Stories to Watch: 5/13/12

Short one today, it being Mother's day and all. Now here's the news...


When will the right stop getting excited about Rasmussen polling? They're complete junk. Of course, Rasmussen always biases right and conservatives only listen to what they want to hear, so I suppose the answer to my question is never.


The rightwing victim card of the day.


Rampant voting fraud in Texas -- and voter ID wouldn't do a damned thing to stop it.


Ed Klein is a hack.


Finally, a glimpse into the possible future for the Republican National Convention.

Related articles

• 93-year-old woman suing Pennsylvania over voter ID law
• Salon: RNC Worried About Ron Paul
• Ron Paul Is Still Racking Up Delegates - And Mitt Romney Is Finally Getting Nervous

News Roundup for 5/3/12

Ron Paul supporter

-Headline of the Day-
"The Ron Paul convention takeover plot."

Republicans have chosen Willard Mittens Romney as their nominee. Everyone knows this, all the pundits take it for granted, every 2012 campaign news story assumes it. There's only one problem; Republicans haven't chosen Willard Mittens Romney as their nominee. At least, not yet.

There's this whole Republican National Convention rigamorole in Tampa first. And that's where things could go off the rails. There, the Willard Mittens Romney coronation could get all messed up by the followers of one Ron Goldfinger Paul. RNC Council of Bishops has issued a warning to Paulites attending the convention -- It's Mittens or you're out.

Already, the Nevada delegation has gotten this warning and more could follow because, according to the report, "Paul supporters have wreaked havoc at numerous district caucuses and state conventions, producing some startling results. For instance, 20 of Iowa’s 28 national convention delegates will likely be Paul supporters – even though the Texan finished third in the state’s January caucuses with 21 percent of the vote. And 20 of the 24 delegates selected in district caucuses in Minnesota recently are Paul backers, even though he was trounced by Rick Santorum in the state’s February caucuses. Similar stories have emerged from Louisiana, Colorado and Massachusetts, with the list likely to grow."

What explains all these Paul delegates from states Ron Goldfinger didn't win? Well, the answer to that is shorter than you might've suspected -- caucuses are stupid.

The report tells us, "In many caucus states, the 'official' results that most people saw this winter were from nonbinding straw polls conducted in conjunction with precinct-level caucuses. But when it comes to choosing national convention delegates, the real action is at district caucuses and state conventions. In the past, this distinction hasn’t mattered much, but for the Paul forces – who lack the numbers to win statewide primaries but have the devotion to pack any room, anywhere, at any time – it has offered an inviting loophole. When turnout is small and no one is looking, the Paul folks can win, and that’s what’s been happening in a number of states."

So Paulites stuck around after the bullshit caucus votes and participated in the non-bullshit delegate selection votes. Why are there two votes, with one being bullshit? Have I mentioned that caucuses are stupid?

So there we have it, the coronation of Willard Mittens Romney has a real good chance of being temporarily derailed by Ron Paul cultists unable to take "you lose" for an answer -- at a national convention likely to be hip deep in guns.

This could get interesting. (Salon)


-Cartoon time with Mark Fiore-
Hey kids, you know Barack Obama gave the order to take out Osama Bin Laden? Well, that was the worst thing ever!


Click for animation

Presidents shouldn't take credit for things they do. That's just wrong. (MarkFiore.com)


-Bonus HotD-
"Donald Rumsfeld is Still an Insufferable Twit."

It's just a fact. (Mother Jones)

Stories to Watch: 4/10/12

All right. Starting to get back on track here. The roundup should be back any day now. Now here's the news...


Sign that Gingrich is as done as Santorum: the $500 check that Gingrich 2012 wrote to cover the filing fee for Utah's primary bounced. No, I didn't leave out the comma. Gingrich stiffed Utah for the huge sum of five hundred bones.


And what does it mean when a candidate "suspends" their campaign? It's mostly face-saving weasel words to avoid saying, "We lost." But there are some real world ramifications, as well.


Meanwhile, Ron Paul (remember him?) says he's still in it for the long haul.


George Zimmerman's lawyers fire him. It seems he can't be bothered to give his attorneys the time of day -- he's too busy chasing celebrity with Sean Hannity. No, really.


