Category Archives: Politics

February 16, 2012 · 9:30 pm

How The GOP Went Back To The 1950s In Just One Day

Talking Points Memo sums it all up very well…

I’m going to post an excerpt from them and a link to the full story without comment- as it says it all so well…

Well, I will emphasize the last paragraph….

Very neatly, and on three separate fronts, conservatives in America turned the clock back to the 1950s with their rhetoric about women’s rights Thursday, according to women in politics on both sides of the aisle. This could be a big problem for the GOP when the calendar reaches November.

Let’s take a look at Thursday, February 16, 2012, the day Washington fell into a time-warp.

• On Capitol Hill, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) held hearings on contraception and religious freedom that produced the now-famous picture of a table full of men called to weigh in on access to contraceptives. Democrats wanted a woman — a Georgetown law student with a friend who lost an ovary because the university doesn’t cover birth control — to say her piece at the hearing, but Issa wouldn’t let her on the panel. He said she wasn’t “appropriate or qualified” to discuss the topic at hand.

Jaws dropped in the women’s rights community.

“She didn’t have the right credentials?” NOW President Terry O’Neill scoffed. “I’m thinking to myself, ‘Buddy, you and your little panel over there don’t have the right anatomy to talk about birth control.’”

• Politico published a story about a right wing firestorm that had been burning for days: Did the young women who attended this year’s CPAC wear skirts that were too short? The days following the massive conservative conference, which closed Saturday, were filled with tweets and blog posts weighing in on what conservative pundit Melissa Clouthier called outfits that made the college-age women at CPAC look either “frumpish” or “like two-bit whores.” CPAC needs these women to survive — 55% of attendees at the 2011 conference were under 25 — but apparently conservatives want to make sure they don’t show too much of their legs lest they detract from the solemnity of the proceedings. The general agreement among conservatives after days of debate: a CPAC dress code would go too far — but ladies, please.

• Foster Friess, the billionaire backer of Rick Santorum’s campaign, became an instant celebrity when he went on Andrea Mitchell’s MSNBC show and said, “Back in my day, they used Bayer aspirin for contraceptives. The gals put it between their knees and it wasn’t that costly.” Here’s what that looked like:

Friess’ comment was astonishing in two ways. First, it derailed the entire contraception debate that Republicans have been desperate to keep about “religious freedom” rather than make it about, well, who does or does not keep her knees together. Second, there wasn’t a woman around who didn’t have a guttural reaction.

“I want to punch that guy in the face,” said one female operative who called me on an entirely unrelated matter. Phone calls and IM conversations for the rest of the day included similar appraisals of Santorum’s biggest financial backer.

So there you have it: modern women being told by Republicans that they’re not qualified to talk about their own sexual health, are dressed like “whores” and probably need birth control because they’re so slutty. And this is just in one day.

via How The GOP Went Back To The 1950s In Just One Day | TPM2012.

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February 16, 2012 · 7:02 pm

If Republicans Are So Great For Business, Why Does Silicon Valley Support Democrats?

This is one of the Great Myths:  That Republicans are good for Business.

No, they are good for Rich Businessmen and Wall Street Money Magicians….

I don’t see how people can forget it was the policies of George W Bush and the GOP that led to the economic collapse….

The Democratic Party looks to the future and entrepreneurship.  The GOP supports money shell games that produce no jobs or social benefits.

And, Democratic Social Policy focused on equality for all allows more people to have the opportunity to become entrepreneurs…

From Yahoo Finance:

One contention of the Republican party is that Democrats don’t understand business and are bad for business.

GOP front-runner Mitt Romney has basically built his entire campaign on the theory that he knows how to run an economy and the Democrats don’t.

Given this, why does one of the most successful business-regions of America overwhelmingly vote Democratic?

And if Democratic “big-government” and “high taxes” choke off innovation, investment, and incentives, why have so many companies located in high-tax, highly regulated California done so extraordinarily well?

We put these questions to Reid Hoffman, who is one of the most successful entrepreneurs and investors in the country. A partner at Silicon Valley venture capital firm Greylock, Reid has invested in Facebook, Zynga, and many other companies. He is also the co-founder of one of last year’s standout IPOs: LinkedIn.

