Tag Archives: politics

September 26, 2012 · 10:29 pm

‘Honey Boo Boo’ is More Popular Than Republicans

This is a little dated, but I just saw it…

I really try to pretend I don’t know about Honey Boo Boo as her whole show/concept really scares me….

Funny….I would assume Honey Boo Boo and the GOP drew from the same Red State demographics, but she’s the clear winner….

It’s sad when more people want to see Honey Boo Boo Child than the Republicans’ convention.  Sad for the GOP….

Of course, she seems much more real than Mittens…

And maybe the working class folks are finally catching on to the GOP lies and tuning them out for something else….

Honey Boo Boo has become more relevant than the Republican Presidential Nominee….

Funny world….

From ABC News:

 

 

Mitt Romney and company couldn’t beat the allure of a self-proclaimed “redneck” family. According to Nielsen overnight ratings, TLC’s controversial reality show “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” drew 2.9  million viewers Wednesday night at 10 p.m. In second place: Fox News’ coverage of the Republican National Convention, to which 1.2 million adults tuned in.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, “Honey Boo Boo” scored more viewers in the key 18- to 49-year-old  demographic than the RNC coverage on any one of the  individual broadcast networks.

via ‘Honey Boo Boo’ Ratings Top RNC’s – ABC News.

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September 26, 2012 · 8:59 pm

Rest in Peace, Andy Williams

I can’t let Andy Williams’ passing go by without comment…

He and his music and TV show were so much a part of my childhood….

His Christmas Album is still one of my favorites…

And his version of “Moon River” is the definitive version of the 1960’s- except for Audrey Hepburn in the film.

And the gracious way he stood by his ex-wife, and the mother of his children,  Claudine Longet during her scandalous murder trial…

Even if he was a Republican, he was friends with Bobby and Ethel Kennedy….

He was a Gentleman…

I’ll miss him….

Here is a link to a great remembrance from Suzi Parker in the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/post/andy-williams-crossed-generational-and-political-lines-in-his-long-career/2012/09/26/ddead784-07f9-11e2-9eea-333857f6a7bd_blog.html

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September 26, 2012 · 8:36 pm

After Nearly A Decade Of Declines, Manufacturing Jobs Begin Rebound

This is some really good news….

Manufacturing jobs are middle class jobs with benefits that I was starting to fear were gone for good.

This will really help people feel better about the economy as these jobs beat the hell out of the retail, temp and other low wage jobs that have been the recent sources of job growth.

From Thinkprogress.org:

After nearly a decade of steep declines, American manufacturing jobs have begun to rebound since the beginning of the Obama administration, as the slide that occurred under President George W. Bush and during the Great Recession has largely been reversed.

Manufacturing slumped in the first year of the Obama administration as the nation dealt with the effects of the recession, but since then, manufacturing has posted job gains in all but three months since February 2010, as Bloomberg Government reports:

The BGOV Barometer shows U.S. factory positions have grown since early 2010, arresting a slide that began toward the end of the 1990s. It’s the best showing since the era of Bill Clinton, the only president in the last 30 years to leave office with more factory jobs than when he began.

via After Nearly A Decade Of Declines, Manufacturing Jobs Begin Rebound | ThinkProgress.

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September 24, 2012 · 10:33 pm

Obama leads Romney among NASCAR Fans

Interesting….

This is one demographic group most folks assumed would not be supporting the President….

Seems Mitt’s positions, personae- not to mention comments about the poncho’s and NASCAR fashions- have not endeared him to these folks, either….

I’m wondering what demographic group, aside from old, rich, white men  Romney is winning now?

From Yahoo.com:

Mitt Romney’s recent slide in several polls, including those in the battleground states of Ohio, Virginia and Florida, is troubling enough for the GOP. But, now the Republican nominee appears to be trailing President Barack Obama among a traditionally conservative constituency: NASCAR fans.

Obama leads Romney 49 to 42 percent among NASCAR enthusiasts, according to a new Zogby poll by JZ Analytics.

As the liberal blog PoliticusUSA.com pointed out, Romney was booed at the Daytona 500 in February during a campaign trip ahead of Super Tuesday.

via Obama leads Romney among NASCAR fans: Poll | The Ticket – Yahoo! News.

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September 24, 2012 · 10:15 pm

Mitt Romney Wonders Why Airplane Windows Don’t Roll Down

I’m so speechless, I’m posting this without much of a comment…

Except…

How could anyone want this Airhead to be President?

He really ought to understand this…Especially given how much time he spends on planes.

Or maybe his brain just isn’t getting enough oxygen….

 

After his wifes plane was forced to make an emergency landing this weekend, Romney told the Los Angeles Times, he was worried for her safety. The candidate then continued on a bizarre tangent that showed just how little the Republican nominee understands about flight.

“I appreciate the fact that she is on the ground, safe and sound. And I don’t think she knows just how worried some of us were,” Romney told the paper. “When you have a fire in an aircraft, there’s no place to go, exactly.”