There's a mole at Fox News, leaking what's basically celebrity gossip about the on-air talent. I guess they're not high up enough to get the skinny on the execs. But the insight into Fox Nation is pretty good; Mole says it's "like an unholy mashup of the Drudge Report, the Huffington Post and a Klan meeting." Maybe we can get someone in the media to notice that Fox Nation commenters are really racist and, more importantly, that the site goes out of their way to attract racists.

Santorum 2012 in memoriam; ThinkProgress collects a sampling of all the crazy-assed stuff Rick's said.


Paul Ryan makes a comically ridiculous claim.


In related news, Ryna's budget is hard to defend. Ask Republican Rep. Dan Benishek.


It's not over yet; Limbaugh loses another station. This time, in the big Philadelphia market.


Finally, if this is the kind of "help" Republicans can expect from Herman Cain in trying to dispel the silly notion of a War on Women, Democrats should encourage him to help more.

Related articles

• Newt Gingrich's racist campaign is dying (thehill.com)
• Breaking: Santorum Holding News Conference (To Bail Out?) (littlegreenfootballs.com)
• Santorum leaves campaign: It's over (tampabay.com)
• Santorum - For Whom the Bellwether Tolled (aarp.org)

Stories to Watch: 3/22/12

Short one today. It's not that there's nothing much going on, it's that there's nothing much interesting going on. Or maybe I'm just tired. Anyway, here's the news...


Another way the GOP's War on Women is a self-inflicted wound: a new Pew poll finds that voters are getting sick of all the religious talk. The largest group of respondents -- 38% -- say there's "too much expression of religious faith and prayer from political leaders."


The Sanford, FL Police Chief steps down -- temporarily -- in response to the Trayvon Martin killing. I doubt anyone outraged by the killing will find his self-imposed vacation very satisfying.


Taxes don't chase rich people away.


A quick reminder: Mitt Romney is a serial liar.


A weakened insider trading bill goes to the president's desk. Bernie Sanders and Pat Leahy are displeased.


This is what happens when you don't have a constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of speech. Don't doubt that there are people in America who would love to see this here.


Finally, which congress critter is most guilty of serial nepotism? Ron Paul.

Related articles

• Sanford, FL City Council Passes 'No Confidence' Vote Against Police Chief over Trayvon Martin Case (crooksandliars.com)
• Million Hoodie March In Honor Of Trayvon Martin Held In NYC [PHOTOS] (hiphopwired.com)
• Rev. Al Sharpton: Why race matters in the Trayvon Martin tragedy (thegrio.com)
• Trayvon Martin case sparks dialogue on racial inequality, meaning of justice (news.blogs.cnn.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 3/12/12

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)

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: 3/3/12

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: 2/23/12

Running a little late tonight. Now here's the news...


The Republican Attorneys General of seven states join in a lawsuit over the contraception coverage rule. Noticeably missing is Wisconsin, whose Republican Party had previously not been shy to fight the dreaded Obamacare in court. Guess they figure they're on shaky enough ground already.



This is actually kind of surprising: the Virginia Senate has put Republicans' "personhood bill" on hold for a year, effectively killing it for the time being -- and possibly forever. It was a deliberately unconstitutional bill designed solely to get Roe v. Wade back into the courts for a do-over and, as such, the entire effort has been a huge waste of taxpayers' money.


Newt's campaign looks like a scam.


Some people are wondering if Mitt Romney and Ron Paul have some sort of deal, since they seem to have ganged up on Rick Santorum last night. While it's purely speculation, I'm going to go ahead and say no. I think I'm just playing the odds here. Ironically, a seeming Romney/Paul alliance is probably evolution among evolution-deniers. Ron and Mitt have the same main competitor (Newt's a has-been now), so they have the same goal. It's entirely logical that they'd both exploit that to their own advantage, by capitalizing on each others' attacks on Rick. Game theory, really. It's like two guys in a barfight with the same person; one guy knocks him down, then the other sees the opportunity to give the downed man a boot. They didn't plan any of this out beforehand, it just sort of unfolds that way. People who think otherwise may be watching too much Survivor. Ideologically, Ron and Mitt seem to have about the least common ground of all the candidates.


Of course, all that doesn't keep Rick from doing a little exploiting of his own.


Santorum has a lead -- albeit a seriously anemic one -- in Michigan.


Allen West complains about the price of gas -- while driving an insanely huge Hummer. Remember when conservatives used to talk about "personal responsibility?" Yeah, those were the days.


Finally, Mitt Romney's new tax plan makes no sense at all.

