Tag Archives: politics

May 22, 2011 · 5:24 pm

Even Fox News Chief Roger Ailes Thinks Sarah Palin Is ‘Stupid’: New York Magazine

But they still push her out there and give her a platform to share her stupidity….

From Michael Calderone in New York Magazine:

Fox News still dominates the cable news ratings, but chairman Roger Ailes wants something more: to help elect the next president.

That’s the takeaway from Gabriel Sherman’s New York magazine cover story hitting newsstands Monday. Sherman, who’s currently writing a book on Fox News for Random House, looks at how Ailes — who built up a stable of possible presidential contenders after the 2008 election, including Sarah Palin — isn’t so pleased with their chances at beating President Barack Obama in 2012.

Ailes doesn’t speak on the record in the article, but several Republicans close to the Fox News chief describe his concerns going into an election year.

“He thinks things are going in a bad direction,” another Republican close to Ailes told [Sherman]. “Roger is worried about the future of the country. He thinks the election of Obama is a disaster. He thinks Palin is an idiot. He thinks she’s stupid. He helped boost her up. People like Sarah Palin haven’t elevated the conservative movement.”

Ailes, a television titan, has schooled past presidential candidates on how to handle the media. Before helping Rupert Murdoch launch Fox News in 1996, Ailes worked as a strategist for Republican presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush (whom he still talks to regularly).

via Fox News Chief Roger Ailes Thinks Sarah Palin Is ‘Stupid’: New York Magazine.

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May 22, 2011 · 3:20 pm

Newt Gingrich: Dancing Queen

From the Truth is Stranger than Fiction File via Celeste Katz in the New York Daily News:

The Republican firebrand is such a fan of the sugary Swedish songsters that his cell phone ringtone is the group’s hit “Dancing Queen.” Gingrich also thinks “Mamma Mia,” a movie starring Meryl Streep that features the tune, is “amazing.”

“It’s just fun,” he said. “When they do ‘Dancing Queen’ in the movie, I just think it’s a great sequence. I love that sequence — the energy, the excitement.”

Gingrich’s secret passion for ABBA was revealed when his cell phone suddenly rang during a campaign stop in Iowa, where he has been trying to launch a presidential campaign.

“Dancing Queen,” Gingrich sheepishly admitted, is his ringtone.

“My wife warned me this would happen,” he said, referring to third wife, Calista.

Gingrich said Calista’s ringtone is another ABBA tune, but he declined to divulge which one saying he wanted to add “a little mystique.”

“I’ll let you guess,” he said, grinning, “I’m not telling.”

via Newt Gingrich Hearts His ABBA Ringtone | New York Daily News.

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May 22, 2011 · 12:27 pm

Secret Donors Multiply in U.S. Election Spending – Bloomberg

People laughed at Hillary Clinton when she talked about the “Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy” all those years ago….

Little did we know how right she was…..

Commission on Hope and four other Republican-leaning groups spent at least $4.05 million attacking candidates in the run-up to the November voting, according to Campaign Media estimates and TV station records obtained by Bloomberg News. None of that spending can be found searching the public database of the Federal Election Commission, and FEC spokeswoman Mary Brandenberger said the commission has no record of it.

Federal law requires FEC disclosure of money spent on ads mentioning or depicting a candidate in the 60 days before a general election. The five groups whose spending wasn’t reported either declined to comment, were unreachable, or said they deemed the spending not reportable under the law.

via Secret Donors Multiply in U.S. Election Spending – Bloomberg.

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May 22, 2011 · 11:01 am

Democratic Professors vs Republican Professors: A Comparison

Interesting article from Inside Higher Education.  Especially in light of the recent information that the Koch brothers and other right-wing billionaires are trying to endow professorships to control what and how information is being taught in colleges…

Also, the Republicans don’t really think everyone should be able to go to College…That’s clear from their policies.

Hat Tip to Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire where I first saw this article mentioned…

Republican professors and Democratic professors presumably produce different outcomes when they enter the ballot box, but what about when they record grades?

A forthcoming study finds that there may be notable differences. Democratic professors appear to be “more egalitarian” than their Republican counterparts when it comes to grading, meaning that more of the Democratic grades are in the middle. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to award very high grades and very low grades.

Another key difference is that black students tend to fare better with Democrats than with Republicans.

More:   News: Red Grader, Blue Grader – Inside Higher Ed.

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May 20, 2011 · 3:08 pm

“Made in America”: The Comeback – Yahoo! Finance

A little good news….

U.S. exports hit a record $173 billion in March, up 15% from a year-ago and 37% from 2009. The good times for “Made in America” are just getting started, according to a new study from The Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

In fact, BCG predicts 2015 will be a tipping point of sorts, when global manufacturers will view the U.S. as equal to if not better-than China, senior partner Harold Sirkin tells me in the accompanying video.

“We’re not saying the world’s going to suddenly change and U.S. companies are going to manufacture here for shipment to China,” Sirkin says. “But the U.S. will be a very important place if you’re going to sell into the U.S.”

In making this seemingly outrageous forecast, Sirkin cites the following:

Rising wages in China plus the strengthening yuan are eroding China’s cost advantage vs. the U.S.

America’s “very productive, motivated and flexible workforce” is attractive to employers and all aspects of U.S. society — including unions and state governments — are “focused on creating jobs.”

Intangibles such as the length of the supply chain and the challenges of communicating over multiple time zones work to the advantage of the U.S. (The same is true of Mexico, which BCG says is “also poised to benefit as a low-cost alternative” to China.)

For the record, BCG’s forecast is based on the U.S. regulatory and tax environment remaining the same. This is about “pure economics,” Sirkin says. “If you improve tax rates and regulation, it’ll only make the trend happen faster.”