In Reid Hoffman’s opinion, Silicon Valley’s success comes despite California’s regulatory environment and “big government,” not because of it. Silicon Valley, Hoffman says, is powered by its amazing ecosystem of investors, engineers, and entrepreneurs, along with more than a half-century of start-up culture. And the Valley’s overwhelming support of Democrats, Hoffman suggests, is due as much to the Democrats’ social views as their economic views.

But Silicon Valley is a big fan of the Democrats’ efforts to help start-ups, Hoffman says.

And Hoffman ridicules the Republican argument that increased taxes would make him and other investors and entrepreneurs work less hard.

via If Republicans Are So Great For Business, Why Does Silicon Valley Support Democrats? | Daily Ticker – Yahoo! Finance.

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February 16, 2012 · 5:21 pm

Mitt Romney’s Dog: His Story

It seems Mitt Romney’s dog has recorded his own music video….

This story says so much about Romney’s character- or lack there of–I’m really glad it won’t go away….

I’m also glad Seamus finally gets to put forth his point of view of the infamous episode….

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February 16, 2012 · 9:04 am

Did Mitt Romney’s Dog Seek Asylum In Canada?

I really don’t blame Romney for trying to lie his way out of this horrible story…

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:  How people treat their pets is the biggest indicator of their true character….

And Romney strapping his poor dog on the roof of the car in a pet carrier was, at best thoughtless, at worst cruel.  I think both…

This is a very serious character flaw..

He just doesn’t care about other living creatures unless they are rich Republicans like himself…

This man shouldn’t be dogcatcher, much less President….

From Politicker:

 

Mitt Romney may not have told the whole truth about the scandalous tale of his Irish Setter, Seamus, being strapped to the roof of his car during a 12-hour family road trip to Canada. According to a trusted Politicker tipster, two of Mr. Romney’s sons had an off-record conversation with reporters where they revealed the dog ran away when they reached their destination on that infamous journey in 1983.

Mr. Romney’s wife, Ann, has previously said Seamus survived the trip and went on to live to a “ripe old age.” As of this writing, Mr. Romney’s campaign has not responded to multiple requests for comment on this story.

Seamus’ story first came to light in a 2007 Boston Globe profile of Mr. Romney that told the story of the voyage to his father’s cottage in the gated Beach O’ Pines community on Ontario’s Lake Huron:

“The white Chevy station wagon with the wood paneling was overstuffed with suitcases, supplies, and sons when Mitt Romney climbed behind the wheel to begin the annual 12-hour family trek from Boston to Ontario. … Before beginning the drive, Mitt Romney put Seamus, the family’s hulking Irish setter, in a dog carrier and attached it to the station wagon’s roof rack. He’d built a windshield for the carrier, to make the ride more comfortable for the dog.

According to the Globe, Mr. Romney told his family he would “be making predetermined stops for gas, and that was it,” but one of his sons, Tagg, eventually noticed something was amiss:

As the oldest son, Tagg Romney commandeered the way-back of the wagon, keeping his eyes fixed out the rear window, where he glimpsed the first sign of trouble. ”Dad!” he yelled. ”Gross!” A brown liquid was dripping down the back window, payback from an Irish setter who’d been riding on the roof in the wind for hours.

Mr. Romney responded to his dog’s defecation by “coolly” stopping at a gas station where he “borrowed a hose, washed down Seamus and the car, then hopped back onto the highway” with Seamus strapped back on the roof.

The Globe initially presented the story as an example of Mr. Romney’s “emotion-free crisis management,” but the incident has enraged many animal lovers and caused many issues on the campaign trail. Seamus inspired an attack ad from Mr. Romney’s Republican rival Newt Gingrich, a “Google bomb” coining “Romney” as a verb meaning “to defecate in terror,” a mocking Tweet from President Barack Obama’s advisor, David Axelrod, and, of course, an angry statement from PETA.

via Did Mitt Romney’s Dog Seek Asylum In Canada? | Politicker.

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February 14, 2012 · 5:43 pm

Herman Cain nixes appearance on ‘Dancing with the Stars’

I wish he would finally accept the fact that he is just an Entertainer and just go with it like Sarah Palin did….

We’ve already been subjected to the endless GOP Debates.  Those certainly weren’t meant to be serious politics, were they?

If nothing else, the GOP Primary Candidates should provide fodder for reality TV- and Saturday Night Live-  for years….

