Stories to Watch: 5/11/12

The Great Bush Recession caused "nearly two decades of Americans’ wealth" to vanish. Yeah Mittens, let's take the regulations off Wall Street and see what sort of damage they can really do.


The DOJ sues the state of Florida to stop Gov. Rick Scott's bloodless coup... I mean, "voter purge."


If the public sector employment crash weren't happening, "overall unemployment would be 7.0 to 7.3 percent instead of 8.2 percent." Huzzah for the fiscal sanity of Republican governors and the demonization of public sector employees. In the Republican War on Consumer Demand, Republicans are winning -- and consumer demand is losing.


Mitt Romney is just such a shameless liar.


Mike Huckabee seems to have a very poor understanding of how the Supreme Court is supposed to work.


Worse, former Ambassador to the UN John Bolton doesn't understand how diplomacy works.


Grover Norquist attacks Jeb Bush for remembering Ronald Reagan correctly.


Finally, a Republican television version of Pravda comes to Hawaii.

Related articles

• TRENDING: Jeb Bush: Reagan wouldn't fit in today's GOP

  ---

• Jeb Bush rejects Norquist pledge

  ---

• Mike Huckabee Accidentally Tells The Truth About Fox News

  ---

Stories to Watch: 5/14/12

Had to skip the roundup to make pitas. I'm going to have to go back to using the cast iron skillet. Now here's the news...


Embattled Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker pledged to create a quarter of a million jobs -- a number he pulled pretty much out of his butt -- when he was elected. So how's that going? Not well.


Also on the Wisconsin recall front; state Senate leader Scott Fitzgerald says his recall opponent, Lori Compas, couldn't possibly be organizing her campaign herself -- because she's a lady.


Florida governor Rick Scott's administration is starting to look a little corrupt.



Sunday political talk shows suck. They just do. I think they always have.


Elizabeth Warren makes an excellent point: banking should not be exciting, it should be boring.


Was there anyone who seriously believed that Romney's time with Bain wouldn't be brought up by Team Obama?


Note to wingnuts: incessant flamewars on Twitter don't win elections.


Finally, a Romney donor switches to Obama over Mitt's opposition to marriage equality.

Related articles

• Scott Walker Admits to Wanting to Divide Wisconsin
• Wisconsin GOPer Says Female Recall Opponent Is Incapable Of Organizing Campaign, Suggests Husband Is Real Brains
• Scott Walker recall has Wisconsin Democrats frustrated with lack of national party support

Stories to Watch: 4/30/12

Actually a pretty slow news day. Kind of having to scrape the sides of the jar here. Anyway, here's the news...


Team Obama revives the "Party of No" messaging.


Breitbart's death, birtherism, and Joe Arpaio are now featured in a single conspiracy theory. That ought to save the wingnuts some time.


A Florida task force, handpicked by Gov. Rick Scott, comes back with recommendations for changes to the "Stand Your Ground" law. Not surprisingly, they don't amount to much more than PR. The law should be repealed entirely, not tweaked around the edges.


Rep. Joe Walsh, America's favorite deadbeat dad, continues to be a horse's ass.


For those of you keeping track of these sort of things, a mere $13 million will buy you the governor of Wisconsin.


A bigoted conservative meme dies: Muslims aren't fans of al Qaeda. The line will still wander around as a zombie though. That's what conservative memes do.


Finally, dems have Republicans on the ropes over this War on Women and they aren't letting up any time soon.

Related articles

• The Washington Times kills off journalism for good
• GOP Rep. Joe Walsh Says Obama's Push To Keep Student Loan Rates From Doubling Is 'Basically Free College Education'
• Sheriff Joe Arpaio Defends Birther Conspiracy: 'Bigger Than Watergate'

Stories to Watch: 12/11/11

Shorty today. It's Sunday, for one, which is always light in the best case. For another, everything seems to be about last night's debate. Since you can get debate coverage just about anywhere, I'm going to play clean up with mostly other stories. Now here's the news...


Being reported everywhere: new NBC News-Marist polls show Newt Gingrich opening up a big lead over Mitt Romney in S. Carolina and Florida. Under-reported everywhere: the same polls show that President Obama would beat either in both states. Part of the reason (in S. Carolina at least) is probably that Tea Party Gov. Nikki Haley sucks. I doubt Florida's Rick Scott's approvals are any better.