Related articles

• Mitt Romney may have beaten Rick Santorum - but it came at a price (dailykos.com)
• Mitt Romney says Rick Santorum is an unprincipled political hack (dailykos.com)
• US politics live: Arizona debate fallout sees Romney up and Santorum down (guardian.co.uk)
• Did Rick Santorum Blow the Arizona Debate? (usnews.com)

Stories to Watch: 2/12/12

I saw the Occupy Milwaukee site yesterday. A big teepee in an otherwise vacant lot. You never hear about the Occupy sites that aren't raided. Now here's the news...


RIP Whitney Houston. She was dealt a royal flush at the beginning of the game -- movie star glamor and a five-octave range. How could it have all gone so wrong?


The ultra-conservative CPAC straw poll winner is Mitt Romney... Wait, what? This seems pretty unlikely to me. Rick Santorum says the votes were bought and paid for, which is a pretty sensational charge -- but then again, Rick really is a much, much better fit for the gay/Muslim/women-hatin'-racist-birther-Tea-Partyin'-scared-to-death-of-everything nutjobs at the Conservative Political Action Conference. You really do have to wonder if maybe Santorum's not right. Not that it matters much -- the CPAC winner is like the Iowa straw poll winner. Nobody cares.


Romney also wins Maine. But it's close enough that Ron Paul, who came in second, isn't conceding. Instead, there are fairly convincing allegations of dirty tricks. Combine this with Santorum's CPAC allegations and Mittens seems to be expending a lot of energy on things that either don't or barely matter. I'm thinking he might be a little desperate for positive headlines.


Just in time for Darwin Day: climate deniers team up with creationists in a campaign to get American schools to produce the dumbest goddam kids in the world. When you have common cause with the talking-snake-and-magic-apple crowd, it's a pretty good sign that the "science" behind your position is ridiculous.


Fox cancels former Judge Andrew Napolitano's show -- presumably because he spent too much time reporting on reality.


68% of Europe's new generating capacity comes from clean energy.


Finally, the New York Times reveals that many Tea Party types are hypocrites. Imagine how shocked I'm not.

Related articles

• Mitt Romney Wins CPAC Straw Poll (timesunion.com)
• Mitt Romney wins meaningless CPAC straw poll (dailykos.com)
• Mitt Romney Wins Maine Caucuses, CPAC Straw Poll (theroot.com)
• What You Didn't Know About Whitney Houston (theroot.com)

News Roundup for 1/5/12

What the Romney tax plan looks like to the middle class

-Headline of the Day-
"Romney Plan Raises Taxes On Lower-Middle Class, Cuts Taxes On Wealthy."

Mittens is the 1%. If you ever doubted that, check out his new tax plan, which can best be described as a massive middle finger to anyone who isn't fabulously well-to-do. Basically, it works like this; the less you make, the larger your tax hike. Conversely, the more you make, the bigger your tax cut.

According to the report, "The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center crunched the numbers — part of a series of analyses the group has done of the GOP candidates’ tax proposals — and found that the plan constitutes a major tax cut for wealthy Americans. But compared to today’s rates, Romney proposes effective tax increases for people making less than $40,000."

Meanwhile, the "average millionaire would thus pay $145,568 less in taxes in 2015 than they do today." Relying on the poorest to make up for the wealthiest just plain doesn't work -- mostly because math has a liberal bias -- and this makes Romney's plan a "a budget buster, meaning greater deficits or deep cuts to federal programs."

So, if you're not a bazillionaire and you're planning to vote for Romney, you're a chump. Plain and simple. (Talking Points Memo)


-Cartoon time with Mark Fiore-
Hey kids, did you know there was this big election thing going on? Of course you do! And did you know that other things are going on too? Of course you don't, thanks to...


Click for animation

For example, did you know there was political unrest in Iraq, with explosions across Baghda... Oh wait, BREAKING NEWS: Ron Paul seen eating ribs with mustard!

Ooh... That's really going to hurt him in Missouri. (MarkFiore.com)


-Bonus HotD-
"Santorum Suggests Banishing Ninth Circuit Court Judges To Guam."

Oh Rick, you are going to be fun. (ThinkProgress)

Stories to Watch: 11/3/12

I wanted to be back on my regular blogging schedule today, but I had one last batch of pancakes to make and my sourdough starter was getting kind of weak. I think it became underpopulated from all the previous batches. Came back fine, just took longer than usual, so I had to skip the roundup. Now here's the news...