From the Political Insider:

A spokeswoman for Herman Cain confirmed this morning that the former GOP presidential candidate was approached by ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” to appear on this season’s competition

But Cain nixed the idea. “He can’t dance in an eight-count. He can only dance in a nine-count,” said Lisa Reichert, Cain’s executive assistant.

Nine-count. Get it? 9-9-9.

“Dancing with the Stars” has learned the advantages of mixing the quick-step with politics. Its 2010 season featured Bristol Palin, daughter of Sarah Palin, and former U.S. House majority leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas.

But wait, there’s more. USA Today reports that show producers were also eyeing Michele Bachmann.

via Herman Cain nixes appearance on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ | Political Insider.

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February 4, 2012 · 6:00 pm

Koch Brothers, Allies Pledge $100 Million At Private Meeting To Beat Obama

This really is shaping up as a pivotal election in the social and political history of the US….

And the 1% know it….

They will do anything– and spend anything– to stop President Obama’s re-election or the 99% from gaining any ground in through House and Senate elections.

They will try to take over the airways with propaganda and lies trying to drive down turnout and stomp down Democratic turnout and motivation….

And thanks to the Roberts Supreme Court and the “Citizens United” decision there is nothing we can do about it….

We are about to see if an election can truly be bought in the USA….

From the Huffington Post:

At a private three-day retreat in California last weekend, conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch and about 250 to 300 other individuals pledged approximately $100 million to defeat President Obama in the 2012 elections.

A source who was in the room when the pledges were made told The Huffington Post that, specifically, Charles Koch pledged $40 million and David pledged $20 million.

via Koch Brothers, Allies Pledge $100 Million At Private Meeting To Beat Obama.

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February 4, 2012 · 5:16 pm

STOCK Act Opponent NC Senator Richard Burr Stands To Gain From Natural Gas Investments

It’s a real shame we couldn’t get rid of Burr when he was up for re-election a couple of years ago, but I’m afraid Elaine Marshall just wasn’t the right candidate with the right resources to run against him.

And the Democratic Senatorial Committee and Democratic National Committee weren’t much help either…

He is such a corporatist non-entity, he should have been easy pickings if we had had the right candidate with sufficient resources at the right time.

But that was also the height of the Tea Party insanity….

Burr taking positions like this and having this obvious conflicts of interest should make it much easier to retire him next time.  It truly takes guts- and stupidity- to vote AGAINST insider trading laws for Senators!

From the Huffington Post:

Sen. Richard Burr’s vocal opposition to the STOCK Act raised some eyebrows in Washington this week, and with good reason.

Burr, a North Carolina Republican who was one of just three senators to vote against the ban on congressional insider trading Thursday, owns investments in the natural gas industry that would benefit from legislation he co-sponsored offering tax credits for natural gas-fueled vehicles.

Burr has investments in the gas industry valued from $133,298 to $219,337, according to his 2010 filings. His portfolio includes $36,000 worth of stock in Chesapeake Energy Corp., the second-largest U.S. producer of natural gas. He also holds more than $25,000 in shares of Loews Corp., a holding company with subsidiaries engaged in the exploration, production, marketing and transmission of natural gas.

He was on the losing side of Thursday’s 96-3 passage of the STOCK Act, that would tighten rules for lawmakers and their aides using inside information for personal investments. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said he’ll bring the STOCK Act to the House floor next week.

Burr’s investments pose “a very clear conflict of interest,” said Craig Holman of the advocacy group Public Citizen. He said the STOCK Act “will make members of Congress much more cautious in any particular sector, including natural gas.” While the STOCK Act wouldn’t prohibit such investments, “members of Congress will have to think twice about any kind of trading activity they do,” Holman said.

via STOCK Act Opponent Richard Burr Stands To Gain From Natural Gas Investments.

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February 4, 2012 · 4:11 pm

How the GOP Is Resegregating the South

Folks may or may not remember Nixon introduced the Southern Strategy that the Republicans have used ever since to win the presidency.

President Obama’s victories in North Carolina and Virginia threatened the continued validity of that strategy.  Until the GOP took control of the North Carolina State House and expanded their control in the rest of the South.

Their goal is to leverage Redistricting to isolate Black Voters into as few districts as possible to increase the odds of the GOP winning the others.

Now they are digging in and trying to leverage Race to make the Southern Strategy work for at least another generation…

It’s really reprehensible and very obvious.  Especially here in North Carolina….