Clearly this forecast runs against conventional wisdom. But conventional wisdom also holds that America “doesn’t make anything anymore,” which isn’t true either. Since 1972, U.S. manufacturing output has risen nearly 2.5 times, according to BCG.

But U.S. manufacturing employment has fallen nearly 25% in the same time period and few consumer goods are made here anymore, which is why it “feels” worse than the reality; if BCG is even half right, that’s going to change for the better soon.

via “Made in America”: The Comeback – Yahoo! Finance.

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May 20, 2011 · 12:11 am

World to End Saturday, May 21st at 6:00 pm Because of Gay People

I just knew they would find a way to blame this on us….

This guy is so old he doesn’t care if he is proved wrong…

He knows, for him,  it’s only a matter of time and he goes out with a lot of publicity…

And I hope he takes a lot of the hate and ignorance with him when he goes…

By the way, I plan to be in a very nice little Italian Restaurant in Washington, NC on Saturday, December 21 at 6:0o pm.  I hope the Rapture doesn’t happen until after they serve the main course….

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May 19, 2011 · 4:53 pm

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Secret Child: 7 Basic Tips for Horny Politicians – The Daily Beast

Another great satirical article…

This one from Michelle Cottle at “The Daily Beast”.

Here is an excerpt and a link to the full article:

Honestly. We’re talking about a man who is absurdly rich and famous, not to mention hitched to a celebrity princess from America’s premier political dynasty, and he doesn’t have the self-preservation instinct to take double—no, triple!—precautions when he starts diddling the help? Forget governor of California. This man is too dense to be night manager of the local Gas ’n Gulp.

The last dozen or so political and celebrity sex scandals have left me with a strange reservoir of cynicism mixed with astonishment: No longer am I remotely surprised when these masters of the universe cheat, but I continue to be amazed by the sloppy, self-destructive, often moronic manner in which they do so. Giving one’s phone number to a D.C. escort service? Trolling for action in the Minneapolis airport men’s room? Looking for love on Craigslist using your real name (and shirtless photo)? Hiring your mistress as a videographer for your presidential run, impregnating her, then claiming the child is the progeny of a political aide? Harvard B-School could spotlight any one of these as a case study in how not to conduct an extramarital affair.

via Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Secret Child: 7 Basic Tips for Horny Politicians – The Daily Beast.

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May 19, 2011 · 9:29 am

Nation Down To Last Hundred Grown-Ups | The Onion

Great satirical article from “The Onion”, of course….

Please click the link at the bottom to read the entire article.

It’s worth it….

SUITLAND, MD—According to alarming new figures released Monday by the U.S. Census Bureau, the nation’s population of mature adults has been pushed to the brink of extinction, with only 104 grown-ups remaining in the country today.

The endangered demographic, which is projected to die out completely by 2060, is reportedly distinguished from other groups by numerous unique traits, including foresight, rationality, understanding of how to obtain and pay for a mortgage, personal responsibility, and the ability to enter a store without immediately purchasing whatever items they see and desire.

“Our grown-ups are disappearing at a much faster rate than we previously believed,” said Census Bureau chief Robert M. Groves, who believes the decline in responsible adults may now be irreversible. “Unfortunately, we’ve only recently noticed this terrible trend, perhaps because of this group’s unusual capacity to endure hardships with quiet dignity instead of whining loudly to draw attention to themselves.”

“If nothing is done, these wondrous individuals, with their special ability to consider the long-term consequences of their own behavior and act accordingly, will be wiped-out completely,” Groves added.

According to recent data, the grown-up population has plummeted dramatically since 1950, when a Census count found that more than 24 million Americans could both admit when they were wrong and respect a viewpoint other than their own. Today, only one in three million citizens can provide thoughtful advice to a fellow human being instead of immediately shifting the topic to their own personal issues or what they had for lunch.

Experts confirmed the mass extinction of grown-ups has coincided with the rapid expansion of other demographic groups, including people who seek medication for every problem they encounter, 33-year-olds who participate in organized kickball leagues, personal injury litigants, and parents who try to become friends with their own children.

MORE:   Nation Down To Last Hundred Grown-Ups | The Onion – America’s Finest News Source.

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May 13, 2011 · 5:33 pm

Chris Matthews: Bush Was ‘Wise Ass Rich Kid’ About bin Laden

And as a follow-up to my previous post…

Another perspective:

MSNBC host Chris Matthews said Tuesday that former President George W. Bush had a “wise ass” attitude about terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.

“I’m not a Bush hater, but that was wise-ass behavior there,” he said. “Just wise-ass. I mean this is the rich kid acting like I don’t care about that old girlfriend that dumped me. That was behavioral weirdness right there.”

Matthews’ guest Joan Walsh suggested Bush tried to downplay the importance of capturing or killing Osama bin Laden so that Americans would focus on Saddam Hussein and Iraq.

via Chris Matthews: Bush was ‘wise ass rich kid’ about bin Laden | Raw Replay.

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May 13, 2011 · 4:30 pm

Former Colin Powell Chief of Staff: Bush didn’t want to get bin Laden

Interesting information here….

Confirms what I always suspected….

The Bushies wanted binLaden free so they could use him to drive fear and their political agenda…

Former Colin Powell Chief of Staff Lawrence Wilkerson told MSNBC’s Ed Schultz Wednesday that President George W. Bush wasn’t interested in bringing Osama bin Laden to justice.

“I don’t think they really wanted to get bin Laden,” Wilkerson said.

“You could be very cynical and say he didn’t want to get him because once they got him the war was over and that left all the political advantage gone,” he added. “Or you could say that they knew that it was almost an impossibility to get him given what they had done to the intelligence and other aspects of the government that you needed to get him. They just about ruined it.”

via Former Colin Powell Chief of Staff: Bush didn’t want to get bin Laden | Raw Replay.

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