The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are back. It's going to be OK.


John Garver pleads with GOP voters not to vote for Rick Santorum. Why should you care? Garver is Santorum's nephew and the piece is in The Daily Caller -- which was founded by Tucker Carlson and Neil Patel, a former adviser to then-Vice President Dick Cheney. The weird part is that Garver wants you to vote for Ron Paul.


And did Rick Santorum really say he didn't want to make "black people's lives better?" Some are now saying he jammed a nonsense word into a sentence.


The problem with the above item: Rick doesn't deny saying it, instead saying, "I haven't heard it." Here's the thing; if someone told me I'd said something racist, I'd know right off the bat they were wrong. What's Rick's basically doing is saying, "I might've screwed up my dog-whistle and said what I meant -- I'd have to hear it to be sure." Whether he actually said it or not, he's not doing a lot to dispel the notion that he's a racist.


Gingrich says Mittens is a liar. Ignore the fact that he's right and remember how Newt swore he wouldn't resort to negative campaigning. By my count, there are two liars in this item.


The media is letting Romney run wild with false jobs claims.


Rick Perry develops Nazi Tourette's.


Pat Robertson's off his meds again.


Finally, Mittens aims to have this whole GOP primary thing wrapped up by February.

Related articles

• Rick Santorum's Sweaters Are Now A Thing, Because Reporters In Iowa Are Bored (huffingtonpost.com)
• Family drama: Rick Santorum's own nephew won't vote for him. (shortformblog.tumblr.com)
• Watch: What Did Rick Santorum Say About Welfare? (abcnews.go.com)
• Iowa caucus 2012: GOP presidential candidates make their final push - live (guardian.co.uk)

Stories to Watch: 12/29/11

We'll probably get snow tonight. Too late for a white Christmas, but you take what you get. Now here's the news...


Charles Johnson explains why a Christmas Day tragedy probably wasn't the "honor killing" the right so desperately wants it to be. It's worth a read if only to see the phrase "the internet's dumbest man" applied to Jim Hoft. It pays to remember that Johnson was a wingnut blogger before he wised up, so he knows how these people think.


And, of course, the haters haven't taken Johnson's post very well.


Speaking of the internet's dumbest man: Hoft takes a Pew poll and runs with it, apparently without actually looking at it. Hoft's big takeaway is that, despite the OWS protests, people still don't like socialism. The problem is that the most respected political label in the poll is "progressive" -- and in Hoft's world, those two words are synonyms.


Newt won't go down the birther road.


Someone needs to tell Rick Santorum that there are married poor people.


I'm starting to wonder if Rick Perry has early Alzheimer's. It's one thing to forget a federal agency, but it's another to forget something that happened to you personally. I'm being serious here. I hope he gets himself checked out.


Things that make you wonder: Gallup has a poll out showing that the person who's ideology fits most closely with those of Americans is John Huntsman. Yet Huntsman can't buy the time of day from voters. The person least like the average is Barack Obama, who still leads in almost every poll. Long story short, I don't think this is a very good poll.


Also from Gallup, Democrats beat Republicans on the issues of taxes and unemployment.


Ron Paul is a conspiracy-theorizing nutbag, which makes him fairly typical of the right.


Finally, in real danger of becoming a one-term senator, Scott Brown decides it's time to play the media victim card. Unfortunately for Brown, Sarah Palin probably wore a hole in it.

Related articles

• Rick Santorum vs. Rick Perry: Former Senator Attacked On Earmarks By Texas Governor (huffingtonpost.com)
• Huntsman on Iowa absence: 'They pick corn in Iowa' (sfgate.com)
• Rick Perry Draws A Blank On Key Supreme Court Case Overturning Texas' Anti-Gay Laws He Defended (thinkprogress.org)
• Lawrence v. Texas: Another Perry Oops Moment. (themoderatevoice.com)

Stories to Watch: 12/23/11

Happy Holidays, everyone. Now here's the news...


New Republic has a collection of crazy-assed writings from Ron Paul's newsletters. Paul says he didn't write them, but so what? It's like we're supposed to believe that people snuck in stuff without his knowing about it.


Why does anyone take Charles Krauthammer seriously?


When it comes to the bullshit Mitt Romney's been spreading lately, the media's doing what the media always does about rightwing lies -- pretty much nothing. Joe Biden, on the other hand, isn't as willing to let lies slide.