Romney said the biggest problem in a distressed aircraft is that “the windows don’t open. I don’t know why they don’t do that. It’s a real problem. So it’s very dangerous.”

The main reason airplane windows dont open is because there isnt enough oxygen at cruising altitude to keep passengers alive. The fear of window or cabin failures, which would lead to potentially fatal hypoxia, is why many planes are equipped with emergency oxygen masks.

“You can’t find any oxygen from outside the aircraft to get in the aircraft, because the windows don’t open,” Romney told the Times, suggesting that additional oxygen in the cabin during the electrical malfunction couldve alleviated the problem. In fact, if there were an electrical fire on board, additional oxygen would have fed the flames.

Strangely, Romney seemed to acknowledge the importance of oxygen later in his comments. “Fortunately, there was enough oxygen for the pilot and copilot to make a safe landing in Denver,” he said.

via Mitt Romney Wonders Why Ann Romneys Airplane Windows Dont Roll Down.

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September 23, 2012 · 12:05 pm

Michelle Obama: Voting Rights Is ‘Movement Of Our Era’

And she is so right….

I’m old enough to remember how hard some folks fought for the right to vote.  I remember the news coverage with fire hoses and attack dogs being let loose on people who only wanted to exercise their Constitutional right to vote.  I never thought this battle would have to be re-fought in my lifetime.

The Republicans are counting on us to have a short memory of American History….

Given its current agenda and the overall demographic trends in the country, the only way the GOP can stay in power is to limit the electorate.  And they are trying desperately to do this with these Voter ID laws.

The Voter ID laws predominately impact Latino’s, Black people, the young, the elderly and other groups that have an interest in supporting the Non-Republican agenda.

And if you think everyone has a government issued Id and it’s cheap and easy to get the documentation to get one, then I suggest you step out of your Middle Class bubble…..

And remember, there is almost no documented evidence of any substantial- or in fact any- voter fraud today that would be impacted by voter ID laws.

I’m much more worried about the GOP manipulating the results via flawed technology in the voting machines and reporting process.  There is much more evidence of concern there than with Voter ID gaps.

And if you think these new laws  don’t apply to you, remember, these angry, rich, impotent, old white guys will get around to you eventually…..unless you share exactly their same self-interests.

From The Huffington Post:

Michelle Obama says protecting the right to vote has become the nation’s most important civil rights issue.

The first lady tells a gathering of black lawmakers and leaders that they owe it to those who fought and died for equal rights in the 1960s to make sure every voter can freely cast a ballot.

Her comments at an annual awards banquet for the Congressional Black Caucus come amidst a push in more than a dozen states to pass laws requiring voters to show ID at the polls. Critics say the laws unfairly harm minorities, poor people and college students – all groups that tend to vote Democratic.

Comparing it to the civil rights movement, Obama calls voting rights “the march or our time” and “the sit in of our day.”

via Michelle Obama Congressional Black Caucus Speech: Voting Rights Is ‘Movement Of Our Era’.

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September 10, 2012 · 3:56 pm

Bye Bye to the Crazy Grand Dames of the GOP

How sweet it would be to be rid of Michelle Bachmann and Sarah Palin in the same year!  God knows, they have both had more than  their allocated 15  minutes of fame….

People are sick of Sarah and it looks like Fox News isn’t even going to renew her contract.  The GOP certainly didn’t want her around their convention…

And now, it looks like Michelle Bachmann has a very good chance at losing her Congressional seat….

Maybe people really are finally getting tired of mean, crazy people in Politics.

We can hope….

From Salon via Politicususa.com:

A new poll suggests that tea party darling Michele Bachmann is in serious danger of losing her House seat to Democrat Jim Graves.The poll, which was first shared with Salon, found that Bachmann now leads Graves, 48%-46%. Bachmann has gone from a 45%-41% lead with Independents to now trailing 52%-37%. The biggest indicator of how much voters have soured on Bachmann is that 57% of those surveyed gave a fair/poor job approval rating. Almost as many responded rated her as poor 35% as did excellent/good. Respondents also had cool feelings towards Rep. Bachmann as a person. Forty one percent said they had warm feelings towards Bachmann while 46% expressed cool feelings towards the incumbent Republican.After winning her 2010 bid for reelection by twelve points, her 2012 campaign is looking like a return to the norm. Bachmann first won election to the House in 2006 in a three person race by a 50%-42%-8% margin. Bachmann won another three way contest in 2008, 46%-43%-10%. Bachmann’s margin of victory in both 2006 and 2008 combined was less than her margin in the Republican wave year of 2010.Even though her popularity is on the wane in her district, Rep. Bachmann will be difficult to beat because of the massive war chest $15 million she has accumulated. Bachmann also has been heavily supported and funded by the national Republican Party. Michele Bachmann is a right wing media darling who is welcome to go on Fox News, Glenn Beck, or any other conservative media outlet and beg for dollars at any time.

via Bye Bye Crazy Eyes: Poll Finds Democrat in Position to Defeat Michele Bachmann.