Newt Gingrich is seen as the winner of last night's GOP debate, by virtue of not losing.


Climate talks in Durban reach a deal -- a pointless deal that doesn't solve the problem.


Mitch McConnell tells a hilarious joke: "Look, [the Republican Party is] not here to defend high-income people." Stop it, Mitch! You're killing me!


Christian nutjobs are staging home invasions, kidnappings, and assaults to spread the glorious Love of Christ and the Word of the Prince of Peace.


Michele Bachmann reached adulthood at the age of 5. That's what she says, anyway.

Related articles

• "This president is the problem, not something that Newt Gingrich said." (shortformblog.tumblr.com)
• Newt Gingrich Threat To Mitt Romney Rises After Iowa Debate (huffingtonpost.com)
• Newt Gingrich Struggling For Women's Vote (huffingtonpost.com)
• Resignation And Anger In Durban: 'What is the news I'm going to take home to my flooded country?' (thinkprogress.org)

Stories to Watch: 9/26/11

Finally. I needed to get some bandwidth issues taken care of and it took me a lot longer than I thought it would. I think I've got it squared away now, but I'll run diagnostics later tonight to make sure. I'll set them up to run overnight. For once, I'll be productive even while I sleep. Now here's the news...


Greg Sargent takes on the idea of a third party by pointing out that there isn't exactly a third position on most issues for that party to take. Hence, it would be redundant. I'd go a bit farther and point to parliamentary systems where several parties exist; those tend to be narrowly focused parties (dealing almost exclusively with environmentalism, women's rights, copyright reform, etc.) that wind up as part of one coalition or another along the conservative/liberal divide. All we do in the US is skip the coalition building part. You may agree, you may disagree, but it's always nice to see a sound, logical argument. Paul Krugman also takes a stab at the issue.


The House and Senate continue to wrangle over disaster relief spending as the government faces a possible shutdown. David Dayden of Firedoglake makes an excellent case for Democrats sticking to their guns.


Allegations of the use of excessive force get awfully hard to deny in NYPD crowd control during the Occupy Wall Street protests. I want you to stop a moment and consider the political shitstorm that would ensue if police treated 'bagger protesters this way. I guess it's OK to abuse liberals.


Speaking of 'baggers, how racist can they be? How's this?


The DNC capitalizes on the bloodthirsty and hateful nature of the crowds at GOP debates.


Finally, Florida Gov. Rick Scott is just a clown.

Related articles

• Comedian Lee Camp Asks Important Questions About the Police Response to OccupyWallStreet (crooksandliars.com)
• Keith Olbermann calls out Media Blackout on 'Occupy Wall Street' Protest (finaloutlaw.com)
• Liveblog of #OccupyWallStreet: NYPD's Crackdown on the Protest (dissenter.firedoglake.com)

Stories to Watch: 6/29/11

Finally got a Griper Blade post up. And the week's only half done. Now here's the news...


Here's a pretty good argument that Michele Bachmann is on the same skyrocket-then-crash trajectory suffered by Donald Trump and Herman Cain.


President Obama tells people attending an LGBT Pride Reception at the White House that certification of the repeal of DADT will be "a matter of weeks, not months."


According to Greg Sargent, Obama "was clearly out to pick a major public fight with Republicans over tax cuts for the rich" with his press conference today. Let's hope Sargent's right.


But this is also a sign that the debt-limit talks with the GOP have collapsed for good. "The best advice I've gotten for assessing the debt-ceiling negotiations was to 'watch for the day when the White House goes public,'" writes Ezra Klein. "As long as the Obama administration was refusing to attack Republicans publicly, my source said, they believed they could cut a deal. And that held true... But today they went public. The negotiations have failed."


The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee wants you to make John Boehner cry. Geez guys, people like a little challenge. The guy cries when his corn flakes get soggy. My suggestion for the next fundraiser; "Make John Boehner Shoot Milk Out of His Nose!"