The Justice Department takes on South Carolina's voter ID law. How about some help over here in Wisconsin, while you guys are at it?


Not even Erick-Erick likes SOPA. He's normally a real big fan of really bad ideas.


Looking at a brown Christmas (like me)? Blame global warming.


Donald Trump's headline-trolling continues.


Finally, Mittens is a Welfare Queen.

Related articles

• reuters: In ad for newsletter, Ron Paul forecast "race war" A... (shortformblog.tumblr.com)
• And It Is Time for Another Message from Republican Presidential Candidate Ron Paul... (delong.typepad.com)
• Donald Trump: Black vote would help my third party candidacy (thegrio.com)
• SC Voter ID Law Hits Some Black Precincts Harder (abcnews.go.com)

Stories to Watch: 12/22/11

The Republicans caved and I made pasties (ABC's Jonathan Karl was right on the money, BTW). It's a wonderful day. Now here's the news...


This Vander Plaats guys is starting to sound like a crook.


Ron Paul does not react well to substantive criticism.


On a related note, Mediaite's Alex Alvarez offers the poorest defense of Ron Paul's racist newsletter possible; this is all old news, the newsletter was years ago, Paul's already answered the questions. Let's see how that reasoning holds up in another context; this is all old news, the newsletter sexual harassment was years ago, Paul's Herman Cain's already answered the question. Didn't work the last time, not gonna work this time.


PolitiFact digs in on their embarrassing "Lie of the Year" flub.


Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner says he's sorry he's such an insufferable prick.


Mittens says his tax returns are a secret that you can't know about.


Hey Republicans, here's some of that election fraud you've been looking for.


Finally, while the White House doesn't exactly run a victory lap, they should.

Related articles

• Ron Paul Touted His Controversial Newsletters In 1995 C-SPAN Interview (huffingtonpost.com)
• Ron Paul Walks Out Of CNN Interview (huffingtonpost.com)
• House GOP caves on 2-month payroll tax cut (abclocal.go.com)
• Fat-Assed Lawmaker Overheard Bitching about Michelle Obama's 'Large Posterior' [Polidicks] (gawker.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: 12/19/11

No roundup today and I doubt there will be one for the rest of the week. Holiday prep, combined with Walker recall work, leaves me a little squeezed for time and the roundup is nothing if not time consuming. On the plus side, I'm making a buttload of sourdough pancakes that I'll freeze and give away like Christmas cookies. This place smells awesome. I'm almost done with everyone's, then I'll make a batch for myself. Now here's the news...


North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il's condition is downgraded to Kim Jong Dead.


CNN has a poll out showing that the Newt Gingrich fad is doing what fads do.


Stuff that makes your blood boil; after making a killing killing jobs, Mitt Romney still makes money off Bain Capital -- and probably pays a lower tax rate on it than you do.


Nate Silver says Ron Paul is actually leading in Iowa.


Massachusetts GOP Sen. Scott Brown -- already in a tough reelection battle against Elizabeth Warren -- is not happy with the way John Boehner totally screwed up the payroll tax cut extension.


On a related note, Tea Party Rep. Phil Gingrey is a clown.


And speaking of the Tea Party, remember how it's just crazy to suggest there's any racism among the 'baggers? Yeah, about that...


Rick Perry is embarrassed.


Finally, Sarah Palin is still in denial about the expiration date on her fifteen minutes of fame.

Related articles

• Rep. Phil Gingrey: Payroll tax fight is GOP 'Braveheart moment' (dailykos.com)
• PPP Iowa Tracker: Ron Paul takes lead, Newt Gingrich falls off cliff (dailykos.com)
• Sarah Palin Tells Fox Business Network That 'It's Not Too Late' To Jump Into The GOP Race (mediaite.com)
• GOP Elite Suddenly Terrified That Romney's Bain Capital History May Be A Liability (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: 12/4/11

Went out yesterday in the petition drive to recall Gov. Walker. It was fun. In fact, only one person refused outright and she was pretty nice about it -- all the rest of the doors that didn't sign had already signed elsewhere. Mostly, I got thanks. Seems to be going strong. If you're in Wisconsin and interested in volunteering, either find a petitioner and sign up through them (that's how I did it) or contact One Wisconsin Now or United Wisconsin. There's tabling and phonebanking too, so if you're not up to trekking through Wisconsin weather this time of year, you've got options. Now here's the news...