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August 30, 2012 · 12:56 pm

Fox News: Paul Ryan’s RNC Speech ‘Was Attempt To Set World Record For Blatant Lies’

I actually tried to watch some of this last night, but couldn’t stomach but so much of Eddie Munster’s lies.  I wondered, as I watched it, if the media would call him on it.

I’m very pleased today to see the media almost unanimously lined up to call attention to the lies Ryan was trying to pass off as facts last night.  I know the GOP lies, but even I’ve been shocked at how blatantly the Romney campaign has spread these lies and refused to acknowledge them.

And for Paul Ryan to stand on the podium at the GOP Convention and look right in the television cameras and lie should be shocking.  What’s shocking is that it isn’t shocking….it’s just the normal GOP way to trying to win.

Lie, Lie and Lie and refuse to acknowledge inconvenient truths and facts.  That’s today’s Republican Party and Paul Ryan is the new two-faced poster boy.

You know it’s really bad when even Faux News, normally the mouthpiece of the GOP, starts calling them on their lying….

 

According to Fox News columnist Sally Kohn, vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan’s speech at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday “was an apparent attempt to set the world record for the greatest number of blatant lies and misrepresentations slipped into a single political speech.”

“On this measure, while it was Romney who ran the Olympics, Ryan earned the gold,” Kohn wrote.

In a surprising move, Fox News joined CNN, The Huffington Post, the Washington Post’s Wonkblog, and ThinkProgress in publishing a fact-check of the Republican vice presidential nominee’s speech, finding that the speech was full of lies and misleading assertions.

via Fox News’ Sally Kohn: Paul Ryan’s RNC Speech ‘Was Attempt To Set World Record For Blatant Lies’.

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August 27, 2012 · 12:06 pm

It’s Raining Men: Fox News introduces Romney Sons with Gay Anthem

Both Priceless and Clueless…

Faux News at it’s best.  Again…

From RawStory.com:

 

The conservative morning show Fox & Friends on Monday used one of the world’s most popular gay anthems as they introduced all of GOP hopeful Mitt Romney’s five sons.

Fox News co-host Brian Kilmeade teased an upcoming segment with the Republican presidential candidate’s offspring as the music began to play and the camera panned over to the guests: “For the first time in history / It’s gonna start raining men!”“It’s Raining Men! Hallelujah! – It’s Raining Men! Amen! / I’m gonna go out to run and let myself get / Absolutely soaking wet!”

The song “It’s Raining Men” was written in 1979 by David Letterman sidekick Paul Schaffer and gay songwriter Paul Jabara, who died of complications from AIDS in 1992. After being turned down by Donna Summer, Grace Jones and Diana Ross, the song was eventually recorded by one-hit-wonder The Weather Girls.

The LGBT community adopted the song as a gay anthem, catapulting it to the number one song in 1982 and then again in 2001, when it was covered by British pop singer-songwriter Geri Halliwell

via Fox News introduces Romney sons with gay anthem ‘It’s Raining Men’ | The Raw Story.

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August 15, 2012 · 12:21 pm

Hassles of Air Travel Push Passengers to Amtrak

Great article in today’s New York Times….

The airlines simply regard people as cargo to move from place to place.  As someone who travels by air at least once a month or so, I can tell you, there is nothing pleasant about air travel anymore.  It is uncomfortable.  The planes are often old and dirty.  Customer Service is non-existent.  If anything goes wrong, you can be stranded for days- at your own expense.  It’s just horrible…

I wish train travel were a viable alternative….

It’s truly a shame how America has let it’s passenger rail system decline over the last 50 years.  I wish it was a more viable alternative to air travel in other parts of the country besides the Washington-New York- Boston route.

If we had more trains and more convenient scheduling, I’m convinced train travel would take off outside the Northeast Corridor.  It certainly works in Europe and it would encourage more local tourism, without as much negative environmental impact as car and plane travel.   I would love to be able to catch a train for a day trip somewhere like you can in the UK….

Unfortunately, this will probably not happen in my lifetime.  The “conservatives” have let our infrastructure crumble and aren’t willing to invest in it anymore….

But at least it’s working in the Northeast….

Now, if only we had visionaries who would build on this success….

A decade ago, Delta and US Airways shuttles were the preferred mode of travel between the cities. But high fares, slow airport security and frequent flight delays — along with Amtrak’s high-speed Acela trains, online ticketing and workstation amenities — have eaten away at the airlines’ share of passengers.

Between New York and Washington, Amtrak said, 75 percent of travelers go by train, a huge share that has been building steadily since the Acela was introduced in 2000 and airport security was tightened after 2001. Before that, Amtrak had just over a third of the business between New York and Washington.

In the same period, Amtrak said, its market share between New York and Boston grew to 54 percent from 20 percent.

Nationally, Amtrak ridership is at a record 30 million people; the Northeast accounts for more than a third of that and is virtually the only portion of Amtrak’s system that makes money.

via Hassles of Air Travel Push Passengers to Amtrak – NYTimes.com.

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