A three-judge panel finds healthcare reform constitutional -- a major step in establishing it's legality. For those keeping track of the decisions so far, it's not looking good for the antis; MSNBC reports, "This brings to four the number of court decisions upholding the law. Two other courts have declared it unconstitutional on its long march to the Supreme Court."


Trying to pump up his dismal approval ratings, Florida Gov. Rick Scott resorts to robocalls -- because being called by a robot during dinner is just everyone's favorite thing. Nice to see he's put as much thought into this as he has into everything else.


Finally, is Tim Pawlenty secretly pro-choice?

Related articles

• Speaker John Boehner warns the Obama administration - The State Column (news.google.com)
• Republicans attacking Dems on Medicare again; will Dems give them more ammo? (dailykos.com)
• Blocking debt limit increase could jeopardize Social Security checks (dailykos.com)
• Police Officers, Fed Up with Rick Scott, Leave Republican Party En Masse (gunnyg.wordpress.com)

Stories to Watch: 6/28/11

Had to do a clean install of my browser this morning, which means I lost almost everything. Ever come to rely on something, then can't remember where you got it from when you want to replace it? Yeah, that's fun. Now here's the news...


Not only is Michele Bachmann dumb, but she also hasn't accomplished a whole lot.


Also on the Bachmann front, if your "knowledge" of history is making you look like a fool, just change history. It's not like it hasn't been done before.


And, to top it all off, Shelly gets no love from a former top aide. And Tom Petty doesn't like her, either.


President Obama caves to the GOP on Bush's tax giveaway to the wealthy, leaving House dems wondering why they even bother to show up to work in the morning.


Pawlenty agrees with Obama on Libya, making him the most Bush-like neocon contender of the GOP field.


Florida's Rick Scott is officially the most unpopular governor in America.


Finally, one of my senators is Ron Johnson. Fuck you, Ron Johnson.

Related articles

• Rep. Michele Bachmann On TODAY: 'I Intend To Be The Nominee' (mediaite.com)
• Michele Bachmann's Facts Not So Factual (theroot.com)
• Michele Bachmann sets record straight: 'I'm a substantive, serious person' (dailykos.com)
• Sarah Who? (themoderatevoice.com)

Stories to Watch: 5/27/11

Florida Gov. Rick Scott may be the most unpopular governor in the nation. It's easy to see why.


Painted into a corner by House Republican's worship of Paul Ryan's Medicare scheme, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell finds some hostages to shoot -- and it's pretty much everybody.


Frankly, I wouldn't want to touch it either. Still, using an autopen to sign the extension of the PATRIOT Act into law doesn't really spare you the responsibility, President Obama. It's an awful dog of a law, it's everything you originally said you were against, and that's your name at the bottom.


I don't care what anyone else says, Charles Krauthammer is an idiot.


Our for sale elections just got a little more for sale.


Italian seismologists are to be tried for manslaughter for failing to predict an earthquake. You read that right and, yeah, it's just a stupid as you think it is.


Illinois GOP Rep. Joe Walsh is about to learn that saying, "There's nothing racist about this!" isn't the best way to hide an incredibly racist statement.


Finally, Senate GOP move to block a recess appointment of Elizabeth Warren to a consumer watchdog position. I want to be mad, but Democrats have done the same thing.

Related articles

• "Robo-signing" the PATRIOT Act (emptywheel.firedoglake.com)
• Patriot Act extension clears both houses | Philadelphia Inquirer | 2011-05-27 - Philadelphia Inquirer (news.google.com)
• U.S. Congress Passes Extension of Patriot Act Wiretap Power - San Francisco Chronicle (news.google.com)
• Rise of the machines: Autopen puts bill into law, and touches off debate (whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com)

Stories to Watch: 5/8/11

Happy Mothers Day. Now here's the news...


The Washington Post tells their readers that there's simply nothing that can possibly be done about unemployment. So Dean Baker points out all the stupid in the WP's editorial, while Brad DeLong does the same. Also in economics news: worried about runaway inflation because the fed "keeps printing money?" Yeah, you can knock that off now.