 

Here is an excerpt from a great article in The Nation by Ari Berman that explains this exceedingly well.  I encourage you to click the link at the bottom and read the entire article.

(Hat tip to Daily Kos where I first saw this….)

 

“What’s uniform across the South is that Republicans are using race as a central basis in drawing districts for partisan advantage,” says Anita Earls, a prominent civil rights lawyer and executive director of the Durham-based Southern Coalition for Social Justice. “The bigger picture is to ultimately make the Democratic Party in the South be represented only by people of color.” The GOP’s long-term goal is to enshrine a system of racially polarized voting that will make it harder for Democrats to win races on local, state, federal and presidential levels. Four years after the election of Barack Obama, which offered the promise of a new day of postracial politics in states like North Carolina, Republicans are once again employing a Southern Strategy that would make Richard Nixon and Lee Atwater proud.

The consequences of redistricting in North Carolina—one of the most important swing states in the country—could determine who controls Congress and the presidency in 2012. Democrats hold seven of the state’s thirteen Congressional seats, but after redistricting they could control only three—the largest shift for Republicans at the Congressional level in any state this year. Though Obama won eight of the thirteen districts, under the new maps his vote would be contained in only three heavily Democratic districts—all of which would have voted 68 percent or higher for the president in 2008—while the rest of the districts would have favored John McCain by 55 percent or more. “GOP candidates could win just over half of the statewide vote for Congress and end up with 62 percent to 77 percent of the seats,” found John Hood, president of the conservative John Locke Foundation.

via How the GOP Is Resegregating the South | The Nation.

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February 2, 2012 · 12:58 pm

Mitt Romney Relying Heavily on Small Group of Super-rich Donors

Well, if it wasn’t clear before, this certainly makes it clearer….

Mitt Romney is the Chosen One of the 1%….

I just hope the 99% of the rest of us turn out to vote against this out-of-touch, elitist schmuck…

From the Washington-Post:

 

One of Mitt Romney’s strongest assets as the GOP presidential front-runner is also a potentially serious liability in the race: his heavy reliance on a small group of millionaires and billionaires for financial support.

A quarter of the money amassed by Romney’s campaign and an allied super PAC has come from just 41 people, each of whom has given more than $100,000, according to a Washington Post analysis of disclosure data. Nearly a dozen of the donors have contributed $1 million or more.

The preponderance of mega-rich supporters poses a political challenge for Romney, who has struggled for weeks over questions about his vast wealth, his history as a private equity manager and a series of gaffes that seemed to highlight his privileged station. He stumbled again on Wednesday when he told a CNN interviewer that he was “not concerned about the very poor, because they have a safety net.”

via Mitt Romney relying heavily on small group of super-rich donors – The Washington Post.

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February 2, 2012 · 8:59 am

Study Links Low I.Q. To Prejudice, Racism, Conservatism

I am not at all surprised….

In fact, this just reinforces what I already thought and observed through life experiences….

And the elected Republicans and GOP base certainly down play and belittle science and education….

They are playing to their audience and reinforcing their fears and prejudices to get elected….

So they can take care of their rich friends and Corporations….

The only other reason people are “conservative” is the when the Rich are trying to preserve their wealth!

From the Huffington Post:

The study, published in Psychological Science, showed that people who score low on I.Q. tests in childhood are more likely to develop prejudiced beliefs and socially conservative politics in adulthood.

I.Q., or intelligence quotient, is a score determined by standardized tests, but whether the tests truly reveal intelligence remains a topic of hot debate among psychologists.

Dr. Gordon Hodson, a professor of psychology at the university and the study’s lead author, said the finding represented evidence of a vicious cycle: People of low intelligence gravitate toward socially conservative ideologies, which stress resistance to change and, in turn, prejudice, he told LiveScience.

Why might less intelligent people be drawn to conservative ideologies? Because such ideologies feature “structure and order” that make it easier to comprehend a complicated world, Dodson said. “Unfortunately, many of these features can also contribute to prejudice,” he added.

Dr. Brian Nosek, a University of Virginia psychologist, echoed those sentiments.

“Reality is complicated and messy,” he told The Huffington Post in an email. “Ideologies get rid of the messiness and impose a simpler solution. So, it may not be surprising that people with less cognitive capacity will be attracted to simplifying ideologies.”

via Intelligence Study Links Low I.Q. To Prejudice, Racism, Conservatism.

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