
• GOP Hopefuls Shift Focus, Ignore Washington On Primary Day (huffingtonpost.com)

Stories to Watch: 3/1/12

Not sure what I'm going to do tonight. Chili and a period of no-thinkin' in front of the teevee machine, maybe. That sounds like fun. Now here's the news...


Last night, Andrew Breitbart spent what little time he had left engaging in his favorite hobby -- being a Twitter troll. Writes Steve M. of No More Mister Nice Blog, "Spending your final hours on earth yelling at people with your thumbs. Wow, that was a life well lived."


I hate it when I agree with Rick Santorum.


Mittens admits he's worn a garbage bag.


Public Policy Polling sees Wisconsin as a bellwether state and things are looking good for Obama.


The GOP had really painted themselves into a corner over contraception coverage.


The Koch brothers are attempting what is basically a hostile takeover of the Cato Institute.


Herman Cain is back. He's a very, very, very, very strange man. And illogical. His goldfish needs more water, not less.


After getting into a scandal over an offensive anti-Obama email, a federal judge files a complaint against himself.


Finally, Occupy Riverdale?

P.S. Zemanta ispretty much broken today. I can barely get it to bring up anything other than months old headlines about Breitbart.

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