Rightwing media are shocked to learn that the president shares information with generals (make sure to read the breathlessly panicked comments -- don't worry, the crazy isn't catching). Obama is "caught on video" handing a "secret note" to an Air Force General and... Well, that's it. The fact that he's out in the freakin' daylight, giving a memo to a general is... I don't even know what it's supposed to be. These guys know that the president is supposed to talk to generals, right? "Apparently this is what happens when the media can no longer accuse President Obama of having shady information on his birth certificate," writes Mediaite's Frances Martel.


This is fun; Taegan Goddard goes back to 2008 to find an example of Bill O'Reilly being vehemently wrong. "You're not gonna invade Pakistan, Senator [Obama], if you're president. You're not gonna send ground troops in there. You know it."


Osama bin Laden's death proves that evolution is a buncha hooey. Sometimes, I wonder if creationism isn't just an elaborate prank.


The courageous and oh-so-serious Paul Ryan plan to balance the budget turns out to have yet one more flaw -- there's no way it balances the budget.


Finally, whenever I start thinking I have the worst governor in America, I think about Florida's Rick Scott, who cut unemployment benefits to fund a tax giveaway to the wealthy.

Related articles

• Bill O'Reilly Attacks Alan Colmes To Defend Bush Torture Policies (crooksandliars.com)
• Fox Scrubs O'Reilly Flub On Obama's Social Security Number - 4/15/11 (yourdaddy.net)
• Glenn Beck To O'Reilly: Obama's Ground Zero Visit Was 'Shameless' (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
• Bill O'Reilly: Conservative Criticism Of Obama's Handling Of Bin Laden Is 'Crazy Unreasonable' (mediaite.com)

Stories to Watch: 3/29/11

Made the puff pancake last night. It was really good, but kind of a lot of work. I'll make one again, but not soon. Now here's the news...


Sen. Chuck Schumer accidentally let's the cat out of the bag: Democrats have a messaging strategy, just like Republicans. Needless to say, this is the worst thing ever.


When is Sarah Palin going to go English-only?


Florida Gov. Rick Scott is about as popular as a cold sore at a kissing booth.


Richard Lahey, a GE safety expert who worked on the Fukushima Daiichi plant, says that Japan may have "lost the race" to prevent a meltdown. Big surprise, he said it's not going to be as bad as Chernobyl. This is like dismissing the Hindenburg as "not as bad as the Titanic."


It's official: if you've mentioned Rachel Maddow in an email, it means you hate America. McCarthyism is alive and well.


If you found Tom Tomorrow's final This Modern World strip for Salon mystifying, here's the key to that particular lock.


Finally, after Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker ignored a judge and declared his union-busting bill law, the same judge tells him, "Not so fast there, Sparky."

Stories to Watch: 3/24/11

I'm stuck on how to open here. It's 32 degrees outside. Thirty-freakin'-two degrees Fahren-freakin'-heit. I'm speechless. Now here's the news...


The Obama administration is studiously avoiding calling military action in Libya "war." While most are painting this a political stance, others see it as a legal one.


One thing that no one is asking -- surprisingly, I think -- is how this whole "non-war" is going. If Juan Cole is to be believed -- and I think he is -- it's going gangbusters.


Just reminder: John Stossel is a lunatic.


Is Trump's possible presidential run a PR bluff to grab headlines (and ratings)?


The GOP's ongoing war on workers goes federal, with a bill that would cut off food stamps for families where a worker goes on strike. Want to fight for a fairer wage, better working conditions, or better benefits? Fine. Then the baby starves.


I'm tired of following every stupid, hate-filled, un-American thing the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer says on a nearly daily basis. Seriously, the guy is just an awful, awful human being. We have all the proof of that we'll ever need.


Florida Gov. Rick Scott wants to drug-test state employees. The problem is, it's already been ruled unconstitutional and drug-addled state employees haven't actually been a problem. So why would he want this? Did I mention Scott owns a string of clinics that do employee drug screenings? I probably should have.


Finally, remember when Gov. Scott Walker told a guy he thought was David Koch that he'd thought about hiring some "troublemakers" to make pro-worker protesters look bad? An Indiana prosecutor took that idea a step farther and emailed Walker to suggest he get some stooge to take a potshot at him. Seriously, stage an assassination attempt. Not surprisingly, Carlos Lam is not an Indiana prosecutor any longer, although he probably has a great career ahead of him as the next Karl Rove.