In related news, PolitiFact confirms that it is indeed perfectly legal to sign the recall petition more than once, if you feel you might've been scammed by someone collecting signatures to keep them from being turned in. Just don't sign every time someone puts a petition in front of you.


In a sign that Mittens' troubled past is going to be an issue, the LA Times runs an article on Romney's time with Bain Capital. It's the second time I've seen that exact photo illustrating a piece; the other was a similarly less-than-complimentary New York Times article on the same subject.


Sen. John McCain suggests we should find a "humane" solution to illegal immigration and that several states, including his own Arizona, might be "up for grabs" as Republican rhetoric on immigration drives away Hispanic voters.


Powerline's John Hinderaker joins Herman Cain in blaming Democrats for Herman Cain's fall -- proving once again that John Hinderaker is an emptyheaded lightweight. When Herman Cain went down the drain, I'd imagine they held a wake at the White House, just as they would've thrown a party had he been nominated. He was just such a poor frontrunner, an Obama win would've been guaranteed.


Presidential pardons still bias white.


Sen. Tom Coburn, who was a mere House member at the time, does not have fond memories of Speaker Gingrich's leadership.


Ron Paul says he won't attend the Donald Trump-moderated celebrity game show GOP debate.


Finally, Michele Bachmann seems to confuse Occupy Wall Street with Wall Street execs. "If you go to the essence of what Occupy Wall Street stands for, it’s having other people pay for their stuff," she told CNN. "That’s not where the American people are at." Meanwhile, the bank bailouts + huge executive bonuses = huge taxpayer-funded executive bonuses.

Related articles

• With Herman Cain out, Newt Gingrich storms to the lead in Iowa poll (100gf.wordpress.com)
• Top 10 Tweets: Herman Cain's #CainWreck Speech (mashable.com)
• Michele Bachmann And Ron Paul Say They'll Pick Up Herman Cain Supporters (huffingtonpost.com)
• Ron Paul pans Donald Trump as false GOP deity (politico.com)

Stories to Watch: 11/13/11

Dealt with leaves again yesterday. There's this Norway maple in the back that holds onto it's leaves until the last minute, so when everyone else is done with their raking, I'm just getting started. It's about done now, but there's no guarantee they'll all fall before the snow comes. Now here's the news...

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Images wider than my center column have always been a problem for me, so I've added another upgrade to the site. Opening the image in a new window has been the solution I've been going with, but I don't like switching between tabs to look at charts, graphs, illustrations, etc. that go along with posts. Maybe it's just me, but I find it breaks the chain of thought.

So now when you see a "click to enlarge" link, click it or the thumbnail to open the image. It'll open in the same window and shrink to fit to your screen, if necessary. To view the image at full resolution, click the diagonal arrow at the bottom center and drag the image with your mouse to scroll. Click the arrow again to return to resized. And click the close button at the top or hit escape to return to the page. In a gallery, hit the left and right arrow icons to navigate. Here, try it. Pick a thumbnail.



This should be universal, but on the off-chance it doesn't work with your browser, images should just open in the conventional manner.

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Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul complain that last night's GOP debate was unfair -- and they're right. Team Bachmann got hold of a CBS News email saying that she would "not going to get many questions during the debate and she's nearly off the charts." Yes, it's true that Bachmann no longer stands a chance in hell of the nomination, but by using polling to decide how many questions she gets that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Here again, we see presidential debates as a way for the media to generate news stories -- and not as an informative part of the democratic process.


Bill O'Reilly's book on the Lincoln assassination is like everything else Bill does -- it's complete bullshit.


Occupy Portland defies a police order to clear out.


Herman Cain has conversations with God, who -- according to Cain -- told him to run for president. Oh, and Herman's just like Moses. That's what you want in a president; delusional megalomania.


Michele Bachmann thinks America should be more like a China that exists only in her imagination.


Finally, it's back. Republican candidates say we shouldn't torture people -- we should just do things that are torture and call it something else. Because that's what good people do.

Related articles

• Bill O'Reilly: "What's this Kenji Economics?" (notesandobservations.me)
• Cain, Bachmann want to reinstate waterboarding (sfgate.com)
• Live Blog for #Occupy Movement: Day 57, Occupy Portland Survives Night but Still Faces Eviction (dissenter.firedoglake.com)
• Ore. Occupy protesters defy deadline to leave (abclocal.go.com)